New Tron Legacy Billboard Image
Thursday March 11, 2010
Plus, great new poster for Prince Of Persia
In the last 24 hours Disney has been busy releasing new posters for their upcoming films. As you can see above, there's a new billboard poster for Tron Legacy, featuring battling lightcycles. Even though the film isn't out until December, I think it's safe to say that it's already had some of the coolest preview images and trailers we've seen in a long time. And the Tron promotion doesn't end there, as Disney is also going to repaint the monorails at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center so they look like speeding lightcyles. You can see what they'll look like below.
And finally, There's a fresh and rather nifty US poster for Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time that's debuted over at UGO. It a lot more like the sort of promo you'd expect for an action fantasy epic than the ones we've seen before, so take a look below to see it. Prince Of Persia hits cinemas on May 28th.
Feldman Speaks Out On The Death Of Haim
Thursday March 11, 2010
The actor pays tribute to 'my brother'
Sharing the first name and appearing in eight movies together, Corey Haim and Corey Feldman became quite a team as child stars in the 80s. They were such a popular team that they were known simply as The Two Corey, which became the name of a reailty TV show they made together a couple of years ago. While they had well publicised feuds, the two nevertheless remained close friends.
Following the death of Haim yesterday of a suspected accidental prescription drug overdose, Feldman released this statement on his blog, "I was awakened at 8:30 this morning by my brother and sister knocking on my bedroom door. They informed me of the loss of my brother Corey Haim. My eyes weren't even open all the way when the tears started streaming down my face. I am so sorry for Corey, his mother Judy, his family, my family, all of our fans, and of course my son who I will have to find a way to explain this to when he gets home from school. This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul, who will always be my brother, family, and best friend. We must all take this as a lesson in how we treat the people we share this world with while they are still here to make a difference. Please respect our families as we struggle and grieve through this difficult time. I hope the art Corey has left behind will be remembered as the passion of that for which he truly lived."
The duo first appeared together in The Lost Boys in 1987, following this with License To Drive, Dream A Little Dream, Blown Away, Last Resort and several other films.
Eastwood Eyeing Hoover Biopic
Thursday March 11, 2010
With Dustin Lance Black writing the screenplay
Last week we mentioned that the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Milk, Dustin Lance Black, has signed up to write a biopic of FBI founder and long-time chief, J Edgar Hoover. However what we didn't know then but THR is now reporting, is that Clint Eastwood is eyeing it as his next movie.
He's teamed up with Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment for the film, who've been developing the flick and set Black to write it. The film will cover the career of the FBI Director who co-founded the organisation in 1935 to help deal with the increasingly difficult battle against gangsters like John Dillinger. Hoowver remained the head of the bureau until his death in 1972.
While he revolutionised US law enforcement and became a legendary figure, he was also very controversial, harassing dissenters and using underhanded tactics against those who opposed his ideas, including building illegal files on senior politician that he could use against them. Many also suggest he was a closeted homosexual and cross dresser, and with Dustin Lance Black begin a passionate gay rights advocate, this may well be reflected in the film.
Eastwood is currently finishing work on the drama Hereafter, but it looks like he wants to make the Hoover biopic his next flick. As yet, the film hasn't found a studio (before Eastwood became involved it was set up at Universal, but they put the project into turnaround), although with Clint's close relationship with Warner Bros., it's likely to end up there.
Chris Nolan Talks Batman 3 & Superman
Thursday March 11, 2010
He says the plans are all very exciting
Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan is a bit of a master at dishing the dirt without giving away anything specific, He's been doing just that during a chat with the LA Times, who got him to talk for the first time about his involvement overseeing a new Superman movie, as well as updating us on the status of Batman 3.
It seems with Superman, the whole thing came from the fact they were stalled for ideas for Batman 3. At that point, writer David S. Goyer pitched the idea for a Superman movie, of which Nolan says, "It’s very exciting, we have a fantastic story. And we feel we can do it right. We know the milieu, if you will, we know the genre and how to get it done right…[it] is a way of approaching the story I’ve never seen before that makes it incredibly exciting. I wanted to get Emma and I involved in shepherding the project right away and getting it to the studio and getting it going in an exciting way."
Like I said, he's good at talking without giving the game away. However he also said that despite all the previous versions of Superman on screen, the new film will stand on its own. “A lot of people have approached Superman in a lot of different ways. I only know the way that has worked for us that’s what I know how to do," while adding that the movie will be kept completely separate from his Batman films, saying “Each serves to the internal logic of the story. They have nothing to do with each other.” He and producer/wife Emma Thomas are also being rather coy about the Internet reports the film will be called Man Of Steel and feature villains Brainiac and Lex Luthor, merely saying, “I don’t know where this stuff comes from.”
As for Batman 3, while Nolan won't even confirm he's directing it (he has a policy of not publicly revealing his next project until the previous one is in the can), he says "My brother [Jonathan] is writing a script for me and we’ll wait to see how it turns out.... He’s struggling to put it together into the epic story that you want it to be... Without getting into specifics, the key thing that makes the third film a great possibility for us is that we want to finish our story. And in viewing it as the finishing of a story rather than infinitely blowing up the balloon and expanding the story.”
