CBS Films has released the first trailer for The Words, a drama set for release on September 21st, 2012. The film stars Bradley Cooper as a struggling writer who steals another man’s story and publishes it as his own, and how everyone deals with the consequences of that decision.

I saw this movie at Sundance this year and it’s a well-acted drama that, aside from being a bit predictable, plays out like a pretty good mystery story. Everyone in the cast does great work, so if you’re a diehard fan of Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons (who steals the show), Ben Barnes, Dennis Quaid, or Olivia Wilde, check it out when it hits theaters.

Read similar posts to Trailer for The Words, starring Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, and more on Filmonic

Vulture has quite the exclusive tonight, reporting that Unknown and Orphan director Jaume Collet-Serra has snagged the director’s chair on Legendary Pictures’ upcoming naval actioner Here There Be Monsters. Big name directors like Brad Bird and Robert Zemeckis have eyed this movie before, but it looks like Collet-Serra has locked it down and will offer the lead role to The Hangover star Bradley Cooper. More after the jump.

There’s a lot going on with this one, but let’s cover the story first. For those of you who have never heard of this one, it’s written by L.A. Confidential screenwriter Brian Helgeland and follows real-life Revolutionary War hero John Paul Jones as he explores the disappearance of merchant ships thanks to a giant squid. Sounds pretty cool, like a Master and Commander meets 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea type of thing.

Collet-Serra still has some work to do to get this script the way he wants it, and he’s still attached to direct that Dracula murder mystery Harker with Russell Crowe, but because of scheduling issues, that one won’t go before cameras until 2014. In the meantime, the future of the live-action adaptation of Akira becomes more and more uncertain with each new project Collet-Serra picks up, so we’re still not quite sure how that’ll shake out (if at all).

Cooper is going to be busy with The Hangover 3 for the rest of this year, but apparently he’ll be offered this project as soon as the script is ready for an early 2013 start. This sounds like a hell of a movie, and one that could very easily encounter a lot of production problems (ask Steven Spielberg about filming out on the water), so I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about this one as they get closer to filming.

Read similar posts to Bradley Cooper and Jaume Collet-Serra to team for Here There Be Monsters on Filmonic

According to Deadline Paradise Lost, the action epic inspired by John Milton’s 17th Century poem, has been scrapped by the producers after failing to bring the budget down on the VFX-heavy movie. Production was halted in December as the budget surpassed $120 million, making Legendary Pictures reassess the situation. Now the project is said to have been cancelled entirely. For now, anyway.

Alex Proyas (I, Robot) was set to direct the movie which follows Michael (Benjamin Walker), an archangel engaged in an epic battle of good and evil with Lucifer (Bradley Cooper), who mounts an army after after he is cast out of heaven. The Angel of Death (Djimon Hounso) turns his back on The Devil to tell God of Lucifer’s defection, and God’s six-winged messenger Gabriel (Casey Affleck) also joins the fight to defeat The Devil.

The movie would have required over 72 weeks of post-production due to the digital effects involved. There are said to be three epic battles in the story. One that takes place in Heaven, another in Hell, and a third in Eden. It’s unlikely Paradise Lost will move forward “until technological advancements in visual effects bring to a reasonable cost the task of creating a believable depiction of the celestial battles that are at the heart of this film.”

This move in unfortunate as Paradise Lost sounded like an ambitious project, and no doubt the cast and crew will be disappointed. The movie joins Guillermo del Toro’s Mountains of Madness and Ron Howard’s The Dark Tower on the development scrapheap, after studios passed on the adaptations due to the budgets.

Read similar posts to Paradise Lost scrapped by Legendary Pictures on Filmonic

According to THR Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms are on the verge of striking a deal with Warner Bros. to return for The Hangover 3, with each of them getting $15 million.

The actors were initially paid less than $300,000 for the first film; however Warner Bros. gave them a $1 million bonus after it made $467 million worldwide in 2009. They each got $5 million plus a percentage of the first dollar gross for the sequel (arguably a remake), and now they’re set for a $15 million payday not often seen with movies nowadays. The Hangover Part II made nearly $600 million last summer, so Warner Bros. can afford to be generous.

