'Prometheus' - Trailer Preview

Yes, I know.  A preview of a trailer (which is basically a preview of a movie).  But this isn't just any movie, this is Ridley Scott's return to the sci-fi/horror genre that he redefined.  I'm speaking, of course, about Prometheus, the is it or is it not prequel to Alien (honestly, I think Stevie Wonder could see this thing is connected to the original film).

Below is a short clip of some scenes from the trailer along with Scott talking about the film and some behind the scenes footage.  Everything looks great on this thing and I can't wait until the trailer comes out Thursday.

I have a feeling this thing is going to become a sci-fi classic.

Prometheus opens in theaters nationwide June 8th, 2012.

And The Star of Kathryn Bigelow's 'Bin Laden' Movie Is...Chris Pratt?

Well I didn't see that one coming.

Twitch is reporting that Kathryn Bigelow has found her lead actor for her long-anticipated, Osama Bin Laden centered follow-up to the Academy Award winning The Hurt Locker: Chris Pratt.

Yes, the guy who started out on the WB TV show, Everwood (and is currently known to most for his goofiness on NBC's Parks and Recreation), will be hunting down Osama Bin Laden come next year.

For those who don't know, Bigelow had this film in development prior to the U.S. finding and killing Bin Laden this past year when it was then known as Kill Bin Laden.  The film, currently untitled, would have been based around the hunt for Bin Laden but with most likely no resolution as he hadn't been found...yet.  Once the news came out that he had indeed been killed by U.S. forces earlier this year, Bigelow began reconstructing her film as a true story of how the terrorist figure was taken down.

As for Chris Pratt, this is nothing short of an inspired choice by Bigelow as many would probably figure she was gunning for a more "man's man" type of actor (apparently Joel Edgerton was in talks for the role but had to bail out due to scheduling conflicts).  While Pratt was very good in a supporting role in this year's Moneyball, this role is definitely going a long way in stretching his acting chops as he will been taking on the lead in a very big film with an Academy Award winning director behind the camera.

I'm anxious to see how this all turns out as it would be great to see Pratt hit the A-list (hey, look what happened to Jeremy Renner).

Source: Twitch

Mission: Impossible 5...with Tom Cruise?

Now you all remember last year when word was getting around that Paramount was thinking about giving Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt character the boot after the newest Mission: Impossible, right?  You know, how they were looking for a new lead to carry on the franchise (Jeremy Renner ain't exactly a spring chicken) and that by the end of this film whether due to death, retirement, career change, whatever, Tom Cruise was going to be finished with the franchise he practically built.

Well, seems things might have changed.

With Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol opening in IMAX theaters next Friday, actor Simon Pegg (who plays the character Benji Dunn in the film) spoke exclusively with Moviehole recently, and gave out this bit of information regarding the speculation that Renner is to take over the franchise from Cruise:

“I think that might have been the plan earlier on, but as the film progressed and we enjoyed it so much I think the idea of Ethan Hunt retiring fell by the wayside. Tom [Cruise] suddenly remembered why he loved doing these films so much and suddenly thought ‘well maybe I do want to do more?’.”

Hmm...so did Tom Cruise suddenly change his mind?  Or did Paramount maybe realize the guy is still a major movie star who is the face of the franchise and that Jeremy Renner possibly isn't the next big thing everyone in Hollywood thought he would be (remember Colin Farrell about ten years ago?).

Whatever the case may be, the film looks (and from what I hear, is) phenomenal and I'll be sure to catch it in theaters when it opens next week.

Trailer for 'Titanic 3D'

For those of you that are old enough to remember what it was like back in December 1997 when James Cameron's long-anticipated Titanic hit theaters, you know the thing was pretty much a phenomenon in itself.

Fifteen consecutive weekends as the #1 film at the box office (which is still an all-time record.)  Fifteen!  You'd be lucky to find a film make at least three consecutive weekends in this day and age.

Oh and its box office total?  Just $600 million in the United States along with $1.2 billion internationally totalling just under $2 billion worldwide.  Those all stood as records until about 2 years ago when another James Cameron film, Avatar, came along and shattered what Titanic and done before it.

Now here we are, coming up on 2012 and Cameron is greedier then ever (OK not really, the guy obviously is passionate about what he does) with his upcoming release of Titanic 3D, a post-conversion process that the Oscar-winning director has been working on for well over a year.

To put things into perspective, most 3D post-conversion processes take about 6 weeks to do.  This guy's been working on this thing for over 60.  Translation: when and if you pay to go see this movie when it comes out in April (the 100 year anniversary of when the ill-fated ship set sail) you will get your money's worth, period.

