Roy and Ryan's Infinite Blogspot

NOW PRESENTING...

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:59:00 +0000

Our humble beginnings are giving way to slightly-less humble developments. For our loyal readers who followed us from the start, you can now find our unsolicited but (I assure you) well-informed commentary on all things show business at http://www.cinemaverytasty.com! See you there!

Fired Up Trailer: F-U In Fun or F-U To Fun?

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:04:00 +0000

Head on over to Apple to check out the first trailer for the football players-turned cheerleaders comedy. I can't tell if I enjoyed this trailer or not. On the one hand, it made me laugh a couple times and it stars Disturbia cutie Sarah Roemer. On the other hand, it's about FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO DECIDE TO BECOME CHEERLEADERS! How ridiculous is that? Sure, it's for the sake of getting girls, but as if they couldn't do that being football players? And not just any football player, STAR football players! Don't they have college scouts to consider, too? Then again, I may be reading far too much into the premise of a teen comedy. Anyone else notice that Eric Christian Olsen has been playing a high school kid for, like, 10 years? And anyone else think that Nicholas D'Agosto is looking considerably less douche-y than he did on Heroes? These are the things I think about...

Mentalist Malkovich In The Great Buck Howard Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:03:00 +0000

Apple has released the trailer for The Great Buck Howard, the comedy starring John Malkovich, Colin Hanks, Emily Blunt, and Steve Zahn. Malkovich plays a former star "mentalist" who gets an unlikely second shot at fame, while Hanks plays his newly hired personal assistant and Blunt his fiery publicist. You'll also notice from the trailer that Colin Hanks' real-life dad, Tom Hanks, makes an appearance as his, well, dad. This role looks like it was written for John Malkovich. Lots of sneering and smiling and over-the-top goodness. Follow the link to take a look for yourself.

Grainy Wolverine Trailer Hits The Net

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:36:00 +0000

Those of you who didn't go out and catch The Day The Earth Stood Still this weekend can get an early peek at the X-Men Origins: Wolverine trailer that played in front of it. The quality's about as good as can be expected, but from the looks of it, we will get some nice Gambit and Sabretooth footage, as well as some glimpses of young X-Men members, though I didn't catch any shots of Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool. John Murphy's amazing score to Sunshine is used during the first half of the trailer, just in case you were, you know, wondering or something. Catch it before it's inevitably pulled off of YouTube, or just wait for the high-res official version to come out some time in the next week or so.

Warner Bros. Gives Us A Peek At Their 2009 Movies

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:26:00 +0000

Fresh on the heels of the Sherlock Holmes pictures that surfaced earlier today, Collider now has a release from Warner Bros. with a look at several more of their 2009 releases. Included are stills we've seen before from WB tentpoles such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Watchmen, and Terminator: Salvation, but they've also got new pictures up for some other notable films. Click on through to see images from Seth Rogen's Observe and Report, Nick Cassavetes' My Sister's Keeper, Zac Efron's 17 Again, Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga's The Orphan, Robert Rodriguez's Shorts, Kate Beckinsale's Whiteout, Steven Soderbergh and Matt Damon's The Informant, Richard Kelly's The Box, and my personal favorite, Spike Jonze's much-delayed Where The Wild Things Are. Expect more stills from the other studios in the next few days.

Oh Shit, Sherlock!

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:55:00 +0000

In true Guy Ritchie-fashion, we're getting plenty of abs in the upcoming Sherlock Holmes film. Robert Downey, Jr. shows off his in one of two exclusive pics that IESB has posted. No telling how this fits into the story, though fans of the books will remember that Holmes was, among other things, a boxer. Looks like he might have gotten himself into a bit of a scrap in this picture. Head on over to IESB to see the full image and another of Downey, Jr. whispering to Jude Law's Watson.

UPDATED: Twilight Franchise Closing In On Has A Director

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:45:00 +0000

UPDATE: Variety reports that Chris Weitz has officially signed on.

