Tag: Akiva Goldsman

FIRESTARTER, Starring Zac Efron, Begins Production In Canada – Watch The Video From Blumhouse

Blumhouse announced today via social media that the company’s film Firestarter, from Universal Pictures, Blumhouse and Weed Road Productions will begin production today in Canada.

Zac Efron (Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, The Greatest Showman) and Michael Greyeyes (Wild Indian, Rutherford Falls, True Detective) have been announced as being cast in the film.

Firestarter is being directed by Keith Tomas (The Vigil) and the script was adapted by Scott Teems (Halloween Kills, Rectify).

The film is based on an adaptation of Stephen King’s classic sci-fi thriller novel “Firestarter.”

Jason Blum and Academy Award® winner Akiva Goldsman will produce. Martha De Laurentiis, who was an associate producer on the 1984 adaptation of Firestarter starring a young Drew Barrymore, will executive produce.
Logline: A young girl develops pyrokinetic abilities and is abducted by a secret government agency that wants to harness her powerful gift as a weapon.

Follow @blumhouse for updates on the company’s projects.

Zac Efron Joins FIRESTARTER – Jason Blum And Akiva Goldsman To Produce

Zac Efron (Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, The Greatest Showman) has signed on to star in FIRESTARTER, the upcoming film from Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions and Weed Road Productions, adapted Stephen King’s classic sci-fi thriller novel “Firestarter.”

In the new film “A young girl develops pyrokinetic abilities and is abducted by a secret government agency that wants to harness her powerful gift as a weapon.”

Efron can currently be seen in and produces the highly-successful docu-series Down to Earth on Netflix.

As previously announced, Keith Thomas (The Vigil) will direct the film that is being adapted by writer Scott Teems (Halloween Kills, Rectify), who will also executive produce.

Jason Blum and Academy Award® winner Akiva Goldsman will produce. Martha De Laurentiis, who was an associate producer on the 1984 adaptation of Firestarter starring a young Drew Barrymore, will executive produce.

Firestarter reunites Goldsman and Blum who have previously collaborated on the Paranormal Activity franchise.

Stephen King is a bestselling novelist who made his name in the horror and fantasy genres with books like “Carrie,” “The Shining,” and “IT.”  His books have sold more than 350 million copies worldwide and have been adapted into numerous blockbuster films and television properties.

Efron is represented by CAA, Alchemy Entertainment, Viewpoint and Felker, Toczek, Suddleson, Abramson.

CONSTANTINE’s Keanu Reeves, Director Francis Lawrence, Producer Akiva Goldsman Discuss Film At Comic-Con@Home Panel

“There’s no use sitting on the bench if you’re not ready to play, right?” – Chas Kramer (Shia LaBeouf) CONSTANTINE.

The film CONSTANTINE is celebrating the 15th anniversary of it’s release. Based on the ground-breaking DC/Vertigo comic book “Hellblazer,” Keanu Reeves plays John Constantine, a modern-day mystic on a personal quest to send demons hiding on Earth back to Hell. The character of John Constantine was introduced by comic book writer/creator Alan Moore while writing the Swamp Thing, first appearing there in June 1985.

The movie also starred Shia La Beouf, Tilda Swinton, Rachel Weisz, Djimon Hounsou and Peter Stormare. Opening in the U.S. on February 18, 2005 and ending its theatrical run on June 16, 2005, the film took in $76 million.

On Saturday, Keanu Reeves, director Francis Lawrence, and producer Akiva Goldsman reunited to reflect on the making of the 2005 DC Comics adaptation. The Comic-con At Home panel was moderated by Collider’s editor-in-chief Steven Weintraub.

For fans of the film (me included), it was a terrific discussion with some great questions.

Some of the highlights of the 45 minutes panel:

They talked about the rating of the film, the gun prop that Keanu gave to Francis after the film, shooting in Los Angeles, the cool cast and their love of the film, plus Reeve’s funny answer about giving him blonde hair and a British accent like in the comics.

The biggest highlight was the discussion about the after credit scene, which as moderator Weintraub mentions “wasn’t the norm at the time,” and how they went and filmed it afterwards to add it to the end of the movie and a possible sequel.

Check out these deleted scenes from the special features of “Constantine”

INSURGENT, Second Installment of DIVERGENT Franchise, Begins Production

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Lionsgate announced today that principal photography has commenced in Atlanta on the feature film adaptation of INSURGENT, the second installment of the blockbuster DIVERGENT action adventure franchise, starring  Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Oscar Winner Kate Winslet.

Academy Award Winner Octavia Spencer takes on the role of “Johanna” and joins returning cast members Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q and Mekhi Phifer.

Based on author Veronica Roth’s New York Times best seller, the film is being directed by Robert Schwentke from a screenplay by Brian Duffield and Akiva Goldsman.

Lionsgate will release INSURGENT theatrically in North America through its Summit Entertainment label on Friday, March 20, 2015. The third and fourth installments in the series, ALLEGIANT – PARTS 1 & 2, are slated for release on March 18, 2016 and March 24, 2017, respectively.

INSURGENT raises the stakes for Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the dystopian ruins of a futuristic Chicago.Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite. Racing against time, they must find out what Tris’s family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them. Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.

