Wednesday, August 5, 2015

8-4-15/8-5-15 Movie News

        Hello ladies and gentlemen, Since I didn't get to bring you news from yesterday I figured that I would combine today's and yesterday's news (3 stories from each day). So 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)

(8/4/15)

        Following his introductory video, the Red Band Deadpool trailer has debuted online after making its world premiere on “Conan.” You can check it out in the player below! You’ll also find the Green Band version of the trailer underneath. Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life. Ryan Reynolds stars as the title character alongside T.J. Miller as Weasel, Gina Carano as Angel Dust, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Morena Baccarin as Copycat and Ed Skrein as Ajax. The film will also feature the mutant Colossus, though Daniel Cudmore has confirmed he will not appear as the character. Reynolds has also expressed a desire that Hugh Jackman might cameo as Wolverine, though it remains unconfirmed as to whether or not he will actually appear. Tim Miller is directing the movie from a script by Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Confirmed to be rated R, Deadpool is scheduled for a release on February 12, 2016.



        This was a really fun trailer. Now having seen this trailer three weeks ago, I din't really want to talk about it because it was leaked and it's not right for me to give those people any exposure, but now that it's out I'm glad I can talk about it. It really feels like Fox is staying true to the character of Deadpool from the comics. Ryan Reynolds deserves to get this opportunity to redeem the character after the debacle that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine. There is a huge difference in both the red band and green band trailers so watch them both to find the differences. I've been dying for this film to happen and knowing that it is coming out in 6 months gets me really excited. 


       
        A mere two weeks after director David Gordon Green was announced to make Lionsgate’s Boston Marathon bombing film Stronger, Variety reveals that Peter Berg (Battleship, Friday Night Lights) is in final negotiations to direct CBS Films’ rival project, titled Patriots’ Day. While Stronger is based on the non-fiction memoir by wounded bombing survivor Jeff Bauman, Patriots’ Day is taken from the account of Boston Police commissioner Ed Davis and will likely focus more on the chaos created by and ensuing manhunt for perpetrators Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Mark Wahlberg (Transformers: Age of Extinction, The Gambler) has been circling the role of Davis, but prior commitments and the fast-track nature of the project may prevent him from taking the role. Berg is quickly becoming Wahlberg’s go-to director of choice, after their successful pairing on Lone Survivor and the currently-filming true-life thriller Deepwater Horizon (set to open September 30, 2016), as well as the Indonesia-set action film Mile 22, which is in pre-production. Whether he takes the role or not, Wahlberg is still onboard to produce Patriots’ Day with Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark of Bluegrass Films alongside Stephen Levinson and Michael Radutzky. Bridge of Spies scribe Matt Charman will provide the screenplay. There is also a third movie based on the tragic bombing (which killed three and wounded 260) in development at 20th Century Fox titled Boston Strong, which had Daniel Espinoza (Safe House, Child 44) interested in directing and Casey Affleck to star last year.

        This is a great choice. While it is a great choice it also a very obvious one. Mark Wahlberg wants to work with directors he has had success with in the past and after the success of Lone Survivor, this was a no-brainer choice. Peter Berg has a very unique and interesting style that I think will fit this film perfectly. While the Boston Marathon Bombing tragedy was horrific in every sense of the word, we are getting ready to be beaten over the head with the story and tragedy that just happened 4 years ago and I don't know how the public will react to three films about the same thing. Anyway, Peter Berg is a great choice and I can't wait to see what him and Mark Wahlberg can come up with. 



        Will Smith is in final negotiations to star in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s Collateral Beauty, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hugh Jackman recently exited the role due to scheduling conflicts with the third Wolverine movie at 20th Century Fox, coming to theaters on March 3, 2017. Johnny Depp was also rumored back then to take over the role. The film, co-starring Rooney Mara, centers on a New York advertising executive (Smith) who experiences a deep personal tragedy. His colleagues devise an unconventional plan to break him out of his depression — which works — but not in a way that anyone imagined. The PalmStar Media and Likely Story project is produced by Anonymous Content’s Michael Sugar and Bard Dorros, along with Allan Loeb, who wrote the script. Palmstar CEO Kevin Frakes will executive produce with Anthony Bregman of Likely Story and Steven Pearl. Smith’s Overbrook will co-produce. Filming on the movie is expected to start in October. Smith can be seen coming up in the Sony Pictures NFL drama Concussion and Warner Bros. Pictures’ comic book adaptation Suicide Squad.

        This is a great replacement. I have been on the Will Smith hate wagon for awhile now and I even wrote a post two years ago talking about actors who needed to step their game up to get the careers back on track and he was one of those actors along with Adam Sandler and Johnny Depp and since then Sandler isn't even trying, Depp is trying, but he hasn't had the right film yet (until Black Mass comes out in September) and the one stand out of the three has been Will Smith. He has made great decisions to help his career get back on the right path. I think this is movie where he will get to show off his dramatic acting traits which we haven't seen since The Pursuit of Happiness back in 2007. The story is really interesting and I can't wait to see Smith and Rooney Mara act off of one another in the film.

