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CinemaCon: Sony Previews First Skyfall Teaser Trailer

by SuperHeroHype

April 25, 2012

Tonight was Sony Pictures' chance to shine at CinemaCon with an impressive 45-minute sizzle reel of their upcoming 2012 line-up with the high point being the first time anyone had a chance to see any footage from the upcoming James Bond movie Skyfall, in this case the very first teaser trailer. Before we got to watch it, Sony's President of Worldwide Distribution Rory Bruer talked about Sony's slate for 2013 and beyond and confirmed that James Bond would indeed be back in 2014 with the 24th movie in the franchise and the follow-up to Skyfall.

So what can we say about the Skyfall teaser trailer? Well, it was a lot of quick-cut images that were hard to dissect on a single viewing, but this is what we can say about it.

It begins with an interrogation scene, possibly a psych evaluation of Bond as someone is doing a word association game with the agent. At first we hear it as narration over a couple of establishing shots of London, starting with "Country" to which Bond responds "England." "Gun" is next, with the response being "Shot," followed by "agent" and "provocateur," and "murder" to which Bond replies "employment." By then, we're into the interrogation room and there are three people behind the glass looking on with Dame Judi Dench's M and Ralph Fiennes' Mallory being the most prominent, though we're not sure who the third person was. (In hindsight, either that third person or the interrogator may have been Albert Finney's character, but we're not sure.) When the interrogator says "Skyfall," Bond doesn't respond so he says "Skyfall" again and Bond says "Done" and gets up to leave.

From there, we got a lot of quick shots of a lot of different images, many of Bond running or falling, either into water or from some height. We see him on a barge in front of the Macao casino with the giant dragons in the background, which we saw on set a few weeks back, and he's running through cars in London, presumably part of his chase after Silva. We also saw the briefest shot of the subway car crash that ends that chase.

There was absolutely no sign of Javier Bardem's character anywhere in the teaser, unless he went by too fast for us to notice and probably only one shot each of Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe (and we're not 100% of the second one).

It ends with Bond saying "Some men are coming to kill us. We've got to kill them first."

And that's about all we could get on one viewing, but it definitely got us very excited to see it a second or third time. Since we're guessing the teaser trailer will be on Avengers next week (just like every other movie), maybe it will be online sometime soon and you can watch it for yourself.

Skyfall opens November 9. Look for our write-up on the rest of what we saw during the Sony presentation later tonight.

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47 Ronin Moves to 2013

Source: ComingSoon

April 25, 2012

Universal Pictures has pushed back the release of their upcoming Carl Rinsch action film 47 Ronin from November 21st of this year to February 8th of 2013.

Starring Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kou Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano and Rinko Kikuchi, 47 Ronin is based on one of ancient Japan's most enduring tales and stars Reeves as Kai, an outcast who joins Oishi (Sanada), the leader of the 47 Ronin. Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. To restore honor to their homeland, the warriors embark upon a quest that challenges them with a series of trials that would destroy ordinary warriors.

The new release date has 47 Ronin opening opposite Lasse Hallström's Safe Haven and Steven Soderbergh's The Bitter Bill. The 20th Century Fox franchise sequel A Good Day to Die Hard opens a week later.

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Andrea Riseborough Gets Hidden

Source: ComingSoon

April 25, 2012

Andrea Riseborough is set to star opposite Alexander Skarsgard in Warner Bros.' upcoming thriller, Hidden, says a story at The Hollywood Reporter.

The project, from writer/directors Matt and Ross Duffer, landed on the 2011 "Black List" of unproduced screenplays and was, at the time, officially described as being, "An elevated horror-thriller about a family hiding in a bomb shelter after escaping a mysterious outbreak."

Riseborough, best known for films like Happy-Go-Lucky and Never Let Me Go, will play Skarsgard's character's wife. She'll also soon appear on the big screen opposite Tom Cruise in Joseph Kosinski's Oblivion.

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Chris Pine and Benedict Cumberbatch Weigh in on Star Trek 2

Source: ComingSoon

April 25, 2012

With production nearing an end on J.J. Abrams' much-anticipated (and still officially untitled) Star Trek sequel, returning star Chris Pine and newcomer villain Benedict Cumberbatch spoke with Access Hollywood and Zap2It, respectively, about the May 17th release (via TrekWeb).

