Wednesday, November 25, 2009

ZOMBIELAND 2 in 3D?

From Slashfilm:

"Sony hasn’t yet announced the development of a Zombieland sequel, but with a worldwide budget of over $85 million, it is likely only a matter of time. Moviehole has an interview with Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer, who revealed that not only is Sony interested in a sequel, but if they can 'crack' the story for a sequel, it will probably be shot in 3D. Fleischer believes that 'the genre really lends itself to [3D]', and is convinced the technology is now there. And who wouldn’t want to see a fun 3D zombie film?





As for the sequel, who knows when it might get off the ground. Fleischer has a bunch of potential projects lined up, and the screenplay hasn’t even been written, although there are plenty of ideas. As you probably know by now, Zombieland was conceived as a television pilot, and was rewritten to fill a feature film. Screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick told io9 in October that they already planned a '23 episode season' out, 'So divided by two that’s about 12 movies in our head swimming around.' … 'And we’ll take what we intended to be episode three of the television show and start movie number two.'"

AWESOME!! I'd love to see a Zombieland 2 in 3D!! Although a few of my friends won't. The Zombieland DVD comes out on Feburary 2nd (on Bill Murray's Groundhog Day).

What if... William Shatner was in STAR TREK?

Yes, of course he was in the TV show and seven feature films of 'Star Trek', the franchise, but what about the new movie?

From TrekMovie:

"Most fans can remember that one of the biggest debates around J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie was about if it would (or should) include William Shatner. The film makers spoke of how they tried to find a way, but in the end felt it wouldn’t work. However, J.J. Abrams revealed that Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman did write a scene for Shatner, and today we have that scene for you to read.

Putting Shatner into Star Trek
TrekMovie received the scene below from one of our trusted sources and it has been verified to be the scene written for Shatner (but never shown to Shatner). The 'Alternate Scene B' actually creates alternative versions two scenes from the end of the movie: the moment between Spock Prime (Nimoy) and Spock (Quinto) in the hangar, plus the award ceremony with Kirk (Pine), Pike (Greenwood) and the Commandant (Tyler Perry).

Shatner would have played Kirk, but would have appeared as a recording. The timing of the recording is not stated, but would have have been before Star Trek Generations and therefore not violate the canon that Kirk was killed in Generations. J.J. Abrams has often noted that dealing with Kirk’s death was one of the hindrances of including him in the new Star Trek.

The Scene
Here it is…

—————————

ALTERNATE SCENE B

SPOCK PRIME
Then I ask that you do yourself a
favor… put away logic, and do what
feels right. The world you’ve inherited
lives in the shadow of incalculable
devastation… but there’s no reason you
must face it alone.

And from around his neck, he removes the PENDANT that
until now, we’ve only caught glimpses of. Places it on
the table beside his younger self. The feeling in his
eyes is profound…

SPOCK PRIME (CONT’D)
This was a gift to me. Representing…
a dream. One we were unable to fulfill.
(softly)
The way you can now.

And moves to the door. Stops. Offers the VULCAN SALUTE:

SPOCK PRIME (CONT’D)
As my customary farewell would appear
oddly self serving, I will simply say…
good luck.

Their eyes hold. Spock turns, disappearing into the
corridor. Young Spock stares at the empty doorway a
beat, his mind a jumble of thoughts. Looks to the
pendant… and realizes it’s a HOLO-EMITTER. After
considering a beat, he hits an activation button and a
MOVING HOLOGRAPHIC MESSAGE materializes before him:

CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK. WILLIAM SHATNER. As always,
brash, wry, confident — and SINGING:

KIRK/ SHATNER
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to
you…
(stops, grins)
I know I know, it’s illogical to
celebrate something you had nothing to do
with, but I haven’t had the chance to
congratulate you on your appointment to
the ambassadorship so I thought I’d seize
the occasion… Bravo, Spock — they tell
me your first mission may take you away
for awhile, so I’ll be the first to wish
you luck… and to say…
(beat, emotional)
I miss you, old friend.

… and we’re PUSHING IN on Young Spock, taking in the
image of Kirk’s future self, the message, but above all —
the clear, unquestionable friendship these two men had…

INT. CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS

As Spock Prime walks off down the corridor, he passes
right by a man conferring with a nurse — the man pauses,
turns… it’s SAREK. Suddenly overcome by a feeling that
the stranger who’s just passed him is… oddly familiar.

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.)
I suppose I’d always imagined us…
outgrowing Starfleet together. Watching
life swing us into our Emeritus years…

INT. STARBASE ONE – HANGAR – ETERNAL NIGHT

MUSIC BUILDING — glass walls reveal THE ENTERPRISE at
dock, UTILITY CRAFTS floating around it, repairing.
Standing at attention in rows, THE ENTERPRISE CREW —
over four hundred of them wearing DRESS UNIFORMS — TRACK
DOWN the faces, all proud:

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.)
I look around at the new cadets now and
can’t help thinking… has it really been
so long? Wasn’t it only yesterday we
stepped onto the Enterprise as boys?
That I had to prove to the crew I
deserved command… and their respect?

And we STOP ON YOUNG KIRK. Composed, focused, proud. A
man. And to every fan’s delight, finally wearing his
YELLOW SHIRT. The FEDERATION COMMANDANT stands at a
podium:

COMMANDANT
This assembly calls Captain James
Tiberius Kirk…

Kirk breaks from formation, pivots, marches down the
hangar — past UHURA… SULU… CHEKOV… SCOTTY. All
Beaming. Notably absent, is Spock. Kirk ascends the
stairs, snaps to attention:

COMMANDANT (CONT’D)
Your inspirational valor and supreme
dedication to your comrades are in
keeping with the highest traditions of
service and reflect utmost credit to
yourself, your crew, and the Federation.
By Starfleet Order 28455, you are hereby
directed to report to Commanding Officer,
USS Enterprise, for duty as his relief.

Kirk turns. Walks to… PIKE. In a wheelchair now,
wearing an ADMIRAL’S UNIFORM. Overnight, his hair’s
turned totally grey — but despite his trauma, his
pride’s overwhelming. They SALUTE each other:

KIRK
I relieve you, Sir.

PIKE
… I am relieved.

