Movie Muser

Disney even surprised itself with how successful its Disney Fairies franchise has been, with annual movies (which were originally designed to go straight to DVD but have been popular enough that many have now had cinema releases) and a merchandising bonanza.

However it looks like they might be getting a bit of competition, although it’s likely to be rather different to what Disney has produced. Deadline reports that Melissa McCarthy is attached to star in a live action Tinker Bell comedy project for 20th Century Fox and director Shawn Levy.

McCarthy and Levy came up with the fresh take on the Tinker Bell story, and then brought Nick Stoller (Neighbors, The Five-Year Engagement, Get Him to the Greek) to come up with the screenplay. it’s not clear what the new take will be, although it’s presumed this will be a rather different Tink to the one we’re used to.

At the moment it’s also not clear when this might go in front of the camera.

Are we due for another Mel Gibson meltdown? Last time he decided enough time has passed for him to be allowed to move back into the public eye (admittedly the world didn’t end when he appeared in Expendables 3), he had another very public scandal that meant he had to go back into hiding again. He’ll be hoping that doesn’t happen again.

Now he’s in talks to direct his first film since Apocalypto eight years ago, Hacksaw Ridge, with Andrew Garfield in talks to star, according to Deadline.

The movie based on the true story of Desmond T. Doss, who despite being a conscientious objector during World War II he managed to win the Congressional Medal of Honor (the first conscientious objector to do so). Doss refused to kill enemy soldiers but still served as a Army medic during the Battle of Okinowa.

In 1945 President Harry S. Truman gave him the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945 for saving so many lives. Hacksaw Ridge refers to the location of a brutal two-week stretch of the Battle of Okinawa, where American troops fought Japanese soldiers on rocky cliffs.

The fact Deadline suggest that negotiations with Gibson are “moving forward delicately and slowly”, suggests there are plenty of issues to iron out, not least of which will be the backers seeking assurances that their won’t be another implosion that could affect the film.

We’re still waiting to see if Doctor Who star Matt Smith can successfully segue into the movies, but with Lost River, Terminator: Genisys and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies coming up, he’s certainly got a good shot. Now he’s added another movie to the mix, as Deadline reports that he has signed on to star in the Screen Gems zombie thriller Patient Zero, alongside Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer.

The action-thriller takes place in the aftermath of a deadly pandemic where an enhanced strain of rabies turns humans into violent, zombie-like creatures. The movie itself is about a man who is somehow immune to this disease, and also mysteriously has the ability to communicate to communicate with the infected. He leads a quest to find Patient Zero, in hopes of finding a cure to save his wife and the rest of humanity.

Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters, Deadfall) is set to direct from a screenplay by Mike Le (W.M.D.). It’s not clear when it will shoot.

Nobody expected Pitch Perfect to become the success it was, but as soon as it hit box office success Universal realised they had real potential so they put a sequel into the works and have even built into that the ability to continue the franchise after that with a new cast.

Pitch Perfect 2 is due to arrive next May, and now the first poster for the movie has arrived, which you can see below, along with Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Brittany Snow, which is below.

Elizabeth Banks, Anna Camp, Skylar Astin, Ben Platt and Adam DeVine also reprise their roles from Pitch Perfect, with Hailee Steinfeld coming on board as a new character who’s being set up as a potential lead for future sequels.

And as well as starring Elizabeth Banks is also making her directorial debut with the movie.

Pixar is not a company prepared to release a movie until they think it’s absolutely ready. Several times in its history it’s severely delayed releases, replaced directors a long way into production and completely revamped storylines.

Now it’s happening again with The Good Dinosaur, which was original set to arrive in cinemas last summer but got pushed back December 2015 after original director Bob Peterson was removed in August 2013 and Peter Sohn, with rumours suggesting the entire thing was getting a complete overhaul. It even appears the characters are getting somewhat redesigned, as evidenced by the new concept art above, which differs from previously released imagery.

Here’s the brief synopsis: ‘”The Good Dinosaur” tells the story of Arlo, a lively Apatosaurus with a big heart who sets out on a remarkable journey, gaining an unlikely companion along the way—a human boy. Directed by Peter Sohn (“Partly Cloudy”) and produced by Denise Ream (“Cars 2”), “The Good Dinosaur” opens in UK cinemas on 4th December, 2015.’