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'Terminator' Rights Sell, But Not To A Studio
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Lionsgate Films, Sony, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
Everyone has been mildly interested to see who would win the Terminator franchise rights after Halcyon Holding Corp. went into bankruptcy. (Come on, we all wanted Joss Whedon to get it.) Last we knew, Lionsgate was the leading contender to win the rights to making more chronicles of John Connor. But according to Deadline Hollywood Daily, the bidding has ended, and the winner? Pacificor, the Santa Barbara hedge fund that had loaned Halcyon the money to buy Terminator in the first place. Halcyon failed in their loan payments, forcing Pacificor to come after them, which they tried to head off by filing their own lawsuit. But now the slate has apparently been wiped clean to the tune of $29 million dollars.Sony and Lionsgate did place bids, and even united to bid together once the first round was over. But both dropped out at $29.5 million when it became clear that Pacificor was willing to pay any amount necessary to win the Terminator rights. Reportedly, Sony's Peter Schlessel was "furious" at how the auction went down and stormed out of the building. Was that because he really, really wanted Sony to have Terminator? Was he just mad that he wasted his evening? Or is everyone as weirded out by the shadowy business practices as we on the outside are?
The sale must be approved by bankruptcy court, so there could still be another chapter to the sad saga. What Pacificor plans to do with the franchise is anyone's guess, but I suspect that Terminator will be something so tied up in legal red tape and rights that we won't see another film for a long, long time.
Cinematical Set Visit: Channing Tatum Talks 'Dear John'
Filed under: Drama, Romance, New Releases, Sony, Movie Marketing, Interviews, War
I have to confess that I don't think I could have picked Channing Tatum out of a line-up before meeting him on the set of Dear John. I knew vaguely that he was one of those incredibly buff Ambercrombie Models, I knew he danced, and knew he was going to be in G.I. Joe, but I didn't have a very precise image of him. As I disembarked from our car, he galloped past me, and I didn't recognize him right away. Shocking!
I think everyone has an image of what they think Tatum must be like. I'm happy to say that you're wrong. For one thing, he's charismatic in a way that I don't think has come across onscreen yet. I hope Dear John changes that for him. In person, he's incredibly warm, friendly, and sweet and no one could stop singing his praises. As you can guess, actors run the gauntlet as far as approachability goes, but there wasn't a smack of phony affability in Tatum. He even gave us all a hug after our interview -- and no, none of us asked -- which is not something actors really do. Come on, I don't want to hug 99% of the people I meet in a professional day. And yes, girls, you can feel every muscle.
Here's our Q&A with Tatum, which Cinematical participated in with UGO and Coming Soon. The questions were not all asked by Cinematical, so we've kept them all in bold as a reference.
Cinematical Set Visit: Amanda Seyfried Talks 'Dear John'
Filed under: Drama, Romance, New Releases, Sony, Movie Marketing, Interviews
Amanda Seyfried is quickly becoming one of Hollywood's hottest young stars. When we talked to her on the set of Dear John, she was fresh off Mamma Mia!, gaining rave reviews from Big Love, and on her way to bigger and bigger roles. In person she's absolutely charming, incredibly pretty, and very sweet. We had to catch her between takes and as she was getting make-up reapplied. Despite how late and cold it was, she managed to laugh and be perky the entire time we talked, which is not something that comes across on transcription.
As with the other interviews, Cinematical participated with UGO and Coming Soon, but for easy reading we'll label all the questions as being from Cinematical.
Cinematical: So, are you happy with the restaurant scene and the way it is going?
Amanda Seyfried: Yeah, I'm pretty happy. I'm so comfortable with Channing. It comes pretty naturally, so when you feel like you are not really working hard, you can sometimes maybe feel a little self-conscious. And then, it's like why isn't this hard? Am I getting it? Am I getting in the act of it? But it's fun and I'm eating really good shrimp.
Cinematical: Are you getting sick and tired of eating shrimp over and over again?
Seyfried: No, moderation is really necessary to perform that role!
Cinematical: How has your life been since your exposure from Mamma Mia!?
Seyfried: It's been pretty ridiculous. I definitely don't think I would be doing this movie had I not had the success with Mamma Mia! For a lot of reasons people are chosen for a cast in a movie. A lot of it has to do with marketability and what you're talent is and how you connect with a character. That definitely has a lot of impact.
As with the other interviews, Cinematical participated with UGO and Coming Soon, but for easy reading we'll label all the questions as being from Cinematical.
Cinematical: So, are you happy with the restaurant scene and the way it is going?
