Venom Movie Moving Forward?

Source:SCI FI Wire

September 26, 2009

SCI FI Wire got a chance to talk to Zombieland co-writer Paul Wernick about the script for "Spider-Man" spin-offVenom that he wrote with Rhett Reese.

"We've written two drafts of Venom, and the studio has it, and they're pushing forward in whatever ways they push forward," Wernick said. He was tight-lipped about whether there was a relationship between Spider-Man 4 and theVenom project.

"We can't really talk about that, unfortunately," he added. "Basically, the studio and Marvel and the Arads are taking our drafts and going beyond and figuring out what's the next step."

Diablo Cody to Pen Playboy Movie?

Source:Hugh Hefner

September 26, 2009

Hugh Hefner may have spilled the beans about who is writing Universal's Playboy movie on the magazine founder's life. On Twitter, Hefner posted:

Meeting with Diablo COdy to talk about the Brian Grazer Playboy film today.

It was previously announced that John Hoffman was writing the script for the biopic, which had Brett Ratner attached to direct.

The Cody-penned Jennifer's Body opened earlier this month. It was her follow-up to the hit Juno.

Harris Cast in Night of the Living Dead: Origins

Source:ShockTillYouDrop.com

September 26, 2009

ShockTillYouDrop.com reports that Danielle Harris (Halloween II) has been cast as Barbara in the 3D CGI pic Night of the Living Dead: Origins.

The film, to be directed by newcomer Zebediah de Soto and produced by Simon West and Simon West Productions president Jib Polhemus, will be an origin story without the involvement of George A. Romero.

De Soto, who wrote the script with David R. Schwartz, wants to update the tale partially by bringing out the characters' backstories and make what he called "an American-style anime."

Avatar: The Game Walkthrough Video

Source:Ubisoft

September 24, 2009

Ubisoft has released this new walkthrough video of "James Cameron's Avatar: The Game" which features the first gameplay footage of the title based on James Cameron's Avatar, opening in theaters on December 18. Ubisoft describes the video as follows:

Today, were throwing you into the Pandora rain forest, one of 16 different environments in the game, as a member of the Resources Development Administration, or RDA military.

ET's Full Iron Man 2 Set Visit!

Source:He-Man

September 25, 2009

Entertainment Tonight recently got a chance to visit the set of Iron Man 2 and has now posted their full, 5-minute-long set visit online, which you can watch using the player below! You'll get a look at some great behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the stars.

Opening in theaters on May 7, 2010, the Jon Favreau-directed sequel stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Favreau, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Garry Shandling, John Slattery, Kate Mara, Clark Gregg and Olivia Munn.

The Hobbit and James Bond 23 in Trouble?

Source:Deadline Hollywood

September 25, 2009

Deadline Hollywood is reporting that MGM is needing $20M in short-term cash flow to cover overhead, and an additional $150 million to get through the end of year to stay out of bankruptcy and possibly losing such franchise films as The Hobbit (and its sequel) and James Bond 23. Here's an excerpt from the article:

So the bondhholders said to MGM, in essence, that they were going to let the studio go bankrupt and collect their money since they'd be first in line to get paid. But Cooper explained that this would be the worst possible outcome for the creditors and the company. Because if MGM were forced into bankruptcy, then it would lose James Bond and the studio doesn't think it can stay alive without 007. Also, a lot of other issues would surface that would tremendously hurt MGM.

Also, if MGM goes through bankruptcy, that's a very expensive prospect (where only the lawyers get rich), and extremely disruptive (since who would do business with MGM in the interim) and won’t get the creditors what they want which is their money back. It's more than simply MGM losing Bond. The studio could lose a lot of other franchises.

Do you think the creditors will save the day for MGM, or do you think they'll let the studio go into bankruptcy and risk losing such franchises?

Raimi to Produce Supernatural Horror Pic Refuge

Source:The Hollywood Reporter

September 24, 2009

Sam Raimi has signed on to produce supernatural horror film Refuge, based on a pitch from up-and-coming British director Corin Hardy. The project has been set up at Mandate.

Refuge centers on a remote town terrorized by a Yeti, the mythological creature native to the mountains of the Himalayas. Hardy will direct from a script by fellow British writer Tom De Ville.

