RObert Downey Jr. Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Spielberg Backs Out of 'Harvey'
Filed under: Deals », Newsstand »
Only a few months after we learned the Steven Spielberg was prepping a remake of the classic film Harvey, the famed director is backing out, according to Variety. The piece is strangely vague, and says only that after spending half a year developing the feature, and after 20th Century Fox reserved soundstages for the production, the director announced his withdrawal from the project.From there, they go on to mention the challenges of finding a star. There's no mention of Robert Downey Jr., who was rumored to be circling the project, and just says: "Spielberg's first choice was Tom Hanks, but the actor wanted no part of taking over a role played by the iconic star [James Stewart]." First, good. While I like Hanks' work, thinking of him as Elwood P. Dowd breeds flashbacks of Forrest Gump. Second, I might be in the minority, but I liked the idea of a remake, so this is a disappointment. Perhaps this is because I saw it on stage as well, and to me, Dowd is as much Stewart as it is Edward Herrmann. Perhaps it's just because Robert Downey Jr. would be perfect for the role.
Who knows? Maybe it will go on. With Spielberg out, is there anyone else who should take the helm? Me, I'm thinking Wes Anderson for a modern whimsical spin.
The International 'Iron Man 2' Poster Subtracts a Suit
Filed under: Action », Paramount », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Images », Posters »
.jpg)
Given the frenzy that surrounded the release of the first Iron Man 2 poster and the early stills, I thought it was fitting that we should end the week with a trilogy of marketing material. Empire has debuted the international version of the Iron Man 2 poster which you can see to the right in mini form. If you click on the link, it'll take you to a larger version.While our poster gave you two Iron Man suits for the money, the international audience only gets one -- and Tony Stark isn't even wearing his helmet! We should pity the overseas people who will be denied that awesome look at War Machine. On the other hand, they get the soulful eyes of Robert Downey Jr. I feel like there's some kind of commentary on the difference between American audiences and international ones here. They're sold by an intense, human gaze whereas we're sold by big metal suits that hint at the promise of explosions.
Yes, I'm reading too much into it. Come on, I have to make my word count ... and I don't know what it says about me that this is the one I'd put on my wall. I'm a sucker for the man inside the suit, I guess.
Iron Man 2 hits American theaters on May 7, 2010, but the UK reportedly gets an earlier look on April 30, 2010. Truly devoted fans might want to book that plane ticket now.
New 'Iron Man 2' Photos Have Everyone Thinking
Filed under: Action », Paramount », Fandom », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Images »
On the heels of the first Iron Man 2 poster come a few official stills straight from Paramount. Everyone looks very serious. Whiplash is seriously working on something, surrounded by pictures of Tony Stark to keep his hate burning and his ethic cheerful. Black Widow is seriously up to no good, even if she looks slinky doing it. Even Tony isn't taking things lightly -- not the destruction to his house, and not whatever he's brewing in his latest science project.
There's nothing really new on display here -- the Black Widow photo has been around in varying degrees of resolution since before San Diego Comic Con -- but it's just nice to see the characters out and about, isn't it? If you're given to intense plot speculation, you can all give your take on just what Tony and Whiplash have brewing, and just who caused Tony's marble floor to shatter into a dozen pieces. Did he fly through the ceiling again? Is he building an access portal so that it doesn't ever happen again? Or did some nefarious individual blast a hole into his luxurious tile, hoping to get into his secret lair of Iron Man suits?
We'll know on May 7th, 2010. Until then, just spin your own stories, and delight in a peek at the finished product. The first stills from a film always remind me of the good old days of Disney Adventures when this is all you'd have to go on until summer rolled around.
The First 'Iron Man 2' Poster Appears!
Filed under: Action », Paramount », Fandom », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Posters »
Marvel Studios, Paramount and Jon Favreau have given you an early Christmas present. Yahoo! Movies has debuted the first poster for Iron Man 2, and as cheesy as it is to go nuts over marketing, it's an awfully cool poster. It's their exclusive, so you'll have to click the picture to see the entire thing, but I've given you a tiny preview above.
The best part? Those of us who didn't get to see the pants-wetting footage at Comic-Con finally get a glimpse at War Machine! There's something deliciously geeky about the buddy cop stylings of this poster. I could live quite comfortably in a world where Iron Man 2 was something akin to a super-suited Lethal Weapon, couldn't you?
