Stephen Lang Will Return for AVATAR Sequels

October 23, 2013 by Jill Landon Posted in Casting News Tagged Avatar, Avatar 2, Casting, James Cameron, Sequels, Stephen Lang

Stephen Lang, the actor who played the nefarious Colonel Quartich in Avatar, has been confirmed by James Cameron to return and reprise his character. Despite the spoiler-fact that Quartich died at the end of the Avatar, Cameron is determined to work him into the remaining films of the series and isn’t revealing much, at least not to Deadline: “I’m not going to say exactly HOW we’re bringing him back, but it’s a science fiction story, after all. His character will evolve into really unexpected places across the arc of our new three-film saga. I really look forward to working with such a gifted actor, who’s also become such a good friend.” Lang for his part has been keeping busy with film and TV roles, most recently showing up in Pioneer and The Monkey’s Paw.

When pressed further in a subsequent interview with Vulture interviews on the news, Cameron opened up the full bag of science fiction tricks for fans to speculate over: “Okay, here’s the deal. When you have a science-fiction series, a science-fiction franchise, you’re never dead unless your DNA is expunged from the Universe, and then there’s always time travel!” While totally inconclusive for those hunting after the sequels’ plots, fans of the hard-bitten security chief have something to look forward to in the following films. Given the billion-dollar gross that Avatar pulled in during it’s 2009 run, these upcoming films are poised to make full use of amazing resources, both dramatic and digital, to try and capture some of the original’s magic.

This comes on the heals of Avatar star Sam Worthington’s reveal that Avatar 2, 3, and 4 begin filming simultaneously next fall. The release dates of the upcoming trilogy start with Avatar 2 in December 2016, the 3^rd film following in December 2017 and the 4^th coming a year after that. Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds) will write the 2^nd film, Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) the 3^rd, and Shane Salerno will write the 4^th (Armageddon). The talents brought on to the trilogy and it’s shooting schedule are reminiscent of Lord of the Rings, showcasing the high ambitions the producers have for the trilogy’s potential. As more casting decisions and spoilers are revealed – it’s a long and busy road to 2016 as far as Hollywood is concerned – this revelation concerning Lang may prove to be one of many in what will certainly be a big, big set of films.

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Ben Foster Channels Armstrong in First Look at Biker Biopic

October 22, 2013 by Matt Oakes Posted in Pictures Tagged Ben Foster, Chris O'Dowd, Guillaume Canet, Jesse Plemons, Lance Armstrong, Pictures, Stephen Frear

Set to play Lance Armstrong in Stephen Frears‘ upcoming biopic of Lance Armstrong, Ben Foster has jumped on the saddle as the Tour de France champion turned discredited athlete. From his sinewy limbs to the bumblebee yellow Postal Service jersey, Foster fits the bill nicely in this first look as the film just began shooting. Tracking Armstrong’s rise to seven-time world champion, his battle with cancer, and last year’s stripping of his championship titles, the film doesn’t look to flatter the once respected founder of Livestrong. Hopefully, the story won’t involve too much of dragging through the mud, as it risks making the same mistakes of The Fifth Estate – mostly, penning the story before the ink has dried.

Pulled from the pages of David Walsh‘s exposé “Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit Of Lance Armstrong,” the film, scripted by Trainspotting‘s John Hodge, follows Walsh’s eventually successful attempts to expose Armstrong for using performance enhancing drugs. Chris O’Dowd (The Sapphires) co-stars as Walsh and is joined by Guillaume Canet (The Beach) and Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad).

The Untitled Lance Armstrong Biopic is directed by Stephen Frear and stars Ben Foster, Chris O’Dowd, Guillaume Canet, Jesse Plemons. There is no official release date yet.

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First Poster for CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER

October 22, 2013 by Matt Oakes Posted in Movie Posters

With just a few weeks left before Thor: The Dark World hits theaters, Marvel Studios is starting to “ramp” up marketing for their next big tentpole feature, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Now that it’s no longer the 1940s and Cap has been transplanted to the day of skinny jeans and pea coats, his whole getup seems a little more ridiculous but, hey, it is a superhero movie after all. Following the events of The Avengers, The Winter Soldier features Chris Evans as Captain America settling in to a new era while working closely with S.H.I.E.L.D., the shadowy organization lead by Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury. Although Thor will probably get away with not addressing the continuity issues presented by the new Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television show, the whole “Coulson lives” predicament is something that will surely need to be addressed in this next Marvel installment.