Blum's Blumhouse Productions will finance a short film with the same premise as the Refuge feature. Hardy and De Ville will work on that as well. The idea is to offer a teaser that can help Hardy r

Bateman Talks Hancock 2, Arrested Development Movie

Source:Heather Newgen

September 24, 2009

On Wednesday, ComingSoon.net asked Jason Bateman about the status of Hancock 2 since it was reported in Variety recently that the comedic actor will reprise his role in the Columbia Pictures sequel. Bateman told us it wasn't true, at least not yet.

"I only know what I've read," Bateman said. "No one has contacted me or anybody that represents me to ask if we were interested. I don't know anything about it. It's surprising to me that Variety would write that story because they're usually pretty well vetted before they report something and that was completely false. I haven't heard anything about it. The whole thing about me being on board could not be farther from the truth. I would love to be a part of the film, but I haven't heard anything about it."

While Hancock 2 may not be happening for now, Arrested Development is.

"It's still being written and my guess is that is will be shot some time next year," Bateman added. "I have a feeling that Mitch [Hurwitz] is halfway done writing it. We'll probably shoot it middle of next year and then for however long things take to get cut and marketed, so maybe the first part of 2011 I would imagine. That's just a guess."

Bateman can next be seen on October 9th in Universal Pictures' Couples Retreat, also starring Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman and Kristen Davis.

Alexander and Feore Join Thor Cast

Source:The Hollywood Reporter

September 23, 2009

Jaimie Alexander ("Kyle XY") and Colm Feore have joined the cast of Marvel Studios' comic book adaptation Thor, to be directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Alexander and Feore join Chris Hemsworth, already cast as Thor; Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki, the god of mischief who serves as the movie's villain; and Natalie Portman is Thor's human love, Jane Foster.

In Marvel's epic fantasy, Alexander is playing Sif, a skilled Asgardian warrior who can hold her own against any man. She also is one of Thor's loves.

Feore's character is shrouded in mystery, though it is known to be a villain.

The Thor movie spans the Marvel Universe; from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Singer Confirmed for Jack the Giant Killer

Source:Heat Vision

September 23, 2009

Bryan Singer has signed on to direct Jack the Giant Killer, the fantasy adventure from New Line and Legendary Pictures.

The film, written by Mark Bomback (Live Free or Die Hard), takes an adult look at the Jack and the Beanstalk legend. When a princess is kidnapped, a long-standing peace between men and giants becomes threatened, and a young farmer is given an opportunity to lead a dangerous expedition to the giant kingdom to rescue her.


Neal Moritz is producing via his Original Film along with David Dobkin.

ET to Air Iron Man 2 Set Visit

Source:Entertainment Tonight

September 23, 2009

Entertainment Tonight visited the set of Iron Man 2 and will be running their segment on Thursday. You can check out a promo below!

Lin and Moritz Reteam on Highlander

Source:Summit Entertainment

September 22, 2009

Summit Entertainment announced today that it has tapped the filmmaking team behind this spring's hit film Fast & Furious – director Justin Lin and producer Neal H. Moritz – to direct and produce respectively the studio's re-imagination of the cult film Highlander. Summit's Highlander is being written by Iron Man screenwriters Art Marcum and Matt Holloway. Peter Davis, long time producer of Highlander, will also produce the film. Summit acquired the rights to remake the cult classic from Davis - Panzer Productions, Inc. in May of 2008.

Summit's film will expand on the original Highlander's core mythology of immortals battling amongst us, hunting each other through the ages by tapping its newly minted creative team to take its re-imagination to new heights. Plans call for the re-imagination to spur a new franchise for the studio.

"We are privileged to have this amazing opportunity to reinvent one of the great franchises," said Patrick Wachsberger, co-chairman of Summit Entertainment. "Neal and Justin have proven more than once that they can deliver an entertaining and exciting blockbuster."

Added Peter Davis of Davis-Panzer Productions, "Justin and Neal are an exciting directing/producing team and I am confident that they will deliver a truly dynamic film while being totally respectful of 'Highlander' Legend."

In Highlander, after centuries of dueling to survive against others like him, Connor MacLeod, an immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his kind, a murderously brutal barbarian, who lusts for the fabled Prize.

Justin Lin most recently directed the hit action film Fast & Furious, the fourth film of the franchise. He also directed The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Better Luck Tomorrow.

