Monday, July 6, 2015

7-6-15 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)


        When Warner Bros. revealed their full slate of DC Comics movies, no release dates for the new Batman and Superman solo films were announced (though they were mentioned to be in development). Rumors have persisted about Ben Affleck’s Batman getting his own stand-alone, though there has been little word since about Henry Cavill headlining another Superman feature. Speaking with EW, Cavill opened up about the possibility, but he thinks that telling stories about the Man of Steel are far more difficult. “There’s plenty of time for individual Superman sequels,” he tells the outlet. “He’s a tough character to tell. People like the darker vigilante. I think it speaks to the human psyche more easily rather than the god-like being that we can’t really understand. Once we have a more expansive universe we can delve more into the character of Superman and hopefully tell more stories.” He may not be getting his own movie again soon, but Cavill will appear as the last son of Krypton in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and both Justice League Part One in November 2017 and Justice League Part Two in June 2019. Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice also stars Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, with Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane returning from Man of Steel, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, and Holly Hunter in a role newly created for the film. Jason Momoa will also be making an appearance as Aquaman. Directed by Zack Snyder, written by Chris Terrio, from a screenplay by David S. Goyer, the film is produced by Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Wesley Coller, David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is set to open worldwide on March 25, 2016.

        I really like this comments. Henry Cavill understands the business of making superhero films. I get why people are a little uncomfortable about not knowing when the next Superman film is coming out because they want to see how the story will build from the events of Man of Steel. The thing this that we are getting that explanation in Batman v. Superman. I also agree with him that a Superman film is hard to make. I mean out the 6 that have been released only 2 have been outstanding (Superman and Superman II), 2 sub-par films (Superman Returns and Man of Steel) and two piles of crap (Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace). Honestly I think we'll see a Man of Steel Sequel sometime in 2019 possibly after Justice League Part 2 is released in June of that year.



        Among the most cited complaints regarding 2013’s Man of Steel, the destruction of Metropolis lands at the top of the list. Fans with a love for Superman were also not overly fond of the way the title character finished off General Zod at the film’s climax. Director Zack Snyder is still eager to defend the ending of the film, and notes that it’s in keeping with the message of their entire cinematic universe. “I was surprised because that’s the thesis of Superman for me, that you can’t just have superheroes knock around and have there be no consequences,” Snyder tells EW. “There are other superhero movies where they joke about how basically no one’s getting hurt. That’s not us. What is that message? That’s it’s okay that there’s this massive destruction with zero consequence for anyone?” The massive destruction will also play a major role in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as the death of some of Bruce Wayne’s employees in the incident will lead to his bout with the Kryptonian. “One of the things I liked was Zack’s idea of showing accountability and the consequences of violence and seeing that there are real people in those buildings,” says Ben Affleck. “And in fact, one of those buildings was Bruce Wayne’s building so he knew people who died in that Black Zero event.” Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stars Henry Cavill in the role of Clark Kent/Superman, and Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, with Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane returning from Man of Steel, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, and Holly Hunter in a role newly created for the film. Jason Momoa will also be making an appearance as Aquaman. Directed by Zack Snyder, written by Chris Terrio, from a screenplay by David S. Goyer, the film is produced by Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Wesley Coller, David S. Goyer and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is set to open worldwide on March 25, 2016.

        I really love these comments. I like how Snyder defends the ending to Man of Steel when he didn't need to. I have never seen so many people get mad at the destruction of a fictional city when there was only one person to save it while fighting off an tyrant who was trying to end the world unlike in The Avengers when there are 6 to 9 people working together to save the planet so there is a big difference. I really didn't have a problem with it because it was a different take and a ballsy move from Snyder that for me paid off. People have to understand that there has to be an event that sets the universe in motion so destroying Metropolis is the way the DCCU started just like the revelation of Tony Stark saying he was Iron Man in Iron Man. I also really like Affleck defending Snyder and agreeing with in saying that you can't have a city be destroyed and not have consequences. I don't recall anybody complaining about Manhattan getting destroyed in The Avengers so why should Metropolis getting destroyed in Man of steel be any different?



