Voices From Krypton

THE WALKING DEAD: Was Frank Darabont Fired From the Show?

According to a story at Aint It Cool News, Frank Darabont was removed as executive producer of AMC's hit series The Walking Dead rather than stepping down from it. Notes the story, "'Frank doesn’t like the cast and crew overworked and underpaid,' says a show insider. As recently as the end of May, with the show’s second season poised to go into production, Darabont seemed to be holding out hope that AMC would relent. 'Creatively, I have no complaints thus far,” he said at a THR roundtable. 'But I believe if they do move ahead with what they’re talking about, it will affect the show creatively … in a negative way. Which just strikes me as odd. If you have an asset, why would you punish it?' ... An insider says Darabont’s approach was what made Walking Dead special. 'Frank fights for the show,' says an insider. 'He doesn’t just do what the network wants him to do … He’s a filmmaker, and that’s why the show was as good as it was.' Sources with ties to the show insist it was on schedule and on budget."

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: Director Rupert Wyatt Talks Sequel

HAVEN: Syfy Designs a Twitter "Crossover"

Syfy’s popular series Haven will become the first television series to create a storyline that flows between the show itself and the micro-blogging service Twitter when it launches a special seven-episode arc beginning Friday, August 12, at 10PM (ET/PT).   
“The Haven writers and producers have done an amazing job of crafting a story line that seamlessly moves between the TV show and Twitter,” said Craig Engler, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Syfy Digital. “Although there have been simple integrations before, no one has fully and organically integrated Twitter into the fabric of the show in the way Haven is doing. If you watch Haven and use Twitter, you’re in for a real treat.”
   In the story, Vince (Richard Donat) and Dave (John Dunsworth), who run the newspaper in Haven, join Twitter as newcomers to the medium. Viewers who follow their characters (@VinceHaven, @DaveHaven) will see them interact with a mysterious Twitter user (@ColdInHaven) who knows more about Haven – and Vince and Dave – than anyone should. 
 

AVATAR: Building the Brand

Kathy Franklin has been named President of Franchise Development at Lightstorm Entertainment. Announced by James Cameron and Jon Landau, the hire signifies Lightstorm's commitment, in collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox, to building the franchise and brand of AVATAR beyond the traditional licensing and merchandising avenues.
   Cameron commented, “Anticipating the exponential growth of the Avatar universe, we looked for someone who could lead a team that will cement Avatar as a world class brand across all platforms and markets. Kathy’s experience, coupled with her drive and vision for what Avatar can be, made her the right choice.”
   Franklin is a seasoned leader with a proven record of designing and implementing industry-leading branding, growth and communications strategies. As Vice President of Global Studio Franchise Development for Disney Consumer Products, she led the strategies that drove the Disney Princess, Disney Fairies, Cars and Toy Story franchises while building integrated partnerships with film, television, and online divisions of The Walt Disney Company. Before that, Franklin was Vice President of Disney Worldwide Outreach, during which she ran marketing and communications for all corporate philanthropic outreach and charitable giving. Franklin's first position at Disney was Director of Disney Learning Partnership, a philanthropy focused on supporting creative approaches to teaching and learning, which she helped launch and for which Franklin created DisneyLearning.org and executive produced "The Creative Classroom Series," an award-winning set of videos and educator guides.
   "Bringing Kathy onboard at Lightstorm further reflects the unique creative and business relationship shared by Fox and Lightstorm on the Avatar franchise," said Oren Aviv, Twentieth Century Fox's Chief Marketing Officer, and Tony Sella, Fox's Chief Creative Officer. "Jim Cameron created an amazing universe of mass appeal and we're confident that with Kathy in place, this partnership will further capitalize on the tremendous opportunities inherent in this awesome property."
   "Kathy has proven herself to be a forward thinker who possesses the ability to bring new ideas to life," said Landau. "With Kathy's leadership, in collaboration with the team and infrastructure at Fox, I'm confident our franchises will grow in innovative ways that remain consistent with the quality and themes of our films."
   "From the beginning, Jim and Jon have viewed AVATAR as a franchise whose storytelling has global reach and impact across multiple platforms. I look forward to leading this exciting new phase in the evolution of the franchise and to working with the team at Twentieth Century Fox to drive AVATAR's continued growth," said Franklin.
   Franklin will be based at Lightstorm's Santa Monica headquarters.

