Tagged: film

‘Sleeper’ Scribe Signed

‘Sleeper’ Scribe Signed

  • News
  • October 16, 2008

Newcomer Brad Ingelsby has been hired by Warner Bros. to adapt WildStorm’s Sleeper into a feature film. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ short-lived sf/crime comic lasted two 12-part maxiseries and was somewhat tied to the greater WildStorm continuity.  In fact, the first maxiseries ended and spun events into the Coup D’Etat crossover event.

Ingelsby sold his first screenplay, Low Dweller, to Relativity Media just this March. They then hired Ridley Scott to direct and cast Leonardo DiCaprio to star which, if the cameras actually roll, will bring the scribe a cool million dollar payday.

Sleeper is about Holden Carver, nicknamed The Conductor, who is fused with an alien artifact that makes Carver impervious to pain. Instead, he can store the pain and transfer it to others, a rather nifty skill. He is then sent undercover to infiltrate a criminal organization. When his contact (in the comics, Tao’s John Lynch) is killed, Carver is left with no allies.

According to Variety, the film adaptation, without continuity ties, will be produced by the very busy Sam Raimi with Star Road Entertainment partner Josh Donen.

Brubaker and Phillips enjoyed working so much together that they now produce Criminal for Marvel’s Icon imprint.

Bonds Bests Batman Where it Counts

Bonds Bests Batman Where it Counts

  • News
  • October 16, 2008

James Bond and Batman may rival one another for who has the best gadgets, but the British espionage agent bests the Caped Crusader where it really counts.  In the current issue of Condé Nast Portfolio, on sale today, an article calculates how much the franchise has earned since its inception. Ian Fleming’s literary creation has generated $13.8 billion in business from the first novel through the most recent film, Casino Royale. His next film, November’s Quantum of Solace, will only add to those numbers.

The article breaks down the categories and estimates that the original 14 Fleming books in addition to the 30 authorized sequels and related titles have brought in a cool $1 billion on their own.  The article notes that Sebastian Faulks’ novel, Devil May Care, released earlier this year became the fastest selling hardcover fiction title in Penguin’s history despite poor reviews. The appetite for Bond fiction remains large.

The film series, from Albert Broccoli and his heirs, began in 1961 with Sean Connery portraying the spy in Doctor No.  The official 21 films alone have brought in $11.6 billion plus whatever the original Casino Royale and Connery’s return in Never Say Never Again added to the totals.  Home video sales are estimated to have generated $400 million before the Blu-ray releases coming shortly from Fox Home Entertainment.

Bond remains a licensing machine with video games accounting for $812 million alone plus other toys and games in the mix.

The article notes that other huge money machines include Harry Potter, Frodo Baggins, and Batman.
 

New ‘Star Trek’ Photos Revealed

New ‘Star Trek’ Photos Revealed

  • News
  • October 16, 2008

Bones McCoy might not be a magician, but someone at Paramount is casting a spell over the internet as the studio unveils several new photos from the upcoming Star Trek reboot. The photos were divvied out by the company to different Web sites, and are also featured in the recent issue of Entertainment Weekly. The magazine has an exclusive cover depicting James Kirk (Chris Pine) and Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto), the stars of the upcoming film.

This is the second time this year that Paramount has deliberately distributed production stills online for their movies. Earlier this year, Paramount assigned different character portraits from G.I. Joe to carefully chosen Web sites, including IGN and Latino Review.

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Rothman Discusses Further Projects

Rothman Discusses Further Projects

  • News
  • October 16, 2008

The third part of IESB’s interview with Fox co-chairman Tom Rothman has hit the internet. The studio bigwig unveils a great amount of information, both concrete and speculative, about many of Fox’s hottest properties. We’ve got the breakdown below:

Independence Day 2
"We would love to do it," Rothman states. "It’s really a matter of [original director] Rolan [Emmerich], it’s up to Roland. He knows that we’d love to do it. I don’t think there is a script but there have been a lot of ideas .. any day that Roland wanted to do [ID4 2], we would be very excited to do it because I think, yes, that story definitely can and should continue."