In this first sequel to Captain America, Sebastain Stan returns to play the main foil of the film – the titular Winter Soldier. You’ll remember that in the first installment, Stan played Buckie, Steve Roger’s best friend who presumably died falling off a train in the aftermath of a fight with Red Skull’s croonies. According to comic book lore, Buck survives the fall, is frozen in time (seems to be a trend with these 1940s guys) and is brainwashed and trained to become a supervillain.

Joining the cast, Anthony Mackie will add another super to the roster as The Falcon, a birdlike sidekick to Cap. Robert Redford also steps in as Alexander Pierce, a sleeper agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. Scarlett Johansson, Cobie Smoulders, Sam Jackson, Dominic Cooper, and Toby Jones all return. Look for the first trailer here in two days.

Captain America: The Winter Solider is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and stars Chris Evans, Frank Grillo, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Cobie Smoulders, Emily VanCamp, Dominic Cooper, and Toby Jones. It hits theaters on April 4, 2014.

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Scorsese's THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Pushed to Christmas Release

October 22, 2013 by Matt Oakes Posted in Movie Announcements

The writing was on the wall for a late stage move for The Wolf of Wall Street. Now we can rejoice that it didn’t get pushed any further than Christmas Day, leaving it as an 2014 Oscar contender. Not on track to hit the original release date of November 15, a fast approaching, now open slot, Scorsese’s latest apparently needed quite a trim, as the original cut ran over three hours and needed to lose quite a lump of those minutes for profit-seeking reasons. This month-plus push really only gives Scorsese a few more weeks to cut because it will still lead the Marrakech International Film Festival on November 29.

A push of this nature into a massively crowded release period may mean some shuffling as Paramount is also scheduled to release Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit on that same day. Although typically a loaded release date, this Christmas will sees the release of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, 47 Ronin, Believe, Grudge Match, August: Osage County, and the limited releases of Labor Day and The Invisible Woman. With seven films now looking to open wide on the same day, just you wait for an official announcement that Jack Ryan won’t see the light of day until January.

The Wolf of Wall Street is directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo Dicaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Kyle Chandler, Jean Dujardin, Rob Reiner and Spike Jonze. It hits theaters November 15.

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Red Band Trailer for HOMEFRONT Gets Bloody

October 22, 2013 by Jill Landon Posted in Trailers Tagged Gary Fleder, Homefront, James Franco, Jason Statham, Trailers

Jason Statham continues his streak of playing badass Americans with British accents, in Gary Fleder’s Homeland. But, like with Arnold Schwarzenegger, we don’t really care. The spoiler-ridden trailer plays like an annotation for five different action movies in one. A little bit Taken, a little bit Walking Tall, a little bit A History of Violence, and a little bit Malone (if you want to get obscure), Homeland promises nothing new. As silly as it sounds, though, as long as it gives Statham the chance to beat people up and say cool-sounding lines, it will probably be fun as hell. Statham is on his way to full Seagallhood.

This film harbors no illusions about being anything more than a B-movie with a budget. James Franco looks to be really solid, as the meth kingpin (a scene in a yellow hazmat suit makes it impossible not to think of Breaking Bad). Also, Jason Statham looks to turn in a stunning performance as Jason Statham. The hilariously cliché plot and generic action sequences make it tricky to judge the overall quality from the trailer. Films like this tend to be a mixed bag of cult classics and garbage. If you’re in the mood for mindless action, check this out in theaters starting November 27^th. If you are like me, wait for it to be on TNT in a year and watch it over a couple beers with friends, while doing Jason Statham impressions.

Homefront is directed by Gary Fleder and stars Jason Statham, James Franco, Winona Ryder, Kate Bosworth and Frank Grillo. It opens on November 27, 2013.

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New Trailer for MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

October 22, 2013 by Jill Landon Posted in Trailers

A new trailer has been released for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, the upcoming Nelson Mandela biopic by The Weinstein Company. Directed by Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl) and starring Idris Elba (Luther, Prometheus, Pacific Rim) as the titular peace activist, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom explores the topics mentioned in Mandela’s 1994 biography and premiered at the 2013 Toronto Film Festival. The second trailer released thus far for the film focuses less on the guerilla-warfare like protests of Mandela’s movement, instead zeroing in on the stark contrast between the life Mandela had and dreamed of for his family and the brutality of the Dutch South African regime.

