Tuesday, May 20, 2014

5-20-14 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)


        Last week, director Zack Snyder gave us our very first look at Ben Affleck as Batman in the highly anticipated Batman vs. Superman (see gallery below). The influence of the costume for the new film isn't hard to distinguish. With the short ears and the gigantic bat emblem on his chest it's very clearly a version of the suit worn by Batman in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. The only unfortunate part about Snyder's photo was the lack of color, leading many to wonder if we were getting another all black Batman suit. Writer/director Kevin Smith, who championed the new Batsuit many, many months ago, spoke out once again on his "Hollywood Babble-On" podcast (quotes via ComicBook.com) about the newly-released image but clarified that he saw a different photo of Affleck in costume and he saw it in color.

        "That’s not a representation of what the suit looks like," Smith said. "So what the suit looks like, and I was always kind of keeping it quiet until they revealed it, but they've revealed it. And you can kind of see, and anybody that…you've seen some people take the picture and color it online. If you want to see what this f***ing suit looks like, you just go to Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, go to the third book, Hunt the Dark Knight…it's the exact f***ing outfit he's wearing. That's why I hugged that guy all those months ago." Smith went on to speculate that this could be just one of multiple batsuits and Batmobiles that we see in the film, though that remains to be seen.

        Opening in theaters on May 6, 2016, the Zack Snyder film also stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Callan Mulvey, Tao Okamoto and Ray Fisher.

        These are some interesting comments by Smith. I kind of hope we doe see multiple batsuits as it would sort of be a tribute to the character of Batman himself. Also what Smith said is also what we as a film community have been speculating and that's the The Dark Knight Returns batsuit. Overall these are some interesting comments and i can't wait to see the film. 



        Following the tremendous success of The LEGO Movie, Warner Bros. Pictures has set the previously announced toyline-inspired feature project, LEGO's Ninjago, for release on September 23, 2016. "TRON: Uprising" director Charlie Bean is helming, marking his feature debut. Brothers Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman, who were previously involved with Cartoon Network's "Ninjago" animated series, are providing the screenplay, but the big screen take is said to be unrelated to the previous small screen adaptation. LEGO's Ninjago will go up against an unspecified Sony Pictures animated film on that September 23 date.

        This is great news. I'm not surprised that Warner Bros. is making this a movie simply becuase of the success of The LEGO Movie and that have endless possibilities with other franchises. If this film is as good as The LEGO Movie then Warner Bros. has struck gold with LEGO's.



        Plans for a sequel to the 2012 hit Magic Mike are moving forward at Warner Bros. with the tentative title Magic Mike XXL. Today, Channing Tatum spoke with GQ about the sequel, revealing that Steven Soderbergh will still be involved creatively. "I lobbied probably harder than anybody else," Tatum says of trying to get Soderbergh out of his directorial retirement. "We had many, many nights of heated debate. I was, 'I don't f--ing get it! Why?' And he's like, 'I don't need it.'

        "I want to be there," Soderbergh adds, "but I don't want to be the director. I want to be a part of it. I want to be in the band, but I just don't want to be the frontman this time." Greg Jacobs will be sitting in the director's chair instead with Soderbergh serving as cinematographer and editor. Tatum goes on to hint at the plot of the sequel, which is said to focus on conventions Tatum attended during his years working as a stripper.

        "It's an incubator for insanity," says Tatum of a convention he attended in Raleigh, North Carolina. "It doesn't matter almost what you do onstage. I don't want to put anything in black and white on a page, but if you've been to one, you know how crazy it gets, and now pour kerosene on that. You've seen 'Magic Mike'. Now multiply that. Mob mentality. It's just exponentially crazier. I thought it was absolutely insane." Although no official announcements have been made as of yet, most of the cast from the original film is expected to be returning.

        I really like Channing Tatum's comments. Now look I thought beside all of the stripping and women going crazy over stuff that you can see online for free, I thought Magic Mike was a great film. Now the sequel will go a different path simply becuase of Soderbergh not being in the chair and that disappoints me. Look Soderbergh is one of the best directors of all-time and I feel that the seqeul won't come close to the quality of the first without him.



        DreamWorks Animation has announced it has swapped the release dates for The Penguins of Madagascar and Home. The former will now open on November 26, 2014 and the latter will hit theaters on March 27, 2015. Here's the announcement: The most beloved birds on the global espionage scene, the Penguins of Madagascar, have been recruited for a super-secret mission to save the world from a cunning madman this Thanksgiving. "As top-secret spies, we rarely send press releases," said squad leader Skipper, "But yeah, we've been asked to save the world this Thanksgiving. Just once, can't a madman try to wreak havoc on a weekday between 9 and 5?"

        Dawn Taubin, Chief Marketing Officer at DreamWorks Animation says: "We will continue to be as flexible as necessary when it comes to our release dates. We see a unique opportunity for our next two films by having the Penguins of Madagascar move onto November 26 of this year and Home move onto March 27, 2015. We're confident that this date switch gives both of our upcoming releases the largest opportunity for success."

        When approached for comment, Captain Smek, star of the upcoming film Home and leader of the Boov, responded with: "We are very pleased to let Earth's most powerful penguins save the world before we invade it. Your planet will still be there in the spring – and this way, we don't have to buy any of you earthlings Christmas gifts."

        This is somewhat surprising to hear. Usually we hear of films moving back due to any amount of unannounced circumstances, but I also understand this move. Look kids love the Penguins and it's a great idea to have them come out around Thanksgiving when everyone is with their families. So this move makes sense. 



        Jem and the Holograms is getting a little help from another 1980s pop culture icon. The Hollywood Reporter today brings word that Molly Ringwald has joined the cast of the Jon M. Chu film opposite Aubrey Peeples as Jem, Stefanie Scott as Kimber, Hayley Kiyoko as Aja, Aurora Perrineau as Shana and Ryan Guzman as Rio. Juliette Lewis is also playing a role, although, as is the case with Ringwald, the part is being kept secret for the time being.

        Created by Christy Marx, the original "Jem and the Holograms" series was a joint collaboration from Hasbro, Marvel and Sunbow Productions. It began airing in 1985 and ran for three seasons, following the adventures of the titular Jem, the musical superstar alter ego of a young woman named Jerrica Benton who, with the help of a holographic computer called Synergy, is able to clandestinely perform rock concerts with her friends.

        Best known for John Hughes films like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club, Ringwald has recently been starring on ABC Family's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager."

        Now as you all know I'm not to excited for this film, but this is some interesting casting. You all know my saying of it's never wrong to add talent and Ringwald (while not great) is still some good talent to add to a film like this. But no matter the casting the film will probably be horrible, but I'm still going to give the film a chance. 


        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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