Screen Rant

Heroes’ Odd Off-Site Comic-Con Panel

Bruce Simmons — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:56:31 +0000

“What room are we in, Tim?”

Almost every panel at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con is held in the convention center, in one of the main halls. Ballroom 20, for example, is a sizable room and a lot of shows are having appearances there.

Friday will see Ballroom 20 hosting panels for Stargate Universe, Caprica, BSG: The Plan, 24, Bones and Dollhouse. (Hmmm… I think I know where I’ll be all day Friday.)

So, you’d think that a big show like Heroes would be somewhere around Ballroom 20, or in one of the side rooms that aren’t all that small either…

At least that’s what I thought they’d do. Every now and then, I’m wrong. There, I said it.

Heroes will indeed have a panel and Tim Kring, Jack Coleman, Masi Oka, Adrian Pasdar, Zachary Quinto, Robert Knepper, Dawn Olivieri, Ray Park and Madeline Zima will be in attendance.

Sounds cool. But to attend the panel you will have to leave the convention center and head off to the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, and find the Indigo Room. Yea, it’s off-site from the convention center.

I don’t get it. We can surmise that maybe someone goofed with logistics, or that the network might be focusing on other things. I don’t know.

But they will be there.

The Heroes panel will be in the Indigo Room on Saturday, July 25th at 3:15 p.m..

I’ll be adding this to the Comic-Con TV panel so you can see the whole collection of events there.

Source: Airlock Alpha

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Green Lantern Rumor: Justin Timberlake as Hal Jordan?

Rob Keyes — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:03:35 +0000

One of these days, an official announcement will be made about the upcoming DC superhero movie, Green Lantern…

Today is not that day.

According to Harry at Ain’t It Cool News, he’s got a source with “an unconfirmed rumor” that Justin Timberlake screen-tested for the role of Hal Jordan.

This rumor adds to the growing list of speculated candidates for the role over the last few years which include Bradley Cooper, Shawn Roberts, Brian Austin Green, Chris Pine, Anton Yelchin, Ryan Gosling and even Jack Black.

I think I prefer all of the previous rumors over Justin Timberlake. I’ve never been impressed by his film appearances and putting him as the lead in big budget superhero epic would be a mistake in my opinion.

What they need to do is build a fanbase by having a strong movie, not by bringing in one of the most popular young stars of the MTV generation. Look at what Iron Man did and what Thor is currently doing.

Adding to this news and with strange timing, Rainn Wilson posted an interesting message on Twitter regarding him and Nathan Fillion:

“@rainnwilson and @nathanfillion are about to go meet with DC COMICS! Could be some good s**t percolating…”

It would be awesome to see Fillion play the lead in Green Lantern but it’s more likely that the pair are going in to meet about doing voice work for one of the next DC animated films. Wilson did voice work on this year’s Monsters vs. Aliens and Fillion played the voice of a character in the DC animated Wonder Woman film.

For fun, check out the fan-trailer for Green Lantern featuring the always-awesome Nathan Fillion as the lead character, Hal Jordan. And if you’re a JT fan, look for his and Andy Samberg’s hilarious music videos on YouTube.

Green Lantern is scheduled to open June 17, 2011. With the timing of the super hero movies of 2011, notably Thor which is also debuting that summer, expect major announcements for this movie and Captain America soon (possibly at Comic-Con).

What do you think of the this latest rumor?

Sources: AICN, Rainn Wilson

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Jennifer’s Body: Megan Fox Close-Up, Poster & Green Band Trailer

Rob Keyes — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:13:48 +0000

Do you like Megan Fox? If so, we have a trifecta of Foxy goodness for you today!

Earlier this week, the first full red band trailer for her new movie, Jennifer’s Body, debuted online and now we have a close-up photo of her showing off her fangs, a brand new poster for the movie and last but not least, the green band trailer for those of you not of age…

Check them out after the jump!

To start, here is the brand new one-sheet for the horror comedy, thanks to Bloody Disgusting.

[Click to Enlarge]

Head on over to Bloody Disgusting for the high resolution image of the poster.

Next up, the new trailer for the movie! The rated-R “red band” trailer came online Monday and it looked pretty interesting to say the least. With the media circus surrounding Megan Fox at every step, especially with that little movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen eating box office money for breakfast and her controversial remarks about that film and director Michael Bay, I expect this movie to do very well for its genre.

Here’s the green band trailer - watch and see why:

Check out Yahoo for the HD version

Hmmm… I wonder what audience this is trying to appeal to… You should see the Red Band trailer if you thought that was a tease.

Lastly, thanks to Fangoria, here’s a look at what Megan Fox’s nice teeth will look like when she’s hungry [Click on the image to see their full version].

Jennifer’s Body is the latest from Juno writer, Diablo Cody, and joining Megan Fox in the cast are Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, Kyle Gallner and everyone’s favorite, J.K. Simmons. The film is directed by Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, Æon Flux).

What do you think of what you’ve seen thus far? Is this something you’ll check out?

Jennifer’s Body opens September 18, 2009… literally?

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Monty Python Reunion: The Bright Side of Life

Jacob Waldman — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:38:48 +0000

Well before the advent of the blog, there was Monty Python. Before the Internet, before video games, before the Walkman, before me, there was Monty Python.

In 1969, Monty Python debuted on BBC with six members: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. In the 40 years since, they have released several films, including The Life of Brian, and The Quest for the Holy Grail, to name a few, not to mention albums, stage productions, and solo endeavors.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the dawn of that new age of comedy. To commemorate this (slightly holy) event, The Independent reports the remaining members of the troupe, sans Cleese, will reunite at the Royal Albert Hall in in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, on October 23rd. Cleese will be unable to attend due to previous engagements, and Graham Chapman passed away in 1989 of spinal cancer.

The four members are set to star in a musical adaptation of their 1979 hit The Life of Brian, now dubbed Not the Messiah (He’s a Very Naughty Boy). Slated for cameos in the show alongside the performing members are a regulars of the original TV series, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Carol Cleveland, and a former musical collaborator, Neil Innes. This is the second spinoff from The Life of Brian, the first being the Broadway hit, Spamalot, written by Eric Idle, who co-wrote Not the Messiah with composer John Du Prez. Idle describes Not the Messiah:

It ranges in reference from Handel, through a naughty Mozart duet, to the Festival of Nine Carols, Bob Dylan, and the classic finale Always Look On The Bright Side of Life.

This is the first appearance for the performing members of the troupe since 2002 (once again, sans Cleese) when they performed at the George Harrison memorial concert.

Set to be released in the U.S. (as a consolation commemoration for missing the live show) a six-part documentary called Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer’s Cut) is on its way to being screened, with a DVD release to follow afterward.