In addition to Fast & Furious, Neal Moritz and his Original Film banner have produced a myriad of action films including the upcoming Flash Gordon and The Green Hornet as well as I Am Legend, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Shuler Donner Wants X4 and The New Mutants

Source:/Film

September 22, 2009

/Film talked to "X-Men" franchise producer Lauren Shuler Donner who revealed which other movies she'd like to see happen in addition to X-Men: First Class:

As well as the eventual New Class, then - whenever that might be - Shuler Donner revealed that she has been cooking up plans for several other mutant films. The two she named? An X4, reuniting the X-Men and a big screen outing for The New Mutants. X4, she said, had yet to be pitched to the studio, however.

It will be interesting to see which movie gets going first, with Deadpool, Magneto and Wolverine 2 also in the mix.

Brad Pitt May Star in Sherlock Holmes Sequel

Source:Risky Biz Blog

September 22, 2009

The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Biz Blog is reporting that Warner Bros. has already started developing a sequel to Sherlock Holmes by bringing on Kieran and Michele Mulroney to write the script. The duo previously penned Justice League: Mortal for the studio, and also wrote the upcoming Paper Man.

Brad Pitt has had discussions with producers to star as Holmes' nemesis Moriarty in the next installment, adds the site, but there is no deal in place for him to take the part yet.

Opening in theaters on Christmas Day, Sherlock Holmes was directed by Guy Ritchie and stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan and Kelly Reilly.

Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Lionel Wigram and Simon Kinberg all worked on the screenplay for the first film.

Exclusive: Clive Owen & Scott Hicks on The Boys are Back

Source:Edward Douglas

September 22, 2009

The first time ComingSoon.net interviewed Australian director Scott Hicks, it was for his Warner Bros. romantic comedy No Reservations, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, then we sat down again with him last year for his documentary Glass: A Portrait of Philip in 12 Parts. At the time, he told us about his new movie The Boys are Back and with its release on Friday, that's three movies in three years for the filmmaker who seemingly disappeared off the map after 2001's Hearts in Atlantis, which itself was only Hicks' second movie after being nominated for an Oscar for directing and writing Shine.

In the movie baesd on the memoirs of journalist Simon Carr, Clive Owen plays Joe Warr, a British sportswriter who moved to Australia to be with his new wife Katy (Laura Fraser). When she suddenly dies of cancer, Joe is forced to care for their young, inquisitive son Artie (Nicholas McAnulty), the duo soon being joined by Joe's estranged teen son from another marriage, Harry (George MacKay), who comes to Australia hoping to connect with his father. The results are a powerful and moving film that deals with grief and parenthood in a tasteful, artistic and unmelodramatic way, yet it's likely to have you laughing and tearing up even if you've never been a father yourself.

For our third interview in three years, we got to speak to Mr. Hicks alongside his star Clive Owen, an actor we've also interviewed many times over the past few years, but never in such an intimate setting.

ComingSoon.net: By the way, your Philip Glass documentary made my Top 10 last year.
Scott Hicks: Fantastic.

CS: Congratulations. Top 10 out of 400 movies.
Hicks: Whoo! I love that, thank you. Here we have another film about someone trying to balance their life.

CS: I've never read the book, so what drew the both of you to this material and how did the two of you come together?
Hicks: It was a script. It was sent to me as a screenplay and I hadn't read the book either. For me, it was actually this combination of emotion and humor if you like. So when I went to Clive with it - I don't know what drew Clive into the material, but it was just a feeling that here was someone who could capture both those elements if you like. He was the obvious first choice, but you don't usually get them. (Laughs) You know what I mean? So I was actually thrilled when he said "yes" and it'd obviously caught him.
Clive Owen: Yes, it resonated very strongly with me. I was very, very taken with the script; I found it very, very moving, very beautifully written and I was a big fan of Scott's. We actually took a long time to come together. It was a good few years where our schedules weren't quite meeting and we were trying to do it. It was one of those that every time it came up, it was like, "Don't let that go. There's something about this project," and thankfully, it all came together eventually.

CS: Was Simon involved with the screenwriter while he was writing that script?
Hicks: Yeah, Simon was involved with Al Cubitt, not on the script as such, but Al knew Simon well and had spent a lot of time with him, but it was entirely Al's creation. The interesting thing is that the memoir is a collection of anecdotes and reflections and philosophies and ideas, but what Al did was create a narrative through which that voice could be heard. I mean, when you read the book, you won't necessarily read all the incident that you see in the film, but what you will hear is the same voice, very much the voice of Simon Carr that comes through Clive's character. I think that was Al's great contribution was to create a narrative that threaded together all of this incident in the memoir.

