Indiana Jones 4 TV Spot

A new Indiana Jones 4 TV spot is out and floating around. Really, it’s pretty much the same as the trailer we’ve all already seen with a few seconds of new stuff at the beginning. Check it out:

Trailer y poster de ‘Surveillance’

Jennifer Chambers Lynch, hija de Davd Lynch, dirige la que será su segunda película tras ‘Boxing Helena‘ de 1993. Como en aquel entonces ella ha sido co-autora del guión de la película junto a Kent Parker. Su padre, David Lynch, es el productor de la misma.

La película gira entorno a una investigación de un agente del FBI que sigue la pista de un asesino en serie y para su captura será vital la ayuda y testimonios de tres de sus posibles víctimas. Testigos que cada cual tiene su propia historia que contar. El film no tiene todavía una fecha de estreno. La película titulada ‘Surveillance‘ está protagonizada por Bill Pullman, Julia Ormon, Pell James, Ryan Simpkins, Kent Harper, y French Stewart. Aunque, como detalle decir, que en el trailer podemos ver la aparición del actor Michael Ironside, actor que ha participado en otros títulos de David Lynch.

Fuente: worstpreviews

The Dark Knight Viral - Clown Travel Agency and April 1st News!

Yet another big update has arrived from The Dark Knight's ever-growing viral marketing campaign. Where we last left off on Wednesday was the introduction of a new Gotham Times newspaper and numerous other websites in connection with it, which were primarily focused on Harvey Dent and the upcoming election. On Sunday, Harvey Dent himself made new phone calls again, this time asking for more support due to a recent smear campaign launched against him. And for those in support of the Joker, he made some phone calls too, on top of posting his freshly defaced version of the newspaper called The HaHaHa Times. Something big is definitely going down on April 1st. Ready for all the details?

I've been following these latest developments very closely, waiting for an opportunity to jump on something unique (like the cell phones last time). We'll cover the basic details so that if you wish to get more involved, you can start researching everything further on your own.

After the new issue of TheGothamTimes.com launched, the Joker followed up with his defaced version - TheHaHaHaTimes.com. Like last year, the newspaper featured numerous coded messages that were deciphered for the next step in the viral campaign. However, this time it was a "red herring", a dud that lead to nowhere. It was later discovered that phone calls to Joker phones would provide the next clue.

In addition, Harvey Dent made phone calls to all of his supports on Sunday with the following message:

"Hello, this is Harvey Dent. Weeks ago, I asked for your support… Concerned Citizens For A Better Gotham have started a smear campaign against me. Their claims are absolutely untrue, and while their lies show just how nervous my campaign makes the criminals and the corrupt, their attacks can destroy our chances of taking Gotham back. So I ask you, help me unmask these forces behind this deceit; help me prove these charges false. Time is running out. Please go to ibelieveinharveydent.com and find out how you can fight back, stand up for what's right, and reclaim our city. Thank you."

An urgent announcement was been posted on the I Believe in Harvey Dent website calling out for support of Harvey and mentioning that he will appear at a Townhall Meeting on April 1st at 3PM. Thanks to everyone who sent me messages regarding the phone call, including bltzie and Heckle.

The smear campaign that is being run against Harvey has a website of their own too - ccfabg.org - Concerned Citizens For A Better Gotham. There you can watch a scripted political video that talks about how bad of a person Dent is. At the bottom it mentions that the CCFABG was founded by Joseph Candoloro, a lawyer whom also has a website - JosephCandoloro.com. If you plug in his name on the St. Swithuns Church website, you can see his marriage certificate, which links him to his wife, who can also be searched on the church website.

Back on the topic of the election, a website for Harvey's other competitor, Roger Garcetti, has also popped up - TrustGarcetti.com. Now all three of the individuals who are running for Gotham City District Attorney have their political websites - Harvey Dent, Dana Worthington, and Roger Garcetti. Who do you support now that you know the contenders?

Following all of these reveals, the Joker made phone calls to the owners of the 17 cell phones distributed in cakes last year. The message went as follows (via Hollywood Chicago):

"Hey clown, ready to get to work? (I replied 'yes'.) Ok, good. You are 1 of 17 clowns still left in the game (remember, there were 22 phones initially) I have a letter for you. Here is your secret letter… are you ready for it? Your secret letter is 'L' as in 'Laugh'. Can you remember that? Good. Now get to work and tell all of your goons. We'll be in touch soon."

The 17 letters were an anagram that took quite a while to figure out, especially when about three of the people holding phones were unreachable all day. However, in the end it was solved and a brand new website was discovered - ClownTravelAgency.com. If you take a look at that site, you'll see a suitcase with travel stickers from the US, Canada, London, Hong Kong, Paris, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. An enevelop at the bottom reads "Departure Date 4-01".

That is the very latest with the entire viral campaign, but given there are two mentions of something happening on April 1st, we can expect more updates tomorrow. Thanks to all of the guys over at the SuperHeroHype Boards for doing all the hard work and figuring this out! Stay tuned for more updates as we hear them!

Superman’s Future

You've probably heard by now that a federal judge decided last week that Time Warner is no longer the sole proprietor of Superman. The court has ruled that the heirs of Jerome Siegel (of Siegel and Shuster) are entitled to a share of the US copyright to the character. The quick backstory goes like this: Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to Superman 70 years ago to Detective Comics for only $130. DC Comics has since given the creators each a $20,000-per-year annuity (later increased to $30,000). But then in 1997, Mrs. Siegel and her daughter served copyright termination notices which permits heirs to be able to recover rights to creations in certain situations (part of the 1976 Mickey Mouse copyright act). Compensation would be limited to any work created using the Superman character after their 1999 termination date.

And this gets a little more interesting because the Siegels don't own copyright to the entire Superman universe, or to even the character of Superman, as you know him today. They only control the elements of the character/universe that were portrayed in Action Comics #1. Superman was really an early concept at the time and most of his powers, friends, villainous enemies premiered in later editions. But Action Comics #1 contained mainly the following: the Superman name, the trademarked costume, Superman's alter-ego as Clark Kent and the character of Lois Lane are.

All is not over just yet. Warner Bros will appeal the court's decision. But I honestly don't see anyway the decision will be overturned.

So what does this mean for the movies? Well first off, Warner Bros probably owes the Siegel heirs a good chunk of change for Superman Returns. But the bigger news is that this might put both the Bryan Singer-helmed Superman sequel The Man of Steel and the already troubled Justice League of America in jeopardy. With the relatives of Siegel now officially part-owners of the character, who knows what the future may look like. It's also possible that in 2013 the entire Superman copyright will be yanked out of Warner Bros’ hands completely, as Joe Shuster’s estate takes the other half.

source: NYTimes

The Clone Wars con Speed Racer

El primer tráiler de Star Wars: The Clone Wars, la nueva serie de animación en 3D creada por George Lucas, se podrá ver en el estreno de la película Speed Racer en mayo próximo. Aceshowbiz

New Hancock Pics Online

I am really looking forward to Will Smith’s Hancock despite some grumblings around the net that people are not liking it. Well some images came up today and our friends at Rope of Silicon posted a peek:

Well, some new pics from the flick have popped up online. The one above looks like a really early special effects shot that hasn’t been completely fixed up, but the rest are some nice looks at the flick especially our first really good looks at Charlize Theron in the film.

