Tagged: movie

Frank Spotnitz Optimistic About ‘X-FIles 3’

  • News
  • November 19, 2008

Frank Spotnitz spoke with Movieweb about the current state of The X-Files franchise in the weeks prior to X-Files: I Want to Believe coming out on DVD on December 2.

“The studio has not said yes or no,” the producer said of a third feature. “I think the box office; unfortunately, we got creamed in the theaters by The Dark Knight. I don’t think anybody could’ve anticipated that was going to be such a huge, historic phenomenon. To be a dark scary movie coming out the week after The Dark Knight was not the best timing. I think there’s life in the franchise still. I think these are great characters. There’s a date that looms very important in X-Files mythology, which is December 2012. I think after the DVD comes out, the studio will decide whether they want to roll the dice on another X-Files feature.”

On the subject of that date, he admitted, “I think we would definitely have to deal with alien colonization. I honestly think that’s the movie that most non-hardcore X-Files fans, as well as a lot of hardcore X-Files fans are dying to see. Obviously, I think Chris has had ideas about that from the very beginning when he dreamt up this show, 16 years ago.”

Guillermo del Toro Updates ‘Hobbit’, ‘Frankenstein’

  • News
  • November 12, 2008

Director Guillermo del Toro spoke with reporters in Los Angeles to promote this week’s release of Hellboy II: The Golden Army on DVD.

Of course, the question about the third film in the series came up and del Toro replied, “You know, I think that they will not green-light it or not or they will not talk about it until the last Euro hits the piggy bank. The fact is the movie, even though it was dually sodomized by Hancock and The Dark Knight, still did theatrically better than the first movie, internationally is doing exceedingly better than the first movie. It really is in some cases doing 300 percent more business, and depending on the territory and globally I think is doing about 100 percent more business than the first one. Let’s see what happens with the DVD, and the people that make the decisions do it based on the calculator function of the iPod, not on the other one.

“I would beg them and amputate myself in order for them to wait for me, but I don’t control it. If they say, ‘No, no, no, we’re going to do it,’ I personally think this incarnation of the trilogy, I would love to finish because it’s not arbitrary that we went into a different direction on the second one. I really think when and if you see the three movies, you’re going to have a comedic one, a tragic one and you’re going to see three movies that are incredibly apart in registration one from another. It’s really exploring Hellboy in very different ways.”

When queried about casting for The Hobbit and bringing back actors from Lords of the Rings, he said, “Not yet. Just the ones that have been announced [Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Andy Serkis as Gollum]. There’s not lack of information. It’s not withholding. We really don’t have more information, because we’re writing. And literally, like every week, what you discover writing the two movies, writing the two stories, it changes. So every week there’s a discovery, and anything we say this week would be contradicted next week. Certainly that would be true in casting. Why create hopes or why create expectations if down the line you’re going to go, ‘You know what? That was not a good idea.’ So we won’t cast it until we finish writing.” (more…)

Josh Brolin Uncertain About ‘Jonah Hex’

  • News
  • November 11, 2008

Collider spoke with actor Josh Brolin about the Jonah Hex film and interestingly, he has yet to be signed despite reports to the contrary.

While saying, “I think Jonah Hex is a really, really interesting story. I think it would be risky also, which I like, and I don’t know if it’s the thing to do.” He admitted to not having spoken with the producer/director team of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. They already announced their intention to begin production in March.

To the actor, about to be seen in Milk, picking roles is a very careful process. “Because it’s my process, man. It’s just like when I play a character. I carry around a memo pad and I write a thousand questions. I like to ask myself those questions before I start a movie so I’m not in the middle of the movie going, what did I do? I want to give myself entirely to the film and to the filmmaker when I decide to do the movie. So, I would rather go through all the crap before that and if it doesn’t turn out, that’s okay. That’s when I don’t worry about it because I know I went into it with the right intentions. I always have to weigh out, why am I going into this? Is it the characters? Is it the story? Is it the filmmakers? Is it the other actors that I can round up? Is it greed? Is it money? Is it the fact that they’re offering me a lot of money? Yeah, that’s nice. I don’t get paid, man. I do the art films or whatever. Character actor, fuck that. It’s a nice trajectory and I love working with great filmmakers, l ike I said. I would also work with a first time filmmaker. If I see his reel and I go, “Oh my god, this guy’s amazing.” There’s a great commercial director in London, Johnny Green. I think he’s a phenomenal talent, phenomenal, so I’m trying to get together with him and create something together because I think he’s an amazing talent. I could be wrong but I think he is. So, I don’t know. You just got that much of my process that goes on in my head just now. This happens for months. It’s exhausting. I’m starting to get embarrassed.”
 