        Despite Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirming a meeting with director Ava DuVernay just last week, the Selma filmmaker has announced today that she will not helm the highly-anticipated Black Panther movie. “I guess I’ll declare my independence from this rumor on 4th of July weekend and Essence weekend! I’m not signing on to direct Black Panther,” DuVernay tells Essence. “I think I’ll just say we had different ideas about what the story would be. Marvel has a certain way of doing things and I think they’re fantastic and a lot of people love what they do.” “I loved that they reached out to me. I loved meeting Chadwick and writers and all the Marvel execs,” she adds. “In the end, it comes down to story and perspective. And we just didn’t see eye to eye. Better for me to realize that now than cite creative differences later… I love the character of Black Panther, the nation of Wakanda and all that that could be visually. I wish them well and will be first in line to see it.” In confirming his meeting with DuVernay, Feige previously mentioned that the studio has also met with “a number of people” for their upcoming slate of movies, though who remains in contention for the position remains a mystery. “We need to find the best director for any given movie, and that’s really where we always start,” he said. “If diversity is part of that, it’s great. It’s important. You will start to see things across the industry as a whole change as more filmmakers come up through the ranks and become part of making movies like this.” Chadwick Boseman is set to star as the title hero in Black Panther, which is currently being scripted by Mark Bailey and set for release on July 6, 2018. Boseman will make his debut as the character in Captain America: Civil War, slated to debut in theaters May 6, 2016

        This is really disappointing news to hear. I honestly thought Ava DuVernay was a perfect choice to direct the Black Panther film simply because of the way she was able to handle a strong African American led film in Selma. This also goes back to my main problem with Marvel and for those that know me well have heard me make this argument before. Marvel (like DuVernay mentioned) does things there way and if your vision isn't the same as theirs then you can't direct a film for them and I think that is stupid. Now granted I understand that you have to keep all of the films continuity in check to make sure everything fits into place, but this takes away from a director's creative ability because they make the film they want. That was one of the main reasons why Edgar Wright was let go from Ant-Man after working on the film for almost 8 years. There has to be a way where a director can come and make the film the way they want to, but also have the elements needed to keep the universe connected for films going forward. I'm now really curious as to who Marvel will get to direct Black Panther. 



        While we await what will happen with the viral next week, Marvel Studios has released a new Ant-Man trailer which mentions both The Avengers and Iron Man and you can check it out below. Ant-Man stars Paul Rudd (This is 40, They Came Together), Evangeline Lilly (“LOST,” The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies) and Michael Douglas (The Game, And So It Goes) and brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time. Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang (Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world. Also starring Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Wood Harris, Judy Greer and David Dastmalchian, Ant-Man features a script by Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Paul Rudd and Adam McKay and is directed by Peyton Reed. Ant-Man opens in theaters on July 17.


        To be honest I didn't like this trailer. It showed way too much of the film and I don't need to see anymore when my anticipation level for the film is so high. Plus the fact that they shoe-horned in a mentioning of Iron Man and The Avengers pretty much telling the audience your dumb and you need to know that this is apart of the MCU, when in the marketing you have absolutely beat this over the head and heck it even says Marvel Studios above the logo of the film. Look we get it the film is in the MCU so you don't need to beat a dead horse. That's the problem with trailers today and I honestly think that studios do this because they just want to make sure that people get it or because they are scared the film might no do good. For this film I personally think it is the former instead of the latter. All I can say is that we'll find out of July 17th.

       

        It’s a busy day for Michael K. Williams! Following a report this morning that revealed that Williams will be joining the cast of Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters, comes word, via Variety, that the “Boardwalk Empire” and “The Wire” star is set for lead role in 20th Century Fox and New Regency’s upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie. Williams joins a cast that already includes Michael Fassbender (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Slow West), Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception) and Ariane Labed (Before Midnight). Justin Kurrzel (Macbeth) is set to direct. From Ubisoft, the original Assassin’s Creed game involves Desmond Miles, captured by a secret organization with ties to the Knight Templar, who repeatedly send Miles back in time into the body of his assassin ancestors to retrieve valuable historical artifacts. Ubisoft Motion Pictures, the film division of the company, has been developing the games into a feature with 20th Century Fox and New Regency for some time. In a recent interview, Fassbender told ComingSoon.net that production is gearing up to begin this September. “It’s all new to me,” said the star, “but starting to develop scripts and work on them, they take time. It just takes time to get a good story together and we really want to do it right… That’s always the challenge of something that’s so dense, to really find something and pare it down and, basically, there are so many elements to it. Trying to translate that to an audience, you have to pick key things. [P]art of it is getting through the density of it and paring down and engaging a simple story.” Michael K. Williams’s character has not been yet revealed, although it is noted that his character has the potential to appear in multiple films, should a cinematic franchise develop from the December 21, 2016 release.

        This is great casting. Michael K. Williams is a tremendous actor and putting him any film is a great idea. To me as a fan of the franchise I don't have a clue who he could play. But I have seen him be a villain more times than not and I think he may play the CEO of Abstrego Industries which is the evil corporation in the earlier versions of the game. The film has went through a lot whether it be finding a writer or director or a release date, but I'm for certain that in December of 2016 we will finally get the Assassin's Creed film.

        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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