Lakeshore Entertainment’s horror thriller THE VATICAN TAPES will be written and directed by Mark Neveldine (GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGENACE, CRANK) and will be distributed in the US by Lionsgate with a fall 2014 release. Lakeshore will be starting principal photography in Los Angeles in July. The film is off to a fast start before the opening of the Cannes festival this week, with sales to eOne in Canada, eOne/Hopscotch in Australia, Universum in Germany, Jaguar Film International Distribution in the Middle East, IPA Asia Pacific in Thailand; D Productions in Turkey, and Sun Distribution Group S.A. in Latin America. Lakeshore and Sierra Affinity are formally introducing the film to international buyers in Cannes this week.
THE VATICAN TAPES marks Lakeshore’s third partnership with Neveldine after he penned the screenplays for Jason Statham starrers CRANK and CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE as well as GAMER. Neveldine’s other films include the Nicholas Cage GHOST RIDER sequel. In addition to Lakeshore’s bigger genre fare such as the highly successful UNDERWORLD franchise, Lakeshore has also had box office success with moderate budget films in this genre such as THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE, which grossed over $75M domestically and over $69M internationally.
THE VATICAN TAPES follows the haunting tale of 27 year-old Angela Holmes, who accidentally cuts her finger and ends up in the emergency room. Infection leads to erratic behavior, and she begins to have a devastating effect on anyone close, causing serious injury and death. Priests examine Holmes and believe she is possessed, but when the Vatican is called upon to exorcise the demon, the possession proves to be an ancient satanic force more powerful than they imagined.
Upcoming Lakeshore releases include: Lakeshore Entertainment, Hopscotch Features and Lionsgate production I, FRANKENSTEIN with Aaron Eckhart which Lionsgate will release in January 2014 and WALK OF SHAME, starring Elizabeth Banks and James Marsden, which will be released in September 2013. In addition, the company recently announced the launch of Lakeshore Premium Digital Content, a premier digital distribution strategy for its existing catalogue of motion pictures.
Academy Award nominated actor Samuel L Jackson (DJANGO UNCHAINED, PULP FICTION) has joined RKO Pictures’ BARELY LETHAL, starring Academy Award nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld (ENDER’S GAME, TRUE GRIT). Highland Film Group (HFG) is handling international sales in Cannes. Kyle Newman (FANBOYS) will direct the comedy action script by John D’Arco. Principal photography will begin Fall 2013. BARELY LETHAL is being produced by RKO Pictures with Hopscotch Pictures and Brett Ratner’s Rat Entertainment.
BARELY LETHAL is a playful, high-velocity action-comedy in which a 16-year old international assassin (Steinfeld) yearning for “normal” adolescence fakes her own death and enrolls in a suburban high school. When her former-employer (Jackson) comes calling, it becomes more extracurriculars than any teenager can handle.
RKO Pictures will produce, with their President of Production Vanessa Coifman and Ted Hartley producing alongside Brett Ratner and John Cheng for Rat Entertainment and Hopscotch Pictures’ Sukee Chew.
Samuel L. Jackson and Hailee Steinfeld are both represented by ICM Partners.
Due in theaters exactly one year from today, director Gareth Edwards has sent out a special message with an update for GODZILLA.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures upcoming tent pole movie stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, and Juliette Binoche, with David Strathairn and Bryan Cranston.
Edwards is directing the film from a screenplay by Max Borenstein, Frank Darabont and Dave Callaham. Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni are producing with Mary Parent and Brian Rogers. Alex Garcia and Patricia Whitcher are serving as executive producers alongside Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira.
A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, GODZILLA will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, except in Japan, where it will be distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. Legendary Pictures is a division of Legendary Entertainment.
Slated to open on May 16, 2014, the film is expected to be presented in 3D.
Kevin Kline, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro and Michael Douglas star in this first trailer for CBS Films’ comedy LAST VEGAS.
The Rat Pack may have once played the Sands and Cirque du Soleil may now rule the Strip, but it’s these four who are taking over Vegas.