"Of course I'm gonna tell you I think it's gonna be better," Pine laughs, "You pick up the characters from where they left off, and the development of the characters, I think, is just as exciting as the first one... And it's relentless. I think that's the best adjective I can use."

As far as Cumberbatch's role, the "Sherlock" star only teased the faintest of details.

"I've gone up two suit sizes," he says, "The character I'm playing, he's strong. I can say that much. I've changed my physique a bit, so that requires eating like a foie gras goose, well beyond your appetite, And, providing I don't feel too ill, I then work out two hours a day with a phenomenal trainer. It's the L.A. way."

Also starring John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Alice Eve and Peter Weller, Star Trek 2 (or XII, depending on how you're counting), is planning a 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D release.

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DreamWorks President Adam Goodman Talks Top Gun 2 and Transformers 4

Source: ComingSoon

April 25, 2012

One of the key figures behind quite a few exciting upcoming projects, DreamWorks President of Production Adam Goodman spoke today with The Hollywood Reporter, offering updates on Transformers 4, Top Gun 2, Noah and the next Jack Ryan film.

"The story is going in a different direction now," responded Goodman when asked about Shia LaBeouf's involvement in the fourth installment. "Ehren Kruger is writing it for us, and we're starting to engage, but I can't say anything more."

Goodman goes on to say that Top Gun 2 hopes to move forward soon with Tom Cruise, Jerry Bruckheimer and Tony Scott all returning to their respective roles as leading man, producer and director. The same is true of the still-untitled Jack Ryan film. The script is now complete and the hope is to shoot soon for a 2013 release.

Noah, meanwhile, has added both the previously-rumored Jennifer Connelly and Saoirse Ronan to its cast.

"It will be a big, robust production and will have tremendous scale," Goodman says. "It's the perfect combination of casting and a remarkable adventure. This isn't what you think of when you think of Darren, but it will be very true to him as a filmmaker. It will be PG-13 and will likely cost around $125 million."

Noah is slated for release on March 28, 2013 and Transformers 4 is set for June 27, 2014.

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From IGN:

Judge Dredd Gets His R

Karl Urban's version of the character gets bloody.

April 25, 2012

The Judge Dredd reboot, simply called Dredd, now has a rating. And it should make fans of the old 2000 AD character happy.

Yes, guys, Karl Urban's take on Dredd will be rated R, for "strong bloody violence, language, drug use and some sexual content."

Of course, the 1995 Sly Stallone version of Dredd was also rated R, and we know how that worked out...

Via Box Office Mojo and Arrow in the Head.

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From IGN:

No Black Widow in Iron Man 3

Scarlett Johansson says she won't be back for Tony Stark's next.

April 25, 2012

With The Avengers domestic release just around the corner, we've been getting a lot of buzz surrounding Marvel's future superhero projects, especially the studio's next, Iron Man 3.

In a recent Avengers press event with Screen Rant, actress Scarlett Johansson revealed that she will not be making an appearance as Black Widow in Tony Stark's next solo adventure. Unfortunately, if you were looking forward to more tight leather spandex topped with untamed, fiery curls, you'll have to wait a little bit longer.

ScarJo did, however, pitch the idea of a Jason Bourne-esque movie featuring Black Widow -- so, you know... I'll leave that one to your respective imaginations.

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From IGN:

Rodriguez Lining Up Fire and Ice

Director still plans to pay tribute to the work of Frank Frazetta.

April 24, 2012

Director Robert Rodriguez has kept a steady stream of buzz going this week with ongoing news of his upcoming projects. And while we've been getting hints of the filmmaker's Sin City 2 and Machete Kills, Rodriguez has also been talking up yet a third movie in development at Troublemaker Studios: Fire and Ice.

"That's in the works to go right into after Sin City, Frank Frazetta's Fire and Ice," Rodriguez told The Hollywood Reporter. "We're almost done with the script, we've got it pretty much 70 percent there -- I'm really excited about that one... I think the timing is going to work out just right and we'll have a finished script in the next month or so."

Based on the iconic work of artist Frazetta, Fire and Ice is said to be an animated remake of the original 1983 film. Said Rodriguez, "The whole idea is to make it using the technology I used for Sin City, because I want it to be as if you stepped into one of his paintings."

Current plans are to head into development as soon as the director wraps on Sin City: A Dame To Kill For.

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From IGN:

The Hobbit ... Didn't Look So Good

Warners screens 10 minutes at their CinemaCon panel.

