/Film

Legendary Hollywood Directors Coming Soon To An Envelope Near You

Germain Lussier — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:00:37 +0000

If you’ve ever really wanted people who handle your mail to know you’re a film fan, the US Postal Service has the answer. They’ve just created four new stamps featuring four of the greatest directors of all time: John Ford, John Huston, Frank Capra and Billy Wilder. Designed by Derry Noyes and Gary Kelley, each stamp portrays one of the director’s best known works. For Ford, it’s The Searchers. Huston, The Maltese Falcon. Capra, It Happened One Night and Wilder, Some Like It Hot. Check them out below.

Thanks to the USPS site Beyond the Perf (via the LAist) for the info. Here are the four stamps.

And here’s the write up:

With these stamps, the U.S. Postal Service honors four great filmmakers who captured the many varieties of the American experience. These extraordinary directors — Frank Capra, John Ford, John Huston, and Billy Wilder — created some of the most iconic scenes in American cinema. They gave audiences an unforgettable (and in some cases, deeply personal) vision of life.

The stamp art combines a portrait of each man with a scene from one of his most iconic works.

The background art for the stamp honoring Frank Capra shows a scene from It Happened One Night, a comedy in which a runaway heiress (played by Claudette Colbert) and a reporter (Clark Gable) compare their hitchhiking skills.

For the John Ford stamp, the background recalls a scene from The Searchers, an influential Western starring John Wayne in which Ford made characteristic use of the American landscape.

The Maltese Falcon inspired the background art for the John Huston stamp. In this classic mystery, gumshoe Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) goes up against various unscrupulous characters (among them Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet).

And for Billy Wilder, the background artwork was inspired by Some Like It Hot, a farce about two male musicians (Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis) who seek refuge from gangsters by posing as members of an all-girl band featuring luscious singer Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe).

These four filmmakers received multiple Academy Award nominations, 15 Oscars, and numerous other honors during their lifetimes. But their greatest accomplishment lies in the vitality and artistry of the stories they told through film.

Art director Derry Noyes designed these stamps using art by award-winning illustrator Gary Kelley, who created the images using pastels on paper.

The Great Film Directors stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

Is This What The Ending Of ‘The Sopranos’ Was Supposed To Mean?

Germain Lussier — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:00:52 +0000

The final scene of The Sopranos has become something of TV legend. After six seasons of drawn out brilliance, creator David Chase places his star family in a New Jersey diner. Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ is playing on the jukebox. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) orders some onion rings for the table as the camera moves to several suspicious people. His daughter, Meadow, is awkwardly trying to park her car outside. The tension is unbelievable because we all know this is the final scene in Sopranos history and something epic is about to take place. Every moment could be the last one. The Journey cresendos, the door of the diner opens, Tony looks up, silence and cut to black. In that instant, about twelve million people checked their cable box to see if it had malfunctioned. Then the credits rolled.

Chase’s ending was controversial, legendary and is debated to this day. One Vanity Fair reader, however, has a simple, almost brilliant interpretation of the ending and you can read it below.

Just so we’re all on the same page, here’s the final scene of The Sopranos. Obviously, spoilers if you haven’t seen it.

The following came from Vanity Fair, via Gawker, and are the words of Larry Grossman from Las Vegas, Nevada.

The last episode of The Sopranos was inspired. Here’s why: One of the main themes of the show was the ongoing problems that the main character, Tony Soprano, had with panic attacks. This started with the first episode, which led to his therapy with Dr. Melfi. Tony’s son, A.J., later had those same feelings. This panic-attack thread was prevalent during the entire run of the show.

The final episode had Tony, Carmela, and A.J. in a booth at the diner. Many sinister people were lurking, and the viewer feared for their safety; as Meadow tried clumsily to park her car, the suspense built. Then, right when the payoff is about to happen, the TV goes black. Everyone thought they’d missed it because they lost their cable. All viewers had a panic attack. Thus, we felt what Tony felt.

David Chase has been off since that moment until this year when his new movie, Not Fade Away, is scheduled for release.

Do you buy Grossman’s interpretation?

Jon Favreau To Reprise Role As Happy Hogan In ‘Iron Man 3′

Germain Lussier — Fri, 25 May 2012 01:32:51 +0000

After doing double duty as an actor and director with the first two Iron Man films, Jon Favreau is coming back for Iron Man 3. He’ll just remain in front of the camera this time. Favreau will return as Happy Hogan, Tony Stark’s trusty driver who, in the comic books, eventually gets mutated into the Freak. That’s not likely to happen in this film, but his return shows a vote of confidence in new writer/director Shane Black and leaves the possiblity open in the future. There’s more after the jump.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of Favreau’s return which, actually, was a no brainer. Favreau willingly left the franchise, was a producer on The Avengers and has been a vocal supporter of all things Marvel. Other than Kevin Feige, Favreau’s success with the first two Iron Man films, both financially and with his cast including Robert Downey Jr., has probably been the most important piece of this whole Marvel equation. Plus, if he wasn’t in the movie, everyone would be like, “Did Tony fire Happy?”

Favreau also tweeted this:

BTW twitter.com/Jon_Favreau/st…

— Jon Favreau (@Jon_Favreau) May 24, 2012

Here’s the rundown on Iron Man 3.

