Top Gun 2?!?!

According to The Sun, there's a script outline for Top Gun 2, and all it's waiting for is Tom Cruise to give it the go-ahead.

Cruise will have to sign on to reprise his role as Maverick if the movie is ever going to get made. The plot will center on Pete "Maverick" Mitchell as a Top Gun instructor - "and this time he has to deal with a cocky new female pilot."

Kitchen jokes aside, this sounds like a terrible idea. I'd like to think that TC would never sign on for something like this, but with all of the Rambo's, Rocky's, Indy's, and other 80's icons coming back to the big screen, maybe Cruise will once again say "show me the money."

Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog Online 'Til Sunday

Um, the headline pretty much sums it all up for this one.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog is Joss Whedon's venture into the online world. It's a three-part movie (each part runs about 13 minutes) musical that features some pretty talented people in the cast and crew. Neil Patrick Harris stars as Dr. Horrible, the loser bad guy who is trying to get into the Evil League of Evil, fight his nemesis Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion, from Firefly/Serenity), and win the heart of the girl he meets at the laundromat (Felicia Dey, who I've never heard of).

Whedon, best known as the creator of the Buffy: The Vampire Slayer TV show, wrote the script with his brother and his friends during the writer's strike and they filmed it with the intentions to release it to the public for free. All three parts are free online at the movie's webpage until Sunday at midnight, so check it out while you can. If you miss it, you can buy the whole thing on iTunes for like four dollars. It's entertaining and worth while if you're a fan of any of the cast members.

John Woo Directing A Comic Book Movie

Bulletmaster John Woo has signed on to direct a movie called Caliber, based on an upcoming comic book. Chalk another one up to the list of "movies based on things that haven't even come out yet."

The book (and eventual movie) will place King Arthur and his Knights into the Old West as cowboys, where Arthur is given Caliber (get it? EX-caliber?): a tattooed gun from the Native Americans. This is no ordinary gun - it's never loaded with bullets, and only a worthy man can fire it. Oh yeah, it shoots lightning, too. I love the idea of taking an already-established mythology and inserting it into a completely different time period, and I think this comic/movie could be pretty awesome when it comes out. Too bad that John Woo is busy directing Chinese epics and such - he probably won't get around to this for a few years.

Enough LaBeouf

It's widely known that I'm an outspoken fan of Shia LaBeouf's. I think the kid's got some serious talent that we haven't seen yet, and I think he does a great job with the "slacker" characters that are written for him. Hopefully in the upcoming Eagle Eye he'll be a little more serious and show us more versatility.

Anyway, I know that some of you have utter disdain for the kid (your reasoning escapes me), so check these T-Shirts out that BustedTees are selling on their website.

New Live-Action Ninja Turtles Movie?

Surprising news. Imagi Studios, the company responsible for the CG-based 2007 movie TMNT, is partnering with Mirage Licensing to bring us a "new live-action TMNT film for 2010."

I suppose the success of the CG movie earned them enough cash to return to the live-action game. I don't quite know how they are going to go about doing this, but if this new movie is anything like the original live action ones from the 90's, then I'll be thrilled. I hope they go as far as to use the same suits.

Editor's note: I just checked the link above, and it appears the studios may have jumped the gun. The quote has been altered to say that they are working on a "new TMNT movie for 2010," and the words "live-action" are no longer present. Well, that kind of sucks. I don't want another CG sequel.

Roundup 7/14

Howdy folks. As most of you know, I'm now gainfully employed. Therefore, my online production is probably going to decrease a little, at least until I move into a new place where the internet is more stable. Until then - here's a new Roundup for you.

• The previously-predicted School of Rock 2 is now official. Called School of Rock 2: America Rocks, this sequel follows Dewey Finn as he leads summer school students on a cross-country road trip that "delves into the history of rock 'n roll and explores blues, rap, country, and other genres. Jack Black, Mike White (writer), and Richard Linklater (director) are all returning, but that's not going to stop this movie from (most likely) sucking. I doubt it'll live up to the original.

• Marc Platt, the producer of Wanted, is producing two big screen adaptations of Broadway plays, which are about from far as Wanted as you can get. The plays in question? Wicked and Jesus Christ Superstar.

• The latest franchise to have an add-on? Scream 4 has been greenlit. I saw the first one, so it sounds like it's time for me to catch up on that series.

• Woody Harrelson is joining the ever-growing cast of Roland Emmerich's 2012 about the Mayan prophecy that destroys the world. Harrelson will play the paranoid conspiracy theorist. Figures.

• There's a German rumor out now about Keanu Reeves being reunited with the Wachowski's for a movie in the near future. The funny/interesting part? Reeves would star as Plastic Man, a neglected DC superhero that's basically Stretch Armstrong. I'd definitely see it.

Where The Wild Things Are Pushed Back - Again

Where The Wild Things Are, the upcoming film directed by Spike Jonze (Adaptation) and based off the book that we all read as kids, has been completely removed from Warner Brothers' lineup after being recently pushed back to a 2009 release.

The movie, much of which was shot in Australia in 2006 (!), has been getting crazy amounts of coverage over the past few years, with test screenings earning it positive buzz and scaring children in the theater at the same time. Obviously Warner Brothers doesn't want kids running for the exits when they watch a movie, so they've shelved the project to give Jonze more time (and money) to get it right. Will this thing ever get released?

You can read a short, concise update about the progress of the movie here. It's a pretty good piece.

