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Updated: 45 min 31 sec ago
Universal Is Dumb Enough To Make ‘Dumb and Dumber To’
Just last week it was revealed that Warner Bros had dropped the Peter and Bobby Farrelly-directed sequel Dumb and Dumber To. Rumor had it that the Burbank-based studio saw a very limited upside in a follow-up and was unwilling to bet a low $30 million on the film. At the time it was reported that the Farrelly Brothers planned to shop the film to other studios, and it looks like they have gotten a bite. The directing duo announced on twitter that Red Granite Pictures (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Universal Pictures will team to greenlight the sequel.
Seems like Hollywood is also unsure if Jim Carrey and still bring people into the theater these days. A $30 million sequel to Dumb and Dumber seems more of a sure bet to me, especially when you consider the possible merchandising potential. Look at how well Hangover did with t-shirts and merch. Dumb and Dumber has become a comedy classic on home video and television, and I don’t think the studio has any idea just how many people will pay to see a follow-up.
Lets just hope someone comes to their senses and changes the title of the movie. For me its too dumb to be funny, and just comes off as confusing at first glance.
Russell Crowe to Make Directorial Debut With ‘The Water Diviner’
Russell Crowe is on a hot streak of high-profile roles right now, between last year’s Les Misérables, this month’s Man of Steel, and next year’s Winter’s Tale and Noah. So the fact that he’s booked yet another splashy turn isn’t much of a surprise, but this gig’s a little different. For the first time in his career, Crowe will lead the charge both in front of and behind the camera.
The Oscar-winning actor has just entered negotiations to helm and star in The Water Diviner. The historical drama was scripted by Andrew Knight and Andrew Anastasios, both of whom come from Australian TV. Hit the jump for plot and schedule details.
Crowe has been planning his leap into directing for some time now. He’s flirted with a few different projects over the years including a Bill Hicks biopic, the James Ellroy adaptation 77, the surfing drama Bra Boys, and the WWII pic The Long Green Shore. None of them came to pass, though he has completed a few shorts.
The Water Diviner will take Crowe back to his Aussie roots. Set in 1919, it follows an Australian father’s journey to Turkey to find his two sons after they go missing during the Battle of Gallipoli. Crowe will presumably play the dad; the sons have not been cast. Hopscotch Features’ Troy Lum and Andrew Mason and Fear of God Films’ Keith Rodger will produce.
Production is scheduled to begin in Australia and Turkey later this year. Though Crowe has Akiva Goldsman’s Winter’s Tale and Darren Aronofsky’s Noah both coming out in 2014, he’s got a bit of a break in his schedule because both of them have already wrapped. As of now it sounds like the plan is for him to tackle The Water Diviner before he’s due on the press circuit for those two.
[Source: Deadline]
‘The Lego Movie’ Trailer: ’21 Jump Street’ Directors Assemble Their Own Toy Justice League
This could well be the kids’ film of 2014, even if it is a giant toy commercial. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the guys who made the very entertaining Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and also the 21 Jump Street revamp, have turned Legos into a movie. The Lego Movie, in fact. And since their last two films were funnier and generally better than anyone expected, let’s see if lightning can strike a third time.
There’s a plot here, about a “special” Lego guy who has to save the world, but part of this first teaser is to establish just how many character cameos will be in the film. You thought Wreck-It-Ralph could boast a dense line-up of pop-culture icons? I get the idea this makes it look like
The LEGO® Movie,” the first-ever, full-length theatrical LEGO® adventure, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, opens in theaters February 7, 2014. It stars the vocal talents of Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman and Alison Brie, with Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman.
The original 3D computer animated story follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.
Guillermo del Toro Talks ‘Pacific Rim’ Sequel; More Early Reactions Hit Web
In a summer jam-packed with sequels and comic book adaptations, Guillermo Del Toro‘s Pacific Rim provides a breath of fresh air by being neither. But if all goes well, it could spark a franchise in its own right. In fact, Del Toro and screenwriter Travis Beacham are already planning out the next Pacific Rim. And although they won’t give away too much about the follow-up just yet, del Toro’s happy to hint at some of the ideas that might be on the docket.
Of course, all of their efforts will be for naught if the first Pacific Rim doesn’t take off. Good thing, then, that the excellent buzz so far suggests the film should have no trouble finding fans. Like our own Peter Sciretta:
I’m allowed to tell you GDT showed me #PacificRim, and it is as awesome as you were hoping it would be. :)
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) June 18, 2013
After the jump, feast your eyes on other Pacific Rim reactions, and find out what del Toro’s been saying about the sequel.
