WEEKLY MOVIE NEWS

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Luke Cage Making Progress at Sony Source: Comics Continuum Wednesday, January 14, 2004

Comics Continuum talked to Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige who said that the live-action Luke Cage movie is making progress at Sony and might be a 2005 release.

"Ben Ramsey turned in one of the best drafts that I have ever read," Feige said. "It's going to have a totally unique flavor from all of our films. It's totally contemporary Cage and a helluva lot of fun."

Feige said Cage's signature "Sweet Christmas" is part of the film, but it isn't a retro-movie. A director or star have not been announced yet by the studio.

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3 New Spider-Man 2 Pictures! Source: Anonymous Wednesday, January 14, 2004

An anonymous scooper has proven that what was said here about the Sunday Telegraph is accurate. The article did indeed appear in the paper, and our source has provided us with scans of the three pictures that went along with it.

The pictures are not the best in quality (remember, they're just scans), but you can check them out in the SHH-Media gallery. They're the first three there. The Doc Ock one is especially nice!

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If this turns out to be legit STAR WARS fans will have a Brit magazine named Hotdog to thank for it, but here goes: according to the December 2003 issue of that magazine, Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew said that when he signed his contract to work in EPISODE III, there was a clause that he would be "required" to work in EPISODES VII, XIII and IX of the STAR WARS film series.

TheForce.net is running this story and are already on the case, emailing Lucasfilm to ask for confirmation or denial of the story. If it is true, it will contradict what STAR WARS creator George Lucas has told fans these past few years, that there won't be a third trilogy of films after all.


Before STAR WARS fans leap into hyperspace we should wait for what Lucasfilm has to say on the matter. And just to drive the die-hard STAR WARS fans nuts, if Chewie were to make appearances in three new STAR WARS films, that certainly would invalidate the Wookiee's death in the book franchise, wouldn't it?

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The Day After Tomorrow is not Independence Day.

Considering that we're in the middle of January, that might not shock you. But we're talking movies here, and by the time Day After is released for Memorial Day weekend, everyone will be comparing the two disaster movies. After all:

• Roland Emmerich directed both movies.

• Both films dramatize the destruction of internationally famous landmarks.

• Both are special-effects extravaganzas and, just as Independence Day did before it, The Day After Tomorrow is likely to redefine the disaster film.

• 20th Century Fox, the distributor of both films, is pushing the connection to the max.

But though movie fans have clamored for a sequel to Independence Day, this movie isn't it, Emmerich says.

In fact, after 9/11, such a movie became impossible, he believes.

"Blowing up buildings is an image you don't want to see anymore," Emmerich says, referring to Independence Day's famous White House explosion scene. "The movie is quite different from Independence Day, and I don't want to repeat myself, to be honest. I wanted to make the movie because the mood is so different than Independence Day. I sometimes think the comparison will only hurt it."

While aliens were the enemy in Independence Day, in The Day After Tomorrow, the enemy is us. The film is a nightmare story not about what could happen but what will happen if global warming worsens and world leaders look the other way, Emmerich says.

And so, in The Day After Tomorrow, tornadoes rip apart Los Angeles; a snowstorm buries New Delhi; hail the size of grapefruit batters Tokyo; and in New York City, the temperature swings from sweltering to freezing in one day. Dennis Quaid plays a paleoclimatologist trying to save his son (Jake Gyllenhaal) from the new ice age.

"A catastrophe where nature is going wild has a totally different feel to it," Emmerich says. "I read a couple of books, and I said to myself, this could happen. You have to make it as entertaining as possible, but you still want to raise a warning flag."

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Trailers Online for The Passion, Starsky & Hutch, and Van Helsing

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Sean Astin to Direct Fantastic Four? Source: Agalaxia.com.br Friday, January 16, 2004

How's this for a scoop? Check out what 'Gelogurte' from Agalaxia.com.br has today about Sean Astin, who played Samwise 'Sam' Gamgee in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy!

For The Return of the King release, brazilian journalist Rodrigo Salem from SET Magazine, the biggest movie magazine in Brazil, went to New York and talked a bit to Sean Astin about his next projects. Can you imagine what it is? I tried to translate part of the interview. You know, the part that really matters. Here it goes:

SET: You were highly praised over your short movie The Long and Short of It which is in The Two Towers DVD. Do you have any plans of directing something bigger?
SEAN ASTIN: Oh, yeah! I always wanted to act and direct with the same intensity but only now I've found the way to get to directing. Right now I'm running to be the director of this US$ 100, US$ 130 million movie which the studio wants to release in the end of 2004 and it has a huge effect in pop culture. I got a meeting scheduled but I can't talk about it yet.

SET: Is it a comic book adaptation?
SA: You figured it out, huh?

SET: You're running for the director's chair of Fantastic Four, right?
SA: Yes.

