Tagged: X-Men

David Goyer Says Fox Cautious on Green Lighting ‘Magneto’

David Goyer Says Fox Cautious on Green Lighting ‘Magneto’

  • News
  • December 14, 2008

Despite previous comments from producer Laura Shuler Donner that she’s eager to get started on X-Men Origins: Magneto, writer/director David S. Goyer is taking a more cautious approach. He told Collider that 20th Century-Fox was likely to await the box office results from X-Men Origins: Wolverine which doesn’t open until next May.  As a result, the movie could not possibly shoot until fall 2009.

He did say that the story would be set in 1961 and “shows Professor X (Charles) and Magneto (Eric) as best friends and they team up against another person in the movie.”

Hus next project is an original horror film, The Unborn, opening next month. His next project is an original thriller, The Invisible Woman. He will also produce and direct the pilot for ABC’s Flash Forward based on Robert J. Sawyer’s novel.
 

ComicMix Radio: Big Future For The Wimpy Kid

ComicMix Radio: Big Future For The Wimpy Kid

Best selling graphic novelist Jeff Kinney has another Wimpy Kid book set for release right after the New Year, and hopefully more to follow, but don’t look for The Kid to age too much. we’ll explain that today, plus:

  • A new Pixar trailer this weekend
  • An original Avengers story already set for Free Comic Book Day 2009
  • X-Men Noir disappears from shelves

It’s all joyful and triumphant  when you Press the Button!



 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via iTunes - ComicMix or RSS!

 

Marvel Animation Green Lights Season 2 of ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ Animated Series

Marvel Animation Green Lights Season 2 of ‘Wolverine and the X-Men’ Animated Series

  • News
  • December 8, 2008

Marvel Animation and Singapore-based Toonz Entertainment Pte Ltd have given an early green light to a second season of Wolverine and the X-Men. The series debuts on Nickelodeon in January and other markets around the world in the next few months.

P. Jayakumar, Toonz Group’s CEO commented in a release, “We are thrilled to extend our relationship with Marvel and continue showcasing one of the most sought-after, iconic characters of all time. This second season will bring fans even more fresh and exciting stories and take us even deeper into the X-Men universe.”

Eric Rollman, Marvel’s President of Animation added, “The response to this series has been outstanding and the decision to move forward immediately with a second season was simple. We are bringing together the same team who produced the first season and looking forward to continuing the success with all new episodes.”

Canadian network YTV confirmed that Wolverine And The X-Men will be pre-empted for the entire month of December due to special holiday programming. Wolverine and The X-Men will return to the network in January 2009 with new episodes.

‘Punisher: War Zone’ Fails to Hit the Target

‘Punisher: War Zone’ Fails to Hit the Target

  • News
  • December 7, 2008

While no one expected Punisher: War Zone to be Oscar material, Lionsgate certainly hoped it would open better than it did this weekend.  The film, which received fairly uniform negative reviews, took in a mere $4 million, good for ninth place.  It was, though, the best performance for a new film this weekend, beating Cadillac Records by $500,000 according to Box Office Mojo’s estimates.

The preceding eight spots belonged to returning fare with the romantic comedy, Four Christmases returned to the top spot with $18,180,000 and $70.84 million after two weeks. Second place went to the vampire romance Twilight which found another $13, 197,000 revenue from the tweens.  Younger kids continued to thrill at Bolt’s adventures which saw an additional $9,696,000 in ticket sales.

For adults, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman defied the critics and lured people to see Australia to the tune of $7 million, good for $30, 869,00 after two weeks.  Daniel Craig’s second turn as James Bond didn’t fare as well, with Quantum of Solace taking fifth place but losing 65% of last week’s audience and bringing home just $6.6 million.

Punisher’s per screen average of $1595 was anemic compared with more than twice that of the top performers. 2004’s Punisher actually opened much better with $13,834,527 and given the growing appetite for super-hero movies, the sequel’s dismal performance is a black mark for Marvel.

Lionsgate will be praying for a Christmas miracle and a stronger opening for the more heavily hyped Spirit film from Frank Miller on Christmas Day.  Marvel’s next offering is next May’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine which should have a huge opening.

Lauren Shuler Donner Ready to Begin ‘Magneto’

Lauren Shuler Donner Ready to Begin ‘Magneto’

  • News
  • December 5, 2008

Producer Lauren Shuler Donner told Indie London that X-Men Origins: Wolverine is “very good. I’m very pleased with it. It’s very much an origins story. It’s very much in the tone of the first X-Men.”

As for the next Origins project, she said, “We have a great script on Magneto. I’ll tell you the honest truth… I’ve made four movies this year and I was so busy that I didn’t at all talk to the studio while making Magneto because I couldn’t have done it. And David Goyer, who wrote and is going to direct it, also did another movie. So now, he’s done with his and I’m done with two of mine, so when I get back that’s my first order of business to say: ‘Come on, let’s go and make Magneto’.”
 

