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Caan, Macht, Stormare, and Taylor Sign Up for Internet Porn

Filed under: Comedy », Casting »

If you think back to the warmer days of summer, you might remember that Jessica posted about an upcoming Internet porn flick called Middle Men. Set to be a comedy, the film was said to follow some normal dude who ends up in the center of that biz we call adult entertainment during the early days of Internet porn (mid-90s, I guess?).

And now we have our men of porn. Variety reports that James Caan, Gabriel Macht, Peter Stormare, and Rachael Taylor have signed on for the film, which will star Luke Wilson and Giovanni Ribisi -- all in yet-to-be-disclosed parts. The film is also sounding a wee bit different these days. Yes, it's still about some regular guy -- a "straight-and-narrow businessman who builds the first online billing company dealing exclusively with adult entertainment." But then there's a bit of an insane twist. He finds "himseld in the middle of a whirlwind filled with starlets, conmen, Russian mobsters, federal agents, and international terrorists."

Well, this is nothing like I expected -- dudes spending late nights on Stile Project's old cam pages while girls contort themselves while basking in the glow of their monitors. Maybe writers George Gallo (who will direct) and Andy Weiss were hanging out with Guy Ritchie. How terrorists, conmen, and Russian mobsters all get involved is anyone's guess, but it's kind of hard not to be intrigued with that cast.

Geek Daily: Sex With 'The Spirit,' Viggo Talks 'Hobbit' and 'Watchmen 2' ... Already?

Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Scripts », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Images »



  • /Film has a bunch of new photos from The Spirit, the film the Internet and Lionsgate forgot. The photos are so snazzy they nearly erase memories of toilets always being funny, and giant wrenches existing in mud lakes. I can still admire the retro clothes, and how well Gabriel Macht looks in a mask, can't I?
  • And lest you think Will Eisner is the only comic legend being abused, Patrick Wilson told MTV that, yes, the studio has talked about the possibilities of a Watchmen sequel. "It's all been talked about. Financially, they like to do that. But all of us, Zack [Snyder] included, all go, 'How on Earth could you do a sequel or prequel?' Certainly, artistically, I can't fathom how it would happen. But hey, if Alan Moore writes it, I'd love to read it." Given the solid endings of both Watchmen and 300, I say you combine the two impossible sequels into one insane film, throw in wizards, ninjas, and Jason Statham and just call it good.
  • According to Dread Central, Brett Ratner is considering the role of director on that Conan franchise reboot. Like with any Ratner project, we'll hold our cries for help till things are made official.

SDCC 2008: 'The Spirit' Panel

Filed under: Festival Reports », Comic/Superhero/Geek », ComicCon »



I'm sorry Frank Miller. I dig you, I do. But I'm officially off The Spirit bandwagon now. We saw the trailer, we saw three scenes, we heard the same pitches that have been all over the Internet, and I am just not feeling it anymore.

Let's go into a description of the footage first. We saw three scenes throughout the course of the panel. One of Eva Mendes swimming, having just pulled off some jewel heist. Technically, it was lovely, as it looked like she was underwater when she wasn't (one of the first uses of a "phantom camera" in film, apparently) -- but the scene made little sense. The Octopus was shooting, there were close-ups of his mouth, her accomplice is shot, and it ends with her "Shut up and bleed" line from the trailer. The second was a "love scene" between Ellen Dolan and the Spirit. Again, we get a glimpse of this in the trailer, when he slams her against the blinds. Their consummation is thwarted by the Commissioner, accompanied by a painfully overacted Morgenstern, who the Spirit promptly seduces. The last scene was a one on one fight between the Octopus and the Spirit. They wrestle in the mud, they hit each other with giant wrenches, they punch each other hundreds of times, and Octopus hits the Spirit with a toliet, exclaiming "Toliets are always funny!" It was like 300 (smoky red lighting, weird filming speed) by way of Looney Toons.

'The Spirit' Trailer Now Officially Online

Filed under: Action », Noir », Lionsgate Films », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Trailers and Clips »

Lionsgate has now officially released the full-length trailer for The Spirit that Film School Rejects leaked last night. It's over on Yahoo! Movies in high definition, so even if you managed to catch the leaked version, it's worth checking out.

