Tuesday, September 15, 2015

9-14-15/9-15-15 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)

(9/14/15)

        The new Creed trailer is here, giving you a fresh look at the upcoming Rocky franchise spinoff/sequel, starring Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa and Michael B. Jordan as the son of Apollo Creed (played in previous films by Carl Weathers). You can check out the Creed trailer below. From Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema comes award-winning filmmaker Ryan Coogler’s Creed. The film explores a new chapter in the Rocky story and stars Academy Award nominee Sylvester Stallone in his iconic role. The film also reunites Coogler with his Fruitvale Station star Michael B. Jordan as the son of Apollo Creed. Adonis Johnson (Jordan) never knew his famous father, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born. Still, there’s no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia, the site of Apollo Creed’s legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky Balboa. Once in the City of Brotherly Love, Adonis tracks Rocky (Stallone) down and asks him to be his trainer. Despite his insistence that he is out of the fight game for good, Rocky sees in Adonis the strength and determination he had known in Apollo—the fierce rival who became his closest friend. Agreeing to take him on, Rocky trains the young fighter, even as the former champ is battling an opponent more deadly than any he faced in the ring. With Rocky in his corner, it isn’t long before Adonis gets his own shot at the title…but can he develop not only the drive but also the heart of a true fighter, in time to get into the ring? Creed also stars Tessa Thompson (Selma, Dear White People) as Bianca, a local singer-songwriter who becomes involved with Adonis; Phylicia Rashad (Lifetime’s “Steel Magnolias”) as Mary Anne Creed, Apollo’s widow; and English pro boxer and former three-time ABA Heavyweight Champion Anthony Bellew as boxing champ “Pretty” Ricky Conlan. Coogler directs from a screenplay he wrote with Aaron Covington, based on characters from the Rocky series written by Sylvester Stallone. The film is being produced by Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Kevin King Templeton and Sylvester Stallone, with Nicholas Stern executive producing. Creed opens everywhere on November 25.


        This was an amazing trailer. As a lot of you know I'm a huge Rocky fan (minus Rocky 5) and when I heard about this film I got really excited because it is the perfect way to help continue the franchise without Stallone getting back in the ring. I loved the first trailer and I loved this, but this one gave way too much away for my taste. I don't know why this trailer decided to show a lot because you don't need that much to sell this movie. The trailer doesn't kill my excitement for the film, but it does hurt my possible viewing of the film knowing what happens. 



        TheWrap brings word directly from the Toronto International Film Festival where Mean Girls and “True Detective” star Rachel McAdams has confirmed she will star in Marvel’s Doctor Strange. McAdams was previously unsure of her involvement saying she didn’t know if talks would “go anywhere at all.” Scheduled to hit theaters November 4, 2016, Doctor Strange is scripted by Jon Spaihts and directed by Scott Derrickson. It is said to follow the story of neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) who, after a horrific car accident, discovers the hidden world of magic and alternate dimensions. Also attached to star in Doctor Strange is Tilda Swinton, who will be playing the Ancient One, and Chiwetel Ejiofor will be playing the good doctor’s arch foe, Baron Mordo. Despite Mordo’s villainous role in the comics, it was said when Eijofor’s casting was announced that the cinematic version will serve as an amalgamation of several characters in the Strange canon. “Hannibal” and Rogue One star Mads Mikkelsen is also in talks for the villain role of the film, which remains a mystery. Although no official Doctor Strange artwork has yet been revealed, fans attending the recent D23 Expo in Anaheim, California were treated to a concept art sizzle reel, teasing the look of the “Phase Three” entry.

        This isn't shocking news to hear. Rachel McAdams has been rumored for a role in this film for a long time, but now we have the final confirmation. To be honest I'm not a big fan of Rachel McAdams and I'm not really excited to see her in this film. I honestly would've preferred someone like Rosamund Pike, but I have trust Marvel becasue they haven't let me down when it comes to casting. I don't know much about Doctor Strange, but I'm excited to see how this film does. 



        A Mary Poppins sequel is in the works at Walt Disney Pictures, Variety reports today, with Rob Marshall set to helm. According to the trade, the aim is to tell a story set 20 years after the original 1964 Disney musical. Originally the central character in a series of children’s books by P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins was famously adapted for the screen in 1964 with Julie Andrews in the leading role. Dick Van Dyke co-starred in the Robert Stevenson film, which told the story of a magical nanny who comes to care for a British family, the Banks. The original film was set in the year 1910, so the Mary Poppins sequel will presumably take place in the 1930s. The aim, it is said, is for the new film to borrow story elements from Travers’ eight Mary Poppins books, including the first literary sequel, Mary Poppins Comes Back. Time will tell if Disney winds up using that as the new film’s official title. Marshall, who was nominated for an Academy Award for 2002’s Chicago, has been working with Disney quite a bit. He helmed the franchise sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and most recently directed the Broadway musical adaptation Into the Woods. The real world story behind Disney’s Mary Poppins was itself the focus of John Lee Hancock’s 2013 feature, Saving Mr. Banks. Scripted by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith, Saving Mr. Banks stars Emma Thompson as Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. The Mary Poppins sequel will be produced by John DeLuca and Marc Platt, who also worked with Marshall on Into the Woods.

