MAGIC KINGDOM to come to life?

From ComingSoon.net:

"While Variety says the project is a low priority for the studio, Disney is planning on giving its theme park attractions the Justice League/Avengers treatment with Magic Kingdom, which would be the setting of a family adventure.


Ronald Moore ('Battlestar Galactica') already wrote a script based on his own pitch for the project that Marc Abraham and Eric Newman will produce through their Universal-based Strike Entertainment. The initial plot took place inside Disneyland, says the trade.

The studio is looking to develop the project further with a new writer, who has not been hired yet.

The movie would feature well-known Disney-owned icons such as Mickey Mouse and friends, princesses, attractions from the parks, and more.

Separately from Magic Kingdom, Disney is filming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth film in the franchise, The Haunted Mansion with Guillermo del Toro, Tomorrowland [(with Dwayne Johnson supposedly in the lead role)] and Jungle Cruise.

On the princess side, the studio is working on live-action pics Snow and the Seven, Maleficent [(with Angelina Jolie supposedly as Maleficent herself)], and Cinderella."

Maybe Disney's Night at the Museum?

Robert Zemeckis' TIMELESS return to live-action

From ComingSoon.net:

"Robert Zemeckis will be returning to live-action films with a sci-fi tentpole called Timeless.

Details are scarce, but Timeless is said to have come from a time travel pitch at Warner Bros. and is confirmed to be the director's first live-action project since 2000's Cast Away. Beginning with 2004's The Polar Express, Zemeckis has worked exclusively with performance capture animation on films like I and the upcoming Yellow Submarine.

A frequent subject in Zemeckis' films, time travel is most famously associated with the Back to the Future trilogy, but also plays a storytelling role in his most recent film, A Christmas Carol. Stylistic elements of time travel (particularly an examination of characters from two distinctive eras) are visible in nearly all of the director's works, particularly Forrest Gump."

STAR WARS will finally be released in 3D!

From ComingSoon.net:

"Lucasfilm Ltd. announced today that the live-action Star Wars saga will be converted to 3D.

'There are few movies that lend themselves more perfectly to 3D; from the Death Star trench run to the Tatooine Podrace, the Star Wars Saga has always delivered an entertainment experience that is completely immersive," said the statement.

Presented by Twentieth Century Fox and Lucasfilm Ltd., the 'cutting edge conversion' will be supervised by Industrial Light & Magic.


Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is expected to be released theatrically in 2012. A release date has not yet been determined.

'Getting good results on a stereo conversion is a matter of taking the time and getting it right,' said John Knoll, Visual Effects Supervisor for Industrial Light & Magic. 'It takes a critical and artistic eye along with an incredible attention to detail to be successful. It is not something that you can rush if you want to expect good results. For Star Wars we will take our time, applying everything we know both aesthetically and technically to bring audiences a fantastic new Star Wars experience.'"

YAHOO!!!!

Mark Ruffalo REALLY is the Hulk!

From ComingSoon.net:

"We all know that Mark Ruffalo landed the part of Bruce Banner/The Hulk in Marvel Studios' upcoming The Avengers. What we didn't know is that he'll actually do the motion capture for the Green Goliath!

He told Vulture: 'I'm really excited. No one's ever played the Hulk exactly, they've always done CGI... They're going to do the Avatar stop-action, stop-motion capture. So I'll actually play the Hulk. That'll be fun.'

Ruffalo added that he's going more for Bill Bixby's Banner: 'I really love the first TV version of it, the Bill Bixby one... I'm gonna shoot for that a little bit. He was an everyman in it. He's always on the run and trying to find love. It's really a sympathetic character, before he turns into the Hulk and [messes] everything up.'

The Avengers is scheduled for a May 4, 2012 release."

Face it, Tiger... Emma's hit the jackpot?

From Slashfilm:

"Sony has been remarkably good so far about keeping details of the upcoming Spider-Man reboot totally quiet. We know that Andrew Garfield is set as Peter Parker. (After seeing him in The Social Network, you’ll probably really understand why.) But that’s just about all we know. Who is the villain? What character will be the female lead and who will play her? Open questions right now.

But the latest report says there will be two female leads, and that Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, Jane Eyre) and Emma Stone (Zombieland, Easy A) have been working with Sony, Garfield and director Mark Webb in readings and tests.

EW reports that the two actresses are now in the mix, and supposes that means the roles are classic romantic interests Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy. The immediate conclusion to draw is that Emma Stone would be Mary Jane and Mia Wasikowska Gwen Stacy.

To which I say: yes. Do it. After Easy A, I wouldn’t doubt Stone’s fitness for the role for even a second. And she’d be great opposite Garfield. Wasikowska is equally appropriate for Gwen Stacy.

Questions: are those really the roles? (How could they not be?) Who else is testing? (A great many actresses, one would guess.) And do Stone and Wasikowska want the gigs? As for who else is testing, previous shortlist reports included Imogen Poots [(Me and Orson Welles)], Ophelia Lovibond [(Nowhere Boy)], Lily Collins [(The Blind Side)], Teresa Palmer [(The Sorcerer's Apprentice)], Emma Roberts ([Scream 4)] and Mary Elizabeth Winstead [(Scott Pilgrim vs. the World )].

