The Master Trailer #2 Gives First Look at Hoffman & Adams

"I am a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist, a theoretical philosopher. But above all, I am...a man. Hopefully inquisitive man. Just like you."

The first trailer for PTA's The Master centered on an unrecognizable Joaquin Phoenix as drifter Freddie Quell, implied to be on the mentally-unstable side. Not a "traditional" trailer per say, that's what made it so good.

PTA and the Weinstein Company continue that trend with the second trailer giving us a first-look at Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the L. Ron Hubbard-like Lancaster Dodd and Amy Adams as his wife Mary Sue. If they opt to keep the trailers in this fashion and forgo presenting the narrative (Letting us discover that for ourselves when it opens on October 12), what is there to complain about as long as they stay this good?

The Odds Could Ever Be in Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Favor

The talk on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire lately is all Finnick Odair (Robert Pattinson! Taylor Kitsch! Armie Hammer! The Humanoid Formerly Known as Garret Hedlund!) That isn't the only new addition introduced in next November's hotly-anticipated sequel.

Variety's Jeff Sneider tweets producers are reaching for the big leagues for Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Gamemaker brought in after they made Wes Bentley eat poisoned berries (They too were disappointed in his post-American Beauty roles, I take it): Oscar-winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

You can't accuse Lionsgate of going for cheap. Hoffman, while he doesn't bring commercial pedigree more than makes up for that with his acting. Many fell the day will come with he has another Academy Award to keep company for his Capote win. Fortune favors the bold, the old saying goes. It just doesn't work every time out.

World War Z Needs Rewrites - This Looks Like a Job For...Damon Lindelof!?

World War Z was supposed to be out this Christmas. Then Paramount moved it to June 2013. Afterwards they ordered seven weeks (You read right) of reshoots.

Adding salt to that wound, for fans of Max Brooks' novel, is a new writer got hired by Paramount to work on the new round of filming on the Marc Forster-directed, Brad Pitt-starring zombie epic, focusing entirely on the third act in the form of Damon Lindelof. Cut to obligatory "Lindelof can't write an ending to save his life!" remark. True, Cowboys & Aliens shit the bed and, depending on your taste, so did the Lost finale and Prometheus. Like that will stop him from shit-talking on Twitter.

But this train was already off the rails anyway. If the end results are as big a turd as Paramount's action suggests it ain't on him.

Source: Heat Vision

Stephen King's It Set to Scare New Generation on the Big Screen

Stephen King's It scared the crap out of us as little kids when Tommy Lee Wallace adapted it as a two-part made-for-TV mini-series back in 1990. Of course, what frightens you as a child doesn't always hold up when you grow up (Used to have a fear of frogs after watching Frogs, from AIP starring Sam Elliott - if nothing else for that old VHS cover-art of a dead hand hanging from that green toad's mouth!)

Haven't watched It in years but the common remarks from those who have are, "That wasn't as scary as I remember!" A big-screen update's been cooking at a slow-burn in the kitchen for years now. Per Heat Vision, Warner Brothers has tapped Cary Fukunaga (of the most recent Jane Eyre) to direct and co-author with Chase Palmer.

Thankfully, don't expect them to castrate the story to fit within the parameters of a two-hour narrative. The plan, echoing their approach on the ill-fated Akira, is to split into two films. So fans of the book, and mini-series, can sigh a breath of relief.

Now on to more pressing matters, most important who do you cast as Pennywise after Tim Curry scared many of us for life?

First Look at Idris Elba in Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim, we here at TMT sense, will "Make or Break!" on the first look. When we see what Guillermo del Toro has conjured up for the futuristic sci-fi actioner. Depending on which rumor you believe, it might make its presence known at Comic-Con next month or possibly a teaser-trailer loaded in front of The Dark Knight Rises. But that's rumors for ya!

Thankfully while we wait for physical action in motion doused in CGI and orchestral music for ninety-seconds, Movie Hole was cool enough (Because Clint Morris, the big-cheese down under and a good buddy, is a cool guy) to scan the first look at Idris Elba in character, taken from the latest issue of Total Film, the red-headed, freckle-faced, step-sister to Empire Magazine but we love them anyway:

Snow White & the Huntsman Sequel Sounds REALLY Good to Universal Right About Now

The insistence on Universal to cast Kristen Stewart couldn't be clearer. They may have tested cheap, off-the-assembly-line unknowns, in classic cover-your-ass fashion, for Snow White & the Huntsman. But none of those actresses (Don't think a short-list ever leaked) were associated with anything.