Iron Man 3 is rumored to be centered on the Extremis story line. It just started filming this week in North Carolina aimed at a May 3, 2013 release date. The budget was just increased by $40 million and along with returning stars Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle, the film features new characters played by Rebecca Hall, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley and James Badge Dale. For more on the movie, check out our backlog of articles on all of this here.

Are you surprised that Favreau is coming back? Do you think Happy Hogan will figure more into this movie, is it just for continuity or does it set up his character for future sequels?

TV Bits: Read the Leaked ‘Community’ Talking Points Memo From NBC, Plus: ‘Mockingbird Lane’, ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Spartacus’, ‘True Blood’

Angie Han — Fri, 25 May 2012 00:30:53 +0000

The latest development in this sad Dan Harmon / Community saga is a leaked memo from NBC instructing the shows actors on how to handle the topic while speaking to the public. Honestly, it’s not so much that the note itself is unreasonable or dishonest, but that now it’ll be tough not to listen for these same talking points when we see Joel McHale or Alison Brie field questions about it on some late night talk show.

Happily, the rest of today’s TV Bits are a little more cheerful:

NBC’s Mockingbird Lane casts a Spy Kid as its Eddie Munster
HBO Zone announces a Game of Thrones Season 2 marathon
Starz hopes you’ll tune in to its Spartacus marathon a few days later
True Blood‘s new promo has lots of sex and violence

Casting for NBC’s The Munsters reboot Mockingbird Lane is slowly but surely coming together. 11-year-old Mason Cook (Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D) has just landed the role of Eddie Munster, the youngest member of the family. Cook joins Eddie Izzard, who was previously cast as vampire patriarch Grandpa Munster, and Charity Wakefield, who’ll play freakishly normal cousin Marilyn. Cook recently wrapped a supporting role in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, and is currently shooting The Lone Ranger.

The character of Eddie is described as a well-meaning boy scout just coming to terms with his werewolf nature. Unhappy with that unpleasant truth about himself, he tries to forgo meat, which is met with disapproval from Grandpa. Major roles still to be cast include Eddie’s parents, Herman and Lily Munster. Filmmaker Bryan Singer is set to direct the pilot, which is written by Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller. [Deadline]

The second season finale of HBO’s Game of Thrones is fast approaching, but don’t worry if you’ve fallen a bit behind over the last several weeks — HBO Zone is making sure you still have a chance to catch up. The channel will be air the first nine episodes of Season 2 three times in a row, with the first run starting Saturday, June 2 at 6:00 PM. The second airing kicks off Sunday, June 3 at 3:00 AM, followed by one last run at 12:00 PM.

The finale, titled “Valar Morghulis,” will then air at 9:00 PM on Sunday. And then it’ll be time to say goodbye to Game of Thrones for ten months or so. [Screen Crush]

But hey, maybe you can spend those months catching up on another violent, sexy, premium cable epic. Starz plans to revisit every episode of its historical sword-and-sandal Spartacus a few episodes at a time beginning Friday, July 8 with the first three episodes of the prequel miniseries Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Season 1, titled Spartacus: Blood and Sand, will then kick off June 22, while Season 2, titled Spartacus: Vengeance, will get started July 20 and run through August 10. Hit Collider for a detailed schedule.

Fans’ joy over the fourth season renewal of NBC’s Community quickly turned into seething rage this past weekend with news that the network had fired showrunner Dan Harmon. In an effort to help its stars navigate the sticky situation, NBC has sent out an internal memo outlining talking points to use while speaking with press and fans — but someone who got their hands on it went one further and leaked the whole thing to the web. Read it in its entirety below:

Team Community:

With last night’s news of David Guarascio and Moses Port as new showrunners/EPs on “Community” running in the press, and since we know that cast members have interviews coming up this week, I wanted to forward some messaging we hope our cast will find helpful as they navigate questions that will undoubtedly come up. I know that David and Moses are reaching out to them all directly but I’ve also heard from some of the actors that they’d like some guidance on the topic.

I saw some of the tweets that went out and we’re glad they all addressed their own sentiments quickly, and we’re hoping that the news will lose some steam over the next day, especially if we’re not perpetuating the topic in any way

We’re tracking the coverage and conversation and will circle back if we feel the need to reshift our plan or messaging. Please let me know if you have questions.

Why did Dan get let go from the show?

We’re not made aware of why staffing changes take place but I will always be grateful to Dan for his great work on the show and wish him only the best. We’re also excited that we’ll be back on NBC’s schedule in the fall and are looking forward to working on those episodes.

Were you aware that Dan was going to be let go?

No, that’s not something we’re consulted on. I’m sad to see him go but I am looking forward to starting our next 13 episodes of “Community.”

Did the studio or network consult with you about these changes?

No they didn’t but we’re looking forward to working with David Guarascio & Moses Port on a new season of Community.

What are their plans for the new season?

It’s a little early to say at this point but we’re looking forward the stories our characters will find themselves in come Sept.

If this looks bad, it’s only because it serves as a reminder that not everything the cast and crew say in public is the unfiltered, unvarnished truth, and may consequently cast doubt on the sincerity of their statements about Harmon’s outing. But there’s nothing in here that’s actually devious or unreasonable. It’s perfectly understandable for the network to try and get everyone on the same page during this turbulent transition period.

