Tuesday, May 5, 2015

5-5-15 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)


        As part of their June Star Wars cover story, Vanity Fair had a chance to speak with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy about Star Wars: The Force Awakens and got her to confirm that a new Indiana Jones movie to relaunch the franchise is in the cards, although it’s not something that will happen in the immediate future. The following is from the print copy of the magazine: “In buying the company, Disney also got rights, for better or worse, to less-storied Lucasfilm properties, among them Willow and Radioland Murders. A bigger prize is the Indiana Jones franchise. Kennedy confirmed rumors that another Indy movie ‘will one day be made inside this company. When it will happen, I’m not quite sure. We haven’t started working on a script yet, but we are talking about it.'” Kennedy was the executive producer on all four of director Steven Spielberg’s previous Indiana Jones films, so one can expect that a relaunch of the franchise is definitely going to be in the cards even with nothing definite confirmed.

        This isn't surprising news to hear. First off Indiana Jones is one of the most recognizable characters and franchise in film history and after the problems that Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull it's no surprise that a new film is on the way. It's also no surprise since Kathleen Kennedy is now the president of Lucasfilm and was a former producer on the previous films. The only thing that we honestly didn't know about this news is who is directing, writing or even starring as the iconic character. I think we'll hear news sometime by the end of this year. 



        While we await official word on who will play Spider-Man in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War and the untitled Spider-Man movie, there is now an update about who may be the frontrunners for the director’s chair for the latter. A previous report mentioned that Drew Goddard might direct, but Deadline says they are hearing that a decision could be made by the end of next week from one of the following names: Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies, 50/50); Ted Melfi (St. Vincent); Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect); John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein (Vacation); and Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite). “There is a young kid [already] running around New York City in a homemade version of the Spider-Man costume in the MCU,” Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said previously about the new Spider-Man. “You just don’t know it yet… In Spider-Man’s very specific case, where there have been two retellings of that origin in the last whatever it’s been – [thirteen] years – for us we are going to take it for granted that people know that, and the specifics.” Spider-Man will make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Anthony and Joe Russo’s upcoming Captain America: Civil War, set for release on May 6, 2016. He’ll then get his own solo film, set for release on July 28, 2017.

        I'm a little disappointed by this list. Now don't get me wrong these 4 are very talented directors and I'm sure they'll do a great job if any of them are chosen to direct the film. I'm disappointed that the list doesn't include Drew Goddard. It's still early on and this isn't a confirmed list so he may still be in the running, but when I didn't see his name on the list I instantly felt bad for him. He's been through a lot with these films. He would seem to be the obvious choice after being good friends with Joss Whedon, they wrote Cabin in the Woods together and Goddard directed the film, then he was chosen to direct the Sinister Six film inside The Amazing Spider-Man universe and now that universe is scrapped, but Sony did say they would move on with the project with Goddard still attached, but you never know with Sony especially at the current moment. Goddard wrote the very successful Dardevil Netflix series so he would seem to be the obvious choice. Hopefully he can swing in (no pun intended) and grab the director's chair, but if not I think all of these directors can do a good job. 



        Following their Star Wars: The Force Awakens cover that was revealed on Sunday, Vanity Fair has released details from their interview with writer and director J.J. Abrams wherein the Bad Robot maestro discusses some of the important considerations he had to take into account when preparing this December’s return to a galaxy far, far away. “[W]hat’s cool is we’ve obviously had a lot of time [during the development process] to talk about what’s happened outside of the borders of the story that you’re seeing,” says Abrams. “So there are, of course, references to things, and some are very oblique so that hopefully the audience can infer what the characters are referring to. We used to have more references to things that we pulled out, because they almost felt like they were trying too hard to allude to something.” As such, Abrams explains that it’s a tricky balance in finding the spectacle that fans expect from a Star Wars film while keeping the specifics wholly grounded in the story itself. “There are a few specific references that are kind of my own little stupid, secret ones,”  Abrams admits, “But what I realized early on was it was all about point of view – meaning it’s not like you just objectively throw in a star field or a spaceship or a desert planet or whatever the thing. The question is, who is that person in that experience? Why does it matter to them? What are they desperate for or afraid of? For me, you could reference all the stuff you want, but the experience of the audience in this is that they’ve got to be sitting with someone who happens to be on-screen going through these experiences. And then that’s not just a desert planet; it could be the most desperate place in the world. Or that’s not just a spaceship flying by; it could be the greatest, most heroic moment of your life. That, to me, has been the constant struggle: to make sure that none of these things are treated like either they’re a museum piece and we’re trying to honor them or they’re gratuitous and thrown in because, well, it’s a ‘Star Wars’ movie, so you’ve got to put these things in. Everything has got to be essential to the characters in the film.” Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and features a new generation of swashbuckling heroes and shadowy villains, as well as the return of fan-favorite smugglers, princesses, and Jedi. Also starring Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Gwendoline Christie, Crystal Clarke, Pip Anderson, Christina Chong and Miltos Yerolemou, Star Wars: The Force Awakens will arrive in theaters on December 18, 2015.

