First Look at Rhys Ifans (Minus a Bag on His Head) from THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

Last week, we got our first look at Rhys Ifans in Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man.  Kind of.  Ifans plays Dr. Curt Conners, a scientist who accidentally becomes The Lizard when he tries to regrow his lost arm.  Moral of the story: if you’ve lost an arm, take comfort in the fact that you’re not a man-reptile.  Anyway, while I imagine that the character will be mostly (if not entirely) CGI, the set photo from last week showed Ifans with a bag over his head presumably to hide some level of transformation.  Today, we now see Ifans in human-form and without the bag, but with a long green glove on one arm.  That’s so the animators can CGI out the actor’s arm, although if he were method, he would just chop it off.  Computer graphics ruin everything.

Post Title → First Look at Rhys Ifans (Minus a Bag on His Head) from THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

First Trailer for FINAL DESTINATION 5

The trailer for Final Destination 5 has gone online.  This time the big disaster is on a suspension bridge.  As always, those who don’t have the courtesy to die in giant disasters get hunted down by the grim reaper and eliminated in gruesome, Rube Goldberg-projects of doom.  In a hint that the series may be running out of creative ways to off its characters, Final Destination 5 preys on our fears of LASIK and acupuncture.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Final Destination 5 stars Emma Bell, Nick D’Agosto, Miles Fisher, Arlen Escarpeta, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, P.J. Byrne, Ellen Wroe, Courtney B. Vance, David Koechner, and Tony Todd.  The film opens in 3D on August 26th.

Here’s the official synopsis for Final Destination 5:

In this fifth installment, Death is just as omnipresent as ever, and is unleashed after one man’s premonition saves a group of coworkers from a terrifying suspension bridge collapse. But this group of unsuspecting souls was never supposed to survive, and, in a terrifying race against time, the ill-fated group frantically tries to discover a way to escape Death’s sinister agenda.

Post Title → First Trailer for FINAL DESTINATION 5

Johnny Depp Says THE LONE RANGER Will Reinvent the Role of Tonto

When it was reported that Johnny Depp would be playing Tonto in the adaptation of The Lone Ranger, some were left wondering why an actor of Depp’s stature would take the sidekick role.  The answer: he wouldn’t.  In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Depp expresses bewilderment that Tonto would take orders from The Lone Ranger:

“I remember watching [the 1949-1957 TV series in reruns] as a kid, with Jay Silverheels and Clayton Moore, and going: ‘Why is the f—ing Lone Ranger telling Tonto what to do?’”

Apparently Johnny Depp was a foul-mouthed kid.  Hit the jump for what he and director Gore Verbinski (Rango) are planning for the film adaptation.

Depp tells EW:

“I liked Tonto, even at that tender age, and knew Tonto was getting the unpleasant end of the stick here. That’s stuck with me. And when the idea came up [for the movie], I started thinking about Tonto and what could be done in my own small way try to — ‘eliminate’ isn’t possible — but reinvent the relationship, to attempt to take some of the ugliness thrown on the Native Americans, not only in The Lone Ranger, but the way Indians were treated throughout history of cinema, and turn it on its head.”

And if you’re wondering, “Wait.  Isn’t Depp a white guy?  Won’t this be redface?”, Depp is part-Indian (or so he was told growing up):

“I guess I have some Native American somewhere down the line.  My great grandmother was quite a bit of Native American, she grew up Cherokee or maybe Creek Indian. Makes sense in terms of coming from Kentucky, which is rife with Cherokee and Creek.”

The Lone Ranger is set to hit theaters some time next year.

Post Title → Johnny Depp Says THE LONE RANGER Will Reinvent the Role of Tonto

First Look at ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

The first image from Timur Bekmambetov’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has gone online.  In case you couldn’t get the plot from the title, the movie is about America’s 16th President secret life as a vampire slayer.  Based off the book by Seth Grahame-Smith, the story re-imagines that Lincoln’s mother and grandfather were killed by a vampire and that the president’s resolve to end slavery was due in part to the “fact” that vampires were involved with the slave trade.  However, he also learns that there are good vampires and bad vampires and that he can’t simply just kill them all willy-nilly.