Charlize is always looking so appealing, and I love Bateman. He is just fun in everything he does.

I really like the idea of a supers movie with more of an antihero as the star. Superhero flicks always paint up these heroes like they are nearly perfect paragons of existence with a few minor distracting bits to remind you they are human. I look forward to seeing a Hero that we have too look at VERY carefully to find any redeeming qualities.

But the whole movie will be worth it just to see that clip of Hancock “rescuing” that whale.

You can go over here to look at the pretty pictures in full enbiggendness, but its not in English. It’s ok. We know you just wanna see the pictures anyways.

Tom Hanks Drops Out of Frank Darabont’s Fahrenheit 451

“Sayonara, Bonfire of the Vanities!”

Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the classic novel Fahrenheit 451 ranks right up there with Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards, Fincher’s Rendezvous with Rama and Aronofsky’s take on Lone Wolf & Cub as an epic dream project that’s been discussed for ages. For nearly a year, Tom Hanks had been pegged for the 2009 film’s lead role of Guy Montag, a content fireman of the future who slowly realizes that his government occupation of burning books and oppressing book owners is nothing less than horrific.

Unfortch(-unately, by reader request) Hanks is no longer attached to what would have been his second collabo(-ration, by reader request) with the director after 1999’s so-so The Green Mile, according to Darabont…

"Mr. Hanks sadly and regretfully had to back out," Darabont told MTV. "I was really looking forward to working with him again but his other commitments just precluded it. He had to take a step back."

Darabont remains confident in his long percolating vision, and it sounds like the film won’t be sidetracked by the snag. But what actor is up to the challenge of portraying sci-fi author legend Ray Bradbury’s disillusioned everyman in one of the great, prolific Man vs. The Man tales of all time?

"It needs to be somebody like [Hanks] who has the ability to trigger a greenlight but is also the right guy for the part. It's a narrow target. It's a short list of people," Darabont sighed.

As a fan of the book who was never big on Francois Truffaut’s 1966 version, which always seemed more occupied with getting film students’ rocks off than being a worthy harbinger of doom, this quote from Darabont is particularly cool…

"I see this movie so clearly in my head. It's flowing in my veins," he said. And just because you think of books first when you think "Fahrenheit 451," don't expect something akin to Jane Austen, Darabont promised. He explained, "One character in the script says, 'It's not really even about books. It's about control.' It's about the control of government and authority. It's one of the greatest books ever written. It's got all that great political stuff underneath the skin of it but really what it is is a great galloping tale."

I haven’t yet seen The Mist, but Darabont seems to be getting a little angrier and darker with age and that’s always a good thing in my book. The exception being Craig Ferguson, who agreeably treats life like a beach as his hair goes grayer.

Discuss: Who should play Montag now that Hanks has lost his bookmark? Should Darabont go younger?

Movie Trailer and Poster: Nicholas Cage’s Bangkok Dangerous Remake

Editor’s Update: We’ve updated this story with the film’s official movie trailer.

A poster and movie trailer for the Pang Brothers‘ August remake of their ‘99 Thai crime thriller, Bangkok Dangerous, starring Nicholas Cage has hit the Web. Really, is this the best poster a designer could envision with a title like that? Cage, who at one point was also attached to a U.S. remake of Oldboy (those words always make a couple peoples’ heads explode like Riki-Oh), plays a hitman who falls in love with a local lass and falls friends for an errand boy (like Short Round?!?). In the original film, the assassin was a deaf mute, but not here. Cage has to do his Elvis impression to pull in the world’s ladies, no?

[See post to watch Flash video]

Full poster after the hop. Watch the movie trailer above, and please tell me what you think in the comments below.

via IMPA

American Teen's New Poster - Breakfast Club Rip Off

They were five total strangers, with nothing in common, except the school they went to. A heartthrob, a princess, a jock, a rebel and a geek. Before the year was over, they broke the rules. Bared their souls. And changed in ways they never dreamed possible. If that sounds like Breakfast Club, well you're close. A new poster has debuted for American Teen, courtesy of Film School Rejects, and its a blatant rip off of The Breakfast Club's poster - right down to that catchphrase. Well, of course that's what Paramount Vantage is going for, but I'm not satisfied. For some reason this doesn't strike me as the right way to market this film, but I may be wrong. Either way, now that I've got your interest, you still need to check it out.

The phrase is accurate, so they're not skewing the reality of what you'll find in the documentary, but I feel like trying to connect with The Breakfast Club isn't the best way to attract the attention of the right audiences. American Teen is this year's greatest documentary about the lives of four high schoolers in their senior year. We've praised it countless times - both in my review and Ken's review. Paramount Vantage bought it at Sundance for around $1 million and this seems to be the beginning of their marketing push for its July 25th release date.

For comparison purposes, the photo below is a side-by-side example of the original Breakfast Club poster and the new American Teen poster.

The big issue I have with this marketing "idea" is that The Breakfast Club isn't as universally loved as one might initially think. First off, you had to have been "of that generation" when it came out in 1985 to really appreciate it. Secondly, none of today's generations are as familiar with it, and even if they are, they probably don't understand the pop culture significance. Third, not everyone loves Breakfast Club, like myself, and they might be turned off by this, as I am.

I'm not 100% sure what a better campaign might involve, but I know they better not stick with this and only this. In fact, I prefer the poster that was shown at ShoWest a LOT more.

That one is a lot more "hip" and graphically inclined, which is what I think is necessary in this day and age to draw the attention of the younger generations. American Teen has the ability to hit big, maybe not with high schoolers similar to the ones shown in this, but definitely with college-aged demographics and older. I think a more energetic, youthful, and well-designed marketing campaign would go a lot farther than going back in time and attempting to connect with a 1985 high school movie. Come on Paramount Vantage, you can do better than that!

Don't forget - American Teen will arrive in theaters starting on July 25th and you do NOT want to miss it. Not a single person has ever said a bad thing about it and, in fact, everyone who sees it ends up loving it as much as we do. I'd also love to hear your feedback on this marketing campaign and poster. Am I wrong about The Breakfast Club comparisons or is there truly a better way to market this movie?

Pirates of the Caribbean Writers Hired for Bruckheimer's Lone Ranger Next

Jerry Bruckheimer's reboot of The Lone Ranger may have just received its golden ticket - screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. We've covered this project before, back in May of last year, but since then its been all quiet on the western front. Confirmed officially today is that Elliott and Rossio are in final negotiations to write the script for the live-action big-screen adaptation of the classic 1930s radio show. Besides writing Shrek, The Mark of Zorro, and Godzilla (two of which were also reboots) together, Elliott and Rossio were the duo that brought us all three of the Pirates of the Caribbean adventures. But are they capable of repeating that success?