I have to say, this looks nothing like I thought it would. I wish I could say that was a good thing but ... wow. I am not feeling this at all. It's not the classic noir of Will Eisner's comics, it's not really a Sin City rip-off, it's just strange and creepy. The shots of the floating heads and the Spirit falling out of the woman's mouth remind me way too much of those eerie French safe sex ads.

I also have to complain about the emphasis placed on the femme fatales. I shrugged off the poster and the website; I accepted the excuse that to lure in the boys, you have to use the sexy girls. I also realize that just about all the actresses in the movie are bigger names than Gabriel Macht, who's the man behind the mask. But this is a full length trailer, and the Spirit himself is still persona non grata. When are we finally going to meet him?

I dig you Frank Miller, I really do, but I don't know if I can go down this road with you. I am hoping that this is just a really bad trailer, and the film is actually a nice visit to the land of neo-noir.

The Spirit opens December 25th, 2008.

'Whiteout' Finally Gets September Release Date

Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Deals », Mystery & Suspense », Warner Brothers », Distribution », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »

Whiteout finally gets to come off my "Whatever happened to ... ?" list. According to ShockTillYouDrop.net, the Antarctic thriller finally has a release date of September 19th.
The movie stars Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Tom Skerritt, Columbus Short and Alex O'Loughlin.

The film is based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka (and I love that they mimicked Frank Miller's cover for the poster at right). It follows Carrie Stetko, a U.S. Marshall working at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, and her investigation of a murder that takes place there. The location is what makes this murder mystery good and tense, as she has to investigate around the deadly climate of Antarctica, and find the killer before Antarctica is plunged into its six months of darkness.

I saw the teaser at last year's ComicCon and thought it looked like a good thrill ride -- and I actually managed to hold the opinion despite seeing it played twice in a row. It's a little odd that it has been delayed so long, as it was obviously finished as of last summer. I'll hold out hope, though, because Beckinsale is one of my favorite action chicks, and she was hilarious at the Whiteout panel, handling the sleazy comments with aplomb. Hopefully, we'll get to see that teaser on the Internet soon. I will probably watch it and wonder why I thought it looked good. Oh well.








New Pics: Sam Jackson as The Octopus in 'The Spirit'!

Filed under: Action », Fandom », DIY/Filmmaking », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Images »



Another new (and improved, in my opinion) image of Samuel L. Jackson as The Octopus in The Spirit has been revealed, courtesy of Comic Con Magazine (click image to enlarge). Directed by Frank Miller (Sin City, 300), and based on the graphic novel by Will Eisner, The Spirit follows rookie cop Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht) who returns from the dead to fight crime in Central City. Jackson plays The Octopus, The Spirit's main nemesis -- a villain who plans to wipe out all of Central City and kills anyone unlucky enough to see his face. (That said, I guess we're all doomed -- damn you Comic Con magazine for showing us this dude's face!)

Also starring in the flick are Scarlett Johansson (as the Octopus' secretary, Silken Floss), Eva Mendes (as Sand Saref), Jaime King (as Lorelei Rox) and Paz Vega (as Plaster of Paris). Gotta love the names in this one. If I may recommend myself for the sequel; I could play Dynamo Clorox III. Sweet! The first trailer for The Spirit was released during New York Comic Con, and I'm sure the cast and crew will have plenty of goodies for the folks attending San Diego Comic Con in July.

The Spirit arrives in theaters on December 25 (Happy Birthday Jesus, indeed!). Check out our gallery below.

Gallery: The Spirit



[via Coming Soon]

A New Poster for Kate Beckinsale's 'Whiteout'

Filed under: Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Posters »

Beyond Hollywood now has the second poster for Dominic Sena's (Swordfish) thriller based on Greg Rucka's graphic novel, Whiteout. Rucka's limited series was originally released in 1998, and the original story had two female agents investigating a murder in McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Rights were originally purchased in 1999, and here we are eight years later and after a few quick casting switches, Kate Beckinsale was signed to play U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko. Casting was finalized back in March when Gabriel Macht (The Spirit) singed on as UN operative, Alex O'Loughlin, and Tom Skerrit in an unnamed role.

