Dune Remake Gets A Hotshot New Director

We thought the epic undertaking of a Dune remake was all but finished, when Hancock director Peter Berg left to go make his alien-focused Battleship film. But the remake lives on, with a new director who might actually be better.

Entertainment Weekly is reporting Paramount has finally found a replacement for Peter Berg. Director Pierre Morel has stepped up to try and tame the great sandworms of Arrakis.

More here

Hobbit to start shooting this summer

Looks like Guillermo del Toro’s Hobbit movies are moving ahead as planned: Production Weekly now reports that they will begin a 14-month production schedule in June.

The publication’s Twitter feed @prodweek also posted that the films will shoot as expected in New Zealand.

The news comes after word that casting had begun in earnest.

Source

Confirmed: Script problems may push Spidey 4 back

Before Christmas, the big rumor was that Spider-Man 4 had been shut down indefinitely because of problems with the story, which was first reported by our pals at IESB.net.

Well, despite studio denials that this was anything more than the usual holiday hiatus, now comes news (from Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood blog, followed later in the day by Variety) that it is indeed true.

Finke posts what she says is an e-mail that was sent out to the visual-effects crew on Dec. 11

Read more here

Universal’s ‘The Wolfman’ Site Goes Live

In news for a film that could be considered dead in the water already, the site and online marketing campaign for Universal’s upcoming The Wolfman has gone live. The film has been bounced around more times than the Watchmen property back in the mid 90’s, and doesn’t look like it’s for the better.

Production began back in 2006 (which is now nearly 4 years ago) when Universal announced that Benicio Del Toro would be taking on the titular role. A year later, a list of names that included Mark Romenek, Brett Ratner, Frank Darabont, and Martin Campbell were at one point attached to the project, all falling off and leaving way for Joe Johnston (Jumanji, The Rocketeer) to take the helm in early 2008.

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Joss Whedon’s Upcoming Werewolf Flick

Joss Whedon, the brilliant man behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and Dollhouse, is coming out with a brand new werewolf movie for all of us hungry fans out there. The Cabin in the Woods is the title to the upcoming 2011 horror film. But this isn’t all Joss Whedon; he co-wrote the script with Cloverfield screenwriter Drew Goddard, who also directed the flick.

The project began filming in March 2009, and was meant to have a nice big release on February 5, 2010 but unfortunately it will now be delayed until January 14, 2011 so the film can be converted to 3D.

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Are you excited about the Dune remake? Have they chosen the right director?

OMG SQUEE!!!!! Sorry if I broke your eardrums. I am beyond excited about The Hobbit.

Poor Spidey 4. I hope they can get back on track.

What do you think of today’s movie news?

First Avatar screening receives a standing ovation!

scifiwire.com: Moviegoers in London rose to their feet in praise of James Cameron’s new SF feature Avatar, lauding the technical achievements of the hugely expensive epic, CNN reports.

Cameron has reinvented genre cinema before with the still-pretty-awesome CGI of 1992’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. He then went on to direct Titanic, which would become the highest-grossing film of all time. To say that after a 12-year absence from features the stakes were high for Cameron would be an understatement, given that Cameron developed entirely new camera systems to create the world of Pandora, where his 3-D saga takes place.

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Casting for The Hobbit begins!

scifiwire.com: OK, all you New Zealand hopefuls … start slathering Rogaine on your feet. Casting for the first part of director Guillermo del Toro’s two-part version of The Hobbit (for the present simply called The Hobbit, Part 1) has officially begun today.

TheOneRing.Net reports that the address for the casting of principals through Liz Mullane Casting will be announced later, and that the casting of extras will be handled by Miranda Rivers in Wellington, New Zealand. Mulane has worked with Hobbit producer Peter Jackson going all the way back to his Heavenly Creatures and The Frighteners days. Rivers has previously handled casting for the earlier Lord of the Rings movies, as well as Jackson’s King Kong.

Now, one thing you really have to hand to Jackson-produced movies is that the casting is usually pretty awesome. Remember that almost no one had heard of Kate Winslet before Jackson and company got hold of her for Heavenly Creatures, and think of all the people who became big stars after appearing in Jackson’s vision of Middle-earth.

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‘Thor’ writers join vampire film ‘Damn Nation’

www.hollywoodreporter.com: Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz, who wrote “Thor” for Marvel, have come aboard to pen “Damn Nation,” a futuristic vampire project lurking at Paramount.

Dark Horse Entertainment’s Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg are producing the adaptation, which is based on a comic by Andrew Cosby and art by Jason Alexander (not the “Seinfeld” actor). Michael Aguilar and Dean Georgaris are also producing.

Set in a U.S. evacuated after an attack from “inhuman nocturnal predators,” the comic tells the tale of the survivors after the government has been forced to relocate to London while scientists search for a solution.