CS: Did you want to meet Simon or have any kind of connection to his book?
Owen: No, I mean, I read the book. Yes, as soon as I read the script I got and read the book, but I didn't really want to meet him, no. I felt a strong instinct when I read it, and I felt I wanted to come to this and interpret it very cleanly and it would've thrown me to actually meet him I think.

CS: Now what about playing a father? I think obviously you've had kids in movies before, but this is really all about being a father.
Owen: That was a huge attraction to me because, you know, I am a parent. I've got two girls and I've always seen parenting as a separate thing from my work really. I go off and I make movies and then I go home and I hang with my girls and I bring my girls up. It was the first time, it gave me the opportunity to explore that whole world which is a big part of my life, and I thought the script was a very beautiful examination of the ups and downs of parenting from a guy's perspective. I was also attracted, both nervous and attracted, to working with kids. I felt it was a challenge, and I've done a bit of it and I'd enjoyed it when I've done it, and I felt it was something exciting about trying to make a very sort of poignant film that was largely me working with younger boys.

CS: You've had experienced finding and working with new young talent, so talk about Nicholas and how you got him into this? Because first of all, this is very intense material.
Hicks: Look, Clive and I had a pact really, which was we had to find the right kid or there really wasn't a movie to be made. I have to tell you, it was sleepless nights. It's basically a numbers game. You have to see hundreds and hundreds of boys to find that one, so I had the casting people doing that for me and honestly it takes months and all along you're thinking, "My God, are we ever going to see?" There are lots of kids who are cute and sweet, lovely and would be great, but what I was looking for was someone who had attitude and he had that almost defiance that could take it up to Clive. That was the point. These two were gonna spend most of the movie together, and there had to be a sense of two very present people, sometimes facing off against each other. For a six year old, that's kind of tough. In the event when I saw Nicholas and I showed his audition to Clive, I just remember Clive just going, "He's great." I think I've still kept that text message actually because it was a very important moment.
Owen: There was something so alive about him. He was unpredictable. He was volatile and unpredictable. Even in the very first meetings, the first time he was captured on film you knew the heart of the film would be alive with him in it.

CS: When he was cast and you first met him, did you want to spend as much time together as possible to build that bond?
Owen: Yeah, I got out to Australia early and I ended up taking him on days out without his Mum and without people from the film there - took him to the parks and took him to the fairgrounds. It was hugely important that he trusted me and was relaxed with me. We knew that part of the film would be capturing the magic of him and the relationship. He needed to feel safe with me. If there was any sense of wariness or of not trusting, you would smell that in a movie I think, and I felt that it was very important he was relaxed with me.

CS: The actor who played the elder son also had a lot of intense scenes. I'm not a parent myself, but I feel this is a movie every father needs to see because it is something that would probably connect even more with them than it did to me. Did Simon originally have an older son from another marriage that was used as the basis for that part of the movie?
Hicks: Yes, yes, absolutely. No, again, I wanted the sense of realness in this film and central to that was the casting of these two boys with Clive. The thing that George MacKay brought when he read for me was, it completely knocked me out because it was so authentic. He presented someone who is a sense of hurt if you like from this abandonment that he feels with his father. Again, showing him to Clive, I could sense in Clive an excitement (that) this was someone that he could definitely play with.
Owen: Yes, and he was hugely impressive. He was different... To put the two of them together is wrong in a way, because Nicholas is raw. Nicholas is just immediate, raw, it's about capturing real, magical moments. With George, he's a proper actor. He's the full deal already. He's got an impeccable attitude, it's already a craft, and he's one of the finest young actors I've ever come across.
Hicks: I'd second that.

CS: How did you guys prepare for those intense scenes together? Did he do a lot of his own work on his own before you two came together?
Hicks: We never rehearsed that did we?
Owen: We didn't rehearse that, but there was something very telling. I can remember on films in the past like if I've got a very emotional scene to do, it's very important. It's about concentration when you've got those scenes. You've gotta be in the place and you need to get concentrated. I found myself in some very funny situations like standing behind... like I need to get away from people and just concentrate. Some of those scenes that George had, he did the same thing. I noticed. I looked across and he was finding himself a little hole somewhere like, "Keep away, leave him alone, give him his space." That's when I was like, "This guy is already taking the work very seriously" which is obviously a very good thing.