He opens a BOX in his lap — glorious in repose, a MEDAL:

PIKE (CONT’D)
And as Fleet Admiral, for your… unique
solution to the Kobayashi Maru, it’s my
honor to award you with a commendation
for original thinking.

Pike containing a smirk, pins the medal to Kirk’s
chest…

PIKE (CONT’D)
(a touch choked)
Congratulations, Captain.

KIRK
Thank you, Sir.

Kirk turns to the crowd. Eyes shining. WILD APPLAUSE.
OUR MUSIC SOARS. Bones leans in to Sulu, rolling his
eyes:

BONES
… Same ship, different day.

As Kirk rejoins his crew for hugs and congratulations, we
go to the BACK of the hangar… SPOCK PRIME. Watching.
Moved beyond words. He turns and leaves them to it… as
he goes…

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.)
I know what you’d say — ‘It’s their turn
now, Jim…’ And of course you’re
right… but it got me thinking:

INT. STARFLEET HOSPITAL – EARTH – DAY

Our montage comes full circle as we END on Kirk’s
transmission:

KIRK/SHATNER
Who’s to say we can’t go one more round?
By the last tally, only twenty five
percent of the galaxy’s been chartered…
I’d call that negligent. Criminal even —
an invitation. You once said being a
starship captain was my first, best
destiny… if that’s true, then yours is
to be by my side. If there’s any true
logic to the universe… we’ll end up on
that bridge again someday.

Stops, grins. Because this is the part he needs to say
most…

KIRK/SHATNER
Admit it, Spock. For people like us, the
journey itself… is home.

Young Spock’s face. Lost in feelings that flood through
him.

—————————

But would Bill have done it?
Even if the Abrams team had decided to go ahead with this scene, there is no guarantee that Shatner would have done it. He had stated he 'does not do cameos' and the above scene appears to fall into the cameo category. Abrams had also stated that this 'no cameos' position of Shatner’s was part of their decision process not to include him in the film. Now that the scene is public, maybe Bill will make another one of his video blogs about it. One thing is for sure, this is not the last word on Shatner and the new Star Trek… there is still the sequel."

'No cameos'? Huh? What about Showtime and Fanboys? You're telling me those are starring roles?
Anyways, this would've been a poignent scene, if Shatner had shot it. Not that the actual ending of the movie is not as good or better. I think the one you see is better, faster and leaves the viewer (especially non-Trek fans) wanting more (ala Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home).

The Original Faceman is back in THE A-TEAM

From ComingSoon.net:

"We received word earlier this month that Dwight Schultz looks to have a cameo in The A-Team movie, and now Dirk Benedict Central says that the actor, who played Templeton 'Faceman' Peck in the series, has a cameo as well:

'Dirk has just announced to this website that he has two projects in the works beginning with a cameo appearance in the new The A-Team film, which is currently shooting in Vancouver Canada.'

Opening in theaters on June 11, the 20th Century Fox release also stars Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Quinton Jackson and Yul Vazquez. Joe Carnahan is directing the film."

Hugh Jackman gets some STEEL

From ComingSoon.net:

"DreamWorks Pictures principals Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider have greenlit the Rocky-esque robot tale Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman. Filming will start in June.

The Shawn Levy-directed futuristic film, budgeted at about $80 million, is based on a short story by Richard Matheson that was adapted into an original 'Twilight Zone' episode.

Jackman will play an ex-fighter who becomes a promoter when human boxing is outlawed for being too violent. The new gladiators are 2,000-pound robots with human qualities. The ex-fighter's access to sub-standard robot parts hampers his hopes for glory in Robot Boxing, until he discovers a discarded robot that always seems to win. The ex-fighter has also discovered he's the father of a 13-year old son, and they bond as the robot brawls its way toward the top.

Levy describes the film as a 'rousing sports movie' with Jackman's character 'a former boxer who can no longer do the only job he's good at, and one particular robot that may be his return to grace.'"

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY invades DVD

From ComingSoon.net:

"Paramount Home Entertainment has announced that Paranormal Activity, which cost less than $15,000 to make but grossed $106.1 million in theaters, will hit DVD... on December 29.

Written and directed by Oren Peli, the film follows a young, middle-class couple who become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic, but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. Especially while they sleep.

The DVD... include the original theatrical version of the film, plus an Unrated Version with a shocking alternate ending not seen in theaters."

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Kat Dennings joins THOR

From Superhero Hype:

"Natalie Portman revealed to MTV this weekend that Kat Dennings (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) will have a role in director Kenneth Branagh's Thor. Dennings will play Darcy, who works with Natalie Portman's character, Jane Foster.

Dennings is joining a cast that includes Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Jaimie Alexander, Colm Feore, Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsgard, Stuart Townsend, Ray Stevenson, Tadanobu Asano and Idris Elba. The Marvel Studios adaptation will be released in theaters by Paramount Pictures on May 20, 2011."

I can just see this. "So your boyfriend's the God of Thunder. That's cool." HAHAHA She's gorgeous!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Be the Beatles

From Slashfilm:

"This weekend, the 28th and 29th of November, there’s a huge Beatles convention taking place in Stamford, Connecticut. Amongst all of the merchandise sales and other such typical expo shenanigans, there’s also set to be an open audition for Beatlemaniacs wanting to try out for casting in what they’re calling 'The Fab Four'. Of course, that the film 'will be shot as a motion-capture feature like the current Disney release of A Christmas Carol' tells us everything we need to know - this is Robert Zemeckis' remake of Yellow Submarine.



There’s already some suspicion, though, that this casting call is nothing more than a publicity stunt. Zemeckis has already talked about the possibility of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr playing themselves in the film, there’s been a number of previous auditions, and even stories of name actors being up for the roles, perhaps even cast in them already.

Jim Hill had the details on the Stamford Event, including a link to the Showfax page where one can purchase audition sides from the film. The sides have been given interesting titles - Buckingham Palace Scene, Help - Bar Scene and John, Paul, George and Ringo. There’s no Buckingham Palace Scene per se in the original film, though the building does make a brief cameo appearance.... Neither is there a bar scene in the original Yellow Submarine, nor any use of the song Help. It’s now pretty clear that Zemeckis' remake is taking some liberties with the original material, and I’m thinking that’s a really good thing. We already have the old Yellow Submarine, now it’s time for something new.

