It is the wee hours of the morning here in the Colorado Rockies -- and when they said the teaser trailer was to debut Friday, they weren't kidding. They wanted you all to wake up to it. How nice of them!
It is up courtesy of Yahoo! Movies (along with a bunch of new photos), so unfortunately we can't embed it. While it looks better than I expected it would, there isn't much to inspire a lot of excitement for me. I thought the one thing this movie would have in its favor was a new location. But despite being located in China, it manages to boast as many desert battles as the previous two installments. Now, I know there are deserts in China, but that isn't exactly the geography the country is most famous for. Wouldn't you take advantage of the beautiful mountains and bamboo forests? Unless, of course, you were banking on using those dissolving sand effects again, already evident on the poster. (They do venture into the Himalayas at some point from the looks of things. Dissolving snow effects?)
Still, it looks like there are some impressive action sequences. Those terracotta soldiers have always given me the creeps, so bonus points for managing to play on one of my archeological fears. And its nice to see Brendan Fraser again -- like Johnny Depp, he must have a portrait of himself aging in an attic somewhere. His movie son looks older than he does.
The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor will be released August 1st. What do you think -- a good way to spend the end of the summer, or are you just going to buy another ticket to Indiana Jones?
(In addition to the trailer, Universal released a slew of new Mummy images. Check those out in the gallery below.)
Cinematical has just received a batch of exclusive images from The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (see gallery below for more). The first poster for this sequel hit the other day, and I imagine a trailer will be knocking on all our doors real soon. In this third Mummy installment (technically fourth if you include The Scorpion King), father-and-son duo Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Alex O'Connell (Luke Ford) find themselves in the Far East where they unearth the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin. Needless to say, said Emperor (as played by Jet Li) is your basic, run-of-the-mill shape-shifting entity, cursed by a wizard centuries ago, and out to wreak some havoc. The beautiful Maria Bello and Michelle Yeoh round out the cast.
Rob Cohen directed this one, and if you like what you see in the gallery below, make sure to head on over to Rob's official Mummy production blog. Dude's been keeping that loaded with all sorts of tasty goodies ever since production first began, so definitely check that out, as well as the film's official website (which just went live). The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor arrives in theaters on August 1.
Universal sent us this sneak peek of the poster (click to enlarge) for the third (technically, fourth) installment in The Mummy series (who ever thought this would be a franchise?)! That's definitely Jet Li as our villain, crumbling into so much evil dust. Actually, I am alarmed at what looks like the usual "swirling dust" effect -- so unusual in the first Mummy, so out of place in Van Helsing. But surely they are going to be using all new CGI for an all new mummy, right?
Ignore me, I'm just annoyed that Rachel Weisz won't be appearing. I loved her brainy Egyptologist until they sexed her up in the sequel. That was so cheap. Girls who decipher ancient languages are sexy on their own -- keep that in mind while filling her retro shoes, Maria Bello! Are you guys excited about this one? It's funny that it comes out at the tail end of summer, another archealogical adventure to fill the void left by Indiana Jones. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor arrives in theaters on August 1.
When you woke up this morning, tell me you weren't thinking the following: "I'm still alive and that's great, but it'd be better if at some point throughout the day I could take a look at a pic of some guy flying through the air with a knife." Above is one of several new pics from the upcoming third Mummy installment currently titled The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. They popped up over at the Russian site Filmz.ru, as do a lot of movie pics (which makes me wonder what the Russians are doing that allows them access to all this great stuff). I could be wrong, and I passed this by a few Cinematical writers before drafting this post up, but I believe that's Brendan Fraser doing his best "I'll cut you fool" impression. Either it's Fraser, as Rick, or Luke Ford, as Rick's son Alex. And if it's neither of them, then I don't know what to tell you.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor shall follow our favorite Mummy adventurers Rick (Fraser) and Evelyn (this time played by Maria Bello), along with their son Alex (Ford) as they travel to the Far East where they uncover a mummy of the first Emperor of Qin (Jet Li). Only problem is this mummy is some sort of shape-shifting entity that was cursed by a wizard (Michelle Yeoh) centuries ago. I take it things will get messy for our heroes from there. Additionally, you can keep tabs on the film by checking out director Rob Cohen's Mummy blog which he frequently updates with all sorts of tidbits from the set. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is due out in theaters on August 1, 2008.
Looking at this new promo still for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, I now realize what the first two Mummymovies were missing: martial arts! Never mind the fact that Jet Li looks awesome in this shot. I'm just excited because there's no possible way that Brendan Fraser (aka "Rick O'Connell") is going to get out of this fight alive. Imagine how great this sequel would be if Fraser got his ass kicked. Yeah, unfortunately, Fraser probably does win the battle somehow. Or if he does get served in this scene, he will win out in the end. In that case: poor Jet Li. How could he ever live with himself if he's seen on the big screen defeated by the guy who played George of the Jungle and Dudley Do-Right?
