Disney Will Make a Man Out of You With Live-Action MULAN

if you walked out of the brilliantly done Cinderella earlier this month and thought "Wow, what will they do next?" and then your girlfriend (or mom) said "What about Mulan?" well, they'd be right.
While Beauty and the Beast finished rounding out it's leads the week that Disney's Cinderella openeded to almost $70 million dollars (now it has surpassed $300 million worldwide), and set the date for the classic 'inner beauty' tale in March 2017, Disney is losing no sleep on it's next venture.

Disney bought a script by writing team Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek that centers on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, the female warrior who was the main character in Disney's 1998 animated film.

Chris Bender and J.C. Spink (We're the Millers) are producing the new project.

The character of Mulan was promenintley featured on ABC's fairy-tale drama Once Upon a Time and of course the $300 million animated film in the summer of 1998.
Can Disney strike gold with the Chinese hero once again? Signs point to "duh".

While Maleficent and Cinderella were lauded for their girl-power, it will be fascinating to see Disney completley trade in the 'white' heroes for a Chinese-set Historical romance/epic. 

THE CROW Finally Takes Flight; Finds It's Lead

By this point in time, The Crow reboot has been back from the dead more times than it's titular character has.

After months of nervous waiting to find out the obvious that Luke Evans had dropped out of the stalling film, James O'Barr, writer of the original graphic novel, confirmed that rising star Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire, BENHUR) will be donning the make-up as Eric Draven/The Crow, and Winter's Tale's Jessica Brown Findlay will play the character's deceased wife, Shelly

O'Barr has officially confirmed that it will be Boardwalk Empire's Jack Huston to don the makeup that will transform him into the tragic and iconic character. "Jack Huston has definitely been cast," O'Barr said, adding that he was "really happy with that choice" and that the upcoming flick "will shoot in a couple of months."

F. Javier Guiterrez, who was set to direct, has also moved on. Leaving Corin Hardy at the helm. O'Barr also said the cast would be entirley British, the Crow itself will speak to Eric, and that if a sequel is made, the lead will be female. 
Well alright.

Back at Wizard World Tulsa in the Fall of 2014, O'Barr spoke on what to expect from the film:

"I have a lot of control over this. It's going to be closer to an art-house film than an action John Woo-styalized thing. Parts of it will be in black and white, parts will be in technicolor- the happy parts will be in technicolor- all the violent stuff will be shot on 1970's film stock so it'll be really gritty and grainy so it has that Taxi Driver look to it. I ived 35 years in Detroit. Violence is ugly and I want it to be ugly on screen. I don't want it to be heroic, and I do not want it to be stylized, so I'm actually excited about it."

The Crow will begin filming soon. 

Live-Action 'Beauty and the Beast' to Hit Theaters March 17, 2017

Hot on the heels of their successful live-action redo of Cinderella (#1 at the box office this weekend with $70 million, 83% on Rotten Tomatoes), Walt Disney Pictures has officially dated their next - Beauty and the Beast - exactly two years from tomorrow, March 17, 2017.

Being directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), this newest update of the classic Disney fairytale will star Emma Watson (Harry Potter series) as Belle, Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) as Prince/Beast and Luke Evans (Dracula Untold) as Gaston.  Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks) has also joined the cast, playing Mrs. Potts, while Kevin Kline (Life as a House) will play Belle's father, Maurice.

Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) wrote the script with an earlier version by Evan Spiliotopoulos (Hercules).

The film will be a blend of modern CGI magic mixed with real life actors to bring the beloved classic to a whole new generation.

While I'm sure Disney knows full well in what they're doing in not tarnishing the legacy of their animated classics, Beauty and the Beast is a whole other animal (no pun intended) to live up to.

The original 1991 film was not only a huge hit both with critics and audiences, but it became the first animated film ever to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.  Yes, and that was when there were only 5 nominees!

Hopefully this newest version can at least be a solid entry (much like Cinderella), but given it's animated predecessor, I'm expecting great.