The only other scene we can pretty much lock down so far is a press conference. There’s a whole host of video reference supplied on a blogspot page set up to promote the auditions, including one headed JOHN LENNON - #1 VIDEO REFERENCE FOR NEWS CONFERENCE SCENE.

Also note that the mannerism references are clips from Richard Lester’s A Hard Day’s Night in which the Beatles played versions of themselves.

A report on The Examiner claimed that auditions, for the John Lennon role in particular, took place on October 12th. These do not appear to have been publicly announced, suggesting that they were peopled with jobbing actors and not mo-topped hopefuls from the great unwashed.

A new story from the UK’s Sun newspaper... claimed that Stephen Graham had been given the role of Ringo. Again, this is a far from routinely dependable source but this rumour seems esoteric enough to bear some consideration."

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Megan Fox "safe" for TRANSFORMERS III

From Slashfilm:

"Michael Bay has been hanging around at the launch of a Victoria’s Secret Show, with the excuse that he directs their commercials, and discussing his supposed nemesis in lipgloss, Megan Fox. And what does he have to say about her?

'I love her.'



Er… okay, Mike. He did also discuss the role he’s creating for her in the third Transformers film. 'She’s got a great part in Transformers III' he promised. So he’s not going to kill her off? 'No, no, no. She gets enough of that already.' Okay… whatever that means.

USA Today had Andrea Mandell on the scene, who got Bay to discuss the crazy hurtful things that Fox has said about him. Here’s their version of what he said:

'She called me [after the Hitler comment] and goes, ‘It’s all [BS], Mike.’ The press, they just like to prey, and stalk, and pounce and find a good little juicy thing. But she’s always wanted to do these crazy comments. That’s just her. She’s great.'

How dare the press pounce on her cute little Hitler comment like that. There was nothing offensive about it at all, not to anybody.

Okay, the only news here, really is that Bay is promising a big role for Fox in the next Transformers film. I don’t believe him when he says she won’t be killed off because I don’t really believe when he says anything he seems to be lying so often, but he does seem to be operating from the assumption that she’ll figure in the film in some sort of substantial capacity.

Well, as substantial as anything has ever been in a Michael Bay picture."

Friday, November 20, 2009

CYCLER transforms from a book to the big screen

From ComingSoon.net:

"Don Murphy and Susan Montford's Angryfilms has optioned Lauren McLaughlin's young-adult book series Cycler.

The novels tell the story of Jill, a suburban teenager who for four days each month turns into Jack, complete with male anatomy and 17-year-old-boy fantasies. Jill has maintained her life of ordinary teenage worries, such as going to the prom and dealing with crush, but that changes when Jack, tired of being locked in his room, begins to escape, causing damage to her social life.

Random House for Young Readers published the book last year and followed it with a sequel, 'Re-Cycler'; more are on the way."

Haha! Sounds awesome and hilariously funny. If girls get What Guys Want (a gnder-swapped remake of What Women Want which starred Mel Gibson, which featured a man suddenly developing the power to read women's minds; the remake will star Selena Gomez - oh, joy. This will only make guys look so bad), guys should get Cycler.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Nautilus.... decommissioned?

From ComingSoon.net:

"Walt Disney Pictures has halted Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Production was tentatively scheduled to begin in February, but director McG is no longer on board.

Disney's next big water-based shoot will likely be Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, with filming expected to start in May under the direction of Rob Marshall. Johnny Depp is returning as Captain Jack Sparrow.

McG will concentrate on other projects that include Dead Spy Running, a Warner Bros. drama that Stephen Gaghan is writing."

Aw, and this could've been such a good movie!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Shawn Levy updates on REAL STEEL

From SciFiWire.com:

"Director Shawn Levy confirmed that Wolverine star Hugh Jackman is a front-runner to star in Real Steel, a sci-fi movie based on a story by Richard Matheson, which Levy describes as 'a father/son action drama set in the near future, surrounding the sport of robot boxing.'


In a world where robot boxing has replaced the human version, Jackman would play a Rocky-esque character looking for one last shot. 'Hugh Jackman plays a former boxer who can therefore no longer do the only thing he was ever good at and has to make his way in this new world,' Levy said in an exclusive interview Tuesday in Los Angeles....'It's faithful to the story in that that story was very much about a down-on-his-luck, slightly desperate journeyman who works in this robot boxing sport and who is desperately needing redemption and one last shot. The movie is more Rocky than Transformers.'

Levy has not cast the main character's son yet but has a good idea about the robots. 'They are most definitely not Transformers, not Terminators, definitely not WALL-Es, either,' Levy said. 'Unlike a lot of these others, these are human-built, human-scale fighting machines. They are built for human spectacle. People in this movie have gotten bored with human carnage and human violence. So in the quest for more, more, more, this sport has evolved to this.'

Producer Steven Spielberg offered the project to Levy, the director of such family fantasies and comedies as Night at the Museum, The Pink Panther and Cheaper by the Dozen. Levy saw Real Steel as an opportunity to stretch his muscles.

'When I sat down with Steven, I had a very, very specific vision of this movie, one that really puts the emphasis on the story and the sports-movie aspect as much as on the machinery,' Levy said. 'Real Steel is my first non-comedy. I will likely come back to comedy. It's certainly been very, very good to me. But like anyone who does anything, freshness and new experience is what keeps you interested. So when Steven called and said, 'Hey, you want to do this thing?' I was like, '[Heck] yeah, I'm looking for a different experience.'

Real Steel is due in 2011."

WON'T THERE AT LEAST BE SOME HUMOR?! Come on, Shawn, it's what you do best!! Anyways, still sounds good. If Steven Spielberg offers you a project, you'd best take it!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The Story of MONOPOLY: The Movie

From ComingSoon.net:

"Producer/author Frank Beddor ('The Looking Glass Wars') revealed details of the story he pitched for the Monopoly movie that got Ridley Scott interested in directing. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Beddor gave a lot of info on what you can expect. Here's an excerpt:

'I created a comedic, lovable loser who lives in Manhattan and works at a real estate company and he’s not very good at his job but he’s great at playing Monopoly. And the world record for playing is 70 straight days – over 1,600 hours – and he wanted to try to convince his friends to help him break that world record. They think he is crazy. They kid him about this girl and they're playing the game and there’s this big fight. And he’s holding a Chance card and after they’ve left he says, ‘Damn, I wanted to use that Chance card,’ and he throws it down. He falls asleep and then he wakes up in the morning and he’s holding the Chance card, and he thinks, ‘That’s odd.’

