TheLosers Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Gaze Upon 'The Losers' and 'Jonah Hex'!
Filed under: Action », Warner Brothers », Fandom », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Images », Western »
At last, some comic book news that isn't centered around Batman or Spider-Man! Omelete got their hands on some official images from two of Warner Bros' upcoming comic flicks, Jonah Hex and The Losers.
We've seen paparazzi glimpses from the Hex set of Megan Fox and Josh Brolin, but there's nothing like a well-lit and spooky shot, especially when your actor looks good enough to have walked off the page. If you're a fan of the haunted gunslinger and are unconvinced, you might be comforted by the sight of his Confederate gray and mangled lip. I can't say how excited I am for this film. Jonah Hex is a character who has more in common with High Plains Drifter than the capes and superpower crowd, and I think that will surprise and delight a lot of "newbies" who still equate DC Comics with Batman.
Next up, we have our first official look at The Losers! Aren't they a handsome bunch? This is based not on the DC war squad from the 1970s, but on the Vertigo spinoff by Andy Diggle. The Losers are a Special Forces team abandoned and left to die by their mysterious commander, Max. They regroup, vow revenge, and let the bullets fly. I have hopes that this one will be a solid action flick, the kind we all long for from the 1980s. The cast is certainly a lovely one: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Columbus Short, Idris Elba, and Oscar Jaenada are our fine Losers, and Jason Patric will be the villainous Max. You can see the whole line-up of them here, along a very sexy shot of Saldana. Even I can appreciate a lovely lady when she's packing guns. Now, if they'll just release a photo of Morgan to match ...
The photos are below in our gallery. Spend your Turkey Day geeking out.
Zoe Saldana Talks 'Star Trek' Sequel & 'Avatar'
Filed under: Action », Animation », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Paramount », Warner Brothers », Fandom », 20th Century Fox », Interviews », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
The lovely Zoe Saldana is quickly becoming a name to contend with after managing to land plum parts in not one, but two of the biggest sci-fi films of the decade: Star Trek and Avatar. One is a bonafide hit, the other remains shrouded in a lot of mystery, but it's a mark of Saldana's star power that she's making a name outside of their huge hype. Plus, she's becoming an action heroine in her own right, and just might be our generation's Sigourney Weaver or Linda Hamilton. We had the chance to catch up with Saldana this week, and she was game to talk about both projects. Of course with the Star Trek sequel still in a misty writing stage, she didn't have any big secrets to spill, but she shared the opinion of a lot of female Trek fans in hoping Uhura gets to do a little butt-kicking later on. "In Star Trek, I had so much fun, but the boys got all the action! J.J. [Abrams] promised me that I'm going to -- [that] in the sequel, she will have at least one little fight. I mean, just [let me] kick a guy in the groin or something!" Laughing, she revealed that there was an enormous ongoing e-mail list among the cast, Abrams, and the Trek producers where they regularly chat and joke back and forth. From the sound of it, that's also where the groin-kicking requests are made.
Go below the jump for Saldana talking all about Avatar!
Chris Evans Not Involved in 'Fantastic Four' Reboot
Filed under: Warner Brothers », 20th Century Fox », Interviews », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
Most comic book fans agree that if there was one really solid thing about the two Fantastic Four films, it was Chris Evans. He was the perfect Johnny Storm! It's a shame when a superhero franchise fails its good performers, and reboots them right out of the picture. I had a chance to ask Evans what he thought about the Fantastic Four reboot, and not only was he gracious enough to answer, he wishes the new franchise nothing but good luck."I don't think I'm going to be involved in it. I would imagine a reboot would be -- a reboot! I think they're going to start from scratch and that's the way those movies go. I mean, they're doing it with Red Dawn too. Sometimes they happen quicker than others. Batman there was a big chunk of time, and the new Batman movies are fantastic. Superman, Incredible Hulk. Sometimes its a big gap, sometimes there's a small gap. If there's room to reinvent a franchise in a different tone and they can make a good film out of it, so be it. I'm not going to have anything negative to say about it."
Would it feel weird to watch someone else play the Human Torch? "Well, of course. But I've done plays and then I'll go see someone else do the same play, and be like 'Hmm. I did it differently!' You know? [laughs] Of course. But let's not confuse weird with bad, or weird with negative. Weird is in no way [negative]. No way would I have any -- I welcome the new franchise. I hope it's fantastic. I like good movies! I'm sure Michael Keaton felt the same way, I'm sure Christopher Reeve felt the same way. If it's a great movie, let's make it. Let's get it out there. There aren't enough of them."