For those those of you who can’t make it to London, or can’t afford a ticket (which can cost as much as £140.00 before they hit ebay), take some solace from the last phrase of Python’s famous song, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”:

Life’s a piece of s@#t
When you look at it
Life’s a laugh and death’s a joke, it’s true.
You’ll see it’s all a show
Keep ‘em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you.

Truer words…

Source: Cinematical

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Cameron Diaz To Star In The Green Hornet?

Ross Miller — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:54:25 +0000

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Cameron Diaz is in talks to star in the upcoming Seth Rogen starring/co-written, Michael Gondry directed Green Hornet movie. The deal has not been signed yet, but it’s being reported she is in negotiations to be the female lead in the 21st century take on the character.

The Green Hornet has been described by Rogen (who co-wrote the screenplay with his Superbad and Pineapple Express writing partner, Evan Goldberg) as a mix of action and comedy, which some people think (myself included, if it’s going to be with Rogen and Gondry) is the perfect way to go about a new Green Hornet movie. [Despite this, we continue to let Ross write for Screen Rant. - Ed.]

The jury is still out on exactly what Stephen Chow’s involvement is (he was previously attached to direct before Gondry, as well as playing The Green Hornet’s sidekick, Kato), but reports have previously stated he’s still involved in at least some capacity.

This is the first we’ve heard of a female lead for The Green Hornet project, and so there’s no word on what type of role it will be (love interest? villain?). Diaz is a pretty face, for sure, but will her acting style fit in with this new taken on the masked crime-fighter? We can only speculate at this point, but I’m personally willing to give her the benefit of the doubt at this fairly early stage of the game.

At least we can hold onto the fact that Diaz has acting experience working with a man who wears a green Mask…

What do you think?

The Green Hornet is supposedly set to start shooting pretty soon, and has a release date of July 9th, 2010.

Sources: EW via AICN

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Weekly TV Wrap Up - July 9th, 2009

Bruce Simmons — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:03:35 +0000

Today’s Weekly TV Wrap Up covers information about ABC on Hulu, a new developing tidbit on Smallville, NCIS casting bits, CSI Miami does time travel and some Lie To Me & The Mentalist casting news.

We also have a trailer for season 2 of Sons Of Anarchy, a bit about David Tennant’s next acting role and some information on 2 new shows coming at us, The Forgotten and Gravity.

There’s also a bit of a change up to the Ratings table this week. I apologize ahead of time.

ABC on Hulu

Now that Walt Disney has become an equity partner with Hulu.com, we are going to start to see ABC projects showing up on the online video site.

Grey’s Anatomy was the first and will be followed by Desperate Housewives, Scrubs, Ugly Betty, I Survived a Japanese Game Show and Superstars.

I thought I didn’t care about the first bunch, but that last one… WHY!?

Source: Variety

The “S” Symbol on Smallville

According to Ausielllo on EW.com, well… I’ll just quote this one sentence: “The iconic “S” symbol will be all over the show (Smallville) in season 9. Including on Clark’s chest.”

He also pointed out that there is no discussion at the CW at this time about a Smallville spin-off taking place.

Sorry gang.

Source: EW

NCIS Needs A New Agent

News on the street is that the producers of NCIS are looking for an actor to play a male agent in his 30’s. The role has potential to be a recurring role.

I presume if the character/actor hit it off in their popularity scales, he’ll become a recurring role.

Source: EW

CSI Miami Flash Back

“But why a flash back??”

Season 8 premiere of CSI Miami is going to take place in 1997. It will be an origins type episode showing the early days of the team.

Rumor has it that the flash back narration will be done by a comatose Delko. I’m guessing a dream state of such.

I’m betting the makeup and CGI people were working hard on this one!

Source: EW

Click to continue reading our Weekly TV Wrap Up.

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Eli Roth NOT Involved With ‘Hostel 3′

Ross Miller — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:37:52 +0000

Eli Roth may have made his first proper acting appearance in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds recently, but he’s still very much involved with a lot of producing and directing projects. But will he be involved with a third film in his successful Hostel franchise? Well, from the man himself comes the word that he’s not involved with it in any way.

In talking with ComingSoon.net (thanks to ShockTillYouDrop), Roth said that he’s happy to have made the first two Hostel movies, and quite obviously glad of the success he had with them (particularly the first), but he’s not going to be doing the planned straight-to-DVD Hostel: Part III:

“That’s another one like ‘Cabin Fever 2′… The studio had made a lot of money with it so they want to keep going, and the fans, there’s demand for it, and great. If I started something and other people want to continue it, go for it. I’m just not involved in anyway (with Hostel III). There’s no negativity about it. I just said, ‘I put everything in my life for three years into these movies. I’ve said everything I have to say with it. I feel very lucky I got to make them and the fans responded the way they did, and if you guys want to continue it, great, go ahead.’”

For the full interview with Roth - where he talks about such things as sequels/remakes/prequels in general, his other upcoming projects (including mentioning he won’t be remaking The Funhouse remake he’s developing for Universal) - you can head over to ShockTillYouDrop.

It was announced back in September of last year that Lionsgate was moving forward with Hostel III whether Roth was on-board or not, and it looks like this news confirms the latter. It’s no secret that I loathe the Hostel movies, and since I really, really don’t like Cabin Fever, I guess that means I don’t like Roth as a director (with the exception of his Grindhouse fake trailer, Thanksgiving). So in that way I can’t say I’m disappointed about Roth not being involved with Hostel: Part III.

However, that doesn’t mean I want to see another Hostel movie without him - I would rather they just abort this franchise immediately. There are too many torture-porn movies out there without pointlessly extending the franchise that practically started the modern horror craze off, particularly if it’s just straight-to-DVD (a sure-fire indication it’s going to suck).

Even if I don’t like Roth as a filmmaker, I must admit I’m interested in his upcoming first foray into the sci-fi genre with his $60 million Endangered Species, the most expensive movie he’ll have ever worked on to date. Who knows, maybe sci-fi will be his forte?

What do you think about Eli Roth not being involved with Hostel: Part III? Do you think they should continue this franchise on beyond the second one?

No release has been set for the planned straight-to-DVD Hostel: Part III.

Sources: ComingSoon via ShockTillYouDrop

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Video Interview: Harold Ramis Talks Ghostbusters 3

Ross Miller — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:34:06 +0000

The long awaited and much speculated about Ghostbusters 3, has had a bumpy ride over the years. Rumors, speculation, interviews, fact and fiction have all been thrown around about a third movie in the franchise. Its “Maybe… at some point” status has been rather frustrating for fans who want to see the ghost busting team back together once more.

Most of the rumors and general talk about a Ghostbusters 3 movie has been in print or online, but today (thanks to MakingOf) we have a video interview with Dr. Egon Spengler himself (a.k.a Harold Ramis) talking about the movie. Ramis talks about such things as the status of the movie at the moment (how the other key players are feeling about it, if there’s a spec script written and so forth), the audience appetite for another one after so many years since the disappointing second one, and how he would like the movie to turn out like (mentioning such things as the special effects and general style).