Here's the official trailer that's just been released of the 3D film (which obviously you'll see in 2D on your computer screen but if you see this in theaters, I'm sure it'll look awesome):

Schwarzenegger Gets a Villian for 'Last Stand'

While making news earlier with this Twitter pic featuring himself, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis on The Expendables 2 set, Arnold Schwarzenegger seemingly wanted double the headlines today.

Variety reports Eduardo Noreiga (Blackthorn) has been cast as the main villain in the Arnold's comeback action film, Last Stand.

To be helmed by Korean director Kim-Jee Woon (I Saw the Devil) and distributed by Lionsgate, Last Stand tells the story of a small town Sheriff (Schwarzenegger) and his police force who must stop an escaped drug lord (Noreiga) and his army cartel from passing through the U.S.-Mexican border (read below for the film's full synopsis).

Peter Stormare, Rodrigo Santoro, Zach Gilford and Jaimie Alexander also star in the flick, scheduled to be released January 13th, 2013.  Filming begins October 20th in New Mexico.

'Last Stand' marks the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first starring role in over a decade as Sheriff Owens, a man who has resigned himself to a life of fighting what little crime takes place in sleepy border town Sommerton Junction after leaving his LAPD post following a bungled operation that left him wracked with failure and defeat after his partner was crippled. After a spectacular escape from an FBI prisoner convoy, the most notorious, wanted drug kingpin (Noriega) in the hemisphere is hurtling toward the border at 200 mph in a specially outfitted car with a hostage and a fierce army of gang members.

He is headed, it turns out, straight for Summerton Junction, where the whole of U.S. law enforcement will have their last opportunity to make a stand and intercept him before he slips across the border forever. At first reluctant to become involved, and then counted out because of the perceived ineptitude of his small town force, Owens ultimately accepts responsibility for one of the most daring face offs in cinema history.

Source: Variety

Justin Lin Says of ‘Terminator’ Exit: “I’ll Be Back.”

Two weeks ago, news broke that director Justin Lin (Fast Five) had been forced to leave the new Terminator film due to hit commitment to direct the next Fast & Furious (Fast Six).  Lin had long been attached to direct the next entry in the sci-fi franchise with Arnold Schwarzenegger once again attached to star.

A couple days ago though, Lin sat down with the LA Times to discuss his exit from the project along with his personal feelings towards the franchise, as well as news that he will shoot both Fast Six and Fast Seven back-to-back.

On his decision to put his Terminator involvement on hold to work on the next Fast & Furious:

“Creatively, I’ve had to put some stuff on hold and walk away from some projects that I’d really love to do, but this is an opportunity for me and for us to close out the franchise the right way,” Lin said of the car films. “It comes with a price but it’s something that I look forward to.”

On his personal connection towards the Terminator franchise:

“Those first two ‘Terminator’ films, we have such a strong connection to it and there’s always a desire to revisit anything that can cause us to feel like that. Being someone who really holds that sacred, I feel like there is a way of continuing that journey. Also with the time travel and canon there’s a version there that you can do right. For me, there’s still some characters and themes that were kind of promised and exhibited in those movies that we have never actually seen. Those are things that got me excited about potentially trying to crack all of that.”

On his hopes to return to the Terminator project as well as his meetings with Schwarzenegger and James Cameron:

“The timing for that is a little bit off [in the distance] but the good thing is it doesn’t feel like creatively it’s been compromised,” Lin said. “I don’t think anyone is trying to hurry anything. I’m hopeful it will work out but at the same time I’m going to be hard on that film if I get a chance to make it. With that franchise, that’s what it deserves. I remember growing up and watching the first ‘Terminator’ films and they defined my youth in many ways. That’s something I want to try to seek out and recapture.”

“On a filmmaker level,” Lin said, “to be able to sit in a room with Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron and be able to talk it through and kick ideas around, that’s been priceless already.”

On having Arnold Schwarzenegger set to star even though the former Governor is coming up on his 65^th birthday”

“There is a way to do that. I don’t want to give anything away but I have a very clear idea thematically and arc-wise where we can go,” Lin said. “Again, it’s been just great to throw that around with James and Arnold. Is time our enemy? Well, there is a ticking clock but anytime anything goes into development — with the state of filmmaking and the way films get made — you’re always fighting for more time. The biggest enemy is rushing things. I don’t think it should be rushed. Creatively, it will come when it comes. Passion is always the currency and it’s the thing that will create momentum. If that’s not there you shouldn’t do it. Obviously, there’s a lot of money involved and with that money the clock is going to keep ticking.”

Finally, on his willingness to leave the project if it’s not coming together how he sees fit:

“I do hold such a strong admiration for it that if it’s not really coming together in the right way, I don’t really want to partake in anything like that,” Lin said. “That’s a great way to approach it creatively. And to be able to work with people who are passionate, especially with Arnold and James. It’s such a big part of who they are and to be able to have that conversation and try to up the ante, you can’t ask for anything better.”