SET: You've got some pretty heavy competition ahead of you. I heard Steven Soderbergh is interested and that he was offered the job by the studio specially because he could bring George Clooney as Reed Richards.
SA: Yeah but I'm a friend of George Clooney too (laughs). I think he would make a perfect Reed Richards.

SET: And who would be your Human Torch?
SA: Oh, he's right over there. Orlando Bloom.

And that's that. I don't know if you remember but a few months ago some sites reported that Astin was actually seen at a comic book store buying quite a lot of Fantastic Four comics. Guess he was making his homework. I just hope he picked some of the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby books. And John Byrne's. And some Mark Waid/Mike Wieringo too. I didn't know Soderbergh was even on the run.

Oh, and just so people don't think I'm full of it, they can click Agalaxia.com.br and check the scanned page of the magazine.

Astin recently directed the short "The Long and Short of It" and has helmed episodes of "Jeremiah" and "Angel".

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First 10 Minutes of Van Helsing Screened Source: Ain't-It-Cool-News Sunday, January 18, 2004

A scooper for Ain't-It-Cool-News got an early peek at the first 10 minutes of Hugh Jackman's Van Helsing at the Munich Film Week. Here's the spoiler description of what was shown from the Stephen Sommers film.

The movie starts with the famous Universal logo, which, while turning black and white, turns into a fireball of a torch, which belongs to the mob outside a castle. Inside, Dr. Frankenstein awakens the monster while the mob tries to break in to kill it. After the successful awakening we can see Count Dracula who - as we find out - financed the whole endeavour, apparently because his three brides wanted him to (?!?). Since he doesn't need the Doctor anymore, he kills him (his jaws/teeth reminded me a bit of Fright Night). In the meantime the monster gets rid of the straps on the table and flees with the body of his "father" to the nearby windmill. The mob follows him and puts the windmill on fire. The mob panics as the count and his three brides fly towards the windmill. Apparently they arrive too late, as the windmill collapses.

Cut to Paris at night (now in color), where Van Helsing removes a Wanted Poster (I think it was him on it) and walks into Notre Dame where a very tall (think Hulk) Mr. Hyde is expecting him. After a long fight, including a huge church bell and the loss of one of Mr. Hydes arms (as soon as it is cut off, it turns into the arm of Dr. Jekyll), Hyde falls to his death from the top of one of the towers of Notre Dame. The people in front of the church scream murderer to Van Helsing as the body lying on the floor now belongs to a mere mortal (Dr. Jekyll, of course).

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News Superman Production Details? Source: Superman-V.com Monday, January 19, 2004

'Robert' alerted us that Superman-V.com has posted some possible details on the Superman production. Here's a clip...

No start date has been set but they are looking to begin pre-production in 3 months. The majority of shooting will be done in Sydney (doubling for Metropolis) and the Fox Studios. Expect work to be done in the US as well, we’ve already seen location shots for a possible Smallville shoot in Washington. Fenway Park may also host a scene from the film. Also, no costume design has been finalised yet, so plenty of time to avoid another Catwoman!

January 2005 is looking like a strong possibility for the start of principal photography; with pre-production taking place throughout 2004. The script is currently undergoing re-writes by McG and JJ Abrams (who talked to Sci Fi Wire about the movie recently).

Despite what the AFC say, McG is attached to Superman. WB just haven’t gone through official channels yet to confirm it. I think it’s safe to assume he will direct this movie. Directors usually sign on to a project when it moves from development to pre-production. Every insider S-V talks to refers to it as "McG's Superman". Robert asked his reps if he'd dotted the i's and crossed the t's yet, "No comment at this point". He went on to say, "I'm sure they'll be an announcement soon."

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It only took the X-Files a few years to become legend, certainly one of the most famous shows of the last decade if not all of TV history, but the franchise's future remains as mysterious and elusive as the alien conspiracy the show kept taunting us with and then holding back. 'Mulder 21' chimes in today with word on why talk of a second movie has all but died in recent months:

I placed a phone call to 1013 Productions the other day and receieved a pre-recorded message that said "You have reached an unassigned number for 20th Century Fox in Los Angeles. Please re-check the number you are dialing."

It would appear that 1013 no longer has an office on the 20th Century Fox lot, which may also mean that Fox no longer has a desire to work with Chris Carter. Chris Carter was under contract to produce another TV Pilot for the network, however no word on the development of such a project has surfaced, or even been rumoured. One would think that if Fox was still interested in another series from Chris Carter, 1013 would still have an office at 20th Century Fox.

Also, it might be interesting to take note that, recently Sandy Grushow, a long time friend of Chris Carter and a major player in The X-Files being picked up by the network, has resigned from 20th Century Fox to pursue other interests. Rumour has it that not many people at Fox have been X-Files friendly since the show's ratings plummetted in seasons 8 and 9, and Sandy was one of the few who probably would have some influence into getting a movie in the works.