It’s an interesting interview with Ramis, particularly for those who are dying to see another Ghostbusters movie on the big-screen. Oh, and you might get a kick out of hearing Ramis slam a movie or four when talking about today’s special effects/animation. You can check out the seven minute video below:

I can certainly be lumped in with the movie fans out there who want to see another Ghosbusters movie. Although the second movie was really quite disappointing (especially when you consider how great the first one is), the characters and the whole mythology are so good that I think another go at it is a great idea.

Also, surely I can’t be the only one who wants to see these classic ghost busting characters having aged as the actors obviously have - just where is the ghost busting team now, and what have they been up to all this time? I really want to find out!

Are you looking forward to a Ghostbusters 3? Do you think the movie should keep the technology low-tech, or make use of the special effects that are possible with today’s technology?

Ghostbusters 3 is still in the development stages and doesn’t have a release date as of yet.

Source: MakingOf (via /Film)

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‘Kick-Ass’ Movie to Have Different Ending Than Comic

Rob Frappier — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:17:17 +0000

For months, fans of the hyper violent teen superhero comic Kick-Ass have wondered how director Matthew Vaughn will choose to end his film adaptation while the comic itself is still being published. Now, we may have an answer thanks to Comic Book Resources, which recently interviewed Kick-Ass artist and comic book titan, John Romita, Jr.

In the interview, which focused primarily on his work on the milestone 600th issue of Amazing Spider-Man, Romita said he was “within a couple pages of finishing issue #7, and [has] already done thumbnails on issue #8.” As for finishing the movie before the comic and any potential rifts that might create, Romita had this to say:

“They know what they’re doing, but I’m sticking to Mark’s scripts…We don’t want to be so far disparate from the film, and we had a little bit of storytelling we wanted to at least parallel the film even though it was Mark’s idea from the get go to give it some similarities while not looking like we’re hocking each other. As long as it looks like the same subject matter, the endings will have differences.”

Romita also revealed that he will create a number of animated sequences for the film, which will serve primarily as flashbacks.

““Matthew Vaughn is a fan of the comic, and that’s where the flashback animation sequence comes from. He wanted an homage to the comic. He was a fan of my pacing and storytelling and used as much as he could along those lines.”

The way I see it, even if Kick-Ass the comic and Kick-Ass the movie don’t turn out to be exactly the same story, it won’t diminish my enjoyment of either. Of course, I’m not the most hardcore Kick-Ass fanboy out there, so perhaps I’m understating this news. Will you be disappointed if the film version of Kick-Ass ends up having a different ending than the comic? Also, are you excited to see that John Romita, Jr’s art will end up in the final film?

Kick-Ass does not currently have a release date. However, the film will have a strong presence at Comic-Con, where star Christopher Mintz-Plasse (of Superbad fame), director Matthew Vaughn, and John Romita, Jr. will premier the first footage of the film. Expect an announcement regarding a release date at that time.

Source: Comic Book Resources via MTV

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SR Picks [Video]: Fan-Made Avengers Trailer

Rob Keyes — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:14:16 +0000

Are you excited for Marvel Studios’ upcoming films? Are you having a tough time waiting three more years to see the most ultimate team-up film of all time in the form of the Avengers?

Well, here’s a little dosage of Avengers action to keep you calm while you wait. We have for you today a little fan-made trailer for the Avengers movie that features characters from a variety of blockbuster Marvel films, meaning it’s extremely off from what (and who) we’ll be seeing come 2012.

Watch and enjoy:

I guess it’s more of a Mighty Avengers movie than the Avengers. You probably noticed footage taken from a ton of different films including Transformers 1 & 2, X-Men, Spider-Man 2 & 3, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Iron Man and Fantastic Four 1 & 2 among others.

As for the content, it was well-organized for the most part and I like how the beginning hinted at a story revolving Hulk as the villain. This idea was widely speculated to be used for the real Avengers film but I hope it’s not. After The Incredible Hulk and seeing so much of that story focused on Ed Norton’s Banner learning control of himself, it wouldn’t make sense and would be a weak story to feature him as an uncontrollable villainous character. Let Norton join the team and have him work together with Iron Man, Cap and Thor on something better.

In the later parts of the trailer we see the focus shift to Spider-Man’s black costume and Venom which doesn’t fit and doesn’t work well with the Avengers idea, especially after Spidey 3. It partially took away from the story the trailer was attempting to tease earlier.

No reason to be overly critical though, I think this is pretty cool for what it is and the fun really kicks in when when the music picks up in the last quarter of the video. I always dig good fan-made vids of high and thought this was worthy of sharing, especially to get your thinking of what’s upcoming on Marvel’s plate.

What would of made this trailer blow my mind is if they incorporated clips from the 1990 Captain America film starring Matt Salinger in that amazing costume. Well, there’s always next time.

It’s too bad that none of the crossovers of this video can actually happen in the movie world as the characters’ film rights are scattered across several different studios including Sony, Fox and Marvel.

What do you think of the trailer and if there were no limits, what cross-over would you like to see from modern comic book movies?

The real Avengers movie opens May 4, 2012.

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What Is “Frenzied Waters?”

Vic Holtreman — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:27:53 +0000

I first heard about this earlier today from Joblo.com, and frankly I might have been a little freaked out if I hadn’t read about his experience first. Today I received a large package in the mail which contained what I would describe as a large, old, cloudy mason jar with a rusty lid.

When I opened it there was a very odd collection of items inside…

First off, when I opened the box there was a handwritten note that stated the following:

This jar holds a story - the story of a single tragic incident that needs to be unlocked. Dive in, investigate the evidence and discover what lies beneath the surface of frenziedwaters.com

After setting that aside, I unpacked what was within and found the aforementioned mason jar.

The mysterious mason jar

Kind of weird, right? Having the jar cloudy made it all the creepier. Anyway I opened it removed all the contents and laid them out on the table…

Contents of the creepy mason jar

Here’s a list of what was included:

A warning sign that looked like it would be posted at the beach.
A swimsuit with a shredded right leg opening.
A brass key fob with FrenziedWaters.com stamped in it, attached to a large shark tooth.
A rusty key attached to a padded (floating?) key chain that had “Discovery Marina SW09″ printed on it.

A closer look

Oh, and that small piece of paper above the keychain? That’s my obituary.

Yes, my PERSONAL obituary. Here’s what it said:

Victor Holtreman, notable eBook author of The Last 10 Pounds and creator of ScreenRant.com, was killed by a shark on Monday, July 6th in Ocean City, New Jersey. He was visiting family and friends in his home state. Holtrman was famous for his multi-faceted career background, including the Navy, door-to-doot sales, construction, and hospitality. ScreenRant, one of the most consulted blogs for television and movie news, prided itself in casting aside sugar additives. Funeral arrangements are scheduled for July 9 in Utah, where Holtreman currently lives.