The current plan is to shoot The Hangover 3 this summer and have it ready for a May 2013 release. Director Todd Phillips is currently working on the script, and the intention is to do something different with the characters instead of just having them wake up confused in a new location. Last year Zach Galifianakis said the story may focus on his character escaping from a mental institution with help from the wolf pack, but things could have changed since then.

Read similar posts to Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Ed Helms set for big Hangover 3 payday on Filmonic

According to Deadline Legendary Pictures has halted production on Paradise Lost, the action epic inspired by John Milton’s 17th Century poem which was set to begin production next month in Australia.

The budget is said to be the cause, surpassing $120 million and making Legendary Pictures reassess the situation. The producers will now attempt to trim the budget, and production may get under-way by late spring or early summer.

Alex Proyas (I, Robot) is directing and the movie follows Michael (Benjamin Walker), an archangel engaged in an epic battle of good and evil with Lucifer (Bradley Cooper), who mounts an army after after he is cast out of heaven. The Angel of Death (Djimon Hounso) turns his back on The Devil to tell God of Lucifer’s defection, and Gods six-winged messenger Gabriel (Casey Affleck) also joins the fight to defeat The Devil.

The movie will be heavy on digital effects, meaning 20 weeks of pre-production are required. Only 8 weeks of actual filming will take place, followed by 72 weeks of post-production. There are said to be three epic battles in the story. One that takes place in Heaven, another in Hell, and a third in Eden.

Warner Bros. were planning to release Paradise Lost sometime in 2013, but that may change depending on when production eventually begins.

Read similar posts to Paradise Lost production halted on Filmonic

According to Variety Casey Affleck (The Killer Inside Me, upcoming Tower Heist) has joined the cast of Paradise Lost, an action epic inspired by John Milton’s 17th Century poem. The site also mentions Camilla Belle (10,000 BC) has been offered the role of Eve, while Rock of Ages actor Diego Boneta is the frontrunner to play Adam.

Alex Proyas (I, Robot) is directing and the movie follows Michael (Benjamin Walker), an archangel engaged in an epic battle of good and evil with Lucifer (Bradley Cooper), who mounts an army after after he is cast out of heaven. The Angel of Death (Djimon Hounso) turns his back on The Devil to tell God of Lucifer’s defection, and Gods six-winged messenger Gabriel (Casey Affleck) also joins the fight to defeat The Devil.

The movie will be heavy on digital effects, meaning 20 weeks of pre-production are required. Only 8 weeks of actual filming will take place, followed by 72 weeks of post-production. There are said to be three epic battles in the story. One that takes place in Heaven, another in Hell, and a third in Eden. Proyas said he thinks only “an insane person would want to make this movie”, but he’s currently prepping the film in Australia ready for an early 2012 shoot.

Warner Bros. will release Paradise Lost sometime in 2013.

Read similar posts to Casey Affleck is Angel Gabriel in Paradise Lost on Filmonic

According to Deadline Legendary Pictures is in talks with Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) to play the archangel Michael in Paradise Lost, an action epic inspired by the John Milton poem.

Alex Proyas (I, Robot) is directing and the movie follows Michael, an archangel engaged in an epic battle of good and evil with Lucifer (Bradley Cooper), who mounts an army after after he is cast out of heaven.

Proyas told Deadline that Benjamin Walker’s deal isn’t complete yet, but he thinks “he’s got two actors who’ll represent the good vs. evil battle.”

“It’s not just armies battling in an epic war,” Proyas told me. “This is an adventure about the origins of good and evil after Lucifer’s rebellion gets him cast out of Heaven and leads to a struggle with his brother archangel over the soul of mankind, starting with Adam and Eve. That is the scope of the narrative here, and we’ve tried to say as faithful as possible to Milton’s text, particularly its focus on Lucifer’s evolution and the birth of evil. It’s a family saga, about a group of brothers, two in particular, who are on divergent paths, and Lucifer’s feelings of betrayal by his father and family that forge his descent into evil.”