It was rumored earlier, but now it looks like Summit Entertainment has all but signed Chris Weitz on as the director for New Moon, the second film in the lucrative Twilight series. Entertainment Weekly breaks the news that though nothing official has happened yet, Summit has broken off talks with other potential directors and is finalizing the deal with Weitz. Word is that Weitz has a good relationship with Summit president of production, Eric Feig, and could be in Vancouver as early as Monday to begin preproduction on the film if everything goes smoothly. Weitz and his brother Paul launched the American Pie series with the first film in that franchise back in 1999, then did the very good About A Boy together before Chris went on to do last year's The Golden Compass on his own. Despite its box office troubles, I actually enjoyed the film and it seems Summit liked what he did, too. I think Weitz is a talented guy and though he may be male, he definitely does have some of the pedigree to assuage any people who cry foul. Let's see if he can improve on what Catherine Hardwicke started.

Stallone Adds More Expendables

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:38:00 +0000

Forest Whitaker and UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture have signed on to join the cast of Sylvester Stallone's upcoming action flick The Expendables. The film centers around a group of mercenaries who go on an undercover mission to South America to overthrow a dictator. Written and directed by Stallone, the film will also star Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and Sly himself. AICN also reports that, among other sure-to-be-badass-scenes in this movie, one will find Li and Lundgren facing off in a fight. I love the rejuvenation of Sylvester Stallone's career. He's put out two very enjoyable films in the Rocky and Rambo revivals, and this is sounding like it could be another fun ride.

Check This Out: Brad Pitt In A Wes Anderson-Directed Japanese Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 10:04:00 +0000

We don't seem to see many big stars these days doing Japanese commercials anymore. Used to be, anyone from Harrison Ford to Arnold Schwarzenegger would pop up in a random and bizarre commercial made for Japanese audiences. Well, in a bit of a throwback to that old tradition, and also as an homage to Oscar-winning French filmmaker Jacques Tati's Monsieur Hulot character, Wes Anderson has teamed with Brad Pitt to put together a commercial for a Japanese...cell phone? Camera? Cute wrist strap accesory? Hard to tell, but who cares, enjoy the commercial. By the way, I'm loving YouTube's new HD feature. I don't think you can embed the HD versions yet, so click on through to YouTube if you want to check the video out in high quality.

Les Grossman Wants To (censored) Your Face Even More

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 01:41:00 +0000

Tom Cruise earned his most positive praises in a long time this past summer with his hilarious turn as studio exec Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder. After yesterday's announcement that Cruise had been nominated for a Golden Globe for the role, today we find that we may get more of the foul-mouthed booty shaker. Tom Cruise spoke to E! Online and says that he's been talking it over with Ben Stiller.

"I’ve talked about doing different videos with the character," Cruise said. "I’ve started working with Ben [Stiller] on it, and we’ve kind of talked about different things to do. We were gonna do some in our free time, but we haven’t found the free time…yet."

I, for one, would love to see more of Grossman. For all of Tropic Thunder's hilarity, nothing surprised me more or gave me more pleasure than watching it the first time and saying, "Wait, is that..? Oh my God, could it be..? HOLY SHIT IT IS!" and hearing the rest of the audience react with me. C'mon, you gotta agree it was a great performance. Play-ya! Plaaaaaay-ya!

Evil Will Do Anything To Attract An Audience

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 01:36:00 +0000

The one sheet for David S. Goyer's upcoming The Unborn has been released. The trailer for this film certainly made it look like it could be good, but how's this for an attention grabber? Odette Yustman shows off her tushy with a creepy demon kid staring back at her. Ten bucks says he's looking at the same thing we are. What're your thoughts? Too much? Or good marketing? Click through to see a bigger version.

The Boy From Ozcar

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 00:25:00 +0000

Hugh Jackman has been tapped to host this year's Oscar ceremony, taking over for Jon Stewart, who has hosted the event for the past two years. Jackman hosted the Tony Awards from 2003 to 2005, and won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role in The Boy From Oz (hence, the title of this post. Witty, I know). He also won an Emmy in 2005 for his hosting performance. You can see the opening act he performed in 2004 here. I like Hugh Jackman. He's charismatic, he can sing, dance, and even direct, it seems. Plus, he seems to have a pretty good sense of humor. I'd still love to see a Conan O'Brien or Stephen Colbert hosted Oscars, but I'll take what I can get for now.

