Random Bits From The Week That Was...

It's that time again... Friday! So, you know what that means... my thoughts on the bits that I was too lazy to write about, or you know, didn't actually require a full post...

Couple of Surprises At The Weekend Box Office...

So, it turns out that people were really looking forward to 22 Jump Street. The sequel landed at the number one spot at the box office this past weekend, pulling in $57.1M. How To Train Your Dragon 2 debuted at number 2 with $49.5M. I found this a bit of a surprise, as family movies usually kill at the box office, and HTTYD2 is a spectacular film. I guess the bromance between Hill and Tatum was enough to draw the adults to the R-rated flick. Maleficent is holding strong in the number 3 spot with $18.5M, it's 3 week total now at $163M. Edge of Tomorrow, due to great word of mouth no doubt, was in the number 4 spot with $16.5M and The Fault In Our Stars sank like a stone to land in the number 5 spot with $14.8M, down about 70% from it's opening weekend. While I caught the film last weekend, and enjoyed it, I was the only one in the theatre on Sunday afternoon... literally. It was just me, all by my lonesome self, which was kind of weird, but whatever. I guess the films audience flocked to it in it's opening weekend, and without a great deal of re-watchability, the numbers definitely reflected that. It was also fantastic to see Edge of Tomorrow holding it's own in this busy summer season, as the film is fantastic. With not much competition opening this coming weekend, I am interested to see how the numbers for all of these films play out.


Final Trailer For Apes On Horses Debuts...

20th Century Fox has released what it is referring to as the final trailer for the upcoming Dawn of the Planet of The Apes, and holy crap, is it amazing. The trailer is a great mix of footage we've already seen, and a touch of new, just enough to offer the perfect amount of interest and excitement. I am so looking forward to this film, it's not even funny. The first one was so amazing, that if this one even comes close to being as good, we're in for a serious treat. I'll definitely be checking this one out on opening night.


Dr. Strange Finds It's Scribe...

Hot on the heels of the news that Scott Derrickson would be directing Marvel's Dr. Strange movie, the studio announced that Prometheus writer, John Spaihts is in talks to pen the script. While I admit, I have not seen Prometheus yet, so I therefore cannot have an opinion one way or another about that film, I do find this news very intriguing. By getting Derrickson and Spaihts to helm this project (if that's the way that this all eventually turns out, mind you), it appears that Marvel is interested in taking this project in a new, and exciting direction. Dr. Strange is a dark and twisted character, and it looks like Marvel is wanting to keep it that way. All I can say is, I'm in! In Feige, I trust.


Marvel Drops A Second International Trailer For Guardians...

The studio released a new, international trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy earlier this week and all I can say is, it's absolutely stunning. Going for a slightly more dramatic feel, this trailer shows off some of the depth that I think the movie will be bringing to the big screen when it's released in August. While I enjoyed the first two trailers, they were mostly focused on the comedic aspects of the film, which I think was a little off-putting to some people. This trailer shows that, like the other properties in the MCU, this one should also be a nice mix of comedy, action and drama. I am highly anticipating this film and cannot wait for it to be released in a few weeks.


And Then There Was Aquaman...

So, it is being reported by The Hollywood Reporter that Jason Momoa is confirmed as Aquaman for the upcoming Justice League film  Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film, slated for release on May 6, 2016. While Momoa wouldn't be my first choice for the normally blonde superhero, I understand Warner Brothers motivation. Aquaman has always been the Justice League character that has been ridiculed and scoffed at, so I understand the need to hire an imposing presence to play the character. And Momoa definitely fits the bill. While I'm still not completely sold on this film and what exactly it's going to be, I am intrigued to see the final product. One of two things is going to happen: either the film will be great, like the recently released Days of Future Past, or it will be a train-wreck of epic proportions like The Amazing Spiderman 2. I guess we'll see...


Next Bourne Film Pushed Back A Year...      