Warner Bros. and DC Meet To Discuss Future

It's about time. After Marvel has been shellacking them for months, the execs at Warner Brothers and DC are meeting up to talk about what they should do in retaliation.

Don't get me wrong - The Dark Knight is (in all likelihood) going to be the biggest movie of the summer, so DC doesn't really have that much to worry about in terms of RIGHT NOW, but Marvel has a pretty cool slate lined up and with a sequel to the hugely successful Iron Man in the works, DC better tighten up their game.

This meeting should determine the outcome of the long-gestating Superman Returns follow up movie, The Man of Steel, as well as reveal some of DC's other properties that will become film adaptations. Expect a press release in a month or two.

Favreau Returns

After two months of rabid speculation from bloggers, Jon Favreau has finally reached an agreement with Marvel to come back and direct Iron Man 2.

There were some standard money issues being discussed, so that's what held the whole thing up. But fans are glad to have Favreau back after the solid job he did on the first movie. He's said before that he doesn't know if 2010 is a reasonable release slot for Iron Man 2 since they don't have a script yet, but if he's signed on to the project he must know something we don't. Marvel certainly has a lot ahead of them in the next couple of years, and I don't know what would happen if they had to push a project back a year. Would that shelve the other projects for a year following? How does that work? Here's hoping we won't find out.

Robert Downey, Jr. is Sherlock Holmes

A couple days ago news broke about a Sacha Baron Cohen/Will Ferrell take on Sherlock Holmes with Judd Apatow producing. Obviously that project is a more comedic approach to the material, but before that there was talk of Guy Ritchie directing a serious adaptation of the famous detective.

Well, Ritchie's day just got a whole lot better (besides the fact that he's not with Madonna anymore). Robert Downey, Jr. has confirmed that he will star as Holmes in the production that begins shooting in October. It's no secret that Guy Ritchie has had a string of not-so-successful movies after the classics Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. But he consistently pulls down solid casts for his films, and I think he's due for another good movie. RockNRolla looks ok, but it also could just be another formulaic piece that Ritchie coasts through while waiting for a better script. Hopefully this is it, now that RDJ is involved. That dude is on the way up.

Alice in Wonderland Casting Rumors

I know some of you are fReAkInG oUt about the new Tim Burton adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, so here's the latest casting rumor for ya.

There has been rampant internet speculation about who could play Alice, with a list including Lindsay Lohan, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Evan Rachel Wood, and Johnny Depp himself. But according to TheBadAndTheUgly, Alice has already been cast. The lucky actress? An unknown by the name of Ryan Nikole Parker, who was featured on American Idol. No, I'm not kidding about that, either.

Anyway, word on the street says there will be an official press release about the film on July 9th, so we'll see if this is true or possibly just Parker spreading rumors about herself to increase her visibility in the film industry. From that picture, I thought it was LC from "The Hills" for a second. Joel McHale would have blown a gasket.

Roundup 7/2

I check out for a day and a half, and the internet goes bonkers with new movie info. You know what that means - time to catch up.

• A month after the announcement of a Guy Ritchie-helmed version of Sherlock Holmes, there's news of another version in the works already. But this time, Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) and Will Ferrell have signed to play Holmes and Watson respectively. Produced by Judd Apatow and written by the same dude who wrote the upcoming Tropic Thunder, this project could be either fantastic or nauseating. I'll reserve judgment until I see a trailer, and that's gonna be a while.

• Continuing on my promotion of all things "Lost," Josh Holloway (who plays Sawyer in the show) has joined the cast of Stay Cool, which features Winona Ryder, Chevy Chase, Hilary Duff, and Sean Astin. Mark Polish (?) plays an author who has to face his highschool crush when he returns back to his hometown to give a graduation speech at his old stomping grounds. Holloway will play the ex-jock and old boyfriend of Winona Ryder's character.

• In an effort to battle Marvel's recent surge of good comic book movies, Warner Brothers has picked up the movie rights to a comic called "Hiding in Time." The concept: Witness Protection uses time travel to relocate high-profile witnesses. Kinda cool, if you ask me. By the way, still no word on the release date of this time traveling film.

• After the success of Wanted last weekend, Mark Millar (the writer of the comic book it was based on) has gained considerable clout in the movie industry. Enough to start talking about rebooting Superman in 2011 and kicking Bryan Singer out of the director's chair. "I've been planning this my whole life," he says. "I've already got my director and producer lined up." Millar can't say who his team consists of yet, but teases us by saying that it's a "very well known American action director" with considerable pull at WB. Who could it be? I'm down with whoever it is - Bryan Singer has waited too long, and his opportunity has passed. Let's give it another shot - it worked for The Incredible Hulk.

• Not surprisingly, movie blogs everywhere are going absolutely nuts for The Dark Knight. Selfishly I scoff at them, because I was one of about seven people who actually thought that Heath Ledger would make a good Joker when that news first broke. They were all "meh, I don't know. That's bad casting, etc. etc." And now they can suck it. From all accounts so far (they screened the movie to the press a couple days ago), Heath's performance is Oscar-worthy, even without taking his sudden death into the equation. Hey movie writers - I'll be in my trailer waiting for my apology letters. I'll accept cash gifts if you'd like to send those instead.
  

Eddie Murphy Is Getting Back To His Roots

Eddie Murphy told Extra that he is retiring from movies and returning to stand-up comedy, the medium that got him started back in the 80's. I guess all the Norbits and Meet Daves of the past 10 years have finally gotten to him.