Hit the jump for the image and to learn how the production is devoted to historical accuracy in this incredibly silly story.  The film stars Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anthony Mackie, Dominic Cooper, Alan Tudyk, Jimmi Simpson, and Refus Sewell.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter opens in 3D on June 22, 2012.

In a lengthy story on the film’s production, The New York Times (who also provided the image above) reports that the movie “embeds Lincoln, played by Benjamin Walker, within a meticulously researched, surprisingly authentic, three-dimensional past — but with vampires.”

Production designer François Audouy is using computer effects and actual locations to blend the real and the artificial, and using Civil War maps that are actual reproductions of ones provided by the Library of Congress and Illinois state historian Thomas F. Schwartz.  Schwartz, who is also contributing to the Steven Spielberg’s vampire-less Lincoln biopic, Lincoln, was a consultant on the film and advised Vampire Hunter on “how they might slip vampires into Lincoln’s story with minimal damage to the historical record.”  No one has told the production that by slipping vampires into Lincoln’s story, the damage to the historical record has already been done.

And as to the design of the vampires?  Bekmambetov is keeping that aspect under wraps for now as Audouy tells the Times, “The one thing I’m not supposed to talk about is the look of the vampires,” but he promises something “unexpected.”  I’m expecting fangs.  So if the vampires have fangs, it will be expected.

Post Title → First Look at ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

Trailer for Miranda July’s THE FUTURE

The trailer for Miranda July’s The Future has gone online. when I caught the film at Sundance, it’s a strange movie and that’s a large part of its charm.  The trailer does a good job of conveying the oddness of some of the plot’s elements (shelter cat as a narrator, talking moon), the offbeat humor of the main characters (played by July and Hamish Linklater), as well as the honest emotions that prevent the movie from being just a pile of quirk.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Future:

THE FUTURE tells the story of a thirty-something couple who, on deciding to adopt a stray cat, change their perspective on life, literally altering the course of time and testing their faith in each other and themselves.

Post Title → Trailer for Miranda July’s THE FUTURE

Rod Lurie to Direct Hostage Thriller BORDERLINE

Rod Lurie (Nothing But the Truth) has signed on to direct the hostage thriller Borderline.  THR reports that the script from Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li) centers on “a family taken hostage by fugitives. A father with everything on the line engages in a battle of wits with a criminal with nothing to lose in order to save his wife and daughter.”  Lurie reportedly “intends to make a movie that evokes the stories of the amoral and on-the-run such as Hud, The Sugarland Express and The Getaway.”  Jamie Patricof (Blue Valentine), and Voltage Picture’s Nicolas Chartier and Craig Flores (The Hurt Locker) will producer.  The producers and Lurie are currently casting the Everything-on-the-Line Father and the Nothing-to-Lose Criminal.

Lurie’s remake of Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs will finally find its way to theaters on September 16th.

Post Title → Rod Lurie to Direct Hostage Thriller BORDERLINE

New Images from THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN

With The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 arriving later this year (November 18), Summit has finally started up the promotional campaign by giving EW some new images from the final two movies.  In addition, the magazine has tied the new images into a cover story with new quotes from director Bill Condon,  Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner.
While I think the Twilight movies have been getting better with each installment, I’m genuinely excited to see what Condon has done with the final two films as I think he’s a great director.  Also, I can’t wait to see what he’s done with some of the controversial stuff in the last book.

Here’s the synopsis for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn:

In the highly anticipated next chapter of the blockbuster The Twilight Saga, the newfound married bliss of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is cut short when a series of betrayals and misfortunes threatens to destroy their world.