He’s all groggy and he goes down to buy some coffee and he reaches into his pocket and all he has is Monopoly money. All this Monopoly money pours out. He’s confused and embarrassed and the girl reaches across the counter and says, ‘That’s OK.’ And she gives him change in Monopoly money. He walks outside and he’s in this very vibrant place, Monopoly City, and he’s just come out of a Chance Shop. As it goes on, he takes on the evil Parker Brothers in the game of Monopoly.

It tries to incorporate all the iconic imageries -- a sports car pulls up, there's someone on a horse, someone pushing a wheelbarrow -- and rich Uncle Pennybags, you're going to see him as the maître d' at the restaurant and he's the buggy driver and the local eccentric and the doorman at the opera. There's all these sight gags.'

The idea of a human dropping down into the logic and universe of the board game (not unlike Jumanji) might work as a film, but how did Scott end up as an interested 'player'? 'Well it was that pitch, that's where Sir Ridley got excited. After I pitched it to him, he put out his hand and said, 'What do I have to [do] to be a part of this movie?'

Beddor still sounded surprised as he recounted this part. 'So I said, 'Do you mean you want to direct it?' And he said, 'Yeah, and I will tell you why – it’s all the things you just said and the fact that I had these epic Monopoly battles with my family when I was young.''"

Wow! Not as bad as I thought it would be. Sounds really funny! Let's just hope they get somebody like Leslie Nielson to play Uncle Moneybags. I thought Ridley Scott didn't do comedies (except for A Good Year).

The Animated Features Are...

From ComingSoon.net:

"20 features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 82nd Academy Awards®.

The 20 submitted features are:

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Astro Boy
Battle for Terra
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Disney's A Christmas Carol
The Dolphin – Story of a Dreamer
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Mary and Max
The Missing Lynx
Monsters vs. Aliens
9
Planet 51
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
A Town Called Panic
Up


Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, The Dolphin – Story of a Dreamer, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Planet 51, The Princess and the Frog, The Secret of Kells and A Town Called Panic have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and meet all of the category's other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process.

Under the rules for this category, a maximum of 5 features can be nominated in a year in which the field of eligible entries numbers at least 16.

Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.

The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide."

My predictions:

Up
The Princess and the Frog
Ponyo
Disney's A Christmas Carol
Fantastic Mr. Fox

I don't see why Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakuel is up there - it's half live-action. If Up is as insanely popular with Oscar judges as people are saying it is, and it does get a Best Picture (never say never - remember, Beauty and the Beast) then my runner-up would be Coraline.

From Ghosts to Aliens?

From ComingSoon.net:

"Oren Peli's follow-up to Paranormal Activity is already shooting, but details on Area 51 have been kept top secret. All we've known thus far is that the story centers around three teenagers whose curiosity leads them to the legendary and mysterious Area 51 Air Force base deep in the Nevada desert. Now, Latino Review have discovered a shooting script/outline draft dated 9/24/09.

So what's the verdict? Is it Paranormal Activity with aliens instead of ghosts? Here's an excerpt:

'The 'script' for Area 51 reads much like I imagine the 'script' for Paranormal Activity did. It's basically a scene-by-scene breakdown with a list of various props, actors, and the general interactions between the actors and their surroundings. There is no written dialogue, but within the action descriptions are general ideas that the actors will be using to improvise their lines with on set. Unlike Paranormal Activity's single location, Area 51 is far more expansive in its setting.'

The cast for the flick consists of all relatively unknown actors, Reid Warner, Darrin Bragg and Ben Rovner."

DATE NIGHT laughs up a trailer!

From ComingSoon.net:

"20th Century Fox has brought online the trailer for the Shawn Levy-directed Date Night, opening in theaters on April 9th. The comedy stars Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Leighton Meester, Common, Taraji Henson, Kristen Wiig, Ray Liotta, Mila Kunis, Mark Ruffalo, William Fichtner and Olivia Munn.

In the film, Steve Carell and Tina Fey play a married couple who find their routine date night becomes much more than just dinner and a movie. Wahlberg plays a successful and crazily buff securities expert who flirts with Fey's character. Franco portrays a not-too-bright con man and petty criminal."



OH MAN THIS IS HILARIOUS!!

EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES diagnoses a trailer

From ComingSoon.net:

"Yahoo! Movies has debuted the trailer for Extraordinary Measures, starring Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser, Keri Russell and Courtney B. Vance.

The Tom Vaughan-directed drama is inspired by the true story of John Crowley, a man who defied conventional wisdom and great odds, and risked his family's future to pursue a cure for his children's life threatening disease.

From his working class roots, John Crowley (Fraser) has finally begun to taste success in corporate America. Supported by his beautiful wife Aileen (Russell) and their three children, John is on the fast track. But just as his career is taking off, Crowley walks away from it all when his two youngest children, Megan and Patrick, are diagnosed with a fatal disease. With Aileen by his side, harnessing all of his skill and determination, Crowley teams up with a brilliant, but unappreciated and unconventional scientist, Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford). Together they form a bio-tech company focused on developing a life-saving drug. One driven to prove himself and his theories, the other by a chance to save his children, this unlikely alliance eventually develops into mutual respect as they battle the medical and business establishments in a fight against the system – and time."

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Black Cat in SPIDER-MAN 4?

From ComingSoon.net:

"Early last month, director Sam Raimi said that they were about to start casting for Spider-Man 4, but we have yet to hear any official announcements of new talent coming on board. We knew Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst were going to be back, and since then, Dylan Baker revealed that he'll return as Dr. Curt Connors.

Now, according to Mania, actresses are auditioning for the role of villain Felicia Hardy/Black Cat, and the site says that Rachel McAdams (upcoming Sherlock Holmes) is a frontrunner for the role. Mania adds that they are also casting for a male villain, which would mean we're looking at two villains for the fourth installment. None of this is confirmed, of course.