From Murphy: "I have close to fifty movies and it's like, why am I in the movies? [Editor's note: My sentiments exactly.] I've done that part now. I'll go back to the stage and do stand-up."

What does this mean for the previously announced Beverly Hills Cop 4, set to star Murphy and be directed by Brett Ratner? He says he didn't want to do it because "the movie wasn't ready to be done." I don't know what that means. I can't even begin to assume what that means. Is the movie a sentient being now? Does it have its own consciousness? Did the movie tell Eddie Murphy, "I'm not ready?" Sarcasm aside, BHC 4 will most likely still get released - the studios won't let a money-maker slip through their fingers.

Quantum of Solace Teaser Trailer

The trailer for the new Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, debuted from 9-11 this morning. But just because you were busy doesn't mean you can't see it - while many YouTube videos of it are already being removed by Sony Pictures, I found these that are still available. I'm sure they won't be up for long, so watch while you can!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arfpDf3deVI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00dfGFBjIBw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HneIkRIO2pA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77lPkoLwyWs

Once it becomes available legitimately, be sure to check out the Trailer Section at Ben's Movie Reviews to find it. Quantum of Solace hits theaters on November 7th of this year.

Official Plot Synopsis:

Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M (JUDI DENCH) interrogate Mr. White (JESPER CHRISTENSEN) who reveals the organization which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Forensic intelligence links an Mi6 traitor to a bank account in Haiti where a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful but feisty Camille (OLGA KURYLENKO), a woman who has her own vendetta. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene (MATHIEU AMALRIC), a ruthless business man and major force within the mysterious organization.

On a mission that leads him to Austria, Italy and South America, Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the world’s most important natural resources, is forging a deal with the exiled General Medrano (JOAQUIN COSIO). Using his associates in the organization, and manipulating his powerful contacts within the CIA and the British government, Greene promises to overthrow the existing regime in a Latin American country, giving the General control of the country in exchange for a seemingly barren piece of land.

In a minefield of treachery, murder and deceit, Bond allies with old friends in a battle to uncover the truth. As he gets closer to finding the man responsible for the betrayal of Vesper, 007 must keep one step ahead of the CIA, the terrorists and even M, to unravel Greene’s sinister plan and stop his organisation.

Matthew Fox in a Comic Book Movie?

Matthew Fox (Lost, Speed Racer, Vantage Point) has been offered the lead role in a film adaptation of a comic book called Billy Smoke. The comic hasn't even been released yet (it comes out next year!), so as of now nobody can really say anything about how good this will be or whether this casting decision is a good one.

The comic, and presumably the movie, will follow an elite hitman who is nearly killed on a blown assignment and realizes that he has to rid the world of all assassins to find redemption. Sounds a little like Wanted mixed with In Bruges. But that mission seems kind of excessive, don't you think? Ridding the world of ALL assassins? That's probably not necessary, dude.

In unrelated news, I'm just starting Season 2 of Lost and the show has been outstanding so far. I'd highly recommend checking it out on ABC.com (for free) and seeing what all the hype is about. I can't vouch for later seasons, but I haven't seen a bad episode yet.

HBC Gets Salvation?

Weirdsmobile Helena Bonham Carter (you'll recognize her from most of Tim Burton's movies) is in talks for a "small but pivotal" role in the upcoming Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. Yes, that's all that we know about her possible character. I guess they're REALLY taking this whole "secrecy" thing seriously.

If she gets the gig, Helena will be joining the already-impressive cast of Christian Bale, Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Worthington, Common, and the "she must be Native American" Moon Bloodgood. Directed by McG, TS: TFB is slated for a May 22nd, 2009 release.

Greek Mythology Gettin' Some Lovin'

There has been word for years now about a remake of the 1981 classic Clash of the Titans (which I'm sure most of you have seen in school or something, but probably don't remember it) - Robert Rodriguez was in the running to direct at one point, but that negotiation fell through. Last night it was announced that Louis Letterier (Transporter 2, The Incredible Hulk) has been named the director, and the production will be getting under way ASAP. The story follows Perseus as he goes on a quest to rescue Andromeda and kill Medusa, the hideous snake-haired creature that causes you to turn to stone if you look into her eyes.

Competing with Clash of the Titans is another Greek-based film called War of Gods, helmed by acid-trip director Tarsem Singh (The Cell). This story is a "mythological tale set in war-torn ancient Greece, as the young warrior prince Theseus leads his men in a battle against evil that will see the gods fighting with soldiers against demons and titans."

[So once again, there are two similarly themed movies fighting to get released at the same time, just like A Bug's Life/Antz, Armageddon/Deep Impact, The Prestige/The Illusionist, etc. Both are racing against each other to see which will make it to theaters first.]

And finally, there are whisperings of a sequel/prequel to 300 in the works. Producer Gianni Nunnari told Collider that they are working with Frank Miller and Zack Snyder to create something authentic based on a new story. Anything concrete is years away, I'm sure.

Correction: Apparently Letterier didn't direct the first Transporter movie as I posted earlier. That distinction belongs to the surprisingly prominent Corey Yuen.

School of Rock 2?

In the seemingly never-ending lack of originality from Hollywood, word arrives that a script for School of Rock 2: Rock Harder has been completed. (I made up that subtitle.)