My obituary, according to 'Frenzied Waters'

Everything above is accurate. Tell me THAT wouldn’t freak you out if you got it in the mail! I’m curious to see what, if anything happens on July 9th…

I called the number on the warning sign (386-675-0342) and it’s a recorded beach closing warning. Then I hit up the website FrenziedWaters.com where you can watch a video of what seems to be a first person view of getting attacked by a shark (don’t worry, it’s not graphic at all) and if you click on the “My Story” image on the far right, it prompts you for your Facebook login. If you input that it then displays another first person view and cuts to news reports of a shark attack death using YOUR facebook picture (more creepiness). However when I reloaded the page the newscast portion no longer appeared.

You want more wierdness? Despite all the effort that went into sending this to me and other sites (in addition to Joblo.com, Pajiba.com, and a few other sites received one as well), there is no listing for a movie called Frenzied Waters in IMDB.com, the absolute “go to” database for movie and TV info. I was left thinking whethre this might be an HBO movie (I received something equally cryptic for HBO’s True Blood).

They do have a Twitter page, but that’s very recent and just as mysterious.

I thought this was creative, and enough work went into it (including a handwritten note and the research done to come up with a detailed obituary printed on newspaper stock) that it was worth mentioning.

The fact that it doesn’t come up on IMDB.com leaves me with one likely perpetrator: The Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week (that and a little Google News search which sparked a memory about an email I received weeks ago).

Pretty damned clever, I have to say.

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Are They Making Mortal Kombat 3?

Rob Keyes — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:07:21 +0000

Ever heard of Chris Casamassa? Probably not, but you may have seen him. He’s the martial arts master who played the role of Scorpion in the first Mortal Kombat movie and in a few episodes of Mortal Kombat: Conquest, the TV series.

Fortunately, he wasn’t part of the terrible sequel, titled Annihilation. Come to think of it, the vast majority of the cast didn’t make it back for the sequel…

Well, Casamassa will be back as Scorpion again… in another Mortal Kombat movie. Who knew?

Alex over at First Showing picked up on a story by the SGV Tribune where they interviewed the martial artist/actor. Casamassa, who now instructs and is the president of Red Dragon Karate, revealed that he’s set to start shooting a third Mortal Kombat film this September. It was seemingly a general comment and they didn’t go into it at all as it wasn’t the focus of the piece.

If true, that’s only two months away and we’ve heard nothing about it. Is it some low-budget straight-to-DVD flick? Perhaps that’s the only way to go after the terrible outing of the latest Street Fighter movie.

Casamassa’s film experience is not limited to Mortal Kombat however. Between doing his professional Karate, he was George Clooney’s stunt double in everyone’s favorite Batman & Robin and he did some stunts for Blade among other minor appearances and film work. He was even in that show called WMAC Masters which I actually think I saw on TV when I was kid.

I’m glad the dude is getting some more film work but I don’t have any interest in another Mortal Kombat if it’s another low-budget sequel. The first movie was pretty cool and I liked it when I was younger for what it was (can you believe that was 14 years ago?). The second one I didn’t feel nearly as happy about and I can only imagine this one being even worse.

The idea of a of a third Mortal Kombat has been long-speculated where it was rumored Christopher Lambert could return as Rayden but there’s been absolutely nothing on that front for a long while. Him being in it would be a big plus though, and it would certainly help turn some frowns upside down.

If they do make another MK film, which is inevitable, they should start over again and focus in on the main characters. Most importantly, they need to have some truly awesome action sequences. The main problem with Street Fighter (among thousands) is that it’s a move strictly about fighting… with no cool fighting - So there’s no reason to see it.

Do you have any interest in a third Mortal Kombat? How about a franchise re-boot?

Mortal Kombat Movie Trivia: Did you know Ray Park (Darth Maul from Star Wars, Ep.I, Snake Eyes in this summer’s G.I. Joe) did the stunts for Rayden and played one of the Raptors and Baraka in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation?

Source: SGV Tribune, Image edited from MK vs DCU

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Tarantino Confirms Inglourious Basterds Final Runtime

Ross Miller — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:00:37 +0000

About six weeks ago, Screen Rant reported on the rumors that Quentin Tarantino was going to be re-editing his WWII film Inglourious Basterds, even adding some scenes and thus adding a lot more minutes to the almost two-and-a-half hour Cannes version runtime. The majority of movie goers who weren’t lucky enough to be at Cannes to see the Basterds premiere could cling onto the fact that when we see the film we will get more of those Basterds to enjoy.

Well, today we get word from Tarantino himself that the final runtime of Inglourious Basterds is a full ONE MINUTE longer than the Cannes cut. Ah, and there was us fans looking forward to another Gone With The Wind length marathon…

After the news came out that Tarantino would be re-editing Basterds post-Cannes, a rumor surfaced that the Weinsteins (namely Harvey) were pressuring him to cut a shocking 40 minutes from the reported, “contractually obligated,” 2 hour 48 minute length. However, just over two weeks later, Harvey Weinstein came out and called the 40 minute cut report a load of rubbish (that’s the family-friendly version of the swearing version he delivered). He also said that Tarantino was just re-organizing some scenes, and even said he was begging Tarantino to include a lot of the stuff (instead of the other way around).

Well, it appears that after all, one half of the Weinsteins was speaking the truth, as in an interview with Variety’s BFDealMemo, Tarantino spoke about the whole runtime business, separating fact from fiction, as well as what he’s added to/changed about the film. Here’s some of what he had to say [Warning: moderate SPOILER warning]:

“I’ve heard these rumors that the studios told me to cut out 40 minutes. These are complete lies. The movie is actually a minute longer, in running time, than it was in Cannes. It was 2:28, without end credits, and now it’s 2:29, or 2:32 with end credits.”

“I added a sequence between where Mike Myers and Michael Fassbender discuss Operation Kino [the plot to blow up a theater as Joseph Goebbels and other Nazi brass watch a film], and the shootout scene in the basement tavern La Louisiane. In Cannes, we went from one to the other. I’d shot another scene, right before that, where Fassbender meets The Basterds, before they go to La Louisiane. That’s back.”

“It might sound weird that I added a minute, but you can add little things and actually quicken the pace, and we were very aware of keeping the pace up. To add the one scene, I reduced a couple scenes by a line here, a line there.”

