Bryan Singer Gets Wolverine a New Jacket

Another day, another Twitter update from Bryan Singer regarding X-Men: Days of Future Past, which is shooting now in Montreal.  The latest is a peek of how Wolverine's new leather jacket looks on Hugh Jackman:

That's nifty.  And it sure looks a lot like the jacket that Logan is wearing on the cover of the original Days of Future Past comic:

So that's even more nifty.  And I guess we can just assume that all of that green screen means that something apocalyptic will be going on in whatever that scene is going to be.

Also, if you'd like to ask Hugh Jackman his thoughts on all of this, he's going to be hosting a Twitter Q&A this coming Thursday at 12 noon EST, presumably to promote this summer's The Wolverine, but I'm sure a few Days of Future Past questions will sneak in there as well.  It couldn't hurt to try!

"Rocky The Musical" Is Apparently a Real Thing

Yep, I thought it was originally a headline from The Onion too.  But it's not, as The New York Times is reporting that Rocky: The Musical will be opening on Broadway in February 2014. 

Okaaaay...

Adapted from the many-sequeled 1976 Oscar-winning film that made Sylvester Stallone a household name, the stage show has actually been around for awhile.  Rocky das Musical opened in Germany last year to rave reviews and has been a box office hit.  It even has a cast recording already.  And yes, the score includes the classic Bill Conti theme music from the film and a full cast version of "Eye of the Tiger", even though that song is actually from the Rocky III soundtrack.  The new music comes courtesy of composers Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime), with a book by Thomas Meehan (Annie). 

What does Stallone himself think?  He loves it.  The musical was actually his idea in the first place, and he's one of the show's producers.  Said in a statement:   

"I couldn't be more proud or more excited about this production and how my original story of Rocky Balboa has been brought to spectacular life onstage.  The story of Rocky was very much like my life at the time – starting out with nothing, having to fight for roles and recognition. So I put those feelings into the body of a boxer and I had no idea there were so many millions of people that felt the same way. Alex Timbers and the entire creative team have not only honored that original impulse, but have made his story as exciting, heart-breaking, and inspiring as it was when Rocky first went the distance on screen."

So there you have it.  Rocky is coming to Broadway.  As a musical, no less.  I still can't picture it, but then again, I sat through the original version of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (the one that had spiders dancing in high heels), so I guess that they really can make a musical out of anything these days.  And hopefully Rocky will be better than Spider-Man was.  There's no word on casting yet, but Alex Timbers, who directed the German production (and the amazing Peter and the Starcatcher), will be directing the New York production. 

Here are some clips from the show (and a beaming Sylvester Stallone - he really likes this show), courtesy of BBC News:

Jamie Foxx: From Spider-Man to...Annie?

He may be getting spotted as Electro all over NYC right now, terrorizing the Amazing Spider-Man, but Jamie Foxx could be singing the praises of NYC to an entirely different orphan in his next film.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Foxx is in negotiations to star in the movie musical remake of Annie, which is expected in theaters for Christmas 2014.

Foxx would be playing Benjamin Stacks - the character formerly known in previous incarnations of Annie as Oliver Warbucks.  As fans of the musical know, Warbucks/Stacks is the billionaire who invites little orphan Annie to stay at his mansion for what was basically a publicity stunt, but who winds up having his money-loving heart won over by the little girl, who is desperately searching for her family.  Both names are pretty much the same joke (the guy is crazy rich), so it works either way.  Also the new Annie is expected to take place in the current day - the original took place in 1933 - hence the name change.  With Jay-Z updating the score (remember this?), expect more changes as the project moves forward. 

I'm looking forward to this one.  I was leery at first, when this seemed to start out as a vanity project for one of Will Smith's kids (Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis has since replaced Willow Smith as Annie), but it's got a good team behind it.  I love the stage musical, I adore the 1982 film version, and I kinda like the 1999 TV movie because it's closer to the stage musical...but it's obviously been done a bunch of times already (hell, it's on Broadway again right now), so why not have a new version?  Foxx would be a terrific Daddy Warbucks (Daddy Stacks??), and Wallis is adorable, so it seems to be starting off well. 

Any guesses on who will play Miss Hannigan?   

Weekend Box Office: April 26-28

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  Pain and Gain - $20 million

2.  Oblivion - $17.4 million

3.  42 - $10.7 million

4.  The Big Wedding - $7.5 million

5.  The Croods - $6.6 million

6.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation - $3.6 million

7.  Scary Movie 5 - $3.4 million

8.  Olympus Has Fallen - $2.7 million

9.  The Place Beyond the Pines - $2.6 million

10.  Jurassic Park 3D - $2.3 million

It was a quiet weekend at the box office, as Michael Bay's Pain and Gain took the top spot with an estimated $20 million.  That's on the low end of openings for a Michael Bay film - which is likely to happen when the movie doesn't feature any transforming robots - but with a reported $26 million budget, it should have no problem making that investment back. 

