Neil Gaiman Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Discuss: The Geek Movies of 2009
Filed under: Action », Universal », Warner Brothers », Fandom », Distribution », 20th Century Fox », The Weinstein Co. », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Lists »
.jpg)
2009 has begun on a rather tense note for geekdom as Watchmen became further embroiled in legal soup. As Fox pushes for a delay, we must contemplate a rather thin year of geeky offerings .... which just shows how spoiled we've become. Watchmen and Wolverine alone would have made our year before the wonder that was 2008, when we had Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and the Punisher. But hey, this is going to be the Year of Announcements -- we're going to find out who Captain America and Thor are, who or what Iron Man must face in his sequel, and hey, we might even find out whether Edward Norton will reprise his role as the Hulk. We're going to have fun, no matter what happens with Watchmen.
January
Nothing. Watch The Dark Knight ten more times, I guess (especially when it returns to conventional and IMAX theaters on January 23). Or read a graphic novel; you must have gotten some for Christmas? Anyway, take a breather. You're still recovering from 2008.
February
Neil Gaiman's Coraline, and a limited release of the long-delayed Fanboys both come out on February 6th. Gaiman for the win, no question.
March
Watchmen Watchmen Watchmen Watchmen Watchmen Watchmen Watchmen.The film is still scheduled to arrive in theaters on March 6th, however Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox are still fighting in court over who actually owns the rights to the property. If a judge rules in favor of Fox on January 20th or before, we may not get Watchmen on time ... but we will get a whole bunch of angry fans. Read more about it on our Watchmen page.
April
Dragonball Evolution hits theaters on the 8th. The excitement is palatable.
May
This is the month of geekdom, kicking off with the film my year centers around, X-Men Origins: Wolverine on May 1. If this isn't good, the Geek Beat will burn with the fury of a thousand suns the following Tuesday. May that be your warning, Fox.
A little independent film you might have heard of also comes out this month: Star Trek hits theaters on May 8th.
Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary Leave David Fincher's 'Black Hole'
Filed under: Drama », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Mystery & Suspense », Scripts », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
It's a sad day when an anticipated adaptation loses a pair of talented scriptwriters -- and that day has dawned. Neil Gaiman told MTV that he and co-writer Roger Avary are no longer attached to Black Hole, the big-screen adaptation of Charles Burns' terrifying graphic novel. (You can check out a preview of it here on Pantheon's official site.)They've been working on the project for two years. Originally, Alexandre Aja was set to direct, but then David Fincher claimed it as his own. And that's when Gaiman and Avary stepped aside. "Once they got David Fincher on, David explained his process consisted of having over ten drafts, done over and over, and Roger and I were sort of asked if we wanted to, if we were interested in doing that. And we definitely weren't."
Fincher is a notoriously demanding director (Robert Downey Jr. once compared working with him to being in a gulag), but no one can question the results. Then again, after spending two years on the script, the prospect of writing ten more drafts can hardly be appealing. If nothing else, Gaiman and Avary's work might stick around -- Gaiman says they left the last draft with Fincher, though he's unsure what will happen to it. "So we'll wait and see what happens. I just hope whatever happens, it's faithful to Black Hole." I think the graphic novel remains in good hands. The tone of the book seems a walk in the park for Fincher. And how far can a story about sexually transmitted mutations stray, really?
Behind the Scenes of 'Coraline'
Filed under: Animation », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Focus Features », Family Films », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
The cool gang over at Rotten Tomatoes has gotten a little behind the scenes glimpse of Coraline, the highly anticipated partnership between Neil Gaiman and Henry Selick. And because they're so cool, we get to embed it for you, so you don't have to leave the comfort of Cinematical.
Coraline has been floating around for so long I honestly can't remember if any of this information is new -- it feels like it is, so I guess that's just as good. But I can tell you the footage is, and is the first we've seen since the teaser back in February. And it's a treat! You also get to marvel over a few of the set pieces, and who can't gape for hours at anything Selick has created? At under two minutes, it's just enough to leave you desperate for more. It's going to be a long time before we get any more -- Coraline won't be released until February 6th, 2009.
[via /film]
Coraline has been floating around for so long I honestly can't remember if any of this information is new -- it feels like it is, so I guess that's just as good. But I can tell you the footage is, and is the first we've seen since the teaser back in February. And it's a treat! You also get to marvel over a few of the set pieces, and who can't gape for hours at anything Selick has created? At under two minutes, it's just enough to leave you desperate for more. It's going to be a long time before we get any more -- Coraline won't be released until February 6th, 2009.