Predator 3
Rothman says he’d be open to a reboot without Arnold, but is skeptical of a third film starring the governator. "Just give [Arnold Schwarzenegger] my number," Rothman says. "Tell him as soon as he gets the state budget signed to call me."

Silver Surfer
Any chance of a Silver Surfer film within three years? "Yes," answers Rothman, "We are trying to do a stand alone Silver Surfer movie."

The SIMS
"It’s in development," Rothman reveals. "It’s being developed closely with the game maker. I know the guys who make the game are working hard on developing the script but it hasn’t gotten up to my level yet."

X-Files
Surprisingly, Rothman is open to a third film. "It’s really up to Chris, David [Duchovny] and Gillian [Anderson]," Rothman says. Regarding the recent film’s poor box office numbers, Rothman defends it by calling it "the film that Chris wanted to do. He was determined to do a stand alone film, a film that wasn’t dependent upon the mythology. His interest in making the movie, was in the characters and in their relationship, not the mythology."

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
"[The film] is pretty dark," says Rothman of Wolverine‘s tone. He also continues to say that Deadpool plays an "integral part" in the movie, and that the CG work being used is "state of the art." As for the prospect of a Deadpool film, "we will have to see."

For information on other films, click the link to read the full interview!

NBC Scores a Golden Fleece

NBC Scores a Golden Fleece

  • News
  • October 15, 2008

NBC has scored a pilot commitment to Jason and the Argonauts, based on the classic quest for the Golden Fleece in Greek mythology. Argonauts will mark the first-ever green-screen drama developed for primetime television. Films such as Sin City have made use of green screen, but this will be the first time the technology makes the leap to a primetime TV series.

The network secured the projected after a "fierce bidding war" with a rival network, believed to be Fox. Interestingly enough, Fox is developing The Argonauts as a feature film with Zak Penn (The Incredible Hulk) scripting. In fact, Tom Rothman mentioned the project as recently as today in his interview with IESB.net. Variety reports that DreamWorks also has a project titled The Argonauts. Their interpretation of the story would feature treasure hunters from today transported back to the time of Jason. This comes the same time that War of the Gods and the remake of Clash of the Titans are also moving into production.  And let’s not forget competing Hercules films having also been announced over the last few months.

This will be NBC’s second attempt this decade at getting the Argonaut mythology correct. A previous miniseries, from producer Robert Halmi, also titled Jason and the Argonauts (are you keeping track?) and starring Jason London, Frank Langella, and Dennis Hopper aired in 2000. The two projects will be completely unrelated other than in title and source material.

In Greek mythology, Jason was the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece, which belonged to the winged ram Chrysomallos. Members of The Argonauts include Heracles (commonly known by his Roman name "Hercules") and Castor and Pollux of Troy, both of whom were featured in John Woo’s Face/Off. (Just kidding, kinda.) During the quest for the Fleece, Jason meets and marries Medea the sorceress. In Euripides’ play Medea, Jason leaves Medea to marry King Creon’s daughter. Medea exacts vengeance by killing Creon and her own two sons in order to devastate Jason. Man, and you thought modern times were rough!

Of course, the best recalled version of this tale is Ray Harryahusen’s classic 1963 film, Jason and the Argonauts, compelte with the heroes fighting skeletons. One can only hope one of these projects has something equally thrilling in store.

Fincher Declares ‘Rendezvous’ Dead

Fincher Declares ‘Rendezvous’ Dead

  • News
  • October 15, 2008

David Fincher, while promoting his next feature, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, told reporters that the film adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama was likely dead. Despite the most recent draft of a script being delivered in April, financing proved difficult for the classic novel.

"It looks like it’s not going to happen,” the director was quoted as saying over at First Showing. “There’s no script and as you know, [Morgan Freeman’s] not in the best of health right now. We’ve been trying to do it but it’s probably not going to happen."

The actor was the person to begin developing the property for much of this decade with Fincher coming on soon after. Freeman, though, was badly injured in a car accident back in August.

