X-Men: Days of Future Past Trailer

The first trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past is here. If you happened to attend the San Diego Comic-Con last July (or caught the bootleg copies before Fox legal had YouTube yank em faster than Quicksilver), the footage here is nothing you haven't already seen minus the Inception score.

Not that that is a bad thing. It isn't. The footage adequately sets the tone for what to expect this Memorial Day weekend.

Bryan Singer Answers Fans Questions for 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'; First Trailer Hits Tomorrow Morning

I still remember to this day back in high school watching Brett Ratner's awful X-Men: The Last Stand and only wondering what could have been had Bryan Singer stayed on-board instead of going to make Superman Returns.  At that time, I'd figured he was done with the franchise and any hope of him ever returning was slim to none.

Funny how things turn out.

Next year, we get X-Men: Days of Future Past, what's been called a 'in-between-quel' by the director himself, connecting all the X-Men films that have come before it, while also trying to correct some of the 'mistakes' less talented filmmakers have made as well.

The cast is huge, with pretty much every actor from both the original trilogy and First Class aboard (and don't think for a second a certain JM and FJ aren't showing up) as well as an epic scope encompassing time travel and the end of the world.

With the first trailer hitting tomorrow at 6 AM Pacific time (damn you West Coast), Bryan Singer answered fans questions via Twitter which you can read the highlights of below.

An image has also debuted informing every one that tomorrow the first trailer hits worldwide.

Get ready.

"Can you give us another hint at what we might see in the full trailer tomorrow?” --from Neil Sutton on Facebook
Bryan Singer: Tomorrow's trailer is primarily a character piece, as most of our VFX are not yet finished.

FB fan Vlad Micu asks: “How was it to bring the cast of the original X-Men and the cast of X-Men First Class together in the same Movie?”
Singer: Awesome, and slightly intimidating.

#AskSinger #XMen was it challenging working with such a big varying cast?
Singer: .@lawrencer_ I was real comfortable with the original cast and knew the #FirstClass cast as a writer/producer but not yet as a director. With the exception of @NicholasHoult of course -- but they were all fantastic and made the experience fun.

“What was the funniest moment on set with the entire cast?” --from Daniel Long on Facebook
Singer: In between shooting a serious scene on Xavier's private jet, Michael, Nick, Hugh and James dancing to #BlurredLines #IHaveTheFootage

How does this movie make itself new and fresh, while still keeping the traditional feeling we all loved from the previous movies?#AskSinger
Singer: .@pluckthestrings It's all in the cast. They are great actors who know their characters - who know how to bring them to life.

“Have you ever attempted Hugh Jackman's legendary workout regimen?” --from Jacob Parker on Facebook
Singer: Someone tweeted that I was gaining weight, so I tried the workout... for a day.

Mystique has been a fun character to see in the movies. What can we expect to see from her in DOFP #ASKSINGER #XMEN
Singer: .@irturner She's a much more hardened kick-ass character than she was in #FirstClass.

"What scene are you editing right now?" --From Kevin Lieu on Facebook
Singer: I'm tinkering with a piece in the opening that helps set up the story - but I'm in a good place with the cut. A bit ahead of schedule

“Mr. Singer, how would you characterize the tone and style of ‘Days of Future Past’?” --from Ben Ferguson on FB
Singer: Although there is a great deal of humor, the overall tone is a bit darker than previous films, particularly because of the stakes.

How many new x men characters are in the new film #XMen #AskSinger!
Singer: .@Jason_Payton82 A lot -- Blink, Bishop, Sunspot, Warpath, Ink, Quicksilver, etc.

"Are there any practical jokers among the stars of Days Of Future Past? #XMen #AskSinger" --from Charlene John Crisp on Facebook
Singer: Yes. Two words. James. McAvoy. #IHaveTheFootageOnMyiPhone

#x-men #AskSinger What is it, do you think, that keeps drawing you back to the X-Men? Also... Welcome back!
Singer: .@TPF1138 I love the the characters. There's always a new place to go in the #XMen universe. #TimeTravel #Sentinels

Is their any X-Men character that you haven't used that you would like to? #AskSinger #XMen
Singer: .@Bmike3030 Yeah, Gambit, Deadpool, and a few others I'd rather not mention.

#xmen #AskSinger Stylistically, First Class echoed the Bond movies of the 60's. Should we expect DoFP to echo 70's cinema in some fashion?
Singer: .@TPF1138 Yes, in the colors, some of the style & music. I also used 16 & 8mm footage which I operated myself for some scenes which was fun.

“Will we finally get to see the sentinels in action?” --from Brandon Williams on Facebook
Singer: Yes. :)

Source: Bryan Singer Twitter

Ben Affleck Talks His Initial Hesitance to Take On Batman

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past two months, you might have heard Ben Affleck was cast as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Warner Bros. tentatively titled, Batman vs. Superman, the follow-up to this year's Man of Steel.

To say the public outcry over his casting was outrageous is a bit of an understatement.

From online petitions, to death threats, to even going as far to ask President Obama to have WB reverse his casting, Ben Affleck received a lot of unnecessary crap over his acceptance of the role.

In a recent interview though, Affleck discussed his initial hesitance to take on such an iconic role and follow in the footsteps of what both Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan created:

Initially I was reluctant as I felt I didn't fit the traditional mold but once Zack showed me the concept, and that it would be both different from the great movies that Chris and Christian made but still in keeping with tradition I was excited. Doing something different and new is always tricky and part of the thrill and the risk is that initially it confounds expectations. The truth is, it's the movie and the execution of it is what all the actors depend on and I believe in Zack's vision.

You have to give the guy credit, he knows what he is doing, because the truth of the matter is, Ben Affleck doesn't NEED to play Batman.  Coming off his Oscar winning Best Picture Argo, his career has never been hotter and has the ability to do pretty much whatever he wants.  He's currently filming the lead role in David Fincher's Gone Girl along with a number of high-profile directorial/acting projects over at WB including Live By Night and just this week's announced Congo/Africa thriller.

Affleck's taking on the Batman role because not only does he feel he can tap into the character and do something unlike what we've seen, but also because - and he states this above - he believes in the vision Zack Snyder has presented to him.  But even more so than this, he's smart enough to realize it's all about the execution.  How many times do you seen a great idea for a film turn out to be a terrible movie?  It's because the filmmakers didn't execute properly.  No one wants to make a bad movie, and if it were so easy to make a good one, every one would do it.

I for one can't wait to see how this all turns out but we can expect some major news in the next few months as the Batman/Superman flick is set to starting principal photography in February.

Source:  411mania

JACK RYAN Moved To January- WOLF OF WALL STREET Might Move To Christmas

 Bad or good news depending on who you are; but it appears Paramount has made it official that the upcoming Chris Pine-starring reboot of the Jack Ryan character, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, will be pushed from December 25 to January 17, Martin Luther King Weekend.

The news likely means, The Hollywood Reporter thinks, that Martin Scorcese's The Wolf of Wall Street, boasting an impressive cast, premise, and good buzz, might move up to Christmas Day, squeezing it right in at the tail-end of Oscar season. 

There's still no official word on whether Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street will instead open over the Christmas corridor, but the decision to officially move Jack Ryan indicates Scorsese may have found a way to finish the movie in time (Wolf was originally supposed to open Nov. 15).

MLK Weekend falls into the January/February "dumping ground"; but the weekend has been a sweet spot for some films, such as  January's highest grosser, the 2008 monster-film Cloverfield, which opened with $46 million that weekend, as well as films like The Green Hornet, and The Book of Eli.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit , directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh (Thor, Wild Wild West), follows CIA Analyst Jack Ryan, played by Chris Pine (Star Trek, People Like Us) as he delves into a covert operation under the orders of his handler played by Kevin Costner (Man of Steel, The Guardian) that could put not only his life; but his beautiful wife's (Keira Knightley, A Dangerous Method, Pirates of the Caribbean) in danger. 

The film now opens on January 17, 2014. Which means I'll be 21, and share my first legal drink with Chris Pine's dreamy cold blue eyes. 

Rest Easy, Nicolas Cage Fans: NATIONAL TREASURE 3 Might Be Happening.

 

While out promoting his comedy film, Last Vegas, due in theaters November 1, director John Turteltaub informed Collider that the sequel to 2007's National Treasure: Book of Secrets could be shooting within the next two years, giving the acting God and immortal vampire king Nicolas Cage a chance to grace is with his prowess on the big-screen.