The photo comes courtesy of Rob Cohen, the sequel's director, who has been blogging the production ever since shooting began over a month ago. Since, we have seen a photo of "the Terracotta Army" and a photo of Maria Bello, who took over the part of "Evy" after Rachel Weisz dropped out. There have also been some videos on the blog, including footage of Fraser shooting at a river, falling out of a tree and throwing himself in some mud. And if you are really excited about the martial arts, you will want to check out the video about the stunt team, which doesn't feature any actual fighting but is still interesting enough. Say what you will about Cohen's directorial skills, he may in fact be better than Stephen Sommers at least, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is sure to be the coolest installment of the series. Unless, that is, they decide to follow tradition and give us some really terrible CGI at the end. Pray that Jet Li doesn't end up rendered out of sand in the end.
You know, if I hadn't seen any of Rob Cohen's films, I might almost feel sorry for the guy. Having already been accused of making one of the worst films of 2005, fans of The Mummy franchise have been less than thrilled when the director was tasked with breathing some life back into the series. But, Cohen has decided to let fans in on the production with his blog for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Launched last week, there isn't tons of information available, but Cohen did take the time to address some of the questions plaguing the film, mainly the loss of Rachel Weisz. Cohen says, "Rachel decided to leave the franchise many years ago, after 'The Mummy 2' finished shooting. We all had hopes that she would change her mind but I never had the opportunity to meet her or talk to her." Cohen also confirmed that he has "shot about five weeks of our twenty-week schedule".
Dragon Emperor reunites Brendan Fraser and John Hannah from the original films, alongside Maria Bello, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Anthony Wong, and Luke Ford. The now-retired adventurers Rick and Evelyn O'Connell have a fully grown son (Ford), who has taken up the family business of archeology. This time, the action leaves Egypt far behind and instead is based in China and Li stars as the cursed Dragon Emperor. Cohen writes, "The family is reunited and high adventure ensues: crash landings, treks thru the Himalayas, Yeti, avalanches (bigger than the one I did in XXX), Shangri-la, three-headed dragons, pools of eternal life, epic battles, a shape-shifting Jet Li....I could go on but I don't want to give it all away" -- sure, it sounds impressive, but I still wouldn't hold my breath. The Mummy 3 is set for release on July 30th, 2008.
When it was finally confirmed that Rachel Weisz had opted out of the latest installment of The Mummy franchise, it was not a good sign that the new film was going to recapture a little of its former glory. Bloody Disgusting got the scoop that Universal has finally secured their cast for the third film in the series -- technically it's the fourth, but I never really counted The Scorpion King. Weisz had long since been replaced by Maria Bello and the film had already started production before this last round of casting was announced. Already confirmed was Brendan Fraser reprising his role as Rick O'Connell. But the latest additions to the cast include John Hannah -- reprising his role as the bumbling brother in-law Jonathan (the only actor aside from Fraser who's returning), Anthony Wong, and Alex Pettyfer. The cast also includes Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, and Luke Ford as Fraser's son. The story this time centers on adventure-seeker O'Connell and his son as they unearth the cursed first Emperor of China (Li).
Weisz was not the only one who chose not to return for another go round, as director Stephen Sommers also passed. Instead, Universal hired Fast and The Furious director Rob Cohen. The script was written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, two writer-producers from TV's Smallville that have worked on scripts for Spider-Man 2 and Shanghai Knights. The production is currently on location in Montreal, Canada, and will also be shooting in China. Rumors had surfaced that the script for the film was less than stellar and that was what had prompted the departure of Weisz. We will have to see if she made the right decision when the film hits theaters Summer 2008.
Someone heavily involved with the third Mummy film must be screwing, er, working for someone over there at TMZ, because the celebrity gossip site has been all over this film for months. First, they told the world that Fast and the Furious director Rob Cohen was being released from development jail (after spending some time locked up following the atrocity that was Stealth) to helm Mummy 3. And now, TMZ has miraculously learned that Rachel Weisz has decided to ditch the project in order to a) attach herself to something a little less tacky and b) spend more time with her brand new baby boy.
Shall I make the joke? Why not. Yes, Weisz has dropped out of Mummy to be more of a Mommy. There! Happy! While it's certainly a serious blow to the film, sources say all is not lost ... yet. Brendan Fraser and Jet Li are still signed on to star, and Cohen will indeed helm. Seeing as the third film will reportedly revolve heavily around the trouble-seeking son of Rick and Evy, perhaps losing Weisz isn't such a big deal after all. With a quick rewrite, her character could be conveniently somewhere else while all the action is taking place. No word yet on whether Weisz will replace Mummy 3 with another film, though TMZ says her name is circling four other projects. Do you think she left because of baby issues or script issues? After all, one recent script review said the pic was a "blatant rip-off of Indiana Jones," featuring some of the worst "on-the-nose" dialogue" the writer had ever seen. Yikes, that's can't be good.
