Sunday, November 2, 2014

Weekend Movie News 10-31-14 to 11-2-14

        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)


        Universal Pictures launched the trailer for Furious 7 during a live event today and you can now watch the trailer below!Continuing the global exploits in the unstoppable franchise built on speed, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast of Furious 7. James Wan directs this chapter of the hugely successful series that also welcomes back favorites Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Elsa Pataky and Lucas Black. Directed by James Wan, the April 3, 2015 release also features Jason Statham, Tony Jaa, Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel, Djimon Hounsou, John Brotherton and a cameo by Iggy Azaela.


        This is an awesome trailer. It really feels like the team is getting back to its old roots of pulling off small jobs in fast cars. I twas also really nice to Paul Walker be the main  central point of the trailer. I was excited for the film before the tragic passing of Walker, but now it's one of my most anticipated films of next year.



        20th Century Fox has hired RoboCop co-writer Josh Zetumer to write the script for Gambit, the "X-Men" spinoff that has Channing Tatum attached to star. Tatum will also produce with his Free Association partner Reid Carolin, The Donners Company's Lauren Shuler Donner, and Genre Films' Simon Kinberg. Zetumer's script will be based on a treatment by Chris Claremont. Created by Claremont and Jim Lee in 1990, the New Orleans native mutant quickly became a fan favorite due to his kinetic energy manipulation abilities and penchant for stealing. The character's only big screen appearance to date (outside his name being featured as an Easter egg in X2) was in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, played by Taylor Kitsch. The studio has not yet set a release date for the film, though Gambit is expected to follow the character's debut in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse.

        I'm really glad to hear this news. we knew  Gambit film was coming, but to hear that a writer has come on board pretty much confirms it. Now I did say that I was open for Taylor Kitsch coming back to reprise his role, but I understand why he didn't (basically because X-Men Origins: Wolverine sucked). Now I'm really curious to see who gets to direct the film and that will give us an indication of what direction the film will be going in.



        In 2005, Christopher Nolan made his first foray into the world of superhero movies with Batman Begins. He'd follow it up with The Dark Knight in 2008 and The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, and the three grossed nearly $2.5 billion at the global box office. Nolan went on to serve as a producer for 2013's Man of Steel, but since then it's been confirmed that Chris and his brother Jonathan have no involvement in the upcoming slate of DC movies. Speaking with Time Out, however, Nolan showed reverence for his time working in that world but wasn't ready to dismiss the notion of returning to the world of capes and cowls again, saying: "I think I had a great experience with the superhero genre and got to explore a lot of things, but it was a good decade of my life and I find it hard to imagine returning to it. But never say never."

        This is isn't shocking. All these comments do is repeat what his brother said the other day. Look Nolan did an amazing job with The Dark Knight Trilogy (The Dark Knight is my favorite film of all-time) and I thank him for what he's done for superhero films, but his time is up. I would love to see him do another comic book film, but I'm also interested in his other projects. 



        Perfectly timed for "Devil's Night," independent blogger Sean C.W. Korsgaard has just released an impressively in-depth interview with "The Crow" creator James O'Barr in which O'Barr discusses the new big screen plans for The Crow and details his involvement with the project. "[W]e're not remaking the movie," says O'Barr. "We're readapting the book. My metaphor is that there is a Bela Lugosi 'Dracula' and there's a Francis Ford Coppola 'Dracula'. They use the same material, but you still got two entirely different films. This one's going to be closer to 'Taxi Driver' or a John Woo film, and I think there's room for both of them. Part of the appeal of 'The Crow' comics, after all, is that they can tell very different stories."

        As such, we're going to see Luke Evans play the same Eric as in the original comic. That won't, however, be Brandon Lee's Eric Draven. "If you read the comic, Eric and Shelley never have their last names revealed," O'Barr continues. "Hopefully, this is one area the new movie being more faithful to the comic will come into play, and Eric won't be going by Eric Draven in the new film. Luke Evans may play Eric, but Brandon Lee will forever be Eric Draven... [N]o one understands that fear more than me. Brandon Lee was a friend and I'd never do anything to hurt his legacy."

        O'Barr also explains that, as per one of his requests when agreeing to sign on for the project, he has control over the film's soundtrack. That's the same deal he had on the 1994 Alex Proyas version and that's one area where fans can expect some similarities. "We're including some music I'd wanted to originally, but just couldn't get the rights to," says O'Barr. "Some actual Joy Division songs. Some vintage Cure songs. I'm still pretty active in the music industry, and there is a lot of neo-goth bands out there, that have that same sound, and I've talked to some of them about contributing, and they're very excited about it."

        Overall, O'Barr has very high hopes for the new film and has already signed off on Evans' look. "I've seen him in the make-up, too" says O'Barr, "and he looks great... I think the studio understands that if they want a 'Crow' ‘franchise’, they have to get it right. We're hoping to begin production later this month, and start shooting in the spring." F. Javier Gutiérrez is directing The Crow and, if all is going according to plan, it shouldn't be too long before we start hearing about additional casting.

        I'm really excited hearing this news. Having read the comic myself and loving the original film, knowing what will be going on in the film get's me pumped to see the film. I'm also glad to hear that they aren't technically replacing Brandon Lee's character and that the film will honor his legacy. One of the big plus's for the original film is the soundtrack and I hope that the one for the new film is just as good as the original film. I'm just really excited to see this film.



        Leatherface, the next installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre legacy, has reportedly found its directors. Julian Maury and Alexandre Bustillo (Inside, Livid) were on a "short list" of directors being considered just a few weeks back, but now Bloody-Disgusting can confirm that they indeed landed the job. Seth M. Sherwood penned the script. ShockTillYouDrop.com previously reported some story details. According to the site, the story will begin with the Leatherface character in his teenage years. He resides in a mental institution until he joins a pack of fellow patients who all break out and go on the run from the authorities. In Maury and Bustillo's hands, this could be interesting. It'll delivery visually, but will the story go super dark akin to their most recent work Among the Living, which, also concerns a group of teenage boys meddling with trouble? Millennium Entertainment sounds like its moving fast on Leatherface, so we may see the entry land sometime later next year.

        This is a very interesting choice. These two are very young and creative directors that haven;t really done many projects, but are influenced by John Carpenter, Clive Barker and Roman Polanski so seeing elements of those directors styles is one that everyone should defiantly see, The premise of this film sounds really interesting and it almost sounds like a horror villain origin story which could be very cool in the right hands and I'm really curious to see the 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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