Tue, June 23, 2009 Film1 has gotten hold of a bunch of promotional posters unveiled at the Cinema Expo by Paramount, these may not end up being the posters you see in your local cineplex but provide an early trade guide to where the likely marketing theme is heading. Below is the excellent poster for Martin Scorcese's 'Shutter Island' and at the link you will find posters for the likes of 'Iron Man 2' and 'The Last Airbender'.
Tue, June 23, 2009 
In the 90's there was a spate of successful movies based on John Grisham's thriller novels, such as 'The Firm', 'The Pelican Brief' and 'A Time to Kill' to name but a few. His style of accessible legal thrillers probably had the elitists turning their collective noses up but the general public ate them up and he became the "go to guy" in Hollywood when it came to buying a ready made thriller hit.
The last Grisham adapted for the big screen was 2003's 'Runaway Jury' which was an underperformer, failing to make it's budget back domestically, however now, after a decade of resistance, he has signed a deal to allow an adaption of one of his most well recieved books 'The Testament', reports Variety.
After a decade of saying no, John Grisham has made a movie deal for his 1999 bestselling novel "The Testament."
Producers Mark Johnson and Hunt Lowry are teaming with 821 Entertainment Group to option the book, with 821's Eric Geadelmann and Ben Horton taking exec producer credit.
In the novel, a billionaire defies his greedy relatives and leaves his $11 billion fortune to a mysterious illegitimate daughter doing charity work in the Brazilian wetlands. A down-and-out lawyer helps her battle her relatives over the fortune.
The last time Grisham ended a self-imposed moratorium on selling a book to Hollywood, his first novel, "A Time to Kill," went to Warner Bros. and New Regency in a near-record $6 million deal that led to a 1996 hit movie on which Lowry was a producer.
That was at a time when Grisham's thrillers were considered "can't miss" properties. Nobody pays that much for screen rights to books anymore, and Grisham will receive a six-figure option against a bigger payday if "The Testament" goes forward.
He will also have the right to provide creative input, which he didn't always have in the past -- one of the factors that pushed him away from Hollywood until about three years ago, when his fans prodded him to end his self-imposed movie moratorium.
The deal for "The Testament" shows the power of persistence on the part of producer Johnson, who has kept on Grisham and his agent-editor David Gernert for the better part of a decade.
"I've been calling them since I read it the first time and felt it had the best of the courthouse stuff that John writes so well, plus this exotic adventure in deepest Brazil," Johnson said.
Once Johnson joined forces with Grisham's old friend Lowry, the author said yes. The producers found development financing through 821 Entertainment, the Nashville-based financier-producer that CEO Geadelmann said is in the throes of raising $250 million in equity and debt to finance productions with "heartland appeal."
Geadelmann, who made a fortune in the health care technology business, said he and his partners can finance production but would prefer to co-finance with a studio, once they have a script that Grisham approves.
"The Testament" becomes one of several Grisham legal thrillers headed for the screen. An adaptation of Grisham's nonfiction tome "The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town" moved from defunct WIP to WB, with Smokehouse partners George Clooney and Grant Heslov (the picture is stalled pending a lawsuit filed by a subject in the book). Phoenix Pictures continues to forge ahead on "Playing for Pizza," with a script by J. Mills Goodloe and Adam Shankman directing; and Paramount is developing "The Associate" with Shia LaBeouf and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura.
Ive never actually read the book but it sounds a little more expansive in scope than his more traditional delta set thrillers. It's early days yet but I imagine the storyline will provide an attractive hook for many of Hollywood's A-list actors and directors.
Tue, June 23, 2009 M Night Shyamalan has had a rocky patch with 'Lady in the Water' underperforming and 'The Happening' being a box office dud as well as critically panned. So it seems he's switched tact and chosen to make an adaption, something he's never done before, all seven of his previous features have been self penned original stories.
His choice for this change of path is an adaption of 'The Last Airbender' a popular Anime show, which means that he will be in the eye of the storm from the start given the general view from Anime purists that Anime is not meant for Western live-action adaption.
From the standpoint of someone that knows nothing of the Anime it is based on I think the teaser works well, it captures a mystical feel and showcases the quality effects with a tremendous reveal shot of some warships. Not sure if this is footage specifically shot for the teaser or if it will be in the finished film but it certainly does the job of getting the film noticed.
