Posted Dec 3rd 2008 8:02PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Warner Brothers, Fandom, Scripts, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
The last time
we heard from
J. Michael Straczynski about his remake-but-not-really of
The Forbidden Planet, it ended up being a lot of misquotes that the screenwriter quickly refuted.
MTV caught up with him this week, and he explained his take on the classic sci-fi film: "I've always wanted to do something involving
Forbidden Planet. It's my favorite science-fiction film of all time. I've watched the rights go from one company to the next. I heard that the rights at Dreamworks were about to expire and I went to Joel Silver and said I think if you move quickly you can grab it and I can write it. And he did. It's the dream of a lifetime to play in that universe."
While he remained relatively tight-lipped on the plot, Straczynski was careful to point out what it isn't. "I told Joel [Silver] this is how you do
Forbidden Planet without pissing on the original that no one has ever thought of. When I told [the idea] to him, his eyes lit up. It's not a remake. It's not a reimagining. It's not exactly a prequel. You'll have to see it. It's something that no one has thought of when it comes to this storyline."
Continue reading J. Michael Straczynski on 'Forbidden Planet' -- For Real, This Time
Posted Dec 3rd 2008 7:02PM by William Goss
Filed under: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Casting, Mystery & Suspense, Warner Brothers
After blowing up baddies in this week's surprisingly entertaining
Punisher: War Zone, it looks like
Ray Stevenson is now taking aim at
Denzel Washington's protagonist in
The Book of Eli. In the near future, Washington's on a mission to deliver a book that may hold the key to nothing less than Our Salvation (not to mention so very many late fees), with
Mila Kunis at his side and
Gary Oldman on his tail, and now -- according to
Variety -- Stevenson (HBO's "Rome") has this makeshift messiah in his sights.
The post-apocalyptic thriller marks the return of the Hughes Brothers behind the camera for the first time since 2001's
From Hell, and between them and a cast of this talent (yes, that includes Kunis, stop snickering), they might manage to make this somewhat less derivative than it already sounds, to echo Monika's sentiments.
Production starts in early 2009 for a release date in early 2010.
Posted Dec 3rd 2008 10:03AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Lionsgate Films, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Religious, Western
There are some great things to discuss, today, so let's just jump right in. But take a moment to admire the art , because I couldn't let
Scott Weinberg outshine me anymore!
- Rendering my Tuesday column somewhat obsolete, George Miller has informed the world that he is still attached to Justice League Mortal, and that the film is still very much alive. Apparently, he was never even on the Australian television show to make such fatal statements. Oh well. We can still talk about whether or not you can ever make a Justice League movie, right? [via SuperheroHype]
- Kevin McKidd told IGN that he is in the running for Thor -- and not for a secondary character, as he previously said, but as the god himself. Nothing is definite, there's just a lot of talk back and forth, but he's very excited that Kenneth Branagh is on board. It's a deal I'd like to see done, as the combo of McKidd and Branagh seems like a winner to me. (I particularly like that IGN caught McKidd at the Punisher: War Zone premiere -- Titus Pollo and Lucius Vorenus, together again!)
- Lexi Alexander might replace Neveldine and Taylor as the director of Jonah Hex. She told Latino Review that she had been sent the script, and really liked it. "I like it even more that Mr. Josh Brolin is still attached. Who knows if he'll stay, but it's more exciting than I thought. You get a story like this you think, 'Oh God, I'm going to be doing the same thing over and over again.' but it's really, really interesting." I haven't seen Punisher: War Zone yet, but all the reviews are positive, and indicate she'd have a similar take to Neveldine and Taylor. Go for it, Alexander!
- Also wanted -- one director for Magdalena. Gale Anne Hurd is looking. She has her cast lined up, and now she just needs a director. They'll have a very prepared star in Jenna Dewan, who Hurd says has "steeped herself" in the character. [via ShockTillYouDrop]
- The running time for Watchmen currently clocks at 2 hours, 35 minutes. Zack Snyder envisions the director's cut to be 3 hours and 10 minutes. And he's putting Tales of the Black Freighter together as you read this. [SciFi Wire]
Posted Dec 1st 2008 7:02PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Warner Brothers, Scripts, Family Films, DIY/Filmmaking
It never fails to amuse me whenever parents get all worked up about an occasional f-bomb or a flash of boob, but show 'em a story about child genocide peppered with mild misogyny and presto -- you've got a children's classic! Almost two years ago, it was announced that Guillermo Del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón would be taking on an update of Roald Dahl's The Witches, and it was originally reported that Cuarón was going to direct. Now, though, it seems like things have changed, and Empire has broken the news (in an interview with Cuarón) that Del Toro has not only finished the screenplay, but will also be taking the helm for the fantasy update.