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‘Creature From Black Lagoon,’ ‘Brood’ remakes due

www.latimes.com: Several classic horror titles are stepping out of the crypt.

“Creature From the Black Lagoon,” the remake of the 1950s camp classic about a mythic monster who terrorizes scientists, and “The Brood,” David Cronenberg’s 1979 science-fiction/horror film about a woman who telepathically instructs her children to act out violently, are both landing new directors.

Carl Rinsch, the hot commercials director who recently signed on to direct the samurai adventure “47 Ronin,” is now in talks to direct Universal’s “Black Lagoon,” updating the story of the Gill-man and the Amazonian havoc he wreaks.

Meanwhile, Breck Eisner, the man who was once attached to direct “Black Lagoon” (before parting ways with the project after the writers strike), has signed on to remake “Brood” for Spyglass Entertainment.

More here

Will you be watching Avatar? What do you expect from it? Are you excited about the Hobbit? What do you think of more vampire films being done? Should they do something else? Yes or No for the remakes? OBS loves to here you!

Via Sci Fi Wire

Iron Man 2’s Scarlett is very flexible

Paramount released a bunch of new images from Iron Man 2 to go with the new poster we revealed yesterday.

We’ve got two new looks at Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, a new look at Mickey Rourke’s Ivan Vanko and a nice one of Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow.

Iron Man 2 opens May 7, 2010.

See more images here

Surprising first look at Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows

Images [were] published in USA Today, which also ran a short story about the two films based on the seventh and final book by J.K. Rowling:

The first installment finds young wizards Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) struggling to find their way in the Muggle (human) world, with their own lives in the balance and the fate of the magical realm in their hands.

“They’re paranoid,” says Grint. “It’s quite a scary world because the Snatchers and Death Eaters are running around everywhere. Harry, Ron and Hermione are just camping out in random places, living rough, in regular clothes.” Snatchers and Death Eaters are minions of the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

Read More here

By Iain Blair: Peter Jackson clarifies Hobbit schedule and what he’ll do

Peter Jackson, who is producing The Hobbit, confirmed to us that he and his partners will deliver a second version of the script by the end of the year, with production slated to begin sometime in 2010. The first of two envisioned films will come out “by the end of 2011,” he added.

“We’re still working on the script, and of course it’s going to be directed by Guillermo [del Toro],” Jackson said in an exclusive interview with SCI FI Wire. “That’s going really well, and in fact we’ve already delivered the first script to the studio, and they really liked it, so now we’re working hard on the second script, and that’s going to keep us pretty busy until the end of this year.”

Jackson tapped del Toro, of Pan’s Labyrinth fame, to direct the two-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings prequel, which Jackson is producing and co-writing along with his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens for a New Line/Warner release. The budget is projected to be at least $250 million for the films, but Jackson says “it’s too early” to comment on that.

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By Iain Blair: Why Peter Jackson added MORE violence to Lovely Bones

When Peter Jackson started to do early test screenings of his eagerly awaited new film, The Lovely Bones, which opens Friday, he says he was “shocked and surprised” to get a lot of complaints about the level of violence in the PG-13 film. (Big spoilers ahead!)

“…we had to go back in the editing room and fix it, so audiences would be happier.”

It’s understandable, as the film, based on the 2002 best-seller by Alice Sebold and with a reported budget of $70 million, tells the harrowing and intensely emotional story of a 14-year-old girl (played by Atonement’s Oscar-nominated Saoirse Ronan) who is brutally raped and then murdered by her neighbor, George Harvey, played by Tucci.

But here’s the twist: The Oscar-winning director found that he’d “totally misjudged” audiences’ reactions to Tucci’s death scene. “They actually wanted MORE violence!” he admits. “And I was quite taken aback—audiences were simply not satisfied with the killer’s death scene—they wanted far more violence and suffering.”

Read More here

By Andy Sambidge at Arabian Business: Sci-fi blockbuster Avatar to close Dubai film festival

The much anticipated science fiction movie Avatar, directed by James Cameron of Titanic and Terminator fame, will close the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), organisers have announced.

Its showing in Dubai on December 16 will come six days after its world premiere in London.

“This year, our Gala screenings will span the globe in an unprecedented range of offerings; showcasing the creative brilliance of industry frontrunners to sensational young talent. DIFF is a meeting ground for international filmmakers that is increasingly respected around the world, and we hope to engender fruitful relationships between thriving film cultures.”

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Via Sci Fi Wire: Sci-fi’s contribution to the 10 most controversial films is …

Inspired by Lars von Trier’s new “nausea-inducing piece of cinema” Antichrist, Rotten Tomatoes has picked their most controversial movies of all time, and A Clockwork Orange was the one sci-fi film that made their list.

