Stormbreaker Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Back in 2006, there was this little picture brewing called Stormbreaker. The film was based upon the popular kids' spy series by Anthony Horowitz, which focuses on a 14-year-old named Alex Rider, who makes Nancy Drew's danger seem like child's play. In the shadow of the immense popularity monster called Harry Potter, the hope was to create a successful series for kids that could cash in on some of that moviegoer money. The film was completed, there was a trailer, Nintendo marketing, and star Alex Pettyfer even dropped out of school, stating: "When you have already experienced going out and working in the real world, and you come back to school, you just see it as a playground and you don't want to be there any more."

Well, the kid's optimism and positive thinking cockiness sure as hell didn't help the film or himself (he's only got one other film under his belt now -- Wild Child). Stormbreaker only brought in $24 million worldwide, and the Weinsteins decided to not let it loose across the US. Horowitz recently told Reuters: "Harvey Weinstein decided not to distribute it (in the United States). It is one of the most bizarre and annoying things that the film didn't get its shot in America. To this day, I don't know why." Considering this, it's not surprising that he says the chances of another film are "fairly slim." So, while Pettyfer heads into his drop-out actor career, and Horowitz continues to write popular novels, the big-screen dreams for Alex Rider have been pretty much dashed.

Johnny Depp Moves to Remote Deserted Island!

See, this is exactly why shooting two back-to-back Pirates of the Caribbean films was a bad idea. After purchasing an island in the Bahamas back in 2004, Johnny Depp is looking to move his family there full time. While the actor says he'll continue to spend time in France and the U.S., he'd like to make this island their "home base" because it's so peaceful there. I wonder if he'll have them all up in some bizarre tree-house, feeding off the earth and constantly on the look-out for enemy pirate ships? You think I'm joking? The guy has spent so much time dressed up as Captain Jack, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he were to become a real pirate. I just feel bad for the kids -- perhaps they can borrow a few volleyballs from Tom Hanks and make some new friends. "Wilson!"

Baby Suri Given the Silent Treatment!

It's been two months since Katie Holmes has given birth to baby Suri and, still, no one has seen the child. Not their friends. Not the press. Not Mel Gibson. No one! So, why are they hiding her? Where is she? How is she? And here's my favorite -- does she even exist? As the celebrity gossip community tries desperately to understand why Tom Cruise and his wife would not want to subject their newborn baby to hundreds of slobbering paparazzi, the latest news is that, well, this whole thing has to do with Scientology. See, in Scientology terms, a negative experience (paparazzi chasing you) combined with noise (paparazzi screaming at you) can result in an "engram." Yeah, and supposedly an "engram" is not a good thing. God help me if this poor child is being kept in some sound-proof bubble because its father is a paranoid mess and its mother is brainwashed. Where's Dr. Phil?!

Stormbreaker Star Quits School!

Though the film hasn't hit theaters yet, 16-year-old Alex Pettyfer dropped out of school, confident his film Stormbreaker will make him a household name. In the pic, the actor stars as a teenage spy who, apparently, saves the world or something. Speaking at the Stormbreaker premiere in London, Pettyfer says, "When you have already experienced going out and working in the real world, and you come back to school, you just see it as a playground and you don't want to be there any more." Way to be a role model Alex! School sucks! I'll make sure and remember this quote for when the kid shows up on VHI's "Child Actors Who Quit School Because They're Morons" series in about five to ten years from now. However, first we'll need him to complete Hollywood's "graduate studies" program. Rumor has it he's majoring in coke addiction, with a minor in big box office bombs. (And no, I'm not talking about you Lindsay Lohan. You didn't hear me say 'fake bombs', did you?)

We haven't talked much here about Stormbreaker, a movie based on a series of British books about Alex Rider (played in the movie by newbie Alex Pettyfer), a teenage superspy. As the story begins, Alex's uncle (Who I'd pictured as older, stern, and a bit mysterious -- a bit like James Mason, if you will. Turns out that he's Ewan McGregor, a casting decision that makes him a lot cooler than the uncle I'd imagined ...), a banker, dies in a car accident. It's eventually revealed that the uncle was in fact a spy for MI6, and for some reason it's decided that Alex needs to take over his mission.

Anyway, the buzz about this project has been surprisingly loud in certain circles of the internet, and now that the full trailer is finally out, it's unlikely that the anticipation will cool. I have no idea if Stormbreaker is going to be any good, but I'm really surprised by the trailer -- instead of the stupid, Cute Child Spy! movie I'd imagined, it looks just as dark and nasty as the best moments of the Bond series that so obviously influenced the film. After all, it's not often that you see a teenage protagonist being both threatened with violence and wielding an automatic weapon as part of his job. If any of you have been looking forward to this one, check out the trailer and let us know what you think.

Stormbreaker comes out Friday in the UK, and on August 18 in the US.

[via Twitch]

Growing up, I was addicted to my Nintendo video game system. I remember spending hours upon hours playing games like Super Mario Bros., Metroid and The Legend of Zelda. I mean, who needed friends when you've got Link and, well, some chick dressed up as a robot? My earliest memory of Nintendo on the big screen was 1989's The Wizard. Starring Fred Savage as a runaway kid, hell-bent on winning a huge video game tournament, there was really only one reason to see the film -- it was unveiling the first images of Super Mario Bros. 3. Since this was before a little thing called the internet, us Nintendo freaks had to see The Wizard in order to sneak a peak at the game. C'mon, I know that brings back memories for you 80's kids.

Well, times have changed and Nintendo is finding new ways to market themselves through film. Their latest smooth move comes via the new flick Stormbreaker, in which a 14-year-old boy is forced into Britain's secret intelligence service (MI6) after the death of his uncle. Since the kid is a super spy, you know he's going to have some nifty gadgets, right? Turns out, it's his Nintendo DS playing the role of sidekick in the film. Who knew one could use their Nintendo DS for eavesdropping, wiretapping and, when applicable, as a smoke bomb? See, the thought process here is the bad guys will see a 14-year-old kid playing video games when, little do they know, he's actually saving the world. Oh, and don't worry Mom and Dad, Nintendo has said that they do not intend on making these features available on the actual DS ... though I imagine you geeks will find a way somehow.