First Script Review Of Goyer/Braga Series Flash Forward

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:56:00 +0000

Televisionary has the first look at the pilot script for the buzzed-about David S. Goyer-Brannon Braga series Flash Forward. The two last collaborated on the short-lived CBS alien-invasion series Threshold. ABC has already put together a solid cast (Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Courtney B. Vance, etc.) for the series, which is loosely based on Robert J. Sawyer's 1999 book of the same name. The plot centers on the aftermath of a worldwide phenomenon when everyone blacks out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds and witnesses themselves five months in the future. Later dubbed the Event, the "flash forward" causes worldwide pandemonium. 40 million die as planes, trains, and automobiles crash, people fall down stairs or drown. Others try to figure out the implications of the future they have witnessed. Some witnessed nothing at all and fear they have already died 5 months down the line. It's an interesting concept, and certainly carries as much opportunity for mystery and intrigue as Lost's shadowy Island. So what's the word on the script? Well, pretty positive it seems. Televisionary's reviewer notes some script hiccups and spotty dialogue issues, but thinks it could become a successor to the wildly successful Lost. An excerpt from the review:

Overall, Flash Forward is an extremely formidable offering for series contention. And while many networks have strayed from overly complex serialized dramas with large casts of characters of late, Flash Forward could be the one to buck this trend. ABC knows that it has to find a replacement for Lost sooner rather than later and, if handled properly, this could be a suitable contender to the throne.

So it looks like this show has a good chance of getting picked up for the 2009/10 season. We'll keep you updated on how it rounds into shape.

Paul Giamatti And Anthony Mackie Going To Babylon

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:45:00 +0000

Variety brings us news that Paul Giamatti and Anthony Mackie have signed on to star in an upcoming indie thriller from writer Ian Stone and director Andrés Baiz (Satanás). The film, entitled Babylon, is set in Jamaica and finds Mackie playing a Rasta and Giamatti a British minister. The two of them accompany a 12-year-old Jamaican boy from the Kingston ghetto as they try to outrun gangsters. I haven't seen Satanás but I've heard good things about it, and both Giamatti and Mackie are actors I like, so hopefully this turns out to be a cool little movie.

Reese Witherspoon Project Updates

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:33:00 +0000

Collider has some news for us about Reese Witherspoon's current slate of projects. While pursuing more information about Witherspoon's involvement in Cameron Crowe's latest project, Collider learned that it had in fact been postponed and Witherspoon will now appear next in James L. Brooks' new film. She was mum on plot details for the movie, but it's James L. Brooks so it's probably about relationships and it'll probably make you feel warm and fuzzy inside (though not in a cheap way). They're shooting in the spring, so look for more details some time next year.

Movie Shuffle: Duplass Bros., Stiller In/Ruffalo Out, Brothers Blooming Later

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 01:41:00 +0000

These stories couldn't make up one full post so they've been gathered here. First up, Jay and Mark Duplass, the brothers behind indie fare like The Puffy Chair and Baghead, have found their first studio project. Currently untitled (though formerly called Safety Man), the movie will star John C. Reilly, Marissa Tomei, and Jonah Hill. Jonah Hill will play a son trying to foil his single mother's (Tomei) budding romance with a new man (Reilly).

Next up, Ben Stiller is signing on to replace Mark Ruffalo in the Noah Baumbach written-and-directed dramedy Greenburg. Amy Adams was also previously attached, but has since dropped out. As for why Ruffalo dropped out? The press hasn't really picked up on this story as much as you'd think they would, but Ruffalo's brother died earlier this week after what appears to have been a drug-influenced game of Russian Roulette gone horribly wrong (can it go any other way?). Mark Ruffalo's a fantastic actor; I sincerely hope he and his family are able to get through this tragedy.

Lastly, more bad news for Mark Ruffalo fans. It looks like we're going to have to wait even longer to see Rian Johnson's latest film, the offbeat crime caper The Brothers Bloom. Johnson made a big splash with his stellar 2005 indie hit Brick, but his second feature has yet to come out despite the positive word of mouth its been getting. Johnson confirmed on his site's message board that Summit Entertainment has pushed back the release date to May 15th for the limited run, and May 29th for the wide. It'll have to battle Angels and Demons and Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno on May 15th, as well as Star Trek's second weekend of release. Then on May 29th, it faces off against Pixar's Up and Sam Raimi's Drag Me To Hell. While The Brothers Bloom certainly has some broad appeal, will it be able to find an audience amid such a crowded summer season? Here's hoping Summit's plan of "counter-programming" works.

