Jackie Earle Haley Joins 'Lincoln'

Looks like Steven Spielberg's long in-development film about Abraham Lincoln is finally coming around.

After not hearing much about it for a while (well at least I haven't), news comes today that Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen, A Nightmare on Elm Street), has joined the cast, playing Alexander Stephens.  For those who aren't history buffs, Stephens was basically the anti-Lincoln, a strong nemesis of freeing slaves while serving as the Vice President of the Confederate states.

Haley joins a cast which already includes Daniel Day-Lewis playing the title role, Sally Field as Mary Todd (Lincoln's wife), Tommy Lee Jones as Republican congressman Thaddeus Stephens, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Lincoln's son, Robert Todd.

The cast also includes many notable names including Hal Holbrook, James Spader, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill and Joseph Cross.

Filming is set to begin this fall for a late 2012 release date.

Source: Deadline

J.J. Abrams Officially Directing 'Star Trek 2'

It's about time.

Vulture reports that J.J. Abrams has finally committed to direct Star Trek 2.

In what should come as no surprise to many (even though Abrams had been hesitant to say he was actually "in"), the sequel to 2009's reboot of the beloved sci-fi franchise is said to currently be in the pre-production stage, with the script to be completed by the end of this month and an eye to shoot this winter.

If you may recall, Trek 2 was originally scheduled to be released next summer but was replaced by the new G.I. Joe film.  This was mainly due to delays in the film's development (Abrams busy with Super 8, writer Alex Kurtzman finishing his directorial debut, Welcome to People).  Yet, it seems all engines are finally ready to go on this one.

Stay tuned as more news becomes available.

Why You Should See 'One the Best Pictures of the Year'

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What Will New 'Terminator' Film Be Called?

If you didn't catch the story yesterday, Fast Five director Justin Lin gave an interview with The Playlist regarding upcoming projects of his, including Fast Six and, of course, the new Terminator film he is working on with Arnold Schwarzenegger attached to star.

Lin reveals in the interview that he recently sat down to have a meeting with both Schwarzenegger and James Cameron, together!  Here's what he had to say:

‘Terminator’ is something I’ve been having a lot of fun with,” Lin told us in an interview to support forthcoming video release of “Fast Five.” “Just even this week, I had a great meeting with Arnold and James Cameron, just sitting down unofficially. And James is so gracious because he’s not part of the project, he’s not going to be producing, but it was great of him just as a filmmaker to take time out to just talk.”

While we have no idea what to expect from Lin regarding the next Terminator film, if you read the interview in full, the guy seems to have his head in the right place, unlike certain other filmmakers *cough* McG *cough*.  Not to mention, the franchise rights are now owned by Megan Ellison's Annapurna Films, an independent film company who are most certainly going to give Lin all the creative control he wants on the project, unlike the past two installments which were studio controlled.

But with this all said, it's probably intriguing to wonder what this new Terminator film wil be called.  At this point, we know Lin wants to bring the story and tone back to the first two films (R-rated please), and completely disregard the 3rd and 4th entries.  Along with this, give the franchise a new life in terms of longevity (a la the Fast & Furious franchise).

So what will the next film be called?  Mind you this is pure speculation and is not a definite the film will be called this when it's released in 2015 at the earliest (Lin's doing Fast Six first for a 2013 release).  Ready though?  Here it is:

Terminator 

No The.  Short, sweet, and to the point.

A Quick, Opinionated Take on 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Over the past week or two I've been reading a lot of internet chatter about what people think of The Dark Knight Rises, being filmed right now with everyone to see in Pittsburgh.

"Why is Batman fighting in the daytime?"

"What's with the football game?"

"Why are the Pittsburgh Steelers gonna be in the movie?"

These questions ultimately lead people to thinking the film will suck.  Why you ask?  Well everyone's last glimpse of Batman came in The Dark Knight, the best comic book movie of all-time.  Everyone compares what they see being filmed to that movie.  But I think everyone is making the wrong assumption about this film:  This is not The Dark Knight 2!