The Lone Ranger is essentially a very risky and troubled project. In a day and age where westerns continue to flop no matter how good they are, a fantastical world that features a masked hero, silver bullets, and "Hi-yo Silver, away!" isn't likely to succeed. But one could've said the same about pirates and octopus-headed villains back before the first Pirates of the Caribbean plundered the box office in 2001. However, The Lone Ranger seems a bit worse off. The character's most recent shot at the big screen, 1981's The Legend of the Lone Ranger, failed so badly that the film's star, Klinton Spilsbury, never worked in Hollywood again. In 2003, WB aired a TV movie that served as a backdoor pilot, but it also bit the dust.

The hero's origin story begins with a group of Texas Rangers chasing down a gang of outlaws led by Butch Cavendish. The gang ambushes the Rangers, seemingly killing them all. One survivor is found, however, by an American Indian named Tonto, who nurses him back to health. The Ranger, donning a mask and riding a white stallion named Silver, teams up with Tonto to bring the unscrupulous gang and others of that ilk to justice.

Although I am confident that Jerry Bruckheimer and his team could bring back The Lone Ranger successfully, I'm not fully convinced that it's going to be anything that I'll enjoy yet. It just seems so ridiculously cheesy to start and I fear Elliott and Rossio might only make it worse. Their interpretation will have to be modernized immensely to work well. I'll await any further judgment until there is more information on where the script is heading and what kind of movie we'll be seeing.

What do you think - does The Lone Ranger have a chance of making a come back with Elliott and Rossio at the reigns?

The X-Files 2 poster

¿Conocen esos dos sujetos que se encuentran parados allí? Parecen conocidos, ¿no?. Pues es el primer póster de la nueva película protagonizada por Gillian Anderson y David Duchovny, The X-Files 2.

Me ha gustado, simple y muy compresible sobre lo que se trata.

The X-Files 2 llega en el mes de julio.

Enlace: MovieWeb

Dark Sky

What is Dark Sky?

/Film reader Dort Druben sent in the following report:

—-

So working at Culver Studios a few weeks ago I noticed a very ominous sign telling me subconsciously that if I entered through that doorway ninjas would descend upon me ripping my heart out of my chest before I could cross the threshold. Maybe that’s a bit extreme.

But I searched, wondering, what is, “Dark Sky”? The said sign is the attached image from my camera phone. I posed the question to some friends and didn’t think much of it.

Well I was back working at Culver Studios I noticed a truck “Dark Sky Transportation”. Then when driving off the lot after a tiring day I started passing “reserved” parking spaces. One caught my eye. Stephen Sommers. I hit reverse and looked again. DARK SKY: Stephen Sommers. Next to him, Lorenzo di Bonaventura. So there it is. DARK SKY is code for GI JOE. Now I don’t know if that is old news or not. But there it is. I don’t know if they’re shooting at Culver Studios or if its just the production offices. I do know that State of Play is happening at Culver Studios. That tiny lot is getting some big action.

X-Files 2 Movie Poster

A new poster for the X-Files sequel has been found floating around the interwebs, although I'm not quite sure it's real. If it is official, it looks poorly hacked together. Real or Fake, I’m sure the truth is out there, and we’ll find out soon.

Discuss: What do you think, Real or Fake? Good or Bad?

Transformers 2 Filming Underway?

An intrepid motorist caught some pretty decent camera phone shots of a vehicle in Culver City carrying one of the stars and stunt double of Transformers 2. Is this to say that filming is underway?

Check out FilmSchoolRejects for a couple more shots of the Saleen Mustang/Barricade.

A set of photos sent over by a friend this afternoon might lead you to believe that the filming of Transformers 2 is getting close to being underway. The pictures were snapped from a camera phone in Culver City, and they are clearly Saleen Mustangs with the Decepticon logo on the side.

I have always liked the idea of Barricade being a cop car. What better way for the badguy to hide than in a law enforcement vehicle.

My concern is this, and I hope it gets explained a bit better. The Transformers all seem to have this adaptive power to “scan” a vehicle and take on its look as to better blend in with the vehicles of Earth right? So what Vehicle did Barricade scan that looks like that? Obviously a Mustang pursuit cruiser, but one that has the Decepticons logo on it and “to Punish and Enslave” on it? Do they have the ability to add their own flavour to their hideaway form?

If they have control to change what they look like at will, then why do they scan an earth vehicle at all? My concern isn’t to nitpick, but rather to clarify. Then mostly so that I can say this:

Prime? Seriously… Flames? Come on…

George Lucas: Indy 4 is "Just a Movie"

George Lucas, having learned from the high-expectations of his Star Wars prequel trilogy, has accepted a realistic, even defeatist, attitude toward the coming critical and fan reaction to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. He told USAToday:

When you do a movie like this, a sequel that's very, very anticipated, people anticipate ultimately that it's going to be the Second Coming. And it's not. It's just a movie. Just like the other movies. You probably have fond memories of the other movies. But if you went back and looked at them, they might not hold up the same way your memory holds up.

When people approach the new (Indiana Jones), much like they did with Phantom Menace, they have a tendency to be a little harder on it. You're not going to get a lot of accolades doing a movie like this. All you can do is lose.

Geez, hang in there, George Lucas. Life is still worth living. After all, box office analysts are expecting it to make well over double its $125 million budget.

We came back to do (Indy) because we wanted to have fun. It's not going to make much money for us in the end. We all have some money. … It would make a lot of money if you weren't rich. But we're not doing it for the money.

It's astonishing just how jaded he can be about his own wealth. It would also be nice if he just admitted that he did a sub-par job on the Star Wars prequels and stopped blaming fans for being disappointed. If Indy 4 is well-done and entertaining, it will be accepted. If it isn't, it will not be the fault of the audience.

Updates on The Dark Knight's Viral Marketing - New Gotham Times Released!

The next phase of The Dark Knight viral campaign has started rolling out. A new issue of The Gotham Times has been posted on that website - TheGothamTimes.com - and the Harvey Dent campaign website - IBelieveInHarveyDent.com - has been revamped a bit with better graphics and campaign news. In addition, a plethora of new Gotham City related websites have appeared, courtesy of the latest issue of the newspaper, and the Joker has contacted all of his "people" again via text message on the cell phones distributed earlier. We will certainly be following this next phase at it begins to ramp up. However, the one thing that is certain - they're putting together one hell of a big election.

We just received an e-mail update from Harvey Dent's campaign website stating "We did it! Harvey Dent has officially announced he's running for Gotham District Attorney!" However, he's not alone. His two main competitors - Roger Garcetti and Dana Worthington - have started their campaigns, too. Garcetti is currently acting DA and has vowed to run the "cleanest campaign in Gotham history." Dana Worthington is one of Gotham's outstanding citizens - she is the founder of the Gotham Victims Advocate Foundation (gvafoundation.org). More info for her can be found at - DanaWorthington.com.