You'd think that a rumor about Jet Li co-starring in The Mummy 3 would be the sort of buzz that you'd want to have confirmed. The Chinese martial artist has been in some great movies over the years, and his casting adds a whole new action style to the franchise, getting it out of Egyptian repetition and into a new mummy menace. However, seeing The Hollywood Reporter confirm the rumor that Jet Li is in talks to play the mummy has left me quite apprehensive. Is this the only bit that will come true, or are we headed for the rumored Indiana Jones rip-off?
While I don't mind the thought of Alex O'Connell, or a new battle ground for fighting the undead, I'm not so sure I want what can come with it. That probably means that Oded Fehr is definitely out, which will tick off all of his fans and let the film be down one incredibly popular character. Next, it looks like the plot from the IESB script review and Rob Cohen rumors are spot-on. HR describes the plot as a movie "set in China, with Li's story beginning in ancient times before moving to a post-World War II setting. It is also known that one sequence involves the famous terracotta warriors." That sounds interesting and all, but that's just like the review, and well, that review wasn't very kind. It described the sequel as a blatant rip-off of Indiana Jones (much more than any of the previous films), and said it has "some of the worst 'on the nose' dialogue" the writer had ever seen -- a writer who is a Mummy fan. Can Li and the characters that remain act their butts off enough to make this worth the time, money and effort?
We're only 4 months and 1 day away from the release of the next Die Hard movie, Live Free or Die Hard. While a poster isn't quite as exciting as flying cars and exploding helicopters, it's a pretty good representation of what we love about franchise -- Bruce Willis looking tough, dirty and resilient in the face of chaos. While a small version is on the right, you can click here for the larger version, which was posted on a Russian website.
While Die Hard is wrapping up and waiting release, production is gearing up on The Mummy 3. Last week, I reported that the sequel will deal with Alex O'Connell as a young man, and that Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh might star. While no further casting news has been released, SneakPeek has stated that the sequel to the popular Brandon Fraser series will shoot in Montreal, at the Cité du Cinéma studio. (It is the same effects house that re-created ancient Sparta for 300.) According to the site, this news has been confirmed by the head of the Quebec Film and Television Council.
Although Lucy Liu made a name for herself on Ally McBeal, her tough-girl stints in Charlie's Angels were enough to send her up and into cinematic circles. However, her latest films -- Domino, Lucky Number Slevin and Code Name: The Cleaner, aren't quite box-office smashes. So, it's no wonder that Film Ick has reported that she's going to head back to television and take on one of the starring roles in the upcoming pilot, Cashmere Mafia. Coming from Bring It On and The Break-Up director Peyton Reed, Liu will most likely play one of the lead executives.
I never quite enjoyed The Mummy movies (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King) as much as, say, watching Brendan Fraser stand outside in the rain screaming bloody murder during that awesome scene in School Ties. Oh c'mon -- you know you dug it too. Needless to say, it appears a fourth Mummy film (or third, depending on whether or not you count Scorpion King) in now in the works and, according to Freeze Dried Movies, both Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz will be reprising their roles as an Oscar winner and a has-been who team up for some classic 1940s-style Chinese action. Seriously, why in the world would Weisz want to do another one of these? Someone get Aronofsky on the phone -- we need to knock some sense into this gal. (And no, I'm not promoting domestic violence -- it was just a joke.)
When I think of Martial Arts master Bruce Lee, I imagine a dude kicking some major ass. Probably the last thing that comes to mind is a Bruce Lee that sings and dances across a stage. Well, don't tell that to David Henry Wang, because the Tony-winning Chinese-American playwright is keen on bringing a staged Bruce Lee musical to life. He already has approval from Lee's family and is looking to stage the musical in either Shanghai or Beijing sometime in 2008.
And finally, here's some news that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. To me, at least. According to Moviehole's Gossip Monkey, Kevin McClory is looking to do a remake of the classic James Bond film Thunderball which, as you may remember, has already been remade once with 1983's Never Say Never Again. Can one film really have two remakes? Seeing as McClory holds the remake rights to Thunderball, I guess the guy can remake it as many times as he wants, right? And we can't say a damn thing. The funniest part about this whole thing is that the folks in charge are seriously considering bringing ex-Bond Pierce Brosnan back for the role, just like they did with Sean Connery for Never Say Never Again. How hilarious would it be if Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan were playing James Bond at the exact same time in different Bond-related films? Ooohh, maybe afterwards they could do a whole Alien vs. Predator sort of thing and have the two battle each other to the death? That would be rad.
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Here's some bites for hump day Wednesday:
Odds and ends from Tuesday:
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SCOOP: Spider-Man 4 and 5 Might be Shot at the Same Time!
Cinematical Seven: Disney's Awesome Live-Action Kid Adventures
