TRUE DETECTIVE Director and...John legend...Team Up For THE BLACK COUNT

 

Yes, you read that right, and yes it is *that* John Legend who sang 2008's hit "Green Light" and 2013's "All of You". Deadline reports that the acclaimed director of HBO's critically lauded series True Detective, Cary Fukunga, is teaming up with Legend's Get Lifted Film Co. partner Mike Jackson to tackle the award-winning biography of Thomas Alexandre Dumas, based on the 2012 novel The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, And The Real Count of Monte Cristo although I'd wager the title might be shortened a bit for when Sony releases the film.

“Cary’s exceptional talent as a writer/director will bring to life all of the action and drama that have made The Black Count such a compelling read,” Michael De Luca, who is overseeing the pic for Sony told me today. “He’s got a great take on the material and we’re thrilled to be working with him, John, Thais, Troy and Mike,” added the Columbia Pictures President of Production.

While the name might sound familiar, Dumas' son went on to write The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo which have both served as the basis for numerous Hollywood adaptions, most recently for 'Musketeers' in 2011 helmed by acclaimed auteur Paul W.S. Anderson (Pompeii, Resident Evil).

Deadline notes:

Born to a French nobleman and a slave woman of African descent, Dumas became the highest-ranking person of color to ever serve in any European army. A favorite of Napoleon for a time, Dumas was also the first non-white to become a brigadier general in the French military. Dumas’ exploits were used as the basis for the novels of his son Alexandre Dumas. Better known today than his father, the younger Dumas wrote The Three Musketeers and The Count Of Monte Cristo.

This could be the start of a resurgence in bio-pics, with The Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge! director Baz Luhrman helming Stanley Kubrick's passion project, Napoleon, for HBO. 

ZACK SNYDER Confirmed to Save Cinema with JUSTICE LEAGUE; Plans Revealed

 

Warner Brothers has dropped a pretty big bomb-shell on this quiet Sunday afternoon courtesy of The Wall Street Journal, confirming the obvious that cinematic visionary Zack Snyder will be directing Justice League as well as confirming they have other films in the works from DC/Vertigo.

Speaking with Warner Bro's President of Worldwide Production, Greg Silverman:

Like “Man of Steel” and its follow-up, which starts production next month, “Justice League” will be directed by Zack Snyder. Henry Cavill is expected to return as Superman, along with Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot, who play Batman and Wonder Woman, respectively, in 2016’s “Man of Steel” sequel tentatively titled “Batman vs. Superman.”

“It will be a further expansion of this universe,” said Mr. Silverman. “’Superman vs Batman’ will lead into ‘Justice League.’”

A script for Justice League is supposedly in development, and the article notes that the film doesn't have a set release date but is un-likely to be before 2018 (which would be two years after the Untitled Batman vs Superman film.

In terms of other DC films coming out:

Warner Bros. has several other movies in development unconnected to the Justice League that are based on DC superheroes and fantasy and crime titles from its Vertigo line of genre comics, said Mr. Silverman and Toby Emmerich, president of Warner’s New Line Cinema label. They include “Shazam,” “Metal Men,” “100 Bullets,” and “Fables.”

Also for the angry nerd crowds who have been parroting the "Marvel got a talking raccoon before DC got Wonder-Woman":

And while there are no plans yet for a “Justice League” spinoff featuring Ms. Gadot’s “Wonder Woman,” Warner executives said they are warm to the idea.

“That is our hope,” said Sue Kroll, president of worldwide marketing. “With the right script, that could be viable. The world is ready for her.”

Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, and Ray Fisher line up the heroes announced so far, with Jesse Eisenberg set to tackle the role of Lex Luthor in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman film which is set to release Summer 2016.

Obviously Snyder directing Justice League shouldn't be a shock, especially after seeing how well he has previously handled a grounded and more adult themed super-hero team with 2009's masterpiece WATCHMEN.

The Trailer (12 Years in the Making) for Richard Linklater's 'Boyhood'

I remember first reading about this project way back in 2002 (I was a freshman in high school) and thinking to myself, "This must be an April Fools joke."

The idea that someone would decide to shoot a movie over a span of 12 years to realistically depict a boy's growth from the age of 6 - 18 (1st - 12th grade) was a unprecedented undertaking.  Yet, when it comes to Richard Linklater, he's proven himself time and time again to be everything but a 'conventional' filmmaker.

Starring Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette and newcomer (he's ironically been 'coming' for the past 12 years) Ellar Coltrane, Boyhood tells the story of a child named Mason as he naviagtes through that 'rocky' journey we all encounter from childhood to young adulthood.

The film debuted at Sundance earlier this year and received an overwhelmingly positive reaction as a filmgoing experience unlike anything ever seen.  I wouldn't be shocked if this is finally Linklater's ticket to the Oscars that he's been long overdue for.