Tarantino also mentioned there was a, “cool sequence,” involving Eli Roth’s Sgt. Donny Donowitz which explained his background but as the writer/director he felt it, “got in the way,” of the reveal of his character (which is presumably the one in the trailer where he comes out of the tunnel holding a baseball bat). He also went on to talk about the much speculated Basterds prequel, saying that he’s got it half written and the cast is game for it, but admits he’s made project promises before that he hasn’t gotten around to:

“All through the movie, Brad Pitt and Eli Roth just kept saying, “Prequel. Prequel.” Brad would say, “Let’s talk him into doing a prequel.” The guys love the idea. I’ve got the storyline. Then again, I was going to do all these animated prequels to Kill Bill. I didn’t end up doing any of those.”

[End of SPOILERS]

For the full Q&A with Tarantino you can head over to Variety.

So there you have it: We have the final Inglourious Basterds runtime as 2 hours 29 minutes (or 2:32 if you include the scrolling of the last word of the end credits), not the 2 hours 48 minutes that was reported as the original original runtime, or the 2 hours 8 minutes that would’ve been the case if the rumors of the 40 minutes being cut were true. And when you consider two of Tarantino’s most enduring movies, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown (which both clock in at 150 minutes), the Basterds’ runtime may be pretty damn perfect.

Of course, I haven’t seen the Basterds in action yet (beyond all the promo material, that is), so I can’t say for definite that just under two and half hours is fitting. But something tells me that Tarantino wouldn’t just cut his Palme d’Or nominated “baby” at that length if it weren’t what he thought was right.

Anything that Tarantino cut out of the Basterds (such as the Roth backstory sequence) I’m sure will make their way onto the eventual DVD/Blu-ray release later on down the road. Die hard Tarantino fans out there (of which I’m one) would have taken them all within the theatrically released one, but I understand there has to be a cut-off point as far as what you include and what you don’t in a movie (at least for it’s theatrical run).

So after all that, those who already have Inglourious Basterds marked on their calendar’s can breathe a collective sigh of relief as it finally looks like the whole runtime mess has been mopped up for good.

Let’s just hope no one missed a spot…

What do you think of what is the final runtime for Inglourious Basterds? Do you think it should be longer, shorter, or is it just right in your eyes?

Inglourious Basterds will open in theatres on August 21st, 2009.

Sources: Variety (special thanks: ThePlaylist)

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Looking Better & Better: New District 9 Trailer & Poster

Rob Keyes — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:04:07 +0000

The marketing machine is now running on full steam for the upcoming Peter Jackson-Neill Blomkamp sci-fi film, District 9, as we near the release of the sci-fi doc-style film. The first full length (original and uncensored) trailers debuted back in May alongside X-Men Origins: Wolverine and since then we’ve been subject to a multitude of viral marketing for the movie.

Today, the brand new trailer for District 9 that will be in theaters this weekend attached to Sacha Baren Cohen’s Bruno has come online as well as the newest poster that was made available earlier this week.

About the marketing, some of the virals for the project that we’ve come across so far include viral posters and banners, a short film, public park benches covered in viral ads as if the events in the film were real and even audio reports on popular radio stations. There was also an awesome emergency video news report. Yesterday and today, I heard a viral on the radio warning us citizens of those who’ve escaped District 9 and of how dangerous they are.

I love this sort of viral stuff, especially when it’s for something new and original such as this. It all works well with the original trailer which I also thought was very cool.

Getting to the fun stuff, here is the new poster:

[Click to enlarge]

Although, I’ve dug all the marketing materials for this movie, I think this poster is the best one yet. I love how it combines elements of the previous poster and maintains the style which has been presenting throughout the early promotion of the film while including a nice wide shot of the space ship hovering over Johannesburg, South Africa.

The trailer is currently an early exclusive to Yahoo Movies, you can see it here and tell us what you think. When it becomes available, we’ll put it up for you to see here as well.

- - -

If you’ve watched it, then you know what I mean when I say “wow”. I am madly impressed and this trailer took the intriguing mystery elements of the first and extremely upped the ante. We not only get to see tons of action, the style the film actually employs, the main character, crazy new weapons and alien technology, but even some good ol’ alien vs. human combat.

We even finally get to see what all those viral ads look like in the actual movie. I love this trailer and to me, it feels like a hyper-real documentary of what Independence Day would of looked like in a more realistic situation (minus the whole global destruction upon first contact thing).

I’ve been looking forward to seeing this ever since the project began and now my excitement seems more justified than ever. I’ll be there opening day for sure.

Check out the previous poster and some examples of the viral marketing for the flick if you haven’t already - it’s neat stuff.

What do you think of the latest trailer and one-sheet?

District 9 is opens for humans only August 14, 2009 in the US, and on September 4, 2009 in the UK.

Source: Yahoo!

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The Top 5 Astronaut Movies of All Time

Mike Wilkerson — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:52:10 +0000

Everyone has looked up into a clear evening sky to conduct their own survey of distant pinpricks in the regularly-occurring blackness. Passing aircraft, the stars and that which is always largest in the night sky - the Moon.

July 20, 2009, marks the 40th Anniversary of man landing on the Moon, and to showcase a different flavor of that same obsession, Screen Rant’s newest writer (yours truly), dons his newly-minted writing/explorer spacesuit to provide a listing of the Top 5 Astronaut Movies - a look back at the best storytelling that put you into the shoes of those who have TRULY gone boldly where we hope many more men (and women) will eventually go.

Cultures that predate written records have told stories of the moon. From the legendary tales of ancient African tribes, to the technology-laden yarns of NASA and the men of Apollo, we have become familiar with the process of learning more about the moon. Whether it’s the cyclic paragraphs of the moon’s perpetual chase of the sun, or the detail conveying 12 brave men who set foot on the moon in the late 60s and 70s, our obsession with the moon and human spaceflight continues to this day, in the form of modern cinema.

Read on below and be sure to chime in with YOUR thoughts on other great astronaut/space movies that make your heart soar even higher than a Saturn 5 rocket breaking Earth’s gravitational bond.

5.) Apollo 13 (1995):

While I had only just been born when the events of Apollo 13 unfolded in real life, this movie (courtesy of director Ron Howard, and a star-studded cast of “root-for” actors) provides you with great (though at time dramatized) perspectives that truly showcased what the American Space Program meant back then and how it should serve as a shining sample of teamwork and problem-solving. The soundtrack by revered composer James Horner serves as a double helping of astronaut-based greatness that didn’t win the Academy Awards that year, but surely could have. It’s a movie that captures the best of America, of technology and the can-do spirit - which might be why I love all of these human spaceflight films in general.

SPECIAL MOMENT: When Tom Hanks (as Astronaut Jim Lovell) explains to his youngest son not only how the LEM (Lunar Excursion Module) will couple with the Command Module (CM), but also explains how advances have been made to ensure that another disaster like the one that befell the astronauts of Apollo 1 on a crisp January morning never happened again. Magical.

