With tales of Grand Theft Auto IV breaking sales records, and cartoon Russian Mob bosses plastered on billboards everywhere you look, it is the perfect time to give the Bratva more screen time (and it's probably about time we gave the Italians a break). The Hollywood Reporterannounced that Morgan Creek, in partnership with Universal, have purchased Rand Ravich's Russian mob script, Gregory Burns. Ravich's script centers on an undercover cop from Arizona who re-locates to L.A. to take down a Russian crime family.
Ravich has a mixed bag of credits to his name, including video games (Crime Lords), TV (Life), and feature films. His last feature was the sci-fi ode to Rosemary's Baby, The Astronaut's Wife. Sure, Wife might have been bad, but it was definitely a step up from his other foray into screenwriting.
According to THR, Burns has been floating around the studio for a long time and has been at the top of many a studio exec's wish list. After a series of false starts, the profitable indie studio has finally put the film into production. There is no word on casting yet, but if Morgan Creek is half as eager as they appear to get this film into the can, it shouldn't take long.
This news has the gaming world all a-flutter. Variety announced today that Gore Verbinski is taking the director's chair for the big screen adaptation of Bioshock. Universal has the rights to the video game adaptation, which Verbinski will direct and produce. John Logan will write the screenplay, and Verbinski plans to jump into pre-production as soon as it is finished and approved.
Bioshock was a hugely successful game, winning numerous awards and making a movie inevitable. And Take-Two Interactive, Bioshock's publisher, is so determined to see it onscreen that they structured the deal to make Halo like failure impossible.
Warning: This post contains excessive grasping at straws.
Most knowledgeable folks seem to think that the upcoming Wanted looks like a piece of junk. I can understand their position: the trailer was kind of a sensory assault, and didn't exactly make the film seem original. For my part, I'm not ready to write it off. I like James McAvoy, director Timur Bekmambetov is a fellow Russian, and I tend to enjoy the wildly implausible brand of action that the film seems to be going for. So I'm happy to report a piece of news that kind of surprised me: Wanted has been rated R by the MPAA for "strong bloody violence throughout, pervasive language and some sexuality." That elaboration makes it seem like they won't be trying to trim the bad parts to earn a PG-13.
Now, okay: obviously that doesn't mean much. I mean, the similarly (identically?) themed Hitman was rated R too, and look how that turned out. But for me, the R rating speaks not directly to quality, but to the kind of film Wanted is likely to be. Seeing the trailer (and not knowing the source material), I thought that while it looked kind of cool, it also looked like a broad, inoffensive, second-rate action romp -- my first association, probably due to the presence of Angelina Jolie, was with Lara Croft Tomb Raider. But maybe it won't be. Maybe it'll turn out to be harsh, and sexy, and over-the-top in ways that are actually interesting. Maybe it'll be more like Running Scared or Shoot 'Em Up than like Ghost Rider.You might think that those comparisons don't help and that it still looks like crap, but it seems to me that an R rating for a movie like this increases the odds of it being worthwhile. Or am I off my gourd?
When I first saw this headline, I thought: "Yes! Hollywood has realized there are other time periods outside of Tudor England!" Then I read the details and went, "Oh. Not really, then."
The Hollywood Reporter announced that Universal has picked up The Knights Templar, a spec script penned by Adam Torchia and Justin Stanley. Timbur Bekmambetov and Marc Platt will produce.
The story revolves around the ever popular Knights Templar, who return from the Crusades to find a vampire army, intent on destroying the Holy Grail. Whether the Grail will actually be the Cup of Christ or something to do with Mary Magdalene remains to be seen. Knights vs. Vampires! Go!
Bekmambetov, the Russian director behind Wanted, Night Watch and its sequel, is obviously no stranger to the undead. No word on who is directing, but I wouldn't be surprised if there is a chair with his name on it as it seems perfectly suited to his style. THR notes that Universal is obviously confident in Wanted, and wants to keep him in the fold.
I was really hoping for a real historical movie about the Knights Templar. They're not my favorite subject, but I'm a sucker for those historical films, especially when they involve chainmail and castles. But Hollywood never seems to regard the medieval era as anything but high fantasy fodder, which is a downright shame because there are loads of movies begging to be made. Big medieval battles are cool enough on their own without adding vampires (which will inevitably be CG) into the mix. Besides, this movie will just lead to many guys showing up at the Renaissance Faire dressed as Knights Templar, but packing stakes and garlic alongside their swords. Yeah, that matters to me. I don't lace myself up in a corset to see guys in painted bedsheets, you know.
