Tidbits of movie news

Here are a few headlines that I missed lately. Some good stuff here.

Michael Cera to star as Scott Pilgrim.

A Dragonball sequel has already been written.

Filming on Kenneth Branagh's directed Thor movie begins this July. No word on casting yet... but rumors are speculating on this guy...

Battlestar Galactica to the big screen? hells yes. oh wait... the original BSG to the big screen?! wtf?!?!!

Jeffrey Dean Morgan set to star in The Losers.

Should we start getting our hopes up for a Ghostbusters 3 finally? oh and Judd Apatow is NOT involved.

Now that Stephen Chow is out it looks like Michael Gondry may be in to direct The Green Hornet.

Another comic book property Suicide Squad is coming to the big screen.

Gore Verbinski will direct a new Clue movie.

Despite the studio really wanting Ryan Gosling, it looks like Anton Yelchin is now in the running for Green Lantern. Expect the Green Lantern film in theaters Dec 17th, 2010.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is moving forward for a holiday 2010 release through FOX 2000 and Walden media.

Uber hottie Megan Fox in talks to play Aspen in the comic adaptation of Fathom, and the love interest in Jonah Hex.

the plot for Chris Nolan's next big film, Inception, a sci fi starring Leo DiCaporio is being kept under wraps.

oh the sorry state of Fury Road.... looks like Mad Max 4 may now ber coming to us as an animated film, and a video game :(

FOX is looking into a full reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise...

are we finally going to get another Riddick movie? I hope so.

ABC picked up rights to a 4 hour miniseries about a meteor hitting the moon causeing it to collide with the earth, called Impact. sweet.

Lots of great stuff there. I guess I miss alot when I'm so busy with work and family. Its really all worth it though. Oh and yes a lot of the links are from Latino Review. I love that site :) They have a kick ass archiving system for news stories. Check em out.

Until later all. Good hunting.
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Son of Rambow trailer

So, this is one of those sweet little indie films that become a critical favorite at the festival circuit, and I can see why. It looks pretty fun. Check out the trailer for Son of Rambow.



The news last week that young star Will Poulter has been cast as Eustance Scrubb, who is a major character and the Pevensie kid's cousin in The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader also can't hurt the prospects of this movie. But for the life of me I can't figure out when or if this film is going to be released wide in the US but I hope it is. Maybe have to just wait for dvd though.
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TCON: Prince Caspian review

Earning a solid $56 million at the domestic box office on its opening weekend, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian definitely deserves some recognition. It has dethroned Iron Man, as the next big blockbuster of Summer '08, and I thought it high time I share my two cents on the film.

Simply put I really enjoyed this film, but let's take that in the proper context. It is pretty much impossible not to compare this film to it's predecessor The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, which is actually a very good thing. Because while I enjoyed the first film overall, I had some serious gripes with the mixed bag of CG, and sometimes melodramatic acting. This film work hard from the start to set straight everything fans picked at in the first film, and honestly, it completely succeeds.

Where Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has mixed CG ranging from grand and sweeping to utter crap, Prince Caspian uses less noticeable CG backgrounds (probably more characters though), and executes them leagues better than the last time. It is amazing how much more I enjoyed a 'creatures' performance when I'm not looking for aliasing, and poor lip syncing. Of course some of the more elaborate characters, like Trufflehunter are still patently computer generated, it is a whole other world from what we got with the beaver family. I was able to let myself fall into the story more because the technology didn't pull me out of it. Now I'm not sure that is really praise for Caspian or more of a negative on TLTWATW, but I look at it as a good thing no matter what. Also it should definitely be noted that there wasn't as much call for sweeping CG shots in this film. Unlike the first film, this one takes place for the most part, in one central location, leading to a refinement in the overall look of that primary sets practical and CG elements.

