Cabin in the Woods Headed to 2011 and 3-D

Never been that big into Joss Whedon. I realize that means I automatically lose nerd cred, but so be it. Sorry, but the guy gives off a “My shit is awesome!” vibe. Although to give credit where it’s due, I liked Serenity – this coming from someone who didn’t catch a single episode of Firefly.

It’s with that confession that I also admit to not following the production of The Cabin in the Woods, the horror film he wrote and produced with Drew Goddard (alum of Whedon as well as J.J. Abrams) at the helm. About the only other items known about the project are its cast (including soon-to-be Thor Chris Hemsworth) and a plot involving a “new twist” on the old “young people stranded in the woods” story.

The good folks over at Shock Till You Drop are reporting that MGM has pushed the film back a hair shy of a year from February 5, 2010 to January 14, 2011. “Oh that’s because it sucks and the filmmakers have to rework it,” you suggest? That’s not what’s going down according to their sources. No, the reception from those who’ve seen it is “phenomenal.” The culprit behind this is the decision to convert the film to 3-D.

Assuming the claims are valid (and I believe they are considering STYDs track-record as of late), why spend the extra time and money on a gimmick like 3-D if the film actually works on its own? That’s my argument against Avatar. I don’t care how Goddamn jaw-dropping the motion-capture work and 3-D technology is. It has to be able to play equally well in regular 2-D theaters in addition to these IMAX and IMAX 3-D screens in order to succeed.

But maybe Cabin needs said gimmick just to entice movie-goers to show up. It certainly worked for Final Destination 4 this past summer.

Chuck Versus New Premiere Date

At the start of this year, there was serious concern NBC would pull the plug on Chuck after two not-so-successful seasons. The network handing over the 10 P.M. slot to The Jay Leno Show for five nights a week didn’t exactly help the cause either. But one “Save Chuck” campaign and a Subway sponsorship later, the Peacock gave the thumbs up to Season #3. The catch was it wouldn’t premiere until March 2010. Hey, it was that or nothing. So fans were happy.

Now Michael Aussiello reveals the cult series looks to move up much sooner than originally announced. How soon? We’re talking possibly at the end of October soon. You can thank this on the recent cancellation of Southland (gone before its second season even aired), failures of the much-hyped Trauma and Mercy, and nosedive ratings from long-running favorites like Law & Order: SVU.

This was a move a number of us (including yours truly) saw coming. Hell, I figured this would occur right when the network first announced Chuck’s March ’10 premiere. That’s because the exact same thing happened last year with Law & Order. The network put their high-profile Knight Rider reboot in its timeslot for Fall 2008 with the intention of having the flagship returning in January 2009. “Shockingly,” nobody gave a rat’s ass about seeing KITT revived for the 21^st century and it was nuked where upon L&O was quickly moved up to a November ’08 premiere.

So I can honestly say this news doesn’t surprise me whatsoever. Aussiello’s soruce(s) also note that pushing the third season premiere up also increases the likelihood of addition episodes being produced beyond the initial 13 order. Do I think this will happen? Yes, I do.

Honestly though, I don’t foresee a fourth season for our favorite Nerd Herder-turned-spy (who now knows kung-fu!) To their credit, NBC pimped the Hell outta the show since the start and frankly the ratings prove that the average TV viewer doesn’t care. Don’t think I’m crapping on Chuck because I’m not. Whatsoever. I love the show, but the truth hurts. Let’s just be grateful for what we got and enjoy another year’s worth of adventures from Chuck, Sarah, Morgan & Co.

And there is always the chance that I’m proven wrong and a fourth season happens!

Could Leonard Nimoy Show Up in Mission: Impossible 4?

Right now, William Shatner is kicking himself. He’s offered a cameo in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot and he passes because it wasn’t big enough for his ego.

On the other hand, Leonard Nimoy agrees to the small but important role of “Spock Prime” (Sigh) and now he’s become BFFs with Team Abrams. There’s his recurring role on the Abrams, Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci-created series Fringe and of course the possibly that he shows up in another Trek down the line. Of course, that’s unlikely to happen (and illogical!)