In the meantime, fans pointed us to The Observer where actress Romola Garai (Atonement) has a column in which she wrote the following:

''Love is at the root of everything good that has ever happened and will happen.' This phrase swam into focus as I moved up the escalator at Oxford Circus tube on Tuesday morning on my way to put myself 'on tape' for a part in Spider-Man 4. This is the acting equivalent of the London Marathon in that it's important to try your best as long as you understand that you aren't going to win.'

Might she also be going for the Felicia Hardy role? We won't know for sure until we start hearing official casting news from Sony.

Spider-Man 4 is coming to theaters on May 5, 2011."

Personally I think the Prowler should be in the movie.

The Original Murdock is back in THE A-TEAM

From ComingSoon.net:

"The Official Dwight Schultz Fansite says that the actor will have a cameo role in director Joe Carnahan's The A-Team. The site says:

'We are pleased to inform you all that Dwight has actually already been working in Vancouver, where he has played a cameo role in The A-Team movie. Sharlto Copley, the South African actor who plays Murdock, is according to Dwight: 'brilliant beyond words'. Dwight has seen his screen test and he stated: 'that honestly, if Sharlto is given an opportunity to do what I saw in that test, 'Murdock' will be better than ever!' Sharlto has been very kind to him on the set and Dwight must say that he has been treated very well.'

Opening in theaters on June 11, the 20th Century Fox release also stars Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Quinton Jackson and Yul Vazquez."

Saturday, November 7, 2009

THREE MEN AND A BRIDE?

From WENN:

"WENN was invited onto the New York City set of Steve Guttenberg’s new movie today, where he revealed he’ll be reuniting with Tom Selleck and Ted Danson to give away baby Mary [in a sequel to 1987's Three Men and a Baby].

Guttenberg told us, 'Disney’s developing Three Men and a Bride. That’s going to be a smash. A smash hit. They’re bringing everybody back for that. Nobody knows about it. I’m the first to talk about it.'

[Guttenberg also revealed] he wants to bring back Police Academy, Cocoon – and to star in the mooted Short Circuit sequel.

'It’s definitely time for another Police Academy. And I think they could make another Cocoon. They’re surefire hits and I think they’re good for the world. They make the world a better place and that’s what it’s all about.'"

NO WAY!!! THAT'S AWESOME!!!

In case you don't know, Three Men and a Baby was the highest grossing film of 1987, even beating out Fatal Attraction. Directed by Leonard Nimoy (yes, Mr. Spock; hot off the hit sci-fi/comedy Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home), this film is about three Manhattan bachelors who find a baby on their doorstep and grow to love her and must combat drug dealers who want their heroin and will steal the baby to get it. The film also spawned a 1990 sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady which reunited Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson but not Leonard Nimoy. Maybe this new film will persuade him to return, though he's fully committed to 'Fringe', Leonard Nimoy Photography and playing Spock Prime in Star Trek and hopeful sequels.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Hey, hey Boo-Boo! I'm a Ghostbuster!

From Comingsoon.net:

"Anna Faris, Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake are in talks to star in Yogi Bear, Warner Bros.' big screen adaptation of the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon.

The film is being directed by Eric Brevig and produced by Donald De Line and Karen Rosenfelt as a live-action/CG hybrid.

Faris will play a [live-action] nature documentarian who follows the antics of a bear in fictional Jellystone Park. Aykroyd will voice Yogi, and Timberlake may voice Yogi's companion, Boo Boo.

The studio hopes to get Yogi Bear under way in New Zealand in December. Brad Copeland penned the current script with Joshua Sternin and Jeff Ventimilia writing the original draft."

Anna Faris and Dan Aykroyd, I'm fine with. BUT Justin Timberlake as Boo-Boo? NO WAY!! That is so stupid!!

J.J. Abrams and the MICRONAUTS

From ComingSoon.net:

"The Wall Street Journal is reporting that J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, 'Lost', 'Alias') is in talks to produce a movie about the Japanese interchangeable toys Micronauts, which Hasbro just acquired.

First released in Japan in 1974 (under the name Microman), the toys were imported to the U.S. by the Mego Corporation in 1976. The line consisted of 3.75-inch tall toys which used a universal, five millimeter inter-connective design. Mego cancelled the Micronauts line in 1980. In 2002, Palisades Toys bought the rights to reproduce Micronauts.

The Micronauts comic books were published by Marvel Comics, Image Comics, and Devil's Due Publishing. Their first comic appearance was in 'Micronauts #1' (Marvel, Jan. 1979) with characterizations created by Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden.

Abrams tells the newspaper that those who doubt whether a board game or science-fiction toy should be accorded star status will be proved wrong.

'Sometimes, when someone is not a celebrity and you are casting them in a role, everyone who is in a seat of authority voices questions about that actor's talent, sex appeal, looks, ability -- their everything,' he says. 'But then they get the role, and suddenly they are on the cover of every magazine, and nobody questions those things again. In retrospect, everyone says, 'Of course that person is a star.'"

Let's hope Abrams can spread his magic on this toy that no Gen-X kid knows about.

Chuck Russell spends an ARABIAN NIGHT in 3D?

From ComingSoon.net:

"Chuck Russell [the director of The Mask] is set to direct a 3D reworking of Arabian Nights, reports Variety. He co-wrote the script with Barry P. Ambrose. The action adventure, with an estimated budget of $70 million, will start production in April.

In a new spin on the classic, the story follows a young commander who, after his king is killed in a palace coup, joins forces with Sinbad, Aladdin and his genie to rescue Scheherazade and her kingdom from dark powers.

'Through the use of a new generation of visual technologies, we will be able to quite literally take audiences around the world on a magic carpet ride,' Russell said."

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin host the '10 Oscars!

From ComingSoon.net:

"Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will serve as co-hosts of the 82nd Academy Awards®.

'I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin,' said Martin.

'I don't play the banjo but I'm thrilled to be hosting the Oscars – it's the opportunity of a lifetime,' said Baldwin.

