Jai Courtney Will Be Your Kyle Reese in the TERMINATOR Reboot

Variety got the exclusive that A Good Day to Die Hard and Jack Reacher star Jai Courtney will indeed be playing the character Michael Biehn and Anton Yelchin have both portrayed, Kyle Reese, in the upcoming reboot of James "The Man" Cameron's 1980's science-fiction thriller TERMINATOR.

Previously cast in the film has been Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor (Daenerys Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones) and Jason Clarke as John Connor (no relation, Zero Dark Thirty, LAWLESS) with Arnold Schwarzenegger returning as the titular anti-hero/villian/whatever he'll be in this.

Alan Taylor, who previously worked with Emilia as a director on several episodes of Game of Thrones as well as recently directing Marvel's Thor: The Dark World, will be shooting off of a script from Laeta Kalogridis (AVATAR, Shutter Island) and  Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine 3D, Wes Craven's DRACULA).

No plot details have been available other than that it's part of a stand-alone trilogy; but a working title for the film seems to be "Genesis".

The latest entry in the franchise was Terminator Salvation in 2009.

Terminator will release July 1, 2015.

New Stills of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY; Trailer Tomorrow

 

Courtesy of USA Today who talked to Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn and star Chris Pratt about this summer's most ambitious outing for Marvel Studios we got three new images for the upcoming science-fiction/fantasy film based on the (not so wildly) popular Marvel comic-book series.

The stills look nice, and the new plot-details certainly set the film up to be a grand fantasy-adventure the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time, or ones that the audience didn't exactly like to, like 2012's John Carter. I especially love the still of the space-ship that looks like a Pandora-bird from AVATAR.

 

The movie teams five disparate personalities: Peter Quill (Pratt), aka Star-Lord, was taken from Earth as a 9-year-old, possesses a mysterious orb artifact and pilots the Milano, a muscle car of a spaceship. Gamora (Zoe Saldana) is connected to Thanos, arguably the cosmos' biggest baddie. Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) is a muscular dude you don't want to upset. And then there are the aliens Rocket Raccoon and Groot (computer-generated characters voiced by Bradley Cooper andVin Diesel, respectively).

USA Today goes on about the films plot:

Their stories converge in the space prison Kyln. After the characters break out, they venture to Knowhere (the severed head of a celestial being that serves as a hangout for aliens) and visit the weird menagerie of the Collector (Benicio Del Toro). They also have to avoid two villains, Ronan (Lee Pace) and Nebula (Karen Gillan), who are in hot pursuit of Quill's orb, which has the power to destroy the galaxy.

Gunn then went into detail about the project, likening it to a band that suddenly goes main-stream; but re-assuring fans that beneath the glitz and glam of a main-stream Hollywood action film the key-point of the film will be it's diverse cast and their respective stories.

The director is aiming for a mix of drama, romance and humor. Heroic Quill, with his '80s references and stunted social graces, provides some of the comic relief.

"Being stuck in space with no accountability makes for a strange combination of youthful vibrancy and cluelessness in a childlike man," says Pratt, whose character has a Han Solo-esque rogue quality in the beginning.

"He does some things that most people wouldn't get away with. But part of his arc is being willing to essentially sacrifice himself for the greater good of other people."

If anything, Guardians of the Galaxy is a fresh diversion for fans of superhero movies, Pratt says. "They know what to expect at every turn. So that's why it's important now to do a comic-book movie that no one's ever seen before.''

 

Guardians of the Galaxy makes it's way into theaters August 1, 2014 and will be Marvel's last outing before 2015 both ends "Phase 2" with The Avengers: Age of Ultron and starts "Phase 3" with ANT-MAN.

The trailer for the film will air tomorrow night during Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC.

Teaser Trailer for THE PURGE: ANARACHY Promises Friday Night Frights

The sequel to last summer's surprise science-fiction/home invasion hit, The Purge which starred Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey, has sure taken off quick.
Take a look at the teaser trailer and poster for The Purge: Anarchy which stars Friday Night Light's Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez (Gilford's spouse in real life and star of 2009's A Perfect Getaway), and Frank Grillo (Prison Break).

James DeMonaco returns to write and direct the film which takes a more "wide-spread" look at The Purge after a couple's car breaks down in Los Angeles during the night of America's most bloody tradition which lasts for one night where there are no laws and anything and everything goes.

The Purge: Anarchy invites you to survive the night June 20, 2014.