4.) Magnificent Desolation (2005):

Tom Hanks - who has always been a dedicated and zealous human spaceflight maverick himself - provides you with what I can only WISH I had seen in IMAX format. Magnificent Desolation offers up a quick, no-holds barred educational immersion in the efforts of the American space effort that got us literally from “The Earth to The Moon,” and conveys just about every aspect you’ll hear about traveling to and from the Moon. With some landmark special effects and brilliant voiceover work, this program is sure to make any American swell with pride, understanding and the hope that we will eventually get our collective space-faring asses back in suits and head to the stars.

SPECIAL MOMENT: One of the children that is a pseudo-host of the program (and folks, I try DESPERATELY not to get caught in children-based emotional traps) looks ahead to what awaits us on the Moon of the future. I didn’t have a box of tissue big enough, mostly because I have a 6-year-old daughter that not only watches all of these great films with me - but wants to BE that older child on the moon when she grows up. Again, magical.

3.) The Right Stuff (1983):

Every now and then a movie comes along that truly shows you not only how well great stories hold up, but how GREAT a pool of acting talent we had (and have) in Hollywood. The Right Stuff provides you with firey moments: Not only from the mechanized effort to get the experience and technology ready in order to get to the moon - but from the actors themselves, who convey the often-difficult choices faced by every astronaut and astronaut family - and even the decision makers that want to get us from the Earth to the Moon. The acting meter is off the charts for this film and it gives you a decidedly real taste of what it was like to be one of the “7″.

SPECIAL MOMENT: I can’t possibly narrow down a single moment from the cachophany of actors in this film, so I’m going to go the special effects route. Not so surprisingly, this film was done before Computer Generator Imagery (CGI) and the F/X offerings here are some of the best of the time. The breaking the sound barrier scene alone will provide at least 4-5 pints of brand-new oxygenated blood instantly.

2.) In the Shadow of The Moon (2007):

I am a professional podcaster and have been for 5 years. I’m terribly familiar with the power of first-person perspective storytelling and this film, In the Shadow of the Moon, offers some of the best ever perspective storytelling from the people that were actually DOING THE THINGS WE ONLY DREAM OF. Hearing people “tell tales that sound like science fiction” that are actually real accomplishments is more than magical - it transports you to a time, a date, and series of events that held the attention span of everyone on our planet. The perspectives of Michael Collins and Gene Cernan in particular are moments that will stay with me until I die - not because they’re “so important” but because they inspire me to be more than I am and to convey things that are important so others can learn from my efforts, mistakes and perspective.

SPECIAL MOMENT: You will NOT BELIEVE the visually stunning real-time mission elements that are used in this presentation. They are one-of-a-kind and could all be posters that I would like to adorn every single inch of space in my home with. For those of you that have any interst in space, astronauts, rockets and more, you have something special that awaits you with this film.

1.) From the Earth to the Moon (1998):

It might be that this series from HBO came out when I was going through one of the most difficult times in my life (a terrible car accident leaving me disabled for 3 months), but this series of 12 episodes offers some of the most captivating, inspirational and educational stories in entertainment - ever. This series continues to guide me while I’m working on projects, working in the yard or - dare I say it - compiling a listing of all-time greatest Human Spaceflight-inspired entertainment.

The brilliance of all of this series isn’t just that it’s about space - it’s not even that it conveys the inner-workings of the Astronaut corps. The brilliance of From the Earth to the Moon is that it provides a sense of TRUE TEAMWORK - working towards a common goal, whether it be in your personal life, in your community or in your career, where the decisions you make really do mean something. The soundtrack here is also something to revel in. Mason Daring (who provided much of what you hear in this series) is well showcased and while I’ve overused the word “magical” in this review already, his compositions here make every single episode not only start and end with brilliance, but pushes the pulse of every episode in a direction that requires you tend to it.

SPECIAL MOMENT: (exhales) Damn me for only allowing ONE MOMENT for a 12-part series! Probably the most played disc of the series (in my house) is disc 2, featuring an episode called “SPIDER” that details the culmination of thought, work and real-life must-dos to get men on the moon in the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM). I admire this episode mostly because it showcases what I wish I could have more of in my life - both in my workplaces and beyond: planning and teamwork. I’ve been a pioneer of a lot of hard work and projects in my time, but the sense of accomplishment, growth, and success that I see in this episode is something I will truly cherish when I achieve it for myself. Those of you that have not yet been graced with the viewing of this series are in for a real treat. The closed-captioning provided in From the Earth to the Moon is some of the best ever, conveying not only the dialog, but sound effects, music lyrics and environmental sounds that help to push this series to the top of my listing.

And thus, you now have at least enough to keep you entertained on a real-life trip TO the Moon, as well as enough education required to complete a series of equipment-cycling maneuvers during a real human spaceflight (ok, so maybe not the latter). As this review closes, I wonder (to mirror the narrating words of Tom Hanks towards the end of From The Earth to the Moon), When will we go back?

Chime in with your thoughts on the list, as well as other Astronaut-inspired films that I may have missed and thanks again for taking the itme to read my column here at Screen Rant.

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HBO Should ABSOLUTELY Develop ‘100 Bullets’ for TV

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:44:40 +0000

100 Bullets is an Eisner and Harvey Award-winning pulp Noir comic book created by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, which also happens to be one of my favorite comic books. The series ends its decade-long run this month with its 100th issue (fitting), and as talk of the futures of Azzarello and Risso has commenced, there’s been a little bit of hint-hinting that 100 Bullets could be adapted for Tv, possibly as an HBO series.

Well, in response to this rumor, I’d like to say: HBO, if you’re hearing this, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE develop 100 Bullets as a series (if you’re not already, of course)!

Here’s is the “subtle hint” that Brian Azzarello dropped during an interview with MTV Splash Page recently, after he was asked what other forms of media 100 Bullets might branch into:

Television — there’s an idea!…That’s all I’ll say. Television… or maybe something that’s ‘not just TV.’

Ok, so that’s not a confirmation of any kind - and really it could’ve just been an impromptu pitch to HBO (whose slogan is, of course, “It’s not TV…It’s HBO”). Still, Azzarello’s words are enough insinuation for me to start cheerleading for this non-situation to become a reality. HBO and 100 Bullets would be a match made in heaven, far as I’m concerned.

For those who aren’t familiar with 100 Bullets: the DC/Vertigo comic started back in 1999 as a series of (seemingly) loosely connected stories about a mysterious “agent” named Graves, who would visit (seemingly) random individuals and bestow them with the gift of an attache case that contained a gun and 100 bullets of “untraceable ammunition.” Each individual Graves visited was supposedly the victim of some great injustice, and (whether they knew it or not) each of them had just cause for revenge. Along with the gun and bullets, Agent Graves also provided proof of the injustice done, along with the assurance that any retaliation would be consequence-free, forcing the wronged person to grapple with the choice of exacting vengeance or not.