Amanda Seyfried: Yeah, I'm pretty happy. I'm so comfortable with Channing. It comes pretty naturally, so when you feel like you are not really working hard, you can sometimes maybe feel a little self-conscious. And then, it's like why isn't this hard? Am I getting it? Am I getting in the act of it? But it's fun and I'm eating really good shrimp.
Cinematical: Are you getting sick and tired of eating shrimp over and over again?
Seyfried: No, moderation is really necessary to perform that role!
Cinematical: How has your life been since your exposure from Mamma Mia!?
Seyfried: It's been pretty ridiculous. I definitely don't think I would be doing this movie had I not had the success with Mamma Mia! For a lot of reasons people are chosen for a cast in a movie. A lot of it has to do with marketability and what you're talent is and how you connect with a character. That definitely has a lot of impact.
Review: Dear John
Filed under: Drama, Romance, Sony, Theatrical Reviews, War
In the world of romantic novels and their film adaptations, it's hard not to know the name of Nicholas Sparks. The best-selling author has a knack for enduring romance, kisses in the rain and North Carolina shorelines, and Hollywood tends to translate his tearjerkers with an effortless emphasis on those most swoon-worthy moments ... which means that certain cynics rarely take well to his particular brand of saccharine whether it's on the page or the screen.
As luck would have it, Dear John isn't nearly as saccharine or heavy-handed as any movie about autism, cancer and a love divided by duty inherently threatens to be. In fact, in director Lasse Hallstrom's hands, the material comes off with some measure of grace and restraint, as do the performances of Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, and it's all enough to have even us certain cynics rooting for their eventual reunion.
'Percy Jackson' Star to Play 'Spider-Man'?
Filed under: Action, Casting, Sony, RumorMonger, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
Speculation has been rife about the planned "reboot" (yeah, I hate that word too) of the Spider-Man movie franchise, now that Sam Raimi and Toby Maguire have departed that particular Marvel universe. Adding fuel to the fire, Logan Lerman tells Access Hollywood that he's been talking with Sony about playing Peter Parker. Lerman, 18 years of age, stars in fantasy flick Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, which is due out next week. Previously he's had roles in the 3:10 to Yuma remake and Gamer. (I first saw him in the TV show Jack & Bobby; he was the younger brother and quite good.) Lerman says of Spider-Man: "There has been a few discussions, it's definitely something I'm looking into." He claims to be a huge fan of the character and the series. He acknowledges that talks are in the early stages, but says: "I'd love to focus on the human element a bit more."
Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios have said the next film in the series will focus "on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises," though it's not clear if the new, high school Peter Parker will take cues from the original Spider-Man universe or perhaps display influences from Brian Michael Bendis' Ultimate version of the comic. Somehow, I don't think Logan Lerman will be the last we hear of possible Peter Parkers in the coming weeks, and possibly months, as the picture gets ready for its 2012 release.
Update: The Hollywood Reporter adds that both the studio and Lerman's reps have denied there's anything to this story, adding there are currently no ongoing discussions with Lerman for the role and that no offers have been made.
Sony Converts Old Movies to 3D for Blu-ray - When Will it Stop?
Filed under: Sony, Tech Stuff, Exhibition, Home Entertainment
Someone really has to explain this addiction to 3D. Years ago, it was a novelty that no one took seriously. Random images would fly towards viewers eyes, and a squeal or two would escape, but no one wanted to wear those annoying glasses all the time. It was a nice little cinematic trinket used for the random feature. Now, however, it's everywhere. And not just everywhere like everyone is making 3D movies, but everything is getting converted to 3D, whether it be Harry Potter and Clash of the Titans, or Sony's old library.
According to the New Zealand Herald, Sony is looking to sell Blu-rays with 3D versions of its catalogue in the next year. Joe Nakata, a deputy general manager in Sony's 3D unit says: "We'll probably be able to start next fiscal year, if we can convert them into 3D with good effects." Conversion companies are popping up all over the place to process these films into new 3D monsters, and PS3 is looking to get into 3D gaming in the near future.
Cinematical Set Visit: 'Dear John'
Filed under: Drama, Romance, New Releases, Sony, DIY/Filmmaking, Movie Marketing, War
It is an incredibly hot and humid Charleston evening – the temperature is around 77 degrees and it's November – and we're climbing onto a set of a modern fairy tale. That's a high description for a dive seafood restaurant (and it is a dive), and even with the glimmering sunset and sea view, there's no way it would earn that kind of flowery description without the help of Nicholas Sparks. Luckily, he's the fairy godfather making lush romance out of Bowen's Island, where Sony has graciously invited Cinematical to the set of the latest Sparks romance, Dear John.