‘Wonder Woman’ Movie Rumors

  • News
  • November 11, 2008

wonder-woman-perez-1-6938899Some Wonder Woman news popped up over the weekend.  First, there was Beyonce Knowles telling Geoff Boucher at the Los Angeles Times that she’d love to portray the Amazon Princess.

"I want to do a superhero movie and what would be better than Wonder Woman? It would be great. And it would be a very bold choice. A black Wonder Woman would be a powerful thing. It’s time for that, right?" she said.

She has appeared in Austin Powers in Goldmember, Dreamgirls, and Cadillac Records in addition to her pop music career.  Knowles indicated she has personally expressed her interest to both the studio and representatives at DC Comics.

The shapely and fit performer was ready for the revealing and tight tradition outfit as first designed by artist Harry G. Peters.  "I would definitely have to keep it right for that costume. The way that Lynda Carter wore it, she was sooo fine. She was amazing. I saw her costume at the Met. Her waist was unbelievable. It was pretty crazy, actually, her proportions. But I love Wonder Woman and it’d be a dream come true to be that character. It sure would be handy to have that lasso. To make everybody tell the truth? I need that. It would come in very handy."

The 27 year old also noted, "When you think about the psychology of the heroes in the films these days, they are still a lot of work, of course, and emotional. But there’s also an action element that I would enjoy."

IESB is reporting rumors that Warner Bros. may be circling back to McG to direct the long-stalled movie.  The man is currently in post-production on Terminator Salvation and was scheduled to direct the Superman reboot before walking off the project prior to Bryan Singer’s involvement. He was also interested in The Losers which went to Tim Story before the studio reassigned it to Sylvain White.

“Let me be very clear about this, I don’t know if he has been signed on or if his is just one of the names being circulated by the studio or if in fact it’s McG himself lobbying for the gig. Could be any of the three,” the site wrote.

“I double checked with a few other industry insiders and after a few phone calls they confirmed of hearing his name circling Wonder Woman as well.”
 

Zack Snyder on the Altered Ending of ‘Watchmen’

  • News
  • November 10, 2008

new-watchmen-poster-1196845Zack Snyder spoke with Dark Horizons about the recent sneak of The Watchmen and the audience’s reaction, especially to the altered ending.

"We had the best test scores in the history of Warner Bros. with 300 and I kept telling them look the movie is not like 300, don’t think that it is – it’s not going to be the same experience,” Snyder said. “Some people are going to go ‘what the f**k is this’ and I go that’s ok. That’s the thing that you fight… The one thing that was cool was that anyone who had read the graphic novel who was at the screening rated the film ‘excellent’, for me I’m like ‘I’m done’."

So about the squid and the ending?

"The fans, god love ’em, they’re all up in arms about the squid,” he said. “What they should be up in arms about are things like shooting the pregnant woman, ‘God is real and he’s American’, whether that‘s in the movie. That’s my point of view, maybe I’m crazy.

"The squid was not in the movie when I got the script, the squid was never in any draft that I saw. My point is only that there was this elegant solution to the squid problem that I kind of embraced. I’m a fan of the thing as much as anyone, I was saying what are we going to do about this before I even read the script."

He confirmed a second trailer will be released this coming Friday when Quantum of Solace hits theaters in America. "I just saw the final version of it this morning… it’s a little bit more story, a teeny bit more like a full trailer. This is much more like ‘someone’s picking off costume heroes’. You’ll get a sense of the characters plight you know, ‘we were supposed to make the world a better place… what happened to the American Dream’."

A third trailer will be released in early 2009, prior to the March 6 release date.

"The film’s pretty much done in my book. There’s still some visual effects shots which I’m reviewing… there’s probably close to 2000 effects shots in the film" he added.

Snyder’s next film will be his first animated project, Guardians of Ga’Hoole, coming in 2010.
 

‘Wanted 2’ on the Boards

  • News
  • November 6, 2008

Chris Morgan confirmed he will be writing the sequel to Wanted for Universal.  He spoke with MTV and said, “Yes, I will be writing it. I’m actually leaving this conversation with you to go to a meeting with the director, Timur [Bekmambetov], and we’re talking about the story.”