April 24, 2012

Warner Bros. screened roughly 10 minutes of footage from The Hobbit today at their CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas. The footage was projected in 3D at 48 frames per second for theater owners and press attending the conference.

A taped intro from director Peter Jackson preceded the footage. There is no honest discussion that can be had about this Hobbit footage without emphasizing the 48fps presentation. The film was shot this way and will be digitally projected this way, as well as presented in 3D. So what does 48fps movie footage look like as opposed to your usual 24fps theatrical movie experience? In this reporter's opinion, it looks like live television or hi-def video. And it didn't look particularly good. Yes, this is shocking, but I was actually let down by the Hobbit footage, as were a number of the other journalists that I spoke with afterward.

It looked like an old Doctor Who episode, or a videotaped BBC TV production. It was as shocking as when The Twilight Zone made the boneheaded decision to switch from film to tape one season, and where perfectly good stories were ruined by that aesthetic. Here, there were incredibly sharp, realistic images where colors seem more vivid and brighter than on film, but the darker scenes were especially murky (and the 3D only dims that image even more). Frankly, it was jarring to see Gandalf, Bilbo or the dwarves in action against CG-created characters or even to move quickly down a rocky passage. The whipping of a camera pan or the blur of movement was unsettling.

While 48fps may create a more realistic, "you are there" picture quality, it actually works against The Hobbit from the 10 minutes of footage we saw. This undeniable "reality" kept pulling me out of the movie rather than immersing me fully into its world as the Lord of the Rings films did; the very fantasy element, the artifice of it all (whether it's the wigs, fake beards or CG monsters) was plainly, at times painfully, evident. There was none of the painterly gentleness that film offers a fantasy film, as was so beautifully the case with the original (shot on film) LOTR trilogy. I fully expect the 48fps issue to become the much-talked about "mumbling Bane" flap to come out of CinemaCon.

The best sequence shown was one between Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and Gollum (once again played by Andy Serkis). The latter is his old, split personality self as he debates between killing Bilbo or helping him out. Bilbo finally agrees to play a game of riddles with Gollum. If he wins, Gollum will show Bilbo the way to Bilbo's destination. If Gollum wins? Well, it makes you wonder if Hobbit tastes like chicken. One reason why the 48fps wasn't as distracting here was that it was an extended sequence, the longest by far of the clips shown from An Unexpected Journey today. The CG-ness of Gollum was more evident in this digital format than it was on film back in the LOTR trilogy, but you'd be hard-pressed not to feel goosebumps seeing Serkis back in deceitful action as Gollum.

Also back in action in the footage screened today? Orlando Bloom's archer Legolas and Elijah Wood's Frodo Baggins, although we only got a few glimpses of those two characters. There were also scenes shown between Gandalf the Grey and Radagast the Brown, as well as an action-oriented one seeing Bilbo imperiled by three giant troll-like monsters before Thorin Oakenshield and the dwarves come to his rescue. There were some moments of Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo, life in the Shire, and the heroes' journeys across the snow-capped mountaintops of New Zealand, er, Middle-earth. Jackson stressed in his intro that the footage was unfinished, and this was evident in many of the green screen backdrop scenes we saw, such as the Rivendell one between Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel.

I didn't go into CinemaCon expecting to write anything less than great things about The Hobbit, but the very aesthetic chosen by Peter Jackson has made me very nervous about this film. It just looked ... cheap, like a videotaped or live TV version of Lord of the Rings and not the epic return to Tolkien that we have all so long been waiting for. I still have hope for The Hobbit, but I'd be lying if I didn't say my expectations for the film have now been greatly diminished.

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Mike
(77 Days Until SDCC 2012!)

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Avengers Pre-Sale Bigger Than All Previous Marvel Movies Combined!

by SuperHeroHype

April 26, 2012

MovieTickets.com sent us the following stats about their pre-sale for Marvel's The Avengers:

Just over a week until the release of MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, MovieTickets.com, the leading global provider of remote movie ticketing, is already showing tremendous domestic pre-sales of the highly anticipated film.
MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS is pre-selling more tickets for the upcoming release than the online ticketing company sold for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, THOR, IRON MAN 2, and IRON MAN combined at the same point in the sales cycle for each film.  In fact, pre-sales of MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS is over one and a half times that of these past Marvel films combined sales at the same point in the sales cycle.
MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS is selling 3,995% more tickets than CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER at the same point in the sales cycle.
MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS is selling 1,034% more tickets than THOR at the same point in the sales cycle.
MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS is selling 114% more tickets than IRON MAN 2 at the same point in the sales cycle.
MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS is selling 1,406% more tickets than IRON MAN at the same point in the sales cycle.
56% of pre-sales for MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS are from fans wanting to see the film in 3D.
Nearly 37% of pre-sales for MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS are from moviegoers buying tickets to see the film in IMAX 3D.
 