We go from Elba’s voiceover as Mandela, embracing his wife (Naomie Harris) and opining on wanting them to walk free in their own land, to Molotov cocktails and the armored riot-control vehicles now ubiquitous to protests within the first minute. The tone shifts darker with Mandela addressing a packed movie theater imploring them that “we are the pople of this nation but we don’t have rights. There comes a time when there remains two choices: submit or fight!” superimposed with clips of the heavily armed shooting at the assembled South African protestors and the following chaos. The people cheer “fight” and march into the street with Mandela as the march continues with a montage of resistance and white goons coming after Mandela, intimidating his wife and chasing him into a road block, guns trained on him. Whisked away to a court room, Mandela is handed life in prison, and as his fingers disconnect from his wife’s, the new U2 song “Ordinary love” – the band’s first in three years, written for the film – plays as Mandela is brought into prison. The campaign to Free Nelson Mandela begins, and the montage continues into a happier tone, ending with Mandela walking with his wife and supporters and the line “Love comes more naturally to the human heart.”

Rife with topical imagery yet firmly anchored in the subject matter, this new trailer seems more restrained in it’s contemporary call-outs than the first trailer and drives home for fully the gravity of the oppression that Mandela fought against, which given the subject matter seems only fitting. Set for limited release in the US on November 29^th after doing a run of film-festival screenings including Chicago International Film Festival and Austin Film Festival, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom has as high aspirations for it’s reception as it’s subject matter warrants. Only time will tell if it will stand up to it’s equally weighty competition come Oscar season.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is directed by Justin Chadwick and stars Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa, Jamie Bartlett, Lindiwe Matshhikiza, Terry Pheto and Deon Lotz. It hits theaters on November 29, 2013.

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Bruce Campbell Confirms He'll Reprise Ash in ARMY OF DARKNESS 2

October 21, 2013 by Jill Landon Posted in Casting News Tagged Army of Darkness, Army of Darkness 2, Ash Williams, Bruce Campbell, Evil Dead, Sam Raimi

Good news, fans of the Evil Dead series, especially the 2013 remake of the original Evil Dead: Bruce Campbell has confirmed he will return as Ash in the upcoming sequel to Army of Darkness. The director of the original series Sam Raimi has had a slower schedule since directing Oz the Great and Powerful and producing the Evil Dead remake, reportedly due to writing the sequel to the Army of Darkness, the 1992 spin off of the Evil Dead series. Potentially drawing on the teaser at the end of the credits of 2013’s Evil Dead, this may hint at a melding of the two timelines for a crossover film coming later.

55-year-old Campbell has played Ash Williams, the original hero of the Evil Dead series voted the “24^th Greatest Movie Character of All Time” by Empire Magazine, in 4 films not including the upcoming Army of Darkness sequel. Speaking at Wizard World Nashville Comic Con, Campbell spoke on the role the possibilities of him reprising it given the time that has passed: “The last one was twenty-two years ago. I just haven’t been racing to do it. Sam Raimi is just a little bit busy making the biggest movies in Hollywood. I used to be busy. Now I’m not. That’s why I’m here. Ash would have to stop occasionally from chasing some deadite to catch his breath. Maybe we could do that, I guess. That would be exciting. Fight in a walker. That would be all right. Hit them with my cane. Fake them out, have a fake heart attack, distract a zombie. I like it…[Seriously] All right, sir, the answer is yes.”

Amusingly enough, this story has yet to be confirmed by Campbell himself. Rumors for the sequel have circulated since March, and the teaser at the end of the Evil Dead remake has primed the pump for a triumphant return to the role, no matter how long the role might end up being. No release date has been given for the sequel – it’s in 2016 – and no word has been given as to who else will be cast or whether Raimi or Fede Alvarez, the most recent Evil Dead’s director, will helm the Army of Darkness remake. However, as the Rumor wheel spins up and Raimi finishes writing the script, more information about Campbell’s involvement, other casting, and the overall production will come to the service. In either case, it’ll be a long three years.

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Weekly Review 29: THE CROW, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2, GOMORRAH, THE MIST

October 19, 2013 by Matt Oakes Posted in Weekly Review Tagged Gomorrah, Paranormal Activity 2, Reviews, The Crow, The Mist, Weekly Review

After a full week at the theater that resulted in reviews for Wadjda, Carrie, All is Lost, Kill Your Darlings, and The Fifth Estate, I took to catching up with some Halloween-themed movies at home. After taking the next step into the Paranormal franchise, I delved into Alex Proyas‘ The Crow, the Italian mob movie Gomorrah, and Frank Darabont‘s fantastic creature feature The Mist. Join us for Weekly Review.