Personally, I hope Lin gets to make his Terminator film.  The guy seems a hell of lot more passionate, genuine, and let’s face it, talented, then any of the hacks that have come before him who have wanted to follow in James Cameron’s footsteps.  Let’s hope he gets his chance.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Dustin Hoffman Finally Acting Again in HBO's 'Luck'

This was not originally going to be my story for the night.

I was going to write up a piece about today's announcement of Warner Herzog joining the cast of Tom Cruise's One Shot to play the film's villain (which you can read about here).

However, this past Sunday (before I tuned in to watch the season premiere of Dexter), I caught this little promo on HBO and just haven't been able to get it out of my head:

Wow.

I had no idea Michael Mann was doing TV now (let alone an HBO show with Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte) but damn does this look good.  Hoffman looks like he's finally channeling that exceptional acting talent he showcased so well in his younger days, and the corrupt world of horse racing looks to make for a perfect, compelling drama.

I'll definitely be tuning in for the premeire in January.

Steve Carell Going Dark With 'Foxcatcher'

Steve Carell is heading to the place where many comedic actors have ventured to: dramatic acting.

Like Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, and Will Ferrell before him, Carell will attempt to give a full-fledged, serious role a shot.

Variety reports the former Office star has been picked by director Bennett Miller (the newly released Moneyball) to topline Foxcatcher, the true story of John du Pont, who murdered an Olympic wrestler back in 1996.

Apparently, Miller has been working on this project for nearly four years with scripting duties coming from E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman, the duo that wrote his debut feature, Capote.

The film will tell the story of John du Pont (Carell) who, while being both a paranoid schizophrenic and heir to his family's chemical fortune, builds a wrestling gym on his Pennsylvania estate called Team Foxcatcher.  It was there in 1996 that du Pont shot and killed Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler David Schultz in front of Schultz's wife and du Pont's head of security.  du Pont then proceeded to lock himself in his mansion for the next two days while police negotiated his surrender.

This will be quite a turn for Carell as many know him as the lovable idiot, Michael Scott, from TV's The Office, or his comdedic films like The 40-Year Old Virgin and Get Smart.

Filming is expected to get underway in March.

Source: Variety

'Wanted' Screenwriters Hired to Pen Sequel

Looks like that long-planned sequel to Wanted is finally happening.

Heat Vision reports the 2008 action blockbuster's writing duo of Derek Haas and Michael Brandt are returning to Universal to pen the follow-up to the James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie starrer.

For those who aren't familiar, Universal was keen to get a sequel off the ground immediately following the original film's success back in 2008 ($341 million worldwide).  However, scripting the film proved difficult as both Chris Morgan (who worked on the first film) and Evan Spiliotopoulos were individually commissioned to come up with a story but couldn't quite crack a script.

Now, Haas and Brandt are set get to work right away on the flick, apparently based on what Spiliotopoulos had come up with.

No word yet on if the first film's main cast and crew (director Timur Bekmambetov, McAvoy, Jolie) will return for the follow-up, though it was reported a while back that Jolie had passed on the project.

The 2008 film, based on a comic-book mini-series by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, told the story of a young, confused office worker who discovers his father was apart of a secret society of super-human assassins.

More on this project as it become available.

Source: Heat Vision

Oscar Nominee Richard Jenkins in Final Negotiations for 'One Shot'

Add one more name to the cast of Tom Cruise's next film.

Variety reports Richard Jenkins (who earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor a couple years back for his performance in The Visitor) is in final negotiations to star alongside Cruise in the Christopher McQuarrie written and directed, One Shot.

The film, based on the Lee Childs novel of the same name, is an adaption of the ninth book in the popular Jack Reacher series about a former military policeman turned drifter.

Jenkins joins a cast that already includes Rosamund Pike (Fracture) and David Oyelowo (The Last King of Scotland).

No word yet on who Jenkins will play but one can assume it will be a meaty role considering an actor of his caliber.

A description of the book is below:

Six shots. Five dead. One heartland city thrown into a state of terror. But within hours the cops have it solved: a slam-dunk case. Except for one thing. The accused man says: You got the wrong guy. Then he says: Get Reacher for me.

And sure enough, ex–military investigator Jack Reacher is coming. He knows this shooter—a trained military sniper who never should have missed a shot. Reacher is certain something is not right—and soon the slam-dunk case explodes.

Now Reacher is teamed with a beautiful young defense lawyer, moving closer to the unseen enemy who is pulling the strings. Reacher knows that no two opponents are created equal. This one has come to the heartland from his own kind of hell. And Reacher knows that the only way to take him down is to match his ruthlessness and cunning—and then beat him shot for shot.

Source: Variety