Here’s what they had to say about the 1971 picture, which was rated X in the U.S. when it was originally released:
Stanley Kubrick’s vision of a dystopian society and the corruption of power in near-future England was banned by its own director, after copycat killings with gangs of thugs dressed up as Alexander DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) and his ‘droogs.’

Read More here

via truebloodonline

TRUE BLOOD FAN AT CHARLAINE HARRIS BOOK SIGNING IN NEW ORLEANS

Going to a Charlaine Harris book signing was a blast. And what better time and place than on Halloween afternoon just outside the French Quarter? It was a great experience and I’m thrilled to share it with The Vault.

The location was The Garden District Book Store. We arrived at the store around 12:30, with a good amount of people already there. The atmosphere was pretty fun and was a great way to mingle with the fans of the books, and there were actually quite a few people who were fans of the True Blood and just wanted to meet the person who started it all. It was a great mix of people.

Read more here…

via truebloodnet

TRUE BLOOD SEASON 3 SPOILER: BON TEMPS HAPPENING

It seems the True Blood Season 3 spoilers are going to be starting to trickle out on a regular basis from now and one of the latest ones coming out is regarding our favorite red-headed waitress, Arlene Fowler (Carrie Preston) and our post-traumatic stress vet, Terry Bellefleur (Todd Lowe).  It seems that all that Maryann spell- induced orgies have caused a little dilemma for Arlene and Terry.  According to TVGuide.com, there is the possibility that all that hanky-panky may lead to the pitter-patter of little feet for the two. TV Guide got this little scoop from Alan Ball directly:

Read more here…

via io9

THE FIRST POSTERS FROM KICK-ASS, THE LASTEST SPOT FOR AVATAR, SMALLVILLE’S WONDER TWINS AND THE HOBBIT’S UNEXPECTED SOURCE MATERIAL

Avatar sees yet another TV spot, and Kick-Ass’ superheroes get posters at last. The Hobbit, and the see the Wonder Twins activate on Smallville. Plus, Lost, Star trek, Harry Potter, and Fringe.

Read more here...

Meeting Charlaine Harris sounds like it would be a great experience, especially for a die-hard True Blood fan. Charlaine seems very down to earth.

So many True Blood spoilers have come out of the woodwork recently.  One never knows if they are true, for Alan Ball always likes to keep his fans on their toes.  We’ll just have to wait (patiently) to see.

NEW TRAILER RELEASED FOR PRINCE OF PERSIA MOVIE

Prince of Persia fans can finally get their first glimpse of Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan. Jake Gyllenhaal became popular after playing the part of Donnie Darko in the movie of the same name. The cast is rounded out by acting greats Ben Kingsley, as Nizam, and Alfred Molina, as Sheik Amar.

Read more HERE

TERMINATOR RIGHTS GOING TO AUCTION. GOT $200 MILLION

If you hated Terminator Salvation and thought you could make a better movie in your sleep, well, here’s your chance: Rights to the franchise are up for sale, and all you need is a cool $200 mil.

According to DailyFinance.com:

The rights to the franchise are being sold by Halcyon Company, the production company behind Terminator Salvation, the latest iteration in the series, which grossed $380 million worldwide. The two most recent films failed to garner the acclaim of the first two films, which struck a chord with many fans who saw the series as a metaphor for humanity’s increasing reliance on computers and technology.

The last movie, as you recall, was directed by Charlie’s Angels’ McG and starred a ranting and raving Christian Bale and a glowering Sam Worthington. The film featured cool visual effects but left a lot of fans cold.

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IAN MCKELLEN HAS READ ‘THE HOBBIT’ SCRIPTS BUT IS ‘SWORN TO SECRECY,’ NO BILBO YET THOUGH

When Ian McKellen said that “The Hobbit” scripts would be delivered shortly, he really wasn’t kidding. Not only are the screenplays turned in, but the once-and-future Gandalf has read them both.

McKellen spoke with Sci Fi Wire about the scripts, except that the role of Gandalf was particularly tailored to his sensibilities this time around.

“As Peter [Jackson] has said, they loved writing Gandalf [for 'The Hobbit'] because they knew who they were writing for,” said the actor. “There are a lot of characters in ‘The Hobbit,’ including, crucially, Bilbo, and they don’t know who’s going to play Bilbo. So it’s extremely attractive that this part has been written for me. The other Gandalf was written for, well, just as Gandalf. There’s lots for me to enjoy, in all sorts of ways. And I couldn’t be happier. But I’m sworn to secrecy. I’m not to say anything at all about the script.”

Read more HERE

IS ‘THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS’ THE NEXT ‘TWILIGHT’?

Ever since Twilight made author Stephanie Meyer a millionaire, it seems as if the publishing industry has caught teen angst/fantasy/horror fever. Naturally, the fever spread to Hollywood where new movies about teenage werewolves, vampires, and various other classic movie monsters are appearing at an alarming rate. According to Variety, the most recent fantasy franchise to make the jump to the big screen will be Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments series.