It's here, in glorious Quicktime, and not a moment too soon for a June movie. Head over to Apple to watch it. This trailer is a vast improvement on the first, shades of the television show abounding everywhere. And this is definitely going to be much more action packed than Ang Lee's version. Erik Davis was right on the money in his NYCC report -- read his take on the trailer here.
I can't help but feel it was too long though -- between the two trailers, I feel like I've seen the whole movie, barring 18 minutes of that purported 20 minute fight between Abomination and Hulk. The encounter (pictured above) between Tim Roth and the Hulk is absolutely priceless, though. I won't say what it is and spoil it -- but I can't say I haven't wanted to do the same to a few of Roth's nastier characters.
Only the date of this convinces me I haven't written it up before, it seems so weirdly familiar. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has optioned Oni Press' Resurrection, the third title the studio has snagged from the small publisher.
Penned by Marc Guggenheim, a Wolverine scribe and the writer behind the television series Eli Stone, Resurrection is the story of a post alien invasion Earth. It begins where most sci-fi movies end, with a group of survivors trying to retake and rebuild the planet.
There's an eleven page preview of issue #1 over on Oni's website, full of those usual issue-one hints -- apparently there was a human counterattack of some kind, and we're reduced to communicating via smoke signals. It looks like the series is going to end at six issues, which is like the magic number these days. Eleven pages is just not enough to go on for me -- I can't help but compare it to The Stand (which I caught again on that Sci-Fi Channel broadcast), and it doesn't hook me as well as eleven minutes of that, but that is hardly fair.
No word on director or release date. These post-apocalyptic stories are really the rage -- thank goodness for the cuddly comfort that is The Hobbit, or I am going to be having nightmares for weeks. Alien invasion movies and me are not a good mix.
Cast Angelina Jolie in your movie, and everything post production becomes that much easier. No one photographs better than this woman -- and certainly no one looks more sexy with a gun.
This new teaser poster comes by way of Ain't It Cool News, where you can get a high-resolution version. I do love the way her tattoo blends into her customized gun. Not even Lara Croft has guns that fancy. The movie could be crap (though Erik Davis liked what he saw of it, AICN's Quint did too), but I do love a stylish action chick. Just because you're an assassin doesn't mean you can't accessorize!
Wanted opens June 27th, 2008. What do you think of this one? Is it on your summer radar?
I was one of the hardy souls who endured the recent Larry The Cable Guy atrocity Witless Protection, and when I wasn't bleeding out the eyes or praying aloud for the sweet release of death, I was noticing something peculiar: The film has an FBI character named Alonzo Mosely, which was also the name of an FBI character in Midnight Run. In and of itself, that could be a coincidence. But take into account that both Alonzo Moselys are played by the same actor, Yaphet Kotto, and that both are responsible for tracking down on-the-run witnesses who are supposed to testify against the Mafia, and you realize this was done on purpose.
So that's cute, I thought. I figured they probably hired Kotto, realized how similar the character was to the one he played in Midnight Run, and renamed the new character as a little inside joke. Universal Pictures isn't laughing, though, and not just because they watched a Larry The Cable Guy movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter's law blog (not written by Bob Loblaw, unfortunately), they're suing Lionsgate for copyright infringement and seek to stop all further distribution of Witless Protection, including the DVD release scheduled for June 10.
That's right: If Universal wins the case, the movie will be taken out of circulation. Regardless of the legal ramifications, I see this as a victory for society.
Last week, at the ever-so-swanky Ritz-Carlton near Central Park, Universal held a press conference for its upcoming feature, Baby Mama, which opens the Tribeca Film Festival tonight. Who participated? None other than stars Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Sigourney Weaver, along with writer-director Mike McCullers.
Fey and Poehler were first, and they spoke to reporters together. They met on the Chicago improv circuit fifteen years ago, performing together in a group called Inside Vladimir (named after a gay porn movie, apparently).