MAN OF STEEL: Henry Cavill & Kevin Costner on Set Pics - UPDATED WITH 4 NEW SHOTS

Zack Snyder's Superman adventure, Man of Steel is already filming, and a pair of shots have hit the web featuring Henry Cavill in both and Kevin Costner in one of them. These are apparently for sequences shot in Smallville.

 

BATMAN YEAR ONE: Chatting Catwoman with Eliza Dushku

At San Diego Comic-Con, Voices From Krypton had the opportunity to sit down with actress Eliza Dushku to discuss her role of Catwoman in the animated filma daptation of Frank Miller's classic comic Batman: Year One.

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: Sequel Talk (Beware Spoilers!)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes has defied Hollywood's box office expectations by grossing an astounding $54 million in North America, plus another $23 million overseas. Given word of mouth on this one, it wouldn't be surprising if the grosses didn't drop all that much next weekend. Speaking of word of mouth, VFK editor Ed Gross recently chatted with Rise director Rupert Wyatt and the conversation turned to a potential sequel. One point that was made is the notion that language would likely play a much larger role in the next entry.
   "I think so," replied Wyatt. "The thing is, apes don't have a voice box -- well, actually they don't have an Adam's Apple, but they do have a voice box. Their larnyx is set far lower in their throat, hence the reason why they cannot speak. Through genetic enhancement you could elevate that. We actually had a scene, which we cut, where Caroline the veterinarian [Freida Pinto] sees that there's something different about Caesar's throat, but the trouble with that was, then the audience would say, 'Oh, I know where that's going.' So we had to be very careful and decided not to use that. But in the next film we could do that; we could see how they're taught to speak and how they evolve. That would be great."

WELCOME TO FRIGHT NIGHT: An Interview with Imogen Poots

Behind many a vampire is the reincarnation of a lost love that he pursues in the present. This was true of the original Fright Night, and one has to wonder if it’s part of the remake as well. One thing that is certain is that the character of Amy Peterson, played by Amanda Bearse back in 1985, is being portrayed by actress Imogen Poots, whose credits include Jane Eyre, 28 Weeks Later and Solitary Man.
   In the film, Amy is the girlfriend of Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin), who she dearly loves – even after he develops an unhealthy obsession with his neighbor, Jerry Dandridge (Colin Farrell), who he comes to believe is a vampire. Naturally it isn’t long before she comes to realize that Charlie isn't crazy as she finds herself turned into a pawn by Dandridge as a means of torturing him.
    In the following exclusive interview, Imogen Poots reflects on the making of the film and her portrayal of Amy Peterson. This is a first in a series of Fright Night-related articles that will appear on VFK until the film’s August 19th release.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: Congrats on this film. I saw the footage at Comic-Con and it looks pretty amazing!
IMOGEN POOTS: Thank you. I’m really excited about it.
VOICES FROM KRYPTON: So tell me about your excitement. What is it about the project that you find so exciting?
IMOGEN POOTS: I think it’s very much a reimagining of the original and I think it’s an interesting idea to explore, bringing a newer interpretation to a modern audience. And I’m excited about it, because I think it goes back to the original concept of the vampire and what that means in terms of being a predator and the monster behind it, rather than the personification of something melodramatic and romantic. I was looking forward to getting back to the original concept.
VOICES FROM KRYPTON: And you assure me there won’t be any sparkling vampires?
IMOGEN POOTS: No sparkles here. Only in their eyes.
VOICES FROM KRYPTON: That would actually make a great T-shirt, “No Sparkles Here… Fright Night” [both laugh]… Did Amanda Bearse’s portrayal of Amy influence you at all or did you want to go in a completely different direction?
IMOGEN POOTS: I definitely watched Amanda Bearse’s performance, but I very much wanted to embody Amy with my own heartbeat and ideas. I also wanted to fulfill this kind of duality of being the innocent and collaborator and partner in crime with Charlie, while at the same time being capable of killing vampires and ultimately going through that process of becoming sexualized, which is what happens.