Also, enjoy this new photo from the film...

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The Wolverine to Shoot in Japan

by SuperHeroHype

April 26, 2012

It's been known for some time that the plot for the upcoming 20th Century Fox Century sequel The Wolverine will take Hugh Jackman's Logan to Japan. What has been uncertain, however, is whether any of the production would actually happen there. Today, Fox CEO Tom Rothman tells MTV News that, in fact, it will.

"We're doing the stage work in Australia," he explains of the recent announcement that will take the production work down under. " ...the location work will be in Japan."

At last year's CinemaCon, Jackman told ComingSoon.net that it was "too early to call" on Japan-based shooting due to the nation's catastrophic tsunami. Thankfully, it appears that the delay in shooting has made that possible.

"It's set in Japan," continues Rothman. "A great number of Japanese actors will be in it and it's based on the very famous run of the comics... I can just tell you on behalf of [Jackman], his goal is to make the ultimate, bad ass, berserker rage Wolverine."

Almost certainly referring to Frank Miller and Chris Claremont's 1982 "Wolverine" miniseries, Rothman goes on to say that it has not yet been decided whether or not the film with shoot in 3D.

To be directed by James Mangold with a script by Christopher McQuarrie and Mark Bomback, The Wolverine is set for release on July 26, 2013.

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Dimension Films Takes Dark Skies

Source: ComingSoon

April 26, 2012

Dimension Films announced today that they have acquired U.S. distribution rights to the supernatural thriller Dark Skies, written and directed by Scott Stewart (Priest, Legion).

Jason Blum will produce through his Blumhouse Productions (Insidious, Paranormal Activity) alongside Alliance Films who will fully finance the picture. Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Alliance Films' Charles Layton will executive produce. Alliance Films will distribute in Canada, in the UK (via its Momentum Pictures subsidiary) and in Spain (via Aurum).

"Jason has done a masterful job over the past several years of breaking new ground and creating huge commercial successes in the supernatural and horror genres," said Bob Weinstein, co-chairman of The Weinstein Company. "We are confident that 'Dark Skies' will continue that success."

The film is scheduled to go into production this summer with the logline currently being kept under wraps.

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CinemaCon: Rise of the Planet of the Apes Sequel a Go

Source: ComingSoon

April 26, 2012

While we're working on our write-up of the recently-completed 20th Century Fox presentation at CinameCon--including first footage from diverse movies such as the R-rated comedy Neighborhood Watch, the (presumably) PG comedy Parental Guidance, the upcoming action sequel Taken 2, and Ang Lee's epic Life of Pi (you can read that here)--Fox Co-Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Fox Filmed Entertainment Tom Rothman dropped a hint that we may be seeing a sequel to last year's hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes very soon.

The sequel was mentioned as part of a list of movies Fox plans to start production on by summer's end, which included The Wolverine, Steven Spielberg's Robopocalypse and Shawn Levy's comedy The Internship, starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.

Since the first two of those are already set for summer 2013 release dates, is there a chance that 20th Century Fox might be pushing for a Rise of the Planet of the Apes sequel to be a third? Or maybe they'll save that one for the fall or holiday slate, which is still fairly open.

As far as we know, they still haven't confirmed that director Rupert Wyatt would be returning and we assumed that Andy Serkis may be busy doing second unit on Peter Jackson's two-part The Hobbit, although he has already signed for the sequel, so could they both make time this fall to start shooting this sequel?

These are questions we'll hopefully have answers to very soon.

Look for the rest of our write-up on the Fox presentation later today.

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Universal Plans Sci-Fi Project Prosthesis

Source: ComingSoon

April 26, 2012

Universal has set up a new sci-fi project titled Prosethesis, Variety reports. Details are few at this stage, but Scott Gimple, best known for producing and writing AMC's "The Walking Dead", is attached to draft a screenplay.

Commercials director Arvind Palep will direct the film and has already prepared a 10-minute footage presentation that was designed to help sell the concept for the film's science fiction world.

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