TrekMovie has word that the official start date for production on the Star Trek sequel is January 15th, 2012, which they point out is over 4 years since the first film began shooting in 2007.

The site also notes that co-writer/producer Roberto Orci confirmed the script has “been done for a while” and they’re currently working on the third draft. Orci commented on the site saying “rewriting is a good thing which normally makes the script better. We like to keep pushing the script, even if no one gives us notes.”

Most of the sets from the first film are being taken out of storage (such as the USS Enterprise) and VFX house Industrial Light & Magic has already started work on some of the effects shots for the movie. As there will be plenty of space shots they can begin working on them now without any cast or shot footage.

Finally, TrekMovie suggests Hawaii could be a shooting location for the film (J.J Abrams shot Lost there) as the location team are looking for a “jungle planet” environment.

Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin and John Cho are all expected to return, and while he isn’t confirmed, Benicio Del Toro could take on the villain role.

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20th Century Fox have released the first official trailer for This Means War. This rom-com spy movie comes from McG (Terminator Salvation) and stars Chris Pine and Tom Hardy as two spies who find out they’re both romantically involved with Reese Witherspoon.

Watch the trailer below:

The world’s deadliest CIA operatives are inseparable partners and best friends until they fall for the same woman. Having once helped bring down entire enemy nations, they are now employing their incomparable skills and an endless array of high-tech gadgetry against their greatest nemesis ever – each other.

Pine and Hardy didn’t need to make this movie (Seth Rogen, Sam Worthington and Bradley Cooper were offered roles/attached, but left the project/turned roles down). They are generating enough interest without starring in a glossy studio rom-com, but I suppose it’ll give them a shot at carrying a movie that isn’t a tentpole by Christopher Nolan or J.J Abrams.

This Means War is set for release on February 7th, 2012 and might be worth a view for some silly harmless entertainment (this is from the guy who directed Charlie’s Angels).

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This news won’t be a surprise to anyone as we’ve all been expecting it, but Vulture has word that J.J. Abrams “has finally committed to shooting Star Trek 2″.

Over the past year Abrams has been busy directing Super 8 so he was only able to focus his attention on Star Trek 2 this summer. Writers Damon Lindelof, Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman have since been working on the script based on a 70 page outline they had in May, which now looks to be developed enough for Abrams to commit as director.

Vulture says “pre-production is underway”, “the script will be done by month’s end” and “Abrams will start shooting this winter”. Paramount had originally set a June 29, 2012 release date for the sequel, but the delay in filming caused them to give G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation that slot. The studio will likely be aiming for a summer 2013 release, unless they want to rush it for late-2012 (which is already pretty crowded).

Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin and John Cho are all expected to return.

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Things have been quiet on the RoboCop reboot front since Jose Padilha (Elite Squad) was hired by MGM in March to direct. Screenwriter Josh Zetumer said filming wouldn’t begin until the script was “good enough”, and it must be getting near to that stage as MGM are apparently eyeing a number of actors to lead the film, with one particular actor in mind.

From Twitch:

Does the world want a younger, prettier Robocop? Apparently MGM does as Twitch has learned that the Star Trek actor is the studio’s top choice to take the lead in the upcoming reboot of the scifi franchise. There is no word as to whether director Jose Padilha agrees with the selection and the offer has not yet gone out but we’re told Pine currently tops the MGM casting list.

If this pans out then it will represent a dramatic shift in the character. At the age of 30 Pine is a full decade younger than Peter Weller was when he first took on the role and much more a heart-throb movie star than Weller ever was.

Pine will be busy shooting the Star Trek sequel whenever that gets into gear (likely towards the end of 2011), but he’s got nothing planned for 2012 yet so he could potentially take on the role if he wanted it. With the character having his face covered for a good section of the movie they’ll need an actor who can act through the helmet, like Peter Weller did in 1987, so getting an actor with the acting chops required should be MGM’s priority.

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The live-action adaptation of anime graphic novel Akira is moving forward, and following a rewrite from Harry Potter screenwriter Steve Kloves Warner Bros. has complied a short-list of actors for the two leading roles. Unsurprisingly, none of them are Japanese actors, which has causes a bit of controversy amongst fans.

