I Wouldn't Count On a Liam Neeson-Absent Taken 2

File this under "Dumbshits, if they go through with it."

Due to a case of scheduling disagreements and surprisingly not money, there's a chance the filmmakers of Taken 2 might move forward without Liam Neeson says "TOLDJA."

Things have progressed so far as producer Luc Besson drumming up a list of available replacements including Sean Bean, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Mickey Rourke and Ray Winstone. All fine actors and all we could see in ass-kicker mode.

But we're talking about Taken, a movie that much to the surprise of everyone (including its own studio 20^th Century Fox) became a smash-hit despite being dumped on Superbowl 2009 weekend, and Neeson, an actor who audiences have clung to since the tragic passing of his wife and his "I will find you" speech. There wasn't a parent who saw that who didn't identify thinking, "Yeah, I'd hunt down anyone who hurt my child" and Neeson became the face of that sentiment.

Doing a Taken sequel without Neeson is on the level of executive-stupidity as a Jason Bourne movie without Jason Bourne. Something the studio and filmmakers appear to understand since they're working to arrange a schedule allowing Neeson to take a break as per his request.

Larry Crowne Trailer

The alternative programming during the July 4^th 2009 holidays playing against Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen for adults or adolescents with functional brain-power was Public Enemies. I know Michael Mann's period-piece-in-HD John Dillinger piece draw mixed reactions, but you can count me as one who liked it. Part of the enjoyment I'll admit was the lack of dickheadedness from older movie-goers; no cell-phones going off, talking, etc.

So two years on and Universal has another grownup-geared release playing against another Transformers; Tom Hanks' sophomore theatrical directing-foray Larry Crowne - he also co-wrote, produced and stars.

Yahoo! Movies has the trailer and it appears I'll have something else to gage my time as opposed to giant robots punching each other and exploding shit. As I said yesterday, Hanks has a skill in picking projects enticing both young and old, smart and stupid audiences and unlike Public Enemies, this could hold it's own versus Transformers 3.

Red Dawn Remake Will Now Offend North Korea Instead of China

When MGM inked their deal with the dark lord Satan to avoid financial oblivion (back when it was all but certain), apparently said agreement entailed them giving up their balls according to the Los Angeles Times.

The studio has made the controversial, and stupid, and cowardly decision to digitally alter their long-finished Red Dawn remake. Instead of our teenage freedom fighters (with Thor's Chris Hemsworth front and center) shooting rounds against the invading Chinese, it'll be the North Koreans now.

Because as we all know, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, whatever; as long as they have slanted eyes and talk in gibberish what's the difference right? For all their concern of pissing off the Chinese with their depictions in Red Dawn, isn't the "solution" even more offensive in nature?

Of all the extras used what portion of them was in actuality of Chinese descent? So just changing the symbols and some dialogue snip-bits should cancel out how flamingly racist this idea sounds?

Tom Hanks Attached to Somali Pirate Film as Real-Life Captain

Money and Oscars.

To Hell with what they say out loud, that's what everyone wants when going into filmmaking. When you've reached the level of someone like Tom Hanks (who continues to be spoken in the same breath as Jimmy Stewart and will be until that day he leaves this mortal coil) and have achieved both awards and bank in spades, what else is there left to do? Keep chugging along, and Hanks, greatly to his credit, has a knack of picking projects appealing to the most mainstream of audiences (read: making lots and lots of money) and the critical community (read: continuing on and on with the afore-mentioned Stewart comparison – something I'd bet he loves hearing and to be fair what few wouldn't?)

In what might be his way of dusting off the awards shelf for Oscar #3, Hanks is attached to play real-life Captain Richard Phillips in a planned adaptation of his memoir A Captain's Story: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, "TOLDJA" reports. Based on the incident from two years ago, Phillips gave himself up to Somali pirates in order to save his crew and was, three days later, rescued by Navy SEALs.

The Social Network producing team of Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin and Kevin Spacey will produce and Billy Ray is behind the keyboard writing. It's apparently his recently-handed-in script that sealed the deal and got Hanks onboard. Note to Hanks, Ray's a very capable director too (Breach and Shattered Glass).

Think in Russian; New X-Men: First Class Trailer Hits

The countdown begins 'till 20^th Century Fox puts this baby out in English in 5...4...

I wonder if this is intended to be the second theatrical trailer for X-Men: First Class. Nevertheless, a Russian trailer for this summer's franchise prequel has emerged (via Hey U Guys!) for your viewing.

Despite my failure to understand the Russian tongue, there is quite the overload of new footage from the initial trailer from last month; heavy on the melodrama, mutant action and looks like Michael Fassbender is going to sink his teeth into playing the young Erik Lensherr here.

Yellow Submarine Torpedoed

Maybe this will convince Robert Zemeckis to throw in the towel for these motion-capture films. It worked the first time (The Polar Express; albeit a slow burn to win people over to the 2004 effort), but the rest (Beowulf and A Christmas Carol) not so much. My issue with the technology is it continued to have the same zombie look to it as the films’ progressed.

Heat Vision says that post-Mars Needs Moms flat-lining, Disney has pulled the plug on Zemeckis' planned motion-capture Yellow Submarine. While "TOLDJA" specifies that the decision was in fact made months ago with the studio allowing Zemeckis to shop the 3D Beatles-remake elsewhere.

One can't argue against those claims because Disney did shut down facilities Zemeckis' own ImageMovers Digital studios last May. There were also claims that Disney made the call after screening the afore-mentioned Mars last year and realizing they had a money-loser on their hands. Yeah, that sounds about right. Something tells me rival studios won't be eating out of Bob Z's hands for Submarine after the poor receptions to now three motion-capture productions.