After their wedding, Bella and Edward travel to Rio de Janeiro for their honeymoon, where they finally give in to their passions. Bella soon discovers she is pregnant, and during a nearly fatal childbirth, Edward finally fulfills her wish to become immortal.

But the arrival of their remarkable daughter, Renesmee, sets in motion a perilous chain of events that pits the Cullens and their allies against the Volturi, the fearsome council of vampire leaders, setting the stage for an all-out battle.

The suspenseful and deeply romantic Breaking Dawn continues the epic tale of supernatural fantasy and passionate love that has made The Twilight Saga a worldwide phenomenon.

Currently in Production. U.S. release via Summit Entertainment, November 18, 2011, and November 16, 2012.

Post Title → New Images from THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN

New Release Dates for FINAL DESTINATION 5 and APOLLO 18

A couple of upcoming horror films have landed new release dates.  First up, Final Destination 5has moved from its uncontested date of August 26th to August 12th.  Now the film will have to fight off the R-rated comedy 30 Minutes or Less, the period drama The Help, and the Guillermo del Toro-produced horror flick Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.

Taking up residence at FD5’s old date is the found-footage horror flick Apollo 18.  The film was set to come out this past March, then was moved to April, and then it got kicked all the way to January 6, 2012.  Now it’s moved up to August 26th where it’s only competition will be fellow Weinstein Company film Our Idiot Brother starring Paul Rudd.  Hit the jump for synopses for Final Destination 5 and Apollo 18. [Box Office Mojo]

Here’s the official synopsis for Final Destination 5:

In this fifth installment, Death is just as omnipresent as ever, and is unleashed after one man’s premonition saves a group of coworkers from a terrifying suspension bridge collapse. But this group of unsuspecting souls was never supposed to survive, and, in a terrifying race against time, the ill-fated group frantically tries to discover a way to escape Death’s sinister agenda.

And here’s the official synopsis for Apollo 18:

Officially, Apollo 17, launched December 17th, 1972, was the last manned mission to the moon. But a year later, in December of 1973, two American astronauts were sent on a secret mission to the moon funded by the US Department of Defense. What you are about to see is the actual footage which the astronauts captured on that mission. While NASA denies its authenticity, others say it’s the real reason we’ve never gone back to the moon.

Post Title → New Release Dates for FINAL DESTINATION 5 and APOLLO 18

Brett Ratner May Direct HERCULES: THE THRACIAN WARS

Brett Ratner is in talks to direct Hercules: The Thracian Wars for MGM. As you may recall, last summer Ratner was rumored to be circling the director’s chair for another Hercules movie for producer Avi Lerner (The Expendables).  However, Ratner never signed on that project and The Thracian Wars is a different script.  Vulture reports that the script for this new Hercules project is based off Radical Publishing’s comic book by Steve Moore.  Ryan Condal, who recently penned the script for Alex Proyas’ adaptation of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, will handle the screenplay forHercules.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the comic.

Ratner’s latest film, Tower Heist, stars Ben Stiller as a building manager who attempts to exact financial revenge on a Bernie Madoff-like tenant (Alan Alda).  The film also stars Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, Tea Leoni, Casey Affleck, and Michael Peña.  Tower Heist opens November 4th.

Here’s the official synopsis for Steve Moore’s Hercules: The Thracian Wars:

When the Thracian King summons the Greek hero and his six battle-worn companions to mold the Thracian army into a bloodthirsty, ruthless killing machine, the Son of Zeus rushes to answer the call of war and gold. But within the nation of Thrace lies an epic tale of war, murder, deception, and sacrifice that shows Hercules how far from grace he’s fallen- and what he must accomplish for redemption.