Ahh the story. The story is the key. Why didn't I talk about the story first? Well, I suppose its because I expect most of you to know it, or at least the basics of it. The story here does not disappoint. It is more mature than the first film, darker and more nuanced. It's a more adult story that takes a more pointed and honest look at faith and sacrifice. Erica walked out of the theater and proclaimed that the film reminded her of the crusades, 'violent and very Gody'. And it was both. The first film had a a great battle sequence at the end, but this one is kind of nuts. It is really full of dramatic and physical action throughout. The battle is amped up from the first film, more fierce and ruthless. One review I read, was really taken by how Disney removed all traced of blood. But that said, this film has a lot of death in it, a lot of sad moments where heroes die or are lost. It is, as I said a very mature story that definitely treads that fine ratings line between PG and PG-13. The tale itself is great though, it is heartfelt and deals with real emotions, and the actors pulled it off, especially Ben Barnes as Caspian, excellently.

The themes and religious overtones are all still there, and in fact, more on the nose in this film than the previous one but I don't fault the film for that. It remains true to what it is and while it could just be the the WASP in me, I thought it was kind of refreshing to see a family movie deal with faith, especially kids and young adults take on faith in such an honest way. This is definitely a Christian film, but its not trying to hide it for the masses and trick them into watching something preachy. I can respect that.

Prince Caspian is a very charged movie. It resonated with me and I hope will with you. There was strong acting, well written dialogue, excellently choreographed action, a much more developed take on the technology bringing the world to life, and I think a much steadier hand at the direction by Andrew Adamson.

Go see The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian if you can while its still in theaters. I think you'll enjoy it.
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New Prince Caspian trailer

Check out this great new trailer for TCON: Prince Caspian. I know a lot of it's in the dark, but man, this is the bomb. Looks like such a great film. I think I'm definitely going to have to go to the theater for this one.



The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian opens on May 16th. Oh and on a side note, the third Narnia film is gearing up and will begin shooting in New Zealand, and... Baja, I believe, in the same gigantic water tank they did Titanic in, this October. Nice :)
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WonderCon returns

The time for WonderCon has once again come upon to San Francisco, and since I'm not planning on attending Comic Con in San Diego this year I had intended for WonderCon to sustain me. Unfortunately due to a few scheduling blunders which I am not thrilled about it looks like I might only get one full day at the convention. As usual the con is held over a weekend, (this one the 02/22 - 02/24) but I can't get the Friday off of work, and we already have plans for Sunday, including I hope an Oscar party. So it looks like Saturday might be my one big shot. Granted the program for Saturday Feb 23rd, looks pretty darn sweet.

Here's what I've picked out for Saturday that caught my eye. Obviously I can't go to everything, and most likely will stick mostly to the Hall A film panels, but I also intend to do a little shopping, my goal is to get a couple of books I've been missing for a while. And spend a little time just wandering the convention floor. So check out what I've got to work with:

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12:00-1:00 Warner Bros.: 10,000 B.C., Get Smart - Warner Bros. presents two of its most eagerly awaited films in this exclusive panel only at WonderCon!

10,000 B.C. is the epic adventure of a sweeping odyssey into a mythical age of prophesies and gods, when spirits ruled the land and mighty mammoths shook the earth! Director Roland Emmerich and stars Steven Strait and Camilla Belle appear live on the WonderCon stage to discuss this fantasy film, which opens March 7.

Get Smart features Maxwell Smart on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS. Director Peter Segal is joined by stars Steve Carell (Maxwell Smart), and Anne Hathaway (Agent 99), to talk live about this highly anticipated comedy, coming to the big screen on June 20.
- Hall A

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1:00-2:00 Disney: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and WALL•E - One year later for the Pevensie siblings. 1,300 years later in Narnia. The enchanted characters of C.S. Lewis' timeless fantasy come to life again in this second installment of the beloved book series, where a thrilling, perilous new adventure and all-new creatures and challenges await the Pevensie siblings. Watch exclusive new film footage from this epic adventure series! A very special guest will be on hand to introduce the footage and participate in an audience Q&A.