Fans can only hope the director of greats like Back to the Future, Contact, Forrest Gump and Who Framed Roger Rabbit will take this as a hint. Get back in live-action!

Men in Black 3 Has Problems, Huh?

Don't know exactly whose bone Amy Paschal is gnawing on this morning. That's assuming she's already discovered the identity of the mole. I'm speaking, of course, about the recent THR post that painted a bad picture on the production of Men in Black 3. No disrespect whatsoever to the author(s) of said article because it was an interesting (translation: in a good way) read.

But acting like a big studio-driven tentpole intended for mass-market consumption getting greenlit despite gaping, wounding script/story-problems and a looming release date practically with a gun to its head is unusual, it isn't. Not by a long-shot. Yes, it is news-worthy to discuss. But it's nowhere near a rarity as been played up by some.

Everyone online can talk a shit-storm up along with doom-and-glooming this production. But at the end of the day, the general public doesn't pay attention to any of this as the following five words proved; X-Men: The Last Stand.

While the Bryan Singer-directed Superman Returns had overwhelmingly favorable press during its development, the Brett Ratner-directed Last Stand was endlessly ridiculed for how rushed it was with major script-woes, its game of directorial-musical chairs and, once again, a release date that had to be met. Yet despite all that, more people chose to spend their $8-$10 on the third X-Men movie than the first (and ultimately ill-fated; until last year thanks to Christopher Nolan) new Superman movie.

Curious if there'll be anywhere near as much nay-saying towards, say, Star Trek 2.

Here's another big sequel set for summer 2012 release; specifically, June 29th. But as it stands (as I type this), still has no finished screenplay submitted to Paramount. All we kept hearing last year was, "The script will be turned in right before Christmas." Then it changed to "The script will be turned in when we get back for the new year."

A recent post by my alma-mater Screen Rant stated while there's still no submitted screenplay, Paramount executives do know the story, have approved it and it's supposed to be in their hands this month. It's also still unresolved if J.J. Abrams will sit in the director's chair again although to be fair, all signs point to "Yes." They also have a release date casting a large shadow over them and the production (scheduled to start up around August) will rushed to make it to the finish line. So again I wonder if they'll get any shit for gunning through this. Doesn't sound too far off from Men in Black 3, if you ask me.

Mind you, I'm not knocking either production here. Like many of you, I can't wait for the Trek sequel and couldn't care less about another Men in Black. In fact, I've stated it on multiple articles here, forums I frequent, the Movie Hole podcast Hole Cast that I've been fortune enough to appear and our own Movie Moan podcast that Sony is full retard to put The Amazing Spider-Man anywhere near Star Trek 2 because it will be eaten alive.

In fact, if you're listening to me right here's your out, Sony. Swap Men in Black 3 and Spider-Man's release dates. Trek 2 will still be a formidable foe, and will still win out regardless. But you stand a better chance with Will "King of July 4^th" Smith facing off against Captain Kirk and Spock instead of a commercially-unproven new web-slinger in Andrew Garfield. It would also give that troubled production additional time to get done where the Spider-Man reboot is now four months into filming.

Just putting it out there for you to consider, Sony.

Super 8 Trailer Scratches That Kids Fantasy/Adventure Itch!

As its June 10^th release approaches, the mystery box surrounding Super 8 is being lifted; slowly but surely in typical J.J. Abrams fashion. What cracks we're being permitted by writer/director Abrams to view, I like what I see. A lot.

Not too long from now, I'll turn twenty-seven. Maybe it's the nostalgia bug biting. But I love that Abrams (with producer Steven Spielberg) is giving us a kids fantasy/adventure film. We just don't get those nowadays. I'd like to think I could present this to my two nieces (ages two and six) and they'd enjoy it much liky my sister and I did when we were little kids. Having shown them both Back to the Future and The Goonies in the past several months much to their approval, I like confident this is something I could show them.

But then again, we still don't completely know what's in store for Super 8; plot-wise. We all know how Abrams likes to keep the details closely guarded; something I love in this day and age of whole plot summaries (spoilers and all) getting out well before cameras roll.

Speaking of which, the official plot summary for the Abrams/Spielberg collaboration has been released:

"In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined."

Now the full-length trailer to Super 8 has been released for mass consumption:

True, it is an extended version of that fantastic Superbowl TV spot. But as I said, I really, really like what I see. The question is will kids these days (including my nieces) care to see another kids-on-an-adventure movie? I, for one, hope so.

New X-Men: First Class Posters Beaten with the Ugly Stick

Look, everyone knew X-Men: First Class was going to be a tough sell.

The last two installments weren't well-received, and this will be the first one without Hugh Jackman charming the pants off the press talking about how much wicked-shape he got in. Then there's the whole 1960s-era theme, which I can't imagine is a big turn-on for the masses like it is for, say, people like me. I also like the director/producer duo of Matthew Vaughn and Bryan Singer behind the camera, and the international posters from a few weeks back looked great.

But these latest posters (courtesy of the X-Men Movies Facebook account) are ugly. As in "Got their asses beat with an ugly stick and totally done over 'Ned Beatty in Deliverance' style" ugly.

Fast Five Trailer

Never been my cup of coffee, but people really, really like the Fast & the Furious series.

So I'm sure they'll be delighted to see Yahoo! Movies has the trailer for the latest, Fast Five online. Besides Dwayne Johnson rocking that van-dyke, it looks like more of the same: sleek cars, hot women and more bromantic-hijacks between Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.

Obviously I won't be in attendance when this drops on April 29. But it's safe to say a shitload of others will be. Seriously, this could wind eating Thor's business (which opens the following weekend and officially kick-starts the 2011 summer film season) and will no doubt massacre Dylan Dog: Dead of Night.