Movie News

General News:

David Goyer on Warner Brothers’ DC properties:
“A lot of the DC movies at Warner Brothers are all on hold while the[y] figure out, they’re going to come up with some new plan, methodology, things like that so everything has just been pressed pause on at the moment. It was the double header of both Iron Man and The Dark Knight coming out, so more than ever I think they’ve realized, I think DC was responsible for 50% of Warner Brother’s revenue this year, something crazy like that, so they realized that comic books, it’s become a new genre, one of the most successful genres.” This would affect titles like Justice League of America, Super Max, The Flash, The Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, and any second Batman Begins sequel.

Prequels, Sequels & Remakes:

Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell are in talks to play the villains in Iron Man 2. While there are conflicting reports on who Rourke would play, Rockwell would be “Justin Hammer, a multibillionaire businessman and a rival of industrialist Anthony Stark, aka Iron Man.” Also Paul Bettany will reprise his role as the voice of Jarvis.

Tim Roth says he’s signed on for more Incredible Hulk movies: “Yeah, they’ve got me for three. If we do one.”

Danny Elfman will compose the score for Terminator Salvation. In fact, he’s already started on it.

After rumors he was being replaced, Taylor Lautner will be reprising his role as Jacob in Twilight sequel New Moon. Lautner has been working out in order to fit the part and Chris Weitz, who is replacing Catherine Hardwicke as director, said he’s “emotionally right for the part.” Production starts soon, with a November 20th release date.

Disney has signed on Garrett Hedlund to star in the Joseph Kosinski directed Tron sequel – now going by the title Tron. They’re looking at a spring production.

Director McG has signed on for Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo. Bill Marsilli’s script, a prequel about the origin of Nemo and the building of Nautilus, is being fast-tracked by the studio and they hope to film this year.

Adaptations:

Watchmen: So, in December, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess ruled that Warner Brothers had infringed on Fox’s copyright by developing and filming the movie, later setting a January 20 trial to decide the remaining issues (damages, the extent of Fox’s rights and their ability to block the movie). Then last Friday attorneys for Fox and WB asked Feess to delay a hearing that was to move up the decision over whether or not Watchmen could be released on March 6 saying, “settlement talks have been productive” and wanted to continue through the weekend. Feess agreed, but left the January 20 trial date set. If the two sides can’t reach an agreement before the 20, an injunction will be issued to prevent the film’s release as far back as 2011. Meanwhile there’s been some heated letter writing and WB have opened a viral marketing site.

Writer John August says Shazam! is dead.

According to AICN, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have been cast in Steven Spielberg’s Tintin movie as Thompson and Thompson, along with Andy Serkis who’ll play Captain Haddock.

Myriad Pictures and publisher Studio 407 are teaming up for The Night Projectionist. Part of a first look deal, Robert Heske and Giego Yapura’s horror miniseries “takes place on Halloween Eve in a small-town movie theater, where an all-night Draculathon draws throngs of moviegoers who suddenly find themselves locked inside the theater, which is slowly filling with vampires.” The first issue comes out in February.

Director Darren Aronofsky says an adaptation of Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima’s manga Lone Wolf and Cub is no longer in active development, “The rights from Japan were never cleared. They tried for a while. I don’t think it’s getting out of there anytime soon.” (E: This makes me sad)

Meanwhile, Keanu Reeves is all excited over the idea of possibly playing Spike Spiegel in the Cowboy Bebop movie being put together by producer Erwin Stoff. “We’re taking the Red Eye [story], the beginning part of the series, and then we’ll deal with the end of the series. We’re trying to figure out [the time frame]. We’re looking at the story right now.” (E: I’m sorry, I just can’t see it myself. This makes me depressed.)

Wagner/Cuban Companies’ Magnet Releasing has announced its US distribution rights to Mutant Chronicles. The Simon Hunter directed action scifi starring Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, Devon Aoki, and John Malkovich will premiere on W/C’s Ultra VOD on Friday, March 27, 2009, followed by a theatrical release in select cities on Friday, April 24.

Darko Entertainment has the film rights to Robert Cormier’s YA invisible boy novel Fade. Adam Prince will adapt the story, set in 1938, about a 13 year old who has the ability to “fade.” Darko will finance and produce with Richard Kelly, Sean McKittrick, and Ted Hamm as producers.

Teresa Palmer has joined Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel on Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. “Taking its cues from the classic Goethe and Paul Dukas-inspired Mickey Mouse portion of Fantasia, the movie centers on an apprentice (Baruchel) who is left to tend to a magic workshop when his sorcerer master (Cage) leaves it in his hands. The apprentice gets a broomstick to do his chores for him, but things get out of control when the broom develops a mind of its own.” Jon Turteltaub is directing.

Leonardo DiCaprio will star in, and produce with Julie Yorn and Jennifer Davisson Killoran, New Regency’s Beat the Reaper, based on the Josh Bazell novel. It’s about “a Manhattan emergency room doctor, whose life becomes complicated when a mobster recognizes the doc from his former life as a hitman who went into the witness protection program.”