The Crow

Predictable as all hell, The Crow is a dark vigilante tale whitewashed with major chord symphonics and a laughable lead in Brandon Lee. When he rises from the dead a year after he and his wife are violently murdered, Eric Draven transforms into The Crow, a face-painted vigilante, to exact revenge… and shred some gnarly rooftop solos on his jet black Stratocaster. Sadled with 90s standards like a moustachioed black cop and a smart ass streetkid on a skateboard, The Crow is all sorts of the wrong kind of dated. Killed by a live round during filming, this was Lee’s (son of Bruce Lee) first major outing as a certified lead. Although none can deny that his passing is a shame, he brings new meaning to the phrase “he couldn’t act to save his life.”

D+

Paranormal Activity 2

Building off the slow-burn premise utilized in Paranormal Activity, this simpleton sequel deploys similar tactics to lessening effect. While keeping it all in the family works to immediately solidify the interest of those who bought into the tall-tale-as-fact tactic of the first installment, the repetitive shots of nothing happening build a false tension that is more cumbersome than legitimately suspenseful. We’re awaiting a swinging door, anticipating a falling pot, wondering what’s going on in the pool and that’s not really what scares are about. As someone who is frequently startled by movies of this nature, I found myself more bored than frightened by its gruelingly slow pace and completely put off by its lazy (even by found footage standards) use of the selfsame angles over and over again. While not a shot-for-shot remake of the first, it explores similarly eerie material that totally fails to illicit the same effect the second time around.

C-

Gomorrah

The next time you’re in Italy and someone tells you they’re in the waste management business, watch your ass. At least that’s what Gomorrah tells you. But with filmmaking that is decidedly European, Gomorrah often feels cold and clinical, with no central characters to latch onto and many complex allegiances that may have you piecing together who’s working with who. By taking a more bird’s eye view of the mob situation in Italy, Matteo Garrone is able to cover a lot of territory and cut to the heart of not just one problem but the many microcosms that splinter off from that problem. At times, it feels scatterbrained and too wide-ranging to cement our attention but the sheer breadth of the tale is ambitious, albeit to a fault.

C

The Mist

About five years ago, I watched the first twenty minutes of this film and turned it off thinking that it was just more of the same. I couldn’t have been more wrong. While the monsters that lay the groundwork for the grocery store story of survival aren’t mind-bendingly inventive, the story of slipping humanity and the mental cost of the apocalypse is. As the movie heats up, the stakes grow larger and larger, building to a jaw-dropping finale with scarring potential. A fact that’s not too much of a surprise when you remember that director Frank Darabont was responsible for such stunners as The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. The Mist is an unforgettable, instant horror classic.

B+

What’d you see this week? Leave your own reviews in the comments below!

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Four New Marvel TV Shows in the Works

October 18, 2013 by Jill Landon Posted in Television

When people look back on this era of entertainment, they will wonder why we are so obsessed with super heroes. As if two Marvel movies a year weren’t enough, the superhero studio is working on four new shows and a miniseries, to accompany their recent show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

According to Deadline, the shows are in the very early stages of development, as they are still looking for a network to take a 60 show deal. Ambitious as this goal is, it could be an enticing offer for struggling networks. Potential networks are Netflix, Amazon, and WGN America.

Anything with Marvel’s name on it tends to be a sure thing, these days, so confirmation of these rumors should be out shortly. Marvel’s unrelenting march towards global domination shows no sign of slowing down.

To No One’s Surprise, Aronofsky’s Noah Sees Backlash from Religious Community

October 18, 2013 by Jill Landon Posted in Film Editorials

Darren Aronofsky’s sure-to-be-controversial new film Noah, based on the Old Testament story, is already getting less than stellar reviews from religious test audiences. Paramount is pushing for a different cut, in order to broaden the films appeal, even if it means going against Aronofsky’s artistic vision. Paramount has a huge investment in the 125 million dollar picture (Aronofsky’s most expensive yet), so they have reason for concern.

However, it should come as no surprise to them that anything less than “Kirk Cameron presents Noah” would rub religious fundamentalists the wrong way. The irony is that the atheist, Darren Aronofsky, is probably more familiar with the story of Noah than the zealots who decry his interpretation. Paramount’s best course of action is to trust in their award-winning filmmaker and embrace the controversy. As Life of Brian and Dogma have shown, religious protests will actually generate more revenue for the film.

Aronofsky has reportedly been dismissive of Paramount’s suggestions. Hopefully, he stays true to his vision, as the March 2014 release isn’t far off and this has the potential to be a truly original artistic endeavor. To make a half-assed biblical analogy, Aronofsky should continue to treat Paramount the same way Noah treated skeptics, with inattention.

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