Welcome to Five Months Ago: The Man of Steel Going 3D

In July, the official IMAX site let slip The Man of Steel was going 3D. Until the page was yanked and Warner Brothers cried foul. Retractions were made on most sites. Not here. I knew it was bogus (Too much at stake and this was before Time Warner won crucial court-cases keeping their big slice of the Superman pie) and the initial leak was real.

How else do you explain it appearing on the official IMAX site, people?!

As expected, the studio announced this afternoon, what do you know, The Man of Steel will be post-converted. There's a press release (per Coming Soon) and even a "They made me do this!" read-between-the-lines quote from Zack Snyder.

Now everyone can pretend to be surprised a studio lied to them. Idiots.

First TV Spot for Les Miserables

Somehow, in the midst of all the Lincoln ads running during the election coverage last night, this first TV spot for Les Miserables also made its debut.  And it keeps looking better and better:

Les Miserables opens in theaters December 25.  Although, if you need your Anne Hathaway fix earlier, she'll be hosting this week's episode of SNL.  Should be fun!

David Yates Has Settled on Tarzan; Meeting with Potential King of the Apes

From the Boy Who Lived to the Lord of the Apes.

I suppose that's why David Yates settled on Tarzan. After leading Harry Potter to its glorious cinematic exit, the British director took his sweet-ass time mulling over how to follow that up. Wisely, I'd add. He can do anything he wants (within reason); especially at Warner Brothers. Why not stick to another hero of literature?

Yates, who only committed to Tarzan Monday, has gone straight ahead meeting with leading men to rock that loin-cloth and grow out a ratty beard. Henry Cavill, Charlie Hunnam, Alexander Skarsgård and the studio is nudging him towards Tom Hardy. All up-and-comers on the verge of stardom in the coming months (Cavill the new Superman, Hunnam headlining Pacific Rim, Skarsgård and Hardy while appearing in big releases already have yet to live up to their hype).

Tarzan feels less likely to go for an unknown and more for a name. Any of those guys makes sense. Even it proves to be a bad career move. Visions of John Carter come to mind.

Source: Vulture

Our First Realistic Star Wars Episode VII Candidate - Colin Trevorrow

Ask yourself, "Who is a realistic director for Star Wars: Episode VII?"

"Name" filmmakers dropped by the dozens since the news of Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm last week; the Christopher Nolans, Matthew Vaughs, Sam Raimis, Joss Whedons, etc. Employing any of those afore-mentioned directors mean their style and ideology come with. It's a part of the package. You know you're watching a Nolan movie a minute in. Star Wars has a style all its own. Going with an established director means they become the focus when the drawing power of Star Wars has, and will always be, Star Wars itself.

When Celebuzz throws Colin Trevorrow to the rumor-mill, I get that. It makes all the sense in the world. He's young, one feature to his name (Safety Not Guaranteed), the kind of quirky choice bringing back memories of how unorthodox Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand were. Most important of all, he's controllable. He's not going to overshadow the fact that a sequel to Return of the Jedi is a reality.

Realistic as Trevorrow is, best not get carried away. This is far from a done deal. Chats were made and nothing more. Other names will leak; fantasy-casting or reality based their chances may be. If Disney is serious about meeting their 2015 date (Too tight for the standard May release...unless it's Christmas) a choice will have to be made soon.

'World War Z' Poster; Trailer Coming Thursday

It's Election Day, plus I'm saving my two cents on the film until I see a trailer.  With that said, here's the official teaser poster for the Brad Pitt starring, zombie-apocolypse tentpole, World War Z:

The story revolves around United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself.

"In Their Skin" Poster

Following a tragic incident, Mary (Selma Blair) and Mark (Joshua Close) Hughes escape their upscale, suburban life to spend some quality time at their isolated country home. A friendly evening with neighbors is suddenly interrupted when one man’s obsession with perfection escalates into a violent struggle, forcing everyone to extreme measures in order to survive. 

Freestyle Digital Media Acquires Digital & TV Rights To "Samsara"

Freestyle Digital Media (FDM) announced today that they have acquired Digital and Television rights to SAMSARA, the highly acclaimed documentary from filmmakers Mark Magidson and Ron Fricke (“Baraka,” “Chronos”).  In addition to directing and photographing the film, Fricke wrote the screen treatment with Magidson, who also produced. SAMSARA which was the number one per screen average film in the USA when it opened on August 31, 2012, has now exceeded $2m box office on a theatrical release covering the entire country, becoming  Oscilloscope’s most successful release to date. The film will be available on VOD beginning January 8th, 2013.
 
Taking its name from the Sanskrit word for “the ever turning wheel of life,” SAMSARA explores the wonders of our world, from the mundane to the miraculous. Filmed over a period of almost five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and in the 70mm film format, SAMSARA transports us to sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial sites, and natural wonders. By dispensing with dialogue and descriptive text, SAMSARA subverts our expectations of a traditional documentary and encourages new interpretations, inspired by breathtaking images and transcendent music.

