MOVIE NEWS: JANUARY 20TH

‘Saw VI’ Director Hired for ‘Paranormal Activity 2′

Paramount has hired screenwriter Michael R. Perry and Saw VI director Kevin Greutert to create a sequel to Paranormal Activity in time for an October 22 release.

Oren Peli, who dreamed up the first, is on as a producer. He told the Hollywood Reporter, “These guys get it, and the fans won’t be disappointed.” Of course he’s going to like the idea. Paramount is paying for this sequel and fronting the bill for his Area 51 (in post-production). What was he supposed to say? The studio already owned the rights to an inevitable follow-up, he may as well collect a paycheck for a producer credit. Maybe I’m just cynical.

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George Lucas Confirms Plans for 3-D ‘Star Wars’!! (Thank James Cameron)

Access Hollywood spoke with George Lucas at a Golden Globes party, and Lucas has confirmed his intent to re-release the Star Wars films in 3-D. What convinced him to do it? Take a wild guess. Avatar.

Lucas told Access Hollywood:

Haven’t been a big fan of 3-D, but [Avatar] definitely improves in (the field of) 3-D. … We’ve been looking for years and years and years of trying to take Star Wars and put it in 3-D. … But, [the] technology hasn’t been there. We’ve been struggling with it, but I think this will be a new impetus to make that happen.

It is doubtless that many will view this move purely as a money (not art) -driven endeavor. However, if Lucas does indeed implement 3-D similar to the way it was done in Avatar, the aesthetics of the films should indeed be enhanced rather than transformed into a gimmick. Avatar’s 3-D worked so well because it wasn’t used to try to trick your body into thinking it was going to be hit by things; it was used only to create a natural depth. If the Star Wars films can emulate that, there is essentially nothing to lose.

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Guess which director will reboot Spider-Man as a trilogy

When news broke that Sam Raimi was off Spider-Man 4, everyone buzzed about who might take over the superhero franchise, with Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood saying that the ironically named Marc Webb was the top choice to direct.

Looks like she may have been right: New York Magazine’s Vulture blog confirmed that “Sony will imminently announce a deal with (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb to direct not one, but three Spider-Man movies in a rebooted franchise that will focus far more on the private life of Peter Parker”:

Webb’s other big appeal? He’s much cheaper than the old Spider-Man crew. The deal just now being sewn up calls for Webb to be paid roughly $10 million for the first film, with substantial bonuses built in if the picture reaches certain box-office milestones.

The news was that Sony wants to reboot the Spider-Man franchise as a high-school franchise, though there’s been no official confirmation of that yet.

What do you think of this choice?

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Mel Gibson Talks Mad Max 4 and His Viking Movie

Mel Gibson and his production company, Icon Entertainment, may be co-producing the upcoming Mad Max 4, but there’s no word if Gibson will appear in the movie. Gibson spoke to Collider about the project, but didn’t exactly clear up the confusion.

I’ve talked to [director] George [Miller] [about Mad Max 4] … yeah. We talk all the time anyway. I’m abreast of that. He’s been trying to do this for years — the 4th installment. At one point I was involved and it fell to bits and then this and that … so now it’s probably gone through a lot of changes and I can’t wait to see it cause everything he does is magic. There is a touch of genius about George.

While it doesn’t sound like Mel will play a role in the sequel, it doesn’t exactly close the door either. While Gibson didn’t speak about his next starring role in How I Spent My Summer Vacation, which is drawing protests in Mexico, he did open up about his next directorial project, which will be an untitled movie about Vikings written by The Departed screenwriter William Monahan (who also wrote Gibson’s upcoming Edge of Darkness) and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

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I don’t know if I am really up for another Paranormal Activity, I think with all the hype of the first one there is a lot of pressure to make it better, which may equal corny instead.

Who’s excited for another Star Wars? I AM! Especially in 3-D!!

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