Posted Jan 25th 2010 11:16AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New Line, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, Peter Jackson, Remakes and Sequels
We've been enjoying rumors about
The Hobbit for about two years now with no signs of letting up. We've heard it all -- from who is or isn't cast as Bilbo Baggins or Smaug, to whether it'll be in 3D, and if it'll be two films of purely
Hobbit-drawn material or if it'll delve into the Tolkien appendices, it goes on and and on. And that's not even counting the year or so that
Peter Jackson was out of favor with New Line. It's enough to make you climb into a hobbit hole and have your second breakfast.
Now
Variety reports that despite the assurances of
Guillermo Del Toro and Jackson,
The Hobbit release may actually be delayed from December 2011 to late 2012,
as previously reported. While discussing Warner Bros' plans for New Line, WB studio leader Alan Horn is predicting that
The Hobbit will be released in "the fourth quarter of 2012," though he declined to give any further details.
While Jackson assures everyone the project is on track, I find it hard to believe they can make that 2011 release date, even if they are holding open casting calls. As of last month, MGM still hadn't officially green-lit the film, and they were still on the second draft of the script. I'm not going to lose faith that we'll have an 2011 trip to Middle Earth -- but I'm not going to hold my breath, either. Remember, it was originally given
a release date of 2010! Posted Jan 15th 2010 12:03PM by Peter Martin
Filed under: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New Releases, Fandom, Peter Jackson
Would you turn down an Academy Award-winning filmmaker? Not only did Peter Jackson win an Oscar for directing
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, he also won an Oscar for adapted screenplay, an honor he shared with Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh. So the prospect of an award-winning team adapting a bestselling, critically-acclaimed 2002 novel by Alice Sebold was very exciting ... until the film opened.
Peter Jackson's
The Lovely Bones, which expands today, was greeted with mixed to negative critical reaction when it debuted in limited engagements last month. (Current critical approval at
Rotten Tomatoes rests at a mere 36%.) In her review for
Cinematical,
Elisabeth Rappe expressed her feeling that two directors inhabit Jackson's body, and it's the one that "revels in slapstick and CGI and believes you can never have enough dinosaurs or dwarf jokes" that made
The Lovely Bones. She wrote in part: "The film is littered with tonal missteps, outlandish effects, plot holes, thinly drawn characters, and an emotional immaturity that's utterly at odds with the story."
Having seen the film, I agree with the substance of her concerns and criticisms. (We only differ on the details on what we each think worked and really,
really didn't fly.) In retrospect, it makes me wonder: did
The Lovely Bones need Peter Jackson as much as he needed it?
Continue reading Did 'The Lovely Bones' Need Peter Jackson?
Posted Jan 13th 2010 3:02PM by John Gholson
Filed under: DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson has been busy over the past year, readying
Tintin, directing
The Lovely Bones, producing
District 9, and adapting
The Hobbit, but the filmmaker is already looking ahead to his next projects.
While promoting
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 The Lovely Bones, Jackson sat down with
AICN's Quint and was asked about his proposed adaptation of Naomi Novik's
Temeraire series -- historical fantasy novels about the Napoleonic Wars where fire-breathing dragons are used as a living air force.
Jackson still wants to translate
Temeraire into live-action, but a movie may not be the best option. "I can't see any degree of common sense in trying to mount them one at a time as feature films," Jackson told Quint. "To me the stories, having read the first ones, already work as this continuing, on-going saga, so I'm thinking 'Is there a marketplace out there yet for a large budget mini-series?'"
Jackson doesn't want to create a situation where he does one or two
Temeraire feature films then misses the opportunity to wrap up the sprawling story. If you were a television network and Peter Jackson came calling about a massive action-fantasy mini-series he wanted to do, would you say no?