Hmm, so it seems a third Batman flick will be Nolan's last. However before all this we have his new movie Inception to enjoy, which is out this summer.
Wall Street 2 Gets Bumped To September
Thursday March 11, 2010
Put back from its planned April debut
It's been noticeable in the last year that the studios have been doing a lot more last minute moving around of release dates. The latest to get bumped only a few weeks before it was schedules to come out is Oliver Stone's, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. The film was due out on April 23rd, but 20th Century Fox has now announced it's holding the film back until September 24th.
Although this sort of move can't help but get you to wonder whether the reason is because it's not very good and so the studio is trying to dump it, this time it could be the other way around. Variety is reporting that the move was made because the producers think they've got an excellent shot of getting an invite to the Cannes Film Festival in May, although Fox itself wouldn't make any comment on why they've done it.
It also gives the film a better shot at picking up a few Oscar nominations. Of course, Oliver Stone's 1987 original won Michael Douglas the Best Actor Oscar for playing the duplicitous Gordon Gekkon.
However there's still the feeling that Money Never Sleeps may be getting dumped, as Sept 24th already has plenty of competition in the US, in the form of Zach Snyder's Legend Of The Guardians, the comedy You Again and the historical action flick, The Eagle Of The Ninth. While none of these film are similar to Wall Street 2, by putting it up against so many other new films, it does suggest Fox isn't expecting a big hit.
Fiennes' Coriolanus To Start Shooting
Thursday March 11, 2010
With Redgrave and Cox added to the cast
For quite a while now, Ralph Fiennes has been putting together his directorial debut, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Coriolanus, and now he's he about to start filming it. He's also got a couple of very respected actors to join his cast, Vanessa Redgrave and Brian Cox, who recently worked together on the BBC mini-series, The Day Of The Triffids.
In case you don't know what Coriolanus is about, and quite frankly, who does, it tells the story of legendary Roman general, Gaius Martius (played by Fiennes), who battles against the Volscian army and then gets into politics, only to be exiled from Rome because of his unpopular views. He then joins the Volscians (who are led by Gerard Butler) to try and get revenge against Rome. As with much Shakespeare, it's a tale full of intrigue and murder, and could actually make a pretty good film.
John Kani, Paul Jesson, James Nesbitt, Ashraf Barhom, Lubna Azabal and Jessica Chastain also feature in the cast of the film, which will start shooting in Belgrade next week, from a script penned by John Logan (and of course Shakespeare, as it will keep the Bard's language, but combine it with with modern technology and a contemporary environment).
Corey Haim Dies Aged 38
Wednesday March 10, 2010
The Lost Boys stars suffers apparent prescription drug overdose after illness
It's now been confirmed that Lost Boys actor, Corey Haim, died early this morning, after an apparent prescription drug overdose. TMZ is reporting that Haim had been ill with flu-like symptoms for the past few days and collapsed shortly before 1am.
His mother then called for paramedics who arrived and spent 20 minutes on the scene trying to help him, before taking him to hospital. He was pronounced dead roughly an hour later.
The 38-year-old's career had suffered terribly due to drug and money problems, which involved long stints in rehab, and having to declare himself bankrupt in 1997. At one point he even suffered a drug-induced stroke. He reportedly cleaned his act up in 2004 and as recently as three weeks ago said he was doing well.
Although it's believed no illegal drugs were found in his apartment at the time of his death, his mother told authorities he'd been battling prescription drug addiction for years. Police removed four prescription bottles from his apartment, none of which were related to his current illness.
Although the cause of death is believed to be an accidental drug overdose, the police have now passed the case onto the coroner, who will establish exactly how Haim died.
The Canadian born actor first rose to fame as a child star in the likes of The Lost Boys, Lucas and Licence to Drive. He also worked extensively with Corey Feldman, appearing in eight films together and becoming known as the Two Coreys. While he had a rocky career after his early success, things seemed to be getting back on track recently with a cameo in The Lost Boys 2, as well as a role in Crank: High Voltage. He'd also completed parts in upcoming movies such as New Terminal Hotel and American Sunset.
For those who grew up in the 80s, he will be remembered very fondly.
Daily Shorts: Walter Salles Up For Wild Life
Wednesday March 10, 2010
Plus, more on Guy Ritchie's King Arthur flick, Whitaker out of Jeykyll and Hyde and more...
He're a round-up of some of the smaller stories coming out of Hollywood...