CS: How is it doing a really dramatic movie like this again? It's been a while since you've done something like this, maybe "Closer" was the most intensely dramatic movie, where there wasn't going to be shootout scene or an action scene or something to lighten it up.
Owen: (Laughs) We did do a full blown shootout, we just cut it.
Hicks: The image of Clive with a plastic water pistol shooting this little boy, I think is kind of emblematic of the film.

CS: "Closer" was just so much about the acting and it was so dramatic, but then you drifted away from that a bit, so did you deliberately want to get back to that?
Owen: No, whenever I choose a film, I wasn't searching for a film like this. It was just about the responding to the material. I felt it was a very sort of beautifully-written script. There's never a career plan with me; it's just about following my instincts and responding to the material.
Hicks: Do you know what the Oxford English Dictionary definition of "career" is, by the way? It's an "uncontrolled lurch downhill." Okay, so who would want that?

CS: That's a good one.
Owen: I feel like I've been going there for a while.
Hicks: My brilliant career. (laughs)

CS: This is your third movie in three years, is that right? I was curious how you managed that.
Hicks: I got sick of people saying, "Why do you take so long between movies?" (Laughs) No, look, it's been very energizing. "No Reservations" actually came about because it was one of those elements when Clive and I, we were on the verge of doing this film and suddenly, that changed. I took "No Reservations" as something that I wanted to do because I really had a year stretching ahead of me that I'd kept for "The Boys Are Back." Then "Glass" sort of happened in sync with that. Doing "Glass" completely re-energized me in a way, then both of us were available, and it was obviously the time to do this film. So I found it really refreshing to suddenly do a quick cycle of films, and I'm ready for the next.

CS: It's very fortuitous that this movie caps off a really strong year of movies for you. Do you know what you're doing next, either something you shot or will shoot soon?
Owen: There's nothing definite. No, there's a few things floating around, but I'm not quite sure.

CS: Are you doing "Inside Man 2?" Is that even a possibility?
Owen: They're trying to get a script together, they are. Yeah, definitely. They're commissioned to get a script and it's all about trying to get a good script.

CS: Are you still looking at scripts now to see what to do next?
Hicks: Yes, there's one or two, but it's all about trying to find the right cast and all those important things. So yeah.

CS: Have you guys seen the movie with an audience yet or is that tonight?
Owen: Oh, I haven't.
Hicks: I've seen it with preview audiences in New York and that's been terrific. There's been a really, really good response and the interesting thing is, it gets to men. I mean, on the face of it you think, well, women will come to see this film. Men might come along because, "Oh, Clive Owen's in it, it can't be too bad." They're gonna get the shock because it gets men in a kind of an emotional solar plexus kind of way. I've had the strongest reactions from men because I think there's a whole generation of men out there who've lost touch with their children through marital breakup or whatever it might be. You know, this particular story of fatherhood--a single father bringing up two sons alone--I don't remember the last time I saw a story like that.

CS: I was joking with Miramax that I might get a side job selling tissues at the premiere.
Hicks: Here's some tissues buddy. (Laughs)

CS: Have you had a chance to talk to any of the people who've seen the movie?
Owen: I haven't really, no, because I haven't been privy to those preview audiences. All I've heard is that we've been getting fantastically strong responses. When I saw it, I found it moving. I thought Scott put it together absolutely beautifully and it's very touching and not in the obvious ways either, it's just the details that I find. Everyone's moved by different things in the film. People who have gone out and seen it will say, "Oh, that really killed me when..." and they're always different.

CS: Interesting. As an actor I'm sure you hate getting asked this question, but I'm going to ask it anyway...
Owen: That's not a good start... (Laughs)

CS: If you happen to get awards attention for this and people start saying, "He should get awards attention," are you ready to go through that process again?
Owen: All I hope is that I'm very, very proud of the movie and I just want people to go see the movie. We're about to launch the film, and it's about wanting to get as big of an audience as possible for the film. I would love it if people go to the movie. That's the most important thing.
Hicks: I'll second that. (Laughs)

And with that diplomatic response, the interview was finished.

The Boys are Back opens in select cities on Friday, September 25.

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