Anyway, since we can’t bring Harmon back maybe it’s time we redirected our attention to freaking out about the other bad omens for the fourth season of Community — like the fact that it’ll only be 13 episodes, or that it’ll air during the Friday night death slot. Sigh. [THR]

Let’s end on a more positive note. HBO’s True Blood may not be as buzzed-about as it once was, but as evidenced by this new teaser, the upcoming season still promises plenty more of the gleefully over-the-top fun of the last four seasons.

After the gloom and doom of Game of Thrones, I think I’ll be ready for something a little lighter. Won’t you? True Blood returns for its fifth season Sunday, June 10. [via Screen Crush]

Marvel Casting: Mads Mikkelsen to Be ‘Thor 2′ Baddie; Ashley Hamilton in Talks For ‘Iron Man 3′

Russ Fischer — Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:26 +0000

A couple of notable casting choices for upcoming Marvel movies hit this afternoon, and let’s start with Mads Mikkelsen, who is in talks to play the bad guy in Thor 2. We don’t know much about the plot for the Alan Taylor-directed film at this point, and we don’t know what role Mikkelsen will play. Tom Hiddleston will still be around as Loki, but we don’t know how he fits into the story, either. Many questions. We do know that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has said that Thor 2 will have another big villain aside from Loki, and so now we have an actor to pin to the question mark role.

I also know that Mikkelsen is a great presence, and an actor whose work I greatly enjoy. I was sad that he didn’t end up leaving the greatest mark on Casino Royale when playing the antagonist in Daniel Craig’s first Bond outing, but I can always go back to his great work in three films from Nicolas Winding Refn: the first two Pusher films , and Valhalla Rising.

Thor 2, with Chris Hemsworth in his third outing in the title role, is scheduled for November 15, 2013, and should shoot later this summer. [Variety]

After the break, Ashely Hamilton joins the cast of Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 as the villain Firepower, and we’ve got confirmation of previous rumors about the film.

Variety says that Ashley Hamilton will be Firepower, but more specifically that the third Iron Man movie does indeed “borrow elements from Warren Ellis’ six-issue “Iron Man: Extremis” … and focuses on the spread of a virus through nanotechnology.” So that’s one long-standing rumor that seems to be confirmed.

But who is Firepower? Here’s a recap:

Jack Taggert worked on an experimental pilotable suit for Project: Firepower for Edwin Cord (the rival businessman of Tony Stark). The project was ostensibly designated by the U.S. Armed Forces, in conjunction with Senator Boynton, to serve as an ultimate deterrent against opponents of the United States. However, when Iron Man launched his “Armor Wars”, attacking armored villains and even government agents without provocation, the Firepower program was modified with the specific goal of stopping Iron Man.

More important may be the fact that after one defeat by Iron Man, Firepower is given a new suit by the Mandarin, who recruited him in a new fight against Stark. There has been rampant speculation that the Mandarin will actively figure in this third Iron Man film, so even as we have one rumor confirmed, another is left open.

Shane Black wrote Iron Man 3 with Drew Pearce; he begins shooting the film shortly. It has a May 3, 2013 release date. Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Don Cheadle return, and Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, James Badge Dale and Rebecca Hall join the cast.

David Cronenberg and Robert Pattinson May Do Another Film Together

Russ Fischer — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:30:36 +0000

David Cronenberg‘s new movie Cosmopolis premieres tomorrow at Cannes, and barring some terrible reviews or other similar misfortune, it looks like it won’t be the director’s only film with star Robert Pattinson.

The actor now says that, in addition to the slate of other films he has lined up (more on those below) he’s going to do another Cronenberg film. And while he doesn’t drop a name, he does say it will be “very strange.”

Pattinson told Les InRockuptibles (via RPLife and BleedingCool):

I’m filming another movie with Cronenberg but I don’t know when he wants to start filming. It will be his first shoot in the United States and he promises it’s going to be very strange. The next two or three years are going to be crucial for me. It’s now that everything happens.

The first thing that comes to mind here is the adaptation of Jonathan Lethem‘s novel As She Climbed Across the Table, to which Cronenberg was attached in the past couple years. That one is about,

Particle physics, false vacuum bubbles, an alternate universe–this is the stuff of Jonathan Lethem’s novel As She Climbed Across the Table. The tale echoes Alice in Wonderland in its mad tumble through a rearranged reality. Narrator Phillip Engstrand is a university professor who has made a career out of studying academic environments. Engstrand is in love with Alice Coombs, a particle physicist engaged in a bold attempt to replicate the origins of the universe. The result of the experiment is Lack, a very selective black hole that sucks some things into its void–a cat, a pair of socks, a strawberry–and rejects others, namely, a love-struck Alice. As Alice’s unrequited obsession with Lack grows, Phillip becomes so desperate to save his beloved from this empty rival that he risks a journey down the metaphysical rabbit hole.

But the Playlist theorizes that this could be Maps to the Stars, as Pattinson has been rumored to be part of that production. Cronenberg has said a little bit about that one, which was announced six years ago, before Eastern Promises. At the time, Cronenberg said,

You could say it’s a Hollywood film because the characters are agents, actors and managers, but it is not a satire like ‘The Player.’ … Hollywood is a world that is seductive and repellent at the same time, and it is the combination of the two that makes it so potent. I won’t fall back on some cliches or simplistic sloganeering, because the culture and what it reveals about Western culture and the rest of the world is very complex. I’ll definitely shoot some in L.A. and the rest on sets in Toronto.

