Another big trailer debut today, this time for Wrath of the Titans. With the sequel set for release in just over three months on March 30, 2012 i’ve been wondering when Warner Bros. would start the promotional run, but it starts now.

While technically a teaser this trailer is big on special effects and money-shots, and with The Kraken being a challenge for Perseus in Clash of the Titans they’ve gone all out with the Titans in this one. Also, Sam Worthington has hair.

Watch below:

A decade after defeating the Kraken, Perseus (Sam Worthington) cannot ignore his true calling when Hades (Ralph Fiennes), along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus (Liam Neeson). The Titans’ strength grows stronger as Zeus’ remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth.

Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles) directs. What do you think? Could it be better than the first one?

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A press conference for Bond 23 was held this morning in London, and it was confirmed that the movie will be called Skyfall, a title which producer Barbara Broccoli said “has an emotional context which will be revealed in the film”.

Director Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig were in attendance, as were Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe, confirming their involvement in the film. Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Ben Whishaw were also announced as cast members.

Here’s the full press release:

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli today presented the cast of the 23rd James Bond adventure, entitled SKYFALL. The film, from Albert R. Broccoli’s Eon Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, is directed by Academy Award® winner Sam Mendes and stars Daniel Craig, who returns for his third film as James Bond 007. The screenplay is written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan. SKYFALL, which goes into production on Monday, November 7th, will begin its worldwide roll-out in the UK and Ireland on October 26th 2012 and in North America on November 9th 2012.

Joining Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli and Director Sam Mendes were members of the cast of SKYFALL, including: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe. The filmmakers also announced Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Ben Whishaw.

In SKYFALL, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

“We’re so delighted to have Sam Mendes direct SKYFALL and be working once again with Daniel Craig. We’ve a great script, an extraordinary cast and an incredibly talented creative team for this latest James Bond adventure,” said Wilson and Broccoli.

The Director of Photography is Roger Deakins, a nine-time Oscar® nominee who previously shot the films Jarhead and Revolutionary Road for Mendes. The Production Designer is Oscar® winner Dennis Gassner, who previously designed Quantum of Solace and collaborated with Mendes on the films Road to Perdition and Jarhead. The Editor is Stuart Baird, A.C.E., whose many credits include Casino Royale. Jany Temime, whose many credits include the Harry Potter series, In Bruges, and Children of Men, is the Costume Designer. Action specialist Alexander Witt is the 2nd Unit Director. Gary Powell is Stunt Co-ordinator, Chris Corbould is SFX Supervisor and Steve Begg is Visual Effects Supervisor, all of whom have worked on previous Bond films.

It’s good to finally have a brief synopsis for the film. During the press conference Mendes and the cast kept plot details to themselves, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Mendes said the storyline will take 007 to London, China, Turkey and Scotland, and it had “”all the elements of a classic Bond movie, including – to quell any rumours – lots of action”.

What do you think of the title and cast?

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Over the years Ralph Fiennes has worked with directors such as Steven Spielberg, Stephen Daldry and Kathryn Bigelow, so there’s no wonder the actor got an urge to direct himself.

Last March Fiennes begin shooting his directorial debut Coriolanus, a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s play which was written between 1605 and 1608, and is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus.

For a first time director Fiennes has managed to pull together an impressive cast, which includes Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Chastain, Brian Cox and James Nesbitt. Now the first UK trailer has appeared online, and it looks intense.

Watch below:

Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes), a hero of Rome, is a great soldier but despises the people. His extreme views ignite a mass riot and he is banished from Rome. Coriolanus allies with a sworn enemy (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city. As director and star, Ralph Fiennes brings William Shakespeare’s visceral history play to the big screen for the first time. Coriolanus is a drama for the ages, a commentary on the precarious draw of war and an auspicious directorial debut from one of the world’s great classical actors.

Coriolanus opens in the US on December 2nd and in the UK on January 20, 2012. It has an Oscar-friendly release, so we could see an awards push from The Weinstein Company.

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Late last year Liam Neeson appeared to confirm that Wrath of the Titans would be the title to the Clash of the Titans sequel, however when announcing the start of production in March Warner Bros. didn’t mention the title anywhere.

Well with the marketing campaign for the March, 2012 release on the horizon the studio has made their decision, and the sequel will indeed be called Wrath of the Titans

A decade after defeating the Kraken, Perseus (Sam Worthington) cannot ignore his true calling when Hades (Ralph Fiennes), along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus (Liam Neeson). The Titans’ strength grows stronger as Zeus’ remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth.

Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

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Last month Naomie Harris (28 Days Later, Pirates of the Caribbean) confirmed that she had met with director Sam Mendes and producer Barbara Broccoli regarding a role in Bond 23. Some thought she’d be up for the Bond girl role, but now it looks like the actress will be playing Moneypenny.

According to The Daily Mail (via Playlist) Harris is “poised” to appear in Bond 23 as Moneypenny, which means she isn’t confirmed yet but it’s likely. Moneypenny, secretary to M (Judi Dench), hasn’t been seen in a Bond movie since Samantha Bond played her in Die Another Day back in 2002. The casting of Naomie Harris suggests Sam Mendes will be doing something different with the character, and she’ll probably have a larger role than in previous films (possibly getting out of the office environment in the process).

The site also suggests Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes, who were previously thought to be up for roles, are locked. With The Dark Tower delayed until next year it appears Bardem has been freed up for Bond. No details have been revealed as to whom he will play, although Bardem confirmed it would be a villain. Bardem played a villain in his Oscar-winning turn in No Country For Old Men two years ago so he’s no stranger to this type of role.

As for Ralph Fiennes, next seen as Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, his role is said to be ‘a darkly complex’ one, and Mendes approached him because “the part is one of extreme complexity and only an actor of great ability and dexterity can take it on”.

Filming is set to begin later this year for an October 2012 release, and with a cast like this Bond 23 is looking very promising.

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Following on from the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 poster we got earlier this week featuring Harry, Ron and Hermione in the rubble of Hogwarts, Warner Bros. has released one for the villains, namely Voldemort, Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy, with Narcissa in the background.

Check the full poster below:

In related Deathly Hallows news Dark Horizons tweeted today that a new trailer “should hit early Friday morning U.S. time.” We knew one was coming, and it looks like Warner Bros are attaching it to Green Lantern. I can’t wait.

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Last week we heard Jeremy Irvine, the young actor chosen by Steven Spielberg to lead his WWII epic War Horse, was in talks to play the lead character of Pip in Mike Newell’s adaptation of the classic Dickens novel Great Expectations alongside Helena Bonham Carter, who was in talks to play Miss Havisham.

Now it looks like we may see a Voldemort/Bellatrix reunion as according to The Daily Mail Ralph Fiennes is in discussions to play Magwitch, a father-figure to Pip who has spent his life as a criminal. It’s not a done deal though, as Fiennes is currently set to play Prospero in Trevor Nunn’s version of The Tempest on stage, so there may be scheduling conflicts.

Director Mike Newall (Prince of Persia, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) plans to shoot in and around London in August, so if Fiennes takes the role he would have to shoot his scenes during the day and then do his stage performances in the evening. The actor is also in talks to play a ‘darkly complex’ role in Bond 23, but filming won’t begin until November.

The script, which is being written by Rowan Joffe (28 Weeks Later, The American) follows the orphan Pip (Irvine) across the span of thirty years as he rises to wealth, deserts his true friends, and becomes humbled by his own arrogance. It also features one of Dickens’s more colorful characters in literature: Miss Havasham. She is a wealthy spinster who takes Pip on as a companion and whom Pip suspects is his benefactor.

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Today Warner Bros. announced that principal photography has officially begun on Clash of the Titans 2 (expected to be titled Wrath of the Titans, but the studio hasn’t made it official).

In a press release they included a plot synopsis of the movie and a list of both returning and new cast members, which surprisingly doesn’t include Gemma Arterton (Io). The actress is currently filming Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters so her role in Titans may be small, or maybe she isn’t returning at all.

Anyhow, you can read the plot details below:

Returning to star in the film are Sam Worthington (“Avatar”) as Perseus, and Academy Award® nominees Ralph Fiennes (“The English Patient,” the “Harry Potter” films) as Hades and Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List,” “Unknown”) as Zeus.

A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus—the demigod son of Zeus—is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius.

Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity’s lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld.

Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans’ strength grows stronger as Zeus’ remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth.

Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son, Argenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

Joining Worthington, Fiennes and Neeson in the international cast are Danny Huston (“Robin Hood”), reprising his role as Poseidon, god of the sea; Edgar Ramírez (“The Bourne Ultimatum,” TV miniseries “Carlos”) as the traitorous god of war, Ares; Bill Nighy (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1″) as Hephaestus, whose twisted, lame figure belies his Olympian origins; Toby Kebbell (“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”) as Agenor, imprisoned thief and son of Poseidon who joins Perseus on his journey to Tartarus; and Rosamund Pike (“Barney’s Version”) as Andromeda, the princess whose life Perseus once saved, and who now, as a queen, follows Perseus into battle.

Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles) is directing, and filming will take place in studios outside London. The production will later shoot on location in Surrey, South Wales and in the Spanish Canary Islands on the island of Tenerife. The film is currently scheduled for release in March 2012.

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Update: Deadline have since updated their article saying Neeson will be back and filming may take place later this year or early 2012.

Nobody expected Taken to make $226 million when it hit in 2009, especially as January is usually the dumping ground for movies. However, its success turned Liam Neeson into a bit of an action hero, and lead him to roles in The A-Team, Clash of the Titans, and more recently, Unknown.

Taken 2 has been simmering in the background since, and Neeson confirmed earlier this year that the script was being written. However according to Deadline Neeson may or may not end up returning for the sequel.

Apparently Neeson wants time off (he’s made 8 movies in 2 years), but the producers don’t really want to wait:

I’m told Besson has teamed on a script with Robert Mark Kamen, and that he’s in talks with his Transporter 3 director Olivier Megaton to direct the sequel. But he has been dealing with a huge problem: Neeson has all but withdrawn from reprising his role as Bryan Mills, the retired government operative who in the 2008 original decimated the Paris underworld to free his kidnapped daughter. The reason isn’t money, but rather scheduling: Besson wants to shoot it this year and Neeson wants to take time off. Continuing without Neeson is hard to imagine, but I’ve heard Besson has gone as far as assembling a list of actors to take his place. That list includes Mickey Rourke, Ralph Fiennes, Ray Winstone, Sean Bean and Jason Isaacs.

Deadline goes on to say “things started turning toward a Neeson return but it’s by no means definite. Besson went back to Neeson, and they are working up with a schedule that will allow Neeson to shoot the movie in Istanbul later this year, and still give the actor the time he needs.”

I’m not sure how appealing a Taken sequel without Liam Neeson would be. It would obviously follow a similar story (ie. main guy kicking ass), but Neeson was partly responsible for Taken‘s success.

Would you see Taken 2 without Neeson?

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Everything we have heard about Wrath of the Titans so far suggests it will be an improvement on the first film. They have a new director in Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles), new writers, and there will be no last minute 3D conversion.

In a recent interview Liebesman gave an update on the sequel and said it will shoot for 78 days starting next month. He also revealed that while he won’t be shooting in 3D, there will be 3D stereographer on set and the entire production has been conceived as a 3D movie.

From Collider:

What’s it like to get the keys to the Titans franchise?
Well it’s exciting because I think—again Louis Letterier is one of my mentors from NYU, so I’d never say anything bad about him ‘cause he has taught me a ton of sh*t—I think the first Clash was a missed opportunity. I think the second one…we’ve got a great cast, the same cast, and I want to ground it in a similar reality to say Battle: LA, like have that real grit to it. And within that, you have the fantastical creatures. So really bring it down to something recognizable, realistic in the costume and the way it’s shot and the lighting, lots of atmosphere like what Ridley Scott does, and put fantasy into that. ‘Cause I haven’t seen that in this genre, I haven’t seen fantasy in something that looks like Gladiator.

What can you tell fans to excite them after they were maybe burned by the first film?
For me, taking Greek mythology and all that fantasy and putting it in a real world that’s epic, like Gladiator, like a big Ridley Scott movie, and taking all that fantasy and putting it in, grounding it, making it feel real, that’s the movie that I wanted to see when I walked into Clash 1 and that’s the movie that Clash 2 is gonna be. That’s what I was looking for, I was looking to come in and have a real, intense, visceral kick-ass experience with spectacle but grounded, with great actors, and that’s what the second one will be.

You can read and watch the ful interview here.

A Gladiator-style Greek epic sounds interesting. Despite it’s fault I rather enjoyed Clash of the Titans, and I hope the sequel includes the missed opportunities such as Titans actually clashing and a bit more action from the Gods.

Wrath of the Titans sees the return of Sam Worthington as Perseus and Gemma Arterton as Io. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes will also return as Zeus and Hades, and new addition Rosamund Pike will play Andromeda. Warner Bros. has the release date set for March 30th 2012.

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