Posted Jan 11th 2010 10:32PM by Christopher Campbell
Filed under: Action, Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Exhibition, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Home Entertainment, Peter Jackson
Now that
Avatar is the second-highest-grossing film of all time, 3D is
finally confirmed as the future of movies. In a way, it's as if
The Jazz Singer hadn't really harked the arrival of talkies and instead it took until
Frankenstein arrived four years later to prove converting to sound was truly worth it. Anyway, just as films in production in the late 1920s were quickly turned into talkies, this year we keep hearing word of upcoming blockbusters being turned into 3D releases. For example,
The Sunday Times is certain Ridley Scott's
Robin Hood will indeed be available, as rumored, in both 3D and 2D versions when it opens this May (UPDATE: Universal says the
Times is incorrect in this information).
The
Times additionally reports on what we've been expecting for years now, that theatrical favorites like
Star Wars and
Lord of the Rings will now definitely receive 3D-version re-releases. The
LOTR trilogy could apparently be out in the format by Christmas 2012, timed to follow the release of the second part of
The Hobbit (which may end up being 3D after all, too). Action sequences from the films have already been tested in 3D by the effects company Weta and are quoted as being "gob-smacking." The
Times believes the
Star Wars trilogies will be retrofitted for 3D even sooner, with George Lucas already spending $10 million for the conversion.
Continue reading Discuss: Which Movie Should Be Re-Released in 3D Next?
Posted Jan 10th 2010 8:25PM by Erik Childress
Filed under: Casting, Celebrities and Controversy, Peter Jackson
Having just moved up the release date of Thor two weeks to open the summer movie season of 2011, Paramount Pictures has just lost their Fandral. The Associated Press is reporting that Stuart Townsend has left the production of Kenneth Branagh's Marvel adaptation, a day before shooting, over - wait for it - "creative differences." The ally of the Norse god (being played by Chris Hemsworth) will now be portrayed by Joshua Dallas, who will also be seen in the upcoming The Descent 2 and George Lucas' Tuskegee Airmen film, Red Tails, alongside Terrence Howard who dropped out of Iron Man 2. Oh, the circle of Hollywood life.
Townsend's name is famous for being replaced by Peter Jackson in the role of Aragorn for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Viggo Mortensen eventually took the role and has since gone on to great acclaim in roles in A History of Violence and an Oscar-nominated turn in Eastern Promises. Meanwhile, Townsend has followed in the footsteps of Tom Cruise taking on the role of the vampire Lestat in Queen of the Damned and as Dorian Gray in another doomed literary adaptation, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Continue reading Stuart Townsend Ditches 'Thor' Over "Creative Differences"
Posted Dec 22nd 2009 9:02AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, RumorMonger, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Peter Jackson
With
The Hobbit, Tintin, and
Temeraire all on the pre-production slate, you'd think
Peter Jackson would have enough to do. But perhaps he's feeling a need to compete with his
Hobbit pal and co-conspirator
Guillermo Del Toro, because he's reportedly taken on another fantasy epic. According to
The Dominion Post, Jackson will adapt Philip Reeve's
Mortal Engines series. (I must note that in the U.S. they're called the
Hungry City Chronicles. Pick whichever title you like best.)
Now, I'm not familiar with the series but the collected wisdom of the Internet informs me that the
Mortal Engines books are best described as "post-apocalyptic steampunk." After the world as we knew it was blown to bits by nuclear holocaust
and geological instability, cities took to the air. From what I understand, these "Traction Cities" barter resources and war with one another in a Mad Max-style scrabble. The only Traciton City recognizable to our innocent eyes is London, the rest are mashed up of whatever land masses / airships survive.
A spokesman for Jackson refused to comment, though no one associated with Wingnut or WETA denied that the film was in the works. WETA is said to be working on designs as you read this. It would be a long time coming unless Jackson hands it off to another director and acts as producer which could very well happen. So, I'll turn this over to
Mortal Engine fans -- is this a series that would actually be possible to adapt? Is Jackson the man for the job, or would you prefer seeing someone else take the helm of the Traction Cities?
