Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News (if you don’t know who he is…you should) reports, from a source of his, that Tim Burton is developing a take on the classic Sleeping Beauty tale, told through the viewpoint of villain Maleficent.
While I love a good old twisted fairytale (PC game American McGee’s Alice being the finest example), I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this… It’s a good concept, and has potential, but I don’t know that Tim Burton is the man to execute it. I love a few of his films (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands), but the majority of his efforts greatly favour style over substance, and even his uniquely gothic aesthetic seems to be getting a bit tired.
Personally, I don’t think Alice in Wonderland looks terribly original/exciting, but I’ll withhold judgement till I’ve seen it – I hope Maleficent goes for a much darker approach. I also hope Burton doesn’t feel the need to cast Helena Bonham Carter in the lead role…I don’t dislike her as an actress, but I hated the inevitability of her portraying the Red Queen in Alice (you don’t always have to give roles to your partner, Tim). Still…I’ll try not to knock it till I’ve tried it. Maleficent that is. Not Bonham Carter.
A more interesting dark fairytale: Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) producing a stop-motion Pinocchio. Eventually. Yes please.
According to Film Score Monthly French composer and two time Oscar nominee Alexandre Desplat will score Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I. Desplat has scored films such as The Golden Compass, The Queen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, New Moon and Julie & Julia.
Nicholas Hooper composed the scores for Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince (both great), however he decided not to return due to family commitments and he thought a certain composer named John Williams should return to finish what he began. Williams may actually return for Deathly Hallows: Part II, as Desplat has only signed up for the one film (so far as we know). It would be great if they could get Williams to finish off the franchise.
Bryan Singer’s X-Men films spawned a new era of ‘realistic’ superhero films. Gone were the campy costumes and over-the-top villains, instead we were treated to superhero outings that could very well be taking place in our own depressing and ordinary world. This trend will likely be here for while with a new ‘gritty’ Spider-Man reboot on the way, and recently Green Lantern director Martin Campbell told Sci-Fi Wire that he will be keeping his film cheese-free.
“I think the thing to do is keep a sense of reality about it. Any time we talk about it, we sit in meetings, we have a cheese meter. We talk about de-cheesing any scene. So it’s quite funny. We’ve all sort of got a sort of cheese meter where that becomes our sort of yardstick in terms of keeping it, giving it some sense of reality.”
“So often in these superhero movies, nobody seems to get hurt. I remember seeing Wolverine, and he picks people up and hurls them 100 yards into a brick wall. These people, apparently unhurt, sort of get up and continue to fight just as strongly as they did before. Well, there’s something absurd about that, in my opinion.”
He has a point. But then again Wolverine and Sabretooth can heal, so even if they were hurt they wouldn’t be down for very long. Anyway, enough with the specifics. Campbell has just said he’ll be giving us a realistic, non-cheesy Green Lantern movie were people are hurt, and stay that way for a considerable length of time. I always knew he was a good choice for director!
Variety has posted an interesting article looking at the marketing and release of Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones. The film was pushed back to December from it’s original release date in March 2009, which was supposed to give Peter Jackson time to finish and improve the visual effects. It would also mean the film would be released in time for the awards season we are currently in now.
Paramount thought the film would appeal to adults, and could potentially be Oscar bait. After all, the film tells the story of a raped and murdered 14-year-old girl who watches over her family as they mourn and try to find her killer.
However, after test screenings Paramount found that adults weren’t responding to the film, then when The Lovely Bones was given a limited release in December it performed poorly. This caused Paramount to re-think how they marketed the film.
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Remember the S.H.I.E.L.D guy from Iron Man? Well we heard around a year ago that he will be making an appearance in Iron Man 2, and now according to Variety actor Clark Gregg, who plays Agent Phil Coulson, will also be appearing in Thor. This is cool news, even though it was expected. There will be a lot of cross-film appearances by a number of characters, such as Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, as Marvel prepare for The Avengers.
Agent Phil Coulson will no doubt be trying to recruit everyone. In Iron Man he repeatedly attempts to talk to Tony Stark about Stark’s escape from Afghanistan. Later he comes up with a cover story for Stark, one which Stark famously refuses to use resulting in the “I am Iron Man” announcement at the press conference.
Thor started filming last week under the direction of Kenneth Branagh and stars Chris Hemsworth as the hammer-wielding Norse god, as well as Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Stellen Skarsgard and Kat Dennings.