Jason Patric Graciously Accepts Geek Role in 'The Losers'
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Casting », Warner Brothers », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Fan Rant »
We all want to meet The Losers, especially with the studio who can seemingly do no wrong (aka Warner Bros) financing the whole thing. It has already has a heck of a cast and though it has kicked off filming in Puerto Rico, they've found time to add one more: Jason Patric, who Variety reports is playing the mysterious and villainous Max. Max is the one who turns a bunch of black ops badasses into the Losers who are out for vengeance, and there's no doubt Patric can lend some gravitas to the role.Unfortunately, Variety and Patric felt the need to sour the sweet news up. The press-shy Patric sat down with with Mike Fleming in order to explain just how an actor of his caliber ends up playing a mere comic book villain. These days, it's apparently neccessary to "slum it" to keep working. Fleming laments the neccessity, noting "You know that geek validation has become a serious thing when actor's actor Jason Patric agrees to play his first real villain role in his first comic book movie."
DC Movies Are Finally Catching Up To Marvel!
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Warner Brothers », Scripts », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
Remember earlier this year when I pondered just what the heck was taking so long when it came to DC's big screen adaptations? Well, all we had to do was give them a few months, and they started kicking ass and taking names. The Hollywood Reporter has a big piece all about how DC and Warner Bros have united in a creative partnership that rivals the continuity-happy gang at Marvel Entertainment, and it's a relationship that is hoping to yield some wonderful surprises. In a show of just how serious they are, Warner Bros quietly brought on comic supermen Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, and Marv Wolfman to act as creative consultants for their major properties such as The Flash, Teen Titans, and anything else the studio might throw at them. Even now, Wolfman and Morrison are working on super secret productions the likes of which fans can only dream about.
Wait, what was that -- The Flash? Yep, Johns is in the producer chair on the project, and worked up a new treatment for the character. Dan Mazeau is currently writing the script, and the hunt for a director is in the works. There's no Wonder Woman, Superman, or Justice League in the works, but you will be getting Bizarro Superman, which is being penned by David Howard and Robert Gordon. Also in the works is a sequel to Constantine, a solo Green Arrow movie, the Green Arrow prison lark, Supermax, and still-alive Shazam. Plus, if you've got pitches for Adam Strange or Aquaman, the studio would very much like to hear them!
Idris Elba and Zoe Saldana to Be 'Losers'
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Casting », Warner Brothers », Scripts », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », War »
When Warner Bros first announced they were green-lighting an adaptation of DC/Vertigo series The Losers with Sylvain White directing, it elicited only a minor flicker of interest out of me. It's a not a lost series, per say, but it's not one that a lot of people have read and enthused about. The plotline is like any action movie you've ever seen: A Special Forces team that's betrayed by its handler, left for dead, and who regroup to seek revenge. Dubbing themselves "The Losers," they seek to remove their names off a CIA death list, and to work against a massive conspiracy involving their handler, "Max."
But now! Now it has a very respectable cast! According to The Hollywood Reporter, Idris Elba and Zoe Saldana are being recruited into the Special Forces. Elba will be playing Roque, the scarred second-in-command, an icy fellow who is motivated purely by money. Saldana will play Aisha, whose both a loose cannon and a cold-blooded killer who leaves a trail of corpses behind her. They'll join Jeffery Dean Morgan, who must have enjoyed Watchmen so much that he'll do anything DC/Warner Bros related. He'll be playing Clay, the meticulous leader.
There's still a few Losers to be cast, and color me curious as to who else the script (penned by Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt) can attract. Sure, it could be cartoony and crappy but I have a weird trust in Mogan, Elba and Saldana, and I think it's going to be worth following from this point on. Mea culpa, Warner Bros.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan Wants to Be a Loser!
Filed under: Casting », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
The Losers has been tossed around like a cinematic game of hot potato. Peter Berg wrote the adaptation and was going to direct it, then be backed out and McG took over in March of 2007, and then Tim Story took over a few months later in June, and then things got back on track and rejigged with Sylvain White in the directorial chair last November. Now things seem to be not only on-track, but into casting!The Hollywood Reporter posts that our beloved Comedian, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, is in negotiations to star in the film. It's certainly not a surprising move for the actor. The comic book was rejigged for a more modern story, and the film will focus on a special forces team betrayed by their boss and left for dead. Tough guys won't take such things lying down, so the Losers decide to get revenge against the CIA.