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: Reflections of Director Rupert Wyatt - BEWARE SPOILERS

 
In the days leading up to the release of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, it's obvious that Rupert Wyatt is feeling a mix of apprehension and exhiliration as he awaits the world's response to his reimagining of a classic scifi film series. From the earliest rumors of its development and right through much of production, there was a palatable sense of skepticism surrounding the film, with many people immediately dismissing it in much the way they had Tim Burton's 2001 remake of the 1968 original. But then the trailers started to be released and the skepticism began leveling off to the point where now, just as it reaches theatres (and fueled by almost unanimous critical praise), Rise of the Planet of the Apes is being perceived as a potential sleeper hit of the summer.
    "I've watched versions of this movie as it's constantly evolved, it must be coming up to 400-500 times," muses Wyatt, who had previously directed the prison film The Escapist, "so when your face is up to the glass.... well, I guess that's the challenge of filmmaking. You have to have the distance and that space to always have the conscious awareness of how people perceive the movie, and what people will pick up on and what they won't. And there are moments where you think, 'That's not working' or 'That is working,' and then you'll screen it again and the opposite is true. At the end of the day you have to put it out there and see how it floats. That being said, two nights ago I watched it at the premiere, with a big audiences, and I loved it. I enjoyed it. And that's not always the case. I've sat there on tenterhooks saying, 'God, that was a mistake,' but I think the beauty of this film for me is the story. It's a great story, and we've had so much fun and so many challenges that we've overcome in telling that story in a way that's never been told before. To be part of that is great."
   As is fairly well known by this point, Caesar (Andy Serkis) is a chimp who has been genetically enhanced through the experimentation of Will Rodman (James Franco), who in searching for a cure for Alzheimer's unlocks a means of increasing the intelligence of apes, which in turn paves the road to humanity's eventual downfall. As the story evolves, Caesar goes from being a rescued infant to a member of the Rodman family to "prisoner" of an ape sanctuary that is anything but, and, ultimately, the leader of a revolution. The latter, it should be noted, is a role that he is gradually pushed towards until he has no choice but to grab it and push back.
    "Through it all," Wyatt points out, "he's hanging on to his belief in humanity to the point where -- and it's very subtle -- there's a reference costantly through the film to go home, which bears out at the end of the movie. Home is one of the first words he's taught by Will, but as you watch the movie you see that, in a sense, humanity is not there to help him or protect him or look after him. That humans have been represented by his surrogate father, and he realizes he is on his own. That's when a certain choice is made and that's where we see the beginnings of the revolution."
ESCAPE
"This movie is an escape film," proclaims the director. "It's about a species finding a place where they belong. They're not part of our world; they don't belong in prison, they don't belong in a science laboratory. They belong in a world in which they can adapt and grow. And at the same time, we've made them smarter than they could ever have been. That coupled with the fact that because they're stronger than us, they can therefore become evolved... potentially more evolved than us."
   One of the challenges Wyatt had to meet was to always keep in mind that Rise of the Planet of the Apes had to be designed as a summer blockbuster; an entertainment that would pull a large audience in to watch a movie that would excite them, would be visceral, visually ambitious and a spectacle.
    "But Planet of the Apes was a great blockbuster; the Star Wars of its day," he emphasizes. "It had people lined up around the block going to see it, but in Hollywood sometimes I think we lose track of what movies are for. They're not video games; they shouldn't be video sequences strung together in one line. They should be, at the end of the day, great stories. That's why I think the filmmaker of our time, and will always be considered the filmmaker of our time, is Spielberg, because he has that ability to tell wonderful stories on a large scale, and that's what we were aiming for with this. We wanted to tell a great story.

MAN OF STEEL: Henry Cavill in Costume

Warner Bros. has released the first official photo of Henry Cavill in costume as Superman in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. The only word that springs to mind is AWESOME!