        This really ins't that surprising to hear. Mary Poppins is a pop culture icon and for her not to have on the big screen for over 50 years is a pretty big shame. I like the idea that it is going to expand upon the story and not be a remake of the classic film. I like what Rob Marshall has done in his career and I think that this is actually a perfect for him. The one big question is who is going to play the iconic character because it's going ti be hard to fill the shoes of Julie Andrews and if I had to choose who it could be, then I would bet solid money on it being Meryl Streep. 

(9/15/15)

        Following a brief tease on Saturday, Walt Disney Pictures has now released the first trailer for director Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book! You can watch The Jungle Book trailer below. The Jungle Book is an all-new, live-action/CGI epic adventure about Mowgli (Neel Sethi), a man-cub who’s been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he’s ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (Ben Kingsley), and the free-spirited bear Baloo. Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don’t exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), a python who’s seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire. The Jungle Book will hit theaters on April 15, 2016.


        This was a pretty great trailer. Jon Faverau is an amazing director and he hasn't done anything this visual in a long time. Everything looks just absolutely beautiful and the animated animals are spectacular. This is going to set the bar high for the other Jungle Book film that comes out in 2017 that is directed by Andy Serkis and distributed by Warner Bros.. I really like the cast involved and I'm excited to see the film.



        The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Woody Harrelson (Zombieland, “True Detective”) is set to star in the upcoming War of the Planet of the Apes as the human villain. Little is known about his role, though the outlet notes he’s called “The Colonel,” meaning it’s possible that Harrelson’s character is a part of the impending military reinforcements that had been called to San Francisco just before the close of 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Harrelson joins a cast that includes Andy Serkis once again as the ape Caesar and Gabriel Chavarria (“East Los High”). “I know that part of the desire for Matt [Reeves] to do this next movie is about continuing the enjoyment of seeing these apes evolve. So I don’t think we’re going to see a situation where we’re jumping [ahead in time],” series star Andy Serkis said of the film last year. “…It might be three films, It could be four. It could be five. Who knows? But the journey will continue. It might not necessarily be summarized or completely fulfilled in this next one. The point being, eventually we know that we’re going to end up back at ‘The Planet of the Apes,’ but whether it’s this film or not, I don’t know.” Reeves, who directed last year’s Dawn, will return for the sequel, the script for which he is co-writing with Mark Bomback. “The notion of what we’re after with the third is to sort of continue that trajectory and see how he becomes a seminal figure in ape history,” Reeves previously told us. “He almost becomes sort of like an ape Moses. A mythic status… We’re trying to play out those themes and continue to sort of explore it in this universe. Exploring human nature under the guise of apes.” War of the Planet of the Apes is set for release on July 14, 2017.

        This is terrific casting. Woody Harrelson is an amazing actor and this will be a very different role for him simply because we aren't used to seeing be the villain and I'm curious to see how he will pull it off. I think he fits the mold of the villains that have been in the previous two films (Brian Cox and Gary Oldman). I absolutely loved Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the bar has been set really high for the sequel, but I think this film can be amazing just like the previous two films.



        According to The Tracking Board, Oscar-nominated director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Noah) is in talks to direct Channing Tatum in Sony Pictures’ Evel Knievel biopic. Born Robert Craig Knievel, he attempted over 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps between 1965 and 1980, and in 1974, a failed jump across Snake River Canyon in the Skycycle X-2, a steam-powered rocket. The 433 broken bones he suffered during his career earned him an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the survivor of “most bones broken in a lifetime.” He was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. Knievel died of pulmonary disease in 2007 at the age of 69. The screenplay chronicling the death-defying daredevil’s life was initially penned by Tatum’s producing partner Reid Carolin (Magic Mike, Magic Mike XXL) but is currently undergoing a rewrite by Scott Silver. Aronofsky nearly directed Silver’s script for The Fighter before David O. Russell took over, and Silver received a special thanks credit on Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream. As for Tatum, he had offered the director’s chair on his upcoming superhero movie Gambit to Aronofsky, who turned it down, but clearly the two sparked to each other and wanted to find another project together. Of course, Aronofsky has a history of being fickle with projects, abandoning films like The Wolverine, Watchmen and RoboCop after a prolonged development period, so who’s to say if his association with the Knievel movie will prove fruitful? Columbia Pictures will distribute the untitled Evel Knievel biopic, though no release date is currently set.

        This is a terrific choice is this becomes true. Darren Aronofsky is one of my favorite directors and he has made some of the most gorgeous films of all-time and I think his style really fits in well with this film. I also like that Channing Tatum is playing Evel Kinevel and this could potentially be an Oscar-worthy role for him. I hope this comes to fruition because I just want to another film done by Aronofsky and because of who the film is about.

        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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