(8/5/15)

        Sony Pictures Entertainment today unveiled release dates for 16 films for the studio’s slate through 2019. The studio said the additions compose a diverse, globally oriented mix of films, including new films with franchise potential (The Dark Tower, Uncharted, Patient Zero), established franchises (Bad Boys 3 and 4, Resident Evil, Underworld), adaptations of strong and beloved source material (The Magnificent Seven, Jumanji, Barbie), and original films (Passengers, Money Monster, The Shallows, Baby Driver, The Lamb). These films join numerous projects already on the studio’s slate, including Ghostbusters (which moves up one week to 7/15/16), the next Spider-Man movie (7/28/17), The Equalizer 2 (9/29/17), Dan Brown’s Inferno (10/14/16), Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (11/11/16), and the animated Spider-Man film masterminded by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (7/20/18). The full list of films and their release dates added to the slate includes:

Money Monster – 4/8/16
The Shallows – 6/24/16
Ghostbusters – 7/15/16*
Patient Zero – 9/2/16
The Magnificent Seven – 9/23/16*
Underworld 5 – 10/21/16
Passengers – 12/21/16
Jumanji – 12/25/16
The Dark Tower – 1/13/17
Resident Evil 6 – 1/27/17
Bad Boys 3 – 2/17/17
Baby Driver – 3/17/17
Barbie – 6/2/17
Uncharted – 6/30/17*
The Lamb – 12/8/17
Bad Boys 4 – 7/3/19


*Previously slated films with new dates.

        This is a pretty interesting schedule of films. A couple of things really stand out to me. One of the things is the most obvious is the fact that Bad Boys 3 and Bad Boys 4 are finally happening after years of Martin Lawrence, Will Smith and Michael Bay have been talking about these films for 13 years and now they can finally stop. Another thing that stands out is Uncharted getting pushed back a full year and that's not surprising. The film was supposed to come out in June of 2016 which is 10 months away and the studio hadn't even announced who was playing Nathan  Drake and then just a few weeks ago Seth Gordon stepped down as the director so the studio had no other choice but to move the film back. The final thing that stands out to me is Jumanji getting a remake and it's not surprising. By the time the film comes out then the other film has been out for over 20 years and to be honest there are some people who have never seen the original film. I feel that this film will stick more close to the source material so that it can have a different feel that the other film. 


        One of the few notable actors from across the pond to NOT appear in one of the eight “Harry Potter” films, Colin Farrell (In Bruges, Saving Mr. Banks) is making up for lost time as The Hollywood Reporter reveals the Irish heartthrob has signed on to co-star in Warner Bros.’ adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Farrell will take on the role of Graves, a wizard that Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) meets in New York. Already set to co-star Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol and Dan Fogler, the David Yates-directed film follows Newt Scamander (Redmayne), the Wizarding World’s preeminent magizoologist, who in his travels has encountered and documented a myriad of magical creatures, ultimately leading to his penning the Hogwarts School textbook “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” The film is being produced by David Heyman, producer of all eight of the blockbuster Harry Potter features; J.K. Rowling; Steve Kloves, who scripted all but one of the Harry Potter films; and Lionel Wigram, who served as an executive producer on the last four installments of the franchise. J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplay. Warner Bros. Pictures has the first Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them set for a worldwide release in 3D and IMAX on November 18, 2016. Despite overall mixed reviews for the recent second season of HBO’s “True Detective,” Farrell has been earning high praise for his performance as corrupt Detective Ray Velcoro, with the 90-minute season finale set to air this Sunday. He will next be seen on the big screen opposite Anthony Hopkins in the supernatural thriller Solace as well as the surreal comedy The Lobster with Rachel Weisz.

        This is a great choice to add to a cast. Colin Ferrell is an amazing actor and adding him to any film is an amazing choice. I'm glad that he is finally getting a chance to join this franchise after not getting the chance in the previous 8 films. I would've loved to have seen him in the original Harry Potter films, but I'm glad he is getting a chance now. I think when Redmayne and Ferrell on screen together there will be nothing but amazing chemistry and it will make the film ten times better. 



        Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired worldwide* rights to Don Cheadle’s directorial debut, Miles Ahead. Miles Ahead tells the story of a few lost days in the life of Miles Davis (Cheadle), the virtuoso, fighter and genius, as he bursts out of his silent period, conspires with a Rolling Stone writer (Ewan McGregor) to steal back his music, and relives the years he had with his great love, Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi). Written by Steven Baigelman and Cheadle, Miles Ahead also stars Michael Stuhlbarg, and Keith Stanfield. Cheadle, Lenore Zerman, Pamela Hirsch, Daniel Wagner, Robert Ogden Barnum, Darryl Porter and Vince Wilburn, Jr. produced the film. Mark Amin, Baigelman, Jonathan Gardner and Brian Pope executive produced. Davis’ son, Erin Davis, and daughter, Cheryl Davis, are also executive producers, and the film was made with the participation of The Miles Davis Estate. The film was financed by BiFrost Pictures. “Miles was many things…a supreme artist and a national treasure but also an enigma to those around him, especially during his so-called quiet period,” says Cheadle. “With the family’s blessing and Miles’ tenets on creativity as our guide, we used these cloistered years as a jumping off point to compose the story of a self-exiled artist creating his own ‘centrifugal adventure’ to spin himself back into playing music again. And now I’m delighted that we’ve found the perfect partners in Michael, Tom and the SPC team to take this journey with us.” “What Don Cheadle has done here with the spirit of Miles Davis is truly astounding,” adds a statement from Sony Pictures Classics. “We are not only witnessing for the first time this part of Miles Davis’ story as it deserves to be told, but also the birth of a major film director who happens to portray the iconic singer in a jaw dropping performance. This movie will be embraced by audiences everywhere and we are so pleased to help make that happen.” Miles Ahead was recently announced as this year’s Closing Night selection for the 53rd New York Film Festival.

        This is really great news to hear. I'm always glad to see someone's hard work get the opportunity to be shown to the world. Miles Davis is a very interesting figure in our history and the fact we are getting a film that will take a peak into the side we never saw really excites me. Don Cheadle is a tremendous actor and he'll knock the role out of the park, but I am curious to see how he'll do as a director and maybe if the film is good then he'll get more opportunities down the road. 


        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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