Post Title → Brett Ratner May Direct HERCULES: THE THRACIAN WARS

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON Trailer and First Official Synopsis

The theatrical trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon has landed online. We see some pretty fantastic looking footage on the moon, followed by some really impressive stuff back on Earth. We’re talking full-on invasion this time around. We get our first look at Frances McDormand as well. However, as we all know from the second flick Revenge of the Fallen, simply watching robots fight for 2+ hours does not a good movie make (understatement). This one has to be better thanRevenge of the Fallen, right? Hitting 3D theaters on July 1st, Michael Bay’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon stars Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Tyrese Gibson, Patrick Dempsey, and voice work from Hugo Weaving, Peter Cullen, and Leonard Nimoy.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer along with the first “synopsis” and a new still from the movie.  I put “synopsis” in quotations because it’s more of a logline and not a particularly illuminating one at that.

Here’s the first synopsis for Transformers: Dark of the Moon:

When a mysterious event from Earth’s past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us. The movie stars Shia LaBeouf, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Patrick Dempsey, Kevin Dunn, with John Malkovich and Frances McDormand.

Post Title → TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON Trailer and First Official Synopsis

New Banner for THE HANGOVER PART II

With its May 26th release quickly approaching, Warner Bros. has released a new promotional banner for The Hangover Part II. While I’ve been known to be somewhat critical of the film’s trailer and television spots, I have to say that I enjoy any promotional materials that play up both Ken Jeong and the monkey (not trying to be disrespectful, I truly don’t know his name). Considering both are included here, this new banner is okay in my book.

Directed by Todd Phillips, The Hangover Part II stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Jamie Chung, and Justin Bartha.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Hangover Part II:

THE HANGOVER PART II
In theaters on May 26

(Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures)

Director: Todd Phillips
Writers: Scot Armstrong, Todd Phillips, Craig Mazin
Producers: Todd Phillips, Dan Goldberg
Executive Producers: Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, William Fay, Scott Budnick, Chris Bender, J.C. Spink

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong

Comedy. In the follow-up to the record-breaking hit comedy “The Hangover,” Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don’t always go as planned. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can’t even be imagined.

Post Title → New Banner for THE HANGOVER PART II

DreamWorks and Warner Bros. Team Up for Martin Luther King Jr. Project

While many dueling Martin Luther King Jr. projects are in various stages of development at the moment, it looks like DreamWorks and Warner Bros. have decided to combine their competing projects and co-finance a MLK film together. DreamWorks acquired the rights to Martin Luther King Jr.’s story back in 2009, securing the cooperation of the King estate as well as the rights to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Warner Bros., on the other hand, had scribe Kario Salem (The Score) on board. Salem spent three years researching and doing interviews for his screenplay.

After Universal abruptly pulled out of financing director Paul Greengrass’ controversial film Memphis (covering the days leading up to MLK’s assassination) following pressure from the King estate, THR reports that DreamWorks and Warner Bros. decided to combine the strengths of their respective projects and create a film together, with Salem in negotiations to write the screenplay. Hit the jump for more.

After seeing the trouble that plagued Greengrass’ project, as well as the difficulty Lee Daniels is having getting his own Martin Luther King Jr. film Selma made, DreamWorks and Warner Bros. realized that together they have the support of the King estate and three years worth of research.

Salem will now write a new script, with the King’s involvement. In fact, Martin Luther King II will act as an executive producer on the project. Now, it’s great that the King family has given their support to the project, but I think there’s something to be said about artistic freedom. With King II acting as an executive producer, and the estate keeping a watchful eye over the project, it appears there will be quite a few people the script has to be vetted through.

Personally, I’m much more intrigued by Greengrass’ project. The guy’s an incredible director, and I’m interested in seeing what the King estate was so unhappy with to push them to convince Universal to drop the project.

Post Title → DreamWorks and Warner Bros. Team Up for Martin Luther King Jr. Project

Summit Schedules Sam Worthington Thriller MAN ON A LEDGE for January 13, 2012

Summit has announced a January 13, 2012 release date for Man on a Ledge, its upcoming heist film about, you guessed it, a man on a ledge.  Directed by Asger Leth (Ghosts of Cité Soleil), the film centers on an ex-cop (Sam Worthington) convicted of a crime he didn’t commit who stands on the ledge of a Manhattan building, threatening to kill himself.  However, unbeknownst to the cops on the scene, what appears to be a suicide attempt is in fact a cover for a massive diamond heist.

