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Rumours emerged yesterday that Colin and Greg Strause were close to signing a deal to direct the upcoming "Alien Vs. Predator 2" film and for once, the rumours were right. Today via their official site, the news has been confirmed that the deal has been completed and they will indeed be helming the upcoming picture.
The Strauses also have created a name for themselves in the world of commercials and music videos because of their distinctive brand of helming such as with the Will Smith video "Black Suits Comin'". They also run the award-winning special effects house Hydraulx, which has provided several of the most memorable visual shots from Fox hits like "X-Men: The Last Stand," "Fantastic Four" and "The Day After Tomorrow."
According to The Alien Experience the storyline of the second film will again pit the two franchise creatures against one another, but this time be moved into a more contemporary setting which many fans have taken to be a city. For their part, the Strauss boys at least have the right idea for tone - "We really want to take it back to the original 'Alien' and 'Predator' films and make a serious, gritty horror film. We want to take it back to its roots, without losing sight of the human struggle," added Greg Strause. "That's what made the originals so good" they told the trades.
It's not expected any of the cast from the previous film will return. An August 2007 release is being targeted.
Imagi Animation Studios, in association with Tatsunoko Production of Japan, will produce a new CG-animated feature-length motion picture for theatrical release based on the long-running anime franchise "Gatchaman" (better known in Western countries for edited and dubbed versions under the title of "Battle of the Planets").
The new film will be written and directed by Kevin Munroe, who is currently writing and directing Imagi's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" CG-animation that is being distributed by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and The Weinstein Company internationally. The announcement was made today by Francis Kao, CEO and Vice Chairman of Imagi International.
"We will push the wow factor to a new level with Gatchaman, a groundbreaking anime that has devoted fans worldwide, including myself," Kao said. "With the visual impact available through state-of-the-art CG animation, I think the film not only can satisfy fans, but will also appeal to moviegoers looking for something new and exciting. I am thrilled to work on this excellent franchise with Tatsunoko."
Gatchaman centers around five young superhero ninjas who must defeat the nefarious terrorists known as Galactor, who are threatening to capture Earth's resources. With 205 TV episodes, one feature film, and three direct-to-video films, Gatchaman has over 30 years of history.
In addition to its success in Japan, the series has fans in the U.S. from various domestic re-edited versions of the show, including "Battle of the Planets," "G-Force," and "Eagle Riders."
"Growing up as a kid, Gatchaman was the first influence that pushed me into the world of animation, comics and writing," Munroe said. "I'm honored to get the chance to bring Gatchaman to the big screen the way it was always meant to be - huge action mixed with the real human drama. Gatchaman is a great next step after TMNT, in terms of storytelling and visual scope and also for Imagi as a player in the animation world."
Imagi Animation Studios is now producing its own feature length movies, including the first CG-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, which will be distributed by Warner Bros. domestically March 30, 2007 and The Weinstein Company internationally. Imagi has also produced CG-animated TV series, such "Zentrix," which was released in Europe and Asia, "Digital Monster X-Evolution" with Bandai and Toei of Japan, and NBC's "Father of the Pride" for DreamWorks.
Wiseman Talks A Third "Underworld"
Source: iF Magazine
Author: Pele Hearne
Len Wiseman, producer/director/creator of the "Underworld" film series recently scored a lot of attention when it was announced he would be directing the next "Die Hard" film.
iF Magazine caught up with Wiseman while he was promoting the "Underworld: Evolution" DVD out this week and got the skinny on the next chapter in the "Underworld" film series:
"The third film is going to be a prequel. It will be the origin story and we find out things we didn't know about Lucian; he'll have a much bigger part in it. It will be about the creation [of the races] and what started the war. It will be a period piece...
In terms of the writing, a lot of the writing has been done. We've been developing UNDERWORLD 3 for a while. I won't be directing UNDERWORLD 3; I'm just going to be producing and writing" says Wiseman.
Wiseman added that the film will be set in the time period before Kate Beckinsale's Selene character, but it will overlap into the creation of her as well.
First "Transformers" Marketing Arises
Source: Dreamworks Pictures
Author: Pele Hearne
DreamWorks Pictures has begun its marketing hype for director Michael Bay's big screen "Transformers" adaptation hitting theatres July 2007.
The official site is up and features a flash intro along with the teaser poster artwork, and a count down to when the teaser trailer is revealed.
Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Jon Voight, Bernie Mac, Tyrese Gibson, Rachael Taylor, Amaury Nolasco, Kevin Dunn and Ronnie Sperling star in the sci-fi action-adventure written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman and based on the tremendously popular toy and animated series introduced in 1984.
