Celluloid and Cigarette Burns

Marvel Studios To Make Three Films A Year?

2012-01-27T23:52:00.002-05:00

Marvel Studios has always stated their mantra would be one film at a time. It looks like the studio could end up making three superhero films in 2012 which includes Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Captain America 2. Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 being the first in the studio's history to have overlapping productions. Having a juggernaut like Disney behind them they can finance films quicker than previously.

If this process is indeed going to be Marvel's new model. I wouldn't be shocked to see Nicky Fury, Doctor Strange and Ant-Man end up in the 2013 shooting block for the studio. Of course nothing is set in stone here and the Captain America sequel hasn't even been officially announced. Other Marvel movies currently in development include Black Widow, Hawkeye, Inhumans, Black Panther and Iron Fist.

Thor 2 Production Moved Up To This Spring

2012-01-27T23:52:00.001-05:00

Marvel has a slew of projects about to go into production in 2012. Reportedly Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and Captain America 2 are all shooting within the year. The production start for Thor 2 has been sort of a mystery since it's gone from fall to early/late summer. Tom Hiddleston now tells the BelfastTelegraph that it will begin shooting in London this spring. It's going to be an interesting experiment for both Iron Man and Thor sequels to be shooting at the same time.

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique Choosing Noah Over Iron Man 3?

2012-01-27T17:41:00.002-05:00

Matthew Libatique (Iron Man 1-2) is considered one of the best cinematographers currently working in Hollywood. His films are some the most beautiful looking pieces of cinema. Credits include Requiem For A Dream, Black Swan, Cowboys And Aliens, Tigerland and The Fountain. Libatique is also known as a longtime collaborator of director Darren Aronofksy and says he's about to work on Noah. The news was dug up by ThePlaylist and production on Noah starts this summer. Noah is a blockbuster bible epic featuring a new take the mythical character and could be seeing a release date in the fall of 2013

This news might be impactful to Iron Man fans as Matthew has worked on the first two films. Leading me to believe he won't be working on Shane Black's Iron Man 3. Production on Iron Man 3 is rumored to start in late April or early May in North Carolina. Which seems to conflict with Noah's summer production in New York and Iceland. I wouldn't say it's the end of the world but Libatique like Jon Favreau helped create the world of Iron Man. It wouldn't be the first comic book project Matthew has walked from. He was previously set to work on The Wolverine when Aronofsky was still the director.

FIRST LOOK: Oliver Stone's Savages

2012-01-27T17:13:00.001-05:00

FIRST LOOK: James McAvoy In Welcome To The Punch

2012-01-26T17:00:00.000-05:00

Domestic Trailer For Lockout, Proves Guy Pearce Is A Badass

2012-01-26T16:32:00.000-05:00

Possible Synopsis For Doctor Strange?

2012-01-26T13:24:00.001-05:00

JoBlo has posted a synopsis for Doctor Strange but it's unknown if this the film's official tagline. A script by has been handed into Marvel Studios by Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer. There have been rumors that actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Holmes, War Horse, Star Trek 2, Hobbit) and Javier Bardem (Skyfall, No Country For Oldmen) have been wanted for the film. Marvel's Kevin Feige has stated we would see the film "sooner rather than later". Take that statement as you will but Strange seems to be high priority to Marvel. If the studio does indeed shoot three productions in 2012 it wouldn't be hard to see Doctor Strange go into production in 2013. Leading the film to fill one of the 2014 release dates Marvel has set aside.

"Doctor Strange centres around a New York surgeon, who stops running his practice after suffering injuries in a car crash. He then becomes a drifter and heads to the Himalayas, where he meets a healer and discovers that he has a great psychic power to fight against evil. Doctor Strange boasts powers that includes telepathy, teleportation, energy and astral projection."

Io9 also had some Doctor Strange tidbits as well. They spoke to theoretical physicist Sean Carroll. A science expert that contributed to Thor and is now working with Marvel on Strange. Sean talks about limiting the heroes abilities and the setting real limits for this world.