Martin hosted the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards shows, earning an Emmy nomination for the first stint. He has also served as a presenter on the show several times, most recently at the ceremony in February when he appeared with Tina Fey. He is currently touring with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers in support of his latest album 'The Crow: New Songs for the Five String Banjo.' In 1977 and 1978 Martin won Grammys for Best Comedy Recording. He earned a third Grammy in 2001 in the Best Country Instrumental Performance category. In 2007 Martin earned a Kennedy Center Honor.

Baldwin was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for his supporting role in The Cooler. That year also marked his most recent appearance as a presenter on the show. Baldwin currently stars as Jack Donaghy on the [TV] comedy '30 Rock', a role for which he has won two Emmys (in 2008 and 2009). Baldwin earned a Tony nomination in 1992 for his performance in 'A Streetcar Named Desire.'

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide."

What they don't mention is that this is also a subconcious promotion of their upcoming romantic comedy It's Complicated... with Meryl Streep. Ew.

Jerry Bruckheimer on his upcoming projects with Disney!

From ComingSoon.net:

"The day ComingSoon.net first screened the trailer for Disney's upcoming action-adventure Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, we also chatted with powerhouse producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Jordan Mechner, the creator of the video game on which the movie is based. Bruckheimer not only talked to us at great length about his latest project, but enlightened us a little about Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and The Sorcerer's Apprentice as well.

Q: The one thing I didn't see in the trailer was the scene where he jumps across a ledge, grabs on and has to pull himself back up. Is that going to be in the movie?
Jordan Mechner: 'You didn't see that? Maybe we better show it a third time.' (laughs)
Jerry Bruckheimer: 'You'll have to see the movie.'

Q: Those of us who go back to the '89 original, that's what we remember. So how is that a starting point for the wonderful Parkour-esque moves we now see?
Mechner: 'I think what he says is exactly right. It was a starting point. I did the best I could on a side-scrolling Apple II to try to capture that kind of excitement, and running and jumping and really the first 10 minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981 was the immediate inspiration for the first 'Prince of Persia' game. But I think the movie, as you've seen, goes very far beyond that. There's Parkour, there's sword fighting. It's pretty extreme.'

Q: With a lot of the games adaptations of the past, one of the big digressions I think is they throw out everything about the game and retain a few aesthetic choices. It looks like with the Sands of Time, the acrobatic moves of the characters - it's like you've really incorporated a lot of the actual game-play styles from the game directly into what you've done narratively on film. Is that something that was important to you to maintain a lot of what is the character of Prince of Persia?
Mechner: 'Yeah, the movie's mostly based on 'The Sands of Time', which is the 2003 game that I did with Ubisoft Montrel. Rather than try to do a literal retelling of the game, what I pitched to Jerry and Disney in 2004 and I think what the movie very much is, it's characters and elements, some of the coolest elements from the game, sort of reconfigured into a story that makes a great movie. And that was what we set out to do in the beginning.'
Bruckheimer: 'And Jordan wrote the first two drafts of the script so he was heavily involved. The fact that he's here means he likes the movie (room laughs) so that always helps. You won't be reading him online saying 'Don't go see it.' It's good.'

Q: So if you've played through the game you're going to recognize a lot of the characters in the film?
Mechner: 'Yeah, although if you've played the game, you're not going to know what happens in the movie. It's a different story, but yet you'll recognize the characters, situations in a different form. I think it's very true to the spirit of the game.'

Q: The games have sort of evolved. You have the original, which I think was remade for Xbox Live, you've got 'Sands of Time', 'Warrior Within', this is the newest iteration of the game. In adapting this, was there any elements from any other iterations of Prince of Persia that you borrowed or thought would be useful and could include as a wink or nod to the fans?
Mechner: 'At the time I wrote the first draft of the script, those other games hadn't come out yet, so the screenplay is based on 'The Sands of Time', but as you probably see in the trailer, the production design took a lot of inspiration from later games as well. With Jake's costume, certainly.'

Q: As far as we've seen there aren't any creatures from 'Sands of Time' that I remember fighting. Did you specifically not want to have any creatures in the storyline and focus on just humans?
Mechner: 'That's a really good specific example of what we were talking about before. There are no sand monsters in the movie. For the game, turning everybody in the world except for the two main characters into sand monsters was really useful because it created an inexhaustible supply of enemies for you as a player to fight. But that's a story that's meant to be played with a controller in your hand. And a movie is an experience that's sort of a ride to go on shared by an audience, so we didn't want to make the movie about fighting monsters.'

Q: You said earlier that when you play the game, you're not going to know what happens in the movie, so where did you come up with the concept? I know it's based on the games, but where is the story going in the movie?
Mechner: 'I don't want to tell the story of the movie, you have to see the movie.'
Bruckheimer: 'It's more of a Biblical tale. It's about a street urchin who gets picked up by the king, made a prince - it's all family dynamics that happen. These two brothers who are not really his brothers, not by birth. That's the start of the drama. And an uncle who's jealous of all of them.'
Mechner: 'And this really cool dagger that can turn back time, which is this great power and also this great temptation--it's what the villain--you got that part.' (laughs)

Q: Judging from the trailer, they're sort of on a quest. They have to take this dagger back to a certain temple to get rid of it, I suppose?
Bruckheimer: 'It's sort of part of the story to safeguard the dagger from all the people trying to get their hands on it.'

Q: What had to be developed to do those visual effects with the sands of time and the sands collapsing in the temple?
Bruckheimer: 'What you do is you start with storyboards. First it starts from Jordan's mind and from our writers, we give it to our production designer, takes it to another step, give it to our artists and they start drawing things. From what we draw we create animatics, they're visual representations, probably how Jordan starts his games. And then we start embellishing, we start doing tests, embellishing things that we see and we like. We create layers, like the first time we did the actual pushing the dagger and the sand comes out, there was nothing going through his body. He'd just lift it above the scene and stayed there, started using the sand, electricity going through his body. So you keep layering it. When you see the movie in the theaters it will be more layers than what you see just now.'

Q: Can you talk about the casting of Jake and what you saw in him that made him right for this role?
Bruckheimer: 'I always thought he was... I still think he is a huge movie star. [He's one of those guys who can be a huge hero], romantic hero. He's handsome, he's a wonderful actor. I've always wanted to work with him. We got very lucky that he A) liked the material and B) was available to do it. There was no other choice.'