Here’s the run-down, from Deadline:

I’m told that for Tetsuo, Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield and James McAvoy have been given the new script.

For the role of Kaneda, the script has been given to Garrett Hedlund, Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake and Joaquin Phoenix. The two leads are expected to come from that group of actors.

All the names mentioned are fairly young up-and-comers (plus Joaquin Phoenix?). With an August shoot planned it shouldn’t be long before both Tetsuo and Kaneda are cast, however as James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are already paired up on X-Men: First Class it’s unlikely we’ll get both of them.

As well as hiring non-Japanese actors for the leads Warner Bros. has also moved the location to the US, with the story now taking place in “a rebuilt New Manhattan where a leader of a biker gang saves his friend from a medical experiment”. I can understand why the studio has ‘Americanized’ it ($$$), but I can also understand why fans of the graphic novel will be annoyed.

The whole theory behind adapting well known properties is to attract the built-in audience (and not to piss them off in the process), but it seems Warner Bros. has just bought the concept and aim to sell it as big-budget movie with big effects to the masses. Anyone remember The Last Airbender?

Albert Hughes, one half of The Hughes Brothers who were responsible for The Book of Eli, is directing.

Any Akira fans have an opinion on this short list of actors?

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20th Century Fox has announced that Tony Scott’s Unstoppable which starred Denzel Washington and Chris Pine will become available on DVD and Blu-ray on February 15th.

The movie managed to take $146 million at the worldwide box office, which is a decent amount for a $100 million movie but a bit lower than your typical Denzel flick (Book of Eli made $157 million and DeJa Vu made $180 million). Unstoppable also had great reviews and currently stands at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, so it might be worth checking out if you haven’t already.

Check out the specifications below:

UNSTOPPABLE Blu-ray Extras:

Disc One:

- Derailed: Anatomy of a Scene
- Hanging Off the Train: Stunt Work ?
- On the Rails with the Director and Cast
- The Fastest Track: Unleashing Unstoppable
- Director Commentary Track
- Tracking the Story: Unstoppable Script Development

Disc Two:
- Digital Copy

UNSTOPPABLE DVD Extras:

- Director Commentary Track
- Tracking the Story: Unstoppable Script Development

Unstoppable will be available to pre-order on January 19th.

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Director Tony Scott returns to the world of high speed pursuits in Unstoppable, his fifth collaboration with star Denzel Washington. Inspired by true events, the film follows an out-of-control train as it tears through the Pennsylvania countryside and the two mismatched railroad employees who take it upon themselves to stop it.

I must admit: while Tony Scott’s filmography is fairly populist and mostly enjoyable to me, I’m beginning to tire of his frenetic style and predictable storylines. Never has this been more apparent than in Unstoppable, a movie that – by the very nature of its plot – almost demands that you sit on the edge of your seat but never actually does anything to earn that demand.

Most of the reason I didn’t particularly care for the film is due to the lackluster script by Mark Bomback. It’s exactly the type of movie you think it’s going to be, and the movie takes absolutely no risks in telling this story. Every character is a walking cliche, from the hard working but under-appreciated Connie Hooper (Dawson) to her buffoonish boss (Dunn), and the movie somehow manages to make the main characters almost totally uninteresting. There are the standard family issues – Washington’s Frank Barnes is losing touch with his teenage daughters, Pine’s Will Colson has a strained relationship with his wife and son – but there is so little time spent building those relationships that we don’t particularly care if the issues are resolved.

Sometimes a movie can be so mediocre that it angers me more than a truly awful film. I feel bad ragging on a movie like this because A) I’m not a screenwriter, nor do I know to what degree the studio altered the script and B) it’s actually a competent movie and I’m sure a lot of people will like it. It’s comfort food for your eyes on the big screen, with serviceable performances from everyone involved but nothing fresh about the presentation. Many of Scott’s films tell stories that have been told before, but usually he brings something new to the table that at least makes it interesting (Top Gun‘s dogfighting sequences, for example). In Unstoppable, even the action is predictable and without consequence. (Small spoiler alert – even the one railroad worker we think dies in an action scene is revealed to have miraculously survived in a cheesy end-credits explanation scene.)