Freeman told the website last year, that "it’s a very intellectual science fiction film, a very difficult book to translate cinematically." A 30-mile long cylinder is found in the solar system and a crew of astronauts is sent from Earth to explore the extraterrestrial object. Published in 1972, it went on to win the Nebula, Hugo and Jupiter Awards.

Revelations Entertainment, Freeman’s production outfit, holds the screen rights and they contracted with Fincher in 2001.  The most recent screenplay was written by Stel Pavlou, a writer perhaps best known for his prose stories in the Doctor Who Short Trips anthologies.
 

No ‘Warcraft’ in 2009

No ‘Warcraft’ in 2009

  • News
  • October 15, 2008

Shack News is reporting that Blizzard and Legendary Pictures’ adaptation of Warcraft won’t be ready for next year, as had been previously announced.

"I don’t know about the 2009 date," says Blizzard president Mike Morhaime about the film’s progress, "but it is still something we are very excited about."

"We do have a draft of a script, [but] it isn’t final," he continues. "I think we still need to do a lot of work."

At BlizzCon 2007, Blizzard’s VP of Creative Development Chris Metzen and Thomas Tull, head of Legendary Pictures, provided insight into the progress of a Warcraft movie. They released the following tidbits of information:

– The film is set for 2009
– They have a $100 million budget
– It will be a mix of live action and computer animation
– No directors or actors are attached
– The story focuses on major events from a year before World of Warcraft and will principally focus on the Alliance’s perspective
– Run time will be about two to two and a half hours
– More of a Gladiator war epic than a Lord of the Rings journey of discovery
– Characters to be featured include Bolvar Fordragon, Thrall and Cairne Bloodhoof.

Two years later, there are only two items on that list we can speak to: the film will not be released in 2009, and there are still no actors or directors attached. Look how much can happen in two years!

It’s nice to see Blizzard being thoughtful with their property, but there is a difference between taking one’s time and being too reserved to jump into battle. A Warcraft film can wait for a while, but once the craze of World of Warcraft subsides a bit, those potential gold pouches are gonna disappear off the battlefield.

Ah, who are we kidding? World of Warcraft will always be awesome. Speaking of which, we got some orcs to hunt. Leeroooooooooy Jenkins!!

Platinum taps Execs for Advisory Board

Platinum taps Execs for Advisory Board

  • News
  • October 14, 2008

Home Media Magazine has reported that Platinum Studios has formed an advisory board, featuring a dozen executives from print and mass media to help CEO Scott Mitchell Rosenberg guide their print-to-film projects.

“The vast experience and success with various forms of entertainment that each advisory board member brings with them will allow Platinum to access additional contacts in the film, television, online, retail and video game industries and in development of the 5,600 comic characters and storylines in the Platinum Studios portfolio,” Rosenberg said. “I am excited by each and every member’s willingness to join the Advisory Board and support Platinum in a more formal role.”

Rosenberg’s ambitious total includes Platinum-generated properties in addition to other comic publishers’ whose film rights they represent such as the forthcoming Witchblade film based on the Top Cow character.

The board is comprised of Richard Fowkes, head of business affairs for Legendary Pictures and former EVP in charge of business affairs for the motion picture group at Paramount Pictures; Andrea Hein, former president of Viacom Consumer Products and current EVP of First Wives World; Mark Canton, former chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and current chairman of Atmosphere Entertainment; Michael Helfant, former president and COO of Marvel Studios; John W. Hyde, former president and CEO of Film Roman and current chairman of Rehab Incorporated; Gale Anne Hurd, chairwoman of Valhalla Motion Pictures; Jerry Katzman, former vice chairman of William Morris Agency; Steve Milo, former president of new media for Marvel Comics; Ed Dille, chairman of Fog Studios; Gareb Shamus, founder of Wizard Entertainment; Charlie Weber, former CEO of Lucasfilm; and Glenn Rigberg, president of Rigberg Entertainment Group.

Platinum has angered creators over payments and legal issues stemming form their recent purchase of Wowio.  While they continue to publish comics both in print and on the web, none have broken through as major creative successes. They do have numerous projects in various stages of development.  Most notable among the list is Cowboys & Aliens which DreamWorks is developing and has Robert Downey, Jr. attached to star.

