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Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams Reunite for 'Mission Impossible 4'
Filed under: Action, Casting, Deals, Paramount, Tom Cruise
Looks like we have some good (and possibly bad) news for fans of the Mission Impossible franchise. Mike Fleming at Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Paramount and Tom Cruise have indeed put away their past squabbles in order to pave the way for a fourth Mission Impossible film starring Cruise as Impossible Mission Force agent Ethan Hunt. The possibly bad news? MI3 director J.J. Abrams will not be captaining the ship this time out.
Deadline reports that Abrams will be producing alongside the leading man, but that the studio is actively looking for a director to hire. I suppose that means Abrams hasn't been ruled completely out - who knows, he may fall in love with the project and hop back into the directors chair - but it's not likely he'll return in that capacity. We do have two more names confirmed for the project though: writing duo Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec. The pair may not be all that well known on the cinema front, but fans of the small screen should recognize both as writer/producers on a number of television shows, including the Abrams-produced, spy-loving Alias.
There's no confirmation at this stage as to whether or not any previous cast members will be returning, but if they're keeping the streak going by bringing back Cruise they may as well bring back Ving Rhames for him to play off. Beyond that, however, the only other major bit of news is that Paramount will be shooting this summer for a Memorial Day 2011 release.
But what say you? Are you glad to see Tom Cruise reentering the IMF fold? Or would you rather see a franchise return follow the current Hollywood trend of flat-out reboot with a new cast?
'Days of Thunder' Isn't Being Remade
Filed under: Action, Drama, Romance, Paramount, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman
It wasn't a huge hit. It didn't receive good reviews. And it's not really considered a classic by any measure. But Days of Thunder has its fans, and those people would be really pissed if Paramount decided to remake their beloved NASCAR movie. That's why it's surprising that the studio is not following with the traditional Hollywood procedure of redoing, rebooting or otherwise diminishing the original. Instead, according to Variety, Paramount is celebrating Days of Thunder on its 20th anniversary.No, it's not getting a special theatrical re-release nor is it likely that Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman will be reunited for a big occasion. Simply, the studio has made a number of licensing deals related to the film's anniversary. Kohls will be selling men's t-shirts with the tagline "You Can't Outrun the Thunder" and Robert Duvall's signature line, "Rubbin' is Racin.'" Also, there's reportedly a downloadable videogame on the way this summer!
It may not sound like much, but there's something to be said for Paramount's idea to spotlight a 20-year-old property. Are they interested in giving back to the small, loyal fanbase? Or, do they hope to acquire new fans -- a new generation of racing fans, for instance -- by promoting the heck out of an archive title with a continued niche audience? The reasoning from the studio is officially thus: "Days of Thunder is a timeless racing film that has maintained a strong following 20 years after its theatrical release."
Joe Johnston Reveals All His 'Captain America' Plans
Filed under: Action, Paramount, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, War
With The Wolfman press conference came with veritable ton of First Avenger: Captain America news, courtesy of Joe Johnston, and all the sites that were lucky enough to sit down with him. I don't want to steal any thunder or exclusives, but I'm rounding up all the cool and relevant items for your reading pleasure, but I urge you to visit all our friends and read their pieces in entirety as there's lots of intriguing little hints that I can't begin to list here.
If you were worried that Cap would be battling anyone other than the Red Skull, you can put your mind at ease. Johnston confirmed to Ryan Rotten at ShockTillYouDrop that Red Skull will be the main villain of First Avenger: Captain America. As fans know, the creation and success of the Nazi terror known as the Red Skull is what leads to America "turning" Steve Rogers into Captain America. You can read a little more about him on an old Geek Beat if you like.
'Last Airbender' and 'Robin Hood' Superbowl Spots Already Online
Filed under: Action, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Paramount, Family Films, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Trailers and Clips
Hey, kids and Avatar: The Last Airbender fans! If you want to see the tv spot for The Last Airbender, but you don't want to sit through the Superbowl due to a dislike of the teams, football, or the obnoxious people in your household, you're in luck! UGO has been lucky enough to obtain the top secret, ultra-exclusive television spot. They were kind enough to let us embed it here so that you can watch it again and again.