[via /film]
From Page to Screen: 'Beowulf'
Filed under: Action », Classics », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », From Page to Screen »
Robert Zemeckis's Beowulf took a lot of hits for its perceived silliness, a verdict I could never quite sign on to. First of all, silly compared to what? Have these people seen the 1999 space opera Beowulf starring Christopher Lambert? Compared to that, Zemeckis's Beowulf is a sober meditation on the human condition. Have they seen the Gerard Butler clunker Beowulf and Grendel? Come on, guys: considering what the movies have done to this story in the past, last year's high-tech effort seems like serious business to me.
What about the source material – the ancient Old English epic poem upon which these movies purport to be based? If you've ever read it (or tried to read it), the perversions of the adaptations shouldn't surprise you. It's both begging for action movie treatment and impossible to faithfully adapt into anything resembling a compelling action movie. The story is credited with generating many of the archetypes we see in our fiction, and indeed, it's so archetypical that by modern standards, it's a skeleton; there's nothing there.
Seriously – you know how people complain about movies whose plots can be fully described in one sentence? A faithful Beowulf would take this phenomenon to new heights. A synopsis would read something like this: Beowulf beats up Grendel, Grendel's mom, and a dragon, and dies. The end. Some complained that the Zemeckis version distorted Beowulf, but I'd have liked to see their reaction to an undistorted adaptation. Trust me, it wouldn't work. There's a reason that all these screenwriters have scrambled to add elements to the story.
Warner Bros. Pick Up a Fantasy in Central Park
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Warner Brothers », Scripts »
When it comes to fantasy, I'm all for putting the unexplainable in otherwise 'normal' situations -- I could go on and on about the work of Neil Gaiman for this very reason -- so you can probably understand why I'm already sold on WB's latest acquisition. Variety reports that Warner Bros. has purchased a yet to be titled fantasy pitch about a mystical world hiding out in the middle of Central Park -- although, when it comes to urban fantasy, it's going to be tough to top The Earl's Court. The untitled story would center on "two brothers who, while visiting their grandfather in Gotham, meet a man who shows them a mystical realm in Central Park that is in danger." The original idea came from Warner Senior VP, Joe Berg, and Bryan Schulz and Neil Uliano have already been tapped to write the script. Schulz and Uliano are relative newcomers to the business, but, the two seem to have a knack for fantasy as this marks the duos second sale in the last six months (the two also sold another fantasy spec-script called Imaginary Friends to Dreamworks back in March).
WB has been hard at work building an impressive fantasy slate for the next few years. Obviously, The Hobbit and the latest installment of Harry Potter are at the top of their list of priorities -- but it couldn't hurt to have another shot at those box-office dollars.
SXSW Review: Dreams with Sharp Teeth
Filed under: Documentary », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », SXSW », Theatrical Reviews », Cinematical Indie »
I first encountered author Harlan Ellison's writings in Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine, when I was in high school. I enjoyed his "Watching" series of movie essays, and in fact I still do -- I have the collected book of them, and I sometimes reread them when I want to remind myself of certain things I like about film criticism. So naturally I was excited about Dreams with Sharp Teeth, Erik Nelson's documentary about Ellison that screened at SXSW this week. I wasn't disappointed, but obviously I was already a fan of the author.
The movie sets out to show you various facets of Ellison's life, without resorting to a linear biography. Various friends, colleagues and well-known acquaintances of Ellison talk about him -- Robin Williams perhaps most surprising among them, reviewing a list of the crazy stuff Ellison has allegedly done, and Ellison responding on whether the stories are true. Neil Gaiman and Battlestar Galactica producer Ron Moore also make appearances. The film also includes some vintage interviews with Ellison, such as Tom Snyder's interview from the 1970s. In between these stories about his life, Ellison reads excerpts from some of his best or best-known work.
Rachel McAdams Wants to Be The Black Orchid
Filed under: Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
See, world! Perfectly normal, lovely girls read comic books. Rachel McAdams spoke to MTV recently, and revealed that she's quite fond of comics and graphic novels. More than that, she wants to be the Black Orchid. "It's a really interesting character," the actress said. "She's a superhero that's a flower. I don't know if that would work or the audiences would be interested in that, but she was kind of cool."