Billy (Academy Award®-winner Michael Douglas), Paddy (Academy Award®-winner Robert De Niro), Archie (Academy Award®-winner Morgan Freeman) and Sam (Academy Award®-winner Kevin Kline) have been best friends since childhood. So when Billy, the group’s sworn bachelor, finally proposes to his thirty-something (of course) girlfriend, the four head to Las Vegas with a plan to stop acting their age and relive their glory days. However, upon arriving, the four quickly realize that the decades have transformed Sin City and tested their friendship in ways they never imagined.
Directed by Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure, While You Were Sleeping) from a screenplay by Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love, Tangled), LAST VEGAS co-stars Oscar®-winner Mary Steenburgen (The Help), Jerry Ferrara (Think Like A Man), Romany Malco (Weeds) and Roger Bart (Political Animals).
IRON MAN 3 is back, and packed with more excitement than ever! Recently, WAMG was invited to attend the IRON MAN 3 press day where Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Shane Black and Drew Pearce sat down with members of the media for a press conference. Check out some of the highlights below.
Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?
Shane, with Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was a great film… did Robert Downey call you to come onto this and do this with him? And can you talk about what your ambition was for Number Three, specifically?
SHANE BLACK: Yeah. I can only imagine that having worked previously with Robert contributed to him calling me, and asking me aboard this somewhat more ambitious production. But yeah, I had worked briefly with him and sat with him and Favreau during the inception of the first Iron Men, during those early phases. And I was impressed with the project. I was impressed with both of them. And the chance to have a green lit picture where I got to work again with Robert Downey and reunite, and also spend time with Jon Favreau, who gave me endless tips and advice on this thing, was just so – too attractive to pass. Our ambitions were to make sure that we had, in fact, a movie that felt like a worthy successor to the two previous Favreau films. And it’s – and to Marvel’s credit, they allowed us – they said, “We’ve done the Avengers, we made a lot of money. But let’s not do that again right now. Let’s do something different.” And they allowed for a different, sort of stand-alone film, where we got to be more character centric and look basically back to basics at what Tony Stark would do next – what was left to tell of his story. And that was very appealing to me. So to make it more of a thriller and to make it more about Tony and less other-worldly, and sort of just ground it more – that was our intention. I hope we succeeded.
I’m curious about the version what we’ll see in China, and how much new footage there will be in the film, and is it different, because I couldn’t really tell from this movie where something like that would kind of fit into the picture.
SHANE BLACK: Well, we left out the giant dragon. I – you know, I just – I know there’s additional footage.
DREW PEARCE: I think there’s – I think they want, Marvel would like to keep an element of surprise about that. So when the inevitable versions of it feed back to us, you’ll see exactly what it involved. But for the moment, I don’t think we’re allowed to talk about it.
SHANE BLACK: Yeah, the Chinese version will be an interesting surprise. We do know that there’s additional footage that will be available in that version, which I’m sure will filter back here.
Yeah. My question is for Mr. Black. Previously, you’re very well known for your R rated action comedies. With this film, you’re obviously working within the PG 13 rating. Is there anything you thought of that was maybe a little too extreme for this? And how was it giving up your F word?
SHANE BLACK: You know, the F word, tempting as it always is, especially in film environments, was pretty easy because we – I had done a film for kids previously, called The Monster Squad, where we [cheers]- Jesus.
REBECCA HALL: Oh.
SHANE BLACK: Okay.
DREW PEARCE: That’s like a carbon dating test. You’re –
SHANE BLACK: Yeah, it truly is. That’s 1987, folks, and be careful. But then again, how – you were children then. You were all children. I was – I’m – that was ages ago. So coming into this, I had to go back and say, “I remember what it was like when I went to the matinee to stand in line for Empire Strikes Back, or Star Wars, or those types of films, and get excited all over again about that type of adventure – that you could appeal to a family but it was still edgy. You know, I don’t want to – we didn’t want to pander. We didn’t want to make a kiddie film. But we knew very well that we couldn’t, you know, go beyond the boundaries of PG 13.