That mention of shooting in LA is also something that pegs this as a possible ID for the new film with Pattinson; typically Cronenberg shoots in or around Toronto. But all we can do at the moment is theorize, and knowing the way Cronenberg works, he could end up doing some other entirely new project. Incidentally, the draft of Maps that attracted Cronenberg and the most recent draft of As She Climbed Across the Table are both by Bruce Wagner.

And what about those other films for Pattinson? Well, he may be hunting Saddam Hussein in Mission: Blacklist, and he’s definitely part of The Rover, which is the new film from Animal Kingdom director David Michod. And then in the same interview quoted above he also says,

I’m going to do a movie about The Band, the one that played with [Bob] Dylan. [It's] a beautiful script about the nature of songwriting.

The Band is the subject of Martin Scorsese’s film The Last Waltz, which chronicled the group’s final show in what became one of the best rock and roll movies ever made. It is also the group that counted among its members Levon Helm, who passed away very recently, and the introduction to singer/guitarist Robbie Robertson for most of the world. Quite a far cry from Twilight, and I’m sure no one is happier about that than Pattinson.

‘The Rep’ Gets Second Trailer; New Beverly Documentary Gets Funding

Germain Lussier — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:00:26 +0000

Here’s some great news about two films centering on repertory theaters. Last year, we highlighted Morgan White‘s documentary called The Rep which uses the story of three friends who started a theater in Toronto to contextualize the state of the rep theaters today. Well that movie is now done, has a new trailer, poster and is being submitted to festivals. You can see it all after the jump.

Then last week, you might remember, one of the theaters featured in The Rep, the New Beverly in Los Angeles, had another movie possibly being made about it. It’s called Out of Print and the director, Julia Marchese, only had a few more days to reach her Kickstarter goal making the project a reality. That has now happened. Two documentaries about cinemas coming soon to a cinema near you. How meta and cool. Read more below.

First up, here’s the new trailer for The Rep.

And here’s the poster.

For more info on the film, read our previous article or head to therepseries.com.

As for Out of Print, the film reached is $75,000 goal and director Julia Marchese left the following message on the Kickstarter page:

a most heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported me and this project.
I can’t express enough how grateful I am for everyone’s donations, and moral support. I always knew I was surrounded by extraordinary friends but it was confirmed tenfold during the last 30 days.
Thank you to all who wrote about my project and who helped spread the word. You are all as much a part of this as I am.
I can’t wait to get started on this, and promise to keep everyone updated on what is happening and how everything is going. It’s going to be a crazy, intense, outta site ride, but I have all of you to take it with, so I think everything is going to turn out just fine…
All my love,
Julia

That film will likely go into production this summer so to keep updated, follow Marchese on Twitter here.

Bradley Cooper Developing Biopic ‘American Sniper’

Germain Lussier — Thu, 24 May 2012 22:30:45 +0000

The Hangover star Bradley Cooper is developing a movie that sounds like something Chuck Norris might have done in the eighties. It’s a true story called American Sniper, based on the best-selling book by Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the man with the most recorded sniper kills in American history. The project is set up at Warner Bros., Jason Dean Hall (Spread) is adapting the book, and Cooper is producing and will likely star. Read more below.

The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of the project, which marks the first effort for Cooper’s new production company 22nd & Indiana.

The original book is called American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History. It tells the story of what it’s like to be the man who has the most confirmed sniper kills in history, juxtaposed with his wife’s thoughts about what’s happening back home.

Earlier this year, Kyle was in the news for something alluded to in the book but not mentioned by name: a bar fight with former Minnesota governor, WWF wrestler and Predator star Jesse Ventura. Watch the clip below, in which Kyle explains the fight. It is excellent, and also shows the guy Cooper is playing.

Cooper likely has four movies lined set up for release this year: The Words, Hit & Run, Silver Linings Playbook and The Place Beyond the Pines. He had a little downtime when Paradise Lost got canned but is now shooting Serena with Jennifer Lawrence and has The Hangover Part III to do soon after.

Do you think Cooper, who’s usually cast in the role of the charming, charismatic guy (see: A-Team, Limitless, Hangover, etc.), can pull off the role of silent but deadly solider?

‘The Apparition’ Trailer: “Once You Believe, You Die”

Germain Lussier — Thu, 24 May 2012 22:00:11 +0000

Late August usually brings a bunch of studio horror movies and 2012 is no exception. A trailer has just arrived for one of them, The Apparition, starring Ashley Greene (Twilight), Tom Felton (Harry Potter) and Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The First Avenger).

The film is about a group of people who set out to test the theory that ghosts and goblins only exist because people believe in them. Turns out, they were right, and they unleash something that feeds off your fear. Seems to be a little bit Nightmare on Elm Street, a little bit Paranormal Activity and a little bit The Ring. Todd Lincoln‘s The Apparition opens August 24. Check out the trailer and poster for the film after the jump.

Thanks to Apple for the trailer. Head there to see it in HD.

And here’s the poster along with the plot description.

When frightening events start to occur in their home, young couple Kelly (Ashley Greene) and Ben (Sebastian Stan) discover they are being haunted by a presence that was accidentally conjured during a university parapsychology experiment. The horrifying apparition feeds on their fear and torments them no matter where they try to run. Their last hope is an expert in the supernatural (Tom Felton), but even with his help they may already be too late to save themselves from this terrifying force.