Universal has pushed it's next movie in the Bourne Franchise back to July 15, 2016 in order to make room for their upcoming N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, which is moving into the August 14, 2015 date. Rumours are swirling, however, that the studio has ulterior motives for the move. According to Latino-Review (via Schmoes Know), the real reason for the push-back is so that the studio can get Matt Damon back in the fold of the franchise. Damon has had a couple of so-so performances at the box office recently, and his return to the franchise might be what he needs to turn things around. I like this news, as I think that the Bourne Legacy did a great job of expanding the universe and it would be amazing to see Aaron Cross and Jason Bourne on the big screen together, kicking ass and taking names.


Don't Worry! The Batman Is, Apparently, On His Way...

When Nikki Finke's supposed scoop broke about the upcoming slate of DC films going to be released by Warner Brothers over the next few years, one of the things that stood out to me the most was the fact that there was no solo Batman flick listed. Fear not, fans of the Caped Crusader! According to Latino-Review (again, via Schmoes Know, because if you haven't guessed by now, that's where all of my movie news comes from!), Warner Brothers has slated a new Batman stand-alone film for release in 2019. As I speculated in my article about Finke's scoop, the delay is most likely due to Affleck's busy schedule. He is currently filming BvS, which will then lead into the Justice League film. That gives him late 2015/early 2016 to direct his next project, the gangster flick Live By Night, before he has to don the cape and cowl once again. It will be interesting to see if the WB hands the directorial reigns to him for the Batman project as well, although I would think it would be a no brainer on their part. You don't have a guy with Affleck's talents in your back pocket and not use him to his full potential. 

Justice League Light Gets An Official Title...

So, Warner Brothers stunned everyone and actually, out of the blue, dropped the official title of the Man of Steel sequel, set for release on May 6, 2016...

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Hmmm, interesting. But I will admit, I'm not a fan. First off, why are we still considering this a Man of Steel sequel, because it's clearly not. Zack Snyder can talk about it being a MOS sequel until he's blue in the face, and yet, when your film's title doesn't even suggest anything close to that, it's kind of hard to swallow. Yes, yes, I know that it's possible that Snyder and Goyer didn't actually have any say in the matter, that this was completely Warner Brothers doing what they do. Regardless, I'm still not sold.

First off, if it's his movie, why is Superman playing second fiddle to Batman? Is it an alphabetical thing? A bigger star-power thing? A character recognition thing? (Although how you can argue that one, I have no idea. I mean, yes Batman is Batman... but Superman is SUPERMAN! Probably the most recognizable superhero on the planet!) Okay, I get it. By putting Batman before the versus, it looks like he's the aggressor, the one doing the pushing. But then, how is this a direct sequel to Man of Steel? It's obvious that Batman is going to play a huge role in this movie, possibly a bigger one that most of us expected... okay, so maybe that was just me, but I was actually hoping for a true sequel to MOS. I think that Superman deserved that much, at least!... And, while I wasn't a huge fan of the first Man of Steel film, I was looking forward to the film makers exploring the ideas and threads that I did like, in greater detail in the sequel. Now, it looks like Superman is going to have to share a great deal of his screen time, and character development with a brand new Batman. And while we've seen Batman before, and know the general gist of his story, this will be a new Batman to the movie going audience, so regardless of back story or not, his character is going to have be developed to a certain degree, pulling even more screen time away from Superman. Because let's face it, the Kal-El/Superman that we saw in Man of Steel was still coming in to his own. His character was far from complete, and now instead of watching him grow and adapt to his powers and what they mean to both him and the world around him, instead of building and growing his relationship with both Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, instead of watching him struggle to keep his identity secret, we're going to get he and Batman, (instead of Zod this time) punching each other through buildings. Yes, I know that Clarke Kent/Kal-El/Superman can do all of those things with Batman hanging around, I just wish that he didn't have to.

Now, on to the "Dawn of Justice" bit. Could you be any more blatant, Warner Brothers? Why don't you smack us in the face with the fact that this is leading directly into a Justice League film? Oh wait, you already did. So, not only is Kal-El getting screwed out of his own sequel with the addition of Batman, you're also going to throw Wonder Woman and Cyborg into the mix, just for good measure. And, believe me, I'm pretty sure that we're going to hear about the addition of an Aquaman or a Martian Manhunter or a Green Lantern pretty soon, too. So, now, instead of a Superman movie or a Batman versus Superman movie, we're now talking full on Justice League territory. Regardless of the amount of screen time they get, just the addition of these extra characters changes the way that this whole thing is going to be perceived. And as their new title suggests, that's exactly what Warner Brothers wants. So what's with the charade? Let's call a spade, a spade, and stop fooling around. This is no longer a sequel to Man of Steel, it's a prequel to the Justice League. Plain and simple.

