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Defendor Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The 'Defendor' Trailer Lands Online

Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Independent », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Toronto International Film Festival », Trailers and Clips »



I have been intrigued by Defendor since it went into development. It's not every day you see an indie "superhero" movie, and even rarer to see anyone using the comic craze to spin an original story. Watchmen may have deconstructed an awful lot of myth, but I feel like there's still things to say about the need for costumed vigilantes, especially as each generation discovers them all over again.

Defendor is one of the selections at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival, and the early buzz on it is pretty positive so far. Directed by Peter Stebbings, it stars Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Kat Dennings, and Sandra Oh. It's the story of an unassuming man named Arthur Poppington, who lives in his own comic-book based world, and patrols the streets as the superhero Defendor. He's on the hunt for his arch-nemesis, Captain Industry, who he believes killed his mother and who deals in weapons and drugs. Along the way, he rescues a young prostitute (Dennings) from an undercover cop (Koteas), and winds up in therapy with Ms.Oh before proving that anyone can make a difference.

The trailer made its debut at TwitchFilms, and they've kindly provided an embed, which I've put below the jump. I'm encouraged more by the buzz than the trailer, which feels a little flat to me. Defendor seems to be a gentler version of Mystery Men, crossed with a little Alan Moore criticism and a dash of Punisher: War Zone. Still, I'm intrigued, and I'll be watching its TIFF reception, and hoping this wannabe superhero will fly.

Casting Bites: Secret Superheroes, Demi Chanel, and More!

Filed under: Comedy », Horror », Casting », Comic/Superhero/Geek »

We've had superheroes who actually hold some sort of power, and we've had normal folks pretending their super, but how about possible delusion, or secret superhero traits that lead you to spell poorly? As The Hollywood Reporter posts, Woody Harrelson and Sandra Oh are starring in a new film called Defendor, and Playlist-loving Kat Dennings is looking to join in on the fun. Woody will play a man who thinks he has a secret superhero identity, while Oh plays his shrink and Dennings would play a teen he becomes friends with. As a superhero, what sort of powers would suit Woody best? Leaping over buildings in a single bound? Tingling Spider sense? Stay tuned!

In the rumor realm, we've got buzz bubbling about a third Coco Chanel project (like two aren't enough). Beyond the TV movie with Shirley MacLaine and the feature with Audrey Tatou, The Guardian posts that there might be a third starring, believe it or not, Demi Moore. I guess the look is right, but could Mrs. Kutcher pull off a period piece -- one focused on an icon no less? (And just in case Coco isn't enough for you, the report also states that there are rumors about Vivienne Westwood and Kate Moss heading to the big screen.) *UPDATE: Westwood is on her way, with Kate Winslet signed to play the icon.

Now this next bit isn't exactly casting news, but it could become that -- Variety reports that Kevin Bacon is executive producing a new series for Showtime that dips into the life of Honest Abe's infamous assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Considering how well John Adams did, I wouldn't be surprised if Bacon grabs Booth's role for himself. There's a fair likeness.

Plus: Ex-Boston Legal star Rhona Mitra is heading to Separation City, and the ever lovely Beth Grant is dabbing in Extract.
 
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