DIVERGENT

“Divergent” was written by first time author Veronica Roth and has topped The New York Times Best Seller list since being published in April 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins Publishers. Book sales of the “Divergent” trilogy have surged to nearly 22 million copies worldwide, up from 17 million at the time of DIVERGENT’s March 21 release.

DIVERGENT has already grossed more than $260 million at the worldwide box office, making the film Lionsgate’s highest-grossing domestic box office release outside THE HUNGER GAMES and TWILIGHT franchises.

Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher are producing the film through their Red Wagon Entertainment banner along with Pouya Shahbazian. Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman are executive producing through their Mandeville Films banner along with Neil Burger and Barry Waldman.

To stay connected with all updates related to the film, follow the official Twitter handle (www.twitter.com/Divergent) and like the movie’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Divergent).

Photos: Jaap Buitendijk © 2013 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved

DIVERGENT

WINTER’S TALE – The Review

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WINTER’S TALE… more like WINTER’S SNAIL, because this movie is slow, boring, and incredibly hard not to shake your head at.

Based off of the novel by Mark Helprin, WINTER’S TALE tells the romantic tale of Peter Lake (Colin Farrell) , a orphaned thief trying to run away from the evil crime leader who took him in, Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe). While on his way out-of-town, destiny brings him to the doorstep of Beverly (Jessica Brown Findlay), a 20-year-old woman who is dying of consumption. Fate has brought them together, and Pearly is determined to rip them apart. See, Peter isn’t aware that he is surrounded by angels and demons. He must discover on his own that his fate has already been mapped out.

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As a woman, I am really sick of movies that tell a half-assed story, but assume that because it’s a love story, it’s ok. Romance does not distract from holes in a story, nor is it an answer for things that don’t make sense. That’s like covering a pothole with a piece of glittery wrapping paper. It might sparkle, but the second you try to walk on it you’re gonna fall through because the hole is still there.

My first problem with this film is that it fails to explain anything. There is this hidden magical society living amongst humans, and they don’t really touch on how or why. Russell Crowe’s character is some sort of demon in human form that tries to stop miracles from happening, and robs the townspeople to try to rid the world of hope. Why does he want to rid the world of hope? Not sure. We do find out later on that he works for the devil (Will Smith), but we don’t know how that came to be, or why. He just is what he is. There are some religious references in this film, and it’s hard to ignore all of the good vs. evil, light vs. dark references that are put in weird spots throughout the film. Without giving too much away, this magical world exists, they don’t really explain why, and they give us no explanation of the magic or the rules. We, as the audience are just supposed to go “Oh, the devil. Cool. He’s in a t-shirt and hoop earrings during the turn of the century. Guess he transcends time. Gotcha!”. It’s not too much to ask for them to explain the rules of magic, or of their universe.

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Normally I would worry about certain spoilers, but this next one goes along with my precious point, so consider this your warning. We learn that Peter Lake is frozen in time by love, and that the loss of Beverly has completely wiped his memory… that is, until Peter meets Virginia Gamely (Jennifer Connelly). Not only does Virginia help Peter regain his memory at lightening speed, but she doesn’t even begin to question how it’s possible for him to be the same man from the hundred year old photograph that she found. There is a slight moment of confusion, and then she just accepts it. Now, let’s get this straight… A modern-day New Yorker meets a stranger, helps him do some research, and then when the possibility arises that he is frozen in time, she simply accepts it? I’m all for hope, magic and romance, but if you are setting a story in modern-day New York, you need to take a few more minutes in your movie to explain some things. I mean, come on! How boring can you make this film? Things happen, and everyone just accepts it. Way to shake up the story guys.

Colin Farrell was actually quite likable in this film. My problems with this film has nothing to do with his acting. In fact, I rather enjoyed him. There were a few moments between his character and Beverly that I found extremely charming and heartwarming. Those moments were ripped away quickly by a terrible screenplay and horrible visual effects. Take the glorious Pegasus for example. I love mystical creatures. Who doesn’t? Having said that, there was a scene where Peter was riding the horse (before we found out that the horse could fly) across the bridge, and it looked like a bad green screen project from the internet. The horse wasn’t hitting the ground, but wasn’t supposed to be gliding or flying, and the bridge looked completely fake. Sure, the film has a stylized look, but even miracles have rules. If they didn’t, wouldn’t everyone know that they exist – ruining the faith part? Everyone can see your horse running away, but not hitting the ground Peter! Don’t you think half of the city would question that?

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I could spend all day ripping this film apart, but I won’t. Akiva Goldsman (A BEAUTIFUL MIND, I AM LEGEND) is a great writer, but he missed the mark on his first directing feature. I don’t know if he took a different approach to writing this screenplay since he knew he would be directing it, but this film really missed the mark. With a cast like this, it’s really a bummer.

OVERALL RATING: 2 out of 5 stars

WINTER’S TALE is in theaters now

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Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly And Colin Farrell Star In First Trailer For WINTER’S TALE

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Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe are at odds in an age-old battle between good and evil in this first trailer for WINTER’S TALE. Set in a mythic New York City and spanning more than a century, WINTER’S TALE is a love story of miracles and crossed destinies.