Since, as Legendary CEO Thomas Tull points out, it’s “up to the audience” whether Pacific Rim gets a sequel, let’s start with the latest wave of glowing praise for the movie. Guillermo Del Toro recently screened the film for a couple members of press:
Pacific Rim: Insane action. feels huge&heavy. live action anime. humor will surprise. filled w/mythology, Day’s performance = 75% Moranis GB
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) June 18, 2013
Guillermo del Toro's PACIFIC RIM is the goods. A rousing tribute to Harryhausen, Honda and the unfettered imagination of 13-year-olds.
— Jeremy Smith (@mrbeaks) June 18, 2013
I'm not going to jump into this "Pacific Rim" thing. I'd rather write a review than try to sum it up on Twitter. Having said that…
— Drew McWeeny (@DrewAtHitFix) June 18, 2013
… I can pass along that Film Nerd 2.0 saw the film with me, and it tore off the tops of their heads and permanently scrambled them.
— Drew McWeeny (@DrewAtHitFix) June 18, 2013
@andreweplotkin @slashfilm @Micah_Roberts @HitFix Five and eight. They've grown up on giant monster movies. Loved every frame.
— Drew McWeeny (@DrewAtHitFix) June 18, 2013
I saw PACIFIC RIM. It is awesome, in the true sense of the word.
— Devin Faraci (@devincf) June 18, 2013
Combine that with the excited reactions from early test screenings, and it really sounds like Pacific Rim lives up to the hype and then some. Whether that gushing praise translates to a strong box office remains to be seen, but excellent word-of-mouth never hurts.
As for what we’ll see in the next film, del Toro has previously teased that he’d “love” to see Godzilla go head-to-head with a jaeger, and hinted that he’d like to delve deeper into the kaiju mythology. But he was more a bit more coy at today’s Legendary Pictures press conference.
“We’re been talking about the idea for it and working on a pitch,” Del Toro explained, revealing that the sequel would go “in a very different route from the first one.” Among other things, it may introduce a Mexican jaeger that was cut from Pacific Rim. “We basically couldn’t afford it,” he laughed. “He was the most expensive Jaeger.”
Then there’s the possibility of taking Pacific Rim into other media. “Having had two to three years pass from the first Pacific Rim to the second movie, we can also prepare a good video game, continue the graphic novel and continue the mythology,” Del Toro added.
But that’s all in the future. For now, we’re just eager to check out the first Pacific Rim when it opens July 12.
[Sources: Deadline, Coming Soon]
‘Godzilla’ Could Feature Multiple Monsters
Briefly: Way back when Legendary’s new Godzilla was first announced there was talk that the giant lizard of the title wouldn’t be the only monster in the movie. And while there’s still no confirmation, more materials now say that we can expect more beasts than the title monster. A press release trumpeting the marketing opportunities for the film describes the movie:
Featuring spectacular creatures, thrilling action, epic battles and a legendary monster, Godzilla provides the backbone for a monstrous merchandise offering for fans of all ages and enables compelling cross-category opportunities across mass and specialty retailers.
Even Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla had the brood of young lizards; let’s hope this reboot has something more interesting, and that the other “creatures” will show up in more than toy and video game form. After the break, see a new promo image caught in the wild at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. Appropriately, the pic shows Vegas in flames, presumably after an attack from a huge monster.
Coming Soon got this photo:
Last year’s Comic Con saw the debut of proof of concept footage that really cemented Godzilla as an upcoming project. Now that the film has been shooting for a couple months, we can expect the monster himself to stomp all over Hall H. We may not see all the monsters, but a debut of the new Godzilla design is a safe bet. [STYD]
Watch The First Episode of Showtime’s ‘Ray Donovan’ Online
As antiheroes go, it’s tough to find one more “anti” than Dexter Morgan. He’s a serial killer, for God’s sake. But he can’t stick around Showtime forever, so this summer, he’ll help usher another shady character into the channel’s lineup.
Following Dexter on Sunday nights this month will be Ray Donovan, starring Liev Schreiber as a fixer of problems who — wait for it — can’t seem to fix his own problems. The drama isn’t set to premiere until June, but Showtime’s getting a head start on the buzz by debuting the first episode online for free, almost two weeks early. Check it out after the jump.