‘Green Lantern’ Completes Third Draft Script

‘Green Lantern’ Completes Third Draft Script

  • News
  • December 2, 2008

Yesterday, we speculated that Green Lantern was the DC hero next going before the cameras and MTV’s Splash Page then ran an interview with co-screenwriter Marc Guggenheim that confirms this projection.

“This morning, we sat down to talk Green Lantern,” Guggenheim told MTV, “and we ended up riffing for an hour and a half on another, much more obscure character. Sometimes, you just have to roll with it when inspiration strikes, you know? I’m sure the studio wouldn’t be happy about it, but we’re not going to blow the deadline. We’ll get it in.”

The screenplay was written by Guggenheim, Michael Green (Superman/Batman) and Greg Berlanti (Eli Stone) and after three drafts, they think it’s about ready for Berlanti to direct. Locations have been scouted and production designs have been crafted by Aaron Sims, who is also working on X-Men Origins: Magneto for director David S. Goyer.

“[The changes are] nothing that’s affecting the storyline, really,” he said. “It’s pretty well set. But sometimes we’ll move a scene to a different location for budget purposes, perhaps in an already established location instead of a new one. It’s a question of, which locations can we live without? It’s a constant process to streamline what you’re going through, even after the film is shot, when you’re cutting things in the edit. That’s what the rewrite process is like, how you sand down the roughness of the a movie to its smoothest.”

Guggenheim also noted that a cameo for reporter Clark Kent appears in the script leading to speculation if Warner would go with Tom Welling (Smallville) or Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) for the wink to the greater DC Universe.

“There were rumors that Tom Welling would have a cameo in Batman Begins as a young Clark Kent, to meet up with a young Bruce Wayne,” Guggenheim said. “But you have to be careful when you do things like that, because it sounds great in concept, but when you sit down to watch it, it poses the danger of pulling you out of the film.”

He refused to talk about the current rumor of Ryan Gosling being eyed to play test pilot Hal Jordan.

Marvel Announces Second Digital Wave

Marvel Announces Second Digital Wave

  • News
  • December 2, 2008

Marvel Comics has announced a second wave of original digital comic titles exclusively for Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited subscribers. The Marvel Digital Holiday Special — debuting on Wednesday, December 17—highlights this second wave of online-first titles at Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited [www.marvel.com/digitalcomics].

Here’s what’s coming:

Astonishing Tales: Wolverine/Punisher

C.B. Cebulski (X-Infernus) and newcomer Kenneth Rocafort (Madame Mirage) get gritty with a no-holds-barred Wolverine/Punisher tale you have to see to believe! Wolverine and Punisher go head-to-head on the streets of Madripoor, but can they stop fighting each other long enough to take down a certain green-haired femme fatale for good?!

Written by: C.B. Cebulski
Art by: Kenneth Rocafort
Debuts: Wednesday, December 10

Holiday Special Issue

The X-Men celebrate their first holiday in their new home of San Francisco — and their first without Kitty Pryde among them in “X-Men: Blue Christmas” by Jim McCann and Todd Nauck. Meanwhile, in the days before Secret Invasion, one family finds even the most humble of holiday celebrations can be infiltrated by the Skrulls in a tale of holiday horror by Ryan Penagos and Juan Doe. Jack Russell, Werewolf by Night, stars in “Werewolf by Eve!” by Marvel.com’s own Ben Morse with art by Stephanie Buscema. Writer Brian Reed and artist Val Semeiks will provide the final tale:”Santa Claus vs. The Illuminati?!”

Debuts: Wednesday, December 17

Astonishing Tales: Iron Man 2020

In a not so distant tomorrow, Arno Stark, the Iron Man of the year 2020, prepares to launch the new heliliner, the Spirit of Free Enterprise…But Commodore Q wants to stop it. Who is he…And what are the Endless Stolen Skies?

Written by: Daniel Merlin Goodbrey
Art by: Lou Kang
Debuts: Wednesday, December 24

Astonishing Tales: Mojoworld

Jonathan Hickman (Secret Warriors) and newcomer Nick Pitarra roll the cameras as Cannonball and Sunspot (of the New Mutants) get sucked into the wildest adventure of their short lives when they spend their summer vacation in…MOJOWORLD!

Written by: Jonathan Hickman
Art by: Nick Pitarra and Jonathon Hickman
Debuts: Wednesday, December 31

Wolverine: Agent of Atlas

The jungles of Cuba, 1958: revolutionary forces work their way to overthrowing the government, while even stranger forces are at large. The FBI has sent Jimmy Woo’s secret team of paranormals, the Agents of Atlas, to investigate. The crack team gets more than they bargained for when they cross paths with the mysterious operative known only as "Logan!" This three part series debuts with a FREE first issue—available to subscribers and non-subscribers to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited!

Written by: Jeff Parker
Art by: Benton Jew
Debuts: Wednesday, December 31 (Issue #1: FREE for all!)