Along with Worthington, the thriller boasts an impressive cast that includes Elizabeth Banks (The Next Three Days), Jamie Bell (Jane Eyre), Edward Burns (27 Dresses), Ed Harris (The Way Back), Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), and Titus Welliver (Lost).  Read the official synopsis after the jump.

On the new date, reported by The Wrap, Man on a Ledge faces Everybody Loves Whales, A Thousand Words, Joyful Noise, and Premium Rush.  Here’s the official synopsis.

Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) was an honest cop. Now he’s in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Desperate, he seizes the first chance to escape. Hours later, he is freshly shaven in an expensive suit, standing on a window ledge high above New York City. As a crowd gathers below, police cordon off the area and agree to Nick’s request to speak with pretty police negotiator Lydia Anderson (Elizabeth Banks). But Lydia doesn’t know that she is part of his grand plan, a plan that could give them both a second chance.

Speaking quietly into a lapel microphone, Nick coordinates the high-tech theft of a $30 million diamond—the same diamond he was convicted of stealing. It’s the only way he can prove his innocence, but he needs Lydia’s help—and he’s running out of time. When his identity is exposed, a SWAT team positions itself on the roof, read to take him out.  Lydia isn’t sure he’s telling the truth, but if he really was set up for the diamond heist, it had to be an inside job, which means at least one of the cops on the scene wants Nick dead. With SWAT about to move, cops destroying the evidence that could save him and nowhere to go but down, Nick’s chances of survival are getting slimmer by the minute.

Filled with clever twists, Man on a Ledge is a smart, pulse-pounding thriller about a man determined to clear his name, exact revenge and get the girl…if he can just stay one step ahead of the men who put him behind bars.

Post Title → Summit Schedules Sam Worthington Thriller MAN ON A LEDGE for January 13, 2012

ZORRO REBORN Sends the Masked Swordman to a Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland

A large part of Zorro’s charm is his old-fashioned adventuring ways.  He’s a pulp hero who’s instantly recognizable for his mask, cape, and swordsmanship.  20th Century Fox would like to strip all that crap away and send him to the a post-apocalyptic wasteland.  24 Frames reports that the studio is in early development on Zorro Reborn.  This time around, Zorro “will be less a caped crusader for justice than a one-man vigilante force bent on revenge, in a western story that has echoes of both Sergio Leone and No Country for Old Men.” Good, because I haven’t seen a movie before where a one-man vigilante force roams the post-apocalyptic wasteland before.  Wait—sorry, I have actually seen that—many times.  But in all fairness, the vigilante wasn’t named Zorro.

Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy, the screenwriters behind the Dracula re-imagining Harker wrote the script and pre-visualization specialist Rpin Suwannath (The Matrix) will make his directing debut on the flick. (For those who don’t know, pre-viz  is way of creating motion storyboards that can better illustrated the flow of a scene) Hit the jump for more of my thoughts on Zorro Reborn.

As tempting as it is to write this off completely, I have to applaud Fox for taking on a story that sounds slightly bonkers.  And it could work.  I’m not exactly sure how you keep Zorro as Zorro when you take away his distinctive elements, but perhaps Shipman and McGreevy have found a way to make it work.

However, 24 Frames says that the project is a “dark reinvention”, which I really don’t need out of a Zorro film.  I don’t need a gritty, tortured Zorro.  It’s Zorro.  Is it such a crime for the character to be light and fun?

Dammit, now I just want to go and watch Martin Campbell’s excellent The Mask of Zorro.

Post Title → ZORRO REBORN Sends the Masked Swordman to a Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland