That Mortal Instruments Movie You Won't See is Planning a Sequel with Sigourney Weaver

I don't know what The Mortal Instruments is, what it's about and why I'm about supposed to care. It's based on a popular book series. I know that much thanks to the EPK featurette playing in front of practically every film I've seen this summer.

And it seems like one of those "From the International Best Selling Phenomenon" that nobody shows up for. Hey for every Twilight and Hunger Games, there are ten times as many Golden Compass, The Dark is Rising and Percy Jackson. As its August release approaches, talk has turned to a follow-up. Typical discussion, sure, only this time they’re already casting up.

Sigourney Weaver will come aboard for The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes in addition to the returning Abercrombie & Fitch cast and director Harald Zwart. She'll play the "ruthless leader of the Shadowhunters who will stop at nothing to destroy the man who killed her son."

Weaver has been taking and money for years. And you know what, she's earned it. But isn't this sequel talk all premature? The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones has a "Dump the crap" slot at the end of next month. Who really thinks there is going to be another one? Well... besides its studio.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Martha Kent To Play Hillary Clinton In NBC's "Hillary".

If you ever sat there and looked at Hillary Clinton and thought "Man, Dianne Lane would give a really good portrayal as here, they look a lot alike and everything!" well, you weren't the only one, because NBC thinks that too.

At the Television Critics Association's summer-press tour, among many other high-profile mini-series NBC is developing such as "Rosemary Baby", "Tommyknockers", and something called "Plymouth", it was revealed Dianne Lane would portray former First Lady Hillary Clinton in a 4-hour miniseries.

Greenblatt noted the deal for the Clinton biopic just closed and casting has yet to begin for an actor to play Bill Clinton. While the former secretary of state is likely to announce her candidacy for president, Greenblatt said the mini will likely air before then -- avoiding concerns about offering about equal time to her potential Republican challenger. 

"She's not going to declare her candidacy for two more years, so I think it will be the late spring or early summer of '15 that she will declare," Greenblatt told reporters. "This could well have aired before that. We have to talk through all that." 

More on the series:

Hilary will be written and directed by Frozen River's Courtney Hunt and will recount Clinton's life as a wife, mother, politician and cabinet member from 1998 to the present. The script will begin with Clinton living in the White House as her husband is serving the second of his two terms as president. It will include her likely run for president. Busted Shark's Sherryl Clark will executive produce alongside James D. Stern (Looper). Greenblatt told reporters following his presentation that the former first lady hadn't yet heard of the project. (The project comes almost 10 years after Greenblatt opted to air CBS' controversial mini The Reagans during his tenure at Showtime.)

An actor has yet to be cast for the role of Bill Clinton; but I think we all know who it should be:

Johnny Depp Might Hang Up The Ol' Eyeliner And Makeup For "Quieter Things"

 

In news that will really upset my mom, Variety reports that Johnny Depp, who recently starred in the critically panned and U.S. Box office failure The Lone Ranger, which was actually one of my favorite movies of the summer, might be taking a break from acting sometime soon to persue finer things like having sex with Helena Bonham-Carter while Tim Burton watches, and counting his piles of change that he's recieved by playing "that weird attractive guy".

Depp, who was in Blighty to promote his latest pic and recent U.S. box office flop “The Lone Ranger,” told the Beeb that the acting profession was an “insane option for a human being.”

He said: “At a certain point you start thinking. When you add up the amount of dialogue that you say per year and you realize that you’ve said written words more than you’ve had a chance to say your own words, you start thinking about that as an insane option for a human being.”

Pretty deep stuff there, Tonto.

Depp went on to say that there were “quieter things” that he would not mind doing.

“I wouldn’t say I’m dropping out any second, but I would say it’s probably not too far away.”

I really hope this comes to pass as a "maybe I better not" kind of thing. A lot of people put J-Dizzle down; but I don't think he's had his BIG role yet that really solidifies his career.
He needs one more Blow or Ed Wood or hell, even another Finding Neverland.

Edgar Wright On Ant-Man "I Do Start Doing It In October"

Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright were guests this morning on 98.5 the Sports Hub to pimp the upcoming comedy The World's End. The trio presented the film last night at The Brattle Theater in Cambridge MA but only after fans were treated with screenings of Shaun Of The Dead & Hot Fuzz.