"I had heard about Tina -- on the streets! -- before I met her," said Poehler. "We both had moved from where we were going to college to study improv. We were the two women on that improv team and that's where we were when we met. We met when we were big eyebrowed, poor, badly dressed ducklings."
The chemistry between the longtime friends was evident not only in the movie itself, but also during the press conference; they were able to very easily joke around and go back and forth without stepping on each other's toes. And, of course, since both are improvisational experts, they came up with very funny lines instantly, like when a reporter asked Poehler if she has any desire to be a mother. The answer is in the following audio clip:
Amy Poehler wants to be an Oscar winner's mother (0:14)
The first time I heard the term "Baby Mama" was probably on either Maury or Jerry Springer (don't laugh... you hear a lot of things as you're flipping over to PBS). It and its male equivalent, "Baby Daddy," essentially describes a person with whom you've had a child, but no other relationship currently exists. It used to be street slang, but in a movie world where pregnancy of all types seems to be the hot, go-to topic (Juno,Knocked Up), the whole "baby mama" thing was sure to come up at some point. I just never thought it would come from Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
In Baby Mama, which opens the Tribeca Film Festival tonight and arrives nationwide on April 25, Fey plays Kate Holbrook, a successful vice president of a Whole Foods-esque organic supermarket chain. She's got the great job and the stunning Philadelphia apartment, but at 37, she longs for something more. You guessed it: Kate wants kids, and doesn't want to wait until she gets married to have them. One little problem: her chances of actually having a child are one in a million ("I just don't like your uterus," is what Kate's fertility doctor, played by The Daily Show's John Hodgman, tells her).
A dedicated contributor to the Ain't it Cool News machine got the chance to catch what they claimed was the final cut of Ron Howard's political drama, Frost/Nixon, and the good news is that it earned a resounding thumbs up (if you make it through the entire review, there is also a little surprise regarding the Arrested Development feature). Frost/Nixon is based on the famous stage play by Peter Morgan, which premiered in 2007 and earned Frank Langella a Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play.
In 1977, Frost, as the host of a popular news show titled Frost on America, conducted a series of hard-hitting interviews with Richard Nixon. Nixon had been interviewed countless times before, but Frost was perhaps the only journalist to ever get him to admit his culpability in the Watergate break-in. Morgan adapted his own play for the screen, and it centers on Frost's team as well as re-enactments of the interviews.
Reprising their roles are Frank Langella as the disgraced former President Nixon, and Michael Sheen as British journalist, David Frost. Joining Langella and Sheen are Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, and Sam Rockwell as James Reston Jr. Judging by AICN's tipster, it looks like most of the praise will be directed at Langella's stellar performance as the former president. So for those of you who like to get an early jump on your Oscar pool, you might want to keep Langella in mind. Frost/Nixon goes into limited release on December 5th.
I absolutely adore Jack Arnold's The Incredible Shrinking Man. I think it's without question one of the finest science fiction movies ever made. Not only does it have an endlessly fascinating story, but the 1957 film is also smart, sad and scary ... plus it has one of the most wonderfully thought-provoking endings I've ever seen. And since I love this movie so darn much, I couldn't stop weeping as I read this recent news piece at The Hollywood Reporter...
Not only is Universal (stupidly) intent on turning The Incredible Shrinking Man into a comedy (because that worked so damn well on The Stepford Wives), and not only are they planning to give the lead role to Eddie Murphy ... but things just got a whole lot worse. First off, the newest screenwriters to climb on board are Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant, two guys who proved their comedy chops on The State and Reno 911 -- and then obliterated those chops by writing the screenplays for Herbie: Fully Loaded, Taxi, Balls of Fury, Night at the Museum, The Pacifier and Let's Go to Prison. Surely these are the men who should re-write one of the best sci-fi movies ever made.
Oh, but it gets even better! Although Keenan Ivory Wayans and Pete Segal had been attached to the project at one point or another, it looks like Universal now wants Brett Ratner to direct this horrid idea. Now, I'm not one of those film nerds who thinks that Brett Ratner is the worst director ever born (far from it, actually), but nor do I think he's all that exciting of a filmmaker. I just can't believe that such a beautiful little sci-fi gem is being morphed into this sort of misguided train wreck.