Neal Adams Named New Guest of Honor at NYCC

Neal Adams Named New Guest of Honor at NYCC

  • News
  • December 1, 2008

Celebrated artist Neal Adams will be a Guest of Honor at New York Comic Con (NYCC) this year where he will be available to thousands of fans who are eager to meet the legendary artist.  Adams is best known for helping to create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman and Green Lantern among others.  In addition to his Guest of Honor appearance, Neal Adams has also created the official artwork for New York Comic Con 2009 which will be highlighted in a unique poster featuring several heroes from DC’s Green Lantern Corps. The Green Lantern series was a breakout hit for DC last year with the "Sinestro War" storyline, and the Blackest Night storyline looks to be another huge success. 
 
New York Comic Con is the second largest popular culture event in the United States and will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, February 6 – 8, 2009.  Neal Adams will appear on panels as well as participate in autograph sessions throughout the weekend. 
 
“Neal Adams is one of the fundamental forces of comics: he’s helped reshape the visual vocabulary of the field with his illustrative style, improved its business practices as a leading champion of artistic rights, and godfathered an entire generation of new talent as they entered our field,” said Paul Levitz, President and Publisher of DC Comics, “Comics wouldn’t have been the same without him, and he continues to focus on important new work to affect the future of the field.”

“I can’t begin to say how genuinely honored we are to have Neal Adams create this poster for New York Comic Con, to say nothing of having him appear at our show as a Guest of Honor!” notes Lance Fensterman, Show Manager for NYCC.  “At the cusp of the 60’s, Neal and writer Denny O’Neil created some of the best loved comic stories featuring Green Lantern’s Hal Jordan, and the Green Arrow, as they tackled social issues of the day and set new standards with Neal’s photo-realistic artwork. The poster he has created is extraordinary and it allows us to stay at the forefront with original and innovative artwork for New York Comic Con.  We are enormously grateful to Neal who has been a great supporter of our show from day one.  This is a real collector’s item and a huge value for anyone who manages to ‘score’ one of these special posters.”

In commenting on the creation of the poster for New York Comic Con, Neal Adams notes: “Folks ask why I went all out on this poster for the NYCC?  First, I’m a New Yorker, and this is my hometown.  Secondly, I take tremendous pride in these characters.  Especially, Hal Jordan and John Stewart.”   

(more…)

Hugh Jackman Talks ‘Wolverine’ Sequels

Hugh Jackman Talks ‘Wolverine’ Sequels

  • News
  • November 28, 2008

Hugh Jackman is heavily promoting Baz Luhrman’s Australia, which opened on Wednesday and has happily spoken of his next big film, X-Men: Origins: Wolverine.

 ”If it’s clear to us on May second or third that that’s gone, then I’ll walk away happily," Jackson told Moviehole about his tenuous future as Logan. ”I’m not going to flog something – or flog a dead horse, or try and make movies that people don’t really want to go and see. I have no interest in that. Even no matter how much I love the character. So there are many prerequisites".

Jackman has made the character his pet project, taking on production chores and as a result is already thinking about future installments. "There’s a few story lines that are running my head which I think would be really cool, but unless the script is right, then I just don’t see the point in doing it. I’m probably at the point in my career where I don’t need it. And the last thing I want to do is just to push it on people, if it doesn’t warrant a full feature movie.”

He also discussed how the solo project came about. “David Benioff, one of the great writers in Hollywood, came knocking at our door,” Jackman explained. “And I went and had a meeting with him, and he told me his idea. And I just went, ‘That is so brilliant.’ Now, I know this character by now, and he is a mad, mad fan of the comic books. He’s not cheap. But he came to us with this idea, which was smart and interesting. And it was also steeped in a deep love of the character, and the comic book history. So I just went, ‘Okay. There’s a reason to make this film.’ I was always a mad fan, in reading the comics, of the Wolverine in Japan saga, which is one of the most famous. But ultimately, we all decided – I think rightly, after seeing the film – that you need to understand the character’s origins, to understand who he is. And to really get it. So that’s what the movie does. It goes right back to him as a kid, basically.”

Additionally, Fox News reports that he will return to the Broadway stage as legendary magician Harry Houdini.

“Danny Elfman, once the leader of pop group Oingo Boingo and now often a composer of movie scores, is writing the music. Kurt Andersen, a former magazine editor and current radio host here in New York, is said to be working on the script although no one’s seen anything yet,” the site reports.

“The main thing is that Hugh is already working on magic routines. The show, when it materializes, would include Jackman replicating big Houdini tricks on stage. Hugh has already played a magician in the movie, The Prestige, so he’s up for it. Magician extraordinaire Ricky Jay is said to be giving him advice. At some point the producers may reach out to David Blaine and to Cirque du Soleil for help.”

Cherry Lane Makes Marvel Music

Cherry Lane Makes Marvel Music

  • News
  • November 28, 2008

Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co. entered into a long-term worldwide music administration deal with Marvel Entertainment according to Variety. They will oversee the lucrative music publishing from the Marvel movies starting with Iron Man and Incredible Hulk and extending through the 2011 live action releases. The deal also covers the currently in production animated series Wolverine and the X-Men, Super Hero Squad, Thor and The Avengers."

Cherry Lane also reps music for DreamWorks and Lakeshore Entertainment.

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