A few more websites have popped up, including a very informative Drudge Report mimic called Maiden Avenue Report - MaidenAvenueReport.com. New sites for more Gotham City services including GothamCableNews.com, SaintsWithunsChurch.org and GothamCab.com have also launched. One other site that has appeared is Citizens For Batman - CitizensForBatman.org. If I had to choose one group to support (over Harvey Dent or Joker), it would definitely have to be Batman. So I sent them an e-mail asking about joining and got this response back:

Dear Gotham Citizen,

Thanks for expressing your interest in joining Citizens for Batman. The easiest way you can join is by attending a meeting. Check the web site for meeting times. If you can't attend, you can always lobby City Hall to support Batman and stop any talk of his being arrested.

Looking forward to seeing you,

Brian Douglass
Founder and President, Citizens for Batman

I'm already loving this third phase of the viral marketing campaign and can't wait to see what's next. Last time something this big launched they went as far as putting cell phones in cakes. And you probably heard about the ruckus that all those Harvey Dent supporters made over the weekend. If all of that was just the start of this entire thing, then how far will they go next?!

We mentioned this originally a few weeks ago when the Dentmobile campaign was kicking off, but most believe that an actual election will eventually take place (at GothamElectionBoard.com). You had to submit your photo supporting Harvey Dent in order to become a registered voter in Gotham City. This whole idea for an election is, to say the least, pretty nuts. And obviously Dent has some strong competitors, so it's not going to be as easy of a win as we all thought. However, I will say, hosting an actual election with millions of people is a pretty immense marketing stunt.

Stay tuned for more updates on The Dark Knight viral marketing campaign as we receive them. Check out all of the websites above and let us know if you come across anything else new or exciting.

Ian McKellen será Gandalf nuevamente

Sir Ian McKellen, conocido como Gandalf dentro de los films de la trilogía de El Señor de los Anillos, confirmó que regresará en el papel del mago para las precuelas de El Hobbit. McKellen se convierte en el primer confirmado del reparto. FirstShowing

More Indiana Jones IV Photos

We're still waiting for one more final trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but until then, we've got to suffice with a few new photos. Nothing new in these, nor will there be any new imagery until the film hits, but at least it's something to enjoy while we wait another 57 days until Crystal Skull arrives in theaters. I thought I'd use this opportunity to gauge the current level of interest in Indiana Jones. Back in October, it was the most highly anticipated movie of 2008. But I'm wondering whether that has changed and if something else has taken the top spot…

The first photo is courtesy of Empire, and the second comes from SlashFilm.

I remember last year, before we even had that teaser trailer, Indiana Jones IV was the movie that everyone was talking about. That was before that first The Dark Knight trailer and even before the Iron Man trailer, too. But now I feel like Indy has lost some of the buzz it had last year. I still think it's going to perform well, but is everyone else getting excited yet? Are these photos and continuous buzz still building up your anticipation? It's only a few months away.

I will still say that I'm getting very, very excited. Once we get another new trailer though, that will be when the anticipation peaks. I'm a huge Indiana Jones fan myself, but the first trailer for this has been overshadowed by so many other great trailers that I've got to see something new to be pulled back in 100%. Definitely looking forward to May 22nd - see you in theaters!

George Lucas Bumming Everyone Out on The Crystal Skull

“Curb it, punks.”

Can one of our commenters suit up as “The Internet” and have a wrastlin’ match with George Lucas already? The Star Wars poobah is back to his “let’s be realistic” and “most of you will probably hate it, but so what?” schtick, but this time he’s voicing his (non)concern about expectations for May’s Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And he goes on to take a jab at all of the preceding Indiana Jones movies as well. Why not? I mean, the title to the latest sequel shouldn’t conjure any fantastical event film notions in the minds of fans at all, right? Why not call it Jones and a Kingdom, Maybe an Alien, Too? Here’s what he shrugged to USA Today…

“When you do a movie like this, a sequel that’s very, very anticipated, people anticipate ultimately that it’s going to be the Second Coming,” Lucas says. “And it’s not. It’s just a movie. Just like the other movies. You probably have fond memories of the other movies. But if you went back and looked at them, they might not hold up the same way your memory holds up.”

And I have a theory that the U.S. government suped-and-purpled up a new $5 bill because Lucas is just over money. It’s like living in a world with only one stripper, I guess. Purple helps. The co-creator of one of the great American adventure characters insists that, for whatever reason, Indiana Jones can no longer make money him in today’s (i.e. “my”) world.

“We came back to do (Indy) because we wanted to have fun,” he says. “It’s not going to make much money for us in the end. We all have some money. … It would make a lot of money if you weren’t rich. But we’re not doing it for the money.”

So, does Lucas think the new film, which he co-wrote and produced, is just five out of ten cracks of the whip? He leaves fans with this drool-worthy sentence.

“It was really a blast. And it turned out fantastic. … I like to watch it.”

Discuss: The excitement is contagious. Can you feel it? My contribution was admittedly lame, but give your best alternative and completely whatever title to The Crystal Skull.

Otra escena en español de “La noche es nuestra”: Eva Mendes y Joaquin Phoenix reviven la fiebre disco de los 80

Después de dejaros su tráiler en español y una escena de la película, ahora Way to Blue nos ofrece este segundo clip, doblado asimismo en español, en el que los personajes de Eva Mendes ("Ghost Rider: El motorista fantasma") y Joaquin Phoenix ("En la cuerda floja") mantienen una conversación en la discoteca del segundo. Podéis ver el fragmento en QuickTime o Windows Media como anticipo al estreno de “La noche es nuestra” este próximo viernes, 28 de marzo.

Recordad que el cartel de este thriller dramático se completa con la presencia de Mark Wahlberg ("Shooter: El tirador") y Robert Duvall ("Lucky you"). En esta ocasión, el director y guionista James Gray ha vuelto a abordar algunos de los temas que ya trató en "La otra cara del crimen", como la familia y la delincuencia, además de colaborar de nuevo con Wahlberg y Phoenix. El argumento de “La noche es nuestra” se centra en dos hermanos cuyos intereses chocarán cuando una oleada criminal sacuda Nueva York a finales de los 80.

En la imagen: Fotograma de "La noche es nuestra" - Copyright © 2007 2929 Productions. Fotos por Anne Joyce. Distribuida en España por Universal Pictures International Spain. Todos los derechos reservados.

Malin Akerman, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson y Aasif Mandvi trabajarán al lado de Sandra Bullock y Ryan Reynolds en “The proposal”

En mayo del año pasado se anunció que Sandra Bullock sería la protagonista de “The proposal”, una comedia romántica de Touchstone Pictures en la que la actriz se pondrá en la piel de una mujer que, para conservar su importante puesto de trabajo y no ser deportada a Canadá, opta por casarse con su joven ayudante, interpretado por Ryan Reynolds. El filme, dirigido por Anne Fletcher (“27 vestidos”), cuenta con un guión de Peter Chiarelli, siendo sus productores ejecutivos Alex Kurtzman y Roberto Orci.