However, The X-Files may not be dead and buried yet. February 18th, 2004 the videogame "The X-Files: Resist or Serve" is being released. Often times, a videogame will be released prior to movie production in an attempt to gauge and attract a potential audience for a theatrical release. Some recent examples are Indiana Jones and Mission: Impossible. While there may be no current plans to develop an X-Files feature film, I'm sure Fox is not dismissing the idea outright. If the videogame does well, they may very well decide to give another X-Files movie a shot, or they may decide to turn to a videogame franchise as opposed to a movie franchise, since the videogame industry is now worth billions of dollars, and according to many analysts, is on the same level as Hollywood movie-making as far as revenue is concerned.

Also, if indeed, Chris Carter and Fox had a falling out, which resulted in 1013 leaving the Fox lot, and Fox allowing Chris Carter's contract run out without producing another pilot, Fox may consider doing another X-Files movie without Chris Carter as he apparently has not made good on many of his contractual obligations since the X-Files ended (he was set to direct a motion picture for Dimension Films, produce another pilot for Fox, and had a multi-million dollar book deal, none of which he has completed)".

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Rob Cohen's Live-Action Kite Moving Forward Source: The Hollywood Reporter Tuesday, January 20, 2004

Anant Singh's Distant Horizon is moving forward with Kite, director Rob Cohen's live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime cult classic from Yasuomi Umetsu, by hiring screenwriter Kamran Pasha to write the screenplay.

The Hollywood Reporter says the new version, which will be toned down to exclude some of the graphic adult situations in the original, is being produced by Cohen along with Singh and Distant Horizon's Brian Cox.

The original film centers on a young woman named Sawa who is taken off the streets after the murder of her parents by a Svengali-like detective. The man, who employs homeless children to do his dirty work, forces her to kill his chosen targets until she is able to break free of his control.

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Word on the Upcoming Fantasy Films Source: USA Today Tuesday, January 20, 2004

USA Today has published a great article on the possible upcoming fantasy films that will be going for the same box office success as "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy enjoyed.

Producer Walter Parkes says Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, which Paramount will release on December 17, is "more ironic, quite sophisticated but also Dickensian." It's also funnier than Tolkien, especially with Jim Carrey as a terrible actor named Count Olaf who is after the inheritance of his parentless charges. "He disguises himself and fools the adults, but he's transparent to the children," Parkes says.

Production company Walden Media is seeking a distributor for its film based on the first volume of C.S. Lewis' seven-novel series. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, four children travel through a closet and enter the kingdom of Narnia, where they meet the lion Aslan. Many of the pieces for the production expected to start this year already are in place, including a New Zealand locale, director Andrew Adamson (Shrek) and Weta Workshop, the effects house that won Oscars for its work on "Rings". Adamson, who first read the storybooks as a boy, says, "I always thought Narnia was real. I don't want to make the book as much as my memory of the book. Aslan has to be a talking, emoting character."

Meanwhile, what about The Hobbit, Tolkien's own precursor to "The Lord of the Rings"? New Line has production rights although the situation is complicated by MGM/UA's distribution ownership. "There's a reasonable possibility that we can negotiate an arrangement," New Line co-chairman Bob Shaye says. The studio also has the rights to create its own original prequel or sequel to "The Lord of the Rings," but would pursue the projects only if Jackson would be involved again.

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Ehren Kruger Penning Blood and Chocolate Source: Variety Tuesday, January 20, 2004

The Ring and The Ring 2 screenwriter Ehren Kruger will next turn his attention to Blood and Chocolate at MGM. In addition to the deal to pen the script, Kruger will for the first time step into an executive producer role. Sanji Senaka will direct the feature, which will be his feature debut.

The film adapts Annette Curtis Klause's popular teen horror novel, which portrays a secret society of werewolves living in modern society. The original story, which will be reworked by Kruger, follows the difficult romance between a young woman werewolf and a human boy.

MGM is readying "Blood" for a summer start. Kruger is preparing The Ring 2 for a spring start and is also working on The Talisman, the Stephen King adaptation being produced by Steven Spielberg and Kennedy/Marshall for DreamWorks and Universal. That film is set to shoot this summer.

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Is Gwen Stacy Still in Spider-Man 2? Source: Anonymous Tuesday, January 20, 2004

An anonymous scooper sent in the following about Spider-Man 2. Is it true? Hard to tell...