There are said to be three epic battles in the story. One that takes place in Heaven, another in Hell, and a third in Eden. Proyas said he thinks only “an insane person would want to make this movie”, but he’s currently prepping the film in Australia ready for an early 2012 shoot.

Read similar posts to Benjamin Walker in talks to play Archangel Michael in Paradise Lost on Filmonic

Earlier this year Ed Helms said he doubted whether The Hangover 3 would get made as he hoped the Hangover movies would have “a dignified legacy”. However, that was before The Hangover Part II grossed more than $205 million worldwide in its first five days of release. Warner Bros. aren’t that concerned about ‘legacies’ when there’s money to be made, and have therefore hired a writer for the third film.

Tracking-Board.com (via The Wrap) were first to report the news that Craig Mazin, writer of the latest film, is on board to write the third Hangover movie.

Earlier this week director Todd Phillips said if he were to make another movie (which looks likely) then it would not follow the same template as the previous films.

If we were to do a third one, if the audience…if the desire was there…I think we have a clear idea where that would head and it’s certainly not in the same template you’ve seen these movies and obviously we always envisioned it as a trilogy as you can imagine (lot’s of laughter), the third would very much be a finale and an ending. The most I could say about it and I haven’t discussed it with these actors is that it is not following that template but very much a new idea. As far as where it takes place…I’m very open like the Olympic committee to being pitched and presented cities…flown around with wine and women and bribed and then I will make my decision.

Going in a different direction would probably be the right way to go. Critics have called Part II a “copy of the first installment”, which it is, so there is a definite need to change things up.

Do you want Warner Bros. to make The Hangover 3? Where should they take Phil, Alan and Stu in the final film?

Read similar posts to The Hangover 3 gets a screenwriter on Filmonic

The Hangover Part II is perhaps the prototypical example of a studio sequel: increase the budget, increase the scope, repeat the schtick that worked the first time. But does it work as effectively the second time?

When Stu (Ed Helms) decides to get married in Thailand, his best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Doug (Justin Bartha) are naturally invited to the wedding. But thanks to their previous misadventure, Stu holds a bit of a grudge toward Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and refuses to invite him along. Fifteen minutes into the movie – following a “Denny’s bachelor party” scene, and with much guilt heaped upon him – Stu has a change of heart and the Wolf Pack is reunited. Don’t ask how the wives and girlfriends get to Thailand – just like the first film, this movie isn’t concerned with women in the slightest. They pop up occasionally, but this is a Todd Phillips movie and as this great piece in the New York Times points out, that means this is a bro-centric comedy through and through. Here, the crew is forced to take Stu’s soon-to-be-brother-in-law Teddy along for the festivities, much like Alan himself in the first movie. But unlike Alan, Teddy is a sixteen-year-old Asian kid and the apple of his father’s eye – so of course, when the inevitable blackout occurs a couple nights before the wedding, Teddy is lost to Bangkok and the disoriented (no pun intended) members of the Wolf Pack have to retrace their steps to find him.

Sound familiar? Because of their surface similarities, I wouldn’t begrudge you voicing the opinion that “if you liked the first movie, you’ll probably like the sequel.” After all, the two movies are nearly identical; from the returning cast to the structure to some of the jokes, it’s almost close enough to be called a remake. But if you look a bit closer, there are some aspects of the movie that don’t quite gel. Beware: massive spoilers ahead.

Personally, I didn’t find the movie to be that funny. Don’t get me wrong: there were people in my audience cracking up left and right, so I know this style of comedy works for a lot of people. I just don’t happen to be one of them. I’m sure there were people who listened to me laughing out loud in the theater during Anchorman and walked out shaking their heads saying, “I just don’t get it.” That’s the thing about comedy. Also, I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t even like the first Hangover all that much. I found it clever, but ultimately overrated. So in the interest of providing you a baseline from which I’m operating, I wanted to let you know that.