In WALL•E: The year is 2700. WALL•E, a robot, spends every day doing what he was made for. But soon, he will discover what he was meant for. From Academy Award®-winning director, Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo), WALL•E is the story of one robot's comic adventures as he chases his dream across the galaxy. Meet director Andrew Stanton as he presents exclusive new footage of Disney-Pixar's next adventure!
- Hall A

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1:30-3:00 Comics Podcasting Extravaganza— Want go behind the scenes of the most innovative and new form of comics entertainment? Podcasts are the new way to get all the latest scoops, interviews and opinions in and about comic books. We've got a star-studded lineup featuring some of the leading podcasters to tell you what it's really like to churn out hours of podcasting entertainment on a weekly basis. Comics writer/artist and panel moderator Rick Remender (Fear Agent) talks with panelists Lene Taylor and Logan Hall (I Read Comics), Ron Richards, Josh Flanagan and Conor Kilpatrick (iFanboy), Bryan Deemer (Comic Geek Speak), Jimmy Aquino (Comics News Insider), and Christopher Neseman (Around Comics).
- Room 220

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2:00-3:15 20th Century Fox: The X-Files and Shutter - The truth is out there, again—finally! A new motion picture based on the phenomenally popular, award-winning series The X-Files is in production. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson—making their first-ever joint convention appearance—join director-writer-producer Chris Carter and writer-producer Frank Spotnitz to share their thoughts about the long-awaited film, and answer your questions.

Next, Joshua Jackson, Transformers' Rachael Taylor and Heroes' James Kyson Lee bring you a first look at the new horror/thriller Shutter, from executive producers of The Grudge and The Ring. They'll present special footage and answer your questions about the film, which, through its portrayal of the underground world of spirit photography, reveals that the most terrifying images are the ones that are real. Shutter opens everywhere March 21.
- Hall A

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2:00-3:00 Cartoon Network: Chowder - Join Carl Greenblat, the creator of the hit animated show Chowder, as he screens a very special episode and takes questions from the audience. It’s almost a full hour of culinary goodness, so you don’t want to miss this opportunity to ask such questions as, "What’s it like working for Cartoon Network?", "Aren’t you the voice of Fred Fredburger?", and "Just what the heck is Chowder, anyway?"
- Room 204/206

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3:00-4:00 The Spectacular Spider-Man: First Episode Premiere and Panel - Be among the first to see the series-opening episode of The Spectacular Spider-Man, a Culver Entertainment production coming to Kids' WB! on The CW on March 8. Get the Spidey sense behind the creative vision of the series from supervising producer Greg Weisman (Gargoyles), producer/supervising director Victor Cook (Hellboy: Blood and Iron), character designer Sean "Cheeks" Galloway (Hellboy animated films), and the new voice of Spider-Man, Josh Keaton (The Young & The Restless). Michael Vogel from Sony Pictures Television Animation will moderate.
- Room 104

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3:15-4:00 New Line Cinema: Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay marks the triumphant return of the two hilarious, slacker anti-heroes. The movie stars John Cho (as Harold) and Kal Penn (as Kumar), on an irreverent and epic journey of deep thoughts and a wild trip around the world that is as "un-PC" as it gets. New Line Cinema will show exclusive footage from the film and star John Cho, along with writers and directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, will be there to discuss the film.
- Hall A

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4:00-5:00 Paramount: Iron Man - Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment present Marvel Studios' Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Shaun Toub and Gwyneth Paltrow. The film's director, Jon Favreau, will appear live on the WonderCon stage to discuss bringing the Marvel Comics superhero to the big screen.
- Hall A

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4:00-5:00 Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski - Writer, producer and director—and WonderCon special guest—J. Michael Straczynski comes off a busy year that saw him end a ground-breaking run on Amazing Spider-Man, and start his news series, The Twelve in comics. He wrote, produced, and directed the latest installment of the Bablyon 5 saga, Lost Tales, and he wrote three movies in 2007, The Changeling, Goliath: The Story of David, and World War Z. We’re guessing he’ll have LOTS to talk about and you’ll have just as many questions!
- Room 104