When asked about the status of National Treasure 3, Turteltaub said:

It’s so damn hard to write a great historical mystery based on fact.  It’s not for lack of trying.  We want to do the movie.  Disney wants to do the movie.  We’re just having the damnedest time, writing it.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets, which opened in 2007 and ended up making a $219 million gross off of it's $130 million budget, seemed like it was poised for another entry; but for some reason that never happened. 

Turteltaub went on to say:

We’re closer.  I’d say we’re about half-way there.  It’s not only writing a great historical mystery, but we’ve gotta write something that has nothing to do with anything we’ve done before.  The goal is to always have an original sequel, as silly as that sounds.  We really want to make sure that the third one doesn’t just feel like a repeat of the first one, or one too many.

The first film dealt with Nicolas Cage and his crew stealing the Declaration of Independence, with it's sequel developing a mystery regarding to several missing pages in John Wilkes Boothe's diary and delved into a large conspiracy about Abraham Lincoln's assassination. 

Anyone happy about this news? The National Treasure films weren't exactly ground-breaking cinema; but they were fun adventure films, and with Disney's recent live-action films taking a dive, maybe it's time to bust out some good ol' fashioned Nicolas Cage. 

'Independence Day 2' With Will Smith / 'Independence Day 2' Without Will Smith: Which Will Happen?

At this point, it's become pretty clear in regards to Independence Day 2:  the film is going to happen.

20th Century Fox knows it.  So does director Roland Emmerich.  And oh yeah, Will Smith too.

That is why two scripts have been commissioned for the long in-development sequel, one featuring the reprisal of Will Smith in his star making role, one without him.  Only time will tell which happens.

Emmerich was out promoting the Blu-ray/DVD release of White House Down (still haven't seen it but I want to) and seemed as if the task of making a sequel to his most famous film is already taking it's toll, stating it's "a daily battle...the budget, the schedules, the actors...", but promised, "It's looking good."

He of course spoke about the potential involvement of Will Smith and let it be known that screenwriter James Vanderbilt - who wrote White House Down (not sure if that's a good thing or not) - has completed two scripts for the film, one with Will, one without.  But Emmerich did let it be known, "It's looking good [for the version with Smith]."

Hopefully this pans out as I can only imagine a sequel to Independence Day won't feel the same with only the return of the iconic duo of Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum.  

A release date of July 3rd, 2015 is set, but I'm willing to be it'll be pushed to summer 2016, being the 20th anniversary of the original's release.

Source:  The Playlist

STAR WARS EPISODE 7 Gets New Writer; Is Someone You've Actually Heard Of

If you've been wondering "Man, where's news on that Star Wars thing?" well, here's some news for you from Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucasfilm off the Official Star Wars website declaring that Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) is officially out of Star Wars: Episode VII, and Star Wars veteran Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi) will return to a galaxy far, far away...

"I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Larry and J.J. working on the script," states Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. "There are very few people who fundamentally understand the way a Star Wars story works like Larry, and it is nothing short of incredible to have him even more deeply involved in its return to the big screen. J.J. of course is an incredible storyteller in his own right. Michael Arndt has done a terrific job bringing us to this point and we have an amazing filmmaking and design team in place already prepping for production."

That should give you Star Wars-crazies out there some hope if you were worried about "The Little Miss Sunshine" guy writing your sweeping space-spectacle, directed by J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Super 8).

Kennedy went on to reveal some more of the crew, and they have some nice looking resumes:

Director of photography Dan Mindel (Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness)

Production designers Rick Carter (Lincoln, Avatar, Forrest Gump) and Darren Gilford (Oblivion, TRON: Legacy)

Costume designer Michael Kaplan (Star Trek Into Darkness, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Fight Club)

Special effects supervisor Chris Corbould (Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception)

Sound designer Ben Burtt (Lincoln, Wall-E, Star Wars: Episodes I-VI)

Re-recording mixer Gary Rydstrom (Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, Toy Story, Mission: Impossible -Ghost Protocol)

Supervising sound editor Matthew Wood (Star Trek Into Darkness, The Master, There Will Be Blood) of Skywalker Sound

Visual effects supervisor Roger Guyett (Star Trek Into Darkness, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith) of Industrial Light & Magic.

Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, with Tommy Harper (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Jack Ryan, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War of the Worlds) serving as executive producers.

John Williams is returning to score Star Wars: Episode VII.

No word yet on the plot of Star Wars: Episode VII nor is there really anyone confirmed for starring in the project yet; but keep your eyes peeled, something is bound to show up.