Q: Can you talk about some of the physical training that he had to go through?
Bruckheimer: 'A lot. I mean, he really worked hard. He worked for months and months before the movie started. He trained every single day. He rode bikes, he lifted weights, he had a very specific diet. He couldn't have any fats, and it was really a lot of protein, and all during filming, he was working in 120 degree heat. Jordan said he saw him, after a long day, around 7 at night taking a jog, running, so he kept it up through the whole movie. He had a trainer with him both here and in Morocco working with him to make sure he really kept his physical appearance the way he wanted it to be.'

Q: What do you have to do to modern day Morocco to make it look like ancient Persia?
Bruckheimer: 'It's just sand. (room laughs) There's plenty of it there. No, what we did was we had a fantastic production designer who created these amazing sets. We actually built a lot of what you saw. And the other thing we had... We added some set extensions to the top of the frame but a lot of things that you see in there are actually stuff that we built or took structures in Morocco and added our own construction to those actual old structures. We found a part of the city that was one of the most ancient parts of the city that we were able to use for this movie. The city allowed us to shoot there and the government allowed us work with the residents as far as being in the suits.'
Mechner: 'That was actually my first week on set. Seeing that, I literally couldn't tell where the real city ended and the set began. There were people walking through the streets. I couldn't tell if they were extras or if they were people who lived there.'
Bruckheimer: 'Yeah, because it's stopped in time. We were driving up, some of the sets were in the Atlas mountains. As you're going up there, there's no electricity. The women are the ones who do all the work. They carry these huge bundles of wood on their back. They carry stuff on their head. They carry the children. It's just unbelievable. It's like you're back in the sixth century.'

Q: What city?
Bruckheimer: 'We were in different ones. We were in Ouarzazate.'
Mechner: 'Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Erfoud. It's actually one of the things that was so cool for me and such a surprise really coming from the video game world where I was kind of used to various ways of trying to make this look real on the screen. To actually be in the desert where it's 125 degrees and there's real sandstorms. How many movies have you seen where there's a scene in the desert oasis and it's a set? This was a real desert oasis. And I think the fact that besides all the action and adventure story aspects of it, this is an epic movie that's shot on location on a scale that really hasn't been done. It's never been really seen on the screen looking this way ever so I think that really moves the whole production to another level. It's not what people expect from a video game movie.'

Q: How much Parkour training was there? Any experts come in?
Bruckheimer: 'We did. We brought in the key experts out of France with us. In the opening of the movie, there's a young man who portrays Jake as a young boy. He was a Parkour expert. He's 10-years-old and he's amazing. Absolutely amazing. They sent us online, Facebook things of these kids. This kid was extraordinary.'

Q: How much of what we saw was practical versus CGI?
Bruckheimer: 'When he's jumping across the rooftops, that's all real. A lot of the stuff that's falling on him is all CGI but all the roof stuff, all the rooftops is all real stuff.'

Q: And climbing the arrows?
Bruckheimer: 'That is a set.'

Q: But he's doing it.
Bruckheimer: 'Yes, he's doing it on the set.'

Q: What are the challenges thinking as a film versus thinking as a video game?
Mechner: 'I loved movies growing up as a kid before I loved games, in fact actually before games had been invented, video games had been invented. This is a game that was inspired by movies so I think really in writing the first draft of the screenplay, I just kind of set out to write a movie in that genre, the kind of movie that I love, that inspired me to create the game in the first place.'

Q: What makes this game translate well to screen?
Bruckheimer: 'I think it's the fact that it's so different than anything that's in the marketplace. You look at all the Spider-Man's and all the stuff that's coming out, Iron Man and all these Transformers. This is so unique, so fresh and different. We just loved the character that Jordan created. So it takes you back to old ancient periods. The movie when you see it, it's like an old-fashioned, romantic adventure film. That's really what it is. It's like a Lawrence of Arabia with this kind of supernatural element added to it. But it's really a wonderful biblical story about jealousy. It goes back to all the primal fears and conflicts through history, so it embellishes upon interesting things. We found, we tested the movie a few weeks ago. It tested extraordinarily high. It surprised me because I always think these things are going to fail but this one turned out great. The women, I was surprised, I thought we made a terrific movie for the boys , but the women flipped over this film. I've never had a score where the parents, and there is violence, it's PG-13, the parents rated the film 100% excellent or very good which never happens. So it's one of these movies that we know they'll take their children to go see it which is a huge advantage for a film if the parents think it's cool that the kids can see it.'

Q: Not even Pirates tested that high?
Bruckheimer: 'We were right up there with Pirates. In fact, the number was a little higher but it's not Pirates, but Pirates wasn't Pirates either when it tested. So you never know what you have. Testing can be very... you don't know. I've had films test, nobody showed up. We did a movie called Glory Road which had enormous tests. We couldn't get people to go see it. It's a terrific film but nobody showed up.'

Q: How often is the dagger actually used? Is it because Jake screws up or is trying to fix events going on around him?
Bruckheimer: 'Both. Both. It happens by accident initially and then he uses it to try to fix something that is going terribly bad. It turns back time.'
Mechner: 'You're not very familiar with how the dagger works? Basically, in the game, the dagger, if you make a mistake, if you're dying, if you're falling to your death, you can actually push the switch on the dagger's handle and it brings you back to the moment before you made the mistake. So you can actually use it to avoid mistakes and people around you aren't going to be aware that you did that.'

Q: Are there scenes like that in the movie?
Bruckheimer: 'If he has it. That's the key.'
Mechner: 'This gets to a difference between the game and the movie. In the game, the dagger has so many powers. You're using it all the time. If we'd done that in the movie, the hero would've been omnipotent and it wouldn't have been very interesting. So in the movie, there's a lot of constraints. You've got to be very careful about when you can use the dagger.'
Bruckheimer: 'It's very limited. It has a little bit of sand in it.'

Q: Was that Alfred Molina we saw a glimpse of?
Bruckheimer: 'It is.'

Q: So he's in everything now with you?
Bruckheimer: 'He's our go-to guy. He's fantastic.'

Q: You have The Sorcerer's Apprentice coming out this summer. How did you imagine a Fantasia short becoming a big summer blockbuster film?
Bruckheimer: 'We didn't, but somebody else did. Nic Cage and some other people decided it'd be kinda cool to do and came to us. We developed the screenplay with them and took this little moment in Fantasia and created an entire story.'