Did we learn nothing from this whole The Amazing Spiderman 2 debacle? Sacrificing your story for set-up is definitely not the way to go. And I truly hope that this isn't what's happening here. I hope that they did learn from TASM2 and are looking at alternative ways to tell a great story. And I get it, no matter what they do, they're going to be compared to Marvel, and that really does suck. If Warner Brother's starts their cinematic universe with origin stories, then they're just copying Marvel. If they try something different, then they don't know what they are doing, and why don't they do it like Marvel did? It's a no win situation for them. These days, Marvel is a well oiled machine and let's face it, they make it look easy. And it's definitely not.   

So let's hope that Superman doesn't get lost in the midst of everything going on in the background. Because I can guarantee you, when Ben Affleck gets to do his Batman solo film(s), he's not going to have to battle for screen time with anyone. He will not be second fiddle, that's for sure. I think that Warner Brother's owes it to Kal-El to treat him with the same amount of respect. Although it doesn't look like it'll be this time, maybe eventually he'll get there. 

Random Bits From The Week That Was...

So, here's my take on the random bits of news that I ran across this week, and was either too lazy to post about, or didn't require a full blog post to discuss....


Zack Snyder unveils the Batmobile...

Earlier this week, Zack Snyder hinted, via twitter, that it might be time for the tarp to be lifted. His tweet, accompanied by a photo of a tarp covered Batmobile, sent the internet into a tizzy. Not quite the tizzy, of course, that was caused the next day, when the picture he released was not only of the Batmobile, but a very buff and intense looking Ben Affleck as Batman. Now, I have not been a huge fan of this project from the outset, as I think that Superman deserves his own sequel... one that doesn't involve other Justice League characters and plots. As much as I didn't like the first Man of Steel, (it's not like I hated it or anything... I just think it had a lot of issues and they made it hard for me to love it). I still think that Supes is getting a bad wrap. That being said, Ben Affleck looks amazing! The black and white photo that was released is absolutely stunning! (I would frame and hang that guy on my wall!) The image invokes a tone and a feeling that I don't think all of us were expecting. While I wasn't a huge fan of the casting of Affleck at the time, upon further contemplation, I have come around to the idea. It's definitely going to be interesting, to say the least.


Channing Tatum is the new Gambit...

This news makes me less excited. While I like Channing Tatum and think that he's really grown as an actor over the last few year, I honestly don't see this as a good fit. I agree with Kristian Harloff over at The Schmoes Know, who thinks that the character is not well enough known by the general public to be played by such a popular actor. The audience is not going to see Remi LeBeau on the big screen, they are going to see Channing Tatum. And, if I'm being perfectly frank, I can't see him mastering Gambit's Cajun drawl, either. I personally believe that, while the movie wasn't well received (although I really liked it!), that the powers that be should have stuck with Taylor Kitsch, who played the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The issue with that incarnation of Gambit were not Kitsch's fault and I do think that he's a better actor than Tatum, overall. I think that the recast will be kind of confusing and I think it was completely unnecessary.


Neighbours kicks the crap out of TASM2 at the box office...

Okay, so it didn't exactly kick the crap out of it, but it did do some damage. In it's second week, TASM2 fell behind the Seth Rogan/Zac Efron comedy Neighbours, which debuted last weekend. Neighbours opened with a strong $49M domestically, surprising both the studio and forecasters alike. Dropping a whopping 61%, The Amazing Spiderman 2 brought in only $35.5M domestically in it's second weekend out. (Although, honestly, Sony can't be happy with the $92M it made in it's opening weekend, as that didn't even top the opening weekend numbers put up by the far superior Captain America: The Winter Soldier). Although it is being pulled along by the foreign markets, with stiff competition being released in the next few weeks, this movie might be hard pressed to top the box office results of the first Amazing Spiderman. Sony has got to be disappointed in these results. As of now, it is still trailing behind The Lego Movie and The Winter Soldier in regards to overall box office totals. It'll be interesting to see if it will surpass them or not, and what happens to Spiderman's numbers once both Godzilla and Days of Future Past are released in the next couple of weeks.


