So, here we are again. It's a rainy Friday here at home and there have been bits and pieces of pop culture goodies that have come in over the week that I have either been too lazy to blog about, or they just didn't warrant a full on rant. So, here we go...
Gareth Edwards Set To Direct Star Wars Spin Off...
So, news broke last night that Disney has signed Gareth Edwards, the director of the recently released Godzilla, to helm their first Star Wars spin off movie. Set for release sometime in 2016, there have been very few details released in regards to this, or any other Star Wars project. Personally, I think that Edwards is a good choice for this project and that it will fit his directing style well. I thought that Godzilla was visually stunning, and while I understand some people's issue with the characterization, I personally didn't have a problem with the way that the characters were portrayed or developed. It will be interesting to see what project this actually turns out to be. A lot of people are speculating that it may be the much anticipated Boba Fett movie, which would be a great fit for Edwards. Disney is going to have to move forward pretty quickly if they want to make their 2016 release date, however, so I expect more news to be released soon.
Disney's "Big Hero 6" Gets Teased...
So, the House of Mouse has really stepped up their game in the animation department over the last couple of years, and I love it. Following the success of Wreck It Ralph (which I loved!) and Frozen (which I liked!), Disney is set to release another charming tale this November, entitled Big Hero 6. Based on a Marvel comic book of the same name, it's the story of brilliant robotics prodigy, Hiro Hamada, and his companion, a robot named Baymax, as they join forces with a team of first-time crime fighters trying to save their city. The animation looks great, a mix of contemporary and anime styles and so far, the characters look amazing, in what little glimpse we got of them, anyway. This is definitely on my must see list for the fall, and I am looking forward to a full trailer, so that I can get a little more in depth knowledge of the actual story.
Alfonso Cuaron Courted For 2 Big Projects...
So, it looks like Alfonso Cuaron may be headed back to the world of Harry Potter. Warner Brothers is said to be in deep negotiations with the Oscar winning director to helm their new Harry Potter based film, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. Cuaron also directed the third Potter movie, Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. To be perfectly honest, this news doesn't thrill me. While I get that Cuaron is a world class director, Azkaban is actually my least favourite film in the series. What others seemed to love about it, the artistic flair and tone, are the things that pulled me out of it. To each his own, I guess, and if this happens, I won't lose any sleep over it. The other big announcement involving Cuaron this week is that Warner Brothers is also courting him to direct their The Shining prequel, The Overlook Hotel. Apparently, Warner Brothers not only wants to be in the Ben Affleck business, but the Alfonso Cuaron business as well. I think that this is a better fit for Cuaron, and if he had to chose only one, I hope that it would be this one. I think his style is perfect for this kind of project and his take on it will be very interesting. I guess we'll see what happens.
The Coen Brothers Seem Set To Write Tom Hanks To Another Oscar...
Word has leaked that Dreamworks has hired Joel and Ethan Coen to do some additional writing on their Steven Spielberg directed, Tom Hanks starring Cold War political thriller, expected to start production in September. Holy dream-team, Batman! Based on the true story of prominent American attorney, James Donovan, who is enlisted by the CIA to negotiate the release of a pilot who was captured when his spy plane was shot down over Russia, this is definitely an Oscar buzz worthy project, and it hasn't even started filming yet. The combination of all this talent is mind-boggling and it will be interesting to see if the project lives up to the hype and expectation. I expect way more information to be released on this project and it's high-profile list of collaborators, in the coming months.
First Trailer For Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service Released...
So, apparently, Matthew Vaughn is sticking with the comic book adaptations. His follow up to X-Men: First Class, Kingsman: The Secret Service is based on Mark Millar's comic book series The Secret Service and depicts a veteran secret agent who leads a young protege into the world of espionage. To be perfectly honest, this is the first I've heard of this project, but it looks really good. The trailer is fun and the cast is stellar. Vaughn is one of my favourite directors, (he not only directed X-Men: First Class, but also Kick-Ass and one of my most favourite movies, Stardust, which if you haven't seen, you should really check out, by the way!) so I am looking forward to the release of this project in the fall. This one might be an opening weekend kind of thing, actually.
More Godzilla Coming Our Way....
After the massive success of Godzilla, ($93M domestically and $103M internationally in it's opening weekend), Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures announced they are developing a sequel to the monster movie. No word as of yet if Gareth Edwards will be back to direct (he's going to busy directing the new Star Wars spin-off, after all!), or any of the cast members will be returning, as this is still in the very early stages of development. But, let's face it, this is a no brainer. The movie opened with better opening weekend numbers than The Amazing Spiderman 2! Of course they're going to start production on a sequel. It's obvious that the general movie going audience is excited to see these big, epic monster movies and if they are done as well as this one, then all the better. It will be interesting to see how much the numbers drop this weekend, with the opening of X-Men: Day of Future Past, and what the second viewing numbers are like.
No comments:
Post a Comment