DREW PEARCE: That’s not to say we didn’t push it a little in the first couple of drafts.
SHANE BLACK: No, there – yeah – Tony only said fuck five times in the first draft.
DREW PEARCE: That is technically true, and we actually had to have a sit down conversation about the fact that you couldn’t say fuck in a PG 13.
SHANE BLACK: But you know, but there was a point when you would write for television, when I was coming up in this business, you would just say fuck anyway, and you would just know that they would take it out later.
DREW PEARCE: That was – that was weirdly the additude.
SHANE BLACK: Yeah.
DREW PEARCE: It’s like –
SHANE BLACK: Yeah.
DREW PEARCE: But everyone’s going to see this, see.
SHANE BLACK: Yeah, so but basically, there was no problem with that. I have no problem with tailoring material to the audience that it’s intended for, as long as you keep the edge – as long as you don’t condescend to that audience, I think that it’s absolutely spot on.
DREW PEARCE: Well, we’ve got a brilliant actors, as well, which helps so much because they can give it the swing and feel of grown-up conversation without necessarily having to hit the F button.
SHANE BLACK: Oh, Rebecca was pretty bad.
DREW PEARCE: Yeah, she was profane. She was truly profane.
This is for Rebecca. Many years ago at junket, I asked you if you could imagine being in a superhero movie. At that point, you seemed kind of amused by the idea. But now here you are with Sir Ben Kingsley. At this point, does everyone end up in a superhero movie, at this point?
REBECCA HALL: Uh, I’m not sure that it’s obligatory, but I think – it’s – it might be getting that way, yeah.
And what inspired you to do this one?
REBECCA HALL: I – well, it was a – you know, it sounds a slightly flippant response, but it was a combination of ‘don’t knock it ‘til you try it’ and this one seems like one that would be very fun to try, and one that I admired – do it – you know, admired – I remember going to see the first Iron Man film and thinking, you know, what an unusual thing that they’re not casting action heroes, they’re casting Robert Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow. This must be interesting. And I remember watching it and thinking, you know, there’s – it’s not just about the action sequences and the thrill ride or whatever. It’s also about the repertoire, and the wit, and the dialogue, and there was something of a sort of screwball battle of the sexes comedy going on that I loved. And I thought, you know, that this would be a great thing to be a part of.
Rebecca and Guy, can you talk a little bit more about your – coming to set for the first time, getting used to this sort of Marvel style of movie making. And I think we all get the sense that Robert sort of leads the charge among the acting troupe, and kind of helps set the tone of this – what you’re doing each time out. Can you kind of, well, give us a sense of what it was like to start up in this?
GUY PEARCE: Well, it – I mean, it – I don’t know that – I don’t know that you – you really got a sense of what sort of Marvel moviemaking is like, necessarily. I mean, you know, Shane and Robert, obviously, were sort of leading the charge, as you indicated. And I mean, I guess in the end, lots of films kind of feel the same, once you’re standing there in front of the camera, and you’re just trying to be convincing and do what you need to do, you know. But I think the interesting thing about doing this was that there were two previous films that were, you know, successful and you know, Rebecca and I had seen both of those films and were big fans of them, really admired them. And so it was interesting to sort of step into something that – it already existed. Obviously, working with Robert is something quite specific because he’s, you know, he’s the genius that he is. He’s a lot of fun; he likes to improvise. You’ve really gotta be on your toes. And so you know, but I think every film you do feels very different from the last film that you’ve done. So it didn’t – I didn’t – I didn’t sort of think, “Oh, wow, this whole Marvel universe feels extremely different to anything else that I’ve done.” I mean, obviously, we were really aware of the visual effects, I think, that were going on behind the scenes, you know – they were literally sort of rows of people sitting behind us at the monitors with laptop computers, kind of mocking up versions of what things were gonna look like – which, you know, doesn’t often happen on a two million dollar Australian movie. So that – that was kind of different, you know – you’re aware of the visual effects world that I think will be incorporated later. Yeah.