"Hostel" Gets Three Girls
Source: MTV News
Author: Pele Hearne
If you thought the first "Hostel" was misogynistic, just you wait. MTV News talked with director Eli Roth at the channel's Movie Awards last week and he revealed that "I'm writing 'Hostel 2' for girls -- it's going to be three girls this time. They're studying in Italy for the summer, and they get lured, and they go back to ... well, we're going to go back to a lot of familiar places.
Roth plans to reveal that the Slovakia stopover from the first flick is actually part of a chain - "It's all part of the organization; they've got the whole thing set up all over the place, and they have different scouts. We're going to learn a lot more about how it all works. In 'Hostel 2,' you're really going to see the ins and outs of the whole organization and how they get people and kill them.
Roth also confirms that Jay Hernandez's Paxton has been written into the film and will be encountering the three girls in Italy, with the script beginning the moment the original "Hostel" ended - "'Hostel 2' is going to start literally with the next cut, and you're going to see [Paxton] at the same time. You'll see that he's totally messed-up from the experience. It's completely wrecked him, and his life is in ruins."
Spielberg Does A Wormhole Movie
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Author: Pele Hearne
Steven Spielberg is attached to direct an untitled sci-fi film for Paramount Pictures that would follow a group of explorers who travel through a worm hole and into another dimension reports the trades.
The story will rely on Caltech physicist Kip Thorne's theories of gravity fields and black holes. There is no screenplay as yet so the project would likely be three to four years away from fruition.
Thorne wrote a treatment with the help of producer and science nut Lynda Obst ("How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"), prompting Spielberg's involvement.
Atkinson Developing "Black Adder" Film
Source: Virgin.Net
Author: Pele Hearne
When it comes to sitcoms in the 80's and early 90's, the British always done it better than anywhere else in the world - "Mr. Bean", "Fawlty Towers", "Yes Minister", "The Young Ones", "Red Dwarf" and "Absolutely Fabulous", and so on remain far smarter, wittier and more biting than any average episode of "Friends" or "Seinfeld".
Still, amongst all those there was one that truly stood out, and its name was "Black Adder". Now, the cult classic is headed for the big screen as Virgin.Net reports that a film version is in the production pipeline, 17 years after the final episode of the TV show aired in the United Kingdom.
Despite only 24 half-hour episodes and two specials having been made throughout its run, the series continues to have a loyal and ever growing fan base whilst many of its regular cast have gone on to major success worldwide such as Rowan Atkinson, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry and "House" himself Hugh Laurie.
Atkinson is apparently keen on reprising his role as Lord Blackadder, and comedian Ben Elton will once again serve as screenwriter. No word if fellow co-writer Richard Curtis, director of such films as "Notting Hill", "Bridget Jones Diary" and "Love Actually", will be involved.
The show followed the slimy Lord Blackadder and his ever suffering assistant Baldrick as they scheme and plotted ways to get rich or stay alive. There were four seasons of the show, but in a unique take each season was set in a different time period with some characters utilising the same name whilst others changed identities and personalities completely. Most though usually died in the final episode of each season.
The first season pegged the character as a somewhat weedy little coward during the Dark Ages, a trait which changed during the second and most popular season set in the court of Queen Elizabeth the First. From that season onwards he became a character rarely seen in sitcoms at the time - a complete and utter bastard driven totally by selfish gain. Last we saw of the characters was in the fourth season set during the first World War, and a subsequent special entitled 'Back and Forth' set in the year 2000.
This movie is expected to be set during the Russian Revolution of 1917 where over the course of a year the ruling royal family of Tsar Nicholas II was ultimately replaced by the Communist Bolshevik party led by Lenin that paved the way for the formation of the Soviet Union.
Stephen Fry said on Monday "I chatted to Rowan at the weekend. He's been doing a 'Bean' movie in France and confided that he missed the joys of Blackadder rehearsals and all that. Ben wants to do a Blackadder movie set in the Russian Revolution with a Russian branch of the family. He has some brilliant ideas. Maybe it will happen".
Fry is also refreshing frank about his concerns as well "There's a lot of feeling that we left it on such a high note that it would be a bad idea to go back. There's nothing worse than an overweight boxer past his prime lumbering into the ring past his sell-by date".
Depp Will Do More "Pirates" Sequels
Source: Newsweek
Author: Pele Hearne
With two sequels on the way involving the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, you'd think actor Johnny Depp would tire of playing the character. Far from it.
In an interview with Newsweek, the actor is quoted as saying "He's a blast to play, I'll be in a deep, dark depression saying goodbye to him. I'll keep the costume and just prance around the house, entertain the kids. Maybe 'Pirates 4, 5 and 6'. If they had a good script, why not? I mean, at a certain point, the madness must stop, but for the moment, I can't say that he's done".
Word on the Pirates sequel has been kept very quiet though a very small handful of reaction has come out with extremely positive viewpoints. Experts are pretty much unanimous that this will be the highest grossing film of the Summer, but the real test takes place this week with the first screenings for media in the next few days.
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