Wednesday, March 11, 2015

3-11-15 Movie News

        Hello ladies and gentlemen, here is some movie news with some of my thoughts and opinions (which will be in BOLD print). So without further ado...


(NOTE: All of these stories come from comingsoon.net)


        Miles Teller, who recently headlined the Academy Award-winning Whiplash, will be taking a leading role in Zombieland and Gangster Squad helmer Ruben Fleischer’s latest, The Life and Times of the Stopwatch Gang. TheWrap has the news, reporting that Universal Pictures has acquired the true crime story and is basing the feature film off of Josh Dean’s article at The Atavist. The online literary journal describes Dean’s piece as follows: They were in and out in less than two minutes—that’s how they got away with millions. And for the duration of their reign, no bank robbers were more feared (though they never fired their guns) nor more pursued or more mythologized than the Stopwatch Gang. The members themselves were straight out of central casting: Lionel Wright, a meticulous introvert who could disappear in a room full of people; Paddy Mitchell, a charming and well-connected crook who saw an angle in everything and would go to any lengths to avoid the hell of being locked away; and Stephen Reid, a fearless point man who could find the weakness in any system and whose story—of addiction and descent into crime, of redemption and literary fame—was all prelude to a tragic but life-saving fall from grace. In “The Life and Times of the Stopwatch Gang,” Josh Dean reconstructs the Gang’s glory days and reveals how the real story, pieced together through months of research and reporting most prominently with Reid himself, as he comes to the end, at age 64, of his final days in the custody of the state—is more remarkable than the myth that has long been told. Although it is unknown which role Teller will play, the outlet reports that Scott Stuber is attached to produce alongside Dylan Clark and Fleischer himself. The Atavist‘s Jefferson Rabb and Evan Ratliff will serve as executive producers with Beau Bauman overseeing for Bluegrass Films. Teller can be seen later this month in The Divergent Series: Insurgent and will star opposite Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan and Kate Mara in director Joshua Trank’s Fantastic Four.

        This is fantastic casting. Miles Teller is in an elite group of young actors and he has Oscar caliber potential so getting him in a film like this is pretty great. My biggest concern for the film is Ruben Fleischer and I say that because of Gangster Squad. That movie had so much potential and it failed miserably. Hopefully he can rebound with this film because Miles Teller is in it and plus it sounds like a really great idea. 



        Legendary Pictures announced today the principal cast for their upcoming The Great Wall, set to be the largest film ever shot entirely in China for global distribution. Academy Award winner Matt Damon (The Monuments Men, Interstellar), Pedro Pascal (“Game of Thrones,” “Narcos”) and Willem Dafoe (John Wick, The Grand Budapest Hotel) will star alongside Chinese actors Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs, House of Flying Daggers), Jing Tian (New Police Story, Special ID), Zhang Hanyu (Taking Tiger Mountain, The Assembly), Eddie Peng (Fleet of Time, Rise of the Legend), Lu Han (Miss Granny), Lin Gengxin (Taking Tiger Mountain, Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon), Zheng Kai (Fleet of Time, The Running Man), Chen Xuedong (Tiny Times 3), Huang Xuan (The Golden Era, Blind Massage), and, in his feature film debut, pop star Wang Junkai. Additionally, director Zhang Yimou will carry on his long standing tradition of utilizing new faces in his films. Newcomers Yu Xintian and Liu Qiong will play supporting roles in the film. Yimou is directing the story of an elite force making a last stand for humanity on the world’s most iconic structure. A Legendary Entertainment and Atlas Entertainment Production, the film will be produced by Thomas Tull, Charles Roven, Jon Jashni, and Peter Loehr. Jillian Share, Alex Gartner, Bennett Walsh, La Peikang and Zhang Zhao will executive produce with Er Yong, Alex Hedlund and Eric Hedayat co-producing. Production is set to begin in China at the end of March 2015. An official Chinese co-production, Legendary is partnered with Universal Pictures, China Film Co., Ltd and Le Vision Pictures. Le Vision Pictures and China Film Co., Ltd will distribute the film in China. The Great Wall will be globally released in 3D by Universal Pictures on Friday, November 23, 2016, with the Chinese market opening during the 2016 holiday season.

