Thursday, August 30, 2007
Fantastic Four 2 & Die Hard 4 Blu-ray Discs Announced
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (TCFHE) today announced worldwide Blu-ray new release plans for the $267 million global box-office hit Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Oct. 2 North America/Oct. 9 International) and the $348 million global box-office action powerhouse Live Free or Die Hard (Nov. 20 North America/Oct. 28 International) day-and-date with the BD release of the "Die Hard Trilogy." The announcement further supports TCFHE's aggressive global Blu-ray Disc release strategy that includes 29 new release and "must-have" catalog titles from Fox and MGM that runs through the end of the 2007 calendar year.
The only high-definition packaged media universally supported by the film, music, gaming and computer industries, BD is the #1 selling high-definition packaged media.
"On a worldwide basis, BD is averaging nearly 70% market-share per week of all high definition titles sold this year and, in the U.S., it is out-performing HD DVD by 2 to 1; in some territories the ratio is 3 to 1," noted Mike Dunn, President Worldwide, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
"Given the retail landscape this holiday season, we expect the sales gap between Blu-ray and HD DVD to grow significantly wider as the most anticipated films of the year debut exclusively on the Blu-ray format."
"In fact, once our Blu-ray consumers, and those still on the fence, experience the advanced BD-J interactivity games available on 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer' and 'Live Free or Die Hard,' they'll realize what we've been telling them all along - Blu-ray is really the only way," continued Dunn.
The BD release of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer includes hours of bonus content including deleted scenes, a full length "Making Of" documentary, multiple behind-the-scenes featurettes and commentaries with two exclusive high definition BD-Java bonus features: "Who Dares Defy Galactus?," Fox's first multi-player strategy game, and a "Saving The World One Question At A Time" trivia game.
"I'm thrilled that both of my 'Fantastic Four' films are available on Blu-ray," noted Director Tim Story. "You can really see spectacular detail in the CGI visual effects we used to create the Silver Surfer character. Plus, fans of the Fantastic Four will have the added bonus of continuing the battle between Galactus and the Silver Surfer through the really cool interactive games that are only available on the Blu-ray release."
"Who Dares Defy Galactus?" challenges players to an intergalactic battle through a galaxy comprised of 30 planets, 10 of which are colonized and have varying levels of life force. Players compete against each other as either Galactus, who must find the live planets and consume their energy, or The Silver Surfer, who must find the live planets and defend them against Galactus.
If Galactus is victorious, additional solar systems are unlocked and the battle for live planets rages on. If The Silver Surfer defeats Galactus, the power cosmic never dies and will be waiting to consume more planets when players begin the game again.
Fans of "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine" will be put to the test to compete for Fantastic Four knowledge supremacy in the "Saving The World One Question At A Time" interactive, pop-up trivia game. Contestants must correctly answer a series of trivia questions related to the Fantastic Four film and Marvel comic book franchise in order to defend Earth from Galactus' ravenous appetite. A chain of illuminated planets are aligned on the bottom of the television screen. If players fail to answer trivia questions correctly to deter Galactus, one-by-one the planets will fall dark until the World as we know it is destroyed.
Live Free or Die Hard (Die Hard 4.0 internationally) explodes onto BD day-and-date with the "Die Hard Trilogy" and features an arsenal of bonus content including a "Die Hard" music video by Guyz Nite, a "Making Of" documentary, actor and director commentaries and the exclusive high definition BD-Java multi-level strategy game "Black Hat Intercept!"
"Black Hat Intercept!" begins with a warning from 'The Warlock' (cult-classic writer, producer and director Kevin Smith) that a computer virus has been placed inside an unwitting Internet company's mainframe by the infamous cyber-terrorist, Thomas Gabriel. As the team leader from inside the surveillance van, players must guide an agent into the building, outwit the building's security systems and personnel without being detected and then wipe the hard drive clean before the virus destroys the U.S.
Additionally, the BD debut of the "Die Hard Trilogy" comes locked and loaded with numerous bonus features including deleted scenes, featurettes, actor and director commentaries, visual effect breakdowns, alternate endings, side-by-side comparisons and much, much more.