TV Trailers galore are dropped...

So, with the up-fronts done by all the major networks over the last few days, all kinds of juicy tidbits about the upcoming TV season have been dropped. The trailer for Gotham, debuting on Fox in the fall, looks amazing. The story of a young Detective Jim Gordon as he starts on the Gotham City police force, it's looks to be an origin story of sorts, of not only Batman, but all of his arch villains, as well. I was a little less enthused about the trailer for Constantine, debuting on NBC in the fall. Although the trailer looks interesting, this one I will have to watch a few episodes of first to fully get the tone and a feel for the series. The CW released a teaser and a full 5 minute trailer for their upcoming Flash series. The story of Barry Allen and his transformation into The Flash, this one is a spin-off of the CW's Arrow. The trailer looks fantastic, and I am optimistic, since the showrunners are virtually the same, that this will have the same kind of tone and feel as the aforementioned Arrow, which if you're not watching already, you really should be! Of course, there are many more bits and pieces out there on all the new shows that are coming, but these ones were the ones that caught my attention the most. I guess we'll see how everything looks in the fall. Usually, the ones you're looking forward to the most are disappointing and the shows that really catch your attention weren't even on your radar. Only time will tell on these ones.


Marvel's looking for a heart-throb...

So, apparently, Marvel is looking to shore up it's superhero properties, in the looks department, anyway, and has Zac Efron in mind to fill that position. I am actually a huge fan of Efron and think that he's a really solid actor. While I'm not adverse to this idea, I do think that it is almost the same issue as with Channing Tatum playing Gambit. I'm not sure if Zac Efron is too big to play a superhero or not. Rumour has it that Marvel is courting him to play one of it's heroes on their new Netflix Defenders adventure, so it will be interesting to see if there is any truth to it. I'm not sure that, at this point in his career and with the huge success of Neighbours, that Efron would be willing to take a part on TV, even if it is on Netflix. I guess we'll know soon enough, as the plan is for the first 13 episode run, rumoured to be Daredevil, to be released next summer. 


Roberto Orci confirmed as director of Star Trek 3...

So, looks like Paramount is willing to gamble with the future of their Star Trek franchise. It was finally confirmed that writer/producer extraordinaire, Roberto Orci, will be helming the next Star Trek movie. With JJ Abrams off to direct a little flick entitled Star Wars Episode VII, Orci lobbied hard to be given this project. Paramount finally made it's decision and decided to give the $200M project to a guy who has never directed anything before, in his whole entire life. Seriously, not even a commercial or a sitcom episode. Nothing. While I actually really like Orci's work (I have been a fan since he and Alex Kurtzman began writing for Hercules and Xena in the 90's), I'm not sure that this is the right move for either him or the studio. While he knows this world inside and out, having written the screenplays for the first two movies, it is a lot of pressure for a first time director. I really hope that it all works out, as I love the new Trek franchise. It'll be interesting to see what happens.


And finally, the first trailer of Interstellar drops...

So, today, the first official trailer for Christopher Nolan's hugely anticipated film, Interstellar, dropped. And boy is it amazing. There has been a lot of secrecy surrounding this project, building the anticipation to astronomical levels. And, given the fact that it's Nolan's follow-up to the spectacular Inception (the Dark Knight trilogy was not my favourite!), a lot is riding on it. From the looks of this trailer, I think it is going to live up to the hype. While it is easy to get excited for a trailer, only to be disappointed by the final product (Michael Bay, anyone?), I have a feeling that there is no reason to worry in this case. My goal now is to try and avoid any further promotional information in regards to this one, as I want to go in with no pre-conceived notions or preconceptions. We'll see how that works out! :)

So, these were the news items that caught my fancy this week... although there were many, many more exciting tid-bits that were dropped about all kinds of projects going on out there. Check out the sources that I use for my movie and television news... I promise, you won't regret it!

www.schmoesknow.com

www.youtube.com/AMCtheatres