Full Trailer For CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLIDER

 

Courtesy of the official Marvel UK Youtube Channel comes the premier of the Captain America: The Winter Soldier trailer; which looks like it'll take the cake as the very best of Marvel's Phase 2 movies.

The film looks like it rides a much darker and morally ambiguous line when it comes to S.H.I.E.L.D, which is funny considering the "canon" TV Series on ABC makes S.H.I.E.L.D out to be a Saturday morning cartoon group.

Thoughts? I personally think the cast looks great, and the movie looks like it'll be fantastic, and this coming from someone who didn't care much for Iron Man 3 and has no interest at all in Thor: The Dark World.

After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” finds Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy — the Winter Soldier. Starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Georges St-Pierre, Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Emily VanCamp and Maximiliano Hernández with Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Redford.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier hits theaters April 4, 2014. 

MORTAL INSTRUMENTS Sequel Moving Forward Despite Financial Failure

 

In the world of Hollywood movies, I myself have been victim to watching such personally enjoyable films like John Carter, DREDD, Fright Night, CONAN, and this past summer's The Lone Ranger fail in the box-office, crushing all potential franchise hope they had promised; and for a brief while fans of Sony's The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones had feared all was lost on the potential sequels, that were supposed to start filming in September. 

City of Bones, made on a reported 60 million budget, only made about $30 million of that back and with poor critical response, which points all signs to flop; but going against all odds and powered by positive fan response, Sony and Constantine Films are going ahead with The Mortal Instrument: City of Ashes.

"The fan response, from the blogosphere and the thousands of mails we have received, has encouraged us to keep going,” Moszkowicz told The Hollywood Reporter. “It's been overwhelmingly positive, in contrast to some other YA titles.”

Moszkowicz said international returns for City of Bones means the first film’s worldwide take is now close to $100 million but admits box-office revenue was below Constantin’s forecasts.

“We are analyzing what we did wrong with the first film -- particularly with the positioning and marketing -- and what changes we have to make. We are working with a great group of people to reposition the franchise [for City of Ashes].”

The film, based on a series of Young Adult novels by Cassandra Clare, starred Jamie Campbell Bower (Anonymous, Sweeny Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street) and Lily Collins (The Blind Side, Mirror Mirror) as Shadow Hunters, an ancient order of half-angels who fight an eternal battle to protect our world from the dark forces around us, and comes out on Bluray December 3, 2014.

Well, what do you think? It's pretty crazy, given films like DREDD and Pacific Rim made over half their budgets back with much larger critical and fan support have been dark on a sequel, but an almost bonified 'flop' like this is getting a sequel.

I actually was interested in seeing this, and I'm happy the fans will get to see their series live on.

On the film's failure, Moszkowicz, Constantine's head of film, said:

“The readers of Mortal Instruments are older than you might think,” he said. “That may have been one issue in our marketing, that we focused too much on a very young audience segment."

Did anyone else see it? Read the books? Thoughts?

This Guy Will Get Naked For You In 50 SHADES OF GREY; Isn't In Sons of Anarchy

 

After Charlie Hunnam ditched the upcoming 50 Shades of Grey to persue bigger sure-fire money-makers like Pacific Rim 2, people like your mom and all of her book-club friends were 'LIKE, TOTALLY FREAKING OUT' wondering who could replace such a charismatic star in this highly-anticipated film, based on the ground-breaking novel by E.L. James.

Well, Variety is here to tell you it's Jamie Dornan (sadly not Jamie Williams) who has starred in ABC's Once Upon A Time, as well as 2006's Marie Antoniette.  

Irish actor Jamie Dornan has been tapped to replace Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey in the Universal and Focus adaptation of “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Dakota Johnson co-stars as Anastasia Steele with Sam Taylor-Johnson on board to direct.

Universal and Focus Features declined to comment.

So, there you have it. Jamie Dornan will bring to life such moving lines as:

“I'm going to fuck you now, Miss Steele.”

and the classic:

“No, Anastasia it doesn’t. Firstly, I don’t make love. I fuck… hard. Secondly, there’s a lot more paperwork to do, and thirdly, you don’t yet know what you’re in for. You could still run for the hills. Come, I want to show you my playroom.”

50 Shades of Grey tells the story of the young Anastasia Steele, who falls for the mysteriously dark Christian Grey and enters a world of romance, passion, and violence.

The film sexes it's way into theaters August 1, 2014.