She knows her stuff, too. She wants Neil Gaiman's 1988 run to be adapted.
Reportedly, McAdams has auditioned and lost roles in Iron Man, Fantastic Four, and Batman Begins. That's simply not fair. An actress who can name drop Neil Gaiman (I bet Gwyenth Paltrow can't) deserves a really cool superheroine. Hopefully, someone will take up her Black Orchid suggestion and cast her in the lead.
Mostly, I just want a girl to be rewarded for her geekery. Then we can all have hope! McAdams, you must be a pioneer for us all.
Teaser for Neil Gaiman's 'Coraline'
Filed under: Animation », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Focus Features », Family Films », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
I'm a grown woman that has been a fan of Neil Gaiman for many years; and still, Coraline manages to freak me out every time I see those little button eyes. The first teaser for the big-screen version of Gaiman's fantasy is now over at MovieWeb. Granted, it would probably be a lot more exciting if it was actually in 3-D (the trailer tells you to put on your glasses, so this must be the one that will screen in theaters), but for anyone who is a fan of Gaiman's dark fairy tales, you'll be glad to know that the film seems to have gotten the tone of Gaiman's work pitch perfect.Coraline is the story of a small girl who travels into a fantasy world where everything is familiar but nothing is quite right. There is an 'Other Mother' who is the spitting image of her own, but with the frightening distinction of having buttons for eyes. Coraline's adventure leads her to become the savior of her family and the other children trapped in this world, while hopefully getting them all back to the real world.
Teri Hatcher voices the 'Mothers', Dakota Fanning is Coraline. The cast also includes Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, and John Hodgeman (also knows as 'The PC'). Stop motion master Henry Selick directed the flick based on Gaiman's novella. Last December, Gaiman had posted a short clip on his personal site, but this is the first official trailer I've seen so far.
So, could it be a little too creepy for kids? (The tag line sounds like something from a supernatural thriller.) Maybe, but I miss the old days when children's entertainment had a little more 'bite.' Coraline is scheduled for release in 3-D format on January 18th, 2009.
Fincher Signs On to Direct Sexual Horror Flick 'Black Hole'
Filed under: Horror », Romance », Paramount »
Any time I hear news about a new project from director David Fincher, I get a little excited. Barring his debut, the studio-monkeyed Alien 3, Fincher has had a remarkably impressive run as a flick helmer: Seven, The Game, Fight Club, Panic Room and Zodiac, with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on the way. So even though he already has a few projects in development, Mr. Fincher has signed on to direct an adaptation of Charles Burns' graphic novel Black Hole. Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary, who last collaborated on Beowulf, will bang out the screenplay for MTV Films and Paramount Pictures.The Hollywood Reporter offers this as a plot synopsis: "The story follows a group of high school students whose lives are altered drastically when they come in contact with a sexually transmitted disease called the "teen plague" or "the bug." But if you head on over to the publisher's site, you'll find a much more thorough breakdown. To me it sounds like John Hughes meets (early) David Cronenberg ... and obviously that'd be just fine by me. Here's hoping Fincher makes Black Hole his very next project.
First Look at Neil Gaiman's 'Coraline'
Filed under: Animation », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Focus Features », Family Films », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »
One thing that has always impressed me about the work of Neil Gaiman -- even though the man writes fairy tales, he never sugar-coats it for the kids. Case in point: the author is now hosting a clip from the upcoming adaptation of Coraline on his personal web site, and it can probably be summed up in one word -- creepy. Based on Gaiman's Hugo award winning novella, the story focuses on a young girl who discovers an alternate world with very twisted versions of her home and family -- for starters they all have buttons sewn over their eyes. The young heroine is then charged with rescuing her family and freeing the souls of trapped children from the clutches of the "other mother." Coraline stars the voice talents of Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French (or as I like to call them: one of the funniest comedy duos of all time), and Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives) as the "other mother." The film was directed by Henry Selick, who is a stop-motion animation vet and is probably best known for directing Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. Stop-motion animation is probably one of the most painstaking processes around, so I can only imagine how long it took to create the clip on Gaiman's site. Not to mention the fact that this film will be the first to use stop-motion animation in a 3D format. It almost makes you forgive the fact that it's going to a full year before Coraline finally hits theaters on January 16th, 2009.
[via ComingSoon.net]
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!?
_thumbnail.jpg){kind=spacer}
