MOVIE NEWS
BATMAN BEGINS
Some photos are fast emerging from the new prequel movie, including some
probable fakes of The Scarecrow villain. But here's a genuine photo of
Christian Bale as Batman to please Batfans! (see right)
BATTLE ANGEL ALITA
Director James Cameron (Titanic) confirmed his next movie will be a
live-action adaptation of Japanese anime Battle Angel Alita. The movie will
be filmed in 3D, with the promise that many cinemas will soon begin
upgrading to "d-cinema" so that, by 2007, audiences will watch movies as
3-dimensional images using special glasses.
On the movie itself, Cameron elaborated that BAA takes place in the "26th
century, the story takes place 300 years after a societal collapse caused by
a major war, but in that society, it's a technological dark age following a
pinnacle of achievement far, far beyond where we are right now."
"So in a sense it's post-apocalyptic, but it's post-apocalyptic from a very
high level. So now, you've got cyborg technology as just a way of life.
People are augmented a lot as workers and so on, so being a cyborg is not
unusual."
"The main character is a cyborg. She has an organic human brain, and she
looks like she's about fourteen years old. She has a completely artificial
body and she's lost her memory- she's found in this wreckage and she's
reconstituted by this guy who is a cyber-surgeon who becomes her kind of
surrogate father.
"It's a father-daughter relationship story that just has the most insane
action that you can imagine. It will be PG-13 - lots of blood, but it's all
blue."
HERBIE - FULL LOADED
Another attempt to reinvent the Herbie franchise (did anyone actually see
the 90's movie with Bruce Campbell??), this time starring teen sensation
Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls).
DIE HARD 4
'Maxim' magazine, via 'Freeze Dried Movies', asked Bruce Willis about
whether or not a fourth Die Hard is still likely, and he said: "It's Die
Hard 4.0. They're working on the script right now. Doug Richardson, who
wrote Hostage is typing away furiously. It's a really interesting idea. And
it's the first one that Fox has liked, so we'll see. John McClane is
retired. I can tell you that."
GHOST RIDER
Writer-director Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil) told 'Superhero Hype!' that
he begins shooting another comic-book movie, Ghost Rider, in four weeks.
Nicolas Cage is set to play the titular Ghost Rider/Johnny Blaze, with a
budget of $51 million allocated to the movie. Johnson reveals that they have
abandoned David Goyer's screenplay and will use his own, which is said to be
closer to the comic and a supernatural western.
THE GRUDGE 2
The Grudge director Takashi Shimizu will return to direct the sequel.
HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
Then one-sheet poster for this year's movie adaptation of Douglas Adams'
sci-fi comedy has been released (see right).
In related news, Alan Rickman has been signed to voice Marvin The Paranoid
Android in the new movie based on Douglas Adams cult sci-fi comedy book.
Marvin is being acted by Warwick Davies - a veteran of "small" roles such as
Willow and Wicket in Return Of The Jedi.
THE LOVELY BONES
Peter Jackson and partner Fran Walsh have put up their own money to option
film rights to the Alice Sebold novel The Lovely Bones in an unusual
development plan that will exclude studio financing until the script is
finished, says 'Variety'.
Rights were acquired from FilmFour, the movie arm of British broadcaster
Channel 4, which will still serve as Jackson and Walsh's partner in
developing the project. The project will be next for Jackson after he
completes King Kong.
Jackson, Walsh and Philippa Boyens will begin next January adapting the book
as a spec script for a movie that likely won't be ready for release until
fall 2007.
The trade adds that Jackson's manager Ken Kamins and FilmFour won't
entertain distribution or financing possibilities until the script is done
and the movie is budgeted, a process that should be complete around May
2006.
The book's publisher describe the story thus: "When we first meet
14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. This was before milk
carton photos and public service announcements, she tells us; back in 1973,
when Susie mysteriously disappeared, people still believed these things
didn't happen."
"In the sweet, untroubled voice of a precocious teenage girl, Susie relates
the awful events of her death, and her own adjustment to the strange new
place she finds herself. (It looks a lot like her school playground, with
the good kind of swingset.)"
"With love, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie watches her family
as they cope with their grief--her father embarks on a search for the
killer, her sister undertakes a feat of amazing daring, her little brother
builds a fort in her honor--and begin the difficult process of healing."
Jackson himself has commented that: "[Heaven] is cleverly not described that
well in the book, because Alice wanted your imagination to do the work and
decide what Susie's heaven looks and feels like. We will have to show
something on film. It has to be somehow ethereal and emotional, but it can't
be hokey."
SUPERMAN
Director Brian Singer is apparently extremely close to casting Lois Lane and
Lex Luthor in his upcoming Superman sequel - with Kate Bosworth (Blue Crush)
likely to win the role of the intrepid reporter. (see right)
Kevin Spacey (The Usual Suspects) has been confirmed as the master criminal
Lex Luthor, while Britain's own Hugh Laurie will play a more youthful
incarnation of Daily Planet editor Perry White. Elsewhere, James Marsden
will re-team with his X-Men director to play Richard White, son of Perry and
boyfriend of Lois Lane...
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3
Ricky Gervais (TV's The Office) has been offered a role by the director of
Mission Impossible 3, J.J Abrams, in M:I-3. Abrams also gave Gervais a small
role in an episode of his TV series Alias last year.
Gervais: "I know the director well and he said 'do you want a part?' I just
replied 'Yeah, that will be great'. I greatly admire the director Jeffrey
Abrams and Tom Cruise is the greatest film star of our generation. It should
be fun."
SPIDER-MAN 3
Screenwriter Alvin Sargent, who script-doctored Spider-Man and gained a
writing credit for Spider-Man 2, will take complete control of Spider-Man 3.
Sargent is also expected to stay with the franchise and write Spider-Man 4.
The plot for Spider-Man 3 has apparently already been crafted by Sargent,
director Sam Raimi and his brother Ivan Raimi.
STAR WARS EPISODE II
A variety of images from Episode III have been leaked, with sites being
ordered to take them down by 'LucasFilm' due to their spoiler potential.
But, here are some general shots that won't ruin anything (see right and below-right).
TOY STORY 3
'Disney Feature Animation' has committed to make Toy Story 3, without
original creators 'Pixar' on boards, basing the next instalment on a script
by young writer Jared Stern.
Stern has developed a story idea for the third movie is expected to advance
the franchise by taking the characters on the road and out of Andy's room.
Stern is also understood to have invented a couple of new characters for the
next instalment.
TRIPODS - THE TRILOGY
Director Gregor Jordan (Buffalo Soldiers) is in talks to helm the Hollywood
version of the classic children's books, adapted into a hit BBC series in
the 80's.
V FOR VENDETTA
Natalie Portman (Star Wars) is in final negotiations to star in the big
screen adaptation of Alan Moore's acclaimed graphic novel V For Vendetta.
'Variety' reports that the film will be produced by The Wachowski Brothers
(The Matrix) and directed by their Matrix first-assistant director James
McTeigue.
** IN THE PIPELINE **