You'll definitely have to do that, because it's over in a flash. (Ponder how much they spend to air this during Superbowl Sunday, then giggle at getting to see it for free.) Those of you familiar with the Nickelodeon series will be able to spot lots of references to the show. According to UGO (I'm quoting them because I only have a Wikipedia based knowledge of this series), you get scenes of "achieving Avatar State, waterbending, earthbending and firebending, and of the Fire Nation Navy in battle. Sharp eyes might even catch a glimpse of Gran Gran!" One of their really eagle-eyed readers says that Appa the Sky Bison is in there, too, but I must need my eyes checked because I don't see anything that looks like a bison in that scene.
To a newbie, it looks like quite the fantasy film, and I'm reminded for the millionth time that I should watch the series one of these days. I've got until July 2, 2010 so maybe I will. In the meantime, what do you fans think of this first real teaser? Did M. Night Shyamalan get it right?
Additionally, we've also added the Robin Hood Superbowl spot after the jump. Which summer film looks more appetizing to you?
Pierre Morel Writing His Own 'Dune'
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Paramount, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
The news that frenetic actioner Pierre Morel was directing Dune caught everyone by surprise, and led to a lot of parkour-with-shields jokes on Twitter. But in an interview with IGN, Morel offered a little insight as to where he'll be taking the remake. For one, contrary to the trade report, he's scrapping Peter Berg's script and starting all over again. "We're starting from scratch," says Morel. "Peter had an approach which was not mine at all, and we're starting over again. I don't think we're going to keep any elements of the Peter Berg script. It was good, actually. It was interesting. It was just not our vision. I can't tell you right now [who's writing it with me], it's going to be official next week. The deals are not done!" Nor should you hold your breath for a lot of groundbreaking "Guess who is playing Paul Atreides!" news. "Dune is such a huge, huge project. It's big, it's challenging, it's long-term -- we're only starting. We have to rewrite the script, we have to develop a whole universe. It's going to be a long thing, so who knows. But I'm passionate about Dune so I'd love to do it next."
Morel also wants it to be clear that he's not remaking David Lynch's Dune. "We're doing a re-reading, a brand new approach on the book, a very true approach to the book, the original material. So we will have to deal with trying to erase the image that David Lynch did so we can propose our image."
And yes -- you may just see 3D sandworms and a floating 3D Baron Harkonnen though Morel won't commit to an official declaration. But come on, you knew it'd be 3D.
What's Captain America Up To? Joe Johnston Talks
Filed under: Action, Paramount, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Comic/Superhero/Geek, War
While many may be waiting for those first official shots from Thor, the rumor mill has promptly turned its attention to The First Avenger: Captain America, particularly since Joe Johnston is all done with The Wolfman. Little tidbits have been popping up all over our great and wide Internet, and while they don't reveal anything very new, you can comfort yourself that the wheels are still turning.A few weeks ago, Johnston gave an interview with Box Office that revealed his take on the character. "It's not going to be a Captain America that you expect. It's something different. It is influenced by the comic book, but it goes off in a completely different direction. It's the origin story of Captain America. It's mostly period-there are modern, present-day bookends on it-but it's basically the story of how Steve Rogers becomes Captain America ... He was this 98-pound weakling, he was this wimp, and he's transformed instantly into this Adonis. You'd think he got everything he wanted. Well, he didn't get everything he wanted. The rules change at that point and his life gets even more complicated and dire ... At the heart of it, it's a story about this kid, who all he wants to do is fit in. This thing happens and he still doesn't fit in. And he has to prove himself a hero-essentially go AWOL to save a friend. Eventually at the very end, I don't want to give away too much, but he does fit in. But it's the journey of getting him there that's interesting. And it's a lot of fun."
Continued below ...