To get more specific with the plot details, Ray is a man who specializes in cleaning up the messes left behind by LA’s rich, powerful, and famous. But his own world goes topsy-turvy when his dad (played by Jon Voight) is unexpectedly released from prison after a 20-year stint.
Also among the cast are Paula Malcomson as Ray’s wife Abby, Kerris Dorsey and Devon Bagby as his kids, Steven Bauer and Katherine Moennig as his colleagues, and Pooch Hall, Dash Mihok, Eddie Marsan, and Elliott Gould as his assorted relatives and acquaintances. Ann Biderman (Southland) created the show.
That Showtime is premiering the show after Dexter says a lot about their confidence in it. The last show to win that plum spot was Homeland in 2011, and we all know how well that worked out for them. Watch the show below to see if their faith pays off:
Ray Donovan debuts June 30 at 10:00 PM, right after Dexter‘s eighth and final season premiere at 9:00.
Set in the sprawling mecca of the rich and famous, RAY DONOVAN does the dirty work for LA’s top power players. The new one-hour series stars Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award nominee Liev Schreiber in his first lead television role as the go-to guy who makes the problems of the city’s celebrities, superstar athletes, and business moguls disappear. This powerful drama unfolds when his father, played by Oscar® winner Jon Voight, is unexpectedly released from prison, setting off a chain of events that shakes the Donovan family to its core.
Page 2: Star Trek, Ron Howard, Transformers, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Muppets, Pixar
Page 2 is a compilation of stories and news tidbits, which for whatever reason, didn’t make the front page of /Film. After the jump we’ve included 46 different items, fun images, videos, casting tidbits, articles of interest and more. It’s like a mystery grab bag of movie web related goodness.
Header Photo: ’How To Train Your Dragon‘ Toothless Dragon Cosplay
Ten Ways to Make a Dungeons & Dragons Movie Not Suck
The 10 Most Disastrous Film Productions of All Time
Illustrated Versions Of Iconic Vehicles From Movies And Television
10 Classic Star Trek Plot Devices That Could Inspire The Next Movie
The 17 Most Terrifying Movie Masks
In Case of Zombies…
The Five Biggest Challenges of Building a Film Museum
10 Screenwriting Tips You Can Learn From Goodfellas
Star Trek TNG Enterprise Ice Tray
10 Kid-Oriented Cartoons That Adults Can Dig As Well
Ron Howard Narrates Tweets, ‘Arrested Development‘ Style
8 Epic End-of-the-World Movie Moments
Frozen teaser poster
ALL THE PIXAR MOVIES RANKED FROM WORST TO BEST!
Transformers: The Ride – 3D at Universal Studios Florida Time-Lapse Video and Autobots
Patricia Clarkson Joins The Maze Runner
Continue Reading Page 2 >>Dean Parisot Now in Line to Direct Summit’s ‘The Secret Life of Houdini’
Dean Parisot has done a few big-screen directing gigs in the past two decades (Galaxy Quest being the fan favorite) but mostly worked in TV during that period. Now he’s headed back to the big screen with the reins of Red 2 in hand. Summit may be happy with that sequel because the studio is reportedly giving Parisot something a lot more interesting than the geriatric assassins movie: a film about Harry Houdini.
Or at least, it will be a film inspired by Houdini. This is the one scripted by Noah Oppenheim based on William Kalush and Larry Sloman‘s book The Secret Life of Houdini, The Making of America’s First Superhero. As that title makes clear, this one goes a bit beyond the bounds of portraying Houdini as an escape artist.
Deadline has the report. Now, Houdini was far more than an escape artist, and the source biography tries to explain all of the man’s various interests. Here’s a description of the book:
Handcuff King. Escape Artist. International Superstar. Since his death eighty years ago, Harry Houdini’s life has been chronicled in books, in film, and on television. Now, in this groundbreaking biography, renowned magic expert William Kalush and bestselling writer Larry Sloman team up to find the man behind the myth. Drawing from millions of pages of research, they describe in vivid detail the passions that drove Houdini to perform ever-more-dangerous feats, his secret life as a spy, and a pernicious plot to subvert his legacy. The Secret Life of Houdini traces the arc of the master magician’s life from desperate poverty to worldwide fame — his legacy later threatened by a group of fanatical Spiritualists led by esteemed British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Initiating the reader along the way into the arcane world of professional magic, Kalush and Sloman decode a life based on deception, providing an intimate and riveting portrayal of Houdini, the man and the legend.