The writer of the first one, Mike White (who also played Ned), "literally just turned it in" to the studio to see if they'll pick it up. Jack Black has recently said that he won't return for a potential sequel unless director Richard Linklater will come back as well, and there's no telling if that will happen.

I'm under the impression that they should leave this alone and go out on a high note (no pun intended). The first film was one of the few movies heavily involving children that I liked, and I can't imagine them recreating that feat twice in a row. What do you guys think?

Bourne in the USA? Nope - Try South America

Rumors surrounding a return of the Bourne franchise have been hard to come by lately, and I stupidly thought that might mean something had gone wrong with the production or they just decided to leave the series alone. Guess again.

The cats over at IESB scored a video interview with producer Frank Marshall, who said that we will "absolutely" see another Bourne movie and that it's planning to shoot next summer for a 2010 release date. Although the script hasn't been finalized yet, Marshall also revealed that Jason Bourne would be heading to South America in this next installment.

As I'm sure you know, I really thought The Bourne Ultimatum was a great capstone to a really solid series. I think it ended perfectly, and I don't see how they can top it with another movie. Hopefully they'll prove me wrong, because it's sounding pretty locked down that this film is actually happening.

Roundup 6/24

I'm back again after my recent trip, so here's what we've missed in the past few days. Slide me a sarsaparilla down the bar and let's get to it.

• After years of speculation and missed opportunities, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger are finally teaming up in the same movie! Unfortunately, it's a Bollywood film called Incredible Love, about an Indian stuntman who comes to Hollywood searching for love. Wh-wh-what? You've gotta be kidding me! Not an action extravaganza? Criminal.

• I previously hoped that the filmmakers would choose 4 Fast 4 Furious as the title for the next installment of that franchise, but (stupidly) they've officially chosen to call it Fast and Furious. How lame is that? Oh well - the film reunites the cast from the first flick and hits theaters June 5th, 2009.

• The trailer for Disaster Movie is out. It is literally one of the worst things I've ever seen.

• Spider-Man 4 has been tentatively set for May of 2011. This seems a little ridiculous, since Marvel has a lot going on (Captain America is supposed to come out that same month) and probably won't have the time to get this project off the ground while they're trying to jump-start their other franchises. Neither director Sam Raimi nor Tobey Maguire has signed on for this yet, and the script hasn't even been finished. This project might never see the light of day.

• Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards will now be two movies, a la Kill Bill. I'm getting tired of this project already.

• Midnight Meat Train seems to be having some trouble, and as of now it's only getting released in 100 theaters across the country. There's a petition going around to increase its theatrical run, but no word yet on whether that will actually happen.

• It's not even out yet, but Wanted already has a sequel in the works at Universal. A couple months ago I thought the movie would suck, but now I'm kinda looking forward to it. It comes out this Friday.

• In Nottingham (Ridley Scott's movie about The Sheriff of Nottingham as a good guy) news, Sienna Miller (Layer Cake) has joined as Maid Marian opposite Russell Crowe's Sheriff. Rumor had it that Christian "Batman" Bale would play the terrorist/freedom fighter Robin Hood, but it turns out that it was just a rumor. Boo hiss. No word yet on Prince John's involvement in the story.
  

Ong Bak 2 Trailer

I couldn't resist putting this up. The sound didn't work when I was watching it, but you don't need sound to enjoy this clip.

Roundup 6/16

I'm back from NYC, so that means we've got a lot of catching up to do. O WA-AH-AH-AH!

• No, I haven't seen The Incredible Hulk or The Happening yet. Movie tickets are expensive in New York. When I do see them (this week, most likely), reviews shall be posted on Ben's Movie Reviews. Keep checkin' if you're interested.

• The first trailer for Jason Statham's Death Race has hit the internet, and it sucks somethin' awful. Yes, it's a loose remake of Death Race 2000, and yes, it looks like something that Stone Cold Steve Austin should be starring in.

• Now that the Matthew McConaughey rumors have been debunked, here's a new one for ya: Marvel is supposedly interested in Leonardo DiCaprio as Captain America. And they want Brad Pitt as a backup. My take? DiCaprio is way too busy, and Marvel already said they wanted Pitt for Thor. They're gonna have to make up their minds pretty soon.

• The teaser trailer for Marvel/Lionsgate's sequel Punisher: War Zone is out. They seem pretty desperate by using the whole "Ray Stevensen IS The Punisher!" line, but the movie is being praised for it's heavy violence so far. The chick who directed Green Street Hooligans (awesome flick, by the way) is directing, and she describes her movie as The Incredible Hulk to Ang Lee's Hulk.

• Sweet! As I'm writing this, I just learned that there's going to be a sequel to the parkour/Freestyle Walking movie District B-13, aptly titled District B-14. You can bet your ass there are going to be some awesome stunts in this thing whenever it comes out. Production begins next month. Check out my review of the first one here.

• A year after it was first speculated, the official announcement has come that Len Wiseman (director of Underworld and Live Free or Die Hard) will direct a big screen adaptation of the XBox video game Gears of War. I don't really care, but some of you gamers might.

I guess there wasn't as much interesting information that we missed as I originally thought. But beware - I'm going to be in Orlando for the rest of the week, so we'll probably have another Roundup coming up this weekend.

It's About Time

It's been a little while since my last post here, but that's because I only post news that interests me. Stuff like Iron Man 2 director speculation, cell phone pictures of the Robocop remake poster, and confirmation of a hybrid live action/animated Smurfs movie doesn't really do it for me.