Pues bien, ahora leemos en The Hollywood Reporter que Malin Akerman (“Watchmen”, “27 vestidos”, “Matrimonio compulsivo”, “Los hermanos Solomon”), Mary Steenburgen (“Four Christmases”, “La extraña que hay en ti”), Craig T. Nelson (“Patinazo a la gloria”, “La joya de la familia”) y Aasif Mandvi (la serie de televisión “Jericho”) también se dejarán ver en la película, si bien no se sabe qué papeles interpretarán (su rodaje, por cierto, se iniciará este mismo mes).

En la imagen: Malin Akerman en “27 vestidos” - Copyright © 2008 Fox 2000 Pictures y Spyglass Entertainment. Distribuida en España por Hispano Foxfilm. Todos los derechos reservados.

Jared Padalecki The New Jason?

This is an interesting bit of casting news. It appears that Jared Padalecki, star of the wildly underrated TV show “Supernatural” is being looked at strongly to be the new Jason Vorhees in the upcoming Friday the 13th remake. The folks over at Eclipse Magazine give us the following:

It was announced yesterday, March 21st that Platinum Dunes in association with New Line Cinema and Paramount Pictures is in final negotiations with the Supernatural star to take on the lead role in their 're-imagination' of the 1980 horror/slasher flick about teenaged camp counselors at a camp called Crystal Lake who begin to meet untimely and gruesome fates at the hands of a mysterious killer.

Jared Padalecki, who is well known to TV viewers as the hunky Dean Forester on Gilmore Girls and the intrepid 'hunter' Sam Winchester in Supernatural, is no stranger to being involved in successful remakes of older films, having had roles in the remakes of 'House of Wax' and 'Flight of the Phoenix'. While the Friday the 13th movie he is set to begin production on this spring is listed as a remake, the movie will have a different focus on the storyline than the original movie.

Ok, I like Padalecki very much and would be happy to see him in just about any movie… but… JASON?!?! Ummm… correct me if I’m wrong here, but shouldn’t the big guy be, you know… BIGGER? Not to mention, in this remake shouldn’t he be wearing the mask all the time (He doesn’t have it in the original… but they’ve said the Jason with the Mask is what we’re getting with this new incarnation). Why do they need a named actor at all? Please don’t tell me they’re going to do with this film what Zomibe did when he butchered Halloween are they?!?!

As much as I like Padalecki, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

Gandolfini to star in The Taking of Pelham 123

James Gandolfini will be adding another dance to his card as he makes a deal to star in The Taking of Pelham 123 alongside

Variety.com reports:

Gandolfini will play the mayor of New York City in Columbia Pictures remake “The Taking of Pelham 123,” directed by Tony Scott and starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta.

Gandolfini will plays a pol under incredible pressure to end a crisis when a packed subway car is ransomed by a criminal (Travolta) and his gang.

James Gandolfini will forever be recognised as Tony Soprano from HBOs hit series of the same surname. But so he seems to have dodged a bullet as far as being typecast as a gangster. The casting rumours about Gandolfini playing a gangster in Batman: The Dark Knight never came to pass either.

I half qualify his role as a politician to the typecast he hoped to avoid. No, I don’t thinkg politicians are criminals. But the role of a city’s leader would have the same qualities that made his Tony Soprano so believable. He is a respected leader with charisma and presence. Decisions that affect the lives of many will be falling on his shoulders.

So is this typecasting? or just dangerously close?

BluRay announces Profile 2.0 and BD-Live Discs

In case you live under a rock, BluRay won the Civil War of High Def DVD Formats™. So now you can relax, and go out and get yourself a new toy. But you might want to wait for Profile 2.0 Players for special edition BD-Live discs.

What is BD-Live?? Yahoo News tells us:

The musical spoof “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” and the Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi thriller “The 6th Day” will be the studio’s first two BD-Live titles. Their release coincides with the launch of a new software update for Sony’s PlayStation 3 that makes the game console the first Blu-ray player with Internet connectivity, an ability known as “Profile 2.0.”

Ultimately, all Blu-ray players will be Profile 2.0. When the format launched in June 2006, Blu-ray players were of the basic Profile 1.0 kind, meaning they could offer neither picture-in-picture nor Internet connectivity, something the doomed HD DVD rival format offered from Day 1.

I am thankful that this Civil War of High Def DVD Formats™ only lasted about two and a half years instead of its predated Format War between VHS and Beta that arguably lasted 13 years. But this new news caught me at two different angles at the same time.

1. Viable improvement.

Like the mighty Borg, resistance is futile. The war is over. But the Borg do not destroy, they consume. Borg integrate beings and cultures into their collective. And I see this “upgrade” as a feature that is dragged out from the spoils of war. BluRay won. They have no offical competition anymore. So why not adapt some of the features of the format it beat out?

2. Money Grab

This was my first reaction to the news. I listed it second because the logic of the first point is making this less of an issue, but it still remains.

BluRay saw a phenomenal increase in sales mere seconds after Toshiba threw in the towel with their HD-DVD. Electronic stores were swamped with the standby enthusiasts who refused to buy one of these next gen formats until the war was over. Hell, US Best Buy stores were offering a token “sorry you lost” $50 gift card program for people who paid piles of money to back the loser.

Now you ran out and got your BluRay player right? You are ready for the future! The war is over, so let’s celebrate and throw our lot in with the invested purchase of a High Definition DVD player that will retail for half that price in a year!

Oops. There is a new BluRay coming out. A George Lucas Special Edition upgraded version of the one you already have. G’head, buy that one too.

But it isn’t so bad. If the upgraded feature to go online for additional content is not an appeal to you, then don’t worry. Your current outdated BluRay Player still works.

Is this move a money grab, or just a much needed improvement to fill the gap of an HD-DVD feature lost with its format?

Dead Space Video Game, Movie and Comic

Sometimes Comic Books get made into Movies. Sometimes Movies get made into video games. Sometimes Video Games get made into movies. Well in the case of Dead Space, the yet to be released video game is being made at the same time as the movie, which will follow up after the comic book.

Variety.com says:

Starz’ Film Roman unit is producing a film that serves as a prequel to the game, picking up where a comic that is being made by Image Comics leaves off.

“Dead Space” is part of a larger deal between the two companies. Starz has two other animation projects in development tied to EA franchises.

Starz is in talks with broadcasters worldwide to distribute the pic on TV and will also put it out on DVD through its Anchor Bay subsid and online.

Now the plot of this movie is that after hearing a distress call from an industrial space mining vessel, the main characters respond expecting to undertake repairs. What they find out instead is that the industrial complex has been over run by aliens.