Now Abrams himself reveals to Collider that he hasn't ruled out the possibility of having Nimoy reprise his other well-known television role – that of “The Amazing Paris” from Mission: Impossible. Remember, Abrams is producing a fourth installment of that franchise with Tom Cruise. Paramount is currently aiming for a Summer 2011 release.

But considering they already have the afore-mentioned Star Trek 2, Transformers 3, Thor and Captain America set for then, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for M:I 4 unless one of those four (most likely Captain America…or Trek 2 perhaps?) is delayed.

There’s also the probability that Abrams was just bullshitting. He made references to meeting with Shatner to which some are speculating that he could appear in Trek 2. Like that will actually happen! If he’s meeting with the Shat for anything, it’d be a separate project altogether.

Who Ya Gonna Call? Ivan Reitman!

Hey look! It’s Ghostbusters 3 news that doesn’t involve Dan Aykroyd talking about them “waiting for the script.” I know! I was surprised to read that too.

Bloody-Disgusting has received word that Ivan Reitman (who directed the much-beloved Ghostbusters and its not-so-well-regarded sequel) is now attached to return to the director’s chair for the third go-around. Although they’re also quick to point out he’s yet to fully decide that he wants the gig. I realize some might shrug their shoulders and go, “Uh, this is news?”

Well true-believer (That’s right, I’m referencing Stan Lee in a Ghostbusters article. Eat me!), he was said to have zero involvement with the property for the longest time. Most of us thought Harold Ramis would ultimately take the reign. Then again, he just directed Year One for Sony and that was one of the biggest flops of this past summer. Perhaps the studio wasn’t 100% confident in him handling what could possibly be a $200 million production.

The good folks over at the site have also confirmed the starting point of the film. The guys “reopen” their business after years out of service. Sure, everyone assumed it would be about that. But it’s nice to get some confirmation.

Now let’s just see if Ghostbusters 3 actually happens…

Book 'Em, Alex & Bob

I might not be crazy about this one. But it’s smart that Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are getting more and more into a producer role on projects instead of relying solely on screenwriting. Not a strike in any way, shape or form, but it’s odd how writers can be “hot” for awhile getting offers left-and-right. Then suddenly, they’re unemployed and can’t take a meeting to save their life. Hello, Justin Marks.

As per Variety, the screenwriting/producing duo have set their phasers to reboot another 60s era television-series. No, not Mr. Ed (Sigh), but Hawaii 5-0 which they’re developing for CBS. K&O will oversee the pilot with Peter Lenkov (currently an executive producer on CSI: New York for the network) behind the keyboard. Now this doesn't mean CBS is immediately committing to series for the fall 2010/2011 lineup. They'll make the pilot. If they like what they see, we'll go from there.

I guess their work-load wasn’t full enough as it was. They’re "only" writing the insanely-anticipated Star Trek sequel and Cowboys & Aliens, executive-producing Fringe (which isn't doing that awesome in the ratings for its sophomore year) and countless others that I'm forgetting off the top of my head.

Gary Ross Lined Up to Write/Direct Venom

Variety reports that Sony has lined up Gary Ross (whose currently doing rewrites on Spider-Man 4) to write and possibly direct a Venom movie. Although details remain under wraps, it appears we shouldn't expect Topher Grace (who played Eddie Brock in Spider-Man 3) to return. It also remains a question as it whether this would be a spin-off of the Spider-Man films or a reboot (and hence the introduction of a new actor as Brock more in line with his comic-book counterpart).

There have been rumblings for awhile now that Sony was planning on a solo Venom film. But I figured it would turn out to be just talk. Shows what I know.

Of all the things to bitch about Spider-Man 3 (and boy were there), the decision to cast Topher Grace as Eddie Brock was one of the better decisions. I know that's an unpopular opinion, but I've never been a fan of the Venom character. But hearing Sam Raimi give interviews during the making of the third installment won me over.