You can view the film's trailer below along with its official synopsis and teaser poster.

Boyhood hits theaters in limited release on July 11th. 

Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, Richard Linklater’s BOYHOOD is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (a breakthrough performance by Ellar Coltrane), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes. Starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as Mason’s parents and newcomer Lorelei Linklater as his sister Samantha, BOYHOOD charts the rocky terrain of childhood like no other film has before. Snapshots of adolescence from road trips and family dinners to birthdays and graduations and all the moments in between become transcendent, set to a soundtrack spanning the years from Coldplay’s Yellow to Arcade Fire’s Deep Blue. BOYHOOD is both a nostalgic time capsule of the recent past and an ode to growing up and parenting. It’s impossible to watch Mason and his family without thinking about our own journey.

Source:  IFC Films

First Stills from JURASSIC WORLD Drop, Director Might be Up for Sequels and Williams Returns?

If you're looking forward to next summer's Jurassic World, which is currently filming in Hawaii, you'd be in luck to see three new stills for the upcoming sequel as well as some interesting news regarding director Colin Trevorrow and some upcoming inevitable sequels.

 

Empire spoke with Trevorrow:

“We definitely talked about [sequels] a lot,” the director/co-writer revealed. “We wanted to create something that would be a little bit less arbitrary and episodic, and something that could potentially arc into a series that would feel like a complete story.”

With those story arcs already in place, Trevorrow hinted at the characters likely to participate in them across further films. One of them is cast newbie and Untouchable star Omar Sy, who's soon to be seen as Bishop in X-Men: Days Of Future Past. “He’s essentially Chris Pratt’s best friend,” he said of the Sy character. “They work together and have some pretty cool action scenes together. I wanted to create a relationship there that could be memorable and potentially carry on to future films.”

But don't get too cozy with Pratt:

Before anyone points and shouts ‘Spoilersaurus!’, Trevorrow did say “could” rather than “will”. There’s still a chance, albeit a slender one, that Pratt’s ex-military man will end up on a pterodactyl’s water biscuit.

Trevorrow also confirmed to expect animatronic dinosaurs akin to the acclaimed visuals we saw in Spielberg's 1993 film, Jurassic Park. The film will also be moving to New Orleans after they're done in Hawaii to film. 

Also according to fan-site Jurassic World-Movie, fans should expect the legendary John Williams to return to score the film:

John Williams is in fact returning to do the score for Jurassic World, and is currently working on it according to my source and Jurassic Park Legacy.

Jurassic World, starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Ty Simpkins, Irrfan Kahn, and Vincent D'Onfrio stars principal photography this month, and will release June 12 2014 in theaters and IMAX.

Third HOBBIT Film Gets New Title; Probably Gets Split Into 2, Eh

 

The upcoming sequel to The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, which was set to be released as The Hobbit: There and Back Again will now be referred to as Peter Jackson Presents Lee Daniel's The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies: A Spike Lee Joint.

Variety reports:

Originally titled “There and Back Again,” Jackson wrote that the new name will be “The Battle of the Five Armies.” Rumors of a name change have been circulating for the past week, sparked when fan site TheOneRing.net reported that New Line had registered the name “The Hobbit: Into the Fire.”

The franchise’s studio Warner Bros. confirmed the change.

If I were you, I'd also expect an announcement soon that the film will be split into another part for maximum IMAX 3D money.

Jackson took to Facebook to address the change:

Inside Information...

Our journey to make The Hobbit Trilogy has been in some ways like Bilbo's own, with hidden paths revealing their secrets to us as we've gone along. “There and Back Again” felt like the right name for the second of a two film telling of the quest to reclaim Erebor, when Bilbo’s arrival there, and departure, were both contained within the second film. But with three movies, it suddenly felt misplaced—after all, Bilbo has already arrived “there” in the "Desolation of Smaug".

When we did the premiere trip late last year, I had a quiet conversation with the studio about the idea of revisiting the title. We decided to keep an open mind until a cut of the film was ready to look at. We reached that point last week, and after viewing the movie, we all agreed there is now one title that feels completely appropriate.

And so: "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" it is.

As Professor Tolkien intended, “There and Back Again” encompasses Bilbo’s entire adventure, so don’t be surprised if you see it used on a future box-set of all three movies.

Before then however, we have a film to finish, and much to share with you. It’s been a nice quiet time for us—Jabez and I happily editing away in a dark cave in Wellington—but those halcyon days are quickly coming to an end. It will soon be time to step into the light. Expect to see and hear much about The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in the coming months.

And there’s also The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Extended Cut, which we’re in the process of finishing, with over 25 mins of new scenes, all scored with original music composed by Howard Shore.