WB Is In The "Disney" Business: Ron Howard Might Direct THE JUNGLE BOOK

In an Exclusive from The Hollwood Reporter it appears Ron Howard, who recently released 2013's excellent racing film about the rivalry between James Hunt and Nikki Lauda, RUSH, is in talks to direct The Jungle Book just a month after it's previous director bowed out due to scheduling conflicts.

Set in the jungles of India, the story centers on Mowgli, an orphaned boy raised by wolves who befriends Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther as he spars with the ferocious tiger Shere Khan.

With Howard in place, Warner Bros. is able to keep pace with Disney, which has its own live-action adaptation in the works with Jon Favreau at the helm. Disney also made the 1967 animated classic The Jungle Book. But because the Kipling story is in the public domain, both studios are free to pursue.

With PAN, WB's darker and more "realistic" pirate-themed approach to the Peter Pan story prepping for release in 2015 with Garrett Hedlund and Hugh Jackman at WB as well as TARZAN prepping for a 2016 release with Alexander Skarsgard and Margot Robbie it appears Warner Brothers is really going all out as live-action "children's classics" seem to be the next potential money-mine.

Howard is currently finishing In the Heart of the Sea as well as attached to the next DaVinci Code adventure, INFERNO as well as MENA so it's unclear when Howard will shove this into his schedule.

Set Construction Begins in Hawaii for JURASSIC WORLD

 

It's been all quiet on the dino-front for a while regarding Universal's Jurassic World, but thanks to Jurassic World Movie (via On Location Vacations) we're getting our first look at the moody landscape where sets are currently being built for Isla Nublar in the same location Spielberg and co used in 1993.

"Set construction is underway at Kualoa Ranch, where the original film was also shot back in 1993, and can be seen from the Pali Lookout, near Chinaman’s Hat and the fishpond. Our tipster also spotted directional signs posted at the construction entrance that say EBB."

It is noted that EBB matches the film's "code-name", Ebb Tide, which is described by Ask as:

The term ebb tide is used to describe a phenomenon that is characterised by the receding of a tide. This term is also used to describe the time between a high and low tide as water moves away from the shore.

This almost confirms the rumors that circulated over the summer that Jurassic World would be a Sea World based theme park with terrifying creatures of the deep.

The site also says that the film will shoot in Hawaii starting in April for about 6 weeks before filming in New Orleans.

Jurassic World stars Bryce Dallas-Howard, Chris Pratt, Ty Simpkins, Irrfan Khan, Jake Johnson, and Nick Robinson and is directed by Colin Trevorrow.

Spare no expense next summer as Jurassic World roars into theaters June 12, 2015. 

HUNGER GAMES Star Dials Into Stephen King's CELL Adaption

 

About 8 years after Stephen King's terrifying novel CELL hit shelves, it appears they're finally getting around to bringing it to the big-screen, currently being pitched to potential distributors at the Berlin International Film Festival, and it's also cast Isabelle Fuhrman (ORPHAN, The Hunger Games) and NEBRASKA star Stacy Keach.

Variety Reports:

Fuhrman plays a teenage neighbor of Cusack’s Clay Riddell character who joins him and Jackson’s Tom McCourt character on their journey to safety after a mysterious pulse spreads like a virus through the human population.

Keach (“Nebraska”) will play the headmaster of a prep school where the survivors stop along their way.

The film, which recently started shooting in Atlanta, is directed by Tod Williams (The Door in the Floor, Paranormal Activity 2) and stars King-adaption alums from 2007's 1408 John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson.

The screenplay was written by King himself along with Adan Alleca who wrote 2009's violent thriller The Last House on the Left.

I'm interested to see how this film goes, the cast and writing are fantastic; but what made CELL so unique was it's release in a time where cell-phones were still a "young" thing so the premise was somewhat more terrifying.
Of course now, cell-phones are attached to everyone's ear and are now intelligent devices that dictate our day-to-day life so I feel this is the rare case of time being on the adaption's side.  

Everything Will Continue to be AWESOME: LEGO MOVIE Sequel In The Works

 

With The LEGO Movie set to release this weekend, already garnering nothing but praise and a predicted HUGE opening weekend, it's no surprise WB is already getting the ball rolling on a follow-up.

The Wrap reports:

Warner Bros. has already begun work on a sequel to “The Lego Movie,” the upcoming animated film based on the popular kids’ toys, according to two individuals with knowledge of the studio’s plans. Jared Stern, who wrote “The Internship” and “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” is working on the script with Michelle Morgan (“Girl Most Likely”).