As stated above, The Apparition does feel like well-covered territory but I’m a fan of Greene’s and it’s nice to see her finally starring in a film. Like most movies in this genre, though, it’s going to have to be really good to make it stand out. As evidenced by the trailer, the potential is there – some very cool visuals are afoot – but most of the time these movies don’t live up to that.

The Apparition has been in development since 2009. Read some of our previous stories about it here.

Sequel Casting: Zoe Saldana in ‘Machete Kills’, Anthony Hopkins in ‘Red 2′

Angie Han — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:30:09 +0000

Earlier this month, a press release announcing the return of Red stars Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Mary Louise Parker for Red 2 promised that the retired black ops team would be facing on “a new set of enemies all across Europe.” Now we have a better idea of what exactly those baddies will look like.

Variety reports that Anthony Hopkins is in talks to play the villain, a mad genius incorrectly presumed to be dead. As Willis and his ex-CIA team desperately search for a weapon of mass destruction that Hopkins has created, he offers to give up its location if Willis agrees to help him escape an insane asylum. Hopkins would join fellow newcomers Catherine Zeta-Jones and Lee Byung-Hun, who signed on earlier this month in unknown roles.

However, Hopkins’ casting is contingent on his ability to reconcile Red 2‘s production schedule with his commitment to Thor 2. Hopkins had a supporting role in the previous Thor movie as the god Odin, Thor and Loki’s father. Red 2 is due out August 2, 2013, while Thor 2 is slated to hit November 15, 2013.

After the jump, Danny Trejo reveals that Zoe Saldana will be among the lovely ladies of Machete Kills.

There’s still a lot we don’t know about Machete Kills — especially since director Robert Rodriguez recently declared that the synopsis making the rounds to be “all fake” — but what’s certain is that the B-movie sequel is picking up some buzzworthy actresses. Star Danny Trejo let slip the latest bit of casting news in a recent interview, naming Zoe Saldana among his co-stars.

“The sequel to Machete, Machete Kills, is going to be a lot more over-the-top than Machete,” he said in an interview with MovieHole. “We’ve got Sofia Vergara, who is a star in her own right, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, and Zoe Saldana – and guess what? I get to kiss all of ‘em.” Saldana’s got several action movies under her belt already, including the major franchises Avatar and Star Trek plus recent stand-alone efforts like The Losers and Colombiana — so Machete Kills should be right up her alley.

And that’s not the only possible casting Trejo revealed over the course of the conversation. The actor also expressed his hope of appearing in Rodriguez’s other upcoming sequel, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. “I better” have a part in the movie, the actor said, “if [Rodriguez wants to do Machete 3.” He laughingly continued, “In fact, you can go ahead and print ‘Robert, let’s get Trejo in Sin City 2‘!” It’s not clear if Trejo’s being entirely serious, but come to think of it, he actually does seem like a pretty good pick.

Superhero Bits: Thor 2, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, Hulk

Germain Lussier — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:30:37 +0000

Does Chris Hemsworth think Thanos will appear in Thor 2? Want to see some new images from The Dark Knight Rises? How did the visual effects for the interfaces in The Avengers work? Could Bill Murray have been in Iron Man? What happens when The Hulk meets The Kardashians? Do new toy images blow a character reveal in The Dark Knight Rises? And what do The Avengers look like reimagined as Hello Kitty? Read about all of this and more in today’s Superhero Bits.

Get More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog

Chris Hemsworth spoke to MTV about Thor 2, director Alan Taylor and if Thanos would appear.

Designer Jayse Hansen has posted some jaw-dropping looks behind the scenes of the user interfaces in The Avengers, including S.H.I.E.L.D and Iron Man’s. Very cool stuff. Thanks to Comic Book Movie.

Everyeye.it (via CBM) has a few new Amazing Spider-Man behind the scenes pics.

June 26 brings a Christopher Nolan Blu-ray box set to stores, via Nolan Fans.

Cool Captain America Poster on Svpply.

The Sports Hero has some new theories about one of Bane’s weapons in The Dark Knight Rises. Be warned of possible football field destroying spoilers.

/Film reader Sean H designed this Curly Bane.

If you wanted a high quality design of Scarlett Johannson in your home, this Hot Toys Black Widow will do the trick.

Continue Reading Superhero Bits >>

Due to the amount of graphics and images included in Superhero Bits, we have to split this post over THREE pages. Click the link above to continue to the second page of Superhero Bits.

Sequel Bits: ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’, ‘Grown Ups 2′, ‘Mary Mother of Christ’, ‘Star Trek 2′

Angie Han — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:00:42 +0000

Now that G.I. Joe: Retaliation is no longer opening next month, thanks to a late-in-the-game decision to post-convert it to 3D, we’ve got another ten months to keep talking about it. After the jump, read director Jon Chu‘s earlier comments on the decision to shoot in 2D. Also:

Get a look at Shaquille O’Neal on the Grown Ups 2 set
Passion of the Christ sorta-prequel Mary Mother of Christ gets a director
Star Trek 2 is heading to Iceland for second unit shooting
Jonathan Frakes talks about his visit to the Star Trek set
Uncharted actor Nolan North will be in Trek 2, but chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen won’t

I may not be among those clamoring for a Grown Ups sequel, but even I have to admit that these set photos of Shaquille O’Neal in his police officer costume are kinda cute. On Location Vacations also has a batch of fan-submitted photos, though theirs don’t involve the former NBA star.