The “secret life as a spy” part has been a big sticking point for people with respect to this book, but in fact Houdini did so much that there’s plenty to draw on to paint a vivid and varied portrait of his life.
Gary Ross (The Hunger Games) was once going to direct, but in fact this has been in development at Summit since 2009.
First Look: Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring in the ‘Veronica Mars’ Movie Sequel
2013 is turning out to be a pretty good year for people who were glued to their TV sets in the mid-aughts. First Arrested Development made its highly anticipated return on Netflix with a 15-episode fourth season, and now the long-promised Veronica Mars movie sequel has finally started shooting.
To mark the first day of filming, the official Veronica Mars Twitter account has uploaded a couple teaser-y images from the production. Elsewhere on the web, the first batch of set photos hint at a reunion between Veronica (Kristen Bell) and her onetime love Logan (Jason Dohring). Check ‘em out after the jump.
@veronicamars tweeted the Instagram pics below.
Well, look at that. We’re back. http://t.co/WPvLJhkuEf #VeronicaMarsMovie
— Veronica Mars (@veronicamars) June 18, 2013
Neptune’s hottest club is now open for business. http://t.co/XeKmh4TuTt #VeronicaMarsMovie
— Veronica Mars (@veronicamars) June 18, 2013
As a longtime fan, I’m just thrilled to see the team is back at work — but these pics don’t really give away much of anything. For a more revealing look, we can turn to Buzz Sugar‘s snaps from the set.
The pictures feature Veronica hovering over Logan’s fancy-looking convertible, outside what appears to be the 09ER club shown in the Instagram pic. It’s tough to tell what exactly going on here, but the pair may have quite a bit of catching up to do. Thomas previously confirmed that Veronica and Logan haven’t seen each other for nearly a decade at the start of the movie.
The movie sequel picks up with Veronica on the occasion of her 10-year high school reunion. She gets pulled into her first P.I. case in years when Logan is implicated in the death of his pop-star girlfriend. Poor guy can’t catch a break. As those who’ve seen the series will recall, Logan’s teen years saw him dealing with (spoiler alert!) his girlfriend’s murder, his mom’s suicide, his dad’s incarceration for his girlfriend’s murder, and framing for a different, unrelated murder.
Aside from Bell and Echolls, Neptuners expected to return include Tina Majorino (Mac), Daran Norris (Cliff), Francis Capra (Weevil), Chris Lowell (Piz), Percy Daggs III (Wallace), Ryan Hansen (Dick), Krysten Ritter (Gia), Amanda Noret (Madison), and Enrico Colantoni (Keith). Warner Bros. will distribute the picture. No release date has been set at this time.
‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’ Poster: “It’s Kind of a Big Deal”
Paramount Pictures has released a new poster for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. A new trailer is set to hit the interwebs tomorrow (if an international version doesn’t surprise us tonight). Hit the jump to see the full mustache.
Official “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” Info:
With the ’70s behind him, San Diego’s top rated newsman, Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), returns to the news desk in “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.” Also back for more are Ron’s co-anchor and wife, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), weather man Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), man on the street Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd) and sports guy Champ Kind (David Koechner) — all of whom won’t make it easy to stay classy … while taking New York’s first 24-hour news channel by storm. Produced by Judd Apatow, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Written by Will Ferrell & Adam McKay. Directed by Adam McKay.
‘Jurassic Park 4′ Now Aiming for 2015 Release, To Be Shot in 3D?
Jurassic Park 4 was gearing up to begin filming when the plug was abruptly pulled a few weeks ago. Rumor had it that Steven Spielberg was not happy with the screenplay. Whatever the real story may be, Universal Pictures and producer Frank Marshall decided to put the project on hold while they focused their efforts on development without having the pressure of chasing an announced release date.
ComingSoon spotted a huge banner at Licensing Expo 2013 in Las Vegas today which features the Jurassic Park logo and the year “2015″. The film was originally set for a June 13th, 2014 release date before production was halted, so this isn’t an old date. Again, this could just be hopeful thinking on the part of Universal at this point as nothing has been officially announced.
Another thing worth noting is that while everyone had assumed that the film would, at very least, be released in 3D, the Licensing Expo book says that the film will actually be shot in 3D.
