Articles by wade-gum
Wed Mar 12, 2008 — by Wade Gum
'Punisher: War Zone' Website Launches
War Journal Entry #384: I learned Flash and made a website
Lionsgate has launched the official website for the forthcoming Punisher: War Zone film.
There's not a lot to see at the moment, but there are a couple of pictures in the gallery that haven't been released before. More content will undoubtedly be added to the site as the film's release date of September 12 approaches.
Viewers of the site can register for updates from Marvel so they'll get the latest news about the movie as soon as it's released. I have a feeling Tom Jane won't be one of the people who registers.
Punisher: War Zone finds the gun-toting vigilante running from the law as the Punisher Task Force monitors his every move. As if that wasn't enough, he's also being hunted by Jigsaw, a horribly deformed mob boss out to get revenge on The Punisher. The film stars Ray Stevenson as Frank Castle, Dominic West as Jigsaw, Wayne Knight as Microchip and Dash Mihok as Detective Martin Soap.
Tue Mar 11, 2008 — by Wade Gum
Bryan Singer Talks 'Superman Returns' Sequel
You will believe a stalled franchise can fly
After the somewhat dissapointing box office take that Superman Returns received domestically, many people expressed serious doubts as to whether or not Warner Bros. would greenlight a sequel. Apparently Bryan Singer wasn't one of them, as the writer/director is so confident of an imminent sequel that he's already begun working on it.
In an interview with Empire Online, Singer revealed that he's currently in the developmental phase of the sequel, tentatively titled Superman: Man of Steel, and intends to direct it.
Singer is being quiet about the specific's of the sequel's storyline, but dropped a few hints about the movie's tone:
“The first one was a romantic film and a nostalgic film,” he says. “I’ll be the first person to own up to that without making any apologies for it. I knew it was going to be that from the outset. And now that the characters are established, there’s really an opportunity to up the threat levels...Clearly there’ll be a body count [laughs]. From frame one, it will be unrelenting terror! All those teenage girls who found the movie and mooned over James Marsden or Brandon? Well, I’m going to wake them up!”
Nothing has been officially announced about a Superman Returns sequel by Warner Bros., so it's unknown as to whether or not the cast members Singer mentioned will be returning. However, given his output since Superman Returns, it's probably a safe bet that Brandon Routh can work a sequel into his schedule.
Mon Mar 10, 2008 — by Wade Gum
Updates on 'Thor' and 'Ant Man' Films
All heroes great and small
Empire Online has the latest news on two Marvel movies currently in development, Ant Man and Thor, straight from the mouths of the directors behind the projects.
Ant Man is being written and directed by Edgar Wright, the English director responsible for Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. In regards to the pint-sized hero's big screen adaptation, Wright said:
“It’s written and we’re doing a second draft of it,” said Wright. “It’s going to be less overtly comedic than anything else I’ve ever done. It’s more of a full-on action adventure sci-fi film but with a comedic element – in the same spirit of a lot of escapist fare like that. It’s certainly not a superhero spoof or pastiche and it certainly isn’t a sort of 'Honey I Shrunk The Kids' endeavor at all.”
Wright was mum on the subject of casting and whether or not the Ant Man in the film will be Scott Lang or fan favorite Hank Pym.
While Ant Man is chugging right along, the god of thunder seems to be stuck in neutral. The film adaptation of Thor, scheduled to be directed by Matthew Vaughn (Stardust, Layer Cake), is currently in a holding pattern until the parties involved decide on the future of the project.. The Odinson hath been forsaken.
Sat Mar 8, 2008 — by Wade Gum
Warner Bros. Acquires Rights to 'Bone'
Studio bones up on their comic properties
Warner Bros. has plenty of comic book properties of their own to adapt, given that they own DC Comics, but apparently they want a few more. The studio has optioned the rights to adapt Jeff Smith's Bone series of comics into a feature-length film.
Smith will serve as executive producer on the film, while Dan Lin, who has worked on such films as The Departed, TMNT, Alexander and 10,000 BC, will produce.
Whether or not the adaptation is live-action or animated will be determined by meetings between the filmmakers.
Previously, an adaptation of Bone was in development by Nickelodeon Films, but the project fell through due to the direction of the project and Smith's desire to not exclusively aim the film at children.