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4:30-5:30 TOKYOPOP and the Jim Henson Company Present Legends of The Dark Crystal and Return to Labyrinth - Last year, TOKYOPOP made waves among Jim Henson fans with their release of the debut volume of Legends of The Dark Crystal, an exciting manga prequel to Henson's classic fantasy film. Last year also saw the release of the second volume of Return to Labyrinth, TOKYOPOP and The Jim Henson Company's acclaimed manga sequel to Labyrinth. Join editor Tim Beedle and Return to Labyrinth writer Jake Forbes as they discuss the future of these two exciting series, provide insight on expanding Jim Henson's fantasy universes and preview art from upcoming volumes. As a special bonus, all panel attendees will receive a free Legends of The Dark Crystal poster.
- Room 220

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4:30-5:30 Animation Story Break ("Wait, does it HAVE to be a story?") - Go behind the scenes as writers take an idea for an animated superhero story from one-sentence premise all the way to a full-blown beginning, middle, and end. Then the real fun begins with audience participation! The crack writing staff features Charlotte Fullerton (Kim Possible), Michael Jelenic (The Batman), Dwayne McDuffie (Static Shock), and Matt Wayne (Justice League Unlimited). Moderated by Eugene Son (Storm Hawks). Expect laughter and tears - mostly the latter.
- Room 236/238

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5:00-6:00 Inside Lucasfilm with Steve Sansweet - It’s not over yet! With Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series hot on the horizon, not to mention all the other events and projects in the works at Lucasfilm, Steve Sansweet, the entertainment company’s head of fan relations, will have much to share at WonderCon. Sansweet’s presentation will be the first on his 2008 convention circuit, so look for fresh news and glimpses into all the Star Wars excitement to come.
- Hall A

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5:00-6:00 VERTIGO: Edgy and Evocative - With books like Fables, DMZ, American Virgin, Northlanders and more, VERTIGO continues the critical success of its monthly books with even more surprises up its sleeve in 2008! Come hear Bob Schreck, group editor—VERTIGO, Becky Cloonan (American Virgin), Steve Leialoha (Fables), Bill Willingham (Fables, Jack of Fables), and Brian Wood (DMZ, Northlanders), discuss their books and find out why VERTIGO is THE imprint for discerning readers.
- Room 104

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5:00-5:30 Sneak Preview of Starship Troopers: Marauder - The bugs are back! Writer/director Ed Neumeier (Robocop) and action star Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers) host the world premiere of the trailer from the action-packed continuation of the Starship Troopers franchise, coming this summer from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment!
- Room 204/206


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5:30-6:00 Sneak Preview of Gabriel - First-time writer-director-producer Shane Abbess and leading man Andy Whitfield ("All Saints") introduce the Australian sci-fi thriller Gabriel to American audiences. Filmmaker and star will screen clips and answer questions from the crowd on this upcoming release from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
- Room 204/206

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6:00-8:00 WORLD PREMIERE! Justice League: The New Frontier - Witness the formation of the greatest fighting force in the history of comics at the WonderCon exclusive world premiere of Justice League: The New Frontier, the highly-anticipated DC Universe made-for-DVD release presented by Warner Premiere, Warner Home Video, Warner Bros. Animation and DC Comics. Inspired by Darwyn Cooke's best-selling DC Comics graphic novel, Justice League: The New Frontier features an all-star cast of characters and their all-celebrity voices, including Green Lantern/David Boreanaz (Bones, Angel), The Flash/Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Superman/Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Desperate Housewives), Wonder Woman/Lucy Lawless (Xena, Warrior Princess), Batman/Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order), Martian Manhunter/Miguel Ferrer (Bionic Woman), Carol Ferris/Brooke Shields (Lipstick Jungle) and King Faraday/Phil Morris (Smallville, Sarah Connor Chronicles). The film is rated PG-13 for action violence, and will be available to own on February 26. Immediately following the premiere, DC Comics' Gregory Noveck will moderate a panel that includes story originator Darwyn Cooke, executive producer/director Bruce Timm (Superman Doomsday), director David Bullock (Legion of Super Heroes), supervising director Michael Goguen (The Batman), writer Stan Berkowitz (The Batman), voice director Andrea Romano and, with a little luck, members of the voice cast. And remember … DC Universe animated film panels usually end with a glimpse of the future … and this time, it's an altogether new vision for a fan favorite!
- Hall A

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So thats all I caught on the programming schedule for the Saturday, what do you guys think is essential? Any one of those that I just absolutely should not miss?