I think I liked this plot back when Ridley Scott did Alien. However this time instead of the mining facility responding to a distress call, they are responding to a distress call on a mining facility. Alien baddies show up, shooting and running and guts, oh my! Yup. Been there.

As always, I remain skeptical as to any video game turned movie. Even if the movie is going to be direct to DVD (and possibly TV) and especially when they attempt to make the movie for a game that has yet to be released.

Video Game movies have one thing going for them: Built in Audience. People have some inkling to see the movie if they are a fan of the game. This looks more like they are pumping the multi format angle to advertise for itself.

Trailer Meet Dave

Meet Dave es el nuevo film protagonizado por el actor Eddie Murphy, en el cual un grupo de pequeños alienígenas con forma humana, viajan en su “nave humanoide” por el planeta Tierra. Esto me hace recordar mucho al alienígena de Men in Black (¿recuerdan?). Eddie Murphy hace una doble participación, ya que es el minialienígena y a la vez es la nave alienígena.

Hace unas semanas, presenté el film como Starship Dave, pero luego cambió su nombre por Meet Dave, que no hay que confundir con Meet Bill, protagonizado por Aaron Eckhart.

El film se estrena el 11 de julio en los Estados Unidos.

Enlace: MovieWeb

James Gandolfini participará en el nuevo film de Tony Scott

El actor James Gandolfini, famoso por su papel protagonista en Los Soprano, participará en el nuevo film que prepara el hermanísimo Tony Scott.

En él interpretará al alcalde de la ciudad de Nueva York, que se verá envuelto por la trama principal, de la manera que explico a continuación.

Se trata del remake que está preparando Columbia Pictures, The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three. Aunque esta vez está protagonizado por dos pesos pesados actuales como Denzel Washington y John Travolta. Como he dicho, Gandolfini hace el papel de dicho personaje político, que se encuentra bajo una enorme presión insostenible.

La situación estallará cuando un criminal secuestra un vagón del metro de la ciudad.

Enlace: Gandolfini Boards Scott’s Pelham

Columbia tiene nuevo proyecto, The Long Run

La legendaria Columbia Pictures ha comprado un nuevo guión a Stephen Belber. Con ello, dan luz verde a un nuevo proyecto que producirán junto a Overbrook (la productora de Will Smith, James Lassiter y Ken Stovitz). De momento no se sabe nada más, aunque parece que en un principio, la idea no es que Smith sea el protagonista de la cinta.

Trailer Long Weekend

Long Weekend es el film protagonizado por Jim “Jesús” Caviziel (hace pocos días vi el film nuevamente por las Pascuas), en el que junto con su esposa decide emprender un viaja paradisíaco a una playa de Australia. Lo que no sabe es que el daño que producirán estos dos extraños en estas tierras vírgenes donde acampan, provocarán la furia de la Madre Naturaleza (no es broma, parece que la Naturaleza es la máxima enemiga de este film)

Long Weekend no tiene fecha de estreno aún, pero se espera que lo haga a mediados de año.

Enlace: MovieWeb

Worth Watching - March 25: French Water Lilies Trailer

Oh those French… Screw Meet Dave, watch this trailer for Water Lilies (Naissance Des Pieuvres) instead! This borders on the edge of being NSFW, but thankfully it's an MPAA approved trailer which means you can watch it. I'd love some explanation for this, but instead I think I'll just sit back and enjoy - but watch out, the girls are very young. One summer, three fifteen-year-old girls–Marie, Anne and Floriane–share secrets in the girl's locker room. Desire erupts. They will never be able to forget their first time. Those French really know how to pull off some intriguing sexual dramas, that's for sure. Interested?

If you still need a reason to get interested in this, it currently has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with 15 reviews. "Well observed and painfully accurate in its depiction of the agonies of growing up, this is a small triumph." From Daily Mirror.

Watch the trailer for Water Lilies:

[See post to watch the video]

You can also watch the Water Lilies trailer in High Definition on Yahoo

Water Lilies is both written and directed by first time feature filmmaker Céline Sciamma. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May of 2007 and is being released by Koch Lorber Films in the US. Water Lilies arrives in limited theaters (New York City only) starting on April 4th. The poster is featured below.

Jaime King Cast in My Bloody Valentine Remake

Stop with the remakes, please! I love Eli Roth's enthusiasm for cult classic horror flicks like this, but now we've gone too far. Yes, every last holiday has a horror movie made about it - even Valentine's Day. Bombshell beauty Jaime King has been cast as the lead in Lionsgate's My Bloody Valentine 3D. The film is a remake of the 1981 film My Bloody Valentine that's about, you guessed it, a murderer who goes around killing those who celebrate Valentine's Day. Hasn't Hollywood learned its lesson about horror remakes yet?

Long-time film editor and Dracula 2000 director Patrick Lussier will be taking on a script written by first-timer Zane Smith. Production will begin on May 12th for a release date of January 23rd, 2009. Jaime King, known most for playing Goldie in Sin City and Angela Patton in Slackers, will play the character Sarah Palmer, a woman who marries her teenage sweetheart's nemesis (that spells d-o-o-m for them!). "When she and her first love are reunited, it becomes clear that she still carries a torch for the man." What?

Not only does this already sound as bad as the Prom Night remake due out in April this year, but its going to be in 3D?! Really, what has Hollywood come to? I hope these continue to flop so that they can realize its a pointless waste to continue making them. The original films they're based off of are classic for being campy - it doesn't help to try and remake them with a serious tone! I rarely rant like this, but this time I've got to let it out. Anyone care to fight for the other side and try and convince me that this could be good?

Castro at the Center of a Killer Picture

Moxie Pictures and Killer Pictures are teaming up to adapt Anthony DePalma's nonfiction book The Man Who Invented Fidel: Castro, Cuba and Herbert Matthews of the New York Times. Variety describes the subject of the feature film:

Written by NYT correspondent Anthony DePalma, the book examines how Matthews' mythmaking profiles of Castro set the stage for his rise to power.

Matthews, one of the top foreign correspondents of his era, was smuggled into the jungles of the Sierra Maestra Mountains to get the first detailed interview with Castro. That and other glowing articles impacted American perception before the fall of the Batista regime and Castro's takeover of the Cuban government.

No screenwriter has been selected yet. This could intersect nicely with the release of Steven Soderbergh's two Che Guevara biopics. Plus, it sounds like an interesting view of how the media can help shape the outcomes of history, rather than just report on them after the fact.

Hugh Jackman to Play Nowhere Man?

Looking to expand his comic book material repertoire even further, Hugh Jackman is working with Marc Guggenheim (Eli Stone) and Virgin Comics to create Nowhere Man, a comic series that could eventually be turned into a film vehicle for the Australian actor. Variety indicates that "the concept is a futuristic world where mankind has traded privacy for safety." Ah, not-so-subtle political allusions. Can't beat 'em.

John Palermo of Seed Productions said, "This is our first comic, and we feel the concept is transferable to other arenas, perhaps first as a videogame, and then a movie."