Morgan would play Clay, "the group's leader, whose signature look favors black suits without ties." (Morgan might be repeating with the old-tough guy working for the government thing, but at least he gets a different set of clothes. And at least this project isn't another bad romcom. Anyway...) So this new Clay is Sarge meets Lt. Templeton 'Face' Peck? Speaking of The A-Team, you just know that this project is kicking up now to compete with or beat it.
Do any of you have suggestions for the rest of the casting?
*Post edited for mental lapse.
Sylvain White Takes Over 'The Losers'
Filed under: Action », Deals », Warner Brothers », DIY/Filmmaking », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
So remember back in 2007 when no one could understand why Warner Bros. had chosen to hire Tim Story (Taxi) to direct a feature film version of Vertigo's The Losers? Well, it looks like WB might have come to the same conclusion as we did because Variety reports that Story has now been replaced by Sylvain White. Personally, I haven't been able to wrap my head around either of WB's choices for the comic book flick. It is nothing against either one of these guys, but keep in mind that White directed Stomp the Yard and I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer .The Losers was originally a DC title about a group of WWII bad-a**es, but in 2003, Andy Diggle revived the title with a few minor changes for Vertigo. The 'new' Losers still centered on a Special Forces team, but the story was now set in the 1990's with the team reporting to the C.I.A. and a mysterious handler known as Max. When the team is betrayed by Max during a dangerous operation and left for dead, the group reunites for revenge.
White has already been setting up some other 'fan boy friendly' projects for 2009, and even though he won't be heading to Castlevania any time soon, there is still his adaptation of Frank Miller's Ronin for WB, and the futuristic thriller Static for Columbia Pictures. James Vanderbilt (Wolverine, Spiderman 4) has already completed the Losers script for Warner Bros, and even though the jury might still out on White's skills, at least Vanderbilt has enough comic book cred for the both of them.
Let's just keep our fingers crossed that White has left his mall sensibilities behind him for good, because I don't think I could take a teen version of The Losers -- could you?
Another Source Says McG Directing 'Me and My Monster'
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Sony », RumorMonger »
Granted, McG doesn't have the best track record in holding on to projects, so until everyone signs on the dotted line we will have to chalk this up to idle chatter for now. According to Bloody-Disgusting.com McG will be taking over directing duties for the fantasy film Me and My Monster, which is about, "A young boy [who] has a friendship with a bizarre creature that changes the course of his life as he becomes an adult." This instantly brings to my mind the Phoebe Cates film Drop Dead Fred, but I tend of have a film memory that is ruled by tangents. The script for Monster was written by Matthew Huffman and Robot Chicken writer Dan Milano and originally, Jake Gyllenhaal was attached to the project as the lead, but there has been no update on that recently.The last film we had from McG was the male weepy We Are Marshall and there had been some talk that he had been chosen to replace Peter Berg on the big-screen version of The Losers -- a DC/Vertigo series that was based on obscure DC title. But now, that project has been taken over by Tim Story. There is still the chance that McG will be producing a live-action film about Hot Wheels, but it's almost been a year and there seems to be no movement on that one. The current studio climate seems to favor nostalgia, so it could still happen -- that is if he doesn't drop out or get replaced first.
Tim Story Will Direct 'The Losers' for Warner Bros.
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Warner Brothers », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
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What happens to a director who helms three unwatchable films in a row? Well, it depends on how much money they make, obviously. After coming out with the snore-fest Barbershop, then following that up with the universally-panned comedy Taxi and directing a braindead adaptation of beloved comic Fantastic Four, Tim Story is now being handed the keys to another comic franchise, The Losers. The plot, which has gone through several permutations over the years, revolves around a bunch of Army misfits during WWII who are betrayed, then go on a mission to find out who set them up and why. HR reports that the movie "will be a one-off but with sequel potential," which I guess goes without saying. Interestingly, the adaptation that's getting greenlit was written by Peter Berg, who was set to direct but changed his mind for unspecified reasons.
Next week, of course, Story will see the release of Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer, a film I really can't believe they let him direct after the way he handled the first one, but there you go. Silver Surfer reunites the original cast and adds a planet-surfing scout for a planet-devouring villain, who has a very familiar voice. We recently conducted a reader Q&A with the co-screenwriter of the film, Don Payne, and you can read some of the questions and answers from that by clicking here.
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