Platinum was formed in 1997 after Rosenberg exited Malibu Comics in the wake of its purchase by Marvel Comics.  He has been slow to develop Platinum through the years and didn’t really begin releasing titles until late 2006 despite years of development. On September 25, 2006, Platinum pruchased DrunkDuck, a webcomics site and began a strong didigtal initiative that led to the purchase earlier this year of Wowio.

Their media initivative has been limited to the Showtime series Jeremiah, based on a European properrty licensed by the studio. Platinum Studios posted net losses of $4.3 million in 2006 and $5.1 million in 2007.
 

Review: ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’

Review: ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’

Sitting in the darkened screening room at Paramount Pictures that early May day in 1981, I had no idea what I was about to experience.  Working at Starlog at the time, I thought we were pretty much aware of everything cool that was coming from Hollywood.  But we knew little about this thing called [[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]].  Then we watched it.

An homage to the action serials of the 1930s and 1940s, director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas combined their best skills to produce something iconic and fresh at the same time.  They also did what has become increasingly difficult ever since – create an interesting character from scratch.  Sure, Indy is one of a long line of adventurers dating back to Allan Quatermain if not further back, but still, he was new and cool.

Ever subsequent Indy film has been measured against the original and found wanting. I missed [[[Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull]]] when it opened in May so sat with the DVD, on sale today, and was curious to see what sort of experience this would be. After all, the buzz over the summer that while good, it was ultimately a disappointment after waiting so many years.

I was entertained.  The movie wisely moved to the 1950s to reflect the passage of time and evoke an entirely new feeling.  As a result, the Roswell setting, the Crystal Skull possibly being an alien, etc. was all appropriate as was the arrival of the Cold War nemesis, successors to the Nazis for storytelling fodder.

However, Spielberg and Lucas got too cute from the get-go with the Caddyshack-like gopher  popping up as we began the story.  While winks to those no longer with us, such as Marcus Brody were fine at Indy’s home, the statue’s head striking a blow was unnecessary.  While immediately understanding the locale from John Williams’ evocative score, we didn’t need to see the Ark.  Too many winks at the expense of good storytelling.

More should have been done to examine Indy at a point in his life when he was getting a little old of adventure and his life was filled with missed opportunities.   Mutt being his son was telegraphed from the get-go and was totally without nuance.  Marion arrives too late for my taste, trades quips but seems to accept the passage of time with a smile and far more forgiveness than she showed in the first film.  Her spunk and edge, which made her extremely fascinating in Raiders was all scrubbed away, making her likeable and far less compelling.  Thankfully, Karen Allen has aged as gracefully as Harrison Ford and they still have some great screen chemistry.

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New ‘Watchmen’ Motion Comic Released

  • News
  • October 14, 2008

watchmenWith the release of the first chapter of Watchmen in July, things have quieted down for Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. With an initial promise of bi-weekly episodes of Watchmen and Batman: Mad Love back in the summer, that was inevitably altered due to the ongoing legal battle revolving around the film, and the insurmountable success of Dark Knight. Finally, after four months of waiting, a second chapter for Watchmen has been released on such platforms as iTunes, Amazon Video On Demand, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3 for a small price. Warner Premiere also recently announced additions to their Motion Comic projects. Premiere has now stated that Mad Love will be attached as a DVD extra for the Dark Knight DVD later this year and that the Watchmen motion comic will be released every two weeks, continuing with chapter 3 on October 20.

Sadly, the hiatus didn’t effect the production of the comics, and all characters will still be voiced by narrator Tom Stechschulte, and this includes even the female roles. Those who haven’t caught the first chapter, the illustrations are taken directly from the book, with the characters’ joints and movements animated slightly to act as a hybrid of Audio Book and Flash Animation. It’s worth a watch for anybody who was a fan of the book and needs something to hold them over until the film gets released next May (or not).

You can purchase Chapter 2 from the iTunes Store here.

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