What DOES do it for me is the first teaser trailer for the Highly-Anticipated-By-Me Transporter 3, which you can find at this link.

Also of some note is the recent announcement of Seth Rogen's new project, called Jay and Seth Vs. The Apocalypse. It's based on a short that Rogen and his Superbad co-writer Evan Goldberg created, and will star Rogen (obviously, from the title) and Knocked Up costar Jay Baruchel (the dude with the beard). What's it about? Two guys dealing with the apocalypse. Could have some potential. Filming starts next year.

SUBTITLES!!!!

Transformers 2 has officially been subtitled. No, not subtitled like the ones that we elect to turn on when we watch movies in groups, but subtitled like Resident Evil: Extinction.

So what's the final product going to be called? Get ready for it, because it's pretty fan-boy-rific...

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

Yeah, I'm kind of "meh" about it, too. The plot details are being kept under wraps until its June 26th, 2009 release, but Rainn Wilson (Dwight) just joined the cast as a college professor and all of the major players from the first one are returning. But let's be serious here - this post was just an excuse to post that Megan Fox picture.

Roundup 6/4

Time for another edition of Roundup. Get on your bikes and ride!

• Seth Rogen's adaptation of The Green Hornet has been officially greenlit, scoring a summer 2010 release date opposite Pixar's Toy Story 3 and Marvel's Thor.

• Speaking of Seth Rogen, he and James Franco revealed that they're already talking about a sequel to the upcoming stoner comedy Pineapple Express. I think the first one could be surprisingly funny, so hopefully we're not disappointed.

• For those of you who have already seen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, check out Urban Dictionary's new definition of the term "nuke the fridge."

• Apparently Quentin Tarantino has been canceling appointments because he's in preproduction on his new war movie Inglorious Bastards. Could he actually go through with it?

• Following in the footsteps of Warner Brothers (who sideswiped Picturehouse and Warner Independent earlier this year), Paramount is absorbing most of the functions of Paramount Vantage. The independent studio brought us both No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood recently. This sucks - they really need to leave these studios alone; especially when this one was actually succeeding.

• Guy Ritchie has signed on to direct Sherlock Holmes for Warner Brothers, based on an upcoming comic book that will supposedly reinvent the character and concentrate more on his boxing and swordfighting skills.

• Matt Damon will star in Clint Eastwood's new movie Human Factor alongside Morgan Freeman early next year. The story surrounds the Rigby World Cup in 1985 South Africa.
  

Transporter 3 Gets Release Date

November 26th, 2008. I don't even need a trailer to be ecstatic about this. Get pumped up, people.

BDH Could Be In T4

The enchanting Bryce Dallas Howard is in negotiations to join the ever-growing cast of Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins.

If hired, she would play the same character that Claire Danes played in T3: Kate Connor, now married to John Connor (Christian Bale). BDH would be replacing French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, who was originally supposed to play the role but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Let me just say if this happens - total upgrade. Barring the strike, T4 will come to theaters on May 22nd, 2009.

Three More Might Join 2012

The Hollywood Reporter says that Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, and Oliver Platt may be joining the cast of the disaster movie 2012. John Cusack and Chiwetel Ejiofor are already signed to star, and Roland Emmerich is directing.

Glover would play the President (a Prez with a lisp? That wouldn't happen), while Newton (MI: 2) would play his daughter. The always-entertaining Platt would be the Chief of Staff. Filming is set to begin in July, unless there is an actor's strike.

Fire Tears Through Universal

In a bit of serious news, a fire ripped through the Universal backlot early this morning, destroying thousands of film reels and the famous clocktower city hall courtyard from Back to the Future.

Check out the video from the Associated Press:



Thankfully, no one was hurt. Good luck to anyone who's directly involved with this.

Beverly Hills Cop 4

Just as I was thinking these reboots were on the downswing after hearing that Back to the Future 4 isn't happening, word comes from Variety today that Paramount has greenlit Beverly Hills Cop 4 and Eddie Murphy is coming back to star.

The best part? It's being directed by (get ready for it!) Brett Ratner. No, I'm not joking.

What's pathetic about this whole situation (aside from Ratner's involvement) is that Eddie Murphy has gotten to the point in his career where he had to approach the studio to ask if they could revive this franchise. Everything he's done in the past 10 or so years (except Shrek) has been AWFUL. I'm not making that up, either - Murphy himself went to Paramount and asked them to do this. Of course, being a money-hungry film studio, they agreed without thinking of the ramifications. God knows we'll see how horrible this turns out in 2010 when it gets released.

Harold and Kumar 2 - Choose Your Own Adventure!

What an awesome concept. News hit today that when Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay comes to DVD, it will be in a "choose your own adventure" style. The feature is called "Dude, Change The Movie!" and it allows you to select from new and alternate scenes to change the course of the film.

I've been a proponent of this kind of DVD release for a long time (as long as they include the original version, of course). But the cool part of H&K 2 is that they shot 27 ADDITIONAL SCENES specifically for this purpose! How sweet is that? That's the kind of dedication that it will take to get this new type of format off the ground, and I admire this movie for getting the ball rolling. Hopefully we'll see a lot more of this type of thing in the future. In any case, H&K 2 comes to DVD on July 29th.