A teaser poster had been released for ComicCon back in July, and, frankly, I thought it was pretty blah. Especially when you consider the quality of the art in the graphic novels; Beckinsale pouting just doesn't quite do it for me. So is the new poster any better you might ask? Well, it's better, but not by much. Maybe I'm asking too much from my movie posters, but I just can't get all that jazzed about something that looks like it could double as a Ray Bans ad.

It hasn't been an easy road to get Whiteout to production. Starting back in 1999 when Colombia Pictures first picked up the film rights and to commission a script from Jon and Erich Hoeber, oddly enough, the first order of business was to do away with one of the female leads in the story and to switch to a man (so much for girl power I guess). Whiteout is set for release in October 2008. See the full poster after the jump.

Gabriel Macht Tapped To Lead Frank Miller's 'Spirit'

Filed under: Action », Casting », Lionsgate Films », Sony », Comic/Superhero/Geek »

Who is ... The Spirit? Gabriel Macht is The Spirit. That's right, Frank Miller has gone with a relative unknown to star in The Spirit, his adaptation of Will Eisner's classic comic. Macht actually made his feature film debut 27 years ago (and then took an 18-year hiatus to grow up), and he's been appearing in supporting roles just under the bill since 2001, but he's hardly a household name. TV fans may remember him from NBC's short-lived The Others and moviegoers should recognize him -- if not by name then by face -- from The Good Shepherd, Because I Said So and The Recruit. By the time The Spirit rolls out in 2009, though, Macht may be more familiar. Next year he stars opposite Kate Beckinsdale in Dominic Sena's Whiteout. The actor didn't win the role of the masked crime-fighter by being unknown; he was apparently cast on spot following his audition. Lionsgate head Mike Paseornek is happy with Miller's choice, describing Macht as having a "devilishly charming quality," and he thinks the actor will be able to embody The Spirit throughout a possible franchise.

Miller is scheduled to begin shooting The Spirit in October -- Variety reports he's doing Sin City 2 first, but that doesn't sound right -- so hopefully we'll hear soon about confirmed casting for the film's villain, Octopus. Of course, the character could be played by someone even more unknown than Macht since his face shouldn't actually be seen, but last we heard, Samuel L. Jackson was in talks for the role. For those of you out of the loop, The Spirit is a suit-and-tie-wearing, vigilante hero who was once a detective named Denny Colt before he faked his death to fight crime in Central City. His main nemesis, Octopus, is bent on wiping out the city, killing anyone with the misfortune of seeing his deformed face. The film will reportedly skip over The Spirit's origin and dive right into his adventures. Also The Spirit will apparently be portrayed as "a bit of a slut", so we shouldn't expect any Hollywood-enforced love interest, just a lot of random women.

Supporting Cast Lines Up For Kate Beckinsale's 'Whiteout'

Filed under: Action », Drama », Thrillers », Casting », Comic/Superhero/Geek »

I must say, I hate when you get a cast list of newly-signed actors, and only some of the roles are described. That being said, I'm going to take assumption and run with it. In February, I confirmed Ryan's post that Kate Beckinsale was gearing up for Dominic Sena's upcoming, and quite literally chilling thriller, Whiteout. With Beckinsale signed on to play Carrie Stetko, the woman rushing to find a killer before winter strikes Antarctica, Variety reports that the other cast is slowly falling into place.

First, we've got Columbus Short. Star of Stomp the Yard and the upcoming The Great Debaters, Short will play Lt. Delfy, according to IMDb. Then there is modelizer-turned-Because I Said So love interest, Gabriel Macht. He's playing a U.N. operative who is investigating the murder with Beckinsale. And then... Then, there is Tom Skerritt. There is no word on who he's playing, so my over-active and hopeful imagination is crossing its metaphorical fingers that Skerritt will play the deranged killer, although I fear that he'll be playing some stodgy man in charge. Please, powers-that-be. The man from Ice Castles, The Dead Zone and Poison Ivy deserves a great part!

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