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, Dear John centers around a young soldier named John Tyree (played by Channing Tatum), a young rebel with a rocky relationship with his father, who is played by the superb Richard Jenkins. He joins the Army to straighten himself out, and becomes a member of the Special Forces. One summer, while on leave, he meets the charming Savannah Lynn Curtis (Amanda Seyfried). Being a Sparks story, it's naturally love at first sight, but the lovers are separated by unhappy circumstance – in this case, it's 9/11, and John has to decide where his duty lies. "The book is very much about John and Savannah's love to each other, but it's also very clearly a love triangle of sorts. It's really a love rectangle – it's the story of John and his love for Savannah, and John and his relationship with his father, and John and his duty to his country," says producer Marty Bowen.
New Trailer for 'Cemetery Junction' Finds Its Way Online
Filed under: Comedy, Sony, Trailers and Clips
Well, well, well, this is a surprise. When you see the words "Written and Directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant", one particular brand of humor comes to mind. The genius minds behind The Office, Extras, and the Ricky Gervais Show have had their grip on the pressure points of awkward comedy for years now, so one would expect their first true collaboration on the big screen to be full of wry, exacting humor. And those expectations were on track when the duo unveiled the original teaser trailer for Cemetery Junction, which had great laughs at the expense of Ralph "Chuckles" Fiennes.That was just a teaser, though. Now there's an actual trailer (via Twitch) for Cemetery Junction out and it looks nothing like you'd imagine from the initial teaser and images. Turns out, Gervais/Merchant's latest team-up has them sitting backseat to a coming of age story and, I gotta say, I'm loving it. I haven't been too big a fan of Gervais' last few showings at the cinema (I do think Ghost Town is underrated, however), but that's also because none of those productions shared in the bittersweet sparks the Gervais/Merchant hybrid-mind have all but trademarked.
This doesn't look like Invention of Lying Gervais, or experimenting on Karl Pilkington Gervais; this looks like Extras Extra Special Series Finale Gervais. That may not mean anything to anyone who isn't already a fan of the comedian's work, but for my money the nearly 90-minute long Extras Special is the most heart-heavy comedy I've seen in years. It is absolutely brilliant and features a surprisingly affecting performance from Gervais; so if for some reason you haven't seen it, you should get that sorted.
But enough about the old, onto the new!
Pitch of the Day: 'Groundhog Day Too'
Filed under: Comedy, Sony, Remakes and Sequels
For today's pitch, I'm curious what you'd prefer in a matter of revisiting the classic 1993 comedy Groundhog Day. It surprises me that Sony hasn't already tried to expand on this thing. It was relatively successful at the box office and its audience has only grown in the 17 years since. Yet no sequel, no TV spin-off and surprisingly no remake has ever seemed to cross the studio's mind (each studio has only one, you know). Of course, that means it's only a matter of time before we hear about something called...Groundhog Day Too
If there were ever to be a sequel, the chances of Bill Murray returning are slim to none. So there's not even any point in thinking it should be called Groundhog Day 2. Instead, the "too" in the title refers to the idea that this follow-up is about a new character trapped on February 2 until he can finish his own mission, whether it be romantic or some new sort of situation. Earlier today, I joked that I'd like to see the Academy have to repeat today over and over until they got the Oscar nominations correct. They'd get to see February 3 once they smarted up and gave Sam Rockwell a Best Actor nod for Moon, for example.
Review: Legion
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sony, Theatrical Reviews
It's amazing how much you can tell from a film's opening five minutes. Legion kicks things off with a man falling from the sky; except the audience doesn't actually see him fall. He rises unfazed by the atmospheric drop and then takes off his jacket to reveal a set of elegant wings; except the audience doesn't actually see the wings. A large knife is unsheathed and the silhouetted wings are sliced off; except the audience doesn't actually see this blasphemous act, either. He then breaks way into an undisclosed, barely guarded armory housing enough weaponry to outfit an army battalion and proceeds to blow up a wall in the shape of a cross to make his unnecessary exit.
Everything you need to know about ex-effects man Scott Stewart's directorial debut is in this scene. It's not a matter of hinting without showing. There's no mystery as to who or what the fallen is, so you might as well show the audience. The movie has an R rating, so there's no reason to pussyfoot around the wing dismemberment. And there's no reason for the man to blow up a wall to get out of a room he walked into. Yet such is Legion. There is a want for ideas, for concepts, for cool "oh, the audience will love this" moments, but there's no mind behind the typewriter to motivate it nor is there talent behind the camera to bring it to life.
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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