WITH MIGHTY MOUSE REBOOT, PARAMOUNT IS HERE TO SAVE THE FRANCHISE

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

EXCLUSIVE: With “Alvin & the Chipmunks” showing that a classic animated property can have a prosperous life on the modern film screen, Paramount is pushing forward with a reboot of “Mighty Mouse.”
The project, based on the vintage cartoon about a crime-fighting super-mouse (which will surely get a modern spin) has been in development for several years at Paramount and its Nickelodeon Movies label. A number of writers have taken stabs at a script over that time, including the Gunn brothers (Brian and Mark), who also count the “Journey to the Center of Earth” sequel among their credits.

But the studio has, over the last few months, been seeking both a new writer and a new director for “Mouse,” with a number of up-and-comers on the list. We”ll keep you posted when they’re hired, but the very fact of development momentum is noteworthy. Paramount has had success distributing DreamWorks Animation’s films – the studio currently has the hit “How to Train Your Dragon” out in theaters — but also has made the most of its few forays into animation production. “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,” a Paramount/Nick collaboration, earned $140 million worldwide back in 2004 (and that was long before the 3-D and hybrid live/animation crazes hit full bore, which could give a jolt to this one if the studio went that way).

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HOBBIT SCRIPT IS DONE: PETER JACKSON SAYS WHAT’S NEXT

Source: scifiwire.com

Peter Jackson, who is producing the two Hobbit movies, spoke with Moviefone to clear up those rumors about a start date, casting and whether the movies are delayed.

About the only thing he’ll confirm is that the script for the two proposed movies is now complete:

“We’ve just delivered the script. Literally last week, we delivered the second of the two screenplays — the first draft. So the studio’s got both scripts now, which is a milestone; and if anything was holding it up, it was us doing the screenplays, because we’d just been writing as fast as we can, but it took us this long to get them finished. So we take whatever responsibility there is for the speed. And we’re now in the process of budgeting the films, and then hopefully we’ll get to a budget the studio [people] are happy with, and they’ll greenlight the movies and we’ll announce the shooting dates. I’d be pretty optimistic that we’ll be shooting before the end of the year. I would imagine October, November, we’d be shooting by. I’m not announcing it, though.”

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DUNST JOINS LARS VON TRIER’S SCI-FI DISASTER FILM

Source: www.getthebigpicture.net

Kirsten Dunst has been cast in the next Lars von Trier film, filling in for Penelope Cruz, who bolted for the high seas and Pirates of the Caribbean. The movie is called Melancholia, and if you know anything about von Trier, you know his melancholia is different than almost everyone else’s. Heavy, heavy.

Deadline says it’s a “sci-fi disaster film,” which is an interesting direction for both von Trier and Dunst to go. Melancholia will shoot in Sweden this July through September. And Dunst joins a pretty good cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, Alexander Skarsgaard, Stellan Skarsgaard, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Udo Kier. Man, Udo Kier is cool.

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IMPORTANT EASTER EGGS TO LOOK FOR WHILE WATCHING KISS-ASS

Source: io9.com

One thing we love about the bubble-gum slaughter epic Kick-Ass is the heaps of Easter Eggs and comic book references. We’ve made a list of the best moments, from jabs at The Dark Knight to subtle movie tie-ins. Spoilers ahead..

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EEEEEEEEEE! THE HOBBIT AND MIGHTY MOUSE! I am such a happy fan girl! *ignores the feeling of forboding that Mighty mouse could go the way of Astro boy* What do you think of today’s movie news?

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3D:SOON COMING AT YA’ AT HOME

Source: CBS News

It seems some things never change in Hollywood. For 82 years of Academy Awards there’s always the flash … the fashions … the royalty … the scene stealers … the showdown.

This year the buzz is about the nail-biting faceoff between Kathryn Bigelow, director of the indie war movie, “The Hurt Locker” … and her ex-husband, James Cameron, director of the all-time box office smash, “Avatar.”

But what really has Hollywood talking is thatm, win or lose, “Avatar” could change everything, with its breathtaking imagination and out-of-this-world imagery in eye-popping 3D.

“There are a number of films that have gone out and proved repeatedly that the market is there,” said director Cameron. “I think, you know, the verdict is pretty well in that 3D is here to stay. and that it’s a major boost to the, theatrical exhibition business.”

Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of Dreamworks Animation, calls the success of Cameron’s 3D gamble “thrilling.”

“I can’t think of a more inspiring event to happen for the movie business in a decade than ‘Avatar,’” he said.

“How to Train Your Dragon,” Dreamworks Animation’s next big release, is in 3D. In fact, all of the studio’s releases from now on will be in 3D.

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AAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHH. Death by 3-d! While 3-d is cool, and fun – I kind of view it like chocolate, or wine – lovely for a treat – but too much and it gives you a headache. Plus, there are people who can’t see 3-d, due to eyesight (okay, there’s more to it than that – but I’m not about to go into a tirade, I promise). And, how far are we going to go with this? I’m not sure I want to watch the news in 3-d – no matter how cool that looked on the Jetsons when I was a kid. What do you all think?

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