Public Enemies - What Did You Think?
It seems like everyweel one of the Hollywood studios announces a new board game or toy movie adaptation that pushes the limits on believability. Some nights while I’m writing up news, I wonder if I’m actually a minor character in one of those Hollywood satires that paints Hollywood executives as bumbling idiots, trying to suck onto any idea that might have audience recognition and franchise potential.
I would like to believe that the studio execs are much smarter than these type of films make them out to be. In fact, I know that, for the most part, they are much smarter than that. But every night a new new story hits my screen. Another news story that seems dumber than the one from the previous week, previous month. Stretch Armstrong, Candyland, Monopoly, Battleship, Asteroids, and now a movie based on the Viewmaster?
Can Michael Bay Be Convinced To Fast Track a Transformers 3?
Posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
After Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’s monstrous 5-day domestic box office take of $201.2 million, Dreamworks/Paramount is going to want to fast track a third film into production and strike while the iron is hot. But will Bay hold up the big giant robots return to the big screen?
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Lawsuit Won’t Slow Down Spielberg’s Oldboy Remake
Posted on Sunday, June 28th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
When it was first announced that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith were developing an American remake of Chan-wook Park’s Oldboy with the screenwriter of Poseidon, fans freaked out. It was later revealed that the remake wasn’t a remake at all, but an American adaptation of the original Japanese manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya, which Park’s film was based on. Even though the book and the movie deviate from one another, fans were still not pleased. A couple weeks back we told you that Japanese publisher Futabasga was suing the Korean film production company Show East over the rights to remake the story in Hollywood. But apparently the project is still proceeding despite the legal battle.
Transformers 2 Earns $201.2 Million in First 5 Days
Posted on Sunday, June 28th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has earned an estimated $201.2 million, besting Spider-Man 2’s $152.4 million to become the second biggest five day domestic gross of all time.
Michael Bay To Direct Adaptation of Book by Embattled ‘A Million Little Pieces’ Author?
Posted on Saturday, June 27th, 2009 by Russ Fischer
Here’s what we know: according to Variety, Dreamworks is working to preemptively buy the rights to I Am Number Four, the first novel in a projected six-book sci-fi series, eyeing Michael Bay to produce and possibly direct. The unpublished novel is being shopped around with the two authors represented by a single pseudonym. But the interest level rose when reports surfaced that one of the writers is James Frey, who rose to fame, then infamy, as the author of the partly fictional ‘memoir’ A Million Little Pieces. Read More »
Dreamworks Animation Aims For Monsters Inc Meets Casper With Boo U.
Posted on Friday, June 19th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Last month, DreamWorks Animation announced their plans for the next three years. The animation studio was developing three possible projects for the November 12th 2012 release date: Chris Sanders’ caveman comedy The Croods, Andrew Adamson’s adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s Truckers, and a Super Secret Ghost project which asks what ghosts think about humans. Apparently DreamWorks has settled on the ghost film, titled internally Boo U.
Masi Oka Creates Massively Multiplayer Movie The Defenders
Posted on Monday, June 8th, 2009 by Russ Fischer
Masi Oka, Heroes star and big World of Warcraft fan, has come up with a story called The Defenders, about gamers who have to become real-world heroes, and Dreamworks has bought it. The project will be produced by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, and DJ Caruso is in talks to direct. (He last directed the Kurtzman/Orci produced Eagle Eye.) How do you make a multiplayer game-inspired movie that isn’t just a vague rehash of The Last Starfighter and Ender’s Game? Answer after the jump.
When DreamWorks Animation updated their 2009-2012 line-up a couple weeks back, it was revealed that the Puss in Boots spin-off movie would be an origin story. The official synopsis reads:
“Swords will cross and hearts will be broken in this adventure starring one of the most beloved characters of the Shrek universe - Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas). It’s a swashbuckling ride through Puss’s early years as he teams with mastermind Humpty Dumpty and the street-savvy Kitty (Salma Hayek) to steal the famed Goose that lays the Golden Eggs.”
We didn’t expect Shrek, Fiona or Donkey to appear (after all — it’s an origin story, before they met), but screenwriter David H Steinberg confirms to Moviehole that the film will not feature any returning characters from the previous Shrek films at all, with the exception of Puss, of course!
AICN have posted a batch of new promotional images and posters from the Licensing Show in Las Vegas, including a promotional poster for Spider-Man 4, a generic Iron Man 2 character banner and a poster featuring Shrek and Donkey for Shrek Forever After.
But the thing that caught my attention was the first promotional art for DreamWorks Animation’s Oobermind. Maybe just because we havent seen any of these character designs before. This is the superhero project being produced by Ben Stiller, formerly titled Master Mind. I’ve cleaned up some of the images and posted them after the jump. Head on over to AICN to see the promotional art in higher resolution.
DreamWorks Animation Announces 2009-2012 Releases
Posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
DreamWorks Animation has announced plans to release five feature films every two years, up from their previous two films a year schedule. The company cites their “three very successful franchises” as one of the reasons to produce an extra film every other year. Apparently the plan is to release one or two sequels a year, as well as an original project, all of which will be produced in digital 3D. Check out the full schedule after the jump.
Ferrell, Carell, Rudd and McKay Meeting Next Week To Discuss Anchorman 2
Posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
We’ve been hearing about a possible Anchorman sequel for the last year. Most of the original cast members and creative team have expressed interest in making a sequel, but with the popularity of the film’s three main stars on the rise, I’ve pessimistically ruled it off as a possibility.
When the big screen adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfourtunate Events was released in 2004, the plan was to produce more films based on the best selling children’s book series. But the film was not as successful as the studios had hoped, only becoming profitable on DVD. CineFools talked with Land of the Lost director Brad Silberling, who says there is still hope for a sequel.
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