Source: Walt Disney Pictures

Jeremy Renner Seemingly Set for 'Captain America: Civil War'

Even though Captain America: Civil War - due out May 2016 - is starting to look like Avengers 2.5, it seems Marvel Studios is doing whatever they can to make sure it's the biggest movie of the year (and not Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice).

In a story announcing Jeremy Renner has joined Amy Adams in the sci-fi drama, Story of Your Life, The Hollywood Reporter let slip that that Renner is set to shoot the next Captain America this spring, reprising his role as Clint Barton/Hawkeye.

We already knew the film would be a crowded entry with not only Chris Evans, Scarlett Johanson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo and Samuel L. Jackson returning from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but also Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., and new Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman.  Oh, and also the villian - Baron Zemo - to be played by Daniel Brühl.

I'm sure Marvel has a well laid plan of what they want to do with this movie while keeping the focus on the title character in Steve Rogers/Captain America, but we've seen many time before where a comic book movie tries to fit too many characters into one film (Spider-Man 3, Iron Man 2, to a lesser extent The Dark Knight Rises) and turns out mediocre to bad.

But, if one studio has earned the faith in knowing what the heck they're doing, it's Marvel.  They haven't made a bad movie in years and don't look to be starting any time soon.

Renner - along with pretty much every other actor mentioned above - can next be seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron, due out May 1st.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" Poster Along With German Version

Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to the Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure. 

Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk.  Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision. Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963. Get set for an action-packed thrill ride when The Avengers return in Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” on May 1, 2015.

"Get Hard" Poster Featuring Will Ferrell & Kevin Hart

When millionaire hedge fund manager James (Will Ferrell) is nailed for fraud and bound for a stretch in San Quentin, the judge gives him 30 days to get his affairs in order. Desperate, he turns to Darnell (Kevin Hart) to prep him for a life behind bars. But despite James’ one-percenter assumptions, Darnell is a hard-working small business owner who has never received a parking ticket, let alone been to prison. Together, the two men do whatever it takes for James to “get hard” and, in the process, discover how wrong they were about a lot of things – including each other. 

Simon Pegg In The 2nd "Kill Me Three Times" Trailer

A mercurial assassin (Simon Pegg) discovers he isn't the only person trying to kill the siren (Alice Braga) of a sun-drenched surfing town. In this darkly comedic thriller, the hitman finds himself unravelling three tales of mayhem, murder, blackmail and revenge.

COURTESY OF MOVIECLIPS TRAILERS

Official Trailer For "Superfast!" Fast & Furious Franchise Spoof

Undercover cop Lucas White joins Vin Serento's LA gang of illegal street racers. They are fast and they are furious and they plan to double cross LA crime kingpin Juan Carlos de la Sol who hides his cash in a downtown Taco Bell. The gangs outrageous plan is as daring as it is ridiculous and will see them towing the whole damn restaurant, at crazy speeds.

COURTESY OF MOVIECLIPS TRAILERS 

"While We're Young" Official Trailer #2 With Ben Stiller & Adam Driver

An uptight documentarian and his wife find their lives loosened up a bit after befriending a free-spirited younger couple. The comedy stars Ben Stiller & Adam Driver. 

COURTESY OF MOVIECLIPS TRAILERS

Harrison Ford to Return for 'Blade Runner 2'; Denis Villeneuve to Direct

For all those Blade Runner fans who have been concerned about that 'in-development' sequel going on the past few years...it might actually turn out to be good.

Alcon Entertainment has announced that Harrson Ford - star of the original 1982 sci-fi classic - will return for the sequel as Rick Deckard.  While his character won't be the star this time around, he will appear in the third act of the film in a small but critical role.

On top of that, while it was believed the first film's director Ridley Scott would return to direct, it's now been announced the Denis Villenueve (Prisoners) will helm the sequel which is set to start shooting in the summer of 2016.

Having seen the original film (and not being the biggest fan of it but understanding why it's such a cult classic), this all actually sounds like the best case scenario they could have come up with for a sequel.