Safety Not Guaranteed director Colin Trevorrow is still set to helm Jurassic Park 4, and last we heard the screenplay was being worked on by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.
Trevorrow last tweeted last week that he was back in the office working on the Jurassic sequel:
Back at work today, toys from 20 years ago waiting in my office. Thanks @ledoctor for keeping them in the box. pic.twitter.com/Fu7jX7EPeb
— Colin Trevorrow (@colintrevorrow) June 12, 2013
And earlier this month Colin promised to have “more news soon”:
@JP4Committee Not at all. More news soon.
— Colin Trevorrow (@colintrevorrow) June 2, 2013
‘BioShock’ Creator to Pen ‘Logan’s Run’ Remake
It seems ironic that a film about a youth-centric society would itself be growing old, but that’s what’s been happening with the Logan’s Run remake. The project entered development about two decades ago and has passed through a number of high-profile filmmakers since then to no avail. So now, the studio’s looking outside the usual Hollywood circles to help make it happen.
The studio has just tapped Ken Levine, creator of the BioShock video game franchise, to write the sci-fi screenplay. Levine’s not entirely a Hollywood outsider — he got his start in screenwriting and playwriting before finding success in the video game industry — but he’s still a pretty unexpected choice. Hit the jump to get the details.
Based in the 1967 novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, Logan’s Run is set in a dystopia in which all citizens are terminated at a certain age (21 in the book, 30 in the 1976 movie adaptation) as a means of population control. Though a few Runners try to escape their fates, they rarely succeed as the society employs operatives called Sandmen to find them. At the center of the plot is Logan, a Sandman who himself becomes a Runner.
Directors Skip Woods, Bryan Singer, Joseph Kosinski, and Carl Erik Rinsch are among those who’ve taken a crack at Logan’s Run over the years. Most recently, Nicolas Winding Refn was attached to direct a version rewritten by Andrew Baldwin and starring Ryan Gosling. But that incarnation fell through as well. It isn’t clear whether Levine will draw from previous drafts while working on the film, but in any case getting some fresh blood involved may help.
Gamers can rest assured that Levine’s move into cinema isn’t a permanent one. Deadline reports that the developer will continue in his capacity as creative director of Irrational Games. However, he was willing to branch out for Logan’s Run because he considers it to be a passion project.
Has Felicity Jones Confirmed Her Black Cat Role ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2′?
After introducing us to a new, rebooted vision of the Spideyverse in last year’s The Amazing Spider-Man, director Marc Webb is planning to expand that mythology in a big way with next year’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Mary Jane Watson (Shailene Woodley), Electro (Jamie Foxx), The Rhino (Paul Giamatti), Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), and Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper) are among the classic comic characters who’ll be making their first appearances in the sequel, and now it looks like we can add Felicia Hardy a.k.a. Black Cat (Felicity Jones) to that number as well.
Since Jones boarded the cast earlier this year, there’s been no confirmed info on whom she’d be playing. However, the actress herself has seemingly given herself away in a new interview. Watch it after the jump.
News of Jones’ casting first broke back in January. Sony didn’t offer any official details on her character at the time, but a rumor quickly spread that she’d be playing Hardy / Black Cat. Now, thanks to a clever bit of manipulation on the part of Flicks and the City reporter Jan Gilbert (via Bleeding Cool), we may have an answer.
Asked whether she’s “looking forward to everyone seeing [her] as Black Cat,” Jones squirmed and stammered out an awkward response.
Um, well, uh, possibly. I don’t know. Yeah, I kind of—it’s um. Yeah, if that happens, that would be wonderful.
You can see the exchange for yourself below; Spider-Man chatter begins at 0:57.
That’s not exactly Jones saying “Yes, I’m playing Black Cat,” but her discomfort suggests that Gilbert is at least on the right track. The actress seems to be caught off guard, as she very well might if she’d been told not to divulge her character to the press. Or she may be confused because she’s playing Felicia but not Black Cat in the next movie — a subtle but not insignificant distinction.
This is Jones’ first big superhero pic, so she’s probably not as practiced as deflecting questions as some of her co-stars are. But seeing as she’ll be getting that question a zillion more times before the movie opens, I’m guessing she’ll get used to it quick.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens May 2, 2014. Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Sally Field return from the first film.