For Shane – there’s a common theme that runs through a lot of your films, and it’s Christmastime. Lethal Weapon, and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, and now Iron Man 3 all set during the holiday season. What is it that you like about putting a movie at Christmastime, and why did you feel that was right for Iron Man 3?
SHANE BLACK: Well, it just sort of evolved, oddly enough, with Iron Man 3, ‘cause I had resisted it. It was Drew who talked me into it, eventually.
DREW PEARCE: If I was gonna go see a Shane Black Iron Man 3 movie, then it had to be at Christmas, although I – but there’s always a reason for it, as well.
SHANE BLACK: Yeah, there has to be – I think it’s a sense of if you’re doing something on an interesting scale that involves an entire universe of characters, and many – one way to unite them is to have them all undergo a common experience. And there is something at Christmas that unites everybody, and you – it just sort of already sets a stage within the stage, that whatever you are, you’re experiencing this world together. And I think that also, it just – there’s something just pleasing about it to me, ever since – I mean, I did Lethal Weapon back in ’87, and we did Christmas, and Joel liked it so much he put Diehard at Christmas. And that had some – there was some fun to that. So look – Yeah, it’s not – you don’t have to do every film that way.
DREW PEARCE: There’s an interesting thing at Christmas, as well, like when you’re telling a story that’s about taking characters apart, it almost has more resonance if you put it at Christmas, and if you’re also telling a story about kind of lonelier characters, as well, then that loneliness is kind of heightened at Christmas, too.
SHANE BLACK: It’s a time of reckoning for a lot of people, where you take stock as to where you’ve been, how you got to where you are now, and the lonely – lonely people are lonelier at Christmas, and you tend to notice things more keenly, more acutely, I think.
DREW PEARCE: Plus, there was a kind of Christmas carol thing that we wanted to bring in for Tony, as well, a certain sense of –
SHANE BLACK: Meeting the Ghost of Christmas Past.
DREW PEARCE: Yeah.
SHANE BLACK: In the sense that Harley is kind of him, as a young boy, just encountering all these different things that come to him, almost like a fever dream, when he’s at his lowest point. I think that was the idea, as well.
DREW PEARCE: So we’ve post-justified putting it at Christmas pretty roundly there.
SHANE BLACK: Yeah.
SHANE BLACK: We could go on.
This question is for Mr. Black. And originally you had said that you didn’t want to use the Mandarin – you identified him as kind of a racist caricature. Is that what kind of led to the Mandarin evolving into what it is now?
SHANE BLACK: It’s part of it. More pertinently, I just thought it was an interesting idea, to try to mix it up so that if you’re gonna do something that involves a terrorist in the modern world, who’s just sort of a villain, who’s just sort of a guy that we’re all afraid of – why not say something about the entire experience of what it would take, for instance, to create a myth that was all things to all people, the true – from elements of traditional historic warfare, like swords and dragons, surrounded itself with icons that were recognizable, like the beard from Fidel Castro and the field cap from, you know, Gadhafi. Why not make an Uber-terrorist and then play with the idea of that – of a corporate world full of think tanks whose assignment, let’s say, was to cobble together the ultimate warfare specialist, and then have that man’s sole unifying characteristic be his undying hatred for America, such that he attracts to him these acolytes and disciples who respond to the myth. We thought that was an interesting idea, regardless of his ethnicity, you know.
Hi. Mr. Black, I was just wondering, did you cut the Chinese version yourself, or how much time you had to put into that. And also, like did you know that it will be only in this special, special edition that when you – you know, the team went to China to show that part; or it was actually an idea that made, you know, later on, that you had to cut it from this U.S. version?
SHANE BLACK: We – there was a sort of idea for the Chinese version, what it would entail in additional footage that I was asked to look at and approve, and I was busy doing the American version while we were simultaneously obtaining footage for the Chinese version. So I got a sense of what was going on, and I was asked to look at and had a chance later to approve the footage. So now we’ve got these two versions. I’m just thrilled that we had the opportunity to work with what is one of the single fastest emerging, you know, box office environments in the world, which is China, where they build theaters so quickly now.