Aronofsky Talks The Wrestler And What He's Doing Next

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:48:00 +0000

RopeOfSilicon got a chance to talk with Darren Aronofsky about his new film as well as some of the other projects he's got looming in the future. Aronofsky has some interesting things to say about getting notorious bad-boy Mickey Rourke to commit to the project and how it was working with him. He also talks briefly about his upcoming Noah project, which is still very early in its development. It'll be made into a graphic novel first (Aronofsky, you'll remember, also put out a graphic novel version of his original draft of The Fountain), though there is a draft of the script kicking around already. The RoboCop relaunch is also still in the works, though no script has been completed yet. So either of those could wind up bring Aronofsky's next directing gig, or maybe even a different movie altogether. The Wrestler opens in limited release on December 17th.

And to revisit talk about the recut version of The Fountain, Aronofsky spoke to FirstShowing and offered some clarity. Sort of. He's now labeling it as more of a "redux," though even he admits that he's not sure what that words means. He expands:

It's something more for fans. I worked on the film for 6 years and it went through a lot of versions. And there was one version that was much closer to one of the scripts that we had. And we kind of chose between which way we would go with it and they both are kind of interesting. So I was always curious for myself to see what that alternative version would be. And we cut it actually recently, it's done. I would have to get Warner Brothers to support it and get it out there.

The film didn't do too well at the box office, but maybe the fan following its developed on DVD can eventually spur Warners to move forward with the redo/redux/recut. Added Aronofsky, "It's very similar but it's looking at a few things in a few different ways and answers a few questions for people and raises some new questions in other ways." For those who were puzzled by The Fountain, this new version could hold the answers you were seeking. Or not. But for a film as stunning as The Fountain, does it really matter?

Wanna See Some Inglorious Basterds?

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:25:00 +0000

We haven't heard or seen much from the set of Inglorious Basterds since it started filming a couple months ago. But the folks over at the QT Archives have unearthed two production stills. The first shows Brad Pitt in costume as head-basterd Lt. Aldo Raine. Particularly of note is that his infamous scar is visible (click on through for a bigger version). The second gives us Diane Kruger getting her drink on with a bunch of Nazi's. Tarantino's trying to get his film ready in time for Cannes in 2009, so expect more buzz in the coming months as it nears completion.

Bryan Fuller Talks Heroes

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:12:00 +0000

Poor Bryan Fuller can't seem to keep one of his amazingly imaginative shows on the air. But he can, it seems, breathe new life into existing shows. EW's Michael Ausiello had a chance to sit down with Bryan Fuller to talk about his return to Heroes. The lone bright spot to come out of the demise of Pushing Daisies has been the news that Bryan Fuller would return to the NBC show as a consultant. Fuller wrote Season 1's best episode, "Company Man," and will return to season 3 with episode 19, about halfway through the "Fugitives" chapter that will launch in January. The show has struggled immensely since its freshman season, and many have cited the show's overly-sprawling and directionless storyline as a big factor in that. Fuller stresses that he wants to bring the show back to focus on the characters rather than all of the season 3 mumbo-jumbo about formulas and catalysts. NBC, which has been struggling recently, hopes to turn one of its biggest series around with Fuller's return, and so far, he seems to be saying all of the right things. The final episode of the "Villains" storyline will air this coming Monday at 9:00 PM.

Golden Globe Nominations Are Out!

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:22:00 +0000

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has released its list of Golden Globe nominations! Benjamin Button, Doubt, and Frost/Nixon lead all films with 5 nominations each. Slumdog Millionaire, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Reader, and Revolutionary Road are next in line with 4 nominations apiece. Nothing exceptionally surprising about the nominees, except perhaps In Bruges scoring three noms despite coming out back in February (though it was a very good movie, so I'm happy it's getting some renewed buzz). Also of note, Tom Cruise joining Robert Downey, Jr. in the Best Supporting Actor category for their roles in Tropic Thunder. For those who consider the Globes a good gauge for Oscar nominations, be warned that The Dark Knight was roundly snubbed. Except for a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Heath Ledger, the film is absent from the list. And while Aronofsky's The Wrestler scored acting noms for Mickey Rourke and Marissa Tomei, it's notably absent from the Best Motion Picture/Best Director/Best Screenplay categories after garnering a lot of early awards-season buzz.