How Neill Blomkamp Chose The Product Placement in ‘Elysium’
No moviegoer walks into a theater excited about all the brands they’re about to see featured onscreen, but when a typical tentpole budget falls in the nine-figure range, product placement is a necessary evil. And sometimes, “evil” really seems like the best word to describe it — there’s nothing more obnoxious than a film that stops in its tracks so the hero can extol the virtues of a certain soft drink.
But Neill Blomkamp is hoping that the judicious use of product placement in Elysium will actually enhance the movie instead of taking away from it. Rather than simply tossing in any company that’d fork over the dough, Blomkamp went to pains to find brands that fit into his futuristic world. Read more about which companies he chose and why after the jump.
On some level, it’s tough to make a film look realistic without any corporate brands. We’re used to seeing Absolut logos on our vodka and Samsung logos on our TVs; when a character uses a generic cell phone with a fake brand it can be even more distracting than if he’d just flashed the latest iPhone model. The problem starts when a product doesn’t fit into the scene, or when it otherwise calls too much attention to itself.
So Blomkamp made the effort to fill Elysium with brands that he felt were appropriate, going so far as to reach out to companies himself. “This film has been an oddity in the product-placement world because I am not looking for any money from the brands we are using,” he wrote to the automobile company Bugatti. “I really want them because I [can] make the film better.”
For example, he’d chosen Bugatti in particular because it made sense to him that the ultra-wealthy characters of Elysium would drive luxury cars — albeit not ones exactly like the ones on the road today. “If you had a bunch of rich people living up there, they would have the equivalent of Ferraris and Bugattis that they fly around with,” he explained to The Wall Street Journal. “Basically, what I wanted to do was make a Bugatti that’s 150 years in the future, and those don’t come with wheels.”
In contrast, the poorer citizens on Earth are driving more affordable cars like the Nissan GT-R. Sure, they’re not exactly cheap now, but the ones in Elysium will be less James Bond than Mad Max. “The GT-R is one of the coolest high-performance cars for sale out there now,” Blomkamp said. “I wanted to make the GT-R the Earth’s version of a high-performance car.” Still other brands will surface in unusual places, like the Kawasaki armor sported by Matt Damon and the Versace med pods used by the elite class.
It’s too early to tell how Blomkamp’s careful approach will actually play on the screen, but the thinking behind it certainly seems sound. Hopefully he’ll be able to remind others that product placement doesn’t always have to be awkward and annoying. Elysium opens August 9.
‘Letters to Jackie’ Trailer: Steven Spielberg Produces a Remembrance of JFK
You’ll see the TLC logo come up at the head of the trailer below, but this isn’t some lifestyle movie. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment, Letters to Jackie gives voice to letters sent to Jackie Kennedy from people around the world, expressing grief after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The film is based on Ellen Fitzpatrick’s book of the same name, and features letters read by actors such as Jessica Chastain, Channing Tatum, Frances McDormand, Zooey Deschanel, and Anne Hathaway.
Bill Couturié directed Letters to Jackie, which will air on TLC this fall.
The film features readings from Bérénice Bejo, Demián Bichir, Jessica Chastain, Chris Cooper, Viola Davis, Zooey Deschanel, Kirsten Dunst, Anne Hathaway, Allison Janney, John Krasinski, Melissa Leo, Laura Linney, Frances McDormand, Chloë Grace Moretz, Mark Ruffalo, Octavia Spencer, Hailee Steinfeld, Channing Tatum, Betty White and Michelle Williams.
James Franco Seeking $500K in Crowdfunding for ‘Palo Alto’ Film Trilogy
Until recently, crowdfunding was the province of dirt-cheap indies from as-yet-undiscovered filmmakers. Then Rob Thomas came along with the Veronica Mars movie Kickstarter campaign, and now it seems like every week another established Hollywood figure is turning to moviegoers to get his or her next picture made.
This week, that person is James Franco. The multi-hyphenate has launched an Indiegogo campaign seeking $500,000 for a trilogy of short films based on his Palo Alto short story collection. But it’s not (just) his own career that Franco’s looking to advance. The movies will be directed by four up-and-comers — Nina Ljeti, Vladimir Bourdeau de Fontenay, Bruce Thierry Cheung, and Gabriel Demestree — and all profits will go to charity. And of course, there are prizes in it for contributors as well. Hit the jump to find out what $7,000 gets you.