Posted Dec 18th 2009 3:45PM by Jenni Miller
Filed under: Drama, Thrillers, Paramount, Distribution, Exhibition, Peter Jackson, Movie Marketing
So far, Paramount's
The Lovely Bones hasn't quite gotten the critical response expected from a film directed and written by a team of Oscar winners. Alice Sebold's dramatic novel about a raped and murdered teen watching from a sort of limbo as her family and friends wrestle with the unsolved crime while the culprit roams free was itself in limbo for several years. But despite the tumult, it seemed that
Bones could still make the Oscar race, especially with
Peter Jackson and his frequent collaborators Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh behind the screenplay, and a star-studded cast that includes Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan as the narrator, Susie Salmon.
However,
Bones didn't quite satisfy critics; it's at 38% over at
Rotten Tomatoes, and Cinematical's own Elisabeth Rappe
wrote in her review, "It's neither a faithful adaptation nor a daring reinvention of the material, and it's truly baffling why Jackson wanted to adapt it at all." The adults aren't buying it, but, much to Paramount's surprise, it looks like the movie's real audience could be young women.
The
LA Times reports that "after test research on the movie, Paramount found there was a potentially hidden audience of females between 13 and 25." As someone who read and adored the book and was disappointed by the movie, this first struck me as somewhat puzzling, but the more I chewed on it, the more it makes sense. While some adults found that Jackson's CGI wonderland overshadowed the emotional complexities of the book, including its forthright treatment of Susie's budding desire, the conflict between justice and revenge, and the horror of her murder and rape, the movie was written by Jackson and Walsh "so that it would be watchable by their 13-year-old daughter." It's only logical, then, that that's the audience who would enjoy it most.
Continue reading Teens are the New Target for 'The Lovely Bones'
Posted Dec 13th 2009 9:02AM by Todd Gilchrist
Filed under: Peter Jackson, Interviews
Despite the fact that show business is mostly a lot of make-believe, acting and directing in films is still a tough job, because it's not merely about a person pretending, but making an
audience believe in some fictional, fantastical reality. Peter Jackson has excelled at that since his earliest days, and his aptitude for creating believable fantasy has only appreciated in recent years. In his latest film, an adaptation of Alice Sebold's acclaimed novel
The Lovely Bones, he takes us on a journey with a girl who's stuck between this life and the next one, and convinces us that her efforts to escape and move on are compelling, even if they're not stricken from concrete reality.
Part of the film's success in doing this must be attributed to the actors in the film, including Saoirse Ronan, who plays Susie Salmon, as well as a supporting cast that includes Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, and Rose McIver.
Cinematical recently spoke with the cast at the film's Los Angeles press day, where they discussed the challenges of bringing the film's transcendent but often tough subject matter to life.
Continue reading Cast & Crew Discuss 'The Lovely Bones'
Posted Dec 12th 2009 9:02PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Awards, Peter Jackson, Oscar Watch, Trailers and Clips
For movie fans, the Academy Awards are kind of like the Superbowl. But unlike the Superbowl, when it comes to the Oscars it hasn't always been an even playing field. In the world of sports it all seems so simple: if you win, you get a spot in the championships. But in the world of movies, sometimes the films that are the most loved by audiences (or critics) are overlooked by Academy members because of a long-standing prejudice against blockbusters, or because they're labeled as "genre fare". But, a recent
article in
Variety has suggested that sci-films (which have traditionally been relegated to the tech categories) could finally be earning some respect as Best Picture contenders. For some time now, there has been a complaint that the Academy has lost touch with modern films, and that the members still suffer from a touch of snobbery when it comes to what makes a film worthy of consideration for that little golden man.
But things are changing, and with 10 spots open for Best Picture nods there is a chance that this year maybe it won't be the same old movies making it into the winners circle. Sci-fi is more popular than ever before, and in 2009, some of the best reviewed flicks were genre films. But until those nominations are announced, we can only speculate, so I decided to put forth my suggestions for sci-fi films that I think have earned a shot at an Oscar. Now before we get started, keep in mind that I'm not saying these films
should win an Oscar, just that they deserve a shot.
After the jump: My 5 suggestions for sci-fi Oscar contenders....Continue reading Does Sci-Fi Stand A Chance at the Oscars?