I'm pretty annoyed that I'm not going to be there on Friday, as I'm missing a Bill Willingham talk, a Farscape panel (like seriously one of my favorite shows ever), a writing panel with JMS, the Wanted panel with guest James McAvoy, and the New Line panel featuring the new Journey to the Center of the Earth film. On Sunday it looks like I'll be missing out on such gems as a Tim Sale panel, 'from fan to creator' a goal setting workshop, the Fables panel, and a Terminator Sarah Connor Chronicles panel... sigh...


I should just be happy with all the cool stuff I will get to see, and try not to stress about the stuff I can't. besides having an Oscar party is a good idea. And hey, from what there is listed above I'm sure it will be a really fun day no matter what.
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Caspian one sheet

The one sheet for Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian has dropped online, and I think it looks great. Check it out below, and click to enlarge.

Yes that is our first view of Reepicheep, to be voiced by Eddie Izzard, in the corner. TCON: Prince Caspian come out May 16th, '08.
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Prince Caspian trailer!!!

Wow, check this great trailer out.

Remember how excited I was after comic-con about the Prince Caspian stuff I saw, well I hope this trailer gives you a small sample of the excitement I felt and a sense of what coolness should come from this film. I am definitely excited to see this movie; I think it looks fantastic. What do you think? I'm not blowing this out of proportion am I? Check out the trailer.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is set to release on May 16th, '08. For more info, including production sketches etc, check out TCON blog.

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At the Con - Disney panel

The Disney panel was pretty sweet. They only really talked about two movies and both are ones that I am looking forward to: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and WALL-E. In fact for me personally I would have to say that the Prince Caspian panel was the most surprising thing I saw at the entire convention. I really wasn't expecting to be as swept up by that film as I was. But it simply looks amazing... And of course as everyone who reads the site knows I am already really into what I've seen of WALL-E, it seems Pixar can do no wrong these days.

TCON: Prince Caspian was up first. They are still filming in Prague for a few weeks so while the producer and art director (i think) were in attendance in San Diego, the director and none of the cast could be there. At least thats what we thought at first, in a surprise we were treated to a live video lik with Prague and both the director and Prince Caspian himself, the very affable young actor Ben Barnes. Here's a short video that has since the con hit the web so that you can see who he is and a tiny bit of the film.



Nice. I know, its just a small taste, but at least you get a chance to see who Caspian is, and if you've read the books, yhou know that he is pretty integral, to 3 of the upcoming books. As a side note if you were tyo check out Narnia.com as Ben suggests you'll be directed to the official site which has some other nice little tidbits on the film, like some cool storyboard, and a production blog..


Anyhow, they began by showing us some footage, and it was this that got me really excited. It was full of pre-visualizations and half finished effects, but all of the practical effects were looking really great. The scene they showed us was the Pevensie kids, now returned to Narnia some 1300 years after the events in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, raiding a castle of King Miraz to rescue Caspian from his cruel Uncles machinations. It involved the kids and a number of animals compatriots, including fan favorite Reepicheep the mouse, essentially sneaking into a castle tower and trying not to alert anyone. Even with simple animatics for many of the characters, I was REALLY impressed with the action. At the end of the scene was a simple trailer. Well, it wasn't simple at all really, but I suspect the final trailer will be longer and involve more effects shots. That said, it was this trailer, with its sweeping shots of the achingly beautiful New Zealand countryside (although most of this film was shot in eastern europe), and the fantastic score that made me really get a bit choked up. The film looks great; I mean just great.

I'm not an over-the-top Narnia fan. I loved the books as a kid, but thought the film of TLTWATW was pretty uneven. Especially in terms of effects. But they really addressed my concerns very well. The panel session was basically about half on the effects of the film and half on the direction, and story.

