HBO Offers ‘First Look’ at Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Mystery, Religious, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases, Videos

We’re nearly a week away from the theatrical release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! Companies, including HBO, everywhere are cashing in on our want insatiable need for sneek peaks, and boy do we thank them for that avarice!

In the two-part behind-the-scenes look (catch the second video after the jump) of the sixth Harry Potter installment, we get a glimpse into the main plot as well as the relationships revolving around our three heroes.

Click to continue reading HBO Offers ‘First Look’ at Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Read More | Coming Soon.net

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Jimmy Cagney: The First Public Enemy

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Universal, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Period, Casting, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases

Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, isn’t the first gangster flick Hollywood has made and it certainly won’t be the last. Detailing the 1933-34 efforts of the FBI to thwart Depression-era criminals John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd, the movie will take viewers into the massive manhunt and the rampant crime that marked this period of American history. Stories of these legendary criminal figures and others (Bonnie and Clyde is one good example) have long lit up the silver screen.

The very first Public Enemy list was created in 1930, the term coined by Frank J. Loesch. At the top of the list was notorious gangster Al Capone. This became the start of the Public Enemy Era, but it also became the start for a much more benign era in Hollywood: gangster movies.

Click to continue reading Jimmy Cagney: The First Public Enemy

Read More | Public Enemies

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (1)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Forum Discussion
• Email this story

Possible Strikeout for Soderbergh’s Moneyball

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, Adaptation, Sports, Filmmaking, Scripts

It looks like Moneyball may have struck out just days before its planned start.

Although production was set to begin on Monday, Columbia Pictures head Amy Pascal has placed the film in limited turnaround. This means the adaptation of Michael Lewis’ Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game might not be seen at all. Brad Pitt had been committed to play Billy Beane, the real-life baseball player turned Oakland A’s manager. The book told the story of Beane’s use of computer-based analysis - instead of a deep pocket book - to build a competitive baseball team.

Click to continue reading Possible Strikeout for Soderbergh’s Moneyball

Read More | Variety

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Jim Carrey: From Grinch to Scrooge

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Disney, Adaptation, Classics, Family, Casting, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases

In the past, Jim Carrey has put his own one-of-a-kind spin to many memorable movie characters. No one could have been a more villainous (but lovable) Grinch, a sillier Riddler, a more zany Andy Kaufman (erm…except maybe Andy Kaufman). But has he got what it takes to tackle one of the most recognizable - and re-done - characters of all time?

“Everybody can relate to the idea of somebody who doesn’t feel loved, and therefore doesn‘t return love,” Jim Carrey said of Ebenezer Scrooge, the classic hero from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Disney is re-imagining the tale, with Robert Zemeckis at the helm of the project.

“I’m always excited about a new way to tell a story,” Carrey spoke enthusiastically about the project, which is scheduled to open in theaters November 6. This will not be the first time Carrey has taken on the role of a classic Christmas character, but it is a much weightier role than his usual comedy fare offers.

“I think that the moral of the tale is to love. To love the world, the best you can.”

Read More | Entertainment Tonight

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Forum Discussion
• Email this story

New Moon News

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Adaptation, Adventure, Science Fiction, Casting, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases

Melissa Rosenberg, screenwriter for the Twilight movie series, was cornered by People magazine at the recent Annual Directors Guild of America Awards…and she offered up a few tidbits on the casting for the upcoming New Moon movie.

“Taylor Lautner will be back as Jacob Black. I can tell you the original cast will all be coming back,” Rosenberg told reporters. She also offered some insight into the gossip that links Vanessa Hudgens with the film series. “I had heard Vanessa Hudgens was going up for the part of Leah,” she stated. Leah Clearwater is a werewolf in the books. “But at the moment, the part of Leah doesn’t happen until the third movie,” Rosenberg added.

The writer is also very pleased with New Moon director Chris Weitz, saying that CGI animals “will be a big part of New Moon. I’m delighted we have someone who’s so expert at that.”

Read More | ET Online

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (1)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Forum Discussion
• Email this story

No Rave Reviews for Hilton’s Repo!