Dahl's original story centered on a conspiracy of witches looking to rid the world of children (great bedtime story, huh?), and received the feature film treatment once before. But, that hasn't stopped the studio from going ahead with a brand new version of the dark children's tale, and by the sounds of it, there are going to be plenty of changes in Del Toro's update. Cuarón told Empire, "It won't be like the original Nicolas Roeg version, which was a beautiful film," because (and this is the very exciting part), Del Toro plans to "do it completely in stop-motion animation."
When Nicolas Roeg's version was released back in 1990, a few changes were made to make the story a little less disturbing for the kiddies (including a much lower body count). But for you purists out there, at least we can rely on the fact that at least Del Toro isn't afraid to play rough with kids on the big screen.
Sound off below, and tell us what you think about Del Toro's plan for the 'kiddie-killing' update...
Posted Nov 26th 2008 12:20PM by William Goss
Filed under: Comedy, Warner Brothers, Theatrical Reviews
Last November, Warner Bros. released
Fred Claus, a Christmas-set comedy pairing up lead Vince Vaughn with Rachel Weisz.
This November, New Line released
Four Christmases, a Christmas-set comedy pairing up lead Vince Vaughn with Reese Witherspoon.
Mere coincidence, you might ask, despite the fact that New Line is owned by Warner Brothers, not to mention the shared initials of both the titles
and the actresses playing the love interests? Perhaps, but happenstance loses my vote when the best one can say for
Four Christmases is that it's a marginally better holiday romp than the likes of
Fred Claus.
Continue reading Review: Four Christmases
Posted Nov 25th 2008 9:32PM by William Goss
Filed under: Action, Drama, Horror, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Sony, Sony Classics, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Cinematical Seven
In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday that nears, it seemed only fitting that our minds turned to those films for which we are most unexpectedly grateful, those flops and duds, those bombs and turkeys rife with unintentional humor and renewed entertainment values. Now, we've pretty much stuck with the past decade or so with our picks; anything before that has either been done right by
MST3K or is probably titled
Showgirls.
With that said, please enjoy this Cinematical Seven responsibly, and do feel free to contribute your own personal favorite howlers of late in the comments below...
1.
Twilight (2008)
Oh, dear God, I'm kidding. J/K!
Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Terrific Turkeys of the Aughts
Posted Nov 24th 2008 1:32PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, Remakes and Sequels
Just so we're clear: I liked
I Am Legend. I thought Will Smith did a great job of carrying what was (to be honest) a fairly mediocre film. But c'mon, was there really anything left to say? Warner Brothers is convinced that there is, and have even managed to bring back Smith and director
Francis Lawrence for what we all thought was
going to be a prequel. However, a tipster for AICN (who goes by the name of Westwood9) has dropped a few
crumbs about the project, and if you thought the idea of a prequel was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet.
According to AICN's tipster, "Smith is actually the one who developed the initial story. It took place several years before the original film and there were still pockets of survivors and the story centered around Smith interacting, bonding, and ultimately failing to save them." Not bad, right? Well, don't get too attached, because according to AICN, the studio wasn't biting (get it?) and, instead, scrapped the prequel in favor of a sequel. That's right, an honest to goodness sequel. Supposedly Smith and screenwriter
D. B. Weiss weren't going to go for it either, but have since come around to the idea.
When the project was first
announced back in September, I think most of us had just assumed that the only way to make another film was to make a prequel.
*Spoiler Alert* After all, didn't the good doctor blow up at the end of the film? (There were of course those
alternate endings, but we probably shouldn't count those). If WB does go ahead with a sequel, do you think it will open up a whole new world of possibilities about what happened to Smith's character at the end of the first film? Or, will it just confirm that the whole idea is just a cash-grab from the word go.
Sound off below...
Posted Nov 24th 2008 8:50AM by William Goss
Filed under: Comedy, Warner Brothers, Family Films, Home Entertainment, Remakes and Sequels, Trailers and Clips
If you weren't exactly sure what to give thanks for on Thursday, it could now be one of two options: You could either be thankful that there's finally a trailer for the likes of
Ace Ventura Jr., or you could be thankful that said spin-off is going the direct-to-video route (as well it should).