Director Kevin Greutert Returns to 'Saw,' Ditches 'Paranormal Activity 2'
Filed under: Horror, Lionsgate Films, Paramount
Just a week ago, we heard longtime Saw franchise collaborator Kevin Greutert was abandoning ship in order to helm Paranormal Activity 2. And we were somewhat excited about the coup, because original Paranormal Activity director Oren Peli said the sequel was in good hands. But now get this: according to Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood, Greutert has been You may be wondering what's become of David Hacki, who had been attached to the seventh installment. Finke implies he was shoved out by the Greutert hire and will be given another film by the studio quickly as a consolation. Clearly Lionsgate just wanted to get Greutert back to hurt production on PA2, which is its direct competition for the Halloween horror box office this October. After the first PA kicked the Saw series' ass this past fall, there's no doubt that this means war.
'Star Trek 2' Will Focus on the Villain
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Paramount, Scripts, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
With only a week to go before the Oscar nominations are announced, Star Trek seems less and less a candidate for one of the ten Best Picture slots. But there's still a good chance the film's script, by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, will be honored with a Best Adapted Screenplay nod. After all, the duo is nominated for a Writers Guild Award. But does it really matter what honors the first film receives? Aren't we all just looking forward to the future, interested about what the sequel will be like? Yes, this is why we're ignoring the majority of what Orci and Kurtzman had to say at a WGA nominees screening of Star Trek last week in order to focus on what little tidbits of info they spilled about Star Trek 2 (or whatever it will be called). They don't seem to really know what the sequel will entail yet, so there wasn't much to divulge. Orci admitted they're still discussing whether or not the film should pick up directly after the first film or take place much later, for instance.
One thing that's for certain, however, is that it won't be a remake of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Yet it will be similar to that much revered installment in that it will be concentrated on its villain. Check out the exact quote after the jump.
New Toy Line Reveals More 'Iron Man 2' Villains
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Paramount, Fandom
Sam Rockwell may not have gotten a fancy teaser poster for his character like Mickey Rourke did, but he's still a major bad guy in Marvel's upcoming Iron Man 2. He plays unscrupulous industrialist Justin Hammer -- sort of the anti-Tony Stark -- and the details of his involvement with the film's plot have been scarce.Apparently, he creates an army of Iron Man-like drones to battle the hero and his new sidekick War Machine. It's not exactly a spoiler -- you can see Iron Man and War Machine fighting back-to-back against hordes of something in the trailer. Those somethings are the Hammer Drones, whose designs, as far as I know, haven't been revealed by the filmmakers.
The Hammer Drones can be seen for the first time in upcoming Iron Man 2 Mini-Mates toyline, in a slightly disproportionate form, in keeping with the line's Lego-like look. Figures.com has pictures of the first wave of Iron Man 2 Mini-Mates, which also include Pepper Potts and a cute, squatty rendition of War Machine.
Iron Man 2 arrives in theatres on May 7.
[Head over to Sci-Fi Squad for a bigger look at the toyified villains.]
Paramount Gives 'True Grit' for Christmas & Pulls 'Footloose'
Filed under: Music & Musicals, Paramount, Distribution, Exhibition, Remakes and Sequels, Western
Paramount is going to be giving all the good girls and boys a Christmas (or whatever) present this year, with True Grit getting a December 25 release date. It is a strange choice for the holidays -- a John Wayne Western remake? -- but a little blood and guts could cheer up those tense family outings. Paramount is probably counting on good will towards the Dude, who will be taking over John Wayne's part as Marshall Reuben J. 'Rooster' Cogburn, since his amazing performance in Crazy Heart is winning him accolades right and left. True Grit also stars Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. Paramount held open casting for one part in the film, fourteen-year-old Mattie, who was originally played by Kim Darby. However, today's your last day to enter if you want to see yourself on the screen come Christmas. http://www.truegritcasting.com/
Paramount's also offering an early Christmas prezzie: No one will be getting Footloose this summer, the Kenny Ortega remake which was due for release this June. Ortega -- whose most recent gig was directing This is It, and is also famous for his High School Musical films -- apparently dropped out due to "creative differences." Guess he had to cut loose...
Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams Reunite for 'Mission Impossible 4'
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
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