All of the BD titles announced today will be authored in BD-J with AVC (MPEG 4) compression and presented on 50 GB dual-layer discs with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio plus English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound. In addition to the highest quality audiovisual elements, each BD release will also feature D-Box compatible motion sensor cues to give D-Box chair equipped viewers a more life-like and intense viewing experience.
New "Dune" Film In The Works
Frank Herbert's "Dune" novels remain amongst the most impossible literature properties to translate onto the screen, but that won't stop people from trying.
C.H.U.D. reports that Byron Merritt, the adminstrator of the official Dune novel forums and a member of the Herbert family, says that after months of ongoing negotiations, things are coming to a head for a new feature film version of the property.
Back in May he said they were "still in negotiations with the studio reps/lawyers. The contract lengths are enough to make one ill...We're getting VERY close to a deal. Heard that news today...we've had on-going negotiations for over two years."
He followed that up with this posting last Friday: "We're getting VERY close to a deal. Heard that news today. I've heard that "someone" at the studio wants Dune reallllly bad and has been a fan of the novel for "years." They're not saying who this is (and it might just be hype) but I'm holding out hope that whoever this might be is a big enough fan that he/she will do the book justice. Supposedly it's some director."
The property has been twice adapted before - 1984's David Lynch-directed big budget feature film which was a famous nightmare behind the scenes and butchered the source material, or 2000's Sci-Fi Channel mini-series which was much more accurate to the books but suffered from generally flat reviews and budgeting issues.
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Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Zack Snyder to Direct Illustrated Man
Warner Bros. has hired Zack Snyder (300) to direct its remake of The Illustrated Man.
The helmer, busy preparing Watchmen for the studio, is attached to direct and produce the remake based on Ray Bradbury's collection of short stories by the same name. Watchmen screenwriter Alex Tse will pen the screenplay.
The collection, first published in 1951, is narrated by a mysterious man with living tattoos that predict the future. Rod Steiger starred in the title role for the 1969 big screen adaptation, distributed by Warner Bros.-Seven Arts; Claire Bloom co-starred.
Di Novi Pictures and Snyder's Cruel and Unusual Films are producing the remake. Denise Di Novi, and Deborah Snyder, the helmer's wife and producing partner, are also producing, along with Frank Darabont. Cruel and Unusual's Wesley Coller and Di Novi's Alison Greenspan are executive producing.
Jewison & Huffman Play An "Accordion"
LA.com reports that "Moonstruck" director Norman Jewison and scribe John Patrick Shanley are re-teaming for a new romantic comedy "The Accordion."
Based on the Italian film "Bread and Tulips", Jewison confirms that Felicity Huffman ("Desperate Housewives") is keen on participating in the film about a married woman who has really never seen anything or had a chance to be on her own.
She soon gets stranded in the South on a golf tour and ends up alone, but the experience soon changes her life.
The original Venice setting of the film has been changed to New Orleans post-Katrina.
Ben Affleck Ain't "That Into You"
Ben Affleck is in negotiations and Kris Kristofferson is set to join New Line Cinema's ensemble comedy "He's Just Not That Into You" reports the trades.
Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Connelly, Bradley Cooper, Kevin Connolly, Justin Long, Ginnifer Goodwin and Drew Barrymore are already cast.
The Ken Kwapis-directed feature has interconnecting story arcs that deal with how men and women often misconstrue the intentions of the opposite sex.
Affleck will play Aniston's boyfriend, a man whose unwillingness to commit to marriage puts great strain on their relationship. Kristofferson will play Aniston's father.