Nice Star Wars-themed van you’ve got there. And who knew The Hunger Games‘ cruel, vicious Cato (Alexander Ludwig) could look like such a nice young man? Head to Coming Soon and OLV for more pictures.

Sanctum helmer Alister Grierson has just signed on to direct Mary Mother of Christ, billed as a “Biblical prequel” to Mel Gibson‘s The Passion of the Christ. While Gibson won’t be involved in the new film, a few others who worked on his earlier project will. The script comes from Passion co-writer Benedict Fitzgerald and Passion religious consultant Barbara Nicolosi, and Passion marketers Motive Entertainment are on board to promote the new film.

15-year-old Odeya Rush (The Odd Life of Timothy Green) will play the young mother, who struggles to save her son from the cruel King Herod. Julia Ormond and Peter O’Toole are also set to star. [Deadline]

While director Jon Chu hasn’t made a big public fuss about Paramount’s decision to convert G.I. Joe: Retaliation from 2D to 3D, THR has an interesting snippet from an old-ish (from SXSW 2012) interview with the filmmaker in which he discusses the decision to shoot in 2D:

There was a point where we were talking about it when I first came. It seemed like a natural thing, but I told them: “I know 3D. This is what we need. If we’re going to do 3D, we’re going to do it right.” It had a certain price tag to it, and I was like, “If you guys are down, I’m down, but I do need more time to do it right.” And they were about to do it, but they cut it just a little bit short, and [I said,] “If you guys are going to cut it short, there is no point. Let’s make a movie — let’s go for it and we’ll go all out.” And we shot on film, super-35, and I thought this may be one of the last times I get to shoot on film, and it was actually kind of freeing. I mean, I love 3D and I think there is a lot you can do with it, but there is something to be said about just not waiting for anything. You’re just going. We shot so much film. I mean I think we shot 1.2 million feet of film.

Chu’s previously worked on Step Up 3D and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, so he knows his way around that third dimension. In that light, it’s disappointing that the studio waited until now to go for 3D, rather than letting Chu work toward it all along.

The Star Trek 2 cast may have tweeted their goodbyes weeks ago, but second unit team is just getting started. VFX supervisor Roger Guyett and his crew are headed to Iceland to capture footage for visual effects shots. Given the far-off location, TrekMovie speculates that Iceland could be serving as a stand-in for some exotic alien planet. Or maybe the USS Enterprise is just giving Jon Snow an assist with that pesky wildling problem.

Leonard Nimoy isn’t the only former Star Trek actor who’s paid a visit to the set of J.J. Abrams‘ upcoming sequel. At FedCon, The Next Generation star Jonathan Frakes revealed that he’d dropped by at one point to watch a scene between stars Chris Pine and the “awesome” Benedict Cumberbatch. Frakes didn’t delve into much more detail on that front, but head to TrekMovie to read much more about his and William Shatner’s appearance at FedCon.

While rumors continue to circulate about whether Nimoy or any other former cast members will be making appearances in the new film, it’s been confirmed that Abrams has at least one adorably geeky cameo lined up — just not from a Star Trek actor. TrekMovie writes that Nolan North, who voices Drake in the Uncharted video games, will be making a cameo in the sci-fi thriller.

“The reason I did that movie – it’s a very small role – but it’s because he and his son are huge fans of Uncharted. I met him doing some work on Super 8 and he said ‘We’re doing Star Trek, you wanna do it?’ And I said I’d love to,” North told Eurogamer.

Abrams also tried to get Norwegian chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen — who, at 21, is the number one ranked chess player in the world — to make an appearance as “a chess player from the future.” Unfortunately, that bit of casting was not meant to be as a work permit could not be arranged in time. “It would have been a fun experience, so it’s a shame that it will not happen,” Carlsen said.

‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ Red-Band Trailer – Heads Will Roll

Angie Han — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:30:17 +0000

So far, the footage we’ve seen from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has been, well, pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a movie called Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The “secret history” of our 16th president’s double life as a hunter of supernatural monsters is a premise that’s deeply silly but potentially entertaining, and accordingly, the first trailers have been both kind of dumb and kind of cool.

But I do have one big quibble, and it’s that we haven’t seen nearly enough actual vampire hunting. Honest Abe (Benjamin Walker) wields his axe pretty much constantly in the footage we’ve seen so far, but where’s the satisfying splatter of blood and guts? Fortunately, the new red-band trailer rectifies that situation, offering up plenty of bloodshed, several explosions, a couple of decapitations, and even a bit of what the MPAA might call “brief sensuality.” Watch the NSFW video after the jump.

[via IGN]

It’s impossible to tell from this point whether Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will turn out to be zippy popcorn entertainment a la Fast Five or a muddled, overwrought mess a la Cowboys & Aliens. But at least it doesn’t skimp on the violence, and it looks plenty slick thanks to director Timur Bekmambetov.

Based on a novel by producer Tim Burton‘s new BFF Seth Grahame-Smith, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter also stars Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Rufus Sewell, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. It hits theaters June 22.

Synopsis:

The film explores the secret life of our greatest president, and the untold history that shaped our nation. As a young boy, Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) witnesses the shocking death of his mother, leading him on a path to an ongoing war – and ultimately to the presidency – he chronicles in a hidden diary. The journal reveals the incredible story of a clandestine warrior who never stopped fighting for the country he led and the people he loved.