That initial storyline was interesting enough, but over the course of a decade, Azzarello and Risso slowly unfolded a more intricate mystery involving secret societies, secret agents, secret pasts and enough mythos to rival Lost. By end of the series (the last issue hits comic book stores on July 11th), seemingly random people were revealed to be chess pieces in a centuries-old war and the stakes had ballooned from individual moral quandaries to the fate of the world. The series was fresh, original, violent, gritty, engaging, and hands-down the best urban crime drama I’ve ever read in comics.

And what is HBO known for? Why fresh, original, violent, gritty, engaging programming of course! What better home for a tv adaptation of 100 Bullets?

Seriously: HBO needs another acclaimed crime drama a la The Sopranos or The Wire right about now, and 100 Bullets is a series that would grab viewers by the cojones and keep them coming back each week for at least three to four season(s if not more), trying to unravel the mystery. Matter fact, now that I think about it, there really is no good reason why HBO shouldn’t be developing 100 Bullets as a series.

So there you have it: Kofi Outlaw loves 100 Bullets and would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see it end up on HBO. And I’m sure I’m not alone in that sentiment. If you too would like to see 100 Bullets premiering on your Home Box Office station, let us know in the comments.

Source: MTV Splash Page & The Playlist

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Jack Ryan, Meet the New You: George Clooney

Jacob Waldman — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:18:03 +0000

[UPDATE: It now appears that Jack Ryan will get the reboot treatment see the end of the article for details.]

Let’s throw another pancake on the Jack Ryan flapjack stack, shall we? First we had a Baldwin (The Hunt for Red October), then we had Indiana Jones (Patriot Games, Clear And Present Danger), then we had Ben Affleck (The Sum of All Fears), and after that one, the trail ended, and rightfully so.

But recently, the Jack Ryan Rumor Mill has been stirring again, producing some interesting pulp about a certain man-hunk taking over the role for the rumored next Jack Ryan film.

Last year, Screen Rant reported that Ryan Gosling was being considered for the role of Jack Ryan, a rumor confirmed by the director of two Jack Ryan films, Philip Noyce. What’s more, Noyce pointed out that not only will he not be involved with the next Jack Ryan film, the character’s creator, Tom Clancy, won’t be either.

It seems Paramount owns the rights to the character now - and while no official Jack Ryan plot, script, or anything resembling a movie has come about, Noyce did hint at the possibility that a project formerly under his control that has since been handed over to Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), By Any Means Necessary, could be retooled as a Jack Ryan vehicle.

Paramount eventually sent the Gosling idea packing and considered their options. For awhile James Franco and Sam Raimi were allegedly being considered as lead and director, respectively. Raimi has since signed on to Spider-Man 4, so that seems unlikely, and Franco’s involvement was never confirmed and hasn’t been rumored since. So Paramount has moved on to bigger and better…and handsomer! The Daily Beast’s Kim Masters reported recently that Paramount is considering George Clooney for the next Jack Ryan film, whenever and whatever that may be. According to Masters: “A source says [Clooney] expressed interest in playing Jack Ryan…”

I also would like to express my interest in the role, though I suspect it will not receive an equal amount of press. I wonder why?

Will Clooney join the League of Jack Ryans?

But is Clooney the right man? If you’re familiar with the Jack Ryan novels, you know that the character is an injured-Navy-man-turned-brainiac/family man, who has a rather keen knack for being pulled into political pickles. Now recall the George Clooney of O Brother Where Art Thou? or Leatherheads - or think back to Michael Clayton. And somewhere in the middle there’s the Ocean’s 12 debacle. None of the characters in Clooney’s repertoire seem suited for the role of brainiac-cum-hero; IMO, Clooney lacks that reluctant-hero innocence that makes Ryan a character the masses can identify with.

Now, that’s not to say that Clooney’s performances haven’t surprised before - I’m just saying that Clooney can be on the list, but maybe he shouldn’t BE the list of potential Jack Ryans. Moreover, I appreciate Clooney’s seeming recognition that it might be time to dive into a project with a bit more box office potential, so good idea, Mr. Clooney, but perhaps poor execution. Although, what do I know? Clooney could do for Ryan what Daniel Craig has done for Bond (I don’t mean make a convoluted sequel with no plot, rather I mean revive the series).

It seems like a convenient coincidence that as Clooney is being considered for a role in a series with proven box office pull owned by Paramount, that Clooney’s production company, Smokehouse Productions, is leaving Warner Bros and working out an exclusive two-year deal with Sony Pictures. But then: I don’t believe in coincidences. This all falls (on the movie business timeline) around the same hash mark as rumors of a merger between Paramount and Sony are beginning to surface on the internet (See Latino Review or Deadline Hollywood). Perhaps Clooney knows something we don’t?

UPDATE: Slash Film has reminded us that writer Hossein Aimini (The Four Feathers) was asked in December to pen a reboot of the Jack Ryan franchise for Paramount - a script independent of Tom Clancy’s novels. That reboot appears to be the direction Paramount is going with the property, throwing into question whether Clooney will in fact be the candidate for the role of a much-younger Ryan (not likely). We’ll keep you updated as we hear more.

Tell you what: if my last venture had done as well as the most recent Jack Ryan incarnation (The Sum of All Fears), I’d be spooked enough to question whether or not I want to revisit the lineage, so Paramount can’t be blamed for its hesitation. Good for them for slaving over the important decision of who should be the next Jack Ryan. And while their perseverance can’t be faulted, perhaps their casting decisions need a little work. What do you think?

Source: Slash Film

Update Source: Slash Film

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‘Lost’ Loses Brian K. Vaughan

Bruce Simmons — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:39:39 +0000

Just as they’re gearing up for a 6th and final season of Lost, it seems that ABC will be doing it without Brian K Vaughan.

Vaughan, whose works include Y: Last the Last Man and Ex Machina, has “left for greener pastures,” as executive producer Damon Lindelof put it.

Not sure what could be considered greener than Lost these days, but there ya have it. Vaughan’s affect on the scripts could be seen through the edge he had with putting together plot twists.

As it stands, if Vaughan is freeing himself up to work on a new project, whether it be comic book or film or TV, then we just may be seeing some good stuff coming our way soon.

But does Vaughan already have something in the works?

In a blog post from a year ago, he talks about DreamWorks buying a supernatural-comedy screenplay of his called Roundtable and he indicated that he’ll be executive producing it. He also made note that he was writing an adaptation of Runaways for Marvel Studios.

Despite these entries being a year old, these projects are still considered to be in development today. That’s where I believe these “greener pastures” most likely lay.

Which do you think is the stronger lure for Brian? Comics or TV? Since Watchmen was his inspiration to write, I’d lean towards his making time to work on his comics. However, with two other film projects on his plate, hey, one needs to pay the bills and have fun doing it.

As always, comments are welcomed from our Screen Rant readers.