Starring as the bastard child of Jim Carrey's pet detective is
Josh Flitter, appearing in his first lead role after years of being the tubby sidekick to Emma Roberts in
Nancy Drew, Robin Williams in
License to Wed and Shia LaBeouf in
The Greatest Game Ever Played. It seems that he's inherited his father's hairdo and catchphrases, but no discernable comedic ability whatsoever (maybe that'll kick in with puberty, but I'm sure not sticking around to find out).
Ace Ventura Jr. will begin keeping dusty DVD copies of
Son of the Mask company when it hits shelves next March.
[Our thanks go out to Slim Pickins, who tried to warn us.]
Posted Nov 23rd 2008 1:02PM by William Goss
Filed under: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger
Oy vey: after shifting more dates than an old lady working in the produce section, it appears that Richard Kelly's thriller
The Box has been bumped once more, from next March to next November. Usually, this would be a bad thing, but I'm still seriously intrigued by this adaptation of Richard Matheson's short story, in which a young couple (James Marsden and Cameron Diaz) are given a mysterious box that can make them wealthy, but at the cost of killing a stranger the moment they use it.
The film is completed enough to merit a PG-13 from our pals over at the MPAA (for "thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images"), so it's not post-production woes holding the film up. One suspects this is a much less sprawling film than his
Southland Tales, which we'll come back to soon enough. Is it part of WB's strategy to spread out product as the strike catches up to them, as they had by
moving Harry Potter from this week to next summer?
Man, if I could just kill a stranger to get some answers...
Posted Nov 21st 2008 9:02AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Warner Brothers, Fandom, Family Films, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek
The Captain Marvel film seems to finally be moving forward again, if this
Variety item is anything to go by.
Get Smart's Peter Segal has set a first-look deal at Warner Bros., and as part of the deal the studio acquired the John August-scripted
Captain Marvel which Segel is still in line to direct.
The film was originally set up at New Line, but we all remember what happened there, so Marvel fans will be relieved to know he's got a new studio to call home -- and one that all his DC friends are at. I'm curious about the title switch ... are they going to retitle it
Captain Marvel, and risk everyone being confused as to which comic brand he belongs to?
The last word we had on the project was precisely a year ago, when
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson signed on to play
the villainous Black Adam.
Variety makes no mention as to whether he's still attached. I hope he is, the fans chose him! You can't recast after a stunt like that.
Considering it has a script, a director, a villain, and a studio, all Shazam/Marvel needs is its hero, and it could be on the big screen before Warner Bros decides what to do with Superman. I'm not the biggest fan of the character, but he's a perfect one for the kids, especially in this era of dark and gritty superheroes.
Posted Nov 20th 2008 6:32PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Western
Poor Jonah Hex. As William Goss
reported earlier, Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have left the scarred cowboy behind due to creative differences. But does he still have Josh Brolin to play him, or not?
The truth is, Brolin can't
decide if he is. He had a chat with
MTV News that didn't decide the question, but did reveal his enthusiasm for the project: "When I first read it I thought, oh my God it's awful! And then I had a moment a week later and I thought why is it awful? Maybe the thing to do is to do the most awful movie I can find ... [I love] the absurdity of it. It almost allows you to create a new genre. I love going back into the spaghetti western idea and completely turning it around."
Will he ever make up his mind? "Soon. In the last couple months I've been going back and forth about it. I went back to my gut. Is it a sell out? What is it I like about this movie? ... It's so tongue in cheek. It's so ridiculous. But once I started putting people in my mind and saying what if I put Malkovich in this role then what does this movie become? Now let's put this producer and director on it and think about how it plays out. Then it becomes fun. Now I love that movie. If you have a great filmmaker come in then suddenly these gags and characters become interesting."
Continue reading Josh Brolin Can't Decide Whether He's 'Jonah Hex' or Not
Posted Nov 18th 2008 7:15PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Warner Brothers, Scripts, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Is there room in Hollywood for more than one giant robot franchise? Well, Warner Bros. certainly seems to think so. The long-gestating feature film version of the classic anime
Robotech isn't dead in the water yet -- and to prove it, WB has hired two new writers to give the script another polish.
The Hollywood Reporter has
announced that
Alfred Gough and
Miles Millar have signed to write the live-action adaption.
Robotech originally aired during the '80s in North America (and was compiled from three different series' released in Japan); the film is being described as "A sprawling sci-fi epic" and takes place in a not-too-distant future where humans have developed giant robots from an alien technology. When another invasion looms, mankind hops in their giant robots to fend off the alien hoard, and the fate of the human race is left in the hands of two young pilots.