‘The Hunger Games’ Sequel ‘Catching Fire’ Gets ‘Twilight’ Title Treatment

Germain Lussier — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:00:32 +0000

Briefly: Ask most people if they’re excited for the sequel to The Hunger Games and they’d probably say “Yes.” Ask those same people if they’re excited for Catching Fire and they might say “What’s that?” Catching Fire is the title of the second Hunger Games book by Suzanne Collins but, just to avoid any confusion, Lionsgate is officially titling the sequel film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It’s the same name recognition strategy Summit employed for Twilight films that followed the first installment, calling them The Twilight Saga followed by the book title.

Directed by Francis Lawrence and returning main actors Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland and others, the film is scheduled for release November 22, 2013.

‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ Going in For 3D Reshoots?

Russ Fischer — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:30:29 +0000

The most surprising news yesterday was that Paramount has pushed G.I. Joe: Retaliation back from a June 29 release this year to March 29 2013, to allow time to post-convert the film to 3D. There was plenty of spin applied to the news, but the general supposition is that the film isn’t particularly good, and Paramount wants a less competitive release date as well as time to tweak the film.

Now it seems like there’s more than a post-conversion going on, as one of the film’s stars suggests that there are new scenes being crafted for the delayed release.

Dwayne Johnson tweeted this recently:

It will be. Designing new scenes to enhance 3D. RT: @JimmyinGA: Was looking forward to GI Joe next month. Hope the 3D is worth the wait.

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) May 24, 2012

This actually helps dispel a little of my concern over the film. (Not that I’m so worried about a G.I. Joe sequel, really, but it would be nice if the film is entertaining.) Some scenes specifically designed for 3D might be good for the film, and if the final edit as it stands really isn’t up to snuff this could be a chance to add a little zing. Granted, if there really are big problems with the movie a couple new scenes probably won’t be a cure-all. But perhaps Paramount really does just need the 3D surcharge boost at the box office, and that’s all the post-conversion is about.

Question is, will these scenes be shot in native 3D, or post-converted as well? Shooting native would seem to make the most sense, but we don’t have all the details just yet.

Four New ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Banners Highlight the Film’s Massive Scale

Germain Lussier — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:00:22 +0000

There’s one word to accurately describe the four new banners that have just been released for The Dark Knight Rises. That word is “woah.” People certainly didn’t have that reaction for the latest poster, and though most fans liked the character posters more, these banners raise the stakes. They represent our best look yet at the massive scope and size of Christopher Nolan‘s latest. Bane and his army take center stage here leaving us to wonder, how can Batman possibly triumph? Check out the images below.

Thanks to Collider for the images. Click on each to see them in super high-res. And you should, because the details in the background are revealing.

As a group, it’s almost as if these four images tell the story of one of the movie’s action scenes. Look closely at the Catwoman image. That’s an exploding tumbler in the background and she’s raining bullets down the street. The Batman image looks like Matthew Modine’s character is behind him, as well as the rest of Gotham’s police force. Bane’s solo shot is probably the mirror to the Batman one with his own army and it looks like he has three tumblers. Wait, weren’t those specially made for Wayne Enterprises? The plot thickens.

Finally, the showdown image is the perfect representation of Batman vs. Bane with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Just really evocative, awesome stuff.

Check Superhero Bits later today for some more new images from The Dark Knight Rises. But, for now, discuss these below.

Universal in Talks to Bring Lego’s Hero Factory Line to the Big Screen

Angie Han — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:30:40 +0000

You’d think that Battleship‘s dismal $25.5 million opening this past weekend would make Hollywood in general and Universal in particular wary of making more movies based on toys, but no: Universal is now in talks to acquire movie rights to Hero Factory, Lego’s line of robotic toys.

While no director has been named at this point, Predators scribes Michael Finch and Alex Litvak are already negotiating to write the script for the live-action feature, with Mike Gordon, Ben Forkner, and Dean Schneider on board to produce. More details after the jump.

In fairness, Hero Factory isn’t just Battleship redux. The Hero Factory line boasts an actual storyline and established characters, so in that sense, it’s more like Paramount’s hit Transformers franchise — which, we can assume, is exactly why Universal is eager to pick it up. The Hero Factory movie is also distinct from the other Lego-based movie in the works, a CG project which is set up at Warner Bros. with Cloudy With a Chance of Meatball directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

Lego’s Hero Factory line first debuted in 2010 to replace Lego’s now-discontinued Bionicle line, and currently consists of about 55 toy sets, plus a comic book series, a TV miniseries, a computer app, and theme park attraction. Its characters hail from the high-tech Makuhero City, located in a distant galaxy. The good guys, who have names like Stormer, Bulk, Stringer, Furno, and Breez, come from a factory that churns out robotic heroes to keep the peace by fighting evil across the galaxy. According to THR, Universal’s adaptation will take place in the Hero Factory world.

Like many of the other major studios, Universal has shown a marked interest in toy-based properties. However, few have worked out as planned. Universal signed a deal with Hasbro a few years ago with the intention of making movies based on the company’s board games, but over the past few months has dropped projects based on Ouija, Clue, Monopoly, Candyland, and Stretch Armstrong. The one completed project to come out of that agreement was Battleship. Perhaps Universal will have better luck with the Hero Factory toys. At least they come with recognizable characters and a built-in story idea.