This is for Rebecca and for Guy. You’re stepping into this very well-oiled machine of not only Marvel, but Disney, and the Iron Man world specifically. Did you have any trepidation about coming into this franchise? And what kind of particular special challenges did you meet emotionally and physically in tackling the roles?
REBECCA HALL: Well, there’s trepidation, I think, when you get involved with any job. But I think it would be tremendously egotistical of me to suggest that I was in some way carrying the weight of the franchise. So there wasn’t that kind of fear. It was more – it was more the feeling you get going to an amusement park and going on the scary rides, I think, you know – you know it, it’s exciting. You know what you’re getting – it might be a bit scary, but you know it’s gonna be fun, and you can get off and leave at the end. But it was – yeah, of course, any job is scary, but you tackle the challenges head on, and hope for the best.
GUY PEARCE: Yeah, I think the same, really. I mean, I – you know, you do feel kind of nervous about any film you take on. I didn’t – I think if I feel inspired by a job enough to sort of want to take it on, then any kind of concerns that you have, you’re prepared to sort of face, you know. And I don’t – I don’t – I don’t think I really had any concerns that would have stopped me from doing it. I’m certainly aware that, you know, there are a lot of fans, you know, behind, you know, comic strip films, and obviously these Iron Man films. But you know, I mean, you know you’re in good hands with these guys. And I think ultimately, you just want to make sure you can bring a truth to the character you’re playing. And as far as sort of challenges, I guess, I mean, there was – you know, there’s quite a lot of the green screen stuff – I know for you, that was probably the first time you’d really sort of –
REBECCA HALL: Yeah, first time.
GUY PEARCE: – worked with it. I mean, I’d done a bit of green screen stuff before. And it’s – on some level, it’s actually kind of fun, you know, because you’re relying on your imagination. And I think in this, it actually wasn’t – it wasn’t so extreme that you would – you were trying to imagine a person in front of you that actually wasn’t there or anything like that. But you know, and as I say, you know, you’ve got a visual effects team sort of working away constantly, and they’re sort of showing you previews, you know, of the scene you’re meant to be doing and then how it’s actually meant to look. So I think, again, you’re sort of in really good hands on a visual sense, as well.
This is for Guy Pearce, and Rebecca, you feel free to chime in if you’d like. You sort of see Guy, your character in his first act and his third act, and there’s 13 years of unspoken story in development in there that doesn’t appear on screen. How much of that do you work out? How much of that do you understand, with Shane or with anybody else, as a part of creating the whole character?
GUY PEARCE: Well, I don’t know how to ans–
REBECCA HALL: [INDISCERNIBLE] a sequel.
GUY PEARCE: Yeah, that’s right. It’s in the – or the prequel. I’m not really sure, you know, I mean, we just sort of talked about the development of the company that he’d begun, I suppose, and the effects that extremists had sort of had over that period of time, you know. And you know, we see a couple of clips, obviously, when Tony’s in the television van and he’s seeing sort of moments of Killian, you know, in front of his people, sort of talking to his team, and you sort of see slightly different looks. And you know, you see the kind of progression of his – his look, I guess. So it was just a matter of sort of talking through that, and making sure we kind of understood, you know – for example, also when Gwyneth would have worked for Killian and how long for, etc. But it was, you know, fairly sort of straightforward stuff to understand.
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley,Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce & Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of “Tales of Suspense” (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with “The Invincible Iron Man” (#1) in May of 1968.
Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro presented never-before-seen footage and the new trailer from his highly anticipated sci-fi adventure “Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures PACIFIC RIM” today at NCM Media Networks’ “The Bigger Picture” Cinema Upfront Event at New York City’s AMC Loews Lincoln Square movie theater.
As a special guest of the country’s top national cinema network, he previewed a new trailer of the film and then spoke to a standing-room only crowd of over 700 advertising and media industry professionals, highlighting why the movie theater experience is so important for audiences and blockbuster films like PACIFIC RIM.
Below are highlights from his remarks:
“I think that it is very important for us to remember why we go to the theater – what makes the experience memorable. I think that one of the reasons why we all are still making movies and showing movies is because we expect new generations of filmgoers to truly experience films. Not only in the scope and the size we create, but also in the community experience – the fact that you go to a theater.
