Tuesday, July 7, 2015

7-7-15 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)


        Lucasfilm has officially announced that The LEGO Movie directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have been tapped to direct a “Star Wars Anthology” film that will serve as a young Han Solo movie! “This is the first film we’ve worked on that seems like a good idea to begin with. We promise to take risks, to give the audience a fresh experience, and we pledge ourselves to be faithful stewards of these characters who mean so much to us. This is a dream come true for us. And not the kind of dream where you’re late for work and all your clothes are made of pudding, but the kind of dream where you get to make a film with some of the greatest characters ever, in a film franchise you’ve loved since before you can remember having dreams at all.” The screenplay for the Han Solo movie is written by Lawrence Kasdan and Jon Kasdan and focuses on how young Han Solo became the smuggler, thief, and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi first encountered in the cantina at Mos Eisley. Lawrence Kasdan, the writer and director known for Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Big Chill, and Grand Canyon, is familiar to “Star Wars” fans for having co-written the screenplays for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. His son Jon Kasdan wrote and directed The First Time, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and In the Land of Women, as well as writing for the television series “Freaks and Geeks” and “Dawson’s Creek.” “We’re so excited to be working with Chris and Phil, who will bring a fresh new dimension to the Star Wars universe,” said the Kasdans. “They’re two of the smartest, funniest and most original filmmakers around, and the ideal choice to tell the story of Han Solo, one of the coolest characters in the galaxy.” Kathleen Kennedy, who will be producing the Han Solo movie, says she can’t wait to discover what’s in store from these two extraordinary teams of directors and writers. “It’s not just any filmmaker who can tell the story of such a beloved icon like Han Solo, and I’m excited to say we’ve found the perfect team to handle the task. Larry and Jon know all there is to know about the character, and Chris and Phil will bring their wit, style, energy and heart to tell Han’s story.” Slated for a May 25, 2018 release, the Han Solo movie will be executive produced by Lawrence Kasdan and Jason McGatlin and co-produced by Will Allegra. Miller and Lord are also developing the feature version of The Flash for Warner Bros. and an animated version of Spider-Man for Sony. Though the pair will still write these projects, it’s unlikely they will direct them as both are already slated with release dates (March 23, 2018 and July 28, 2017, respectively). A Third “Jump Street” movie is also in development with the pair producing.

        This is great news to hear. This film has rumored for a long time, but I'm glad that it is finally officially happening. I like how we'll get to see everything we've wanted from Han Solo such as the Kessel Run in 12 Parsecs, how he won the Millennium Falcon in the card game with Lando or the big question of how he became friend with everyone's favorite fuzzball Chewbacca. I have heard through the grapevine that Zac Efron could play the young Han Solo with Michael B. Jordan playing Lando, but again those are rumors. I also love that Disney has enough courage in the film to give it a summer release date. I think Lord and Miller are the perfect choices for the film and I'm curious to see what happens with them concerning Spider-Man and The Flash and if they'll pass on one and do the other or pass on both outright. All we can do is speculate and see what happens. 


       
        Following the just-announced news that directors Phil Lord and Chirs Miller will direct a Han Solo spin-off movie, Birth.Movies.Death reports that none other than Darth Vader will appear in the first solo “Star Wars” movie, Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One. The site reveals that Vader will not be the primary antagonist of the film but will be “behind the scenes, pulling strings” and will literally appear onscreen via a viewscreen or holo projection. The first in the “Star Wars Anthology” series of spin-off films, Rogue One will follow a rogue band of resistance fighters united to steal the Death Star plans and bring new hope to the galaxy. “It’s the reality of war. Good guys are bad. Bad guys are good,” director Gareth Edwards said at Star Wars Celebration. John Knoll, the Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor who currently serves as chief creative officer at Industrial Light & Magic, is executive producing the film along with Simon Emanuel (The Dark Knight Rises, Fast & Furious 6) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War of the Worlds). Kathleen Kennedy and Tony To (“Band of Brothers,” “The Pacific”) are on board to produce with John Swartz (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) attached to co-produce. It was also recently confirmed that Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The King’s Speech) will be providing the score. Starring Felicity Jones as a rebel soldier along with Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler), Sam Claflin (Snow White and the Huntsman), Diego Luna and Ben Mendelsohn (The Dark Knight Rises), Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One is set for release on December 16, 2016.

        This is not surprising news to hear. With the film taking place just before the events of Episode IV and focusing on the rebels stealing the plans to the Death Star having Darth Vader in the film is an obvious idea. I know they said that we won't see him in physical form, but I am curious to see how much we will see of him in the hologram form. I'm also curious to see if they can get James Earl Jones to come back and do the iconic voice of Vader. I'm really excited about this news and the film is looking better and better. 