(via Hollywood Reporter)
Fri Mar 7, 2008 — by Wade Gum
New 'Iron Man' Poster Debuts
Nobody wants him, they just turn their heads (for a poster shot)
Sure, all those fancy suits on the previous Iron Man posters were cool, but what's a poster without the handsome face of Tony Stark himself? Paramount has released the newest poster for the upcoming Iron Man film, which features profile shots of the film's principle cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Of course, the fancy armor is also in the poster, but who cares about that? People care about Terrence Howard looking pensive and Tony Stark's immaculate facial hair.
Directed by Jon Favreau (Elf, Made), Iron Man hits theaters on May 2. Until then, you'll just have to stare at this poster in the lobby of your local theater and anticipate all the angry message board posts you'll write after it comes out.
(via Superhero Hype)
Thu Mar 6, 2008 — by Wade Gum
New 'Watchmen' Pictures Debut
Who watches the Watchmen pose for glamour shots?
Zack Snyder is a giving man. Not only is he trying his best to stay faithful to the source material in his adaptation of Watchmen, but he keeps the fans informed as well.
Continuing his tradition of giving, Snyder has posted large pictures of The Comedian, Rorschach, Silk Spectre, Nite Owl and Ozymandias on his production blog.
We're still one year away from Watchmen hitting theaters, but that doesn't mean we can't whip ourselves into a frenzy by looking at brand new pictures of the film's characters.
Gazing upon these pictures will probably make the wait for the movie that much harder, but you know you lack the willpower to resist clicking the link. Just note that if you look at the pictures, Alan Moore will personally come to your house and punch you.
Wed Mar 5, 2008 — by Wade Gum
'Dragonball' Movie Slips to 2009
The tears of elementary schoolers flood the streets in response
The live-action adaptation of Dragonball, originally set to be released on August 15, 2008, has been pushed back to April 3, 2009.
20th Century Fox has moved the film from the busy tail end of this year's summer movie season to the beginning of next year's, where it currently faces no competition. The nature of the box office is sure to change that situation, but for now movies like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Wild Child can rest easy knowing they won't have to compete against super saiyans.
The film's story follows Goku as he races against time to collect those precious, precious dragonballs before the evil Lord Piccolo can get his hands on them. Lots of screaming and punching are involved.
Dragonball stars Justin Chatwin as Goku, Emmy Rossum as Bulma, James Marsters as Piccolo and Chow Yun-Fat as Master Roshi and is directed by James Wong (Final Destination, The One).
(via SHH)
Mon Mar 3, 2008 — by Wade Gum
'Smallville' Renewed for Eighth Season
Your favorite combo of superheros and melodrama returns
Today the CW Network announced that it has renewed Smallville for an eighth season, which will begin airing in the fall. This announcement removes the doubt that was surrounding Smallville's ultimate fate after a strike shortened season.
The show may need to replace its chief villain when it films new episodes. Earlier this year, Michael Rosenbaum stated that the current season would be his last playing Lex Luthor. Whether or not he sticks to his word may depend on the alignment of the stars, his general temperment and the amount of money The CW throws at him.
(via Coming Soon)
Mon Mar 3, 2008 — by Wade Gum
'G.I. Joe' Movie Details Revealed
You will believe a Cobra Commander can cry
The executive producer of the upcoming G.I. Joe movie, Brian Goldner, dropped a few hints about the film in an interview with MTV News.
According to Goldner, the movie began filming last week and is proceeding smoothly. When asked about characters that may make an appearance in the film, Goldner revealed little, but offered a few hints as to what fans can expect from the film:
We all know of the Arashikage [ninja clan], and we all know of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, but we need to build that story," he explained. "We all know the story of Duke, and the story of the Baroness. ... We know the story of Destro, but do we really? We need to go back and tell the origin story of how you get a Scottish arms dealer, who comes forward in history — how does that happen?"
Goldner also said that the film chronicles the rise of Cobra Commander and his quest for power.
G.I. Joe is being directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing) and features a script that long-time G.I. Joe comic book scribe Larry Hama contributed to. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Sienna Miller, Arnold Vosloo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marlon Wayans. G. I. Joe is tentatively scheduled for release in August 2009.
Mon Mar 3, 2008 — by Wade Gum
'X-Men: Origins' Recasts Young Logan
You don't want to pinch this young boy's cheeks
There's a new actor playing the childhood version of Logan in the upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine and his name is Troye Mellet. If that name's unfamiliar to you, perhaps you should pay more attention to YouTube.
Mellet first attracted the interest of the film's producers in YouTube clips such as this one, which feature his singing voice. Mellet is no stranger to acting and has received some acclaim for playing the lead in Oliver in Sydney, Australia. If there's any need for young Logan to break into a rendition of "Hard Knock Life," Mellet has the pipes to pull it off.