When I first went to a theater as a kid, I went with my mother. And I came to the realization that there were two worlds – one world was outside the doors, and the other was inside the theater. I was so little that when I went to see that first movie, I fell asleep! I woke up, fell asleep again, and the movie kept going – I was like four years old – and it was a double feature so I was having a sandwich and some popcorn with my mother. When we came out, I wanted to go right around the block and go right back in again!
I was completely transfixed. It was not TV and it was not us sitting on the sofa at home. It was going to a place that was very much a temple of images. A temple where you can find an experience that you didn’t have in any other medium.
When we go to films, I think it is to find either one of two things, in every genre of every movie ever made – we either look for intimacy, or spectacle. I think this second category is where we crafted “Pacific Rim.” We made “Pacific Rim” thinking about skill, about how to best deliver a spectacle that was not only about showing things, but about making an audience become involved in that adventure — become involved in a world of that dimension.
In this movie, we figured out every single detail. We stared the adventure about three and a half years ago, and we started designing everything that you will see on the screen. From the tiniest detail in a small plate in the robot, to the markings on the machines, the diagrams, the IDs, the pamphlets – everything. Then to the big, big scale – things like Kaiju, which are the monsters, and Jaegers, which are the robots.
When I was a kid, for me a Kaiju – a great Kaiju film – was a unique experience. I was born in 1964 and I was able to see some of the great giant monster movies back when they were released. Some people smile when you say kittens or puppies. When you say giant monsters or giant robots, I smile! That’s really what makes my day. And I believe that there is something in every kid, or at least in every male kid, that makes them smile the same way.
When you think about these things going at each other in the middle of a city, destroying airplanes, destroying towns, it is OK because there is no relation to real-world violence. There is just the beauty, the graphic majestic spectacle, of two forces of nature clashing with each other. I think that is awe inspiring. And there is something of an element of redemption, in the sense that as a kid you finally feel that the world realizes what it is to live in a place where gigantic things make no sense!
And I think that when you live in a world like that, when you are like a kid and fulfill the fantasy of seeing these creatures, you can also then access a world of adventure. We wanted to create an aspirational world of adventure with “Pacific Rim” where you could dream of something. We didn’t want to make a war movie that requires you to only endorse one single country, or ideology, or point of view. We wanted to make an adventure for the entire world. An adventure where a kid could dream of being a Jaeger pilot, the way our generation dreamt of being a cowboy or an astronaut.
And to deliver this, we need the big screen. We need the bigger picture, we need the theater. We need the communal experience of seeing it like that, and the fact that we are sharing it with other people and validating our experience with a group of other moviegoers that love the experience.
Today, I wanted you to get a sense of scale with the Jaegers, get a sense of how it feels to have something that is 25 stories high walking towards you. With “Pacific Rim,” we went for incredibly beautiful, rich color – a saturated pallet that brings this sort of pop culture, comic book feel to the film. It’s really romantic and operatic; at least it is for giant monster and giant robot lovers!”
He then rolled several minutes of exclusive, never-before-seen footage from the film that truly showed the power of the big screen.
When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju.
On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes – a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi) – who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.
Oscar® nominee Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) is directing the epic sci-fi action adventure from a script by Travis Beacham (“Clash of the Titans”). Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Mary Parent are producing, with Callum Greene serving as executive producer.
The film stars Charlie Hunnam (TV’s “Sons of Anarchy”), Idris Elba (“Thor”), Rinko Kikuchi (“The Brothers Bloom”), Charlie Day (“Horrible Bosses”), and Ron Perlman (the “Hellboy” films). The ensemble cast also includes Max Martini, Robert Kazinsky, Clifton Collins, Jr., Burn Gorman, Larry Joe Campbell, Diego Klattenhoff, and Brad William Henke.
PACIFIC RIM will be released in the US and UK on July 12, 2013.
Watch out – Turbo, along with Burn, Whiplash, Smoove Moove, Skidmark, & White Shadow, are on the move!
