Film Junk » Books/Comics

Steven Spielberg Teaming with Stephen King for Under The Dome TV Series

Sean — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:03:47 +0000

I was lucky enough to get an invite from my friend Mike to go check out a special event with Stephen King last night in Toronto where David Cronenberg was conducting an informal interview with him on stage. The event was to promote King's new book Under The Dome, but they talked about plenty of other things including King's upcoming comic book series American Vampire, a screenplay he just wrote for Cell, and the fact that he's thinking about writing a sequel to The Shining (no, really). Although I can't really call myself a hardcore Stephen King fan, I have to admit that it's pretty crazy that he's written as many books as he has, and he's still coming up with interesting new material today. Under The Dome is about all the madness that ensues when an invisible force field suddenly materializes around a small town in Maine, cutting them off from the outside world. Considering its length, it seems more well-suited for adaptation to a TV series and that's exactly what King is going to do... with the help of Steven Spielberg! Dreamworks TV have picked up the rights to Under The Dome, and will be developing it as an "event series", probably for cable. I guess that means HBO might still be the ones to broadcast it, as had been previously reported. I don't know if I'll get around to reading the book anytime soon, but I think the concept is great and I'm definitely looking forward to this. Anyone out there reading the book right now? Will it make for a great HBO series?

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Twilight: New Moon Director to Quit Making Movies So He Can Surf and Read Books

Sean — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:59:13 +0000

Apparently he's still upset over what happened to The Golden Compass. What a whiner! "It’s nice to make movies, but it’s also really hard."

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The CW to Give Warren Ellis’ Global Frequency Another Shot on TV

Sean — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:11:56 +0000

I guess being one of the most downloaded unaired TV pilots carries some weight in Hollywood.

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Now Anne Hathaway Being Considered for Spider-Man 4?

Sean — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:40:14 +0000

Has Sam Raimi found his Black Cat?

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Warriors Three Join the Cast of Thor

Sean — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:51:21 +0000

Thor will be the next Marvel comic book movie to head into production, with shooting expected to commence sometime in mid-January. The Kenneth Branagh-directed action fantasy flick is shaping up to be a little different from your average superhero adaptation, and already boasts an impressive cast that includes Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Tom Hiddleston, Jaimie Alexander, Colm Feore, and of course, Samuel L. Jackson briefly reprising his role as Nick Fury. Now this week three more actors have been added to the roster. According to Variety, Stuart Townsend (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Queen of the Damned), Ray Stevenson (Rome, Punisher: War Zone) and Tadanobu Asano (Mongol) have signed on to play Thor's Warriors Three, a group of "Asgardian adventurers who fight alongside the Norse god". Their names: Fandral, Volstagg the Valiant, and Hogun the Grim, respectively. Just based on the names alone I'm excited! I have to admit, this movie is shaping up to be a lot of fun. What do you think about how the cast is coming together? Thor is currently slated for release on May 20th, 2011.

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Joss Whedon to Animate Buffy Season 8

Sean — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:10:02 +0000

Don't get too excited though... it's just "motion comics" as opposed to a full on animated series.

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Rachel McAdams Denies Spider-Man 4 Rumour

Sean — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:54:03 +0000

Good news, Megan Fox and Angelina Jolie might still be available!

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Kick-Ass Teaser Trailer

Sean — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:07:30 +0000

We've been anxiously awaiting the release of the first official trailer for Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass, and although the trailer still isn't supposed to go online at MySpace for another couple of days, it has apparently leaked elsewhere... and Lionsgate seems okay with that. So here it is. The movie is based on the comic book by Mark Millar (Wanted) and focuses on a high school kid who decides to become a superhero... with no super powers whatsoever. The trailer certainly makes it seem like the movie is heavy on comedy (particularly with the presence of Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Clark Duke), but only hints at some of the brutal violence that is also reportedly contained within. If I didn't know any better, I would think it was just another superhero spoof. Still, as someone who enjoyed the big screen adaptation of Wanted, but enjoyed the comic even more, I think I have a pretty good idea of what we're in for. The movie stars Aaron Johnson (who also plays young John Lennon in Nowhere Boy), along with Chloe Moretz, Mark Strong and Nicolas Cage. Kick-Ass hits theatres on April 16th 2010; check out the teaser trailer after the jump.