Back To The Future 4 Ain't Happening

With the return of all of these classic movie franchises recently (Rocky, Rambo, Indiana Jones, etc), myself and others wondered if Back to the Future could ever join that group with another addition to the series. Bob Gale, producer/writer of the films, says no.

Probably a good thing, since Foxy isn't doin' so hot with his Parkinson's disease (I'm pulling for ya, MJF) and Chris Lloyd has gotta be pushing about 105-years-old by now. Gale said that they wouldn't do it without Michael J. Fox because that'd be like "cooking you a steak dinner, but holding the beef." Kind of a weird analogy, but I'll buy it.

He also defended his decision by saying they couldn't make a new one that matches the other three, so they aren't going to cash in on the craze and do it anyway; I admire that. Good call, Bob Gale. Here's hoping there's not a remake boiling out there somewhere.

Tony Jaa is Back

Apparently some footage debuted at Cannes this week for Tony Jaa's directorial debut (?!) which is being called a sequel to Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior.

While I can't find the footage anywhere online, the tentative poster is pictured above - and it looks as ridiculous as I expected. For those of you who have seen Ong Bak, you'll be interested to know that the plot line of this supposed sequel has nothing to do with the original.

Jaa stars in a period piece as a poor orphan boy raised by a collection of martial arts masters from across Asia and ends up an expert in all, fusing the styles into a comprehensive fighting style.

Due to the non-relatedness of this plot to the first movie, there is speculation that the title will be changed when this gets closer to its release date. When is that? I have no idea, but you can be damn sure that I'll be checking on it. The Protector was awesome, and Tony Jaa is the man.

Watchmen News

Zack Synder (300, Dawn of the Dead from 2004) has been given the opportunity to make a movie out of the only graphic novel to make Time Magazine's greatest novels of the twentieth century. "Watchmen" follows a group of retired superheroes as they search for a criminal who is methodically killing off old superheroes, their partners. It's a murder-mystery comic with more intelligence in it than any book I've read in the past five years. I just finished reading the massive graphic novel last week, and after reading it I'm really excited about the release of the film in 10 months.

I realize that most of you haven't read it, but for those of you who have, you'll be interested to know the most recent developments regarding the movie. The Tales of the Black Freighter, the "comic within the comic" about the shipwrecked guy, is being planned for a separate animated movie that will be released on DVD a few days after the theatrical release of Watchmen. There is some controversy about whether Gerard Butler will still voice the lead character, but at one point that was definitely the case. Originally, TOTBF was going to be edited into the actual movie, but the budget got too out of hand, so they're making it direct-to-DVD. It will also feature a documentary called "Under the Hood" which chronicles the backstory of the elder generation of superheroes called The Minutemen.

The part that excites me the most is that after Watchmen gets released on DVD by itself, they are going to release an ultimate edition with The Tales of the Black Freighter edited into it just like in the graphic novel. Snyder says the movie as it stands right now is nearly three hours long, so people are predicting a four-plus hour ultimate edition. I truly think that Synder is the right person to direct this movie, and I think it's going to be fantastic. I can't wait for that Ultimate Edition...

Marvel Won't Make "R"

In a not-so-surprising move, Marvel Studios announced that they will no longer be making R-rated films.

At first, I thought this was kind of stupid. While it makes great business sense (PG-13 ratings most of the time generate wider audiences, and therefore more money), it just threw me off that they wouldn't even consider the future of making more movies like The Punisher and Blade that NEED an R-rating for it to work. Those titles are so dark and violent that watering them down to PG-13 would be a crime.

But after a little digging, I found that Marvel exec Peter Cuneo said that the studio would make R-rated films IF the studio partnered with an outside studio for that particular instance. I guess this leaves them an "out" in case they decide that they need to kick it up a notch, but don't be surprised if you don't see another R-rated movie from Marvel Studios in the next five years.

Tarantino Annouces Next Film For 2009

Professional D-Bag Quentin Tarantino announced at Cannes this week that his long-delayed war film, Inglorious Bastards, should be ready for release this time next year at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

This hackjob has been talking about releasing this movie for like ten years, so it'll be interesting to see if he actually goes through with it this time. Michael Madsen is supposed to play the lead role in the WW-II movie, but QT hasn't even finished the script yet. He told reporters that he finished the first draft, but he still has to "polish" it when he gets back to the States. So he's telling us that he's going to finish a script, cast it, find locations, hire a crew, go through pre-production, shoot the thing, edit it, score it, and market it all in 12 months? Color me doubtful.

Sydney Pollack Dead at 73

Cancer blows. Sydney Pollack, the legendary director/actor/producer, died in his home tonight at the age of 73 due to the disease.

The dude has apparently directed some cool stuff in his heyday, but unfortunately I haven't seen any of it yet. I did see Michael Clayton, which he produced and starred in, because it was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars last year and I'll tell you it deserved it. It always sucks to lose someone to cancer, and it seemed to me that Pollack was hitting another peak of his career that could have competed with his work from the 80's. RIP, Syd.

RDJ to Play Hugh Hefner?

Interesting casting news of the week goes to Robert Downey, Jr. for being up for the role of Hugh Hefner in a biopic aptly titled Playboy.

No director is set yet, although hack-boy-to-the-extremo Brett "I Killed X-Men 3" Ratner is breathing heavily just behind this project, waiting to snatch it up and surely ruin what could be an awesome movie. Hef has given his approval for the actor to portray him in the movie, but no casting decisions will officially be made until the script is written and a director is hired.