Tobey Maguire will still
produce, but it remains to be seen if Maguire will star -- and at the rate this project is moving, Maguire is going to be in his 40's by the time this film hits theaters.
Gough and Millar aren't the first writers to take a stab at the anime classic. Back in June, we
reported that Lawrence Kasdan was drafting a script, but the project seemed to stall after that. According to
THR, Warners is keen to get the film into production, and the hiring of Millar and Gough could give the film a needed boost of "geek cred" since both worked on
Spider Man 2 and
The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, as well as a stint writing for
Smallville.
It looks like it could be some time before
Robotech finally makes its way to the big screen, but here's your chance to sound off on whether you would actually want to see it on the big screen ...
Posted Nov 14th 2008 5:02PM by Eric D. Snider
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New Releases, Warner Brothers, Fandom, Family Films, Harry Potter, Trailers and Clips
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That's the new two-minute trailer for
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince below, which Warner Bros. is hoping will help stave off death threats from fans who are still resentful that the film was pushed back to next July from its original release date of next week. (Just think! If it weren't for that, you'd be seeing the film
less than seven days from now!) We featured it earlier today in
Trailer Park, but come on -- a Harry Potter trailer deserves special attention.
One thing that's notable is that there is no reference, not even a hint, to the Big Surprising Terrible Thing that occurs near the end of the book and that presumably also occurs in the movie. (Although it would be funny if it didn't happen in the movie. "Oh, yeah, So-and-So's death? Eh, we cut it. No room. Maybe in the next film.") It's not exactly a well-kept secret anymore -- hard to do that when the book has sold 65 million copies -- but I appreciate that the trailer keeps a lid on it for those who watch the movies but don't read the books.
For those who have read the book, though, the trailer has glimpses of things that surely relate to the Big Surprising Terrible Thing: a shot of Draco Malfoy looking panicked and sickly, a shot of Snape firing his wand, etc. The scenes of Death Eater attacks on London look great, and I hope the film makes full use of how scary that aspect of the story is. (Magical people fighting each other, meh. Magical people fighting each other and harming innocent bystanders, yikes!)
Continue reading Discuss: What Do You Think of the New Harry Potter Trailer?
Posted Nov 13th 2008 6:45PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Action, Drama, Deals, Warner Brothers
I might not be the biggest fan of prison movies (well, except
Cool Hand Luke), but anything that could keep Francis Lawrence busy and away from an
I Am Legend prequel is all right by me.
The Hollywood Reporter announced that Lawrence has just signed to helm the story of the 1987
Atlanta Prison Riots for Warner Brothers.
Black Hawk Down writer Mark Bowden came across the still-untitled project while researching
Black Hawk, but did not have the time or resources to devote to the story. So here we are eight years later, and Bowden has enlisted the help of his brother, Aaron, to produce the film under the Wild Eyes banner.
For those of you who are a little fuzzy on their penal history, here's a primer on what Lawrence will be working with: In 1987, the Atlanta State Medium Security Prison was one of the dumping grounds for Cuban refugees from the
Mariel Boatlift who were ineligible to be released. When Cuba later agreed to repatriate 2500 inmates currently being held -- well, to be blunt, all holy hell broke loose. The ensuing riot lasted over 10 days with more than 100 hostages involved -- heck, inmates even burned down a substantial portion of the facility itself. In the end, it took the intervention of the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta to end the siege. Sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it?
But the bad news is that before Lawrence can get to work in the big house, he still has to finish developing Sara Gruen's historical novel,
Water for Elephants for Fox 2000. Now if we could just do something about that
Legend prequel ...
Posted Nov 13th 2008 8:32AM by William Goss
Filed under: Action, Thrillers, Awards, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in
their continued efforts to avoid awarding Oscars to deserving efforts in film scores, has apparently disqualified Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's work on
The Dark Knight. According to
Variety (by way of
In Contention), the same stipulation as to how many composers are technically listed on the cue sheet similarly screwed over their
Batman Begins score -- the stipulation being that listing multiple names helps to award royalties to music editors and designers as well.
I'd argue that the film -- which is bound to crack
a billion bucks worldwide any day now, and likely to rack up considerable awards nominations regardless -- owes a great deal of its sustained visceral thrills to this rousing score, and in an ideal world,
the December 9th release of the DVD would be enough for the Academy to whip around and shape up their bureaucratic brouhaha. To them, I simply ask this: why so serious?
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