In terms of the effects stuff they really talked a fair bit about the way things were being done for Caspian. In that as much as possible the are using practical effects and costumes. They brought a, totally redesigned, robotic head of a Satyr for an on stage demonstration . It was pretty sweet, especially when they made the head start expressing itself with remote controlled hydrolics built inside. These Weta people are really impressive! Then they talked about how working on this film is easier in a way because they already have a lot of the technology in place that they developed while making the last one. So they've upped the ante, by doing things like having more than just 30 year old male centaurs. Every animal in the film will now come in male, female, young and old. And the armor! They brought out an actor in full Telemarine armor, check out this pic below care of IGN. It was very cool. Finally they talked about how they've really refocused their efforts on the character of Aslan, to make sure he looks the best possible in this film.

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The director Andrew Adamson, talked to us about how, this film is grittier, darker, and far more action packed that the last one, which he also directed by the way. Apparently it was much harder to adapt that the last book. Check out the very interesting production blog from May 4th at Narnia.com on just this subject. They did have to make a few changes in story structure from the book for the screen, especially just to get the character together faster, but everyone seemed to feel that the changes were necessary. He talked about how really while all the books are connected thematically very well, in terms of plotting they are pretty much all completely different. Caspian is an all out action story and has to be treated different than the first film. With that in mind too, I will say I noticed in the scene they showed the character of Peter literally killing four Telemar guards in a row with his sword... I was a bit taken surprised as this will definitely bne a "kids" movie, but this point is the one Adamson was trying to drive home. This film is a different animal than the last one, its much bigger, and much more adult.

Ok, I've really gone on for long enough on this film, but I was, as I'm sure you can tell very surprised and impressed with how interesting this film looks. I think it has some great potential. Oh and the director said that the plan for production after this one comes out in May is to have a new Narnia movie come out once a year every May until they complete the series! Quite ambitious, but something I really hope they can do.

Following that long and involved ramble on Caspian, I'll try to make the rest of my comments more to the point. After the Caspian people left, we were treated to the trailer for National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets. meh...

Then to round things out we moved into a really interesting panel on WALL-E, the newest venture from Pixar. As I've talked about it before here I don't think I need to go into too much detail on the story front. The panel was run by the films director Andrew Stanton, who also directed Finding Nemo. And despite his kind of business like approach to his presentation I was very impressed with what he's doing on the film. Andrew talked about the story some, talked about how unique this film is, especially in that it has little to no real dialogue for almost the entire film. He showed some amazing stills from the film, some of which you can check out at JoBlo.com. And he set up an introduction to the characters, he then brought out legendary sound designer Ben Burtt, of Star Wars and Indiana Jones fame, who literally had a sound mixing board with him and gave us a fascinating look at the process of sound design, while introducing the characters and their noises. Since everyone, or almost everyone in the film are robots who don't speak the noises they make had to be exceptionally expressive. I have to admit I was pretty blown away. I don't know that I've ever seen a sound scape broken down to the level here, and it was just fascinating. All the noises had to be practical, realistic noises; but they also managed to convey such emotion. I don't know if I need to tell you, but it was very impressive.

Considering Pixar's track record and this presentation I definitely think they've got another sure fired hit on their hands. Well, just to add to my success hypothesis, they rounded out their presentation by showing us 7 minutes of exclusive footage from the film! It was from near the beginning of the film, we see a typical day in the life of WALL-E and then watch his fateful first meeting with EVE, who is the catalyst for the entire story really. As you can probably guess, the stuff we saw was charming, funny, and whimsical, with fantastic visuals, beautifully use of colors and light, and a really flawlessly execution. I think this movie will, simply put, be great.

For more fun with WALL-E, you should definitely go check out the BuyNLarge.com site. This is the company that makes WALL-E and other fascinating and hilarious robots. The site is littered with really funny copy and some great robot designs. Check it out.

Ok, well that brings us to the end of the Disney panel. It was a very good session, that really gave a glimpse into two great looking new films. Hopefully they both live up to the expectations created at comic con. So far I think they will :)

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