The thing that kind of bothered me about this movie is that even though the scope is definitely increased (the movie was clearly shot in Thailand, and looks alternatingly beautiful and horrifying due to its locations), the characters don’t react much differently to the crazy things that happen to them than they did to the much-milder-by-comparison events of the first movie. Let’s take the big one for starters: Stu is anally violated by a transvestite. After a few minutes of quiet crying and freaking out, the characters move on and that seems to be the end of it. Yes, it’s mentioned once more in a crude wordplay joke when Stu says “I have a demon in me” in his final speech, but that’s it. Everything’s seemingly fine. To me, that seems like a life-shattering event, one that overshadows finding Teddy or anything else for that matter. Phil is shot in the arm at one point, and after a brief jaunt to the hospital, it’s forgotten that even happened by the end of the movie. Teddy even loses a finger, for God’s sake. There are other examples of this, but that’ll do for the purposes of this argument.

Also, the connections between events are even more sketchy than those of the first film. These movies aren’t meant to be taken literally, but at the same time, Phillips goes out of his way to make them seem relatable and kind of plausible. Getting lazy when it comes to connecting the dots feels like it’s cheating the movie in a way. At one point, the characters come across a bar they destroyed the night before and just so happen to see Stu’s tattooed face on a nearby building. Inside, the tattoo artist sees a tattoo on an old mute monk the guys are lugging around and informs them it’s the symbol of his monastery right outside the city limits. There are multiple aspects (including the cause of their blackout) that seemed to stretch the limits of plausibility for me, and that plausibility was a large part of what makes The Hangover watchable.

But put down your pitchforks, folks: it’s not all negative. There were a few aspects of Part II I did enjoy. Ken Jeong’s Mr. Chow was much funnier this time around; it’s the rare instance in which a small character is given a larger role in a comedy sequel and is actually less annoying than in his initial appearance. I think I would have been happier if they had killed him off with the drug overdose, since that would have been an interesting plot development in a series that consists of mostly tired cliches (hooker with a heart of gold, domineering Asian father, etc). But when he returns late in the movie, it’s to the film’s benefit. Paul Giamatti was woefully underused, but I liked his character and performance for the brief time we saw him. And though it may sound as if I’ve berated this movie for repeating the same structure as the first movie, I actually found it kind of cool in certain areas. Stu’s song on the boat was charming, and the opening scene featuring Phil’s phone call framed in the exact same way as the first movie but with Bangkok looming in the background was fun to see.

While this is definitely a watchable comedy, it doesn’t have nearly the same fresh feeling that defined the original. It’s a retreading of the same material in a different location, a safe sequel that should have felt brazen but ultimately comes off as pretty stale. If you love seeing full frontal transvestite nudity in larger-than-life venues, then by all means, see this in theaters. But otherwise, I think you’re good to wait for DVD with this one. And by the way – where is Doug this whole time? Sipping Mai Tai’s at the resort, explained away so he can be the “man on the inside” back at the wedding. Why doesn’t he get to come along and experience the adventure with the other guys? If anyone’s getting cheated out of anything in this franchise, it’s Justin Bartha’s visibility as an actor. Until next time…

Read similar posts to Review: The Hangover Part II on Filmonic

Relativity Media have announced the release date for Limitless on DVD and Blu-ray will be July 19th, 2011. The movie was released back in March and made $141 million worldwide on a budget of just $27 million, which is good news for Bradley Cooper as it means he can now official carry a movie by himself.

Check out the specifications below:

LIMITLESS DVD Features:
- A Man Without Limits
- Taking it to the Limit: The Making of LIMITLESS
- Alternate Ending
- Unrated Extended Cut

LIMITLESS Blu-ray Disc Features:
All of the DVD features, plus
- Digital Copy “How to”
- Digital Copy

Limitless stars Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, and Abbie Cornish, and follows a writer who discovers a top-secret drug which bestows him with super human abilities.

Read similar posts to Limitless hitting DVD and Blu-ray July 19th on Filmonic