Franco has chosen to use Indiegogo’s Flexible Funding option, which allows him to keep all the dough raised by the deadline even if the goal is not met. So far, with 30 days still left to go, the campaign has raised $16,270 of its $500,000 target. The funds will be split evenly between the three films: Ljeti and de Fontenay’s “Memoria,” Cheung’s “Killing Animals,” and Demeestere’s “Yosemite.”
The tentative plan is to shoot this August and wrap by September, so the movies can then hit the festival circuit. It’s not clear at this point whether Franco plans to appear in any of the movies. Any profits eventually made from the sale of the films will be donated to Art of Elysium, which encourages artists to dedicate their time and talent to ill children.
Backers can contribute any amount they wish, with rewards ranging from $10 for “official backer status” to $5,000 for a walk-on role to $10,000 for an executive producer credit and VIP dinner. More off the beaten path are a 15-second personalized voicemail greeting for $450, or an original painting by Franco for $7,000.
While a well-known name certainly helps a crowdfunding campaign gain notice, it can’t guarantee financial success. Zach Braff was able to raise $3 million for his movie project, but Melissa Joan Hart and Zosia Mamet recently flopped hard with their efforts. In all cases, the presumably rich celebrities took some heat for turning to relatively less wealthy people for money.
Franco’s campaign, though, seems to straddle the line between crowdfunding’s indie beginnings and its recent Hollywood popularity. His fame helps to attract attention and therefore money, but he’s using that power to help unknown artists. Check out his pitch video below, or hit his Indiegogo page for more info.
George Lucas on ‘Star Wars Episode VII’: “I Have Not Spoken to J.J. Abrams”
As exciting as it is to think about J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt collaborating on a new Star Wars movie, one interesting aspect of that lineup is who’s not involved. Though George Lucas invented that universe, and though he’ll stay on the franchise as a “creative consultant,” he won’t be driving the new trilogy in any real sense. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is up for debate, but either way it’s definitely something different.
For his part, Lucas seems to welcome that change. While he’s happily talked up Abrams as an “ideal choice” to take the series forward, he apparently hasn’t done much at all on the new films so far. In fact, he hasn’t even spoken to Abrams about Episode VII yet. Hit the jump to read Lucas’ comments.
Lucas and Abrams are definitely on good terms — Lucas hasn’t been stingy in his praise of Abrams, and Abrams himself has said that he plans to turn to Lucas for help. “The advantage here is that we still have George Lucas with us to go to and ask questions and get his feedback on things, which I certainly will do,” he said this spring.
It doesn’t sound like he’s gotten around to doing that just yet, however. Lucas revealed to Access Hollywood that the two have yet to sit down together.
I have not spoken to J.J. He’s been busy with Star Trek, and I’m sure that he’ll let me know when he’s got some questions. So, you know, that’s all going well. Kathy tells me it’s working out great.
Not that Lucas minds all that much. “I think it’s great,” he said of passing on the torch. “I don’t have to worry about these guys any more.”
It’s likely that the lack of communication between Lucas and Abrams so far has as much to do with the timing as anything. As Lucas points out, Abrams has been tied up with Star Trek Into Darkness until very recently. I’m sure they’ll put their heads together at some point in the process, and I look forward to seeing what happens when they do.
But all in all, it’s probably for the best that Lucas is genuinely stepping aside to let Abrams do his own thing. There’s not much point in hiring notable talents like Arndt and Abrams if they’re just going to carrying out Lucas’ wishes. This way, we get to see what fresh blood can actually bring to this classic franchise.
‘Frozen’ Teaser Trailer: Cold War Erupts Between a Snowman and Reindeer
Frozen started off as a pretty straight-up adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s story The Snow Queen. But, as we detailed earlier today, it mutated to become something rather different. Now it is a story of “two sisters torn apart by a big family secret,” with Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) as the elder sibling, who cursed her kingdom to be permanently on ice, and Anna (Kristen Bell) as the younger, who tries to find Elsa after she flees the kingdom.
Based on some of the concept art we’ve seen, I expected one thing from the film — something rather grand and pretty. But this first teaser trailer doesn’t deal with family or curses, and it isn’t “grand,” exactly. It has a much smaller conflict in mind. Take a look for yourself below.
Why is the reindeer a dog? That’s odd. (His name, by the way, is Sven. Not, ahem, Maximus.)