Sources: MTV, BKV TV, Examiner

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Warehouse 13 Review & Discussion

Bruce Simmons — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:32:16 +0000

Saul Rubinek as Artie Nelsen, Joanne Kelly as Myka Bering, Eddie McClintock as Pete Lattimer

The short of it: The advertising for Warehouse 13 did not do the show justice, but then, I’m not sure how they could have capitalized on an ad campaign for a show that had a decent, slow developing story line.

I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in this new show, Warehouse 13 (WH13) that is leading the newly renamed Syfy network programming charge. They didn’t force feed us instant character development (there was plenty of conversational exchange that accomplished that) and story lines for the characters weren’t shoved in our face just for the sake of making things happen.

Everything progressed at a decent pace and I found myself engaged by the story the show was telling.

Will I be watching it next week? Read on to find that out.

The 22-minute opening teaser segment was engaging enough to keep me pretty focused as we were introduced to Secret Service agents Myka Bering and Pete Lattimer.

They agents weren’t incredibly engaging at the beginning, but we didn’t know them right away. I was just along for the ride, just like they were. If you were expecting to see instant action, then you might have come away feeling disappointed.

As the 2-hour premiere carried on, Bering and Lattimer developed more depth and (to me) became more interesting.

Pete has a type of sense, a fifth sense or spider-sense and Myka has an eye for detail. This is what makes them a good team. Pete may step right into a bear trap if someone said there are cookies in there, but Myka would see the bear trap and stop him.

Both agents were recruited behind the scenes and at first they had no clue what was going on. Myka was ticked to say the least. This did not look like the fast lane to somewhere important. But as the case evolved, she became slowly and begrudgingly pulled into the job at WH13, while Pete jumped on board because of all the cool things there.

They didn’t like each other at first, but as they came to recognize and respect one another’s talents, they also came together as a team. And I’m glad for that because I don’t think I could have used yet another sparring mixed-gender team always at odds.

The caretaker of Warehouse 13, Artie (Saul Rubinek) uses super-antiquated equipment that was reminiscent of steampunk-like gear. Equipment that was invented many years ago, but is near on par with modern-day equipment. More or less.

Saul Rubinek’s delivery is a bit low key from what I remember of him from past parts, and I enjoy it. It was almost too low key, but I think he’s got a lot to bring to the table, as this character just reeks of backstory.

CCH Pounder plays the ageless Mrs. Frederic. From what I see, she’s running the ultimate secret government programs and would seem to be the one who staffs this incredibly über-secret storage facility. And from what we’ve seen so far, she’s been around for a very long time, and has not aged a bit. The way Pounder played Mrs. Frederic, I’m thinking that I wouldn’t want to mess with her.

I hope they expound on Mrs. Frederic a little more.

Did The Story Deliver?

WH13 is more about the story between all components of the episode interlaced with subtle tones of humor.

What I mean by that is that the case they worked on in this 2-hour premiere tapped into different aspects of the characters, showing us more of what makes our Secret Service agents tick, whether they liked it or not.

Like I said, it’s good story telling and that’s a good thing. I don’t think I’m watching this show for the action scenes. Who ever choreographs the fighting or the editing of the fight scenes does not agree with my sense of flow as the physical altercations are more chop-edited than fluid. And for now, that’s the only real gripe I can come up with.

I’m cutting them some slack because it’s a brand new show, and, so far, nothing stood out and screamed for me to run and change the channel.

Yes, I Liked It And I’m Not Alone

I did a quick Twitter search after the show and the first 20 “reviews” that I could pull out of the noise leaned heavily towards the positvie. Of those 20 tweets, only 3 of them were upset in some fashion, but I’m not sure what they were expecting.

At one point in the Tweets, WH13 was compared to an older show called Special Unit 2, which I used to find entertaining… I didn’t say good, just entertaining. Me, I’m seeing a bit of Indiana Jones as they try to figure out what artifact they’re after, and Ghost Busters as they collect the artifacts in special containment units. There are lots of other shows I could pull into the mix to describe WH13, but why. The show should stand on its own and I think it will. I’m sure those critical of it will manage to make all possible comparisons.

In Closing

First, I hope the cow and the football stay in this show in some fashion. I can’t wait to see how they explain the football, and there has got to be more to the cow than meets the eye. It had good comedic timing.

Second, I can’t wait for that ad for the new Syfy network to change or stop. It just doesn’t make sense to me and interrupts my flow of the show. I get what they’re trying to say, but I’m not sure taking that much time to say it is going to work. I don’t know. I’m not the expert on musical commercials.

Third, there will be a lot of guest stars from other past Syfy shows passing through. Joe Flannigan, Tricia Helfner, Michael Hogan are just a few off the top of my head. It will be good to see them on Syfy again.

Fourth, Syfy is pronounced exactly like it used to be when it was Sci-Fi. Now you know.

Yes, I will be watching WH13 again. If it retains or improves on the how they deliver the story and create character interaction and development, this should be a hit.

Many in the Twitter community have voiced their enjoyment of the show. I pretty much enjoyed it. Now, Screen Rant readers, it’s your turn to fill in things I haven’t touched on or let us know what you thought of Warehouse 13.

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20,000 Leagues Under The Sea Remake Gets A Rewrite

Ross Miller — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:15:20 +0000

The script for the upcoming McG directed 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea remake was originally written by Bill Marsilii (Deja Vu) and Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li). But today we learn from The Hollywood Reporter that Oscar-nominated screenwriter Randall Wallace (Braveheart, Pearl Harbor), has been brought on to rewrite Disney’s update of the classic Jules Verne tale.

THR reports that Wallace’s rewrite aims to focus (the newly titled) Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea on:

“the origin of Captain Nemo and his submarine warship, the Nautilus. Nemo is a mysterious but noble antagonist in the book, a scientific genius with a thirst for knowledge and a desire for revenge against the forces of imperialism.”

A lesser-known sequel to Nemo was later written by Jules Verne called The Mysterious Island, which revealed Captain Nemo as an Indian Prince who took part in a rebellion and lost his wife and children. It is currently unknown just how close Disney will stick to this character backstory (if they do at all), but Wallace’s rewrite will reportedly make the film “decidedly action-adventure.”

With the success Disney has had with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, I am not surprised that’s the route they want to take with Nemo…

With the type of story that the original 20,000 Leagues is, I can definitely see the appeal for Disney to turn it into a modern day big-budget action-adventure movie. The issues with Hollywood remaking yet another project aside, 20,000 Leagues has both the decades-old story and the modern-day special effects to merge together. I can see this one being a big hit at the box-office if it’s done right.

There’s no word on WHY Wallace was brought on to rewrite Nemo, so that just leaves us all to speculate.

Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is currently in pre-production and doesn’t have a release date as of yet.

Sources: THR (via FirstShowing)

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