        This interview right here is the main reason why I am happy he is taking over this franchise. To sum everything up in a nutshell, this guy is a fan just like you and me. He's been a fan for his entire life and he gets it and what it means to the fans. He realizes that this film can't just be a film when it talks about past events and does little to build on the future. He knows that there is a good median where you can make references, but make them in a way that moves the story forward and I personally think a lot of writers, directors and studios don't get that and do the film as a fan service. To me, making non-stop references and not moving the story forward is not pleasing the fans, but disappointing them. You to have a good mix to please the fans and I'm glad JJ gets that and it makes me even more excited to see the film. 



        Marvel Studios announced today that Martin Freeman has joined the cast of Captain America: Civil War! They did not reveal who he will be playing. “From his roles as Bilbo Baggins and Doctor Watson to Tim in ‘The Office,’ Martin’s range from the dramatic to the comedic has consistently impressed us,” said Captain America: Civil War producer Kevin Feige. “We couldn’t be more honored or excited to have such a talented actor join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.” Celebrated for his roles in “Sherlock,” “Fargo,” the “Hobbit” trilogy, and much more, Freeman has earned one Primetime Emmy Award and one BAFTA Award, both for his portrayal of Doctor John Watson in “Sherlock.” Martin has also been nominated for a Golden Globe for his role of Lester Nygaard in “Fargo,” and nominated for a further two Emmy Awards and two BAFTA Awards. Most recently Martin has been seen hosting “SNL” and has filmed Tina Fey’s untitled wartime black comedy. Following the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the collective governments of the world pass an act designed to regulate all superhuman activity. This polarizes opinion amongst the Avengers, causing two factions to side with Iron Man or Captain America, which causes an epic battle between former allies. Captain America: Civil War hits theaters and IMAX on May 6, 2016.

        I really like this casting. I've only seen Martin Freeman in the role of Bilbo Baggins, but from what I saw he is a talented actor and he can bring a lot to the table. However I'm a little a hesitant because this cast is getting to be outrageously huge and while a lot of films have large casts, this film is going to have a lot of moving parts. I personally think it will be a small role and he could be a senator of some kind sort of like Gary Shandling was in Iron Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, who comes up with the plan that superhero activity needs to be monitored. 



        Already set to play Aquaman in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Jason Momoa has signed up for a new cinematic ensemble project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the former “Game of Thrones” star has joined the cast of Training Day director Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven opposite Denzel Washington (who took home an Oscar for Training Day), Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Chris Pratt, The Equalizer‘s Haley Bennett, Boyhood‘s Ethan Hawke, Elite Squad‘s Wagner Moura and “Marvel’s Daredevil” star Vincent D’Onofrio. According to the trade, Momoa will play one of the film’s antagonists. Originally drafted by “True Detective” scribe Nic Pizzolatto (since rewritten by The Blind Side‘s John Lee Hancock), The Magnificent Seven will remake the 1960 film directed by John Sturges that itself was inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 classic Seven Samurai. Sturges’ version starred Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Robert Vaughn as a group of disparate gunmen who come together to protect a Mexican village from bandits led by Eli Wallach. It led to a number of sequels as well as a CBS television series. The new film is said to feature a victimized mining town, taken over by a gold baron, rather than the Mexican village of the original. Deadline is also reporting that Byung-hun Lee (I Saw the Devil, G.I. Joe: Retaliation) has also joined The Magnificent Seven in the role of Billy Rocks. Lee can be seeing coming up in Alan Talor’s franchise sequel Terminator Genisys, hitting theaters July 1.

        I love both of these casting choices. First off Jason Momoa is one of the most underrated actors in the business and he is going to kill it as Aquaman and I'm going to enjoy seeing him play the villain. With the casting of Byung-hun Lee, it adds more diversity into the cast as well as talent. This cast is already amazing and I cannot wait to see this film with Antoine Fiqua's hand on it. 

        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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