Considering how much can go wrong in a filmmaker's career, it's always nice to hear a success story. Varietyreports that Universal has hired Australian director Shane Abbess to helm the sci-fi thriller Source Code. Universal picked up the rights to the film back in 2007, but the project sat on the back-burner until now. Abbess is a relative newcomer who made his name directing commercials and his feature debut was the 2007 Gothic thriller, Gabriel. The film was financed, written, and directed by Abbess, and told the story of an angel in purgatory. Oh, and something about 'bringing the light' and saving souls.
Code will be a time-travel story, but so far Universal is keeping the details under wraps. Ben Ripley (the writer behind such classics as Species III) has already penned a spec script, but there is no word on whether Universal will be using his draft. Originally, Topher Grace had been attached to produce and star in Code, but there was no mention of Grace in the latest notice. Code is aiming for a 2009 release, but Universal might want to stay away from May, otherwise they're going to have some stiff 'time traveling competition' in the form of Terminator 4.
For fans of The Fast and the Furious franchise, there were still a few pretty big questions hanging over the movie. Mainly, just what exactly was this movie going to be about ... other than fast cars that look real cool when they go real fast? Well, wonder no longer because Universal has announced the official title and the final plot synopsis for the latest installment of the racing franchise. Now titled Fast and Furious (yo, they left out the 'the!'), the story centers on reuniting Dom Torretto (Vin Diesel) and agent Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) along with vets from the first film (Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez).
According to Universal's description, "When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Conner (Walker). But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanuever him."
So far there have been a few on-set photos, and don't forget there was an early script review from Latino Review back in November. It would seem that it might have been legit since it got some of the details right (including some spoilerific details regarding the fate of Rodrgiuez's character, Letty). Director Justin Lin is already talking about making one more film before retiring the series, but we'll have to wait to see how high gas prices climb first. Fast and Furious will arrive in theaters on June 5, 2009.
Right on the heels of Eagle Eye, Shia LaBeouf is signing on for another role that has him playing the slacker dude thrown into extraordinary circumstances. The Hollywood Reporter posts that the actor has signed on to star in The Dark Fields, a new thriller by The Illusionist director Neil Burger, which is based on the book by Alan Glynn.
The novel follows a divorced copywriter in Manhattan who gets a helping of MDT-48, a new, illegal drug that will make him smarter -- a drug he scores from his dealer and ex-brother-in-law. While reveling in the financial and social success of his new-found smarts, he ignores a selection of side effects from terrible headaches to "trip-switching" -- a phenomenon that makes time move like stop-motion. He becomes a successful addict, who then gets implicated in a murder and linked to pharmaceutical espionage.
The project is being linked to both Fight Club and The Game, and I can't tell if that's just a reference to the style of the film, or a big, spoiler-filled mistake, since both films deal with surprise twists that rewrite reality. In the meantime, of course, we get to see LaBeouf go on adventures with Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Eagle Eye, and New York, I Love You. Oh, and don't forget Transformers 2.
With tales of Grand Theft Auto IV breaking sales records, and cartoon Russian Mob bosses plastered on billboards everywhere you look, it is the perfect time to give the Bratva more screen time (and it's probably about time we gave the Italians a break). The Hollywood Reporter announced that Morgan Creek, in partnership with Universal, have purchased Rand Ravich's Russian mob script, Gregory Burns. Ravich's script centers on an undercover cop from Arizona who re-locates to L.A. to take down a Russian crime family.
This news has the gaming world all a-flutter. 
Warning: This post contains excessive grasping at straws.
When I first saw this headline, I thought: "Yes! Hollywood has realized there are other time periods outside of Tudor England!" Then I read the details and went, "Oh. Not really, then."
Only the date of this convinces me I haven't written it up before, it seems so weirdly familiar. According to 
I was one of the hardy souls who endured the recent Larry The Cable Guy atrocity 
A dedicated contributor to the Ain't it Cool News machine got the chance to catch what they claimed was the final cut of 
I absolutely adore Jack Arnold's 
Considering how much can go wrong in a filmmaker's career, it's always nice to hear a success story. Variety 
For fans of The Fast and the Furious franchise, there were still a few pretty big questions hanging over the movie. Mainly, just what exactly was this movie going to be about ... other than fast cars that look real cool when they go real fast? Well, wonder no longer because Universal has announced the official title and the final plot synopsis for the 
Right on the heels of Eagle Eye, 