The second and third questions are key. EW says Sony declined to comment and won’t reveal who else is testing, nor how the priority shortlist is arranged. The site does say that Wasikowska is said to be ambivalent about the job. We’ve been led to understand that this won’t be a particularly high-paying job, and it would likely require an open multi-picture contract. (Wasikowska may well already have one of those with Disney for another Alice movie.)

Spider-Man should shoot by the end of this year, so expect real decisions to be made soon."

OK. Here we go.

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please let Emma Stone play Mary Jane Watson. It would be brilliant for her to do this role. Just imagine her saying the famous line, "Face it, Tiger. You just hit the jackpot." A line that Kirsten Dunst NEVER said in any of the Spider-Man films.

And Mia Wasikowska as Gwen Stacy is genius, IF she can pick up a flawless American accent. If so, fantastic.

How in the world could Disney be making ANOTHER Alice in Wonderland movie? It makes no sense, unless they plan on pulling more from "Through the Looking Glass".

Cast Announced for FRANKENWEENIE

From ComingSoon.net:

"Winona Ryder, Martin Landau, Martin Short and Catherine O'Hara have been cast to do vocal work on Frankenweenie.

The project is a stop-motion, feature-length adaptation of the live-action short film Burton directed in 1984. Short and O'Hara, who have appeared in Mars Attacks! and Beetlejuice, respectively, will voice five characters each. Ryder (Edward Scissorhands) will voice the character Elsa, while Landau (Ed Wood) will play Mr. Rzykruski. Martin Short (Mars Attacks!) and Catherine O'Hara (Beetle Juice and A Nightmare Before Christmas) take on the voices of five characters each. Short plays Bob, Nassor, Toshiaki, Victor's Dad and Mr. Bergermeister. O'Hara voices Edgar, Weird Girl, Victor's Mom, and Gym Teacher.

John August (Big Fish) penned the script and the film is on track for a March 9, 2012 release."

Cast Announced for SUPER 8

From ComingSoon.net:

"Paramount Pictures announced today that it has commenced principal photography on Super 8, directed by J.J. Abrams (Star Trek), from a screenplay by Abrams, based on his original idea.

Steven Spielberg, Abrams and Bryan Burk are producing the Amblin Entertainment/Bad Robot Production. Paramount Pictures will release the film summer 2011.

Starring Emmy-nominated Kyle Chandler ('Friday Night Lights') and Elle Fanning (Somewhere, winner of the 2010 Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion Award), the cast includes veteran actors Ron Eldard [(Black Hawk Down)] and Noah Emmerich [Cellular, The Truman Show], newcomers Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills [(Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium], and Gabriel Basso ('The Big C')."

UPDATE:

From ComingSoon.net:

"AJ Michalka, actress and one-half of the duo 78violet, announced today that she has been cast in J.J. Abrams' Super 8.

Michalka, who recently had a role in The Lovely Bones and stars in the upcoming Secretariat, will be joining a cast that includes Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills and Gabriel Basso.

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the [sci-fi] thriller is now shooting for a Summer 2011 release."

Her sister, Aly Michalka, just starred in the hit comedy film Easy A.

FAST FIVE burns up IMAX

From ComingSoon.net:

"IMAX Corporation announced today that Universal Pictures' Fast Five will be released to digital IMAX theatres simultaneously with the action-thriller's wide release on June 10, 2011. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead a reunion of all-stars from every chapter of the Fast and Furious franchise, along with some new cast including Dwayne Johnson, in the film directed by Justin Lin.

Universal's partnership with IMAX on Fast Five marks the studio's return to the IMAX fold. The Academy Award-winning Apollo 13, in 2002 was the first Universal film to utilize the IMAX DMR technology.

'Fast Five' is a perfect film for IMAX,' said Universal Pictures Chairman Adam Fogelson. 'The film's incredible action sequences combined with IMAX's unmatched quality that allows the action to jump off the screen will provide filmgoers with an optimal theatrical experience.'

In Fast Five, former cop Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) partners with ex-con Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) on the opposite side of the law. Dwayne Johnson joins returning favorites Jordana Brewster, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Matt Schulze, Tego Calderon and Don Omar for this ultimate high-stakes race.

Since Brian and Mia Toretto (Brewster) broke Dom out of custody, they've blown across many borders to elude authorities. Now backed into a corner in Rio de Janeiro, they must pull one last job in order to gain their freedom. As they assemble their elite team of top racers, the unlikely allies know their only shot of getting out for good means confronting the corrupt businessman who wants them dead. But he's not the only one on their tail.

Hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) never misses his target. When he is assigned to track down Dom and Brian, he and his strike team launch an all-out assault to capture them. But as his men tear through Brazil, Hobbs learns he can't separate the good guys from the bad. Now, he must rely on his instincts to corner his prey...before someone else runs them down first."