Despite confirming interest in a sequel to June’s action thriller starring Angelina Jolie, Universal continues to negotiate with writer Mark Millar who wrote the original comic miniseries, with artist J.G. Jones. A deal is said to be imminent.

“As far as I know, the studio is finishing their deal with Mark [Millar], and then we’re all going to get together and collaborate,” said Morgan, a longtime comics fan. “And that’s something I’m very excited about.”

After all, the movie deviated from the comic, creating its own mythology and now has to explore new facets of that world. Terence Stamp has already hinted to the press his Pekwarsky will return in the sequel which may be wishful thinking.

“That is the challenge here,” laughed Morgan, “but the point is to continue the journey that Wes started in the first film. Wherever he ended up at the end of the film, now it’s time to move him forward.”

The $75 million movie went on to earn good reviews and more importantly, scored $134,327,125 domestically plus an additional $203,210,478 in foreign box office.  The 
$337,537,603 global total before licensing and home video revenue more than justified Universal wanting a sequel. 

The DVD version will be released on December 2 in multiple versions: single-disc widescreen and full frame DVD editions, 2-disc Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def versions, and deluxe collector’s sets. The limited edition 2-disc versions and collector’s sets include a digital copy of the film.

‘Three Stooges’ Moves from Warners to MGM

  • News
  • November 5, 2008

The Three Stooges has gained new life with MGM becoming the new parent to the Peter and Bobby Farrelly project. The brothers had spent five years trying to develop the film at Warner Bros. but now they have a new lease on life and will give their script a polish then turn it over to Michael Cerrone to direct.

Peter Farrelly credited Mary Parent, MGM’s Worldwide Motion Picture Group chairman with having the enthusiasm to go out and grab the moribund film from Warners plus secure rights to the Stooges from C3. She sees the $45 million production as targeted as a PG or PG-13 project complete with the trademark slapstick the trio is known for. The movie will actually be three 20-25 minute segments loosely tied together to recreate the feel of the shorts the act made from the 1930s through the 1950s.

"It’s not a biopic. It takes place in present day, and they look, dress and sound exactly like the Stooges," Peter told Variety. "When the economy started turning, we felt like the world could use a Stooges slapfest. Bobby and I haven’t done a real physical comedy in a while, and it’s the most exciting thing we could think of now, to have people go to the movie, see some great slapstick fun family humor."

A nationwide talent hunt, compared with the search for American Idol, will begin as the producers and director seek three comedians who can work well together and do the physical humor required to earn the Stooges name. A similar hunt will be conducted to find humorous short films to run with their feature.

"We know this is extremely difficult to pull off; we realize some Stooges fans will be upset no matter what we do," Farrelly said. "We love the Stooges and honor their memory, and we don’t want them to disappear. We hope that next Thanksgiving, dads will introduce their kids to the Stooges and create a new generation of knuckleheads."

MGM has already picked out November 20, 2009 to release the film. The studio may rethink that since Variety notes the competition that day is already thick with Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and the animated Planet 51.

I am Spartacus!

  • News
  • October 27, 2008

The cry of “I am Spartacus!” will once more resound, this time weekly. Starz will air a new 13-episode series from executive producers Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Joshua Donen.

The premium movie channel has already produced Crash, a weekly series based on the Oscar-winning film, which began airing several weeks back. This will be the first in-house production for the channel. Steven S. DeKnight (Smallville) will be the head writer and showrunner.

Raimi, Tapert, and Donen developed the series and intend to produce the series in New Zealand in time for debut next summer. Each episode is likely to have a budget in excess of $2 million, surpassing their other series, Legend of the Seeker.  The world of ancient Rome will be digitally rendered, a first for a weekly TV series.

No casting has been announced as yet.

The real story of the slave who led a rebellion against his Roman captors in 73 A.D. was immortalized in the 1960 movie starring Kirk Douglas which won four Academy Awards. It was most recently retold as a 2004 miniseries starring ER’s Goran Visnjic and Rhona Mitra.

"This is not going to be at all like the 1960s Kirk Douglas film," Starz Entertainment executive vp programming Stephan Shelanski told The Hollywood Reporter. "We didn’t want your typical sword-and-sandals. It’s going to be fun, fast-moving, full of action and interesting characters and have a little more depth to it than the 1960s film."