Posted Dec 10th 2009 10:02PM by William Goss
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, New Line, Paramount, Warner Brothers, Dreamworks, Peter Jackson, Cinematical Seven, Lists, Nicole Kidman
If you're the least bit familiar with the premise of either Alice Sebold's novel or Peter Jackson's adaptation, then you know that
The Lovely Bones begins with the murder of young Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), who is then forced to watch her family cope with their grief while her killer remains in the neighborhood.
Unfortunate and grisly though that incident may be, it seemed like cause enough to round up a Cinematical Seven of our favorite film protagonists from beyond the grave. As is often par for the course, we welcome your additions in the comments below, and although the newest film on this (chronological) list is eight years old, I suppose that a
spoiler warning is in order all the same, since not every title listed reveals a character's afterlife as swiftly as Susie's does. Enjoy!
Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Post-Mortem Protagonists
Posted Dec 10th 2009 8:32PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Drama, New Releases, Paramount, Theatrical Reviews, Dreamworks, Peter Jackson
I feel as though two directors inhabit Peter Jackson's body, and are fighting for dominance. One is the gifted visionary who made Middle Earth glimmer just so, and captured every emotional nuance hobbits, elves, and men could express. The other revels in slapstick and CGI and believes you can never have enough dinosaurs or dwarf jokes. Unfortunately, it's that Jackson who directed
The Lovely Bones, and the film is littered with tonal missteps, outlandish effects, plot holes, thinly drawn characters, and an emotional immaturity that's utterly at odds with the story.
Based on Alice Sebold's bestselling novel,
The Lovely Bones hovers around the spirit of Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan). In life, she's an ordinary girl, who loves photography, eyes cute boys, and has little time for Shakespeare. All that comes to a violent and grisly end at the hands of her neighbor, George Harvey (Stanley Tucci). Unwilling to move on, Susie exists in the "In Between" a dreamy afterlife that's anything she wants it to be. Yet she yearns to return home, helplessly watching as her family grieves, and her killer walks free and unmolested.
The first scenes of
Bones are excellent and haunting. Susie's murder is largely left to the imagination while we spend dinnertime with the Salmons. They bicker, laugh, and make their tardy child a pork chop plate. But normalcy and happiness is over and Susie's already gone, though they – and she -- don't know it. Her discovery of her own death is a fever dream of horror, chillingly effective and incredibly shot. Ronan plays it wonderfully too; she's not just Susie Salmon, she's your daughter, sister, or friend. You feel her loss keenly. But once Jackson takes Susie to heaven, the film loses its train of heartache.
Continue reading Review: The Lovely Bones
Posted Dec 9th 2009 10:32PM by William Goss
Filed under: Action, Foreign Language, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Disney, Lionsgate Films, Magnolia, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Sony Classics, Universal, Warner Brothers, Focus Features, 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks, Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Johnny Depp, Peter Jackson, James Bond, Lists, Miramax, Best/Worst, War, Daniel Craig
Cinematical is about to launch into
our best-of-the-'00s series, with a different writer tackling a different genre over these last few weeks of the aughts (or whatever it was we decided to call this decade). Yours truly has been tasked with sifting out the most exciting action flicks these years have had to offer, and in the list-making equivalent of flinching, I've decided to divide them up by superlative instead of ranking them in order of awesomeness.
Oh, and before you comment away about what's missing (which we do want), I have left off
The Dark Knight,
Spider-Man 2,
X2: X-Men United and
The Incredibles, so they may be included in any superhero or animated list to come. If those movies are left off those lists, then by all means, give them hell. I might even join you.
Continue reading The Best of the Decade: Action Flicks
Posted Dec 8th 2009 9:48AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, MGM, Warner Brothers, Scripts, Family Films, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Peter Jackson, Remakes and Sequels
If you're starting to be a little burned out by casting rumors for assorted dwarves, elves, and a hapless Baggins, you haven't seen anything yet. Because according to
The Hollywood Reporter and
Peter Jackson,
The Hobbit is putting out a casting call, and holding auditions as of right now. All roles are up for grabs save Gandalf, which is being reserved for
Sir Ian McKellen. (I would imagine Andy Serkis has his spot reserved too, and I would hope Hugo Weaving will return as Elrond.)
