Tagged: film

Work Starts on ‘Wanted’ Sequel

  • News
  • July 18, 2008

Word from Variety is that a sequel to the Wanted film is already under development, with producer Marc Platt and director Timur Bekmambetov at work on the property.

And word is he has another couple comics properties in the works. From Variety:

Proceeding at quicker pace is "Wanted 2," though Platt acknowledged that the creative team is still working on the challenge of continuing the story after most of the principal characters — including Angelina Jolie — ended the original in no position for an encore. But the film was designed as a potential franchise, Langley said, and it is still performing strongly after grossing $192.6 million worldwide. The intention is to get James McAvoy back into gunslinging mode. ...

That duo also is teamed with Bekmambetov on a Universal adaptation of the Christian Gossett sci-fi graphic novel "The Red Star," which has a script draft by Matthew Sand.

Platt, who just received a contract extension from Universal Pictures, also is reported to be attached to the Scott Pilgrim movie.

San Diego Comic-Con: Everything You Need To Know And Then Some

San Diego Comic-Con: Everything You Need To Know And Then Some

  • News
  • July 15, 2008

We’ve already posted several round-ups of where you can find information about tickets, programming and other concerns related to this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego next weekend, and while I’ve been considering the idea of some sort of official guide to the show, I might be better off just directing you to the exhaustive "Guide to Visiting and Enjoying Comic-Con International" posted by Tom Spurgeon in May.

Sure, the article was published more than a month ago, but much of what it details holds true now — and if you’re like me, you’ve avoided thinking about anything related to "Nerd Prom" until you absoluely have to do so. It’s well worth the time it takes to read through the article, and offers up the sort of wisdom that only years upon years of attending the show tend to produce.

Among the topics Spurgeon addresses in his guide are "What to Prepare in Advance" and "Ways to Maximize Your Hotel Experience," as well as tips about the local transit service, notable sights and services, and a metric crap-ton of other helpful hints.

From "Eighteen Random Observations About San Diego Hotels":

The trend downtown is towards 1) boutique hotels that cost an arm and a leg with features to match, and 2) big-name luxury hotels that can ramp up their room prices to those levels. Soon, no one without a major film development deal will be able to afford a downtown hotel, and all the comics people will stay in a tent city north of the zoo, burning old copies of Star Comics to keep warm at night and staging gladiator-style fights between inkers vs. colorists for entertainment.

If you’re headed to San Diego, this is pretty much required reading, folks. Do yourself a favor and give it a read.

‘Hellboy 2’ Tops Box Office

‘Hellboy 2’ Tops Box Office

  • News
  • July 14, 2008

More good news on the comic book movie front, as Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is reportedly tops at the box office, with a $35.9 million haul.

Variety says that well outpaces 2002’s Hellboy, the first teamup between director Guillermo del Toro and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. The second film didn’t face much competition, and next week brings the heavy hitter The Dark Knight, but it’s still a good (and better than expected) take.

Universal said the successful opening of the aggressively marketed “Golden Army” both cements the “Hellboy” film franchise, based on the Dark Horse Comics character, and continues the studio’s winning streak at the summer box office.

“This is an incredible result. No other studio wanted to do this, but Universal had the wherewithal to do it. You had a very talented filmmaker, plus a great marketing campaign that created a huge demand,” said U prexy of distribution Nikki Rocco.

“Golden Army’s” audience breakdown intrigued competing studios. Of Friday’s audience, 69% were male, while a sizeable 58% were over the age of 25, pointing to del Toro’s draw. A full 10% were over the age of 50, while 34% were 35 and older.

Sounds like a third film is possible, depending on how ticket sales hold up.

I finally got to see it Sunday, with a moderately full theater. Lots of good laughs, but overall it was pretty uneven, mainly because of some weaknesses in the script.

‘Sherlock Holmes’ Up Next for Downey Jr.

  • News
  • July 11, 2008

Variety is reporting that Robert Downey Jr. has signed up to play titular detective Sherlock Holmes in the upcoming Warner Bros. movie to be directed by Guy Ritchie.

Shooting starts this fall, which means it shouldn’t get in the way of Iron Man 2, which Downey also has on the table with a prospective 2010 release date. Marvel also apparently just brought back director Jon Favreau for that sequel.

Strangely, this is one of two competing Holmes movies, Variety says:

With Downey aboard, the film will go into production before a comedy that just coalesced at Columbia Pictures, with Sacha Baron Cohen playing Holmes, and Will Ferrell playing his crime-fighting partner Dr. Watson.

Columbia is fast tracking its project, which is being written by Etan Cohen ("Tropic Thunder") and produced by Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller.