For those unfamiliar with The Mortal Instruments, here’s a quick blurb from the Variety article: “Story revolves around teenager Clary Fray’s search for her missing mother, which leads her to a city filled with mysterious fairies, raucous warlocks, vampires and other demons.” Collectively, The Mortal Instruments series of books have spent 28 weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers List.

It would be easy to dismiss this series and others like it for seemingly cashing in on a fad, but that’s unfair to both the author and the filmmakers. Since I haven’t personally read the series myself, I’m going to hold off on passing judgment for the time being.

Read more HERE

What did you think about today’s movie news? Are you going to see ‘Prince of Persia’ and what did you think of the trailer? What are your thoughts on the huge franchise ‘Terminator’ scripts being up for sale? Also, do you believe ‘Mortal Instruments’ could be another Twilight?

NEW MOVIE POSTERS GALORE

We got some increbile new movie posters, for some very interesting upcoming movies! Like the newest Vampire flick ‘Daybreakers’ (from MTV.com) “The story is set in 2019, a dystopian future Earth which has been ravaged by a living plague that turns the human population into vampires. The story follows a rebel group among the vampires, blood-suckers who want a return to the human condition.”

Also another fun movie poster to hit the web, is the last movie from the late Health Ledger and starring Johnny Depp as well. (from imdb.com) The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present day. It tells the story of Dr Parnassus and his extraordinary ‘Imaginarium’, a travelling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom.

(from collider.com) Poster madness continues as new posters for “Daybreakers”, “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, “Valentine’s Day”,and “The Missing Person” debuted online and while none of them blow me away, they’re serviceable.  “Daybreakers” could use a better one because vampires may be hot right now but the vampires must be both hot and mostly harmless (and still have the ability to love!); “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” has thrown up tons of posters online but I have yet to see one for its domestic release and this one is Italian so, if you live in Italy, Prego.  The poster for “Valentine’s Day” should just list its ridiculous cast but there’s still plenty of time for that.

Read more HERE

I love both of these posters! I haven’t even heard of ‘Daybreakers’ yet, but that crazy poster makes me want to see it!

HOBBIT AND MAGNETO UPDATES FROM IAN MCKELLEN

(from newsinfilm.com) Sir Ian McKellen spoke with Empire recently at the San Sebastian Film Festival where he gave updates on two high profile projects he’s regularly linked with.

First, the knighted actor addressed the status of the two Hobbit films scheduled for December 2011 and 2012. McKellen had already confirmed his involvement and Gandalf reprisal with a personalized request from director Guillermo del Toro and producer Peter Jackson. Though McKellen knows he’ll be returning to Middle Earth, he won’t sign any paperwork until the casting process officially starts.

What about other cast members from the beloved trilogy?

“Unfortunately, there won’t be many of the actors going back, unless they’re going to put masks on and be disguised as dwarves! Andy Serkis is, at the moment, I think, the only other actor who’s doing this film.”

McKellen was also asked about the X-Men spin-off that would tell the origins of mutant villain Magneto, a role he played in the successful Fox trilogy.

“There’s meant to be a Magneto script floating around, but I’ve not read it, so I suspect it wouldn’t involve me,” he said. “I think it would be about the younger Magneto, and the most I could hope for would be to top and tail that. They can’t have someone whose face is as lined as mine any longer!”

Read the rest HERE

I just adore Ian McKellen, he did an amazing job as Gandalf in LOTR, I actually forgot he was Magneto in X-men, I’m so excited to see The Hobit, I’m glad he came back to the series!

HALF-BLOOD PRINCE SPECIAL EDITION DVD TO HAVE FIRST FOOTAGE OF ‘DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART ONE’

The very first footage seen of the last installment of the ‘Harry Potter’ series: Deathly Hallows, will be released on special edition DVD of Half-Blood Prince (coming out Dec 7th)!

Not sure as to what the footage will be yet, if it will be a behind the scenes look at filming the 7th movie. Or will this be the official first teaser trailer, for this highly anticipated film, well we must wait and find out!

Other DVD features will include: The J.K. Rowling, A Year in the Lifedocumentary, deleted scenes, “Close Up with the Cast of Harry Potter,” a sneek peek at the Wizarding World theme park, a Q&A and interviews with the cast, and more!

You can pre-order your copy NOW, at amazon.com!

By far this is the most exciting news today! I will of course by this special edition DVD anyways, but this makes it so much better! I want to know what kind of footage it is, oh please be a trailer

What do you think of today’s movie news? What do you think about ‘Daybreakers’ and the movie poster? Are you a fan of Ian McKellen, are you happy to have him in ‘The Hobbit’? What footage do you think we will see on the HBP DVD?