        This is a fantastic cast. It has some really talented actors including two Academy Award nominees in Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe plus you can't go wrong with a Zhang Yimou film. Everything about this film just screams Oscar and it could be in contention for some come the 89th Academy Awards in 2017. I love this cast and I love the concept and I can't wait to see it.



        In development for some years now, DreamWorks’ action thriller Motorcade has found a helmer in Joe Carnahan. Variety has the news, reporting that the Stretch helmer will direct the story which, in the past, has been eyed by stars like Tom Cruise and Ryan Reynolds. Carnahan will also rewrite the screenplay, which was originally picked up by the studio back in 2004 from an original pitch by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell. Billy Ray (The Hunger Games, Captain Phillips) has since provided a rewrite. Originally set in New York City, Motorcade‘s action appears to have been shifted to the west coast. According to the trade, the film will now see a fictional United States President come under attack while his (or her) motorcade traverses Los Angeles. The protagonist was originally a disgraced Secret Service agent who comes to the President’s rescue. Whether or not that will stay the case as the script undergoes a rewrite remains to be seen. Among Carnahan’s other directing credits are Narc, Smokin’ Aces and The Grey, all from his own screenplays. Recently, Carnahan also directed the pilot episodes of both “State of Affairs” and “The Blacklist” as well as several subsequent episodes of both NBC series. Laurie MacDonald and Walter Parkes are attached to executive produce Motorcade.

        This is a pretty interesting choice. Joe Carnahan has been hit and miss throughout his entire career and giving him this film might be a risk. The only way I can see this film succeeding is if it is as good as The Grey (another film Carnahan directed) and if the aforementioned Tom Cruise or Ryan Reynolds stars in it because it is going to take a huge star to make this film somewhat interesting.



        A new poster has just arrived (via Twitter) for the upcoming action comedy Hot Pursuit, starring Academy Award-winner Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde, Walk the Line) and Sofia Vergara (“Modern Family,” Machete Kills) and you can check it out below. A Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema and MGM production, Hot Pursuit follows an uptight and by the book cop (Witherspoon) who tries to protect the sexy and outgoing widow of a drug boss (Vergara) as they race through Texas, pursued by crooked cops and murderous gunmen. Also starring John Carroll Lynch (“American Horror Story,” Shutter Island), Rob Kazinsky (“True Blood,” Pacific Rim) and Richard T. Jones (“Hawaii Five-O,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”), Hot Pursuit is directed by Anne Fletcher (The Proposal, The Guilt Trip) and features a screenplay by David Feeney, John Quaintance, Dana Fox and Katherine Silberman. Hot Pursuit hits theaters on May 8.

Hot Pursuit

        This is is a really generic can horrible poster. We've seen this type of poster for so many different films that this is very sloppy work from the studio. I do however love the idea of the film. Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon are two of the most gorgeous actress's on the planet and plus they are very talented and I think this film could be really entertaining and I cannot wait to see it. 



        “House of Cards” star Kate Mara is set to headline Morgan, an upcoming sci-fi thriller that will mark the feature directorial debut of Ridley Scott’s son, Luke Scott. The elder Scott will produce the project, which The Hollywood Reporter brings word also has The Witch star Anya Taylo-Joy in negotiations. Morgan, scripted by Seth W. Owen, landed on the 2014 Black List of Unproduced Screenplays with the following official description: A corporate risk management consultant is summoned to a remote research lab to determine whether or not to terminate an at-risk artificial being. Mara can be seen later this year in both Joshua Trank’s Fantastic Four and the Ridley Scott-helmed sci-fi feature The Martian. The former also stars Miles Teller, Jamie Bell and Michael B. Jordan and hits theaters August 7. The latter, meanwhile, will see Mara starring opposite Matt Damon, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean and Jessica Chastain and will arrive on the big screen November 25. Scott Free’s Elishia Holmes and Michael Schaefer will also produce Morgan. George Heller will serve as executive producer with Steve Asbell overseeing for 20th Century Fox.

        This is great casting Kate Mara is a very talented actress and she is vastly underrated and I think putting her in this film will really give her a chance to shine. I also like the fact that Ridley Scott's son is directing this and this is the perfect film for him start his career on. The film sounds really interesting and I can't wait to check it out.

        So there you have it ladies and gentlemen, which of these stories peaked your interest or was there another story that interested you? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.

                                                                                                                                         Jonah Sparks

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