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Lionsgate, Horror, Musicals, Science Fiction, Filmmaking, New Releases

The press for Repo! The Genetic Opera has been going strong for a long, long time now…and I have to be honest in saying that I never was sold on the idea. Set in the year 2056, the movie illustrates a scary world where one company controls all organ transplants and high-end plastic surgery. Easy financing leads to some of the most gruesome repossessions you could imagine - hence, the title. The movie’s biggest claims to fame have always been a cult-like appeal and the name Paris Hilton, who was attached to the project early.

Did I mention it’s also a musical? But if you’re expecting something sort of oddball and fun like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, or something dark and grim like Sweeny Todd, you could be taken by surprise. Reviews for the movie are in…and no one seems to be raving for Repo! or Miss Hilton, either.

Click to continue reading No Rave Reviews for Hilton’s Repo!

Read More | LA Times

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Forum Discussion
• Email this story

More Sex in Store: Kim Cattrall Announces Sequel

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: New Line, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Filmmaking, Rumors

During an appearance on the British-based Paul O’Grady Show, Kim Cattrall announced the news that is even now setting women into a frenzy: “Yes there will!” Cattrall cried when ask if there will be a sequel to the summer’s mega-popular Sex and the City movie.

According to New Line Cinema, negotiation are still ongoing for a sequel. Years ago, when the series first ended, rumor states it was Cattrall herself who stymied progress on a movie plan. She backed out; they ditched the idea until it re-surfaced in 2008.

Click to continue reading More Sex in Store: Kim Cattrall Announces Sequel

Read More | People

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Forum Discussion
• Email this story

Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau Talk Iron Man 2

Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: Paramount, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Political, Thrillers, Celeb News, Corporate Shakeups, Distribution, Filmmaking, Rumors, Scripts, Upcoming Releases

UPDATE: Thanks to one of those smarter people who actually brought a camera, The Game Jerk has posted a video of the Q&A that you can check out after the jump.

Although I have continuously kicked myself repeatedly for not bringing a camera last night, I was still at least able to mentally hold on to the great moments witnessed last night at a special screening of Iron Man. While the director was already scheduled to appear for a live commentary at Santa Monica’s Aero Theater, fans of Marvel’s first self-financed film were in for an even better treat when Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr., showed up at the last moment.

Because of the fact that he had not recorded a commentary for the upcoming DVD, director Jon Favreau was quite exuberant over the fact that he was able to do so in person (also because he was not obligated to be politically correct).

Click to continue reading Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau Talk Iron Man 2

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (4)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Court Date Set for Watchmen Lawsuit

Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Mystery, Noir, Political, Thrillers, Corporate Shakeups, Distribution, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases

While most Watchmen fans only had the film’s release countdown to consider, a new development in the Watchmen copyright lawsuit has added a new date to watch out for: January 6.

U.S. District Court Judge Gary Allen Feess assigned the date for the case, which is set to decide whether or not Fox does hold the rights to the Watchmen movie. Between the January 6 court date and the film’s scheduled March 6 release, let’s hope that things go in the fans’ favor and they settle this between that time.

If the case goes according to Fox, fans of the highly-anticipated Zack Snyder film will never see that March 6 release happen, which could very well happen come January.

The dispute goes back to 1991, when Fox “quitclaimed” its right to Alan Moore‘s acclaimed graphic novel to Largo Entertainment, with an agreement that the production company was to release the movie under the big studio (if not, Largo Entertainment was to buy the rights through an agreed buyout formula from Fox).

Click to continue reading Court Date Set for Watchmen Lawsuit

Read More | The Hollywood Reporter

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story

Rogue Pictures Seeking Strangers Sequel

Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: FOCUS, Universal, Horror, Mystery, Thrillers, Box Office, Casting, Filmmaking, Rumors, Upcoming Releases

Having domestically grossed $54 with a modest $9 million budget, The Strangers was a tremendous hit for Rogue Pictures. Of course, we all unfortunately know what follows any amount of success in Hollywood these days: sequels.

Hoping that they have a new horror franchise on their hands, producers over at the Universal Pictures subsidary have their greedy hearts set on Liv Tyler‘s return, as well as the rest of the original villains (just admit how much you loved seeing Gemma Ward as the creepy psycho girl).

Click to continue reading Rogue Pictures Seeking Strangers Sequel

Read More | Variety

• Tools:
• Permalink
• Comments (0)
• Digg This
• Share on Facebook
• Email this story