Brazilian director Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) is in talks to direct New Line's conservation themed drama, WIld Life. The movie is based on the work of Daphne Shledrick, a leading animal conservationist in Kenya, who devoted her life to trying to save the elephant from extinction by rescuing baby elephants that had been left orphaned. It's the same film Nick Cassavetes was due to direct (when it had the title Peaceable Kingdom), before he got fired by New Line and then sued them over it. (Source: Variety)
A while ago it was reported that Warner Bros was interested in a strange sounding update of Robert Louis Stevenson's Jeykll and Hyde, with Forest Whitaker as the doctor and 50 Cent as his monstrous alter-ego. However while promoting his upcoming Repo Men, Whitaker announced that he was no longer attached to the movie. There's no news on the film's status though, although it could have been derailed by the fact Keanu Reeves also wants to do a Jeykll and Hyde flick. (Source: Shock Til You Drop)
While the horror film Quarantine wasn't as well received as the original Spanish film it was based on, [Rec], it left the door wide open for a sequel, and it seems Screen Gems is now keen to move forward on a follow-up. They've hired John Pogue (Ghost Ship, The Skulls) to write and direct the movie, which will apparently take the vicious virus out of the tenement block and into an airport. At the moment the sequel is planned as a straight-to-DVD release. (Source: Shock Til You Drop)
While it was reported last week that Guy Ritchie was attached to a King Arthur based project at Warner Bros., based on a script by comic-scribe Warren Ellis, it's now been revealed that while the director is indeed involved in an Arthurian tale, he's getting Trainspotting scribe John Hodge to write it, and Ellis isn't involved (although it's not clear whether the earlier script was dropped, or if this is a different film to the one Ellis was working on). The film will re-imagine the classic legends, with key source material said to be Thomas Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur. (Source: Variety)
Kevin Macdonald To Direct A Murder Mystery
Wednesday March 10, 2010
Last King Of Scotland director goes whodunit
Director Kevin MacDonald certainly seems keen to try as many genres as possible. He made the documentaries One Day In September and Touching The Void, went into drama mode for Last King Of Scotland, tried his hand at a thriller with State Of Play and in a few months time he'll release the historical action pic, The Eagle Of The Ninth.
Now he's trying his hand at a whodunit, as Variety reports that he's signed up to make Murder Mystery, the first film from Tower Hill Entertainment. The company picked up the project from Disney, which had developed James Vanderbilt's script, but then decided they didn't want to make the movie.
The film revolves around an American couple on honeymoon in Europe, who are implicated when they witness a murder and get caught up in international intrigue.
It's certainly a change of direction for MacDonald, but then, so have been all the films he's made so far. Murder Mystery should start shooting later this year.
Captain America Casting Rumours Go Into Overdrive
Wednesday March 10, 2010
But John Krasinski's out and onto pastures new
It seems we're in the final stretch before Marvel decides exactly who's going to play Captain America, and as a result, the internet has gone into a furore of speculation. Late yesterday comic book forums the world over went into meltdown as a rumour sprang up that The Office's John Krasinski was the filmmaker's top choice for the role.
The news came via Fox 411, while others suggested that despite screen testing other actors, Krasinski was always the one Marvel wanted. This caused a huge amount of internet fuss, largely with people thinking he was too lanky and skinny to play the Cap. However, we perhaps might have realised that not all news about the movie is to be treated as gospel as there were also reports yesterday that two of the Jonas Brothers and Dane Cook had tried out for the role (the latter is true, as Cook confirmed it himself, but the former seems highly unlikely).
However, with the Krasinski rumours spreading like wildfire, THR decided to step in and try and get the real skinny on what was going on. They discovered that while a couple of weeks ago a shortlist was released that included Krasinski, Chase Crawford (Gossip Girl), Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights), Mike Vogel (Poseidon), Michael Cassidy (Privileged), Patrick Flueger (Brothers) and Garrett Hudlund (Tron Legacy), that's since been narrowed down to three names, including a couple who weren't on the original list. And none of those still in contention are John Krasinski, who's now completely out of the running for the film.
Instead, Marvel is now looking at Mike Vogel, Garrett Hedlund, Fantastic Four's Chris Evans and Generation Kill's Wilson Bethel for the role. There may also be other unannounced named they're still looking at, although as yet the screen tests aren't complete and no final decision has been made (although expect one soon).
And we can definitely say Krasinski is out, because THR reports today that the actor is in negotations to join Ginniffer Goodwin in the rom-com, Something Borrowed. All those testing for Captain America had to sign an agreement that they wouldn't negotiate for different roles for a month, unless Marvel freed them up to do so. So the fact Krasinski is looking elsewhere shows he's definitely not in contention for the superhero role anymore. Something Borrowed, based on Emily Giffin's novel, centres on a Manhattan attorney (Goodwin), the consummate good girl, who falls in love with her best friend's fiance on her 30th birthday. Interestingly, Krasinski's deal is an unusual one, as while he has a supporting role as Goodwin's friend and confidant in Something Borrowed, he's also signed up for a sequel, Something Blue, where his character becomes the lead. Luke Greenfield is directing Something Borrowed, which starts shooting this spring.
To be honest, the rom com is more the sort of thing you'd expect from Krasinski, although it does mean the role of Captain America is still up in the air.