"You need constraints to provide tension...A world where anything can happen makes for a very boring movie. It's when science imposes boundaries on what a superhero can do that the real drama begins."

Neal McDonough Says Captain America 2 Shoots In 2012

2012-01-26T12:59:00.002-05:00

While Marvel Studios seems to be tight lipped about any sort of sequel to Captain America. We've heard some rumblings previously from actors, writers and director Joe Johnston. McDonough being the most brash to state his character Dum Dum Dugan would be returning in the sequel along with a Nick Fury spin-off. Now according to a new interview with JoBlo, Neal is revealing Captain America 2's possible production start. It will be interesting to see if Marvel ends up shooting three films in 2012. This could lead to the studio ramping up productions on Ant-Man and Doctor Strange in 2013.

"Yeah, they’re planning (to go into production for) for the end of this year, because Marvel does one film at a time. So they’re going to do THOR 2 and as soon as THOR has wrapped, they’ll do CAP 2. Hopefully right after that, we’ll jump into NICK FURY because that’s the one I’m looking forward to more than anything."

What we do know is that the sequel could include more WWII flashback scenes include the return of The Howling Commandos and a 40's era Cap. Yet, the majority of the film would take place during the present day. We could see the exploration of the demise of Bucky Barnes and his resurrection by the Russians to become the KGB assassin Winter Soldier. Director Joe Johnston mentioned to ScreenRant that he'd love to make a movie about Winter Soldier. Seeing Bucky become a villain would be as complex as Loki in Thor, considering he's brainwashed into it. Johnston is expected to return as the sequel's director but there has yet to be an announcement.

“I’m not really worried about it. I told the Marvel guys that there is a character that I’m really interested in called ‘The Winter Soldier’ and that if, ‘you guys decide to make that picture I would definitely be interested.’ It’s the ‘Bucky’ Barnes story.”

“Just a little bit. We talked about ‘The Winter Soldier’ which is the continuation of what his story is. It’s basically that he is captured by the Russians and he’s brainwashed and turned into an assassin. But you know there are a thousand ways to go with that. I just think that it would be interesting to take a character that was in ‘Captain America’ and build a story around him. Plus, I like Sebastian Stan a lot (who played Bucky) I think he would be an interesting actor to build another feature around.”

“Well I only signed on for two. The actors have to sign on for six, at least six, and I only sign on for two which is not to say that I wouldn’t agree to do more or that they would ask me to do more — I don’t know. But my point is that there are thousands of characters in the Marvel Universe, of which I am only familiar with a very few of them and it might be interesting to sort of go into the Marvel vault and find a character that you can develop a whole story around. I would definitely be interested in doing that.”

In early drafts of the script for the first film both Baron Zemo and Baron von Strucker had been included. This was confirmed by screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely during an interview with IFC. This gives the impression that one or both could be used in the sequel. If Strucker makes the sequel we should expect the resurrection of Hydra and the inclusion of his second in command Madame Hydra. The duo have handed in an outline for Captain America 2 and could have continued the process since.

"There were a few classic villains that were planned for the first film, only to be removed in subsequent drafts. The pair previously revealed that evil despot Baron Zemo was in an early draft, but he wasn't the only sinister side character in those versions of the script. "

"Baron Strucker was in there for a while, but he wasn't doing enough to justify wasting him in the film," said McFeely. "We certainly tried things, and ended up settling on the more useful Red Skull and Arnim Zola. But they're all still on the table,"

Terminator 5 Will Be Rated R

2012-01-26T02:53:00.002-05:00

Expendables 2 has been confirmed to be wussing out and pushing for a PG-13 to get a slightly boosted box office return. It seems like a terrible move that had been made by Warner Bros. with Terminator Salvation. The film was a failure due to it's weak rating and the writers' strike hurting the script. Oddly, enough there is word on Terminator 5 from Megan Ellison (Annapurna Pictures) who currently owns the rights. She tweeted (via AICN) confirmation that the fifth film will be R. Last word was that Justin Lin (Fast Five) was attached to direct with the possible inclusion of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"We can't really tell you guys anything about Terminator BUT it will be an R rated film as God and James Cameron intended."

