mtv movies blog Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Although the Justice League of America film still doesn't have a firm cast, it looks like we have a director for the first official JLA spin-off. MTV Movies Blog reports that they've spoken with David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers), and he's confirmed to them that he's taken over directing reigns on The Flash. Not only that, but he also says his version of The Flash will exist in the JLA universe, the same as the upcoming live-action film. The film has already gone through two different directors; first it was David Goyer, and then it was Shawn Levy (who was going to use elements of Goyer's script). Now it's Dobkin ... who's never directed a comic book film before. But neither had Christopher Nolan when he did Batman Begins, or Bryan Singer when he did X-Men, or George Miller, who's directing Justice League -- so, really, does it matter?

When asked which Flash would be The Flash (there have been four of them), Dobkin replied, "Wally West." West took over for Barry Allen, his Uncle, when Allen died. As MTV pointed out, recent rumors over at AICN suggest the new live action JLA flick will open with Barry Allen's funeral. Dobkin even threw out the following tagline when asked about his vision for the film: "You can't outrun yourself." Deep. No word yet on when this film will begin, but you bet whoever signs on to play The Flash in JLA will most likely do so under the condition that they star in the spin-off. What do you think about Dobkin? Is he better than Levy? Goyer?

Poor Kim Richards. The former child star wasn't in too many films, but already one of them has been remade (Assault on Precinct 13, in which she briefly appears before memorably being gunned down) and another is on its way to the recycle bin. It's her best remembered, too: Escape to Witch Mountain. Previously we heard that Andy Fickman (She's the Man) would be directing a new version of the 1975 Disney pic, which was already redone once, for television, in 1995, and that Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock), who stars in Fickman's new movie, The Game Plan, would be starring as a cab driver who picks up a pair of siblings with supernatural powers. Now we've got at least one of the siblings, the one that Richards played in the original and its first sequel (but not its sequel, where she was replaced by Growing Pains' Tracey Gold). According to MTV Movies Blog, AnnaSophia Robb (The Bridge to Terrabitha) has been cast in the new movie, titled only Witch Mountain, though whether or not her character will be named "Tia" was not revealed. Also as of yet unknown: who will play her brother, Tony.

The most interesting thing that was clarified was that Witch Mountain is not really a remake. Fickman told MTV that he didn't want to mess with something he loved as a kid, so instead the new movie is more like another chapter in the story of Witch Mountain (sounds like Robb could be a new character after all). The director also regurgitated the usual line about how people who have seen the original and people who haven't can all enjoy this next installment. Fickman also said his movie will be more like Alexander Key's novel, meaning it will be much darker in tone, and that The Rock will be the one who helps the kids elude an evil millionaire who seeks to exploit them. He fills the shoes of the original film's Eddie Albert, who Fickman believes was a laughable protector for Tia and Tony. The director promises the not-remake will be "a pretty bad-ass ride." You know, just as you'd expect from a movie featuring The Rock and children.