In addition to discussing The World's End and past films Edgar Wright commented on his possible foray into the Marvel universe.

Edgar Wright On The Status Of Ant-Man:

"I do start doing it in October."

Edgar Wright On The Ant-Man Script:

"Simon read it on the plane on the way to Boston."

Listen for yourself below for the rest of the interview where the trio discusses tentpole films and the evolution of Comic-Con.

98.5 THE SPORTS HUB

When Clark Met Bruce… In Toronto

The cinematic team up of Superman and Batman, until further notice I will refer to as When Clark Met Bruce..., will have to get cameras rolling faster than a speeding bullet to make its summer (AKA July) release. Zack Snyder got that memo.

VanCity Buzz reports production on the Man of Steel follow-up will relocate from Vancouver where the bulk of shooting took place on the first film, to Toronto. No, it's not because half the city was destroyed in the process. Cheaper tax credits won the day.

Not like they up and left the country altogether. They're still lensing in Canada, known for its less-costly rates when compared to us in the states. Of course they still have the li'l matter of who will wear the cape-and-cowl. If production is set for a Spring 2014 start-date, they must already have an actor (or two) in mind.

Weekend Box Office: July 26-28

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  The Wolverine - $55 million

2.  The Conjuring - $22.1 million

3.  Despicable Me 2 - $16 million

4.  Turbo - $13.3 million

5.  Grown Ups 2 - $11.5 million

6.  Red 2 - $9.4 million

7.  Pacific Rim - $7.5 million

8.  The Heat - $6.8 million

9.  R.I.P.D. - $5.8 million

10.  Fruitvale Station - $4.6 million

He's the best there is at what he does, but despite being a damn fine movie, The Wolverine underwhelmed stateside this weekend with an estimated $55 million.  That should not come as a surprise, though, with audiences still wary of returning for another Wolverine solo outing after the critically maligned X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and with those trailers not doing too much to convince them that this film was a vast improvement.  Also, asking those same wary moviegoers to shell out the extra cash for 3D showings probably didn't help them this weekend either.

But, like Wolverine's healing factor, the movie will actually recover nicely.  With a reported budget of around $120 million, the sequel has already grossed $141 million worldwide and is scheduled to open in Japan in September.  The audiences who did show up this weekend - particularly the fans - also appeared to really enjoy the film, giving it an "A-" Cinemascore grade, which should hopefully give it some legs at the box office for a little while longer.  Combine that with the excellent X-Men: First Class (which also underwhelmed in its 2011 box office run), they've gone a long way to restore goodwill amongst the fans, which will definitely help when X-Men: Days of Future Past opens next summer.  In the long run, the movie is a success, but it just won't have a great opening weekend to boast about (Origins had a great opening weekend, and look how that turned out).

In the meantime, The Conjuring had an excellent second weekend, especially for a horror movie, dropping only 47% from last weekend to earn $22.1 million.  It now stands at $83 million domestically, and will easily pass the $100 million mark by next weekend.  There's also no stopping Despicable Me 2, which earned $16 million to bring its domestic total to $306 million, and became the sixth animated movie to pass $300 million at the box office. 

The other box office success story of the weekend was Fruitvale Station, which expanded to over 1000 theaters and earned a terrific $4.6 million.

As summer winds down, the offerings are getting slimmer, as next weekend sees the releases of The Smurfs 2, and the crime thriller 2 Guns, starring Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington. 

John Williams Will Score Episode VII

Nice surprise to wake up to on a Saturday morning. Lucasfilm has announced legendary composer John Williams will return for Star Wars: Episode VII, due to blast into cinemas 2015. The announcement was made in the midst of Star Wars Celebration Europe II going on in Germany right now.

A video interview with Williams confirming his return and heaping praise on director J.J. Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy is included below. Just hearing Williams talk to the tune of his own original trilogy soundtrack really gets you in the mood. Star Wars is really coming back, and Williams is coming with it.

Where Have All The Good Movies Gone?

"Where have all the good movies gone?"

It's a question that's asked more every year as the moviegoing public is presented with a surplus of sequels, prequels, remakes, reboots and pretty much every word you can associate with the term 'recycled idea'.

The funny thing is though, these so-called 'good movies' are actually right in front of us, just not on the same screen size we're use to.