He’s Fast and they’re Furious in this new video and poster for TURBO. Things will rev up when the movie speeds into theaters July 17th!
From the makers of MADAGASCAR and KUNG FU PANDA, TURBO is a high-velocity 3D comedy about a snail who dares to dream big – and fast. After a freak accident infuses him with the power of super-speed, Turbo kicks into overdrive and embarks on an extraordinary journey to achieve the seemingly impossible: competing in the world’s fastest race, the Indianapolis 500. With the help of his tricked-out streetwise snail crew, this ultimate underdog puts his heart and shell on the line to prove that no dream is too big, and no dreamer too small.
Ryan Reynolds leads an all-star cast including Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Kurtwood Smith, Snoop Dogg and Samuel L. Jackson in the story of an ordinary garden snail with dreams of racing greatness.
In 2009, producer/director J.J. Abrams took the nearly impossible task of relaunching a beloved and storied franchise. That film of course was STAR TREK, and though Abrams created an “alternate history” version of that world that both reimagined and refreshed the series, he was wise enough to recognize that the character interplay of his three leads was the most important key to the original series’ charm.
As entertaining and action-packed as it was, that first film by Abrams now seems almost a complete setup for this sequel, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS. Here Abrams and his writers, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof, continue deconstructing the TREK mythology, and again have succeeded in creating a vastly entertaining movie, one of the best in the entire series, and one of the best films of the year so far. As the title suggests, however, this TREK has a heavier tone than the funhouse ride of the first film. With its themes of terrorism and self-sacrifice, Abrams and his crew have simultaneously ramped up the action quotient in DARKNESS, and taken the franchise to new levels of dramatic complexity.
The story begins with a spectacular and fast-paced prologue that playfully nudges that old Trek plot device, the Prime Directive. However, the young Enterprise captain Kirk (Chris Pine) soon discovers that his brash decisions during this exploit have not only tested his growing friendship with Spock (Zachary Quinto), but jeopardized his Starfleet career as well. The consequences of choice and responsibilities of command are elements woven throughout DARKNESS, as Kirk matures as a Starfleet officer, and as Spock, McCoy (Karl Urban), and even Scotty (the fabulous Simon Pegg) all have moments of crisis to deal with.
The introduction of the villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch (SHERLOCK on BBC TV) brings a new level of danger to the world of TREK, and his actions have resonance to the terrorism we live with in the current day. Cumberbatch is excellent in his role, striking sinister notes while also engendering a great deal of empathy, if not for his cause, then for the passion with which he clings to the things he holds dear. With this performance, Cumberbatch finally creates an adversary to the Enterprise crew that is worthy of STAR TREK (but which has been sorely lacking in many films of the series).
Visually, Abrams delivers the stunning vistas of different planets, future cities on Earth, and several breathtaking action sequences, just as we expect of him. Opening up the story to show not only Starfleet HQ in San Francisco, but also futuristic London, gives Abrams the opportunity to ground the story in a more believable world filled with people going about their daily business. The action scenes include everything from footchases to epic space battles—there’s even a (STAR WARS-inspired?) dogfight. The 3D effects and IMAX cinematography add tremendously to these sequences, resulting in a greater sense of depth and feeling of immediacy. Abrams keeps his camera moving constantly and edits at near light speed to give the viewer the experience of being directly caught up in these events. In many scenes, Abrams also takes the opportunity to illustrate the size and scope of this Enterprise starship we have almost taken for granted. In one exciting scene after another, we are able to view the incredible open spaces and sheer immensity of the ship’s engines, including the mysterious (before now) nacelles.
The cast that enlivened the first film, really delivers the goods in DARKNESS with its more somber dramatics. Pine is even better here playing a man who begins to question some of the decisions he makes, his self-doubt even evident on his face at times. Quinto is again perfection as the Vulcan struggling (as we all do) with how much emotion to show. Urban is wonderfully testy as the irascible Bones McCoy, and Pegg’s Scotty is principled but loyal to the end. Zoe Saldana gets more involved in the action this time as Uhura, while John Cho’ Sulu and Anton Yelchin’s Chekov also have their moments. More familiar names in the Trek icon pop up (Pike, Marcus, etc.) with Peter Weller, Bruce Greenwood, and Alice Eve fitting in nicely.