I find this looks more like a DreamWorks Animation or Blue Sky trailer than what I expected from Disney, even though Frozen will almost certainly have a less overtly goofy vibe for most of the story. We’ll see how much like Tangled it ends up being. There’s even (gulp) a whiff of ’70s Disney animation, in the way the snowman is designed. That said, some of the snowman’s actions are clever, and since Josh Gad voices him, he may also be quite funny.
Kids will probably be open to this, but still, Disney’s older fans might need to see a bit more before booking tickets.
Frozen is directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, with original songs and music by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez. It opens on November 27, 2013. Teaser via StitchKingdom.
When a prophecy traps a kingdom in eternal winter, Anna, a fearless optimist, teams up with extreme mountain man Kristoff and his sidekick reindeer Sven on an epic journey to find Anna’s sister Elsa, the Snow Queen, and put an end to her icy spell. Encountering mystical trolls, a funny snowman named Olaf, Everest-like extremes and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom from destruction.
‘Sin City: A Dame to Kill For’ Pushed Back to Summer 2014
2013 was supposed to be the year of Frank Miller. There were two adaptations of his books due out in the second half of this year, 300: Rise of an Empire and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. But Warner Bros. decided last month to push the former back to 2014, and now Dimension Films is following suit with the latter.
Sadly, that means Miller aficionados will be waiting almost a whole extra year to revisit his grim and gritty town. But hey, we’ve been waiting on a sequel for seven years already — what’s one more? Hit the jump to get the new date.
The Weinsteins’ Dimension Films announced today that Sin City: A Dame to Kill For had been moved from October 4, 2013 to August 22, 2014. The movie currently has that new date all to itself, though Guardians of the Galaxy, Dracula, and The Expendables 3 are all slated to open earlier that same month. No reason has been given for the decision.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For would have been one of two Robert Rodriguez-directed sequels coming out this fall, the other being Machete Kills. That picture is still scheduled for September 13. Miller’s other upcoming movie, 300: Rise of an Empire, is slotted for March 7, 2014.
Both Miller and Rodriguez had been talking up the Sin City sequel for years before Dimension Films officially put it into motion last spring. The wait had been so long by that point that Sin City‘s fans and even its stars had begun to lose faith that it would ever happen. At least now we know for sure the film will arrive eventually — it’s just a matter of waiting.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For combines stories from Miller’s books with new plotlines written just for the movie. Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, and Jaime King are returning from the first film, joined by franchise newcomers Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, Eva Green, Stacy Keach, Jamie Chung, Dennis Haysbert, Christopher Meloni, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, and Juno Temple.
[Source: Box Office Mojo]
Ryan Reynolds Exits ‘Highlander’ Reboot
To say Summit’s Highlander reboot has been as long-lived as its characters would be a massive exaggeration, obviously, but it has been kicking around for quite a while now. And it’ll be sticking around for some time yet, as it’s now headed back to square one. Ryan Reynolds has just dropped out of the project, months after director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo exited. Hit the jump to get the details.
Summit first began developing their new Highlander several years ago. Justin Lin was attached early on, but departed in 2011 so he could make Fast and Furious 6. Fresnadillo replaced him soon afterward, only to leave himself in November 2012 over creative differences. Reynolds stayed on for a spell, but with the studio still unable to lock in a director he’s apparently grown tired of waiting.
The script has passed through a few different hands over the years. Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (Iron Man) were behind the first draft, and Melissa Rosenberg (Twilight) was brought on for rewrites in 2011. The most recent draft was penned by Noah Oppenheim (the upcoming The Maze Runner).
The film centers on Connor MacLeod, an immortal warrior who’s pulled into a game for the Prize. His fiercest competition is the brutal Kurgan. Reynolds would have played MacLeod, who was portrayed by Christopher Lambert in the 1986 original. Highlander got off to a shaky start in its initial release, but eventually gained enough of a following to spawn four sequels and live-action and animated TV adaptations.
While Reynolds’ departure forces producers Neal Moritz and Peter Davis to start from scratch, a source tells The Wrap that a clean slate could prove a blessing. Whomever they hire to direct will be able to book a new lead, rather than trying to work with Fresnadillo’s choice.
Reynolds, meanwhile, has plenty on his plate even without Highlander. He has two more films due out this year, DreamWorks Animation’s Turbo and the Men in Black-esque R.I.P.D. He recently wrapped Atom Egoyan’s Queen of the Night and Marjane Satrapi’s The Voices, and is attached to star in Tarsem Singh’s Selfless.