Jackman is still in his native country working on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, reprising the role that made him a household name eight years ago. Virgin Comics has had a history of working with filmmakers and actors on their graphic novel passion projects, including works by Nicolas and Weston Cage and Guy Ritchie.

Boondock Saints 2? Say It Ain't So!

According to SlashFilm, the ostensibly long-awaited sequel to The Boondock Saints has been greenlit. All the main actors whose characters were alive at the end of the original are planning to return, with the notable exception of Willem Dafoe. (Apparently he's the only sane one in the bunch.) What really fascinated me about the original was how much backlash I received for having the audacity to write a negative review of the film right here on Screen Rant a few years ago. I thought the film was terrible, and that clearly didn't sit well with fans.

Some of the readers respectfully disagreed with me (which is perfectly okay — and appreciated), but many of the comments were insulting, inflammatory, threatening or a combination of the three. Things got so rowdy after a while that the webmaster ended up having to completely disable the comment feature for that review. I have been writing movie reviews for Screen Rant for about four years, and I have never seen a stronger reader response than I did for The Boondock Saints. What was/is the big deal? It's just a movie; some people liked it, while others (including me) did not.

So what do you think? Did Sony do the right thing by greenlighting a sequel? Will the movie-going public still want to see a sequel, even though it has been nearly a decade since the original was released? Am I still an idiot (or worse) because I didn't like the original? Given how chaotic and unpredictable the movie development process can be in Hollyweird, will this sequel actually see the light of day?

El director de “Horton” habla de esta taquillera película de animación

“Horton” ha obtenido unas estupendas recaudaciones en nuestro país durante la pasada Semana Santa, manteniendo con facilidad el primer puesto en la taquilla (lo mismo le ha sucedido en el mercado estadounidense, donde ya acumula 86 millones de dólares). Ahora, Way To Blue nos facilita una entrevista con Jimmy Hayward, uno de sus realizadores, siendo posible verla en los siguientes formatos: Quicktime, Windows Media y Real Player. Es una «película especial porque es visualmente increíble, se trata de un viaje a un mundo muy profundo y tras éste subyace otro mundo que descubrir. Así que tenemos dos mundos maravillosos con personajes increíblemente divertidos y una gran aventura épica muy cómica».

Además, resalta el mensaje del filme, explicando «que cada personaje está relacionado con la idea de que “una persona es una persona, no importa lo pequeña que sea”. Se trata de la idea de tolerancia, la idea de no juzgar a la gente por su tamaño y todo eso». Por último, también resultan interesantes las palabras que dedica a los dobladores en la versión original: «una de las cosas que he aprendido a lo largo de mi vida laboral es que la improvisación de los actores es la mejor forma de obtener un buen material en la pantalla, y en América tenemos una enorme cantera de actores expertos en improvisación. Carol Burnett tenía un excelente show en los setenta, Jim Carrey es un gran improvisador cómico, Steve Carell… Todos ellos han tenido una gran influencia sobre los personajes, simplemente por las voces… Gracias a las voces hemos llevado a cabo la creación de los personajes, con esos actores».

En la imagen: Fotografía promocional de Jimmy Hayward y fotograma de “Horton” - Copyright © 2008 20th Century Fox y Blue Sky Studios. Distribuida en España por Hispano Foxfilm. Todos los derechos reservados.

Ron Perlman

Nacido el 13 de Abril de 1950, en Washington Heights, Manhattan (Nueva York), Ronald Francis Perlman, conocido como Ron Perlman en el medio cinematografíco, fue hijo de una familia trabajadora (su madre, empleada en el ayuntamiento neoyorkino, y su padre, técnico de electrodomésticos, quien en un tiempo, como músico de Jazz, tocó la batería con Artie Shaw.

Acabados sus estudios en el instituto George Washington de Nueva York, en el cual había participado en obras de teatro, y fiel a su vocación, Ron recibió clases de interpretación en el City College de Nueva York y posteriormente en la Universidad de Minnesota.

Durante varios años se dedicó sólo al teatro interpretando papeles en diversas obras, hasta que en 1979 debutó como actor en la serie para televisión, Ryan's Hope.

Su primer papel para la gran pantalla, y contando ya con 31 años, fue en "En busca del fuego" (1981), adaptación de la novela de J. H. Rosny que fue dirigida por Jean-Jacques Annaud, director francés que volvió a requerir a Perlman para sus películas "El nombre de la rosa" (1986) y "Enemigo a las puertas" (2001).

El año del estreno de "En busca del fuego", película en la que su peculiar físico encajaba perfectamente, Perlman contrajo matrimonio con la diseñadora de modas Opal Perlman, con quien todavía convive felizmente. La pareja ha tenido dos hijos: Amanda, que nació en 1984, y Brandon, que lo hizo en 1990.

Después de participar en "Guerreros del espacio" (1984), y en "El nombre de la rosa" en 1986, en 1987 le sugió la oportunidad de protagonizar la serie televisiva "La bella y la Bestia", junto a Linda Hamilton, que permanecería tres años en antena, y con la que consiguió varios premios como actor televisivo, entre ellos, El Globo de Oro. No consiguió el Emy, aunque estuvo nominado en dos ocasiones.

Convertido ya en un actor cuyo nombre suena en los círculos cinematográficos, y conocido por los espectadores, colabora posteriormente como secundario de lujo, en multitud de films. "Sonámbulos" (1992), "La ciudad de los niños perdidos", de 1995 (en la que fue el único norteamericano que participaba, y sin tener ninguna idea del idioma francés), “Alien Resurrection” (1997), y "Enemigo a las puertas", son un pequeño ejemplo de su trabajo en aquella época.

"Cronos", rodada en (1993), título revelación de Guillermo del Toro, lo emparejó por primera vez con el director mexicano, con quien volvería a rodar en Blade II (2002) y Hellboy (2004), la adaptación del cómic de Mike Mignola.

Otros de los directores con los que ha repetido experiencia, es con el francés Jean-Pierre Jeunet, con quien Perlman colaboró en La ciudad de los niños perdidos (1995) y Alien Resurrección (1997).

Su papel más importante en los últimos años, "Hellboy", estuvo a punto de rechazarlo porque no le convencía, pero su hijo, Brandon, seguidor del las aventuras del héroe del comic, fue el que influyó en su decisión de aceptarlo, para gran alegría del director Guillermo del Toro, que había pensado en el para el papel, por sus similitudes físicas con el personaje.

Para este año 2008, está pendiente el esperado estreno de una nueva entrega del personaje, que suponemos encantará a todos los seguidores, tanto de "Hellboy" , como de Ron Perlman.

Además de sus apariciones en títulos de altos presupuesto, Perlman es habitual en películas de serie B y en colaboraciones para series de animación, donde ha prestado su voz en múltiples ocasiones. Series como: “Batman”, “Los 4 Fantásticos”, “Hulk”, “La liga de la justicia” o en videojuegos como “Halo 2″, “Fallout” o “Everquest”.