From start to finish, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS is full to the brim with danger, excitement, laughs, and that timeless camaraderie we as an audience have come to know and love. The question is, can Abrams keep up this pace, and deliver yet again with what will surely be the third installment of this saga? As fans of the original series know, this film leaves many plotlines yet to be developed and is perfectly set up for another sequel. If Abrams can fill that film with as much sense of drama, as much sense of humor, and as much sense of wonder that he has with STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, we’ll all be a happy audience indeed.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has won the exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the eagerly anticipated ANGRY BIRDS animated film, making it one of the most high-profile deals of the year. The 3D film is being developed, produced, and financed by Rovio Entertainment and will be released worldwide by Sony Pictures on July 1, 2016. Several major studios pursued the global film rights in recent weeks, with Sony Pictures Entertainment emerging as the winner.
Michael Lynton , Chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amy Pascal , Co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Mikael Hed , CEO of Rovio Entertainment jointly announced their partnership today. John Cohen and David Maisel – producer of Despicable Me and executive producer of Iron Man, respectively – are both on board for the new Angry Birds feature film. Cohen will serve as producer and Maisel is executive producer.
Commenting on the announcement, Mikael Hed said, “Sony impressed us with their great attitude, determination, and professionalism. They convinced us that we have found the right partners and team to help us market and distribute our first motion picture. Michael, Amy, Jeff Blake , Sony’s marketing and distribution head, and their teams will be the best possible collaborators as we get set to take our franchise to the next level.”
Lynton and Pascal said, “Every studio in town would love to add Angry Birds to their slate. There are few titles out there that bring this kind of excitement, brand awareness and built-in audience to the table. We’re thrilled to be distributing this film and we hope this is just the beginning of what will be a long relationship with Rovio as we look for ways to work on future projects together.”
David Maisel and John Cohen said, “We are very excited to join with Sony Pictures in presenting this movie to the world in 2016 and we will have many more announcements as we begin production in the coming months.”
Angry Birds is one of the world’s biggest entertainment franchises, starting in 2009 with the original mobile game that remains the number one paid app of all time. Angry Birds has expanded rapidly into entertainment, publishing, and licensing to become a beloved international brand.
Angry Birds has been praised for its great value and simple, casual gameplay. Players use a slingshot to launch birds at green pigs in an attempt to get their eggs back, with the game setting the model for what is possible in terms of game development and commercial success. To date, the Angry Birds and Bad Piggies games have been downloaded more than 1.7 billion times across platforms and versions.
The upcoming movie marks Rovio Entertainment’s first foray into feature films, although fans have already been introduced to the Angry Birds world with the weekly Angry Birds Toons animated series. Rovio launched the series in March through its Angry Birds apps as well as on select video-on-demand channel providers, Smart TVs, connected devices, and on select TV networks around the world. Paving the way for a full-length feature film, Angry Birds Toons has been a massive success for Rovio clocking in over 150 million views from the Angry Birds apps alone within the first six weeks.
While known for distributing world renowned motion picture franchises such as Spider-Man, Sony Pictures has been building a strong reputation in contemporary animation through its house production unit, Sony Pictures Animation, and hit films including Hotel Transylvania, The Smurfs, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Surf’s Up, Open Season, and Aardman’s Arthur Christmas and The Pirates! Band of Misfits.
Here’s the brand new trailer for RIDDICK, the next installment in Vin Diesel’s action sci-fi saga.
RIDDICK, the latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with 2000’s hit sci-fi film Pitch Black and 2004’s The Chronicles of Riddick reunites writer/director David Twohy (A Perfect Getaway, The Fugitive) and star Vin Diesel (the Fast and Furious franchise, xXx). Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy.
The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.
The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won’t leave the planet without Riddick’s head as their trophy.