I'm of course talking about the booming industry of television, or as many have coined the past decade or so, 'The Golden Age of TV'.

You see, good movies are being made nowadays, just not as actual films.

Great TV shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Homeland, Game of Thrones, House of Cards and Downton Abbey are projects that - 30-40 years ago - all likely would have been made into films instead.

All the great talent in the entertainment business - talent that use to be all over Hollywood - has retreated to the television industry because they are given both the opportunity and creative freedom that movies studios just aren't allowing anymore.

I say all the time that if The Godfather were to be made today, it'd be a 12 episode-a-season drama on HBO.  No film studio would even touch a concept like that because there just isn't money to be made with great films anymore.

The reason for that?  Simple: the digital age of bootlegging films.

There's a new book out right now entitled, Sleepless in Hollywood: Tales from the New Abnormal in the Movie Busiess, where the author Lynda Obst (a Hollywood film producer) discusses the new age of filmmaking and why studios don't make original films any longer.

Twenty years ago, when bootlegging films onto the internet first started, the film industry fought tooth and nail to stop this fearing it would kill the home video/DVD market.  This market is where modestly budgeted dramas made back at least 50% of their profits so studios didn't mind taking risks.  Even if a film didn't do well at the box office, there was always the safety net of home video.

However, because bootlegging films obviously won out, the home video/DVD market is now a tenth of what it use to be.  That put more pressure on film studios to make their money solely at the box office, which is why we are constantly getting recognizable brands and franchises; they sell.

As far as TV goes, they are welcoming great, young talent with open arms as what use to be thought of as 'just TV' is now where quality entertainment projects are being made.

What does this all say about the future of both the film and television industries?  Well unfortunately, it's good news for former and bad news for the latter.

The film industry in the next twenty years is likely to become a luxury where studios crank out movies for pure entertainment.  Television though will be where one will get their great, dramatic fix from.  Why do a drama in two hours when you can get it for close to an hour a week for three months, and then again the following year?

With that said, it's not like the moviegoing public has helped.  When Hollywood has tried to do something original (Cloud Atlas for example) people don't bother going to see it because they want their $10-20 worth of entertainment they paid for a movie ticket.

It is a sad state of affairs for the film indstury, but as what's become the status quo nowadays, 'It is what it is.'

First Look at Diablo Cody's Paradise

Diablo Cody is directing now. It's a national progression. Start off with a home-run like Juno her first time at the batter's plate, win every screenwriting award under the sun including the Oscar, become the scorn of the Internet (Translation: maladjusted men who still associate girls with the term "Icky") with your follow-up Jennifer's Body and then come full circle with Young Adult. What else was there to do after doctoring work for other directors than take a shot at it herself?

USA Today has the first look at her directorial debut, Paradise hitting cinemas October 18. Julianne Hough plays a religious young woman on a road trip to Las Vegas after her faith is shattered following suffering severe burns. Octavia Spencer, Russell Brand and Holly Hunter co-star. And yes before you ask, that is Nick Offerman as Hough’s father. It's OK. I didn't recognize him too.

Ben Foster Will Play Lance Armstrong for Director Stephen Frears

Not sure when it became a race (No pun intended) for competing Lance Armstrong biopics. But that's the thing. Hollywood loves a race. See who can be the first out the gate with similar-subject films. The unofficial rule is if the film that gets made first succeeds, the other versions will never happen. Why bother when someone else took the same basic material and beat you to the punch? And if it fails, the other versions will also never transpire. Why bother when the other guy who got it done first failed miserably?

That's what faces the afore-mentioned Armstrong biopics in development. One iteration is set up at Paramount and Bad Robot, with Bradley Cooper (depending on who you believe) and another at Warner Brothers for director Jay Roach (The Campaign) and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns (Contagion). And just to make things interesting, why not a third director throwing his name in the hat? And while we're at it, he has his star set.

"TOLDJA" says Stephen Frears (The Queen) will direct Ben Foster in their own biopic. Foster started out as a child-actor who was raised right and didn't become a tabloid-favorite fuck up. Instead he's become a respectable character actor. You've seen him around. He has the intensity to sell the publicly-shamed athlete as the bastard he was said to be behind closed doors. I wouldn't have had the smarts to think of Foster. Well done, Frears.

If everything works out, production could begin as soon as this fall.