It’ll be a fun year!

Uhg. 

Anyway, The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies cash-grabs into theaters this December.

Zack Snyder Adds Diversity As Ray Fisher Joins "Batman Vs Superman" As Cyborg

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According to an exclusive from Variety, Theatre actor Ray Fisher has been tapped to play Victor Stone, AKA Cyborg, in the upcoming still untitled Batman-Superman feature from Warner Bros and Zack Synder.

Variety notes that well over the past few weeks, Warner Bros. have been test-screening several actors for this role, and whilst Variety's sources state that he won't have an important role in Batman vs. Superman, they claim that he'll have a major role in Warner Bros' upcoming film plans, including Justice League. Fisher is well-known for portraying Muhammad Ali in the Broadway play "Fetch Clay, Make Man".

It's no surprise that Warner Bros. is looking to include Cyborg into their upcoming film universe. He's a fantastic superhero that naturally adds some great diversity to their coveted superhero roster, unlike Marvel Studios. Cyborg has been apart of the Justice League in all major media over the past 2 years, ever since the New 52 launched and gave him a spotlight role, so most of the audiences are already aware of the character. Additionally, Henry Cavill noted that he would love to have Cyborg join the roster of superheroes in the future of Warner Bros feature films. Now, it looks like the "United Nations Justice League" that we reported about is falling into place with Zack Snyder casting people with a variety of ethniticies and cultural backgrounds.

Meanwhile, the untitled Batman vs. Superman picture shot a football game scene almost six months ago, before the big re-write and delay. It's unknown if this will be included in the picture at this point, but Vic Stone's origin as Cyborg in the New 52, and animated features involve the character as a star football athlete. Warner Bros is also including S.T.A.R Labs in their small-screen shows such as Arrow and The Flash, which are also important to Stone's origin. Heck, there was also an easter egg of the scientific company in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. In case you haven't noticed, Warner Bros. have for years, prepped the audiences with a character or theme that they plan to present in an upcoming DC Comics film.

Batman vs. Superman(: Age of Diversity*) is currently doing camera tests in Detroit and is said to head into production next month. We should be expecting the first images of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman to drop within the coming weeks.

*Not the actual title.

Warner Bros. Take Note Of These "Batman Vs Superman" Fan Posters

Posters for Summer blockbusters have steadily declined in both originality and creativity the past several years. One bad poster after another have appeared on websites and the walls of your favorite local theater. Sure, there have been a real gem here or there, but it's a rare sighting. SuperHeroHype Forum user Asteroid-Man is trying to break that tradition of awful poster fatigue with to very well done "Batman Vs Superman" posters. Check them out below.

New Poster for EDGE OF TOMORROW Promises Mecha Suits and Swords

The Official Facebook Page for the upcoming Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt starring sci-fi thrilled, Edge of Tomorrow debut an exclusive new poster earlier today, which shows Cruise and Blunt staring into the face of annihilation on a war-torn battlefield.

The epic action of "Edge of Tomorrow" unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.
Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again...and again.

But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.

Edge of Tomorrow blasts into theaters June 6. 

'Terminator: Genesis' Has Officially Started Production

Production on next year's Terminator reboot, Terminator: Genesis, has officially begun.

Directed by Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) and starring Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor, Jai Courtney as Kyle Reese, Jason Clarke as John Connor, Dayo Okeniyi as Danny Dyson, and last but not least, Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator, Skydance Productions posted the above image on their official Facebook page.

Though it's not much to go off of, it can be seen the production is going under the code name 'Vista' as it will be shooting in and around New Orleans.

Also, it seems Arnold has begun shooting as well as I came across this image of him on set below:

Source:  Skydance Productions - Facebook, The Arnold Fans - Message Boards

Paul WS Anderson Confirms New "Resident Evil 6" Details

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Almost a year ago, Screen Gems had confirmed that visual auteur Paul WS Anderson would be directing the sixth and final installment of the highly-popular Resident Evil film franchise set for a September 2014 release. Obviously, this release window isn't going to happen since filming hasn't even started and we haven't even heard news about a cast.

However, CNTV got word from Paul WS Anderson at the Beijing Internation Film Festival (via SuperheroHype) that the next Resident Evil film may be titled "Resident Evil: Rising". There could definitely be something lost in translation or this could be a working title that gets changed, however it finally gives fans something to be excited about. Anderson also confirms the return of Li Bingbing as Ada Wong, and says the film will definitely be 3D as was the case with the previous two installments.

If the ending of Resident Evil Retribution is any indication, this film will be the real Avengers film I'm looking forward to. Stay tuned for updates to see if other cast members, such as Wentworth Miller or Ali Larter will join the sixth installment. Milla Jovovich will also return as Alice in the sixth installment of Resident Evil.