Of course, as nice as the poster is, it's no substitute for seeing these guys actually take flight. Faverau has hinted via Twitter that we might see the first Iron Man 2 trailer this Christmas, and that it'll be attached to that other Robert Downey Jr. franchise, Sherlock Holmes. Maybe if you're very good boys and girls, Santa will grant your wish, and we'll get it a few days before Holmes hits theaters. I can't think of a more festive way to ring in the holidays than with a flying hero of red and gold.
Robert Downey Jr. Wants to Retire?
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy », Fandom », Newsstand »
Retire. I am starting to hate that word in Hollywood. Most of the time it doesn't mean what it suggests. Retirement means ending work, maybe taking on a side gig if you really need to or are really bored, but for the most part, it's ending life in the workforce and enjoying a life of leisure. In cinema, however, it seems to be anyone who is taking a break from the biz. Luc Besson's "retired," as is Sean Connery. Now ... Robert Downey Jr.?The ever popular actor has told Entertainment Weekly that he might quit acting. "I've never had it this good -- this is my day in the sun -- and I certainly don't want to look a gift horse in the molars. But [my wife] Susan and I want to begin to be in our lives as much as we are in our jobs. I'd love just to sit here and say, 'What movie's playing tonight?' I'd love to finish the new book about D-day I'm reading. I love painting, I love music." And if you can get through that without your gut falling out in dread: "But here's the thing: I can only be a guy on a call sheet probably, I don't know, maybe a couple more times. It's something I'm so grateful to have in my palm, and yet I already see its inevitable decay."
He does leave room for hope by saying: "If Sherlock Holmes performs well, I could be busy for the next 5 or 7 or 10 years." But who knows whether that's just him appeasing potential fan backlash, dread at the thought of never catching a break, feeling uncertain in his career, or some other reason altogether. But if it's true and does happen, I shudder to think of Hollywood without his talent.
If Ben Stiller & Downey Jr. Aren't Hosting the Oscars...
Filed under: Awards », Exhibition », Oscar Watch »
Back in October, Adam Shankman was determined to make the Oscars fun, itching to "kick up the funny a little bit" and celebrate entertainment. But there wasn't a whole new revamp in mind -- he still wanted to continue with the path laid out last year and have Hugh Jackman host ... but the actor refused. Rumors immediately started bubbling that Neil Patrick Harris was circling, but there were other funny men in his sights. Deadline Hollywood reports that Shankman and Bill Mechanic went to Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. to host as a duo.But they said no.
Talk about a bummer. It's quite easy to imagine the red carpet coverage wind down, and Stiller and Downey Jr. dancing or strolling to center stage. They could easy bring a healthy dose of classic funny, yet still embody the new spin focused solely on entertainment and mirth. Hell, I would easily take Robert on his own. Can you imagine a series of blips where he acts out scenes from the top contenders or top grossing films? He could fall in love and be a lonely old man with a balloon house, travel into space, throw out classic Tarantino dialogue, channel Julia Child, suffer through a painful locker, feel the pressure of A Single Man...
But that dream is done. Is there any duo who could bring the same excellence? It would never happen, but if Ben and Robert are a no-go, I want insanity with a slice of brilliance by joining Christopher Walken and Jane Lynch. How about you? What other Oscar hosting duos would you suggest?
Exclusive: 'Sherlock Holmes' Poster Premiere!
Filed under: Action », Classics », Mystery & Suspense », Remakes and Sequels », Posters »
.jpg)
Click image below to view full poster
Cinematical has just received this exclusive new poster for Sherlock Holmes, due in theaters on Christmas Day. No more reserved stuffiness for this detective -- there's not a magnifying glass and classic hat in sight! Talk about a poster that boils the feel of a film down to one snazzy collection of images. Color us not surprised -- Robert Downey Jr.'s confident smirk alone is enough to tantalize, but there's also Jude Law with the campy and inquisitive Watson brow and a background of images ranging from a bottle of poison (cyanide, not any sort of booze) to faded glimpses of Rachel McAdams and Mark Strong. As the trailer and now this poster attest, Downey Jr. and Law are itching for roguish fun of a whole new flavor.