Stewart, however, has instant recognizability. When you think of her, what pops into your head? Yep. Twilight. If you saw the film, you know why. They want a set-up for another love-triangle with two, attractive-looking guys fighting over Stewart.

Universal, big on bad decisions if they haven’t noticed their filmography the last few years, went ahead and commissioned David Koepp to pen a sequel back in April. After this weekend, the studio was taken aback by the stronger-than-projected opening stateside (The ever-reliable tracking was soft leading up to its opening). Suddenly, they're confident. They're eager. They want that sequel.

Get ready for "Team Huntsman" and "Team William" quips as they move closer to a Snow White follow-up. Talks are underway for helmer Rupert Sanders to return and the cast are pre-committed thanks to the standard-operating options procedure.

Best pump the brakes on that greenlight though. Let's see how it holds, or doesn't hold based on the mixed word-of-mouth, this weekend. If we’re looking at a sub 50% drop, then take it to the bank there will be a sequel. If not...all talk no action.

Nolan To Bring Justice To DC Superheroes

Legal deadlines looming, indecision in the air and desperation setting in, Warner Brothers turned to Christopher Nolan to get them out of their Superman cinematic rut, having done so spectacularly for Batman (Tickets on The Dark Knight Rises officially go up this Monday at midnight – go ahead and start the coffee and get ready to pound F5 all morning if you want those midnight IMAX tickets!) You remember all that "Godfather" talk, nothing more than a sexy, headline making way of saying he was producing. In agreeing to taking the preverbal training wheels off the bike and letting the Last Son of Krypton rides all bys himself to the silver screen, the British director got unrelinquished final say on all things truth, justice and the American way resulting in hiring of Zack Snyder and casting Henry Cavill for The Man of Steel.

Variety reports the experience of playing cinematic god to DC's top dog superheroes isn't the end for Nolan. WB's handing more power to Nolan to work in the same capacity to other properties. This comes two days after the studio announced Will Beall, behind the "Eh" looking Gangster Squad, will pen Justice League (Who wants to guess this will be a glorified spinning the wheels of what George Miller was going to do for Justice League: Mortal?)

My pal Sean Gerber of Modern Myth Media and I were bullshitting recently about whether general audiences are fully aware of Nolan as they are with filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas or James Cameron. Is he a house-hold name and/or a brand of director people recognize like they would for Coca-Cola or Hershey's (an argument my best friend has made to support the general public's trust in Pixar)? He's adamant they do. He's getting here, I think. Just not "there" yet. But he will.

He did wonders for the World's Greatest Detective and we hear everyone around the Burbank water-coolers is chipper on how Superman is turning out. The thought of him bogging down his time on damn-near WB/DC wants out, on the other hand. It starts to lose any meaning to say, "Hey, it must be good if Chris Nolan is involved!"

Most importantly, that takes away from valuable time Nolan can spend on making his own original films. You know...like Inception.

Django Unchained Trailer

The first trailer to Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained is online, and ready for you, the ever-hungry movie-goer to consume (Thanks to Fandango):

Welcome to a Year Ago: Michael Bay Says He's Done with Transformers After Next One

Michael Bay said he was finished with Transformers on the press circuit for Dark of the Moon last summer. Then money talked and Bay upped for a fourth. Reports indicated that was due, mostly, to Paramount dangling Pain & Gain over his head. What's a piddling crime-thriller about bodybuilders after Bay made you billions? Dick move, if I've ever seen one.

Well, he's repeating the "I'm done! I swear!" narrative to Hero Complex in a piece covering the Transformers: The Ride-3D (which admittedly I'd love to try):

"The director, by the way, says that the fourth film will include some redesign of the robots and an entirely new cast. He also said it will be his last and set the franchise up 'for the next guy.'"

If he means it this time, fine. But we've heard this before.

See Spider-Man in Cell-Phone Talking Action In Amazing Spider-Man Clip!

If you don't mind Emma Stone being cutesy, and I don't mean in that in a disparaging way, with Jay Leno, assuming you aren't a Team Coco ass-wipe and can tolerate him, here's a new clip from The Amazing Spider-Man:

Spider-Man on a cell-phone. What an odd visual.