The actor originally cast for the role, Kodi Smit-McPhee, has had to bow out of the project due to prior commitments and a change in shooting dates for X-Men Origins: Wolverine. McPhee is attached to the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which stars Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron.
(via SHH)
Fri Feb 29, 2008 — by Wade Gum
New 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' Still Released
Another day, another publicity still
Wolverine is the best there is at what he does - looking grizzled and menacing as he pops his claws in a posed publicity still.
IGN has gotten their hands on another shot of Hugh Jackman in his Wolverine duds from the upcoming X-Men Origins: Wolverine prequel movie. Click on the link to see the Wolvie in all his full-sized splendor.
The shot tells us little about the movie other than the fact that Wolverine has been a fan of leather jackets for a very long time. He also looks pretty pissed off at the guy snapping the picture. Perhaps Wolverine was unhappy with his choice of lens.
Fri Feb 29, 2008 — by Wade Gum
'Incredible Hulk' Promotional Art Revealed
More veins = more power
We've gotten glimpses of what the Hulk and the Abomination may look like in the forthcoming Incredible Hulk movie thanks to the toys produced for the film, but now we can get a closer look.
Bad Taste has posted some new promotional artwork for the film that depicts the Hulk in various states of rage. This is the artwork given to licensers to demonstrate what the green goliath will look like in the movie. If you squint hard enough, you can kind of see the resemblance to Edward Norton.
The website is in Italian, but the brute force of the Hulk's smashing translates any cultural and linguistic barriers. If you're desperate to read the site, be smart like the Leader and use Babelfish to translate it!
Thu Feb 28, 2008 — by Wade Gum
'Astro Boy' Movie Casting Begins
One lucky kid has a golden ticket to voice Astro Boy
When the people of the future are in trouble, they turn to one thing to save them from the forces of evil -a tiny robot that doesn't own a pair of pants and can deploy guns from his rear.
Astro Boy is being adapted into a big budget CG movie by Warner Bros. and The Weinstein Company and the titular character has already been cast. The voice of Astro Boy will be provided by Freddie Highmore.
Highmore is familiar to most film fans as Charlie Bucket from Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He's no stranger to voice work either, as he recently provided the voice of Pantalaimon in The Golden Compass.
Astro Boy debuted as a manga in 1952 and became a television series in 1963. The character was created by Osamu Tezuka, considered the "god of manga" by some, and the television series was one of the first cartoons to use the anime asthetic.
The film version is slated for release in 2009 and is being scripted by Timothy Harris, the man responsible for Space Jam - the greatest movie to ever involve Michael Jordan and Bill Murray teaming up with cartoons to fight monsters from space. Astro Boy is in good hands.
(via CHUD)
Thu Feb 28, 2008 — by Wade Gum
'Superhero Movie' Poster Revealed
Probably as funny as any issue of 'Marville'
It was only a matter of time. After spoofing horror films, teen films, date films, epic films and Spartans, the satire train has finally set its sights on the highly profitable world of superhero movies. Some of the comedic "talent" responsible for bringing you Scary Movie are releasing Superhero Movie on March 28.
If the film is anything like its spoof brethren, most of the jokes will undoubtedly be ripped wholesale from other films and be of the "Hey, I remember that movie!" variety. It will also probably do huge business at the box office, ensuring more films of its like.
Superhero Hype has posted a large image of the film's movie poster, which includes Tracy Morgan as Dr. Xavier, Regina Hall as the Storm-like Mrs. Xavier, Simon Rex as the Human Torch, Pamela Anderson as The Invisible Girl, Craig Bierko as Wolverine and Leslie Neilsen as, uh, Uncle Albert. With a cast this star- studded, there's no way this film can't rock!
Wed Feb 27, 2008 — by Wade Gum
New 'Incredible Hulk' Images Hit the Web
Watching Ang Lee's 'Hulk' can make you feel this way...
Empire Magazine has posted two new, exclusive images from the forthcoming Incredible Hulk film.
The images show an angry Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) strapped down with electrodes all over him. Like most things in this world, including puppy dogs, ice cream and the New York Mets, being strapped down makes Banner angry and causes him to Hulk out.
The second image gives us a nice profile shot of General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), wearing a cast on his left arm. Tussling with the Hulk tends to leave people with injuries. It looks like Ross got off lucky.
Fans will get to see the green goliath in action once The Incredible Hulk hits theaters on June 13, 2008.