By bringing back Harrison Ford in a lesser but important role, you honor the connection to the first fiilm while being able to do something new and inventive this time around.  Also, by making Ridley Scott the producer for this (and let's be honest, he hasn't exactly been knocking them out of the park for the past decade), you ensure the new film's vision still stays true to the original with a great, young talent in Villenueve taking the reigns.

Hampton Fancher (who wrote the original film), wrote the script for the sequel based on an idea by him and Ridley Scott.  Michael Green (Green Lantern) is also credited as a co-writer on this project.

The film is set to take place decades after the conclusion of the 1982 classic.

See below for the official press release:

LOS ANGELES, CA, FEBRUARY 26, 2015 —Harrison Ford will reprise his celebrated role of Rick Deckard in the sequel to Alcon Entertainment’s BLADE RUNNER and Academy Award nominee Denis Villeneuve to (Prisoners, Incendies) is in negotiations to direct, it was announced by Alcon co-founders and co-CEO’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson.

Film is scheduled to start principle photography in summer of 2016. Hampton Fancher (co-writer of the original) and Michael Green have written the original screenplay based on an idea by Fancher and Ridely Scott.

The story takes place several decades after the conclusion of the 1982 original.

State Johnson and Kosove: “We are honored that Harrison is joining us on this journey with Denis Villeneuve, who is a singular talent, as we experienced personally on Prisoners. Hampton and Michael, with Ridley Scott, have crafted a uniquely potent and faithful sequel to one of the most universally celebrated films of all time, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with this amazing, creative team.”

Ford will next be seen in The Age of Adaline for Lionsgate and the highly anticipated upcoming Star Wars for Walt Disney Pictures. Recent releases include the Warner Bros./Legendary box office hit 42.

Villeneuve most recently directed the crime thriller Sicario, staring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benecio Del Toro for Black Label Media and Lionsgate. He also directed Canada’s Oscar nominated French language film Incendies, and Alcon Entertainment’s critically acclaimed Prisoners, staring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Alcon Entertainment acquired the film, television and ancillary franchise rights to BLADE RUNNER in 2011 from producer Bud Yorkin to produce prequels and sequels to the iconic science-fiction thriller. Yorkin will serve as a producer on the sequel along with Kosove and Johnson. Cynthia Sikes Yorkin will co-produce.

Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble, CEO’s of Thunderbird Films, will serve as executive producers.

Among its many distinctions, BLADE RUNNER has been singled out as one of the greatest movies of all time by innumerable polls and media outlets, and overwhelmingly as the greatest science-fiction film of all time by a majority of genre publications.

Released by Warner Bros., BLADE RUNNER was adapted by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples from Philip K. Dick’s novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and was directed by Ridley Scott following his landmarkAlien.” The film was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction).

BLADE RUNNER was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1993 and is frequently taught in university courses. In 2007, it was named the 2nd most visually influential film of all time by the Visual Effects Society.

ABOUT ALCON ENTERTAINMENT

Co-founders and co-CEO’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson founded Alcon Entertainment in 1997 with partner Frederick W. Smith, the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FedEx. Warner Bros. distributes Alcon’s motion pictures via the companies’ long-term output distribution agreement.

Alcon has financed and produced, and/or co-financed/produced 29 films to date, including “My Dog Skip,” the Academy Award nominated Best Picture “The Blind Side,” which earned Sandra Bullock a Best Actress Oscar; “The Book of Eli,” starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman; “Insomnia,” starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank and directed by Chris Nolan; “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants;” “P.S. I Love You,” starring Hilary Swank; the critically acclaimed “Prisoners,” a dramatic thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo, Terrance Howard and Paul Dano, and the family hit “Dolphin Tale 2,” a sequel to its original starring Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson. Alcon is currently in production on “Point Break,” a reimagining of the classic action movie filming on four continents starring Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey, and Ray Winstone. The Company is also developing a sequel to “Blade Runner” with Ridley Scott.

Alcon Television Group is currently producing a four-hour mini-series documentary for HBO about the life and times of Frank Sinatra, directed Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney; and “The Expanse,” a space thriller for Syfy Network.

Source: Alcon Entertainment