Impressively Cut TV Spot For John Carter

2012-01-26T02:22:00.000-05:00

Steven Spielberg Could Direct A Gritty Moses Film For Warner Bros.

2012-01-25T22:08:00.001-05:00

Warner Bros. is developing a new Moses movie with the working title Gods And Kings. The script is in place by Michael Green (Green Lantern) and Stuart Hazeldine (Paradise Lost) but has yet to attach a director. Deadline reports that Steven Spielberg is close to committing to the project as it's director. Currently Steven has finished production on Lincoln and is about to start on Robopocalypse. The studio is expecting a more gritty take on the character and hopes to bring in the realism that was seen in the battle scenes of Saving Private Ryan.

Liam Hemsworth To Star In Timeless

2012-01-25T16:06:00.001-05:00

Deadline reports that Hunger Games actor Liam Hemsworth (Expendables 2) has signed on for the romantic science fiction drama Timeless. Not to be confused with the British travelling hit-man project Timeless, that's been described as a mix between Looper and Source Code. This romantic drama follows a young man who's wife dies and pursues time travelling technology to be reunited with her. There's an odd mix of people involved that includes director Phillip Noyce who is best known for action films like Patriot Games, Clear And Present Danger, The Saint and the poorly put together Angelina Jolie starer Salt. Not to mention the film's script is from Bill Kelly who wrote Enchantress.

I have no idea what to expect from this film. It could end up a serious dramatic science fiction film. Or, more likely a sappy drawn out chick flick. I'm not sure what this film says about Liam's chances for A Good Day To Die Hard (Die Hard 5) but it looks like his quickly setting up future projects.

Hangover 3 Shooting This Summer, Memorial Day 2013 Release Date Expected

2012-01-25T15:11:00.002-05:00

While some think that Hangover Part II was one of the most laziest comedy sequels in recent memory. It's not stopping Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. THR reports that the three main cast members could end up with a big payday that includes $15 million each (against backend) for Hangover 3. The third installment will shoot this summer with an expected Memorial Day release next year.

Evangeline Lilly Talks Hobbit And Her Role

2012-01-25T14:21:00.000-05:00

The Hobbit is being split into two rather large films but for this to work the screenwriters had to include other pieces of Tolkien lore and other small stories leading to new characters. One of those characters is being played by Evangeline Lilly (Lost, Real Steel). Not much was known about the female elf warrior until now. Lilly reveals to EW details of the elf warrior Tauriel and that she will end up with greater screen time in the second film Hobbit: There And Back Again.

“Yes, she is a warrior. She’s actually the head of the Elven guard. She’s the big shot in the army. So she knows how to wield any weapon, but the primary weapons that she uses are a bow and arrow and two daggers. And she’s lethal and deadly. You definitely wouldn’t want to be caught in a dark alley next to Tauriel.”

Catherine Zeta-Jones Joins Soderbergh's The Side Effects, Blake Lively Exiting?

2012-01-25T13:47:00.003-05:00

Deadline reports that Catherine Zeta-Jones has joined Steven Soderbergh's next film The Side Effects. Catherine previously worked with Steven on Traffic and Ocean's Twelve. There is also talk that a financier of the production has walked after the casting of Blake Lively. Another company is likely to put things back into motion. It had been a concern that Lively isn't an actress strong enough to carry a film like this. Personally I think the mumbling Channing Tatum is someone more to be worried about, since I can hardly understand the actor when he delivers lines. I can never picture Channing as a leading man in a dramatic role.