Just yesterday Avatar became the highest grossing film in China, pulling in 500 million yuan ($73.2 million) in just two weeks. However, some people (the Chinese Government) aren’t too happy about it and are removing the film from screens throughout the country.
From The Times:
China plans to pull Avatar from most cinemas, despite the long queues for tickets, to make way for a more patriotic film the censors deem more appropriate – a life of Confucius.
The move comes amid government anxiety that many Chinese are making a link between the plight of the film’s Na’vi, who face being displaced form their homeland, and that of those in China who are subject to often brutal evictions by property developers.
Hong Kong’s Apple Daily said the state-run China Film Group had instructed cinemas nationwide to stop showing the ordinary version of Avatar from January 23 on orders from Beijing’s propaganda czars.
The newspaper said: “Reportedly, the authorities have two reasons for this check on Avatar: first, it has taken in too much money and has seized market share from domestic films, and second, it may lead audiences to think about forced removal, and may possibly incite violence.”
The film had been due to play until February 28 – meaning it would be showing over the Chinese new year holiday that begins on February 14.
China currently only allows 20 foreign films to be shown in the country each year, and Avatar was one of the films granted that privilege. Some people have claimed that the story of Avatar isn’t anything special, however it seems to be striking a cord with one of the most powerful governments in the world. It’s making people think about their lives, and in the case of China, how they are treated. Avatar really is turning into something more than just a movie.
For a moment there seemed to be a curse in Hollywood plaguing films about to take their fourth outing. Paul Greengrass left Bourne 4, putting the status of the film in question. Recently Spider-Man 4 fell apart, and it looked like Pirates 4 wouldn’t be setting sail after Johnny Depp said his passion for the project had been “severely dampened” following the departure of Walt Disney chairman Dick Cook last year.
However, things improved for Pirates with Rob Marshall coming on-board to direct, and producer Bruckheimer hinting at a June start. Now according to The Honolulu Advertiser Disney has made plans to film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in Hawaii.
The fourth installment in the action-adventure series will be shot on Kauai and Oahu this summer. It is scheduled for release in summer 2011.
Lingle’s office said filming is expected to generate about $85 million in direct and indirect spending in the Islands and provide hundreds of jobs for residents.
“We’ve always sought out the most extraordinary and exotic locations for the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films and previously shot briefly on both Maui and Molokai for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,’ ” Bruckheimer said.
“Hawaii provides an amazing range of both land and seascapes and we’re delighted to return for ‘On Stranger Tides
The trilogy filmed in some very exotic locations, so it seems the trend will continue. I suppose spending a few months in Hawaii can’t be too bad can it?
From what we’ve heard Jack Sparrow will be heading for the Fountain of Youth, as hinted at the end of At World’s End. The only cast member confirmed is Depp, however Geoffrey Rush who plays Barbossa will probably be back to provide a bit of competition.
Shooting of Robert Schwentke’s adaptation of comic book Red began shooting today in Toronto. I’ll be honest – I know little to nothing about the comics, but they seem to have a cool visual style. Surprisingly it seems to involve a lot of red.
Robert Schwentke’s previous efforts include Flightplan and The Time Traveler’s Wife, which doesn’t put him in a hugely great stead – and the screenplay for Red was written by Jon & Erich Hoeber, who previously scripted 2009′s Whiteout, starring Kate Beckinsale. I haven’t seen Whiteout, but it didn’t get brilliant reviews… Why be interested in Red at all then?
The press release, available in its entirety over at Latino Review, lists an absolutely incredible cast: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds), Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Brian Cox, and Richard Dreyfuss. It’s star-studded anyway, and I like at least 6 of those actors. And that’s what we want to see.
Our good friend Brucie portrays Paul Moses, a retired CIA agent whose assassination is ordered by said agency’s new director. Naturally, he’s not too happy about it, resulting in many bullets and explosions, presumably. Where have we heard that before? It doesn’t sound original by any means, but then I haven’t read the comics, so I won’t make any assumptions. Well…I can hazard a guess that the plot won’t be majorly involving. I’ll gladly be proved wrong however, and despite the storyline, the combination of a great cast and a striking visual style could make this a very fun watch. We want fun, don’t we?
Red hits screens in October this year.
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