Shooting begins Septemeber 10th in Los Angeles.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Rob Zombie Radio Interview
Rob Zombie joined Dee Snider and co-host Ralph Cirella on FANGORIARADIO to give details of the new HALLOWEEN. Zombie's HALLOWEEN has beena hot topic in the world of horror for the past several months, and no one is more qualified to give us the low down on this much anticipated film than this amazing director himself. Zombie has had a vast career that spans music, comics, and he has more on the way. Be sure to chek out the interview as Zombie discusses how he added his own style to the film, and his opinion on the current horror moviemarket
Listen Interview
Monday, August 27, 2007
"Earth" Stands Still For Keanu
Ever thought Keanu Reeves looked a bit like an alien? Well you're right.
Twentieth Century Fox has set Reeves to star in the remake of the 1951 Robert Wise-directed sci-fi classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still" reports Variety.
Reeves committed over the weekend to play Klaatu, a humanoid alien who arrives on Earth accompanied by an indestructible, heavily armed robot and a warning to world leaders that their continued aggression will lead to annihilation by species watching from afar.
Scott Derrickson ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose") is directing from a script by David Scarpa. A late fall or early 2008 start of shooting is planned.
Lucas Hires Ridley to Tell Red Tails
Variety reports that Star Wars creator George Lucas has hired screenwriter John Ridley to pen the script for Red Tails, Lucas' WWII action adventure about the Tuskegee Airmen to be financed and produced through Lucasfilm.
The film is about a group of African-American fighter pilots who had to overcome racism and the color barrier to become the Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary first African-American pilots in U.S. military history. (The planes were distinguished by their red-painted tails, hence the title.)
According to the Variety story, Lucas hired Ridley after reading L.A. Riots, the Universal/Imagine drama Ridley wrote for director Spike Lee, and Ridley has already met some of the surviving pilots at a Texas convention.
ILM will be handling the effects to make the airborne fight sequences more realistic.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
New Dates for Hitman and The Spirit
20th Century Fox has moved the release date for video game adaptation Hitman from October 12 to November 21. The Xavier Gens-directed action-thriller stars Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Olga Kurylenko, Robert Knepper, Ulrich Thomsen and Michael Offei.
Lionsgate has also set a date for Will Eisner's The Spirit, written and to be directed by Frank Miller (Sin City). The action-adventure, starring Gabriel Macht, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Mendes, comes to theaters on January 16, 2009.
Friday, August 24, 2007
What's new in september
September 5
- I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (limited)
September 7
- 3:10 to Yuma
- Fierce People (NY, LA; top 10 markets: Sept. 14)
- Hatchet (limited)
- In the Shadow of the Moon (limited)
- Milarepa: Magician, Murderer, Saint (NY)
- Romance & Cigarettes (NY)
- Shoot 'Em Up
- The Brothers Solomon
- The Bubble (limited)
- The Hunting Party (NY, LA; limited: Sept. 14; wide: Sept. 21)
- The Inner Life of Martin Frost (NY)
- The Unknown Soldier (NY)
September 14
- Across the Universe (limited; 700+ theaters: Sept. 21)
- December Boys (NY, LA; wider release: Sept. 28)
- Dragon Wars (D-War) (limited)
- Eastern Promises
- Great World of Sound (NY)
- In the Valley of Elah (limited; wider release: Sept. 21)
- Ira & Abby (limited)
- King of California
- Moondance Alexander (limited)
- Moving McAllister (limited)
- Mr. Woodcock
- Silk (limited)
- The Brave One
- The Rape of Europa (NY)
September 19
- The Beauty Remains (NY)
- The Last Winter (NY)
September 21
- Cover
- Good Luck Chuck
- Into the Wild
- Resident Evil: Extinction
- Sydney White
- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (limited)
- The Jane Austen Book Club (limited)
- The Man of My Life (NY)
- Trade (NY, LA)
September 26
- Protagonist (limited)
- The Price of Sugar (limited)
September 28
- Bordertown (Dallas, El Paso)
- Feast of Love
- Goal II Living the Dream
- I'll Believe You (limited)
- Lust, Caution (limited)
- The Game Plan
- The Kingdom
September 29
- The Darjeeling Limited (NY; limited: Oct. 5)
Rainn Pours On A "Renaissance"
Universal Pictures has picked up comedy "Renaissance Men" penned by actors Rainn Wilson an Matt Ross reports Reuters.