Nearly everything about this movie seems uninspired or too on the nose, even down to Scott’s fetishistic portrayal of machines as villains and the John Henry-esque human spirit triumphing over it. This film also had trouble gaining speed (so to speak) in preproduction; Washington dropped in and out of involvement and rampant budget cuts came down from the studio, and those problems seemed to translate into the final product. There’s no life in this film, and everything is frustratingly average. The only patch of brightness belongs to Ethan Suplee, who sells the guilt of causing this whole thing with ease but – again – doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD

I was thoroughly unimpressed with Unstoppable, but what did you think about it? Did the Apollo 13 ending seem endearing to you or more like an inadequate imitation? Sound off in the comment section. And shouldn’t this movie have been called Stoppable? Until next time…

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As many of you know, George Clooney is not just a talented actor, but also a very skilled director. Clooney was nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards for Good Night, and Good Luck, but it was his debut – Confessions of a Dangerous Mind – that I thought was much more enjoyable. Now, he’s setting up his third directorial film: Farragut North, based on a stage play about a political campaign and the corruption and tricks that go along with it. Hit the jump for more information, including Clooney’s hopes for his cast.

Clooney has his eye on Star Trek‘s Chris Pine for the lead role of Stephen Myers, a young press secretary/spin control expert for a presidential campaign as he plays dirty to secure his boss the nomination. Leonardo DiCaprio was once in talks for the part, but after dropping out, Pine seems the next logical choice; he recently starred in a Los Angeles performance of the play on which the film is based.

Brad Pitt was also once attached to the project, but he and Leo must be having a meeting of the Busiest Guys in Hollywood Club; Pitt probably won’t be able to fit the project into his schedule. Enter Philip Seymour Hoffman as a replacement in the role of Myers’ boss on the campaign trail. Paul Giamatti has joined as the rival political party campaign manager, and offers are also out to Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei in supporting roles.

Sounds like a compelling story and a fantastic cast – count me in. What do you all think? Are you on board with Clooney as a director, and does Farragut North sound appealing to you?

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Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) has done the improbable: converted Bryan Lee O’Malley’s insightful, satirical, emotional, and award-winning series of six graphic novels into a film with a runtime of under two hours. That’s not the improbable part – it’s that, even having read all of the books, the film feels totally complete and still manages to capture the modern zeitgeist of the under-30 crowd with an ease I’ve never seen before. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a modern classic, an ode to the video game crowd and all of the self-centered slacker protagonists out there, presenting audiences with a visually astounding piece of cinema that may not make the most at the box office this weekend, but will surely be considered a cinematic milestone for years to come.

22-year-old Scott Pilgrim (Cera) is dating Knives Chau (Wong), a high school girl. He plays bass for Sex Bob-omb, his band named after enemies in the Mario video game series. But when Scott meets the literal girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers (Winstead), everything changes for him. After ditching Knives, Scott must defeat Ramona’s seven evil exes in order to continue dating her. Through a series of video-game influenced fights mixed with dialogue that completely gets the notions of love and relationships among modern 20-somethings, the film charges forward with breakneck speed and dazzling (yes, dazzling) visuals that are some of the most entertaining I’ve ever seen. This is a brutally inadequate plot summary, but I won’t take away from the film by detailing the plot any further.

The casting here is outstanding. I’ve said before that other movies have been “perfectly cast,” but this one tops every one in recent memory. Each actor absolutely disappears into his/her role: granted, not a tough task considering the casting director managed to miraculously find actors and actresses who both physically resemble their graphic novel counterpoints (to scary degrees, sometimes – Aubrey Plaza, I’m looking at you) and effortlessly assume aspects of their character’s personalities. Cera, the actor with whom I had the most concern before I saw the film, certainly used his stereotypical mumbling awkward shtick at times – but he also plowed through this film with such a convincingly physical performance that it should effectively shatter the popular notion that he plays the same character in every movie.