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Sgt. Rock Movie Gets a New Director… and a New Time Period

Sean — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:08:38 +0000

Producer Joel Silver has been struggling to bring WWII comic book hero Sgt. Rock to the big screen for almost 20 years now, with the script undergoing a ton of rewrites and people like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis once under consideration to star. This week it looks like he has finally managed to convince Warner Brothers to back the movie, although he may be forced to make some compromises in order to get it off the ground. Heat Vision reports that I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence has signed on to helm the film, taking over for Guy Ritchie who was previously attached (he has since moved on to direct Lobo). The latest draft of the script was written by Chad St. John, who also penned the upcoming remake of Outland. Akiva Goldsman will co-produce with Silver. Now, here's the thing that's going to worry Sgt. Rock fans: apparently they are taking it out of a World War II setting and moving it to the future (it's unclear if that means modern day, or some fictional sci-fi war). I guess I can understand period war movies being a tough sell to studios, but after the success of Inglourious Basterds, shouldn't this be the perfect time to keep it set in WWII? I'm not sure how much weight the name Sgt. Rock carries nowadays, but I would think this move could potentially alienate a lot of people. Thoughts? Who would you like to see as Sgt. Rock?

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Rachel McAdams to Play Black Cat in Spider-Man 4?

Sean — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:33:04 +0000

Looks like the reports about Spider-Man 4 having just one villain may not have been entirely accurate. According to Mania, casting for the film is now underway, and producers are looking to introduce at least two additional major characters: one male and one female. The female role is believed to be Felicia Hardy aka Black Cat aka Spider-man's version of Catwoman (I know, I know... Black Cat actually came first). While this role may or may not be considered a "villain" per se, the male role is being described as such. So who is under consideration to play these new roles? Well, right now there are two possibilities being talked about for the role of Felicia Hardy. The first, and most well-known, is Rachel McAdams. While she hasn't done much in the way of action before, it appears that she has probably been involved in more than a few stunts for Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. The other actress being rumoured is Romola Garai (Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Atonement). While this is all far from being confirmed, it does sound like we can count on at least two villains for the flick. What do you think about adding Black Cat to the mix? Is Rachel McAdams a good choice for Felicia Hardy?

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A Single Man Trailer

Sean — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:42:34 +0000

Prior to watching this trailer, I didn't know too much about Tom Ford's A Single Man except that it was one of three movies playing at TIFF this year with similar sounding titles (The Coen Brothers' A Serious Man and Brian Koppelman's Solitary Man being the other two). After watching this new trailer, I still can't say that I know very much about it, but in a way, that's actually a good thing. This is an artfully constructed trailer that relies more on atmosphere and imagery than plot elements to sell you on it (okay, and a little bit of Oscar buzz as well). Based on Christopher Isherwood novel, the movie stars Colin Firth as a gay college professor in the '60s who loses his lover and is stricken with grief. After a night out with his friend Charley (Julianne Moore), however, he starts to see the possibility of moving on with his life. The production design is done by the same folks who work on Mad Men, which is certainly a selling point for me. Interestingly, first-time director Tom Ford is also a well-known fashion designer, so I think we can assume there is a lot of attention given to the period clothing too. All that being said, I still have no idea what the story is about. I guess I'll just have to see it to find out. A Single Man hits select theatres on December 11th; check out the trailer after the jump.

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David Fincher Reuniting with Writer of Seven for The Reincarnation of Peter Proud Remake

Sean — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:30:13 +0000

I know a lot of people are still unsure about the fact that David Fincher's next project is a movie about Facebook, but if that's not your cup of tea, his follow-up project should put you at ease. For his next movie, it looks like Fincher will be bringing back together the same team that worked on his 1995 thriller Se7en starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, in order to remake the 1975 film The Reincarnation of Peter Proud. According to Heat Vision, screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker will adapt the Max Ehrlich novel on which the movie was based, while Fincher will produce along with former New Line president of production Michael De Luca. The story centers on a college professor who begins to have visions of a previous life, and finds himself drawn to a woman and her daughter who are seemingly connected to his past. The original movie starred Michael Sarrazin and Margot Kidder, but this will not be a straight-up remake as they plan to rely on the novel for source material, moving it to a modern day setting. What do you think, will this be a return to form for Fincher or will he continue to branch out with his career?

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