And in the land of Television, HBO dominates all other networks with a whopping 22 nominations. In a distant second is Showtime with 8 nominations. NBC leads all major networks with 6. Head on over to The Hollywood Reporter to read up on the nominees' reactions, or click on through after the jump to see the full list of nominations. The Golden Globes seeks to rebound from last year's dismal strike-afflicted newscast with a return to the full glamour and star power of previous years. The Globes will air on NBC on January 11th.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
"Burn After Reading"
"Happy-Go-Lucky"
"In Bruges"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Best Actor - Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio, "Revolutionary Road"
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Best Actress - Drama
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
Kristin Scott Thomas, "I've Loved You So Long"
Kate Winslet, "Revolutionary Road"

Best Actor - Musical or Comedy
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Colin Farrell, "In Bruges"
James Franco, "Pineapple Express"
Brendan Gleeson, "In Bruges"
Dustin Hoffman, "Last Chance Harvey"

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy
Kristen Bell, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"
Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Frances McDormand, "Burn After Reading"
Meryl Streep, "Mamma Mia!"
Emma Thompson, "Last Chance Harvey"

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Tom Cruise, "Tropic Thunder"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Ralph Fiennes, "The Duchess"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams, "Doubt"
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"
Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

Best Director
Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Sam Mendes, "Revolutionary Road

Best Screenplay
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Eric Roth, Robin Swicord
"Doubt," John Patrick Shanley
"Frost/Nixon," Peter Morgan
"The Reader," David Hare
"Slumdog Millionaire," Simon Beaufoy

Best Original Song
"Bolt" ("I Thought I Lost You")
"Cadillac Records" ("Once in a Lifetime")
"Gran Torino" ("Gran Torino")
"WALL-E" ("Down to Earth")
"The Wrestler" ("The Wrestler")

Best Original Score
"Changeling," Clint Eastwood
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Alexandre Desplat
"Defiance," James Newton Howard
"Frost/Nixon," Hans Zimmer
"Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman

Best Animated Film
"Bolt"
"Kung Fu Panda"
"WALL-E"

Best Foreign-Language Film
"The Baader Meinhof Complex"
"Maria Larssons eviga ogonblick"
"Gomorra"
"I've Loved You So Long"
"Waltz With Bashir"

Best Television Series - Drama
"Dexter"
"House M.D."
"In Treatment"
"Mad Men"
"True Blood"

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
"Californication"
"Entourage"
"The Office"
"30 Rock"
"Weeds"

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
"Bernard and Doris"
"Cranford"
"John Adams"
"A Raisin in the Sun"
"Recount"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Ralph Fiennes for "Bernard and Doris"
Paul Giamatti for "John Adams"
Kevin Spacey for "Recount"
Kiefer Sutherland for "24: Redemption"
Tom Wilkinson for "Recount"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Judi Dench for "Cranford"
Catherine Keener for "An American Crime"
Laura Linney for "John Adams"
Shirley MacLaine for "Coco Chanel"
Susan Sarandon for "Bernard and Doris"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock"
Steve Carell for "The Office"
Kevin Connolly for "Entourage"
David Duchovny for "Californication"
Tony Shalhoub for "Monk"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Christina Applegate for "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera for "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey for "30 Rock"
Debra Messing for "The Starter Wife"
Mary-Louise Parker for "Weeds"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Gabriel Byrne for "In Treatment"
Michael C. Hall for "Dexter"
Jon Hamm for "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie for "House M.D."
Jonathan Rhys Meyers for "The Tudors"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Sally Field for "Brothers & Sisters"
Mariska Hargitay for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
January Jones for "Mad Men"
Anna Paquin for "True Blood"
Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Neil Patrick Harris for "How I Met Your Mother"
Denis Leary for "Recount"
Jeremy Piven for "Entourage"
Blair Underwood for "In Treatment"
Tom Wilkinson for "John Adams"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Eileen Atkins for "Cranford"
Laura Dern for "Recount"
Melissa George for "In Treatment"
Rachel Griffiths for "Brothers & Sisters"
Dianne Wiest for "In Treatment"