        Walt Disney Pictures has revealed the first poster for their real-life action-thriller The Finest Hours which you can check out below. Tune in tomorrow morning, July 8, for the debut of the trailer. The Finest Hours is the remarkable true story of the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history. Presented in Digital 3D and IMAX 3D, the film will transport audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale. On February 18, 1952, a massive nor’easter struck New England, pummeling towns along the Eastern seaboard and wreaking havoc on the ships caught in its deadly path, including the SS Pendleton, a T-2 oil tanker bound for Boston, which was literally ripped in half, trapping more than 30 sailors inside its rapidly-sinking stern. As the senior officer on board, first assistant engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) soon realizes it is up to him to take charge of the frightened crew and inspire the men to set aside their differences and work together to ride out one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast. Meanwhile, as word of the disaster reaches the U.S. Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts, Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana) orders a daring operation to rescue the stranded men. Despite overwhelming odds, four men, led by Coast Guard Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), set out in a wooden lifeboat with an ill-equipped engine and little, if any, means of navigation, facing frigid temperatures, 60-foot high waves and hurricane-force winds. Disney’s The Finest Hours is directed by Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm) and stars Chris Pine (Star Trek), Casey Affleck (Interstellar), Ben Foster (Lone Survivor), Holliday Grainger (Cinderella), John Ortiz (Blackhat) and Eric Bana (Deliver Us from Evil).

The Finest Hours

        This is a really nice poster. It reminds me a lot of the poster for The Perfect Storm and I happened to like that movie a lot. This seems like a Disney film as well by the description of the film and the cast that they've assembled is absolutely fantastic. My only concern is the fact that it is being released in January. I only say that because January is a terrible month for movies. Now just because it's a Disney film doesn't mean that it will be good, but we'll just have to wait and see.



        Fox 2000 has just released the first teaser trailer for their upcoming live-action and CGI hybrid, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip and you can check it out below. This time around, after a series of misunderstandings, Alvin, Simon and Theodore come to believe that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend in New York City… and dump them. They have three days to get to him and stop the proposal, saving themselves from losing Dave. Scripted by Mrs. Doubtfire screenwriter Randi Mayem Singer and directed by Walt Becker, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip stars Jason Lee (Mallrats, “My Name Is Earl”) as Dave Seville and will again feature the voices of Justin Long (Tusk, Drag Me To Hell), Matthew Gray Gubler (“Criminal Minds,” (500) Days of Summer) and Jesse McCartney (“Army Wives,” “Young Justice”) as the headlining chipmunks. Combined, the three previous movies, which started with 2007’s Alvin and the Chipmunks, have grossed over $560 million domestically and $1.1 billion worldwide, although the last movie grossed $100 million less in North America than the previous two movies. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip hits the big screen on December 23.


        This was just terrible. Look for me personally as a fan of the the cartoons and the music seeing this fourth installment makes me want to give up blogging for good. These films are so terrible and I honestly don't know why people go to see them. It makes sense from a studio viewpoint becasue they make a profit and that's what studios care about. So far each film has made less and less money so hopefully this one doesn't make enough so that my childhood can't be hurt anymore.



        Disney has been having a lot of success lately with live-action adaptations of some classic fairy tales, many of which the studio famously and previously adapted in animated form. Some, like Kenneth Branagh’s recent Cinderella, have offered direct adaptations while others, like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, have served as quasi-sequels. Then there’s cases like Robert Stromberg’s Maleficent where the story is retold from a new perspective. It sounds like it’s that latter approach that Walt Disney Pictures is after today as The Hollywood Reporter brings word that a Prince Charming movie is in the works at the studio. Originally scripted by Matt Fogel (who previously served as assistant to Phil Lord and Chris Miller on Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), the Prince Charming movie script was picked up by Disney today with the trade only going so far as to say that Fogel’s script offers a “revisionist take.” Prince Charming, the archetypal fairytale hero, has actually been brought to the big screen by Disney a few times in recent months. Richard Madden played the Prince in the Branagh film while Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen played dueling iterations of the role (one Rapunzel’s Prince and one Cinderella’s Prince) in Rob Marshall’s Into the Woods. The Prince Charming movie joins a number of live-action Disney fairy tale films heading to the big screen. Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book hits theaters April 15, 2016 with the aforementioned Beauty and the Beast following on March 17, 2017. After that, plans call for a Tim Burton-directed Dumbo and new live-action versions of Winnie the Pooh, Mulan, Pinnochio and more. There’s also a sequel to Alice in Wonderland on the way with Alice Through the Looking Glass (arriving May 27, 2016), reports of one for Maleficent in development as well and a live-action Peter Pan spinoff, Tink, set to star Reese Witherspoon as the iconic fairy.

        This is really interesting news. With all of the characters that are at Disney, a Prince Charming movie was not on a list of films I'd like to see. It does however make sense simply because the Cinderella remake was successful and plus with all of the live-action films already in the works it was only a matter of time before they made this film. I like the news only because it will be something different and this will give the male children someone they can look up to just the girls look up to the group of Disney Princesses. Like I said it makes sense, but it is relly confusing on the selection process. 

        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

No comments:

Post a Comment