Shelanski says the channel acknowledges the storytelling has to be done for an audience primed by movies like 300.  Being a premium channel, they can go for R-rated violence and storytelling. "It will bring the younger audience who has grown up on graphic novels and video games this heightened reality; it’s not going to look like anything you’ve seen before, especially on TV," said executive vp original production William Hamm. Hamm has previously worked with Raimi and Tapert at Universal TV to produce the similar Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

Review: ‘Monty Python’s Tunisian Holiday’

51hrrisu-nl-sl500-aa2401-3018019Well as careers go, here’s a good one. Start off writing a fanzine and wind up working with and for Del Close and Monty Python and, specifically, John Cleese. Then you get to write all kinds of books about your labors.

Long-time comics journalist and frequent ComicMix commenter Kim Howard Johnson has a new book out called Monty Python’s Tunisian Holiday. It’s a misnomer; Monty Python was in Tunisia to work. They were making a movie. Monty [[[Python’s Life of Brian]]], to be exact. But few would buy a book called [[[Kim Howard Johnson’s Tunisian Holiday]]] unless it had a lot of sex in it, so the title choice is obvious. So are the contents: it’s Howard’s account of his time with the Pythons in Tunisia filming [[[The Life of Brian]]] and touches on his time on-stage with the group at the famed Hollywood Bowl concerts (Howard’s a professional, trained by no less than Del Close).

This is less of a companion volume to his [[[The First 200 Years of Monty Python]]],[[[ And Now For Something Completely Trivial]]],[[[ Life Before (and After) Monty Python]]], and [[[The First 280 Years of Monty Python]]] than it is Howard’s story chronicling his experiences as both a performer in the movie and a journalist covering the shoot. As such, it’s more of a companion volume to Michael Palin’s recently released autobiography Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years (I highly recommend the audiobook version, read by Palin). It’s witty, it’s thorough, and if you’re a Python fan or a movie nut, it’s completely vital. 

By the way, Howard’s got prefaces from Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, and his former boss and collaborator ([[[Superman: True Brit]]]), John Cleese. It’s nice to know people.

O.K. Cool, Howard. Great job. Now go do that biography of the Bonzo Dog Band I’ve been wanting so desperately.  Ummm… after you finish that [[[Munden’s Bar]]] story you’re doing with…

Snyder & Gibbons Show off ‘Watchmen’

  • News
  • October 7, 2008

Warner Bros. is doing a tremendous amount of early publicity for March 6’s Watchmen release.  They have dispatcheddirector Zack Snyder on tour, showing clips to the press and other parties first in London then last week in Los Angeles and last night in Manhattan.  He and the clips will continue their tour to Europe and Asia in the coming weeks.

DC Comics President and Publisher Paul Levitz kicked off the festivities by reminiscing about the days when pages for the comic would arrive from England.  “It was an amazing book. We’d be waiting expectantly for the next batch of pages.”

He noted it was the first time in the company history a film option had been sold before the final issue had seen print. The series has continued to perform miraculous feats with Levitz going on to say that the company has sold more copies of the trade paperback since the trailer was unveiled on July 18 than in the last seven years even though it has topped the graphic novel sales lists for each of those years.

He then introduced Snyder who, dressed in sweater and jeans, chatted up the rapt audience before screening the first 12 minutes of the film, complete with titles. “I’ve always been a fan,” he admitted.  “But I came from the Heavy Metal side.  My Mom, I had a strange Mom, who bought me a subscription.  She thought it was a cool looking magazine.”  When he looked at comic books of the time in comparison, he was disinterested because no one was “fucking or dying, why am I looking at this?”

The Watchmen, which he admitted had a little of each, changed that for him as a reader.  He never thought of it was a film until he was nearing the end of work on 300 and it was offered to him. Snyder then recounted his evolution with Warner Bros., which inherited the project from Paramount Pictures.  They saw it as a modern day take on terrorism and while he considered it, the more he looked at the David Hayter script and the original graphic novel, the more he thought it needed to remain faithful.  Slowly, he brought the studio around to his way of thinking while acknowledging the smash success of 300 by the time did not hurt his credibility.

After the opening sequence, he introduced the origin of Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup).  After the applause died down, he showed the final sequence which was Nite-Owl and Silk Spectre breaking Rorschach out of prison followed by some more quick clips, largely taken from the trailer. (more…)

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