So, here we are again... Friday... and it's time for my thoughts on the bits and pieces of news that came out over the last week, that I was too lazy to blog about, or they just didn't warrant a full post. Enjoy....
Star Wars Finds Some Females...
Earlier this week it was confirmed that Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie will be joining the cast of the next Star Wars movie. This is fantastic news, as these ladies are top notch actresses, and this bit of casting news should quiet all of those that were complaining that the cast was very "male-centric." While I'm glad that it looks like there will be some strong female characters in the new trilogy, the lack of estrogen of the original announcement didn't bother me. I trust JJ Abrams and if in his new Star Wars trilogy, some weird virus wiped all the females off the face of the galaxy, then so be it. I'm just excited to be getting new movies from the universe.
Ant-Man Finds A New Director... Oh, Wait... Never Mind...
So, after the whole "creative differences" exit of Edgar Wright last week, speculation has run rampant on who would take over the next Marvel franchise. The short list of directors that was going around was interesting, albeit a little bizarre. Word did come out that Stepbrothers and Anchorman director, Adam McKay, had been hired, but that was quickly shut down, when it was revealed that he had actually turned the project down. While he wasn't my first choice to direct this project, I find it interesting that there was something about it that he obviously didn't like. The concern that I have, besides the fact that as of today, there is still no one attached to direct this project, is that the directors that Marvel is looking at seem to be very heavily focused on comedy. While I know that there are some comedic elements to the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, up until now, they have been well balanced within the story. This full-on comedic approach worries me a bit, but I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.
But, Apparently, Dr. Strange Is Good To Go...
So, while Marvel is busy scrambling to get Ant-Man on track and ready for it's release date a little over 13 months from now, they are already moving on with their next project. Word was released this week that Sinister director, Scott Derrickson, will be helming the film based on the Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Steven Strange. Expected to be either their second release in 2016 or the early release in 2017, it will be a true departure for the studio, given that his story revolves around magic and mysticism. The choice of Derrickson is interesting, given his horror genre background. It makes me think that this is going to be a darker story, with maybe a bit of a sinister tone to it. The only thing that's troubling is that the writers who have been hired to write the script, other credits include Kung-Fu Panda and Spongebob Square Pants. While I love the Kung-Fu Panda movies, I'm not exactly sure how that style will transfer to a Dr. Strange movie. It will be interesting to see what happens and what Derrickson ultimately does with this project.
Is X-Men: Apocalypse Stifling The X-Force Movie Over At Fox?
Tweet it, and the controversy will come. Earlier in the week, Rob Liefeld, creator of the X-Force comic over at Marvel, tweeted that the development of X-Men: Apocalypse has basically quashed any hope of an X-Force movie being released by Fox. While I'm not sure that it's quite as dire as that, I understand Fox's need to move on with their current franchise, striking while the iron is hot, or so they say. Within nine days of release, Days of Future Past became the highest grossing film in the franchise, so it's perfectly understandable for the studio to want to continue telling that story. In an attempt to build a cinematic universe, there has been talk that the studio is looking to do spin-off and stand-alone films, so I'm sure that the focus will roll back around the their X-Force property eventually. Unlike Sony, who only has Spiderman and his villains, the rights to X-Men encompass a number of characters and teams and Fox would be foolish to not explore all the avenues at their disposal.
Game Of Thrones Becomes HBO's Highest Rated Show, Ever...
Long live Westeros! HBO's Game Of Thrones officially surpassed The Sopranos as the channel's most watched series. Averaging 18.4 million viewers this season, the audience for the show just continues to build. (Last season averaged 14.4 million viewers). Based on the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin, the cable giant is just about to wrap the shows fourth season. While I admit that I have yet to watch the show, I have read all of the novels, so when I hear about the goings on in Westeros, I understand the context. It is my goal to binge watch Games of Thrones this summer, so I will keep you posted as to how that goes! :)
Bad News For The Wachowski Siblings....
Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow Pictures have more or less pulled the plug on the Wachowski's latest project, Jupiter Ascending. Originally set for release on July 18th, they have pushed the film, which stars Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum, to the no-man's land of February, where movies go to die. Although no official word has been released in regards to the move, it can't be good news. There is only one reason that a studio pulls a big, action heavy flick out of a prime summer release slot, and that's because the movie is crap. While I was interested to see this film, I still had a bit of apprehension in regards to it, as I find the Wachowski's pretty hit or miss. It looks like my gut feelings might have been right on the money. Rumour has it that the $150M movie was tracking somewhere in the $25M range. Definitely not what the studio wants to see. It will be interesting to see if the move pays off, giving the flick the time and space it needs, and a lack of competition next winter. Only time will tell on this one.
And Another Director Is Headed To A Galaxy Far, Far Away...
Disney announced this week, following their announcement last week that Gareth Edwards would be directing a Star Wars spin-off film, that Josh Trank will also be directing one of their properties. Although no further details have been released, it is speculated that the Chronicle director will be helming a Han Solo film, with Edwards directing the much anticipated Boba Fett flick. Mark Reilly, the editor-in-chief over at www.schmoesknow.com wrote a fantastic article on this topic, which you can find here. It's an excellent read, written by a die-hard Star Wars fan, and I completely recommend checking it out. (And while you're there, check out some of the other cool things they've got going on!). I think that Trank will bring an interesting take to whatever story he is telling, and I really like his vision and style of film-making. I am curious to see what he brings to the table.
Is Marvel Really Trying To Sabotage The Properties That They No Longer Have Control Of?
An interesting tid-bit out of the interweb this week has Marvel sabotaging some of their own properties in a bid for dominance in the movie-sphere. Rumours are swirling that Marvel is using under-handed tactics to try and diminish the returns of their properties currently contracted out to other studios, which include the Fox owned The Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises. If they're to be believed, Marvel is in the process of cancelling it's Fantastic Four and Ultimate Fantastic Four comic series in an attempt to lower the profile of the franchise, before the movie hits theatres next summer. While it may very well be true that they are going to jostle their comic book titles around, to this nonsense about affecting the box office returns, I say, bologna. In the grand scheme of things, comic book readers represent a very infinitesimal fraction of the movie going public. The majority of movie goers have never even picked up a comic book, let alone read one, so this will have absolutely no impact on whether the movie is successful at all. I doubt very highly that the Marvel execs are sitting around their offices, trying to come up with ways to thwart the other studios anyway, as they are too busy counting their money and laying the ground work for world domination. It doesn't make any sense... but then again, conspiracy theories rarely do.
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