One might wonder, then, what this news portends for Downey’s supposed interest in a film version of Cowboys & Aliens. Platinum Studios leaked word of that, going so far as to say the film would have a 2010 release.

File that one under "doubtful."

Review: ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’

Review: ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’

If there is one absolute statement that can be made about [[[Hellboy II: The Golden Army]]], it is that this is easily director Guillermo del Toro’s lightest and funniest film — which may just be its greatest downfall. If the first film were to be classified as a “horror/action with comedic relief”, this film is most definitely a “horror/comedy with action sequences,” and that could be what hurts the film the most.

The story picks up about a year from where the first film leaves off: the [[[B.P.R.D.]]] has grown, with the addition of Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), who is now Hellboy’s live-in girlfriend. Tom Manning (Jeff Tambor) is still in charge of the team and is trying his hardest (“trying” being the operative word) to keep it all a secret from the public. There’s all of this, and then there’s also an epic war being forged between a renegade elf prince and mankind.

The film starts off sweet enough, on a military base on Christmas during one of Hellboy’s adolescent years.  A cameo from John Hurt gets the audience excited right off the bat. Hurt then tells a young Hellboy the story of the first Human/Elf war. This is where we set the mood for the rest of the film. The story is told using computer-generated wooden dolls, rather than actual elves or humans. While Guillermo is known for his imagination with monsters and/or children, this may have been a bit much in the direction of puerility. Instead of giving the impression of a childhood story, the CGI comes across as sloppy and unfinished.

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‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ Photos

‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ Photos

With all of this talk about blockbuster adaptations of comic books, it’s easy to forget about some of the other big films hitting theaters this year. Luckily, the Cinematical team has provided a reminder about one of those big releases that’s likely to appeal to ComicMix readers: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Warner Bros. recently released some images from the film, and Cinematical has collected them in a nice little Half-Blood Prince gallery. Posted here is one of the images, but head over to Cinematical for the full host of photos from the film, which is scheduled for a November 21 release.

ComicMix Six: The Best ‘Hellboy’ Stories

In previous editions of ComicMix Six, we’ve rounded up everything from Political Campaigns in Comics to Celebrity Team-Ups. This Friday marks the newest milestone for Mike Mignola’s Hellboy franchise, with the movie sequel Hellboy 2: The Golden Army hitting theaters, so this week’s list focuses on Mignola’s most popular creation.

The evil-fighting demon named "Hellboy" has been one of the most successful new superheroes introduced in the past 20 years, first appearing as a joke illustration from Mignola in the early 1990s and then evolving into his current incarnation to debut in a full-fledged Dark Horse comics series.

Now the Hellboy world is huge, comprising several Hellboy books, the B.P.R.D. line, video games and the Hellboy movies.

Picking through all those 15-plus years of content, here are the six very best Hellboy stories, from epics to little fairy tales, from Cavendish Hall to Hell on Earth, and everywhere in between (Note: Only Hellboy-specific stories are included in the list).

Read on for the ComicMix Six: Best Hellboy Stories.

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Mike Mignola Says ‘Hellboy 3’ in the Works

Mike Mignola Says ‘Hellboy 3’ in the Works

The end of Hellboy is in sight, though it’s still quite a ways out on the horizon.

In a new interview on Metromix, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola talks about Friday’s Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, but more importantly he says planning is already underway for a third film.

Also, Mignola hints at the future of Hellboy in comics:

[Guillermo] has thrown out so many ideas for the third movie, you go, ‘Geez, if he puts everything into “Hellboy 3” that he says will be in “Hellboy 3,” it’ll be 36 hours long.’ The third film, being the end of (the film trilogy), is hard for me. The comic is going to go for 10 to 15 more years, so I don’t want to give him my ending. I want my ending to be a surprise.

While you’re waiting on that, make sure to check out all of ComicMix‘s extensive Hellboy 2 coverage, including this interview with actress Selma Blair and this interview with director Guillermo del Toro.

ComicMix TV: Luke Goss Talks ‘Hellboy II’

ComicMix TV: Luke Goss Talks ‘Hellboy II’

Luke Goss has played some of the best bad guys in film in the past 10 years, from Blade 2 to Steven Seagal’s Mercenary for Justice, and now he fills the role of “Prince Nuada” in Hellboy II. We got to chat with Luke about his makeup in the film, his relationship with writer/director Guillermo del Toro, and even his take on comic book fans.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army hits theaters Friday, July 11.

 

 

Missed one of our Hellboy II: The Golden Army interviews this week? Here are links to all of the recent ComicMix TV interviews with the Hellboy II cast and crew:

 

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