Robert Downey, Jr. is now up there in my top 10 favorite actors. Playing a legend like Hef on the big screen has the potential to be a great career move for him, if only Ratner doesn't come along and mess it up. Seriously - who hires that guy anymore?

The Good, The Bad, and The Weird

A Korean western set in 1930's Manchuria, the plot goes like this: The Weird steals a treasure map from a Japanese official, and The Bad is paid to retrieve it. The Good is a bounty hunter tracking them down. Who will emerge with the map?

The movie is playing at the world famous Cannes Film Festival in France right now and I saw the trailer and had to share. It looks awesome.

Roundup 5/20

Time for another edition of Roundup here at Ben's Daily Movie News. Move 'em out!

• Horrifying news today that Jake Gyllenhaal has signed on to play The Prince in Disney's upcoming adaptation of The Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. New Bond girl Gemma Arterton will play the princess, but that doesn't make up for it at all.

• There can only be one! The writers of Iron Man are working on a remake of Highlander.

• James Cameron spoke a little more about his upcoming Avatar (set for theaters on December 18th, 2009), saying it's "the single most complex piece of filmmaking ever made." Apparently there are 1,600 shots for the 2.5 hour movie.

• Christian Bale has signed on as John Connor for all three Terminator films, putting the notion to rest that he only signed for the upcoming Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. He read the script and loved it, so he signed for the sequels on the spot.

• Spike Lee is directing a Michael Jordan documentary which will feature never-before-seen footage shot by NBA cameras during the final seasons of his career, from 2001-2003.
  

Cusack Joins 2012; Ejiofor In Talks

John Cusack has signed on to play the lead role in Roland Emmerich's new movie 2012 for Columbia Pictures. Emmerich, who you know as the director of Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, co-wrote this big-budget epic (does he direct any other kinds of movies? I don't think so).

The movie follows "an academic who opens a portal into a parallel universe and makes contact with his double in order to prevent an apocalypse predicted by the ancient Mayans."

These destruction movies seem to be coming into fashion or something, with Cloverfield, The Happening, and all kinds of others hitting theaters recently. At least this one brings something fairly original to the table by featuring the Mayan prophecy (which is a real thing that a lot of people actually believe in). Something decidedly NOT original about this is the concept of opening a portal into a parallel universe, which reeks of Stargate and could be the worst part about this movie when it gets released next year.

The good parts about it, as far as I'm concerned, are the casting of Cusack (who's pretty awesome, let's be honest) and Chiwetel Ejiofor, who is quickly rising on my favorite actor list. Ejiofor hasn't officially signed yet, but if he wants some money he better sign on the dotted line. Emmerich's films may not be the most brilliant cinematic pieces of work, but they sure can bring home the bacon.

Potential Star Hopeful For JP4

Laura Dern (Dr. Ellie Sattler) was interviewed by TV Guide recently and revealed she's still interested in Jurassic Park 4.

"It's still a while away but my understanding is it's happening and my character is very involved. I know [director] Steven Spielberg is looking forward to [getting it together] over the next year."

I'm happy that Spielberg is still interested in this project. I think that would be the best thing to happen to this franchise; the creator of the first (hugely successful) film comes back to resurrect a near-dead series, bringing back fame and glory along with a massive amount of interest and publicity because of his involvement. Still no word on Sam Neill's Dr. Alan Grant returning to the big screen.

Spidey 4 & 5 To Shoot Back To Back?

Cinematical brings us the rumor today that Spider-Man 4 and 5 might shoot back to back, whenever they get everything squared away on the business end.

James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) has apparently turned in his finished script for Spider-Man 4, but word is that his story arc encompasses two films, leaving the studio trying to renegotiate his contract in order to secure the second script. If this goes according to plan, there's the possibility that they'll shoot both films together, which also leads to conjecture about the same person directing both films. No official word yet on whether stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst are returning, or regarding Sam Raimi returning behind the camera.

All I have to say is: bring back Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy.

DiCaprio = Ian Fleming?

Leo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, has purchased the rights to Fleming, an original script by Damian Stevenson about the life of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. While no one really knows who is officially going to play the role of the daring author/journalist, we can easily assume that Leo himself would step in. Sounds like a cool role for him.

The story is based on the real life of Ian Fleming, similar to Finding Neverland about the J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan. The L.A. Times has an interesting article about it if you're looking for some more information on the project. No release date or production start time has been released yet, since Leo's pretty busy these days: he's got six films in development on imdb.

Hot Tub Time Machine

Yep. The Hollywood Reporter brings us word that screenwriter Josh Heald has pitched a movie called Hot Tub Time Machine to MGM. What is it going to be about? Exactly what you think.

"Hot Tub" follows a group of guys, adults who used to be cads back in their heyday, who, after a night of vodka and Red Bulls in a hot tub, travel back in time and set out to rediscover their "mojo."

The funniest part is what MGM VP of Production Cale Boyter said when questioned about the film: "We're always looking for new ways to stand out against the pack in today's crowded marketplace, and what better way than to combine hot tub debauchery and the complications of time travel." That's one of the best justifications for a wild premise I've ever heard. This sounds like a Burt Reynolds movie.

Ridiculous Casting Rumors

According to Latino Review, they seem to think that Bruce Willis is in the running for the lead role in the A-Team movie. Yes, a movie based off another old television show from before we were born. I hope Willis doesn't lower himself to this type of movie, especially since Woody Harrelson is attached to the project as well. We all know how that's gonna turn out...