The weekend's other new release, The Big Wedding, tanked with just $7.5 million.  Despite a big-name cast, the film received wretched reviews, and failed to attract the female audience it was hoping for.  Opening in limited release was Mud, which, despite some rather unfortunate press for star Reese Witherspoon earlier in the week, still managed to earn an impressive $2.1 million in just 363 theaters.

Oblivion, last week's first place winner, dropped by about 52%, earning $17.4 million.  The sci-fi action thriller has earned $64 million domestically, and an additional $134 million overseas. 

But the real action at the overseas box office this weekend was courtesy of Iron Man 3, which opened with a spectacular $195 million from 42 countries.  That tops last year's overseas-first release of The Avengers, which opened with $185 million.

So will Iron Man 3 be topping any Avengers records when it opens domestically next week?  Early reports indicate that it's going for a huge opening weekend, so we'll just have to wait and see. 

Japanese Trailer for "The Wolverine"

A new-ish trailer for The Wolverine has arrived, this time for the film's Japan release, which is scheduled for September.  Basically, it's a mashup of the previous domestic and international trailers, with more of the film's Japanese setting and minus the Jean Grey cameo.  The movie is apparently also called The Wolverine: SAMURAI in Japan, which is extremely cool and should totally happen here, because that is awesome:

The Wolverine, in case you haven't stolen a bus shelter poster yet, opens in theaters on July 26th. 

Weekend Box Office: April 19-20

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  Oblivion -  $38.1 million

2.  42 - $18.2 million

3.  The Croods - $9.5 million

4.  Scary Movie 5 - $6.2 million

5.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation - $5.7 million

6.  The Place Beyond the Pines - $4.7 million

7.  Olympus Has Falling - $4.5 million

8.  Evil Dead - $4.1 million

9.  Jurassic Park 3D - $4 million

10.  Oz The Great and Powerful - $3 million

Tom Cruise?  Yep, he's still got it.  Oblivion, which opened to big numbers overseas last weekend, had a very good start here, opening with an estimated $38.1 million.  That's the best opening for a Tom Cruise movie since 2005's War of the Worlds, and it's on par with the openings for the first three Mission Impossible films (the fourth opened in limited release).  It's not a blockbuster by any means, but a good warmup for the impending summer movie season.

Still doing terrific business is 42, which dropped a mere 34% since last weekend to earn $18.2 million.  The baseball film is likely to cross the $100 million mark by the end of its box office run. 

The rest of the box office was a relatively quiet.  The Croods is still going strong, earning another $9.5 million, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation is still hanging around with $5.7 million.  Scary Movie 5 dropped further into obscurity with just $6.2 million.  The Place Beyond the Pines, which expanded into 1028 more thaters this weekend, earned just $4.7 million.

Next week, the calm before the Iron Man 3 kickoff into summer movie season, will see the openings of Michael Bay's Pain and Gain, and the romantic comedy The Big Wedding.

Harrison Ford Is Still Angry at Chewbacca

Fans may remember a rather unpleasant, yet totally hilarious confrontation between Harrison Ford and his former on-screen Wookie co-pilot during a backstage incident at Jimmy Kimmel Live about two years ago (Oh Chewie, what were you thinking?!).  Well, it appears that they haven't patched things up yet.  While promoting his hit movie 42 on Kimmel's show last night, Ford was asked about his maybe-possible-hopefully involvement in the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII.  

Of course, there's no confirmation on that, which led to a number of awkward audience questions:

If Harrison Ford is indeed doing Episode VII, I hope they keep this feud going.  It's too funny to let go of just yet. 

Weekend Box Office: April 12 - 14

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  42 - $27.2 million

2.  Scary Movie 5 - $15.1 million

3.  The Croods - $13.2 million

4.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation - $10.8 million

5.  Evil Dead - $9.5 million

6.  Jurassic Park 3D - $8.8 million

7.  Olympus Has Fallen - $7.2 million

8.  Oz The Great and Powerful - $4.9 million

9.  Tyler Perry's Temptation - $4.5 million

10.  The Place Beyond the Pines - $4 million

In baseball terms, this weekend was a home run for 42.  The Jackie Robinson biopic scored an estimated $27.2 million in theaters - the highest opening ever for a baseball film - and earned a stellar "A+" Cinemascore from audiences, which should keep it going strong in theaters at least until summer movie season kicks off at the end of the month. 

