mark neveldine Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Hyper-Insane 'Gamer' Trailer Now Online
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Lionsgate Films », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Games and Game Movies », Trailers and Clips »
Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor's latest piece of madcap action has a new name (from Game to Citizen Game to Gamer), a new poster, and a new trailer. Luckily though, it's still exactly the kind of film you've come to expect from the directing duo. The trailer looks like a pretty tasty mash-up of The Running Man, Death Race, Escape from New York, and Gladiator with a dash of Blade Runner for color. If you've been annoyed at Gerard Butler going all chirpy and chick-flicky lately, this trailer will be a nice dose of neo-Leonidas. He really snarles and smashes through every frame of this -- and he even does so shirtless just to keep the crowd that does like his chick-flicky side happy.
Of course, Butler may be the top name, but he's not the only draw. Michael C. Hall is splendidly slimy here, and you'll get glimpses of Logan Lerman, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Leguizamo, Amber Valetta, and a blink-and-you-miss it shot of Kyra Sedgwick. Milo Ventimiglia and Alison Lohman are supposed to be somewhere in here, but it all happens too fast to see them.
It's silly for me to describe it further, so just check out the trailer below -- and if you have an XBox360, you can watch it there, but the rest of us have to get by with YouTube. Gamer hits theaters on September 4.
Of course, Butler may be the top name, but he's not the only draw. Michael C. Hall is splendidly slimy here, and you'll get glimpses of Logan Lerman, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Leguizamo, Amber Valetta, and a blink-and-you-miss it shot of Kyra Sedgwick. Milo Ventimiglia and Alison Lohman are supposed to be somewhere in here, but it all happens too fast to see them.
It's silly for me to describe it further, so just check out the trailer below -- and if you have an XBox360, you can watch it there, but the rest of us have to get by with YouTube. Gamer hits theaters on September 4.
Will Arnett and Michael Shannon to Ride with Jonah Hex
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Horror », Casting », Warner Brothers », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Western »
Warner Bros' Jonah Hex gained some really interesting casting today (yes, realThe Hollywood Reporter casting, no April Fool's stuff). According to , Will Arnett and Michael Shannon are joining the cast, which already includes Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, and Megan Fox. Arnett will be playing a Union soldier named Lieutenant Grass who enlists Hex to kill Turnbull, Malkovich's Confederate voodoo practitioner. Per an old casting notice, Grass is a man who's blindsided by the dirty fighting style of his enemies, a man more interested in new styles of warfare than really understanding his enemy. The role isn't meant to be funny, so Arnett will be toning down his style. Even when he's funny, he's got a bit of the creep about him (no offense, Mr. Arnett) which seems perfect for Jonah Hex, where everyone is a little ... off.
Shannon, fresh off his Oscar nomination, will be playing Doc Cross Williams, the bizarre ringleader of a brutal gladiator / circus event. Williams' is one of Hex's recurring nemesis in the series, whose finest achievement is making Wild Bill Hickok into a zombie. THR says he's likely to appear in sequels which is the first time anyone's mentioned a Jonah Hex franchise. While we're still a long ways away from being able to say "Hell yeah, bring it on", it's little touches like Wild Bill Hickok zombies that makes Jonah Hex such an enticing project.
Megan Fox Joins 'Jonah Hex' and Dives Into 'Fathom'
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Warner Brothers », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Western »
Megan Fox knows how to please her fans -- and it isn't by trying out for edgy indie fare, romantic comedies, or soul searching dramas. It's by sticking to the "boy movies" based on comic books or transforming cars.So it should come as no surprise that Fox has signed for not one, but two comic book properties. The first is Fox Atomic's long-rumored Fathom, which casts Fox in the lead role of Aspen Matthews. The film doesn't have a director yet, though it once attracted James Cameron. Jordan Mechner (creator of the video game Prince of Persia) is writing the script. To Fox's credit, she's been a fan of the comic since its start in 1998, and is helping to develop and shape the big screen adaptation. Will her ex-fiancee Brian Austin Green stay on as producer, as listed in The Hollywood Reporter?
Fox is also set to join Josh Brolin and John Malkovich in Warner Bros' Jonah Hex -- which brings a really promising project down a notch or two in my eyes. (Hey, she's perfect for Fathom. But I would have preferred Hex steer cleer of such pandering.) Fox will play Leila, a gun-wielding beauty and love interest for Jonah. I don't believe she ever appeared in the original series, though Hex's mythology is so uneven that she very well might be a current character. (There was a female supermodel who claimed to be Jonah Hex, maybe she's inspired by that.)