If Blake does end up leave the production they have a few upscaled options in their pocket. As Variety reports actresses like Rooney Mara, Michelle Williams, Emily Blunt and Imogen Poots could end up in the role instead. The latter two of the actress were up for supporting roles in Soderbergh's version of The Man From UNCLE before he exited to focus on Side Effects. Poots recently signed onto Filth which could mean she'd be out of the running. Blunt had been rumored for role in Iron Man 3 but considering how quickly Soderbergh shoots his film I wouldn't say she'd miss the targeted May start for third installment. My bet would be on the two Oscar nominated actresses as it brings a bit of pedigree to the project.

Crow Remake Gets New Writer And Director

2012-01-24T18:46:00.000-05:00

It was reported this week that the rights to The Crow remake has been settled between the Weinstein Company/Miramax and Relativity Media (Immortals). Now with that issue behind them they can pursue a new director and cast. Previously names like Mark Wahlberg and Bradley Cooper were loosely attached to play Eric Draven. Deadline reports that Jesse Wigutow (The Osterman Weekend) has been hired to write the remake's script. It sounds like the studio is eager to get this made quickly as ShowBlitz reports F. Javier Gutierrez (Before The Fall) will be the new director.

The original Crow (1994) stands as one of my favorite comic book films. It set the tone for more dark and serious comic book films like Blade and The X-Men. The cult hit proved to studios that they could make non-campy comic book films and it would be successful. The notorious tragic death of star Brandon Lee after live rounds were used in a shootout scene became a wake up call to safety measures in the industry. Lee's death during the production makes this even more special to fans like myself. If not highly protective of it and negativity to any idea of trying to remake it. I'll wait until casting announcements and a trailer before I rush to judge the intentions of Relativity.

Lily Collins Drops Out Of Evil Dead Remake

2012-01-24T18:16:00.000-05:00

Jeff Sneider of ShowBlitz/Variety reported via Twitter today that Lily Collins (Mirror Mirror) has left talks to star in the Diablo Cody written Evil Dead reboot. Collins would have played the female lead Mia who is basically the new Ash in the film. Jeff briefly states that Lily's exit is over a conflict with other commitments which could mean a lot of things. I really hope that we end up more inspired names than Collins in the future.

Edgar Wright And Simon Pegg Tease World's End With Photo

2012-01-24T18:05:00.001-05:00

Edgar Wright is currently one of the busiest young directors working today. He's passionate about his original films just as much as he is for his studio projects. A major amount of time is put into planning his productions which makes it even harder for ones that he hopes to both write and direct. Ant-Man is a perfect example it's been in development for the better part of a decade but still zero announcements on a production date. Studios have pursued him for projects like directing Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and writing The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of The Unicorn but still focuses on his own work.

Edgar today gave fans a big surprise as he tweeted of photo of himself and co-writer Simon Pegg in what I assume is a brainstorming session for World's End. This would be the third film in the Cornetto Trilogy the first two being Shaun of the Dead (Red) and Hot Fuzz (Blue). End would be the green flavour of the bunch. The color gives the impression that it could be either a giant monster movie in the vain of Godzilla or an alien invasion film similar to War of The Worlds. The two have been busy bees lately and it looks like they've finally made time to sit down and write the final film in their trilogy. I'm sure the duo will give confirmation on the film's actual synopsis within the coming months.

When this film will get made is another question that hasn't been answered. Edgar currently has three projects he could jump into directing next that include Ant-Man, Baby Driver and Them. From what I understand while Marvel loves Ant-Man it's not currently a priority with the studio. Instead Marvel is focusing on grinding out a ridiculous amount of sequels before introducing new heroes.

Die Hard 5 Role Down To Two Actors?

2012-01-24T11:59:00.000-05:00

Recently is was reported by Deadline that four actors were in the running to play John McClane's (Willis) son in A Good Day To Die Hard. They included James Badge Dale (The Departed, The Pacific), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Liam Hemsworth (Hunger Games) and DJ Cotrona (G.I. Joe 2). The part is expected to be important as the new actor could possibly continue the franchise for an aging Bruce Willis. James seems to have chosen playing Armie Hammer's brother in The Lone Ranger instead. Aaron Paul has stated to ThePlaylist that his involvement would conflict with the shooting of the final season of Breaking Bad.