Jackson notes that being open to any actor or actress who might wander in is how he discovered Kate Winslet, Orlando Bloom, and Saoirse Ronan, and he has no intention of bowing to big name pressure. "[The
Lord of the Rings films] have never been a star-driven vehicle. The star is Tolkien and the world he created. We are not under any pressure. We want to find the right people. Casting someone to portray a hobbit is not as easy as you might imagine. They have to have a particular type of physical appearance and a sensibility. And the same with an elf or a dwarf. These are fantastical characters, but you've got to find the right people to play them, the right humans to translate these characters." So, start the rumor mill going now, and choose who you will champion for their respective roles. I'm sticking with Martin Freeman for Bilbo, and Gerard Butler as Bard the Bowman for now. I'll have to think about the dwarves ...
Go below the jump for more Middle Earth newsContinue reading 'The Hobbit' Begins Casting This Week
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 11:32AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, MGM, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Fandom, Family Films, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Peter Jackson, Remakes and Sequels
The journey back to Middle Earth is taking longer than anyone anticipated, even its filmmakers.
Peter Jackson revealed in an interview with
Movie Reporter * that they're hoping to complete the second draft of
The Hobbit script by the beginning of next year. Once that's done, they can calculate budget and set a start date, but even the most enthusiastic estimates mean that filming would begin in middle to late 2010. That's not even factoring in the MGM money woes, and how that could affect budgeting, though signs point to Warner Bros picking up the entire tab.
Jackson was silent as to whether the original release dates would hold, but I think we're all familiar enough with the magic of movie making to know that we're unlikely to see
The Hobbit in December 2011. Remember, that was the date given for the first half of the film. It's more likely you'll see Part 1 in December 2012, and Part 2 in December 2013.
If you contemplate those numbers with a sinking heart, you're not alone. For me, it's not that 2012 or 2013 are particularly far away (you know how the years speed by the older you get!), but that so much can happen to a film, its writers and directors, and its potential cast members. I'm certain
The Hobbit will happen, but it can't hurt to send some geeky good vibes its way, and hope it gains some speed and cast announcements very soon.
[*I've linked to
TheOneRing.net, which translated the German interview for the rest of the Internet, and allowed the story to be subsequently picked up in
Variety.]
Posted Sep 25th 2009 9:02AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Executive shifts, MGM, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, DIY/Filmmaking, Peter Jackson, Politics, James Bond, Remakes and Sequels, Daniel Craig
MGM has been plagued by financial woes for much of their long and illustrious career, but their most recent crisis could end up costing them two of their biggest titles. Nikke Finke of
Deadline Hollywood Daily is breathlessly reporting that the studio is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy with over $3.5 billion in debt. MGM held a very long conference call with their creditors, pleading with themto waive their interest payments until February 2010, and allow them the cash they need for the rest of the year, particularly to fund its upcoming slate of films. Naturally, some of those are highly anticipated, such as
Robocop,
The Hobbit, and the latest James Bond installment.
However, MGM's creditors aren't feeling particularly charitable, and may force the studio to file for bankruptcy. If that happens, they could lose James Bond,
The Hobbit, and numerous other franchises as MGM would have to sell them to the highest bidder. Right now, they're trying to convince their Scrooges that bankruptcy is the worst possible option, and that Bond and Bilbo are big enough moneymakers to cover their debt. That's where the situation stands now, and it'll certainly be quite the economic spectacle to watch.
I find the news particularly interesting in light of
Peter Jackson's remarks on
The Hobbit at ComicCon, when
he squashed rumors that the film was in the casting stages, and noted that it hadn't even really been green-lit or had its budget approved yet. It was a douse of cold water after a lot of breathless excitement, much of which seemed to come straight from the filmmakers themselves. Could the brakes have been put on because of MGM's financial woes? Possibly.
Continued below the jump
Continue reading Could Money Woes Cost MGM James Bond and 'The Hobbit'?
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