Wilson ("The Office") will topline and produce the feature with Jay Roach. The story follows two down-and-out community theater actors who think they've accidentally killed a co-star. In a panic, they go on the lam and hide out in a Renaissance fair.
Wilson is also writing "Bonzai Shadowhands," a ninja comedy that Jason Reitman will direct for Fox Searchlight.
Disney To "Swing" With Costner
Touchstone Pictures will co-finance and domestically distribute the Kevin Costner political comedy "Swing Vote".
The story follows Bud Johnson (Costner), a working-class single father who is thrust onto the world stage after the presidential election comes down to his single vote.
Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci, George Lopez, Judge Reinhold, Mare Winningham, Richard Petty, Willie Nelson and Madeline Carroll also star.
The film is currently in production in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Joshua Michael Stern is directing from a script that he penned with Jason Richman.
Corey Yuen Declares War
It's not often that you get a chance to talk to one of the great Hong Kong martial arts choreographers, mainly because so few of them speak English. In this case, when ComingSoon.net had a chance to interview Corey Yuen (The Transporter, Kiss of the Dragon), we had to do the interview via Email, which is rarely ideal but often necessary. Yuen proved to be a man of few words as he answered a dozen questions quickly and concisely.
His latest movie is War, a crime drama that pits two of Yuen's subjects, Jet Li and Jason Statham, against each other. Yuen has worked with both action stars a number of times, the first time in Jet Li's The One and he's worked with Jet Li, maybe more than any other action choreographer or director. Yuen told us what was different about this project in terms of working with Li. "I told Jet Li, 'You've done so many martial arts films, and you should try to do a drama movie, and this one is very good for you.' I think he is a very good actor."
And what about Jason Statham, who has become a bit of an action star thanks to his work with Yuen in the two "Transporter" movies? "He has become more experienced and also, his understanding of movements is getting better and he learns faster."
Yuen explained to us how he works with Jet Li and the cinematographer when designing the action scenes. "I would read the whole script first, then think of the fighting scene. It is impossible to come up with the fighting scene on the set, but we can always modify it to make the movements look better. I normally would think of the fight scene first, then discuss with (cinematographer) Pierre Morel."
We asked specifically about the action scenes in War which mix hand-to-hand combat with swordplay. "This is an action movie about a Asian story, and we have used actors from Hong Kong and Japan, so we designed the fight scenes according to the script. I don't think doing sword fighting was something new (for me), but we always design the action based on the script. I try my best to make sure to give the directors what they need and also the best quality of the martial arts. I hope I can work with more directors that I haven't worked with, and also I hope to work with more new directors."
As a director, Yuen has made a number of movies with women stars including the Chinese action drama So Close and DOA: Dead or Alive, based on the popular video game, so we asked him how he finds these women who can handle whatever he throws at them action-wise. "The story is very important, of course. If the actress knows how to do action moves is the better, but if not, we will train the actresses before filming."
"I tried my best to do a good job during filming," he replied when asked about the much-maligned "DOA," which was given the runaround by the Weinstein Company before being dumped with little fanfare earlier this summer. "Marketing is not something I can take charge of. Everything has to have good timing."
"In China, we have more freedom to be creative," he replied when asked about the major differences between working with Hollywood and Chinese studios.
"Each person has different style and personality," Yuen told us when asked for a comparison with some of his peers, which include Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Wo-Ping. "It also depends on the script and the director. Luck is important too. Working together is all based on faith."
"Right now, I'm working as the action director on John Woo's film 'Red Cliffs' and also, I'm planning on a new movie that will be focus more on actors," he said about upcoming projects.
When asked about who might be the next Chinese martial arts star to appear when Jackie Chan or Jet Li finally retire and he answered enthusiastically, "I'm actually in search of such person too! That's why I'm planning on this new movie, focusing more on men, and I hope we can find someone from this."
You can see Yuen's latest action work in the new Lionsgate movie War, which opens across the nation on Friday, August 24.
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