Also helping is the fact that Finch and Litvak already have some experience spinning toys into a big-screen feature — the duo have previously worked on the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe movie. Outside the toybox, the pair are currently working on an adaptation of Treasure Island for Fox.

Slight New Info Revealed For Pixar’s Día de los Muertos Film

Russ Fischer — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:00:50 +0000

Last month at CinemaCon Pixar revealed that Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) and producer Darla K. Anderson are working on “a wholly original Pixar Animation Studios film that delves into the vibrant holiday of Día de los Muertos.”

There hasn’t been any additional info on the project until now. And while we still don’t have many details, a new article gives us a little more info on the Pixar project we can expect to see sometime after 2015.

The LA Times has a piece on the Pixar film, suggesting that the development of this project is spurred in part by the fact that Toy Story 3 is the highest-grossing film of all time in Mexico. Clearly, there is a Latino audience for Pixar films, and creating one aimed specifically at that audience, with all the merchandizing opportunities that entails, isn’t a bad idea.

Unkrich told the LA Times,

Pixar movies do extremely well in Mexico. This will allow us to explore a really fascinating aspect of the culture there…This is a very different view of death than the American one. It’s not spooky. It’s celebratory.

Don’t expect to get any plot or character details, or even a title, for a while. At the time of the LAT interview, Unkrich was still a week away from his first story pitch to the Pixar Brain Trust, which is part of the process that lets a film move forawrd at the studio.

Pixar’s Day of the Dead movie isn’t the only one in development. There’s also one produced by Guillermo del Toro, which Jorge R. Gutierrez, co-creator of the Nickelodeon show El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, will direct.

‘The Exorcist’ Being Adapted for Television by ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ Director

Russ Fischer — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:30:05 +0000

The Exorcist is a landmark movie. Along with Psycho, it legitimized horror as a genre — what had previously been relegated to drive-in and second-feature filler was now big business. William Friedkin‘s adaptation of William Peter Blatty‘s novel (scripted by Blatty) scored a Best Picture Oscar nomination and nine other Oscar nods. (Best Picture went to The Sting, but The Exorcist did take Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay.)

But all things are now ripe for re-adaptation, and so producers are turning towards Blatty’s novel once more. This time, the book is to be adapted into a ten-episode TV series, and the director in charge will be Sean Durkin, who made Martha Marcy May Marlene. It’s actually such a good fit that I can’t even muster the urge to be upset about a remake.

Vulture says that Durkin is backed by Morgan Creek and producer Roy Lee (The Departed, The Ring). The site also says,

Unlike the iconic 1973 film, Durkin’s version of The Exorcist follows the events leading up to a demonic possession and especially the after-effects of how a family copes with it: In short, not well … and when medical and psychiatric explanations fail, the desperate family turns to the church, with Father Damien Karras finally brought in to attempt the exorcism.

The show doesn’t have a network home at this point, and will reportedly be formally shopped a couple weeks from now.

Martha Marcy May Marlene demonstrated that Durkin has a precise control of tone and menace, and I can very easily see how he might be able to do wonders with this material. Even if the show ends up on a broadcast network that doesn’t allow super-explicit content, he should be able to create a chilling series. And really, Friedkin’s film has a lock on the explicit version of The Exorcist, so why try to compete with that? There’s no way to top what’s in that movie. But there might be a way to create a parallel take that exploits the long-form possibilities of television.

‘Life of Pi’ Moves to Thanksgiving; Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson’s ‘The Internship’ Lands Next Summer

Angie Han — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:00:42 +0000

As Paramount’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation heads into next spring and Universal’s Ted moves up into G.I. Joe‘s old date, Fox is making a few edits of their own to the upcoming release calendar. Ang Lee‘s Life of Pi has been shifted away from hyper-competitive late December to Thanksgiving weekend, while the Wedding Crashers quasi-reunion The Internship has landed on a summer 2013 date. Read more details after the jump.

About a year ago, Fox bumped Life of Pi from December 14, 2012 to December 21, 2012 to get it out of the way of Warner Bros.’ fantasy juggernaut The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. But since then, December’s only gotten more insanely crowded, with Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, and Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables all set to open within two weeks of each other.

So Life of Pi has now been shifted again to November 21, where it should have a bit more room to breathe — especially since Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity and Carl Erik Rinsch’s 47 Ronin just vacated that same slot to move into 2013. The new date puts Lee’s 3D adaptation of Yann Martel‘s acclaimed novel against David O. Russell’s The Silver Linings Playbook, DreamWorks Animation’s Rise of the Guardians, and the Red Dawn remake.

Meanwhile, the studio has penciled in The Internship for a wide opening on June 28, 2013. The only other film currently scheduled for that exact date is the comic book adaptation R.I.P.D., though there are a few other heavyweights scheduled for earlier that month: the Seth Rogen comedy The End of the World, Pixar’s Monsters University, the Superman reboot Man of Steel, and the horror adaptation World War Z.

Real Steel helmer Shawn Levy is signed on to direct The Internship, but the real draw is its reunion of Wedding Crashers co-stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Which means you should probably expect to hear it quoted endlessly for many, many months following its mid-summer release.

[Source: 20th Century Fox Twitter]