Joby Harold Dives Into Atlantis Rising

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:40:00 +0000

Joby Harold, the writer of last year's Awake, is in negotiations to write an adaptation of the comic book series "Atlantis Rising." The project currently has Len Wiseman attached to direct, with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (the writing team behind Mission: Impossible III, Transformers, and the forthcoming Star Trek) set to produce. The original series was created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, who will also serve as a producer. The story centers around an underwater civilization (presumably from the titular lost city) that surfaces and wages an all-out war against humanity. Dreamworks is looking to turn this into a big budget sci-fi epic along the lines of James Cameron's Aliens, and hopes to set it up as a tentpole film in the summer of 2011. Harold also wrote Army of the Dead, the Las Vegas zombie war movie being produced by Zack Snyder, and an adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel Ronin. We'll keep an eye out to see how this one develops.

Kick-Ass Set Report

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:59:00 +0000

Ain't It Cool News' Moriarty, aka Drew McWeeny, has posted the first part of a write-up about his visit to the London set of Kick-Ass. The Matthew Vaughn-directed movie based on the Mark Millar-penned comic stars Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, Chloe Moretz, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka McLovin). I never fell completely in love with the comic, though it was definitely an interesting take on the superhero genre. I am a fan of Matthew Vaughn, though, and everything I've been hearing about this movie has me excited to see how it turns out. Click on through to AICN to also see an exclusive image from the film.

Ryan Reynolds And Sandra Bullock Tom-Foolery In The Proposal Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:42:00 +0000

The trailer for the Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock romantic comedy has debuted, and it looks like we'll be seeing some amusing shenanigans out of this one. Bullock plays a stiff executive who forces her assistant, played by Reynolds, to marry her in order to avoid getting deported back to Canada and losing her high-powered job. Reynolds gives her some of his own stiffness ("It's the morning!"), and the two probably fall in love in the progress. Predictable? Sure. But the chemistry between these two is strong and for what it's worth, I giggled a few times through the trailer. The Proposal is director Anne Fletcher's (Step Up, 27 Dresses) third feature after an extensive dancing/choreographing career, and opens June 12, 2009.

2008's Black List Revealed

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:18:00 +0000

We mentioned the Black List a few days ago, and now the 2008 version of it has been revealed. The Black List is commonly referred to as the list of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood, but it's a bit of a misnomer. It's actually a list of the best screenplays (as selected by 250 top studio executives) that were written or are somehow uniquely associated with the past year, but will not be released in that calendar year. While most are from unknown writers and aren't yet in development, a portion of the screenplays have notable authors or are already in production (Inglorious Basterds and Sherlock Holmes, to draw two examples from this year's list). Taking the first spot in 2008 is Kyle Killen's The Beaver, about a depressed man who finds hope in a beaver puppet that he wears on his hand. The project has attracted attention from Steve Carell. Latino Review has posted the full list, and The Hollywood Reporter's piece includes some background about how the list came to be.

Seth Rogen Updates Us On Observe And Report, Funny People, And The Green Hornet

noreply@blogger.com (ryan.c) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:54:00 +0000

Collider talked recently with Seth Rogen about some of his upcoming projects. The biggest news comes about Observe And Report. The film, written and directed by Foot Fist Way's Jody Hill, centers around a mall security cop who "wages war on the cops." Apparently, the comedy is so outlandish and potentially offensive that there were concerns that the studio would completely neuter the movie. Warner Bros. has kept a pretty tight seal on this one, but it looks like the test screenings of the uncut version are actually performing better than the edited version, so it's looking like we'll be getting the completely un-neutered version of the movie. He also talks a bit about the upcoming Judd Apatow-directed Funny People, in which he stars with Adam Sandler and Leslie Mann, and how it was working with acclaimed cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (Spielberg's DP). He also says to expect a few cameos from notable stand-up comedians. Lastly, he mentions a bit about The Green Hornet, and how the collaboration with Stephen Chow has been going well despite some understandable language barriers. If things go Rogen's way, he'll have some footage to show at next year's Comic-Con.