Bring the hankies – this tear-jerker opens Valentine’s Day 2014. For those not prone to sentimental films of the heart, The Weinstein Company’s VAMPIRE ACADEMY also debuts on February 14th.

The film stars Colin Farrell (“Total Recall”), Jessica Brown Findlay (TV’s “Downton Abbey”), and Oscar winners Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”), William Hurt (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Eva Marie Saint (“On the Waterfront”) and Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”).  It also introduces young newcomers Ripley Sobo and Mckayla Twiggs (both from Broadway’s “Once”).

The film marks the directorial debut of Academy Award-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”), who also wrote the screenplay, based on the acclaimed novel by Mark Helprin.

Goldsman is also producing the film with Marc Platt (“Drive”), Michael Tadross (“Sherlock Holmes”) and Tony Allard (Showtime’s “The Baby Dance”). The executive producers are Kerry Foster and Bruce Berman.

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The behind-the-scenes creative team includes five-time Oscar-nominated director of photography Caleb Deschanel (“The Passion of the Christ,” “The Patriot”), production designer Naomi Shohan (“Constantine,” “I Am Legend”), costume designer Michael Kaplan (“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” “Star Trek”) and editors Wayne Wahrman (“I Am Legend”) and Oscar nominee Tim Squyres (“Life of Pi,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”). The music is composed by Oscar® winner Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King,” “Inception,” “Man of Steel”).

A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, WINTER’S TALE opens February 14, 2014.

http://www.winterstalemovie.com/

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Akiva Goldsman’s WINTER’S TALE Set For February 14, 2014 Release – Stars Colin Farrell, Jennifer Connelly And Russell Crowe

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Warner Bros. Pictures has set a winter release date for WINTER’S TALE, written and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (“A Beautiful Mind”) and based on the novel by Mark Helprin. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, will open in North America on February 14, 2014.

Set in a mythic New York City and spanning more than a century, WINTER’S TALE is a story of miracles, crossed destinies, and the age-old battle between good and evil.

The film stars Colin Farrell (“Total Recall”), Jessica Brown Findlay (TV’s “Downton Abbey”), and Oscar winners Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”), William Hurt (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Eva Marie Saint (“On the Waterfront”) and Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”). It also introduces young newcomers Ripley Sobo and Mckayla Twiggs (both from Broadway’s “Once”).

WINTER’S TALE marks the directorial debut of Akiva Goldsman, who also wrote the screenplay, based on the acclaimed novel by Mark Helprin.

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Goldsman is also producing, with Marc Platt (“Drive”), Michael Tadross (“Sherlock Holmes”) and Tony Allard (Showtime’s “The Baby Dance”). Kerry Foster and Bruce Berman serve as executive producers.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes five-time Oscar-nominated director of photography Caleb Deschanel (“The Passion of the Christ,” “The Patriot”), production designer Naomi Shohan (“Constantine,” “I Am Legend”), costume designer Michael Kaplan (“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” “Star Trek”) and editors Wayne Wahrman (“I Am Legend”) and Oscar nominee Tim Squyres (“Life of Pi,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”). The music is composed by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King,” “Inception,” “Man of Steel”).

THE TOXIC AVENGER Getting a Comeback

Of course, he is.  In fact, I’m surprised there hasn’t been any real talk of a TOXIC AVENGER remake until now.  The original film, which became the banner for Troma Entertainment, came out in 1984 and has since generated four sequels, an animated TV show, and even a stage production.  The latter has recently picked up a Lucille Lortel Awards nod for Outstanding Musical.

Nonetheless, Deadline New York is reporting Akiva Goldsman, Richard Saperstein, and Charlie Corwin will be serving as producers on the remake.  The new film will be a family friendlier version of Toxie (that’s his nickname).  It will reportedly have the 90 lb. nerd who is transformed into a hulking, crime fighting beast via a vat of toxic waste taking on environmental challenges.

This will be the second Troma retread backed by Saperstein, who is also behind the Darren Lynn Bousman-directed MOTHER’S DAY.  No writers have been hired yet for TOXIC AVENGER, but expect development to move quickly.

Fox Moving Forward With ‘Fantastic Four’ Sequel

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20th Century Fox is seemingly responding to Disney’s major purchase of Marvel and is moving forward in it’s “reboot” of the their Fantastic Four franchise, with plans to take the story beyond it’s two previous films.

The project will be produced by Akiva Goldsman (CONSTANTINE, HANCOCK) and written by co-executive producer of HEROES, Michael Green, who also co-wrote the coming big screen version of GREEN LANTERN.

Fox hasn’t divulged any information on exactly what their plans for the new film are, nor is there any word on whether the original cast of Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis will return to this film.

Source: Variety

‘I Am Legend’ Prequel

Its official. Will Smith, Director D.B. Wiess, and producer/screenwriter Akiva Goldsman are all back for the ‘I Am Legend’ prequel. Warner Brothers officially gave the movie its green light to start production. The film is said to  show audiences what all happened before humanity became the undead. No word yet on what the film will be titled or its release date. But we’ll let you know if anything comes up.