The deal  was negotiated by Freestyle’s CEO Susan Jackson and Mark Magidson of Magidson Films.

“Freestyle Digital Media is honored to release this extraordinary picture to VOD,” said Jackson. "This is the kind of filmmaking which reminds us why we love cinema."

"We have worked hard to ensure that all the resolution and richness of the 70mm imagery that we painstakingly captured over the course of filming Samsara is contained in our digital release.  We think this release will represent a completely new level of quality for the consumer's home viewing experience," said Magidson.

"A Royal Affair" In Theaters Friday November 9th

A ROYAL AFFAIR is the true story of an ordinary man who wins the queen's heart and starts a revolution. Centering on the intriguing love triangle between the ever more insane Danish King Christian VII, the royal physician who is a man of enlightenment and idealism, Johann Friedrich Struensee, and the young but strong Queen Caroline Mathilda, A ROYAL AFFAIR is the grippingtale of brave idealists who risk everything in their pursuit of freedom fortheir people… Above all it is the story of a passionate and forbidden romance that changed an entire nation.

CLICK For Theater List

Paul Thomas Anderson To Helm New 'Terminator'?

Let me be as crystal clear as I can possible be: this is nothing more than pure speculation and reading in-between the lines.  I have no source whatsoever and I have no factual idea about what Megan Ellison and Annapurna Pictures are up to concerning the Terminator franchise.

With that said, I am under the impression that Academy Award nominated writer & director Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, The Master) is the 'news' that Annapurna Pictures cryptically tweeted is coming a couple days back.  For those not familiar, here's what they wrote:

Annapurna Pictures ‏@AnnapurnaPics

"The whole thing goes: The future's not set. There's no fate but what we make for ourselves." -John Connor, Terminator 2 (news is coming)

What many did not seem to notice was what TheTerminatorFans.com (the Batman-On-Film of the Terminator franchise) tweeted Annapurna Pictures following this and what Paul Thomas Anderson's Official Twitter Resource tweeted back:

The Terminator Fans ‏@terminatorfans

Could Paul Thomas Anderson be the director of Terminator 5? @AnnapurnaPics @cigsandredvines He did say he always wanted to make a T movie!

Now you might think, "So what?"  Well here's what sealed the deal for my suspicion:

When the runner of PTA's Twitter page wrote about being out of the country next week, he wrote this for his followers:

Cigarettes&RedVines ‏@cigsandredvines

Perhaps there will be an update from @fortyfps if any major news goes down. Otherwise, expect some cool stuff in about a week.

OK, so to recap.  Annapurna Pictures states an announcement is coming regarding the new Terminator film, a BOF style Terminator fan site (TheTerminatorFans.com) asks if PTA could be directing, in which the filmmaker's official resource page states how he always wanted to make a Terminator film, and finally, that same PTA resource, writes to 'expect some cool stuff in about a week.'

Now I know this seems like a stretch, but it's well-known how close PTA is with Megan Ellison and how the man is a huge fan of the Terminator franchise.  It is also known that PTA has always talked about wanting to make a big-budget tentpole film (but insisting no studio would ever give him the chance).  That chance however, is something Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures can give him.

We shall see, as news is expected to come sometime next week.

'Terminator 5': Something's Coming

Funny how a few weeks back news came out that the long-in-silent development Terminator 5 had hit a snag and the project was basically dead.

Look how things have changed.

Yesterday, Annapurna Pictures (the production company behind this year's many notable big-budget art films including Lawless, The Master, Killing Them Softly, and Zero Dark Thirty) made this cryptic message on Twitter concerning the new Terminator film:

"The whole thing goes: The future's not set. There's no fate but what we make for ourselves." -John Connor, Terminator 2 (news is coming)

Something is boiling.  Whether it's the creative team they are bringing in, a release date, or maybe just an announcement that they have a story in mind, Terminator 5 is happening and I for one could not be more excited.

What is the one thing that this Terminator film has going for it that neither Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines or Terminator Salvation had?  Complete creative and artistic freedom...with a huge budget.  No studio heads.  No execs to please.  Just money to be spent and a vision to bring to the screen.  How is that you ask?  Two words:

Megan. Ellison.

You know, the billionaire heiress to the Oracle Corporation founded by her father, Larry Ellison.  Megan founded and owns Annapurna Pictures, who bought the Terminator rights last year.  She can offer any talented filmmaker who grew up loving James Cameron's Terminator films complete control to bring credibility back to the franchise...again, with money too.

You have to realize how extremely enticing that is to a filmmaker.  Think about it.  Very few filmmakers not named Spielberg, Nolan, Fincher, Bay, and of course, Cameron, have the ability to call the shots on every aspect of a film they make.  Ellison offers that.  She's shown it for all the films she has coming out this year as well as many more already in production.  It is why I think she is putting together an extremely talented team for a new Terminator film...and is doing it behind the scenes as well.

We shall see as - no pun intended - the future is not set.

Update on Fri, November 2, 2012 by John DiNicola

Paul Thomas Anderson?  Writing might be on the wall.  Stay tuned later today.