Advanced market research indicates “The Lego Movie” will be a huge hit, grossing upwards of $40 millon this weekend. It should breeze to a win at the box office over fellow new releases “the Monuments Men” and “Vampire Academy.”

This is somewhat dissappointing news, given that Chris Lord and Phil Miller seem to not be returning; but I'll keep my hopes high as The LEGO Movie is one of my most anticipated films in recent memory.

The film, which opens this weekend, stars Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Will Arnett, Charlie Day, and Will Ferrell. 

Sony Will Bring SLY COOPER To The Big Screen in 2016!

While Sony's PlayStation video-game brand is busy dominating the home-console market, one medium just isn't enough for their iconic franchises, with news last year of a Ratchet & Clank feature hitting screens in 2015 now comes word, and a beautifully animated trailer, that shows Sly Cooper will be brought out in 2016 from the same studios.

Sly Cooper will be written and directed by Kevin Munroe of 2007's TMNT CGI-feature film.

The game franchise started in 2002 with Sly Cooper and Thievius Raccoonus and it's 4th entry was released in 2013 for the PlayStation 3 with Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time.
Here's hoping the film leads to a new game announcement for the PlayStation 4.

The official synopsis from the fim's Faceook:

Sly Cooper is a kinetic and comedic heist film that tells the story of Sly Cooper, an orphaned raccoon thief, along with his childhood friends and partners in crime, Bentley Turtle and Murray Hippo. In the film, Sly learns of his birth family’s secret legacy; that he comes from a long line of talented and international thieves. Endowed with this knowledge, Sly and his friends are catapulted into a global adventure as they race to reassemble pieces of an ancient book holding The Cooper Clan’s family secrets before it can fall into the hands of Clockwerk — an evil Russian metallic owl bent on ending the Cooper family line. From romantic Parisian backdrops to the lush mountains of China, gritty film noir meets bright, colorful graphic novels in this origin story of the world’s greatest thief-turned-hero.

Rupert Sanders Will Bring You GHOST IN THE SHELL

Ghost in the Shell, a tense and sexy neo-noir thriller with extremely deep themes about humanity and it's tech-obsession as well as a brilliant look into the future, praised as one of the greatest science fiction films of all time and one of the pinnacles of Japanese animation next to the likes of AKIRA, will be brought to the big screen from DreamWorks and the guy who directed Snow White and the Huntsman.

Deadline reports:

DreamWorks has made a deal with Snow White And The Huntsmanhelmer Rupert Sandersto direct Ghost In The Shell, a live-action film based on the Japanese manga futuristic police thriller that has a new script from William Wheeler. The film is being produced by Avi Arad, Ari Arad and Steven Paul. Fueled by the personal passion of Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks acquired the project several years ago with ambitious plans to shoot it in 3D.

Sanders lent a beautiful touch to Snow White, all jokes aside, the films visuals and direction were it's clear strong points, also coupled with Arad and Spielberg, should mean fans shouldn't be too worried about their favorite anime being "ruined" by these "baka gaijin".

This is a pretty big step into what I've been saying might be the next race for "Comic Book Movie Gold" by adapting video-games and anime, with Leo rumored to be circling ROBOTECH and last week's announcement of a Hollywood made GUNDAM film as well James Cameron's pet project of adapting Battle Angel: ALITA 

Ghost in the Shell  was released in 1995 directed by Mamoru Oshii and based off of the manga of the same name which ran from 1989 to 1997 by Masamune Shirow and went on to spawn a sequel, an Anime series, an OVA, and 3 video-games. 

The film follows Section 9, a high-tech security division led by Motoko Kusanagi, as they track down a cyber-terrorist known as The Puppet Master, which draws them into a web of political corruption and intrigue.

ANT-MAN Takes Over BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN's 2015 Slot

 

A week ago, WB announced that Man of Steel 2/Batman Vs. Superman/The Dark Battfleck Rises would be delayed a year, from July 17th 2015 to May 2016, for reasons unknown but probably so Zack Snyder and Cavill could have more bro-time at the gym.
Well now it appears Marvel/Disney has leapt in for the kill to release ANT-MAN, which will kick off "Phase 3" just months after Phase 2's ending with Avengers: Age of Ultron in May. 

ANT-MAN previously lured  Michael Douglas (Wallstreet) as Hank Pym to the film, also starring Paul Rudd (Anchorman) and directed by Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World).

Marvel's upcoming films will be Captain America: The Winter Soldier this May, and their first big risk project, Guardians of the Galaxy for early August.