My favorite Cera moment comes in the first fight scene – a character challenges Scott in front of a huge crowd, and Scott instantly starts using martial arts. It’s implied that Scott doesn’t even know that he has these abilities, since everyone [including his sister Stacy (played by Anna Kendrick)] reacts in a shocked and confused manner when the fight breaks out. But then everyone just blindly accepts the fact that Scott can fight (very well, actually), and no one ever mentions it again. That’s the kind of movie this is: one in which the Universal logo appears in 8-bit form, characters occasionally break into song, conjure up dueling dragons, get hurled through walls only to jump back up again, and bad guys burst into thousands of coins while video game scores pop up on screen.

I think this is one of the most perfect film adaptations of all time. Wright and co-writer Michael Bacall were able to incorporate O’Malley’s original source material into the final film (sometimes word for word, as this awesome fan-created trailer shows), but – and here’s the important part – they weren’t afraid to divulge from the graphic novels. We hear cries from the internet on a daily basis demanding that writers and directors respect the source material for cinematic adaptations, and I understand that need to protect what’s special about the property; it’s the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. But no one wants to see a literal direct translation from comic (or novel, etc.) to film with no differences at all, do they? Even if you do, it’s impossible – the nature of the various mediums don’t allow for literal translations.

But sometimes filmmakers aim to try to recreate the source material anyway, even though it’s almost always detrimental to the movie. Ask Zack Snyder: Watchmen was a brilliant graphic novel, but didn’t reach its true potential as a film that could stand on its own because it was too concerned with not letting down ardent fans of the source material. Here, Wright and Bacall keep the absolute essence of the Scott Pilgrim tale and have no qualms adding or subtracting plot points when necessary to enhance the cinematic story. That’s what I mean by “perfect adaptation” – not a literal translation, but instead a complete and utter understanding of what made the original story great, coupled with skillful writing and the boldness to step out from the shadow of O’Malley’s creation and add their own elements.

Wright brings his signature brand of insanity behind the camera, and creates one of the most visually intriguing films I’ve ever seen. No other movie comes close to the look of this film. It plays like a comic book, transitioning crazily through panels and split screens, with anime-inspired highlights during dramatic moments and Wright’s patented whip pans and tilts serving as a perfect match for the style and humor of the film. I can’t imagine this movie directed by anyone else, and Wright has secured a spot on my favorite filmmakers list with this film (he’s three for three now, in my opinion). The editing is incredible (it should be nominated for an Academy Award, but probably won’t), and the pacing is unrelenting, at one point taking us through multiple places during the course of a single sentence.

Music has massive importance in this film, providing another bridge to connect to younger audiences. The fictional Sex Bob-omb’s music was performed by Beck, and Broken Social Scene doubled for an opposing group during Battle of the Bands sequences. But the best song of the film belongs to Metric, a real band subbing in for The Clash at Demonhead (Scott’s ex is the lead singer of this band in the movie). (Check out the entire soundtrack, now streaming on Spinner.com.) Not only is the band music important in order to convince us that we’re listening to a “real” band on screen, but the notion of music itself is a big part of the Scott Pilgrim universe. As the camera floats through clubs and parties, you’ll hear background characters talking about how a certain band’s “first album is so much better than their first album” or, after watching a band perform live, someone say “you should see them play live.” All of these little asides are O’Malley’s, Bacall’s, and Wright’s way of commenting on hipster culture – an interesting thing to point out, since most people seem to associate this film with hipsters and the movie clearly rails against the most annoying subset of them.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is an achievement on technical and stylistic levels, a personal movie that comfortably locks down its place as a modern classic for my generation and ensuring cult classic status as soon as the current hype wears off. I’d go as far as to say that future filmmakers will cite this film as inspiration much like the current generation cites the original Star Wars. This one’s a game changer, friends, and it’s a flawless victory. Until next time…

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Speaking of Tony Scott, here’s the first trailer for his new film Unstoppable. Denzel Washington and Chris Pine star in the real life story of a runaway train towing toxic chemicals and the engineers responsible for preventing a massive catastrophe. Hit the jump to see the trailer, and let us know what you think about it in the comments section.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC6QM8y0ejo

Unstoppable also stars Rosario Dawson and will be released in November.

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