More ridiculously (if that's possible), they claim that Brad Pitt is in the running for the upcoming Marvel movie Thor. I don't really think this has any merit, but it's fun to speculate about something that ludicrous. Anyway, I'm sure more legitimate casting updates for both of these films will be coming soon - not that I think either of them are going to be any good, but I'll keep you posted nonetheless. In related Marvel news, director Matthew Vaughn's (Stardust) contract has expired for the project so currently there is not a director attached.

Upcoming Star Trek Details

Ever since I heard that JJ Abrams' new Star Trek movie would feature Leonard Nimoy as Spock but NOT William Shatner as Captain Kirk, I've been wondering how this could happen. Kirk and Spock are a team; how could one be featured without the other? That question was answered today.

Trekmovie.com tells us that the new film will actually be set AFTER the events of 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis, beginning with the elderly Spock returning from Romulan space and then moving backwards in time (presumably in a flashback) to the origins of the crew of the NCC-1701. Continuity fans, rejoice. Be sure to check out the Star Trek coverage on The Solar Sentinel and Ben's Movie Reviews.

Warner Independent and Picturehouse Shut Down

These are sad days for independent film. Warner Independent and Picturehouse, the studios that brought us movies like Pan's Labyrinth, The King of Kong, Rocket Science, The 11th Hour, A Scanner Darkly, and The Science of Sleep, have been shut down because of Warner Brothers' acquisition of New Line Cinemas.

Basically, the execs felt that the newly-acquired branch of New Line Cinema could handle the workload that Warner Independent and Picturehouse were dealing with, so they just got rid of them and dumped all of their duties into their New Line section. Synergy in its cruelest form. Hopefully this doesn't mean that independent films won't die out of this studio completely.

Roundup

This is a little piece I like to call "Roundup." It's a brief bulletpoint system of the news that I don't have time to write full articles on. Hope you enjoy it.

• Jonah Hill is not going to star in Transformers 2. Negotiations have fallen through; some people (Boomer included) are relieved. I hope they don't get anyone worse to replace him.

• Matthew McConaughey is rumored to be Marvel's lead candidate for the role of Captain America. Branz instantly vomits.

• Terminator 4 is going to be rated PG-13.

• Will Eisner's The Spirit (directed by Frank Miller) has moved its release date from January 2009 to Christmas of this year. Sweet.

• Gran Torino will not be a Dirty Harry movie, but there are some new innuendos swarming around that when the next Dirty Harry movie DOES get made, Harry's gonna die. I just hope Eastwood keeps pumping out films, regardless of what the storylines are.
  

• Ellen Page is going to play Jane Eyre in a movie adaptation of one of the worst books in history. I'll never, ever, ever see it.

• Speaking of Ellen Page movies, Bill "Independence Day" Pullman is joining her and Cillian Murphy in Peacock. I rejoice.

• Zooey Deshanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are set to star opposite each other in a movie called 500 Days of Summer, in which JGL falls in love with ZD, who doesn't believe in love. Because of the caliber of actors involved, this may be one of the few chick flicks I see in a theater.

Marvel Announces Upcoming Releases

After the staggering success of Iron Man in its opening weekend (apparently the 10th best opening weekend ever and over $200 million already overseas!), Marvel Studios have announced their slate for the next few years. First off, Iron Man 2 is coming on April 30th, 2010 (they were already talking about a sequel to this one based on the good word-of-mouth, so this isn't surprising to anyone who understands the concept of money). Next, the lesser-known hero Thor will get his own big screen adaptation with director Matthew Vaughn (Stardust, Layer Cake) at the helm; this one's to be released on June 4th, 2010. The long-awaited Captain America movie, with the working title of The First Avenger: Captain America, will follow Thor into theaters almost a year later on May 6th, 2011. And the highly anticipated Avengers (the Marvel equivalent to the Justice League) will be last with a July 2011 release.

With the new cross-promotion tactics that Marvel is working on (stay after the ending credits for Iron Man if you haven't seen it yet), it won't surprise me at all if we see a lot of these heroes creeping into each others' movies in order to increase awareness of these not-as-popular characters. In any case, I'm sure Iron Man 2 will be sweet and Captain America has the potential to be an awesome movie if they do it correctly. I'm not so sure about Thor and the Avengers. More news on these projects as it unfolds.

This Will Make Your Day

Adam McKay (Step Brothers, Anchorman) told Collider that Ron Burgandy will "for sure" grace the big screen again in a sequel to their beloved Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy. Instead of having you go over there to read it, I'll post what he said here:

Adam McKay: I'm looking to do another movie, I might do this other movie called Channel 3 Billion which is kind of this science fiction/Brazil type comedy. Then after that, Will and I are like let's do Anchorman 2…so you're talking like 2 years maybe we'll do it. But we're going to do it, for sure.

Collider: That's like 100%?

Adam McKay: Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're dying to do it. Unless we can't get the cast together, which is always kind of a tricky thing. But, I think, with that cast we're all friends, so yeah, we want to do it.

Anchorman pretty much singlehandedly boosted the careers of all of its male stars, but I'm sure they'd be willing to come back and make another movie like this for a reasonable price. I'm just glad that we'll be seeing some more antics of Will Ferrell in a movie that's not sports-based. Could they move Ron Burgandy into the 80's this time around? We shall see...