'The Last Airbender' opens July 2nd 2010 and you can check out the teaser trailer below.
Mon, June 22, 2009 I'm not a horror fan but there are certain characters that transcend the genre, one of those is Michael Myers of the Halloween franchise. Now last year, the franchise reached the popular Hollywood crossroads of the reboot, a reboot from Rob Zombie that met with a mixed reaction from the fanbase.
One year on and the sequel is upon us with a second trailer to stoke the debates once more. I personally thought the first trailer had its strong points but lost its way with the stuff featuring Myers' Mommy in ghost form.
This second trailer entirely omits the controversial ghost mom angle, instead focusing purely on Myers as a giant juggernaut of death and is all the better for it. However, it does make you wonder if the studio will do anything to remove the sub plot from the final movie.
'Halloween 2' is released on August 28th and you can check the new trailer out below.
Rob Hunter
Apparently the trailer above was from the Spike TV Guy's Choice Awards on June 21st, Yahoo has now posted the official full trailer with nearly 30 seconds more worth of footage that you can check out below.
Fri, June 19, 2009 /film via SpoilerTV have gotten hold of the first on set images of the ageless Monica Bellucci in the live action adaption of 'The Sorcerer’s Apprentice'. Now to me this is one of the oddest ideas of all time, to adapt a timeless Animated Disney Classic into a live action movie starring Nic Cage and directed by Jon 'National Treasure' Turteltaub. The images seem to suggest some peril and may be a bit spoilery so beware! It also seems Nic Cage is busting out another in a long line of hideous hair pieces for this role.
Ive posted some of the images below but left the spoiler one out, if you want to see it check the link.
This is a movie that could be tremendous and enchanting fun of a kind not seen in some time, or it could be an absolute disaster, we'll find out when it opens on July 16th 2010.
Fri, June 19, 2009 Shocktillyoudrop.com has the first look at the final one sheet for Rob Zombies 'Halloween 2'. I am in two minds about the poster, there is a certain comic book villain quality about it that I like, but at the same time a side on shot of Michael running through a field with his big knife is an odd choice, especially for a final poster. Check the poster out below and let us know what you think.
'Halloween 2' will be dividing the fanbase once more from August 28th.
Fri, June 19, 2009 Empire have hit upon a world exclusive, two new character one-sheets for Guy Richie's forthcoming 'Sherlock Holmes'. The posters are, as you might expect, of Holmes and Watson and while they are a little basic i like the way the imagery in the background is steeped in fog, very much a classic nod. As a lifelong Holmes fan I'm still not totally sure what to make of this take but it's clear they have GQ'd up Holmes and Watson.
Fri, June 19, 2009 It's a VERY slow news day but on my browsing travels I came across this little gem of a trailer at /film. The film stars Paul Giamatti and is about a man who essentialy decides to have his soul removed and then goes on a journey of self discovery. It's a quirky oddball comedy that will invite comparison's with 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and features a perfect hangdog role for Giamatti who is never less than entertaining.
You can check the trailer below and the movie hits cinemas on August 7th.
Thu, June 18, 2009 He's at it again, Ol' Roland loves nothing more than mass destruction and from the looks of this trailer he is about to surpass himself. It has all the Emmerich staples of uninteresting looking "every day" characters and stunning shots of catastrophic carnage, I have to say that while this appears to be the usual vaccous tosh from him, the effects are pretty damn good and the destruction sequences are his most spectacular to date, hopefully this time he spreads them out better than in the past where is movies have suffered from premature spectaculation.
'2012' opens November13th and you can check out both the new US and International trailers below.
Thu, June 18, 2009 The critics must be rubbing their hands in anticipation at the prospect of reviewing Stephen Sommers 'Gi Joe: Rise of Cobra', they love a movie that is so awful they can simply write a review that allows them to put themselves over as "funny". Having said that there is little to defend from what we have seen so far.
First up is the new Tv Trailer and whilst it features a lot of footage already seen, it does expoose some more wonky CGI and clunky "comedy" exchange at the end.
Next we have 6 character posters via /film who have gotten them from a variety of sources that you can check out at the link. Below is the best of the 6, not surprisingly they are the ones for the Ninja's Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.