Just because the film has The Dark Knight in the title, does not mean it's gonna be the exact same movie.  Go back and watch Batman Begins and The Dark Knight together.  Yes, they have the same characters and everything but do the films really share any similarities besides that?  From the film's style, to tone, to cinematography, one is different from the other.  With that, I think everyone keeps thinking The Dark Knight Rises will look just like The Dark Knight did.  No it won't.

This is Christopher Nolan were talking about here.  He changes his style for each film.  Why would he want to repeat what he's already done?  He wants to make a different style film with The Dark Knight Rises, otherwise, why else would he bother?

So next time you spoil yourself and view pics or a video from the set of The Dark Knight Rises and are saying to yourself, "Well that doesn't look right...That wouldn't fit with The Dark Knight."  Just remember:

It's NOT The Dark Knight.

Hughes Heading to 'Motor City' with Chris Evans?

Ever wonder what an action film would be like with no dialogue?  Nothing except shit blowing up and guns going off?  Well, looks like we might get to see.

Albert Hughes (one half of The Hughes Bros., The Book of Eli) is said to be aboard to direct Chad St. John's famous Black List script, Motor City.  For those who don't know, The Black List is the annual Hollywood list of the best, unproduced screenplays.

Motor City is described as a prototypical revenge film about a small time crook sent to jail for a crime he didn't commit, only to get even with those who put him there once released.  But get this:

There's only a single line of dialogue in the entire script.

How could this be made you say?  Two words: Joel. Silver.  You know, the guy whose produced pretty much every great action film for the past thirty years (Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, The Matrix).

But it gets even better.  Silver wants none other than Captain America himself, Chris Evans, for the lead.  Silver apparently feels Evans finally has the starpower to carry a film and has offered him the part.  Evans is yet to accept but I don't see why he wouldn't considering he's probably already drained from playing Captain America two films in a row.

It's also noted that even if Evans does not accept (doubtful), Jeremy Renner (really?) or Joel Edgerton could jump in.  Regardless of Evans though, Hughes is firmly attached to this project and looking to start filming in January.

Let's just hope Evans has the smarts to accept as it would definitely showcase his underrated acting talent that only finally got to be seen mainstream in Captain America.

More on this project to come.

Source: TwitchFilm

Is Hollywood Finally Getting It?

Let me start with a disclaimer regarding this story: it's pure opinion.

For all I know, tomorrow some news story will come out that completely rebuffs what I'm trying to say here.

But anyway...

I've noticed a certain trend lately in Hollywood concerning how much time they're putting into making a quality, blockbuster film.  Films are being pre-produced and completey shot more than a year before their release date, giving the filmmakers plenty of time to make sure the film comes out right.  Take for example...

The Amazing Spider-Man.  Yes, I know everyone is iffy and undecided about what exactly to think concerning this reboot (I for one like the direction it's going.  I couldn't stand the goofiness and amount of humor in Sam Rami's films), but you have to admit, it's comforting knowing the film has already been filmed and isn't set for release until next July 3rd.  That's gives Marc Webb and the rest of his crew plenty of time to edit this thing, get the special effects right, and make sure the film comes out the best it can.

Another example yet with more detail...

Man of Steel.  The Zack Snyder directed, Christopher Nolan produced reboot of Superman.  It made headlines this past week when it was announced the flick would be released June 14th, 2013, almost 6 months later than it's expected December 2012 opening.  Now if you look at the timeline of this film, it started being written back in February 2010.  Yes, February 2010.  That's when it was first announced that Christopher Nolan was producing the thing along with his brother, Jonah, and David Goyer writing the script.  Then, last October, Zack Snyder came aboard to direct with Henry Cavill being announced as the star later on in February.  With filming finally set to begin next month, it's been 6 months since Cavill was cast, 10 months since Snyder was announced as director, and 18 months since Chris Nolan and crew hopped on board.  Now with the film not coming out until until June 2013, and filming expected to probably last anywhere from 6-8 months, that will give Snyder over a year to put this film together once it's shot.  Imagine that, more than a year of post-production.