Filmografía seleccionada:

En busca del fuego (1981)

Guerreros del espacio (1984)

El nombre de la rosa (1986)

Sonámbulos (1990)

Las aventuras de Huckleberry Finn (1993)

Doble juego (1993)

Cronos (1993)

Fluke (1995)

La ciudad de los niños perdidos (1995)

La isla del Dr. Moreau (1996)

El principe valiente (1997)

Alien: Resurrection (1997)

Enemigo a las puertas (2001), de Jean-Jacques Annaud

Blade II (2002), de Guillermo Del Toro

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), de Stuart Baird

Hellboy (2004), de Guillermo Del Toro

Hellboy 2: el ejérctito de oro (2008), de Guillermo del Toro (próxima a estrenar)

Para ver su filmografía completa, pinchad aquí

Regency Takse to Cutlass Island

Author Tom Wheeler has successfully pitched his idea for Cutlass Island, a fantasy film "about two shipwrecked brothers who discover a lost world of mythological and magical creatures," to Regency Entertainment. Shawn Levy (director of Night at the Museum), Tom McNulty (producer of Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo) and Alex Gartner (producer of Get Smart) will be producing, so this should fall in line with their family-fantasy-comedy library nicely (Deuce Bigalow notwithstanding).

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

The story deals with a secret piece of legislation signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 called the Unique Lands and Species Act. The brothers uncover the mystery of the historic document and its lost world, Cutlass Island. The fantasy adventure is in the vein of Harry Potter and Jurassic Park, with the boys swearing to protect the islands against those bent on destroying them.

McNulty told them "This is a big, four-quadrant, family entertainment film, and I think it's something that is completely within the 21 Laps wheelhouse [his production company] and the kind of films we want to make here."

Regency has been getting rather lax in their quality standards lately, releasing the horror film Shutter, sci-fi thriller Jumper, and the spoof film Meet the Spartans in just the past few months alone.

Tripplehorn, Weaver, and Simmons Get Crazy

Jeanne Tripplehorn, Sigourney Weaver, and J.K. Simmons have joined the cast of Tim Allen's ex-con comedy Crazy on the Outside. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Allen will play a newly released prisoner who tries to persuade his single-mom parole officer (Tripplehorn) to date him. His struggle to rebuild his life is further complicated by a loving but manipulative older sister (Weaver) and her sarcastic, taunting husband (Simmons)." Ray Liotta, Kelsey Grammer and Julie Bowen also star. THR points out the "parallels to [Allen's] own experience as an ex-con. (He served time for cocaine possession.)" Judd Pillot and John Peaslee wrote the screenplay and Allen will make his directorial debut.

Stanton, Lovett Join Bridges, Timberlake on The Open Road

His Alien co-star Sigourney Weaver just got cast in Crazy on the Outside, and now 81-year-old Harry Dean Stanton is keeping up his well-established profile by co-starring in The Open Road, a drama starring Jeff Bridges, Justin Timberlake, Kate Mara, Mary Steenburgen, and (another new addition) Lyle Lovett. According to The Hollywood Reporter:

Stanton will play the grandfather of Timberlake's character, a young man trying to reconcile with his father (Bridges) as he heads home to his ill mother's bedside. Lovett will play a Memphis bartender who lends a helpful ear to Timberlake.

Writer-director Michael Meredith (Three Days of Rain) is shooting the project in Louisiana and other Southern locales. Between Lovett, Timberlake, and Stanton, this movie has quite the musical contingent. It's hard to say at this point how good or bad this movie will be, but I tend to agree with Roger Ebert when he says that "no movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or M. Emmet Walsh in a supporting role can be altogether bad."

Brandt to Adapt Twilight Zone Episode

First-time director Michael Brandt will turn a classic episode of The Twilight Zone by Richard Matheson into a feature length film called Countdown for Summit Entertainment. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film "revolves around a group of astronauts who land on a planet only to find a crashed spaceship and corpses that eerily resemble their own. They then must piece together where they are and whether they might in fact already be dead."

The original episode was entitled Death Ship, and was written by regular TZ writer Richard Matheson, who based it on his own previously published short story. He also wrote the novel I Am Legend. B

THR also says that Brandt is rewriting the screenplay with his writing partner Derek Haas and that it is based on an earlier screenplay by Stephen Gregg and Scott Burn. Brandt and Haas have collaborated on such movies as 3:10 to Yuma and 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Production could begin as early as late summer, and is expected to cost in the $30 million range.

Do Twilight Zone fans feel any strong feelings about this? I'm still on the fence, myself. On the one hand, you could get worse source material. On the other hand, Hollywood has a tendency to ruin clever ideas. On a third hand, 3:10 to Yuma was a fantastic remake, so maybe Brandt and Haas can be trusted to spruce up 1950s-60s material without spoiling what made it work in the first place. Or did the original episode work? I've never seen it. Opinions needed.

Dragonball Set Photo

Troy Mustang snapped this photo of one of the Mexican film sets for 20th Century Fox's big screen live action adaptation of Dragonball. As always, click to enlarge. Not sure what the scene involves, but the photo is pretty cool. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on April 3rd 2009.

Discuss: Is there any chance that Dragonball will actually be good?

Meet Dave Movie Trailer

The movie trailer for Meet Dave, Eddie Murphy's Norbit follow up, has hit the web. Directed by Brian Robbins (Ready to Rumble, The Shaggy Dog, Norbit), Meet Dave stars Eddie Murphy as an alien spaceship in human form. A crew of miniature aliens operate are trying to save their planet, but encounter a new problem, as their ship becomes smitten with an Earth woman (played by Elizabeth Banks). Looks pretty horrible… maybe it will be nominated for an Academy Award. Watch in horror for yourself below.

[See post to watch Flash video]

You can also watch the new trailer in High Definition on Yahoo. Meet Dave hits theaters on July 11th.

Discuss: What happened to Eddie Murphy?

Meet Dave Trailer - The Next Bad Eddie Murphy Movie

First we met Norbit, now we meet Dave. Meet Dave is the next terrible comedy from Eddie Murphy and his director Brian Robbins. This time he's an alien, I think, being controlled by a whole of bite-size people including Eddie Murphy and Gabrielle Union… Oh goodness, what have we come to? The only good thing about this is Elizabeth Banks, but even she won't save what is going to completely flop at the box office this summer. There really is nothing good coming out of this. I don't know why they keep making movies like this and I don't know why people keep seeing them. Oh well…

Watch the trailer for Meet Dave:

[See post to watch the video]

You can also watch the Meet Dave trailer in High Definition on Yahoo

Meet Dave is directed by Brian Robbins, of Ready to Rumble, The Perfect Score, The Shaggy Dog, and Norbit. Yep, this is that bad. The script was written by Rob Greenberg ("Frasier", Spellbound) and Mystery Science Theater 3000 member Bill Corbett. Meet Dave arrives in theaters this summer on July 11th. The poster is featured below.