Way back in second place was Scary Movie 5, which flatlined with $15.1 million, the lowest opening for the franchise.  Even the $15 million it managed to scare up is embarrassing, to be honest.  Who's still seeing these movies? 

Families are still loving The Croods, which earned another $13.2 million, bring its domestic total up to $142 million.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation crossed the $100 million mark this weekend with $10.8 million, although it's still lagging behind the first G.I. Joe film at the same point in release.  Meanwhile, last week's champ, the remake of Evil Dead, had a predictable horror movie plunge and dropped 63%, but still managed to earn a solid $9.5 million.

In limited release, The Place Beyond the Pines - starring Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper - earned $4 million in just 514 theaters. 

Next weekend sees the release of Tom Cruise in Oblivion, which has already grossed an excellent $61 million overseas.  With virtually no new competition to fight off, it should clean up here as well. 

Weekend Box Office: April 5-7

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  Evil Dead - $26 million

2.  G.I. Joe: Retaliation - $21.1 million

3.  The Croods - $21.1 million

4.  Jurassic Park 3D - $18.2 million

5.  Olympus Has Fallen - $10 million

6.  Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor - $10 million

7.  Oz The Great and Powerful - $8.1 million

8.  The Host - $5.2 million

9.  The Call - $3.5 million

10.  Admission - $2 million

A combination of demons, dinosaurs, action figures, prehistoric families, terrorist invasions and Tyler Perry managed to give the box office somewhat of a pulse, as more than half of this weekend's box office haul each managed to cross the $10 million mark - a rare feat in a year that's seen more duds than hits.  Leading the pack is the remake of Evil Dead, which grossed out audiences to the tune of $26 million.  That puts it in between the openings of Mama ($28.4 million) and Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D ($21.7 million).  Grosses dropped steadily over the weekend after a strong start on Friday, which is typical for a horror film, but with a reported budget of $17 million, the remake is already a hit.

Duking it out for second place are holdovers G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and The Croods, which are in a dead heat with an estimated $21.1 mllion apiece (final totals will be released tomorrow).  G.I. Joe falls 48% from its first-place start last weekend and is lagging a bit behind the first film, G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra, which had already crossed $100 million at the same point in its release.  Overseas, the film is doing gangbusters, having already earned an additional $145 million.  The animated The Croods continues to be a big hit, having earned $125 million domestically and $204 million overseas. 

Back in theaters, and celebrating its 20th anniversary in glorious 3D, is Jurassic Park.  While some of the recent Disney 3D re-releases have fizzled in recent months, audiences seemed more than happy to shell out the cash to be ducking from 3D dinosaurs, as the film earned a solid $18.2 million.  Universal is probably considering that a good omen for the upcoming Jurassic Park IV. 

Olympus Has Fallen continues to beat the trend of flop action movies that mired the first few months of 2013, earning another $10 million to bring its domestic total to $71 million.  It also brings us to another tie for the weekend's box office numbers, as Tyler Perry's latest, Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor also earned an estimated $10 million. 

Next week, Hollywood saw fit to inflict us with another chapter in the Scary Movie franchise for some reason.  I'll be ignoring it, and so should you.  In the meantime, you can catch up on new releases like 42, which is the story of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, or you can find a theater playing Trance, which just opened with an impressive $136,000 in just four theaters and will be expanding locations next weekend. 

"The Wolverine" Trailer (the whole thing this time!)

Finally!  This is not a drill.  Or a teaser for a teaser.  We have a complete first trailer for The Wolverine.  Two of them, actually.  The domestic trailer is still in the clutches of Apple trailers, so check that one out on your iPad if you can, as it's pretty cool.  But you can watch the nifty international trailer below.  Looks like Wolverine, off on a mission to Japan, is going all Superman II by giving up his regenerative powers.  And just like Superman, Wolverine will likely immediately regret this decision when a bunch of angry bad guys (most notably the Silver Samurai, played by Will Yun Lee) turn up.

Ninjas, atom-bomb dodging, and high-speed train fighting included.  Enjoy the domestic and international trailers below.

DOMESTIC

INTERNATIONAL

Looks like a lot of fun, and definitely an improvement over Origins, which basically had Wolverine standing around and disapproving of all of the action sequences.  There's actual fighting in this one!  Still curious if there will be any sort of Days of Future Past tie-in, as it seems Jean Grey's appearance is more of a flashback.

 Still, can't wait!  The Wolverine opens in theaters on July 26, this time in glorious 3D. 

JOBLO