guardians of gahoole Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Because it's easier when everything is in one spot ...

-- Michael Bay stopped to chat with Collider on the red carpet during the Friday the 13th premiere, and he talked all things Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Highlights include Bay calling the three scenes they shot in IMAX "awesome" and the film itself "dark", as well as noting that while he'd be interested in directing a third Transformers movie, he definitely wants to take a year off first. Also: New toy images of the robots over here.

-- Sam Rockwell has joined Hilary Swank in a legal drama called Betty Ann Waters, which tells the true story of a woman who spent a decade trying to free her innocent brother (Rockwell) from a life-in-prison sentence for a crime she thinks he didn't commit. [Hollywood Reporter]

-- Say what? Tom Cruise may star alongside Denzel Washington in the next David Cronenberg flick? Sounds like some bizarre nightmare you had after a night of partying with some film buddies, but it's totally true. The film is that big-budget adaptation of The Matarese Circle, and Cruise would go from playing a German in Valkyrie to a Russian spy who's the "mortal enemy" of Washington's American intelligence character. Word is this sucker has Bourne-like franchise potential. [Hollywood Reporter]

-- The Mumblecore movement is slowly inching its way toward the mainstream as indie darling Greta Gerwig (Baghead, Hannah Takes the Stairs) has signed on to star opposite Ben Stiller (!) in Noah Baumbach's (Squid and the Whale) next film, Greenberg. No plot information yet (relationships, awkwardness, etc ...), but I'm jazzed to see Gerwig getting some more love. She's a fantastic moody actress that deserves greater exposure. [Hollywood Reporter]

-- Rob Zombie's Halloween sequel (aka H2) will hit theaters on August 28, 2009. Check out the teaser poster that was sent to us below.

Zack Snyder isn't a director that lets a little legal drama bring him down, and currently he's busy at work on Guardians of Ga'Hoole, the Lord of the Rings of owl stories. (Two young friends of mine have since assured me it's a really good series; I should drop hints until they lend it to me.)

Sydney's Daily Telegraph is reporting that Aussie up-and-comer Ryan Kwanten has joined the voice cast of Ga'Hoole, along with fellow Aussies Hugh Jackman and Hugo Weaving.

While their involvement hasn't been confirmed anywhere else, this certainly could be the "schedule conflict" alluded to in Jackman dropping out of Cleo -- but would Snyder really reuse two memorable parts of the Happy Feet voice cast? Then again, why wouldn't he? Weaving is The Voice of All Voices, and Jackman did a pretty memorable job in Happy Feet and Flushed Away. Plus, they're Australian, which is where most of the Ga'Hoole work will be done. You might as well save on the production costs by using the local talent, right?

Going by Wiki's character list (don't read it, it's chock full of spoilers), I can hazard a guess as to which Aussie will be playing what owl -- Kwanten is probably going to be the young hero, Soren. Jackman sounds rather perfect for Twilight, "a confident and boastful owl who is always singing songs about himself." There's far too many wise and kingly owls to assign one to Weaving, so we'll have to wait and see on that one. I'm really very curious about this film -- an epic about owls sounds a lot more promising than half the stuff that gets optioned, anyway. At least there will be no question as to who owns the rights to this Snyder film.

Now here's a genre I never thought Zack Snyder would tackle -- kids films! Variety reports that Snyder has signed on to direct Guardians of Ga'Hoole, an animated children's film based on the books by Kathryn Lasky.

The story is set in the Forest of Tyto, where Barn Owls live in peace until their kingdom is threatened by an evil that could destroy their home. There are currently 14 books in the series out of a planned 25 -- man, kids books just go on forever these days. It makes Harry Potter look like a picture book. Anyone have kids who are into this series? Is it any good?

It's being penned by two excellent adapters -- John Orloff, who scripted A Mighty Heart, and John Collee, who wrote Master and Commander. There must be something good there to warrant those two. Few realize that Snyder has young children (his son is a young and battered Leonidas in 300), so he's probably aiming to make a film they can actually watch. It's being put on the fast track by Warner Bros with an expected release of 2009 or 2010.