Long story short, my buddy pointed me to this page. He is a Spidey maniac. I told him about a scene we're currently recording for Spider-Man 2. It is called "New Girl" and is IMO a slow paced and rather boring scene. But for some reason, it has the entire studio a buzz. Apparently the girl in the scene with Peter is named Gwen Stacy. I don't know that for sure, but the name "Stacy" continuously comes up and my buddy told me her name is Gwen. She is some young pretty blond girl who just has a few quick words with Peter. Take this with a grain of salt. None of us know for sure, it's just the buzz. My buddy showed me a comic with this Gwen chick and I can voucher that it certainly looks like her. Well, any way...I can tell you for sure that the music in that scene is fantastic!

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Terry Gilliam Talks The Brothers Grimm Source: Empire Online Tuesday, January 20, 2004

Empire Online caught up with The Brothers Grimm director Terry Gilliam who gave an update on the action adventure.

"Well we've finished shooting! Now we're editing it. I actually saw the first assembly today for the first time, and, well, it's going to be busy for the next few months," says Gilliam. "There's hundreds of special effects shots. Part of it is editing in the dark, because you're trying to imagine extraordinary things."

The film is about the two brothers, played by Heath Ledger and Matt Damon, who travel around the Napoleonic countryside vanquishing fake monsters and demons in exchange for cash. When the French government figures out what they're up to, they force the brothers to deal with the real thing—a number of murders being committed under mysterious circumstances in the northern woods between Germany and France. It is there that they have to try and discover what's really happening and deal with it before more people are killed or their lack of success leads to the guillotine.

"These are very different from their normal characters. They're cast completely against type, which is always a gamble, but when it pays off I love it," adds Gilliam. "The actors love it, and the audience likes waking up and discovering the world is different every day."

The director will also be trying to get back the rights for the failed production The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

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''Gareth' has done an exhaustive job compiling a list of all the goss after talking with stunt co-ordinator Nick Gillard in a recent webchat. Here's the breakdown:

- A lot of people in Ep3 will be hit with a lightsaber the way Obi-Wan was hit in Ep2.

- Nick's cameo Jedi character has long hair and will be seen facing off against Anakin.

- Obi-Wan of course defeats Anakin in Ep3, but winning one fight does not necessarily make one the best at it.

- There will be short scenes/shots of Hayden and Ewan doing lightsaber work during the pick-up shooting in March.

- We will see the younglings fighting, which will include Rick McCallum's daughter (Mousy McCallum)'s Jedi character.

- Darth Sidious uses his lightsaber.

- Nick and Hayden have seen the first 1/2 hour of the film and were very excited.

- The Anakin/Obi-Wan fight will be the longest SW fight ever. It is currently edited at 10 minutes!

- Nick has seen Hayden in the Vader costume.

- As it stands now, the final duel will not be intercut with other action sequences, though that is subject to change.

- The Anakin/Obi-Wan duel is very fast, similar to the speed of the Obi-Wan/Darth Maul duel.

- Nick was not in ROTJ.

- Nick is always having to "lay down the law" with Hayden during training.

- If Nick shared any new information not yet known he would suffer "grevious" bodily harm from Rick.

- Nick's Jedi character cameo is only a few seconds.

- There will be more than 2 people fighting in the confines of the Trade Federation ship fight scene.

- Nick was sitting right next to Mousy McCallum (aka "Script Girl") for this webchat.

- Mousy said she flipped off the webcam because 'ol Rick told her to.

- Nick's favorite lightsaber from the saga is his own and it is yellow.

- Mace (Sam) does not use "vaapad" (?) in Ep3, he does what Nick tells him to do for the scene.

- Mousy said "he-ell no" to the question on whether Rick can beat Nick in a fight.

- Nick was not willing to tell us why he and Hayden were practicing lightsaber fighting together as was seen on yesterday's webcam shots.

- The casting is decided for both the character's personality in mind and the build of the actors, but moreso the character.

- There are so many memorable fights aside from the Obi-Wan/Anakin duel, but Nick likes the one he cannot reveal.

- Anakin's fighting style will certainly change as the character goes further towards the dark side.

- Mousy listens to hardcore rap and is a self-proclaimed "inside-out oreo".

- When asked if we will finally see an extended fight when a character wields 2 lightsabers against one, Nick said he wished we could have seen the parts of the Ep2 duel that were cut out.

- When asked if we will see any more beheadings like Jango in Ep2, Nick said "heads will roll in Ep3".

- Nick's description of "the big fight" in 5 words: "#####, ####, #####, #####, ##"

- Nick thinks it is possible for Ep3 to have a PG rating.

- Nick's Jedi character's name is "Cin Drallig", his real name spelled backwards.

- "Kit Fisto goes out like a Bi'tch."

- It is posible for someone to wield two sabers at once but since it is uncomfortable, they would need very special training.

- Nick & Mousy both grind their teeth when watching the lightsaber fights from the classic trilogy and thinking how they could have been improved, especially when matching the fighting and skills to the characters involved.

- We will see double-bladed lightsabers in Ep3.