Casting Corner: James McAvoy, Ben Affleck, Nicolas Cage

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Miramax, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases

Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:

It seems as if there isn’t a woman James McAvoy can’t romance. In the past few years, he’s been paired with Gillian Anderson, Keira Knightley, Anne Hathway and, of course, Angelina Jolie. Now the rising actor will be taking on his biggest chemistry challenge yet.

In Gnomeo and Juliet, McAvoy and Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) will voice characters in a CGI-animated version of the Shakespeare drama. But those looking for any Montagues or Capulets will be pleasantly surprised. In this version, the lovers will actually come from rivaling families of garden gnomes.

This film, co-produced by Elton John, will also feature music from the Lion King musician. The feature should be completed by 2010.

Click to continue reading Casting Corner: James McAvoy, Ben Affleck, Nicolas Cage

Read More | Hollywood Reporter

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Marvin the Martian Landing in Theaters

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Warner Bros, Adaptation, Animation, Family, Upcoming Releases

Given the recent success of Alvin and the Chipmunks, other studios are now jumping on the live-action/CGI bandwagon.

Warner Bros. has just announced that Marvin the Martian will be the next cartoon character up for the big screen treatment. The Looney Tunes character - which was first introduced 60 years ago - will reportedly get his own Christmas-time feature.

Although Marvin’s plans to destroy the Earth were usually ruined by Bugs Bunny, it doesn’t appear the carrot chomper will be included in the adaptation. As the film is currently conceived, the white-gloved one will become trapped in a gift during his attempt to ruin the holiday.

No target date has been announced for the project.

Read More | Variety

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Heath Ledger’s Last Project May Continue

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Adventure, Independent, Filmmaking, Obituaries, Upcoming Releases

Heath Ledger’s death left many questions unanswered.  Although we may know the answer to one of those in just a matter of days, other matters - like the status of his last film project - are still up in the air.  While the execs behind The Dark Knight work furiously to redesign their marketing campaign - how can they create hype about a movie that’s largely about the The Joker? - the creators behind The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus are simply trying to keep their movie alive.

Production on Parnasssus - a film about a traveling theater troupe and its magical mirror - had been shut down since news broke last week.  (Ledger had been working on that film just days prior to his death.)  Even though the $30 million pic may have to be scrapped altogether, co-star Christopher Plummer says there is hope the movie will still carry on.  According to Plummer, director Terry Gilliam is doing everything he can to work around Ledger’s absence.  The actor told People that “because the film deals with magic, there is a way, perhaps, of turning Heath into other people and then, using stills and I think they call it CGI…”

Click to continue reading Heath Ledger’s Last Project May Continue

Read More | People

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Getting Deep With ‘The Water Horse’

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Columbia Pictures, Family, Foreign, Period, Comedy, New Releases

Sure, I’ll admit it. I saw the trailers for The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep and turned my nose straight up into the air. Like I really have the time to watch an entire movie with people acting to the air, as the star of the flick is nothing more than CGI and legend. Promoted far less than other big holiday blockbusters (I’m surprised I even caught the trailers, in-between scenes of a desperate Will Smith running around in his Legend flick), The Water Horse offers a fantastical alternative to family-friendly movies that deal exclusively in holiday laughs.

The low-key British flick is actually a period piece - set primarily during the WWII era - and told in flashback. Here’s how it goes: young boy wandering around the beach finds a strange egg and quite naturally takes it right home with him. (Every time I’ve ever found an odd, unidentified object which will no doubt hatch an unfamiliar creature, I’m itching to take it to my place of residence.) Anyway, the egg hatches to reveal, of course, The Water Horse.

Click to continue reading Getting Deep With ‘The Water Horse’

Read More | Hollywood Reporter

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‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ Gets CGI Treatment

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: 20th Century Fox, Adaptation, Animation, Family, Musicals, Upcoming Releases

I still remember Saturday mornings watching Alvin and the Chipmunks, the cartoon, on TV. I even remember the special show the series did about the Berlin Wall – truly heady stuff for a show designed only for children. Every year around this time, you’ll hear their Christmas tune on the radio. Now, someone has taken the bold step to answer the question which plagues my generation: does Alvin still want a hula-hoop?

Okay, that’s not really the burning question. A better question would be, what madman thought a live-action version of the chipmunks would work? And WHY? But like it or not, the live-action version of Alvin and the Chipmunks is indeed coming to theaters, and as soon as December 14. What can fans expect from this barely-publicized flick?

Click to continue reading ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ Gets CGI Treatment

Read More | Yahoo! News

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