So, here we are again. Friday. That glorious day at the end of the week. That means it's also time to wrap up the bits and pieces that came out over the last 7 days or so. Here's my take on the bits of news I was too lazy to write about earlier...
Could Tom Cruise Wrestle The Box Office Title Away From Shailene Woodley?
The answer is a resounding no! The Fault In Our Stars was the number one movie at the box office last weekend, crushing the competition with a $48M domestically in it's opening weekend. Maleficent was in the number two spot, bringing in $34.3M in it's second week, followed by Edge of Tomorrow with $28.8M in it's first weekend out. While I'm glad that the female led, and driven FIOS did so well (I still have yet to check it out), I am disappointed that EoT didn't have a better opening. It is a spectacular sci-fi movie, driven by a horrendous marketing campaign, that deserved way better than it got. It's interesting to note that the Angelina Jolie led Maleficent came in strong in the number two spot. Never count out the ability of a family friendly flick to wreak havoc with the box office predictions. I'm betting that How To Train Your Dragon 2 takes the number one spot this weekend.
Ant-Man, FINALLY, Has A Director...
After the whole debacle with Edgar Wright, and the oh, we've hired Adam McKay... oh wait, sorry, not going to work out thing, Marvel has finally hired a new director to helm it's Ant-Man project, still set for release July 17, 2015. Peyton Reed, the director of Yes Man and The Break Up will now helm the project. Given that filming was supposed to begin this week I believe, it took them long enough. While, overall I have no issue with Reed, as he's a competent director, this hiring still concerns me. While I trust Marvel, as they have yet to lead me astray with their properties, the fact that their focus has been on very comedic directors is alarming. The beauty of Wright was the fact that while he was comedic, he was also kind of quirky, giving the hope of an interesting take on the character. The idea that Marvel was hell-bent on replacing him with a director who's main focus was comedy sent up a couple of red flags in regards to this Ant-Man project. Of course, the same thing could be said about Joe and Anthony Russo, who before Captain America: The Winter Soldier, were best know for directing the television shows Community and Arrested Development. And we all know how that turned out. The Winter Soldier is arguably the best Marvel movie to date. So, I'll trust in Feige and wait to see how this goes.
Has Marvel Found It's Steven Strange?
Technically, no, but that hasn't stopped the rumour mill from churning. When it was announced last week that Scott Derrickson would be helming the film of the Sorcerer Supreme, this was the first real confirmation that Dr. Strange would actually be a part of Marvel's Phase 3 plans. So, of course, speculation began as to who would be cast as Steven Strange. The first rumour out of the gate was Jared Leto. While he wouldn't have been my first choice, I would have been okay with it. Now, it appears the Marvel's short list is down to two: Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch. While I am okay with either of these guys, my preference would be towards Hardy. Having just finished watching Locke, I've got to say, the guy is amazing. While Cumberbatch is also good, with serious geek cred, for some reason, I just don't see it. Not that I would be disappointed, if tomorrow, Marvel said Cumberbatch is our guy, I would just prefer they went with Hardy. Now, the question that remains to be seen is, are either of these guys willing to sign on long term with Marvel? I guess we'll wait and see.
Del Toro Calls It Quits On The Beast...
Citing scheduling conflicts, Guillermo Del Toro has dropped out of directing his live action telling of the classic tale Beauty And The Beast. In development since 2012, Emma Watson is slated to star in the film as Belle. Del Toro will, however, remain on as a producer of the film, alongside Denise DiNovi. Although disappointing, it's not all that surprising, given the fact that he always has a huge number of projects on the go at any one time. This has led to speculation that he may have dropped this project to focus on a Pacific Rim sequel, as he did state earlier in the week that he was working very hard on a script with Zack Penn. While Legendary has yet to actually green-light a sequel, according to Del Toro, he and Penn are proceeding like the film is actually happening. Now, if he would only put this much effort into a Hellboy 3, I'd be one happy camper.
Gamers United In Los Angeles This Week...
The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo happened in LA this week, and lots of exciting news and trailers for some awesome games have been released. While I'm not a hard-core gamer by any means, there were a few titles that caught my eye. The trailer for Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor looks amazing, and you have my attention anytime you mention Middle Earth. I enjoy War in The North, so am looking forward to this one. The other one that intrigues me is the Batman: Arkham Knight trailer. I am also in anytime you say superhero, and have tested my prowess as Batman, with Arkham Asylum. For all the other E3 news and trailers, check out the the gaming page from the guys at schmoesknow.com who have got you covered.
New Trailer For Laika's The Boxtrolls Drops...
Holy cow, animation is sure kicking ass these days! The first trailer for Laika's upcoming stop-motion flick The Boxtrolls dropped this week, and boy, does it look charming. The masters behind ParaNorman and Coraline will be bringing The Boxtrolls to life on September 26, 2014, and I honestly can't wait. While I get that stop-motion animation isn't for everyone, I personally love the medium and don't think that it gets nearly enough love and support. This film looks charming and fun and I think that 2014 is going to be a banner year for animation, with the likes of The Lego Movie, How To Train Your Dragon 2, The Boxtrolls, Big Hero 6 and The Book of Life all being released.
A Dame To Kill For Kills It...
A new trailer for Sin City: A Dame To Kill For dropped this week, and boy is it a doozy. Now, I will admit, I have never seen the first Sin City film, but if this trailer is anything to go by, I will be checking it out soon, so that I can catch this flick in theatres. Opening August 22, 2014, the movie is a sequel to the 2005 film Sin City and is primarily based on the second graphic novel in the series by Frank Miller. This trailer looks fantastic and I am intrigued about this world. I'll let you know what I think after I've checked it out.
And The Most Watched Shows In The World Are...
Earlier this week, at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, NCIS took the International Television Audience Award for Drama, meaning it is the highest rated drama series worldwide. The show won with a global audience of 57.6 million viewers in 66 different countries. The winners for Comedy were Modern Family and in the Soap Opera category, The Bold and The Beautiful took the crown. While I don't watch either NCIS, which is also the most watched show in North America, or The Bold and The Beautiful, I do enjoy Modern Family. It's interesting to see how closely the worldwide audience is tied to the North American one.
Daredevil Has Found It's Kingpin...
On the heels that Charlie Cox would be portraying Matt Murdoch in the upcoming Marvel Netflix series Daredevil, word came down that Hell's Kitchen had also found it's Kingpin. In keeping with their interesting casting choices of late, Marvel announced that Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin, would be played by Vincent D'Onofrio. I will admit, this casting is amazing. D'Onofrio is an excellent actor, who does dark and fearsome like no other. This Netflix project is looking more and more interesting, and I for one, can't wait to see it.
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