Shawn Levy suits up for DEADLIEST WARRIOR

From ComingSoon.net:

"Shawn Levy and Dan Levine are looking to bring the Spike TV television series 'Deadliest Warrior' to the big screen, Paramount announced today in a press release, excerpted below:

'Deadliest Warrior' pits history's greatest warriors against one another to determine who reigns supreme. Along with the use of 21st century science and the latest in CGI technology, the series enlists world-class fighters, historians and weapons experts to provide insight into the unique history and style of these combatants which culminates in a head-to-head final fight between two warriors to declare which one would have been the deadliest. The first two seasons showed such memorable battles as Spartan vs. Ninja, Viking vs. Samurai, Pirate vs. Knight, Yakuza vs. Mafia and Comanche vs. Mongol. 



The film's storyline is being kept under wraps.

Levy is currently working Real Steel for a late 2011 release. There is the suggestion that Deadliest Warrior may become his next directing project, but it is unconfirmed at this time."

Wow. This would be a real turn for him. I thought he said he wanted to do comedies again.

THE TOURIST boards a trailer

From ComingSoon.net:

"Columbia Pictures has revealed the trailer for director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's thriller The Tourist, starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Timothy Dalton and Steven Berkoff.

Opening in theaters on December 10, 2010, the film revolves around Frank (Depp), an American tourist visiting Italy to mend a broken heart. Elise (Jolie) is an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Venice, Frank pursues a potential romance but soon finds himself the pursued as he and Elise are caught in a whirlwind of intrigue and danger."



It's sort of in tone with Knight and Day. It's funny and action-packed. I've read that Depp does a sort of "Jimmy Stewart in a Hitchcock film" performance. It sounds fantastic. That's gonna be an interesting war between The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Tourist, because Treader's in 3D and a third film in a popular franchise. Tourist does however have more star power and will certainly bring in fans of both Depp and Jolie.

From RED to R.I.P.D.

From ComingSoon.net:

"Universal Pictures has hired Red helmer Robert Schwentke to direct the supernatural action film R.I.P.D. (short for "Rest In Peace Department"), based on Peter Lenkov's Dark Horse comic about a police department of the dead.

Ryan Reynolds signed last spring to star in the film, centered on two officers -- one recently dead and one who's been dead for hundreds of years.

Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi are writing the screenplay.

Mike Richardson, founder and President of Dark Horse, and Lawrence Gordon will produce for Dark Horse Entertainment. Neal Moritz is producing through his Original Film."

Sounds great! Can't wait to see it, especially if Red is as good as it looks.

Liam Neeson boards BATTLESHIP

"Liam Neeson has joined the cast of Universal's Battleship, the Hasbro board game adaptation directed by Peter Berg.


The film also stars Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna and Hamish Linklater

Neeson will play the Admiral Shane character alongside Kitsch, who portrays a Naval officer and Shane's future son-in-law. Decker is playing Shane's daughter. Skarsgard will play the brother to Kitsch's character.

Battleship will unfold as a massive Naval adventure across the seas, in the skies and over land as our planet fights for survival against a superior force.

Universal Pictures is scheduled to release the movie on May 18, 2012."

Maybe Liam Neeson will make this movie better, who knows? Though his last two films (The A-Team and Clash of the Titans) haven't done well.

We're BACK... as a Video Game!

From ComingSoon.net:

"Telltale Games announced today that Christopher Lloyd is returning to voice Doc Brown for the Back to the Future game series. The films' co-creator and writer Bob Gale is consulting as well. You can also see the first image below the announcement:

'At 88 miles per hour, Back to the Future took millions of spellbound viewers on a high-flying voyage across the space-time continuum in a trio of wildly inventive tales that broke box-office records around the world. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Academy Award®-winning cinematic franchise that generated nearly $1 billion worldwide, Telltale Games will release a new game series this winter as part of the milestone soon after the Blu-ray debut and DVD release of the Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Trilogy on October 26, featuring all-new restorations of the classic films.

Telltale today announced that the highly anticipated Back to the Future games will feature the likenesses of the original stars that made the characters of Marty McFly and Doc Brown legendary: Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. Lloyd is voicing Doc Brown for the full game series, which Telltale will deliver in five monthly episodes. The first images showing the game depictions of Marty and Doc are now available at: www.backtothefuturegame.com. The game series is developed through a licensing agreement with Universal Partnerships & Licensing.


'Creating cinematic adventures true to the source is a top mission for Telltale,' says Telltale CEO Dan Connors. 'Securing Marty and Doc for the games, and presenting the experience that fans know and love, has been top on our list since we initiated development.'

Co-creator and writer Bob Gale’s involvement further strengthens the links to the original series. Gale is consulting with Telltale on the characterizations and storyline for the game, ensuring it will be true to the spirit and adventure of the films.

Gale elaborates: 'Twenty-five years ago when I wrote Doc Brown’s line about ‘seeing the future,’ little did I realize that I would be traveling with him to work on this game. Collaborating with Telltale is an amazing opportunity to continue the adventures of Doc and Marty.'

FANTASTIC!!! I am a huge Back to the Future fan!!! Now if only they can get Michael J. Fox to come back. If they can't get either Thomas F. Wilson or Mary Steenburgen but they can get Michael J. Fox, it will still be a great game for me!