But hey -- THR reveals that Malkovich's Turnbull will be a voodoo practioner who is trying to raise an undead army of Confederate soldiers. So not even the gratutious inclusion of Fox and her smoking guns can really dim my enthusiasm. Who knows? She might even end up cool as well as hot.
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'Crank 2' Trailer Officially Hits the Net
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Thrillers », Lionsgate Films », Movie Marketing », Games and Game Movies », Trailers and Clips »
Just the thing for Friday afternoon! The official Crank 2: High Voltage trailer has hit the net (in a far more "Safe for Work" form than the earlier one!) and ... well, it looks exactly like it should. Hilariously over the top, full of dubious science and medical treatments, and a rehash of the first Crank in all the right ways. You should be sold on it from that first glare from Jason Statham. (But then, that might be a girl thing.) When I heard they were doing Crank 2 and that it revolved around a robotic heart, I thought it was too stupid for words. But such is the power of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor -- the ridiculous not only makes sense here, it's insanely cool.
In fact, you might want to watch only the first thirty seconds or so, just enough to whet your appetite and get the concept, as I fear this trailer ruins an awful lot of the stunts and heart-starting gags. If you're going to spend the money to see Crank 2, then you should see it as unspoiled as possible -- consider that you're warning, and make your own choice, but IGN let us embedded it for you. Watch, laugh your ass off, and be glad there's some April action to look forward to.
Guess Josh Brolin IS Jonah Hex After All!
Filed under: Action », Horror », Warner Brothers », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Western »
Yesterday, Jimmy Hayward was announced as the director of Warner Bros' Jonah Hex. The Horton Hears a Who helmer is a surprising choice, but an ex-PIXAR man really isn't anything to sniff at. As we wait to see what mark Hayward leaves on the Neveldine/Taylor script, MTV News caught up with Jonah's on again, off again star, Josh Brolin. He approves wholeheartedly of Heyward, which would suggest he is actually taking the role. "He's amazing," gushes Brolin. "He's an amazing, amazing guy." And what does he bring to the project that Neveldine and Taylor didn't? "Brilliance." Yikes. Brolin was quick to temper that potential criticism though. "I think the Crank guys are great. They're wonderful, and Mark [Neveldine] still e-mails me, he's very much involved, but I just think Jimmy Hayward is going to bring something truly unique."
Already, Jonah Hex has inspired a lot more Internet discussion and drama than I would have ever expected him to -- from Thomas Jane's leaked photo, to Brolin's mysterious involvement, to the director switcharoo, he's already had more pre-production press than most of DC's stable. I can't wait to see what other twists and turns this takes on the dusty road to filming.
The Director of 'Jonah Hex' is ... Jimmy Hayward?
Filed under: Action », Horror », Deals », Warner Brothers », Scripts », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Western »
If you watched Horton Hears a Who last spring and immediately thought "This is exactly how I see Jonah Hex," I would have demanded to know what narcotic you were on. Then, I would have had to apologize because you clearly weren't alone. Someone at Warner Bros was thinking the same thing, because according to The Hollywood Reporter, Horton's helmer Jimmy Hayward has stepped in as the director of Jonah Hex. After losing Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the studio has been frantically searching for a replacement, as they hope to begin shooting in March or April. McG and Andy Fickman were both on the short list, and back in December, Lexi Alexander was reportedly interested in the script. Instead, they chose a former PIXAR man, who made his directoral debut with Horton Hears a Who.
From all reports, they're keeping the Neveldine/Taylor script, so there is that, but Hayward is expected to give it his own mark. Who knows, maybe it's a smaller step from Dr. Seuss to a scarred cowboy than I'm able to picture. You can even argue that animated films and comic books have a lot in common, so you can't really judge ... but it's still a surprising pick, all creative differences considered.
So, will the choice of Hayward tip the balance for Josh Brolin or not? THR is still listing him as attached, but last we heard, he was still undecided as to whether or not to take the lead -- and it all hinged on who was sitting in the director's chair. Will he approve of Hayward over Neveldine and Taylor? Or will he depart for the open prairie, leaving Hayward without a cowboy?
Josh Brolin Can't Decide Whether He's 'Jonah Hex' or Not
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Warner Brothers », RumorMonger », Celebrities and Controversy », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Western »
Poor Jonah Hex. As William Goss reported earlier, Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have left the scarred cowboy behind due to creative differences. But does he still have Josh Brolin to play him, or not?The truth is, Brolin can't decide if he is. He had a chat with MTV News that didn't decide the question, but did reveal his enthusiasm for the project: "When I first read it I thought, oh my God it's awful! And then I had a moment a week later and I thought why is it awful? Maybe the thing to do is to do the most awful movie I can find ... [I love] the absurdity of it. It almost allows you to create a new genre. I love going back into the spaghetti western idea and completely turning it around."