Set in 1891, Guy Ritchie's take on the famous detective finds Holmes and Watson battling an evil cult leader named Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), whose devilish schemes could give the crime-fighting duo their toughest challenge yet. "Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country" (read the full synopsis after the jump). Of course, with a depravity that knows no bounds as he brawls and flirts his way to the truth.
Sounds like the perfect roguish antidote to sappy holiday fare, doesn't it? Click on the image below to view the full poster.
Gallery: 'Sherlock Holmes' Poster
_thumbnail.jpg)
'Iron Man 2' Returns with More Set Video and Interviews
Filed under: Action », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Trailers and Clips »
.jpg)
"In this case, he is Iron Man, we know the characters, we know the tone, we know the rules, the way the world works ... and now we get to play." Jon Favreau on Iron Man 2.
A brand new set video that's definitely not as annoying as those flashy Entertainment Tonight videos has arrived online via France's Canal Plus, and though the intro is in French, the rest of it -- which includes some never-before-seen set footage and interviews with Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. -- is definitely worth a watch. As you can see from the image above -- which shows Scarlett Johansson wearing Iron Man's repulsor glove -- the video teases us with a little more Black Widow action. Not only do we get that brief shot, but we also catch a glimpse of Johansson (as Black Widow?) walking away from an explosion, as well as taking part in some pretty cool stunt work.
Instead of ET's set video on the racetrack, this one takes us inside Tony Stark's workshop, where Stark is attempting (and failing) to build a giant particle accelerator that wraps around and up through his driveway. Says Downey Jr, "I'd be surprised if you weren't surprised." Following that up, Favreau also notes how, historically, the second superhero movie usually rocks. "In comedies, number two is bad because you do the same story again. But with a superhero movie, number two is easier and better. And usually, if you look at most superhero movies, two is better than one. Three is usually not as good as two or one, so that becomes scary because you don't want to repeat yourself."
Watch the video after the jump. Iron Man 2 hits theaters on May 7, 2010.
Shelf Life: Natural Born Killers
Filed under: Warner Brothers », Fandom », Home Entertainment », Shelf Life »
In the last several weeks, "Shelf Life" columns have examined venerated films from different genres or filmographies that were tangentially if not directly related to the week's new releases: Carrie in anticipation of Jennifer's Body, Dawn of the Dead before Zombieland, and so on. This week, we're looking ahead at a future Blu-ray release, next week's Natural Born Killers, because, quite frankly, who's seen this thing in the last decade?
That of course isn't to say it's not still an incendiary classic, but in retrospect, Oliver Stone's treatise on media savagery feels like both a product of its time and a random blitz of imagery that has since dulled our perceptions of (and reactions to) the film's overall effect. But then again, it just might have been ahead of its time, or maybe just a misunderstood romance, or some other unholy beast that looks a lot different 15 years after it debuted in theaters. As such, Stone's Natural Born Killers is the subject of this week's "Shelf Life."
Robert Downey Jr. To Star in Spielberg's 'Harvey' Remake?
Filed under: Classics », Drama », Casting », RumorMonger », Steven Spielberg », Remakes and Sequels »
Now that we've all had enough time to get used to the idea that Spielberg is about to remake one of the most respected films in history, maybe it will help a little to know that it might star Robert Downey Jr. According to the LA Times' Hero Complex blog, the announcement is imminent that Downey will be starring in Spielberg's update of the classic film, which marks a change from some of the other names that had been attached, including the obvious heir apparent to Jimmy Stewart (and long time Spielberg cohort) Tom Hanks and Will Smith.Harvey was the story of a gentle soul by the name of Elwood P. Dowd, and his best friend, who happens to be an invisible six-foot rabbit named Harvey. The original play won the Pulitzer Prize, but most of us probably remember the 1950 film starring Jimmy Stewart as Dowd. News of the remake hit back in August, and according to Complex, during a set visit to Iron Man 2, "the actor spoke with affection and awe about the late Stewart's nuanced timing and camera sense."
'Entourage' Movie in the Works?
Spielberg Backs Out of 'Harvey'
Discuss: Should Gay Actors Stay in the Closet?
Sundance '10 Announces Non-Competing Film Premieres
'Up in the Air' Named Best Film of the Year by NBR
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