"It kept going back and forth and back and forth but at the end of the day I don't know if the role was offered to me if I'd be able to do it because of scheduling conflicts with 'Breaking Bad.' "

This news can only suggest that both James and Aaron are out of the picture. Leaving Liam and D.J. as the final candidates. Liam recently worked with Willis on the Expendables 2 and has a bit of a following since being cast in Hunger Games. Hemsworth also has a heist project in the works that could co-star Dwayne Johnson. His action star creditability is slowly creeping up to match his brother's.

Controna previously worked with Bruce as well on G.I. Joe: Retaliation which could help his odds. The only problem is that while he might be cheap to hire he doesn't have name recognition like Liam does. D.J. was linked with a number of other actors testing for the role of Tetsuo in Warner Bros' Akira. He could end up joining that project instead leaving the role vacant for Hemsworth. A production start is looming as 20th Century Fox has set the release date for February 14th 2013.

Edgar Ramirez And Toby Kebbell In Wrath Of The Titans

2012-01-23T14:53:00.000-05:00

Black Widow Empire Cover

2012-01-23T13:25:00.000-05:00

Marvel's Kevin Feige Axes Skrull Rumors

2012-01-23T08:01:00.000-05:00

While speaking to Empire (via ComicBookMovie) Marvel's Kevin Feige again puts to rest the rumors of the Skrulls being the alien race that makes up Loki's secret army in The Avengers. He gives the impression that they could either be from the nine realms or something else entirely. When the Leviathan was revealed it had been rumored we very well could be seeing Atlantians make up Loki's army. I believe Marvel would be smart to save for the Skrulls for something like Guardians of the Galaxy or even an Avengers sequel.

"Who said they were aliens?" he teases. Beings from the Nine Realms, then, ventures Empire? "Closer...It's not Skrulls, I've been clear about that. Beyond that, we want to hide it. The identity of the alien race is not imapctful. It exists in the comic books, but we're not setting up the Kree-Skrull war or anything like that."

"Was Skull vaporised at the end of the movie, or thrust into another realm?" asks Feige. "That remains to be seen. It would be fun to see Skull in future, but he's not in this one." Whedon though is a little more circumspect when Empire confronts him. "I do have a comment on that," he says, before pulling a move worthy of Loki himself. "It's...oh, you're breaking up!"

Avengers On Empire Cover

2012-01-23T06:46:00.000-05:00

New Avengers Image Scans From Empire

2012-01-23T06:43:00.000-05:00

Doug Liman Gives An Update On All You Need Is Kill

2012-01-22T16:19:00.003-05:00

While Warner Bros. still mulls over what to do with Akira they have another manga adaptation about to go into production. All You Need Is Kill should start shooting sometime this year with Tom Cruise attached to star. Director Doug Liman spoke to Collider about the project and gave an encouraging update that it could be next.

"I’m hoping it’s going to be a film called All You Need is Kill, for Warner Bros. with Tom Cruise. It’s just figuring out everyone’s schedules, and if we can, in fact, do it next."

"Well, nothing I’ve done is like anything else I’ve done before, so that is one of my criteria. But, I just fell in love with the script. There is no other formula for me, in this business. If I’m not in love with the script, there’s nothing. It doesn’t matter what you give me. It has to start with the script. And, Dante Harper wrote a really cool script that’s unlike anything I’ve ever read. When you can come across a piece of material that’s totally original and fun and completely satisfying, you jump on it."

Kill has had it's problems in the past trying to nail down it's lead. With Cruise now attached the film's international appeal has gained tenfold and likely will be a priority at Warner Bros. From what I understand Tom's next project will be Horizons, another exciting science fiction action film with equally interesting story concepts.