Q: How crazy is Nic going to be in The Sorcerer's Apprentice?
Bruckheimer: 'I think he's a wonderful mystical character in it. He's really a character. It's certainly Nic Cage you want to watch on screen. You're never quite sure what he's going to do or how he's going to react.'

Q: With the comments that Bob Iger recently made, it seems there is a paradigm shift. How do you move forward?
Bruckheimer: 'We take direction from whoever our financier is and in this case we have a deal with Disney. Disney decided a few years ago they wanted to make more family-orientated pictures and we made Pirates of the Caribbean, so we made National Treasure. We adjust to the people who are paying for this and what they want to make. We develop stories we feel will benefit them not only in a financial, but in a way that crosses all the different platforms. Pirates is a great example. It crosses many platforms. Michael Singer, who works with us, was at Disneyland over the weekend and he said there was an hour wait to get into the Pirates of the Caribbean. You can see how a movie can affect and change the ride itself and the characters. So it benefits everybody.'

Q: There's a worry about Johnny Depp's commitment to Pirates 4. Are you going to be able to make him comfortable with the new people at Disney?
Bruckheimer: 'I think that he was very close with Dick [Cook]. We loved him and part of our success is attributed to Dick which is fantastic, but things change. We've been through a ton of management here at Disney and have had many bosses through the years that I've been here. Somehow you adjust and the gentleman they brought in is very smart. As an executive he's had an enormous amount of success. He's been a very good partner to us, but that doesn't mean we won't work with Dick somewhere else down the line. Who knows. We'll just have to see what happens.'

Q: I read you're adapting another game, Shattered Union.
Bruckheimer: 'It's something we're developing which takes years. When did you sell this to us, '04?'
Mechner: ''04.'
Bruckheimer: 'So it took us five years to get this one going.'

Q: What's your attraction to the video game world?
Bruckheimer: 'It's fascinating. It's always the concept. Two reasons: Concept, characters, theme and pre-sold title. If you go online and read his blogs, people blog about Prince of Persia and its unbelievable the fan base that he has for his game. We had all gamer press before you came in and they're so excited to see this and skeptical to be quite honest. Skeptical we picked Jake and weren't sure if he was the right for the character, but when they saw this, they got very excited. They all applauded at the end of it and felt it was true to what Jordan had originally created. They go back to his first game and were asking me questions about a game he created in '89. They're talking about a game they played in '89 and asked if this character is in it so they're really into this.'

Q: You're a busy guy so do you stay on top of what's happening in video games?
Bruckheimer: 'This is my genesis here that keeps me current. That's how we do it. As I get older, I lean more and more on younger people to bring me stuff that I might not be aware of, but make me aware of it.'

Q: What's your take on making the Lone Ranger current for today's audience?
Bruckheimer: 'Elliot Rossi worked on that with a couple of other writers and Johnny [Depp] so they'll create something that has a kind of true to the western, but also other elements like we did with Pirates so it won't be just a straight ahead western.'

Q: We know Johnny Depp wants to play Tonto. Do you have any thoughts as to who the ranger would be?
Bruckheimer: 'Not yet. We're still creating a pretty wide net and figuring it out. It comes down to who is available when we want to make it. We have a wish list, but we were lucky on this one. Our wish list came through.'"

PRINCE OF PERSIA gets a trailer!

From ComingSoon.net:

"Walt Disney Pictures has revealed the trailer for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time! Directed by Mike Newell, the fantasy-action-adventure stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, Alfred Molina and Toby Kebbell.

In the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced video game adaptation, opening May 28, a rogue prince (Gyllenhaal) reluctantly joins forces with a mysterious princess (Arterton) and together, they race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time—a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world."

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2?

From ComingSoon.net:

"Viacom's Paramount Pictures is looking to make a sequel to Paranormal Activity, which cost less than $15,000 to make and has earned a massive $84.6 million in theaters.

CEO Philippe Dauman said Tuesday morning in Viacom's earnings call that the movie has been one of those surprise hits that comes along only rarely. Given that a follow-up release wouldn't have the same element of surprise as Paranormal, it will be key to craft a smart approach to a sequel, he said. 'Our team will come up with the right creative and marketing approach.'"

I don't have anything truly meaningful to say other than - #400!!

Shawn Levy meets THE BERENSTEIN BEARS?

From ComingSoon.net:

"USA Today reports that Shawn Levy, director of the Night at the Museum movies, has signed on to produce a feature film based on The Berenstain Bears books.

The comedy will feature a mix of live-action and computer animation. Walden Media, the company behind the Chronicles of Narnia films, has acquired the film rights. The popular books were written by by Jan and the late Stan Berenstain.

'I'd like the film to be un-ironic about its family connections but have a wry comedic sensibility that isn't oblivious to the fact that they're bears,' Levy said. 'The comedy comes from this bear family coexisting in a more recognizably real world.'

The earliest release date for the film would be late 2011."

I don't know. It sounds a bit like Enchanted, how something so can suddenly be thrust into the big, bad world. It could work, especially with someone like Shawn Levy overseeing the process.

Did you know that a young Michael Cera voiced Brother Bear in the 2003 cartoon series?

Owen Wilson is MARMADUKE

From ComingSoon.net:

"Owen Wilson has signed on to voice the rascally Great Dane Marmaduke, Fox's adaptation of the long-running comic strip.

The film follows a family named the Winslows who move from Kansas to Orange County with their dog Marmaduke, a slobbery pooch who creates chaos wherever he goes.

In adapting the strip created in 1954 by Brad Anderson and Phil Leeming, the script by Tim Rasmussen and Vince Di Meglio sees Marmaduke navigate a volatile Mutts vs. Pedigrees turf war, woo the purebred of his dreams and overcome a fall from grace.

Judy Greer, Lee Pace and William H. Macy play the humans, while Fergie, Emma Stone, George Lopez, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Steve Coogan, Damon Wayans, Marlon Wayans supply the voices.

Tom Dey is directing the family comedy for a June 4, 2010 release."

Looks like this movie should be renamed Marley is Me.