Will he ever make up his mind? "Soon. In the last couple months I've been going back and forth about it. I went back to my gut. Is it a sell out? What is it I like about this movie? ... It's so tongue in cheek. It's so ridiculous. But once I started putting people in my mind and saying what if I put Malkovich in this role then what does this movie become? Now let's put this producer and director on it and think about how it plays out. Then it becomes fun. Now I love that movie. If you have a great filmmaker come in then suddenly these gags and characters become interesting."
Neveldine and Taylor Leave 'Jonah Hex'
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Deals », Lionsgate Films », RumorMonger », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels », Western »
With only two features to their credit -- they co-wrote and co-directed 2006's Crank, and together scripted this past spring's Pathology -- maybe it's a bit premature to declare myself a fan of the duo known as Neveldine/Taylor. (Even if that's the case, Eugene's got my back.) Yes, I'm the guy psyched for Crank 2: High Voltage, and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for other upcoming projects, such as the Gerard Butler actioner Game and the comic book adaptation Jonah Hex...Well, now, the latter's lost maybe only a fraction of what precious little interest it had, as Neveldine/Taylor has reportedly walked away from directing the project, citing (and say it with me now) "creative differences." However, the implication from this Variety brief is that their script is already done and will be the same one that Josh Brolin is still tapped to star in (to Thomas Jane's probable dismay).
Something tells me that a film that's gathered this much attention to date won't go unmade, but it's now a matter of who will helm it. 2009 will remain the year of N/T regardless, with Crank 2 scheduled to open in April and Game in September.
An Early Review of Gerard Butler's 'Game'
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Lionsgate Films », RumorMonger », Exhibition »
As I discovered yesterday, it doesn't always pay to make assumptions, so this time I'm going to let the news speak for itself. Over at AICN, a loyal reader and reviewer named "Sexy Whisk" managed to score a seat at an early preview of Gerard Butler's Game and provided us all with some very special deets. Judging from what they had to say, it's not looking good for the video game-inspired flick. So where to begin? According to the review, the action is a let down, the cast is wasted, and most of the film rides a fine line of creepy and offensive (if you don't believe me, you can read the full review here).Game stars Butler as the leading player in an online fight to the death. This Running Man-style narrative has the added twist that the players in this game are controlled by the viewers (apparently by brain chips and nano-technology), but it all gets a little complicated from there. Remember, this is a movie from the men who brought you the Crank series, (Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor) so it's not like realistic plot points are their specialty. Joining in on the fun are Michael C. Hall (Dexter) as the nefarious creator of the game, and Heroes' Milo Ventimiglia as another player with the charming name of Rick Rape.
Despite what "Sexy Whisk" might have to say, I guess that is the beauty of a movie review -- it's just one opinion after all. (And since this was a test screening, there's still a chance the filmmakers will change some things around.) So for those of us who can't say no to an action flick (or a shirtless Gerard Butler), keep in mind it is not over yet. Maybe Lionsgate will take the hint and perform a little spit polish and shine before Game hits theaters in 2009.
Rumor Mill in Overdrive: Now Josh Brolin is 'Jonah Hex'?!?
Filed under: Action », Casting », Warner Brothers », RumorMonger », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Western »
I've been burned by Jonah Hex rumors before, so this time I'm going to tread carefully ... very carefully. Hollywood Elsewhere reports they have reliable information that Josh Brolin (W.) has signed to star in WB's feature film version of DC Comics' Jonah Hex. According to Wells' "friend", it's a done deal -- but a top secret one. So in spite of protestations to the contrary from both Warner Bros. and Brolin's reps, Elsewhere believes they have the real dirt on the comic book adaptationHex was created by John Albano and Tony DeZuniga, and it centers on a disfigured bounty hunter who wanders the plains in a tattered confederate uniform. Hex had a rotating cast of villains, and the series was known for its rough-and-tumble plot lines and copious amounts of gore. Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank) have already been hired to write and direct the flick, and not much is known about the story other than the fact that Jonah's "quest in the film is tracking down a voodoo practitioner." According to Elsewhere, there will be plenty of CGI and sci-fi overtones, and even though the earlier incarnations of Hex were strictly in the setting of the Wild West, as the series carried on Hex came up against plenty of supernatural bad guys – making the fantasy element of the flick not as far out as you may think.
I guess we'll have to wait and see if Brolin is really donning the six-shooters for Hex, or whether we'll just have to settle for the actor playing a different 'cowboy with a bad reputation'. So what do you think? Is Brolin a good match for Hex on the big screen? Sound off below....
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