His approach was, "What if Peter Parker became Spider-Man without the benefit of having been raised by an Uncle Ben and Aunt May to bestow on him morals and values?" You'd essentially get Brock and the move to cast an actor with a similar look to Tobey Maguire certainly sold that concept. The problem is that never came across onscreen. Spider-Man 3 was bogged down with other pointless bullshit to focus on that.

Of course, it should be quiet the concern for Sony. Is it a smart idea to invest in a new Venom film when audiences are still licking the wounds from the last Spider-Man installment? I don't know too many people who are looking forward to another cinematic go-around with Webhead.

Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus US Trailer Hits

I can't help but feel bad for Terry Gilliam. After all the hard work he's gone through to make The Inaginarium of Doctor Parnassus work after his leading man Heath Ledger died during production, it will be forever over-shadowed by both his passing and (to a lesser degree) The Dark Knight. Many will forever be under the train-of-thought that it was Heath Ledger's final film.

They would be wrong. The actual film wth that "title" is Parnassus.

With the film now set for a Christmas Day release this year, Yahoo! Movies has a look at the theatrical trailer for U.S. audiences.

Paramount & Platinum Dunes Strike Deal

People love Michael Bay. By people, I mean studio executives. I say that because he makes them money and lots of it. Don’t take that remark as an insult because it isn’t. His Transformers films (with a third installment on the way for July 2011) have a combined gross of $1.5 billion.

There’s also Platinum Dunes (run by Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller) which has revived two horror franchises (Friday the 13^th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre) with their biggest one yet on the way next year (Nightmare on Elm Street).

Now comes word from Variety that Paramount has struck a “First Look” deal with the production company with the intention of moving past the horror genre. That doesn’t mean they’ll get completely out of that business. Those films are cheap to produce and turn out a nice profit. No point in giving that up.

Of course, the two first projects being set up under this new deal appear to be in said genre. The first is The Butcherhouse Chronicles being described as “The Breakfast Club in a haunted house” with Stephen Susco typing away on his laptop. The other is Property of the State concerning a parole officer endangering a former criminal trying to his life back on track.

Curious to see what we'll see from those non-horror related projects that they allude to.

More Inception Set Photos

I’m sure Christopher Nolan’s Inception will be another solid entry in his filmography. Yes, people. He does make good films that don’t involve Batman, shocking as that may sound. Warner Brother appears to be confident in it as they’ve given it a prime July 2010 release as well as the recent news of it being released in IMAX theatres.

Filming is still underway in Los Angeles and Just Jared got some snapshots of Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page between takes on the set. I’ve been a fan of Page’s since her turn in 2006s Hard Candy and I’m sure she and Nolan will make this work.

But I can’t help but think she looks more like a little girl playing dress up than an adult. I’m not trying to sound like a dick saying that. But surely I’m not the only one thinking that. Curious to see a full-fledged trailer to this. The teaser was OK, but damn was it brief.

Nonetheless, I'm giving Nolan and his team the benefit of the doubt on this one. Like others, I think he's certainly earned being given that with his track record.

Adrien Brody Ain't Got Time to Bleed

You can definitely label this under “Unexpected casting.”

Adrien Brody has been pegged to headline the Robert Rodriquez-produced, Nimrod Antal-directed Predators according to Heat Vision. The Oscar winning Pianist actor will play “a man who ends up inheriting the mantle of leader and is known as a hunter of men.”  Of course, the first part of that description sounds similar to his Jack Driscoll character from King Kong and this is Brody’s most high-profile gig since the Peter Jackson remake.

Another actor joining the cast will be Topher Grace. That’s right, Venom himself will play “an accountant-type whose unassuming facade masks a dangerous serial killer.” I recall Latino Review describing that character during their video script review from a week or so back. In addition to Brody and Grace, others joining the production include Alice Braga (the “God sent me here” lady from I Am Legend), Walton Goggins (from The Shield) and the previously announced Danny Trejo.

I’m hoping the team of Antal and Rodriquez will make something worthwhile from the Predator series (which in the interest of full disclosure I’ve never been a fan of). But I can’t help but wonder if this will be another example of studios reviving an old franchise that people don’t care about anymore…and then they don’t show up. Terminator: Salvation, anyone?