Deadline is reporting that Ghostbusters 3 is going to go into production in 2012, at least according to Dan Aykroyd who said so on the Dennis Miller radio show. Sony, however, may beg to differ given the following comment from Aykroyd: “That is our hope. We have an excellent script. What we have to remember is that Ghostbusters is bigger than any one component, although Billy was absolutely the lead and contributed to it in a massive way, as was the director and Harold (Ramis), myself and Sigourney (Weaver). The concept is much larger than any individual role and the promise of Ghostbusters 3 is that we get to hand the equipment and the franchise down to new blood.” As the website notes, however, without Bill Murray, the studio isn't interested.
- America's Oldest Secret Weapon is... A Vampire.
NOW ON DVD:
"DARK COMMANDOS" .
Sci Fi
August 25, 2011
August 18, 2011
BLADE RUNNER: Ridley Scott Ready to Revisit That World
According to Deadline, director Ridley Scott is pretty much locked in to directing and producing a new chapter set in the world of his 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner. Writes Mike Fleming, "I’m not getting a clear sense at this point whether Scott intends to do a sequel or a prequel to the 1982 film that was loosely based on the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Also unclear is whether they start fresh or reach out to Harrison Ford, who starred [in the film] that took place in dystopian Los Angeles in 2019, in which organic superhuman robots called replicants escaped and are hiding somewhere on earth. Ford played Richard Deckard, a burnt out blade runner assigned to hunt them down. His tired life gets altered when he himself falls for one of the replicants and struggles to keep her from being destroyed... This is just the first step and the project will have to be written and it will likely evolve during that process."
For more, click HERE.
August 16, 2011
APE CENTRAL: Shameless Self-Plug For Our Sister Site
If you're a fan of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, check out the new site devoted to all things Apes - past and present - at Ape Central.net. Just click on the image below.
August 12, 2011
August 11, 2011
MARVEL COMICS: Appearing at Disney's D23
Marvel and Disney have announced their plans for Marvel's presence at Disney's D23 convention — which is rumored to be part of the reason that there was such a relatively low-profile presence for Marvel Entertainment at San Diego Comic-Con.
On Sunday, August 21, at 10:15 a.m. in the Arena, join them for Marvel: The House of Ideas, an exclusive and unprecedented experience that will take you through the evolution of Marvel from its first comic book in 1939 to its current position as one of the most important creative forces in the world. During this presentation, which will include interactive Q&A segments, you will not only get an inside glimpse of the history of Marvel and its iconic Super Heroes but also discover why Marvel truly is the House of Ideas. This session will be hosted by Joe Quesada, Marvel's Chief Creative Officer and one of the most respected and sought-after writers and artists in the entertainment industry.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of the one-of-a-kind show that is Disney’s D23,” said Quesada. “Whether attendees are new to the world of Marvel or longtime fans, they’re going to love what we’ve planned for them!”
Also, be sure not to miss Marvel’s own President of Production Kevin Feige as he joins some of the top names in film on Saturday, August 20 at 10:30 a.m. at the Walt Disney Studios panel to discuss Marvel Studios’ plans for 2012, including the hotly anticipated Marvel’s The Avengers!
Tickets to D23 Expo 2011 are available at http://www.D23Expo.com. Admission includes access to all experiences and entertainment at the D23 Expo and can be purchased for single days or for three full days of festivities. Admission is $42 for a one-day adult ticket and $32 for children 3-12. Three-day passes are $121 for adults and $91 for children. Members of D23: The Official Community for Disney Fans will receive a discount on admission as well as early entry to each day of the D23 Expo for themselves and their guests. More details about D23 Expo entertainment, events and special guests will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans can keep up with all the news by visiting www.D23Expo.com, as well as by following "Disney D23" on Twitter and Facebook.
August 09, 2011
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.
August 07, 2011
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."
August 05, 2011
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.