Now I know you're probably gonna say, "Well X-Men: First Class did all that in a year and came out good," or "Green Lantern had 9 months of post-production and still came out like shit."  Well, look at the facts for a second.  For X-Men, Bryan Singer had been working on that film 7 months before director Matthew Vaughn came aboard.  So to say the film was made completely in a year is a bit exaggerated.  Then there's Green Lantern.  Yes, that film had plenty of time to get it right, but had three scripts to begin with, so Warner Bros. never knew where the heck they were going with the film in the first place.

I'll be the first to admit, I can be completely wrong about all of this.  The Amazing Spider-Man can come out next July and be a load of crap and Man of Steel can arrive June 2013 and suck worse than Green Lantern.  However, if both films do arrive and hit the ball right out of the park, maybe you'll remember this article, and how Hollywood might finally know how to make a film, not a release date.

Three More Join Sylvester Stallone's Next Film

Let me make myself clear, I like Sylvester Stallone.  I respect both what's he's achieved as a actor/writer/director but also what he has stood for as a person.

With that said, I think maybe it's time he takes a long look in the mirror.  He just turned 65-years old last week and yet he still wants to see a man who's 40.  He still wears lift shoes, still gets plastic surgery on his face, still dyes his hair jet black.  Most of all, still wants to have that amazing physique, yet aids himself with injections of HGH (Human Growth Hormone).

I understand no one likes getting old, and it's always admirable when you feel you can do anything no matter what the date is on your birth certificate, however, sometimes you just gotta be honest with yourself.

As much as Stallone always talks about "moving forward in life," he seems to be living backwards by still trying to be something he once was.

Anyway, enough of my odd rant for the day.  Let me get to this bit of news.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Christian Slater, and Holt McCallany (who was great on FX's now canceled Lights Out) have joined Stallone in director Walter Hill's untitled action thriller (previously titled Headshot) over at Warner Bros. and Dark Castle (Joel Silver's production company).

In the film, Stallone will play a New Orleans hitman who teams with a New York City detective (played by Sung Kang) in a high-stakes investigation that leads from the dingy back alleys of New Orleans all the way to the power corridors of Washington, D.C. The unlikely duo, brought together by two vicious murders, take on all who stand in their way, and are willing to sacrifice everything to exact revenge.

Akinnuoye-Agbaje will play the film's main villian, a powerful attorney who's trying to cover up his scam to exploit poor neighborhoods that have been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Slater, meanwhile, will play a local handler who acts as a middle man (kind of fitting for his career), while McCallany will play a cop who partner's with Sung Kang's character.

The film is a adaptation of the graphic novel, Bullet to the Head, from screenwriter Alessandro Camon (The Messengers) with Walter Hill doing re-writes to the script as well.

The film started shooting in Louisiana last month as is expected to be released sometime next year.

Source: Variety

Official Synopsis for Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus'

Visionary filmmaker Ridley Scott returns to the genre he helped define, creating an original science fiction epic set in the most dangerous corners of the universe. The film takes a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits and strand them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and to life's ultimate mystery.

Prometheus stars Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie and Logan Marshall-Green.

The sci-fi film is directed and co-written by Scott along with Damon Lindelof and Jon Spaihts.

Prometheus opens June 8th, 2012.

Source: 20th Century Fox

'Fast & Furious 6' Coming to Theaters Memorial Day Weekend 2013

That didn't take long.

With Fast Five nearing the $600 million mark at the global box-office, it's no surprise Universal is eager to get the next installment going.

The studio announced yesterday that the tentatively titled Fast & Furious 6 will be released May 24th, 2013 for the Memorial Day weekend.  I guess they figured the franchise is now "summer" worthy after opening the past two installments in April to major success.

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Dwayne Johnson are set to return along with Justin Lin once again behind the camera to direct.

I assume the plot will involve that little easter egg they put in after the end credits of Fast Five.

What's that?  You didn't see the film?  You didn't stay after the credits?  You have no idea what I'm talking about?  Well watch below as the video is considered *SPOILER-ish*:

Source: Variety