GENERAL MOVIE NEWS

General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser (www.moviemuser.co.uk)

Jonathan Mostow Is Going For The Dogs, Directing The Sam Worthington Film

August 28, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Jonathan-Mostow Last January, Philip Noyce signed up to direct Sam Worthington in the thriller For The Dogs. However he’s now left the project and been replaced by Terminator 3 and Surrogates helmer Jonathan Mostow, according to Variety.

The film is based on Kevin Wignall’s novel about a lone assassin who agrees to help a bright college girl (Hailee Steinfeld) exact revenge on those who mercilessly murdered her parents and younger brother.

Oren Moverman wrote the script (working from Paul Leyden’s earlier draft). It’s not clear when it will shoot. Earlier this year they were hoping to shoot towards the end of 2013, but Steinfeld is currently due to start filming Barely Lethal in October, while Worthington will likely be heading for the Avatar sequel set early next year. So presumably the plan is to slot it into between those films.

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ACTORS: Sam Worthington, Hailee Steinfeld DIRECTORS: Jonathan Mostow

Jessica Alba Is Barely Lethal Alongside Hailee Steinfeld

August 28, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Jessica Alba is turning scheming villainess, which might be going against type but Fanboys director Kyle Newman’s thinks it’s a good idea for his new film, Barely Lethal, as he’s cast her as the movie’s antagonist, according to ScreenDaily.

Hailee Steinfeld is set to plat as Megan, a teenage assassin who has spent her whole life at an elite boarding school where she has been trained to kill. Yearning for a normal life, she fakes her own death and escapes, enrolling in a suburban high school. Jessica Alba plays Victoria Knox, who is furious that Megan has given up the killing life and so chases after her.

Samuel L Jackson will be Steinfeld’s mentor, with Newman directing from a script by John D’Arco. Barely Lethal starts shooting in October.

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ACTORS: Hailee Steinfeld, jessica Alba, Samuel L. Jackson DIRECTORS: Kyle Newman FILMS: Barely Lethal

Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver & John Turturro Up For Ridley Scott’s Exodus

August 27, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Aaron Paul

Alien helped launch the careers of both Sigourney Weaver and Ridley Scott back in 1979. Now they’re planning to get back together again for a very different movie, Exodus. She’s not the only one either, as Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul and John Turturro is also set to star alongside the previously cast Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton, according to Variety.

The story follows Moses (Christian Bale) who goes up against the Pharaoh Ramses (Edgerton) so that he can lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. As Moses grew up in the royal Egyptian court, he had a close relationship to Egyptian ruler Ramses, which goes sour when he takes up the cause of his people.

Weaver will play Tuya, the mother of Ramses, while Turturro will be Ramses father. Paul meanwhile is set to play a Hebrew slave called Joshua who ends up leading the Israelites to the promised land after Moses discovers he can’t go himself.

Steven Zaillian (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Schindler’s List) wrote the script, with the movie set to start shooting in September in England, Spain and Morocco.

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ACTORS: Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, John Turturro, Christian Bale DIRECTORS: Ridley Scott FILMS: Exodus

Captain Phillips International Trailer – Fresh look at the Tom Hanks piracy tale

August 27, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Tom Hanks is going Oscar-bait again with Captain Phillips, Paul Greengrass’ first movie since 2010’s Green Zone. Now a new trailer has been released, giving us a feel for the movie’s shaky-cam style as well a bit slightly bigger insight into Hanks’ character than we’ve had before.

The movie is based on the true story of Maresk Alabama captain Richard Phillips (Hanks), who sacrificed himself to be taken hostage by Somali pirates, so he could save the lives of his crew. He spent three days in captivity before being rescued by a Navy SEAL team in 2009.

The film is due out in the US in October. [Read more…]

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ACTORS: Tom Hanks DIRECTORS: Paul Greengrass FILMS: Captain Phillips

Warner Bros. Plans Animated Scooby-Doo Movie

August 27, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

scooby-doo-animated After years of trying to make money off a live-action Scooby Doo with a couple of theatrical movies and then TV film follow-up, Warner Bros. is taking Scooby Doo back to his animated roots, as they’re planning a new cartoon adventure for the Great Dane, which will be released in cinemas.

Variety has the news and says Matt Lieberman is writing the screenplay.

There’s no news on the story, or even whether it will be just Scooby or if the movie will also include the likes of Shaggy, Thelma, Fred and Daphne. It’s not even known it will be CGI animation or hand drawn.

Charles Roven and Richard Suckle will be produce, who were also behind the the live-action Scooby Doo film starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini. They also brought the sequel Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed to the big screen two years later. Those film grossed over $450 million worldwide.

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Chadwick Boseman Takes On James Brown In Tate Taylor’s Musical Biopic

August 27, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

For a while now Universal Pictures has been working on a currently Untitled James Brown Biopic. Now they’ve found their Godfather of Soul, as Variety reports that 42 star Chadwick Boseman is set to star.

Tate Taylor (the openly gay director of The Help) is on board to helm the movie, which will follow Brown’s rise from extreme poverty as a child in North Carolina to becoming one of the most iconic musicians of all time. Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer has been trying to get this James Brown biopic off the ground for more than a decade, with the project only now getting the green light with Universal signed up and happy with the budget.

Jez Butterworth (Fair Game) and John-Henry Butterworth wrote the screenplay, with Brian Grazer producing alongside The Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger and Erica Huggins (Flightplan). It’s not clear when it might shoot.

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ACTORS: Chadwick Boseman DIRECTORS: Tate Taylor

Stef Dawson Will Be Annie Cresta In The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

August 27, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

stef-dawson While most of the main players in The Hunger Games world are in place by the end of Catching Fire, there are a few extra characters that will be introduced in the two-part adaptation of Mockingjay. Just a few days after it was revealed that Natalie Dormer is set to be Cressida in Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2 comes news that Stef Dawson will play Annie Cresta, the love interest of Finnick (Sam Claflin).

Dawson is an Aussie who’s mainly worked in TV as well as numerous independent films including the recent thriller Wrath.

Directed by Francis Lawrence and based on the novel Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 complete Katniss Everdeen’s (Jennifer Lawrence) journey as she leads the districts of Panem in a rebellion against the tyrannical and corrupt Capitol. As the war that will determine the fate of Panem escalates, Katniss must decipher for herself who she can trust and what needs to be done, with everything she cares for in the balance.

The blockbuster first installment of The Hunger Games franchise is the 14th highest-grossing North American release of all time and grossed nearly $700 million at the worldwide box office. The second film, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, opens worldwide on November 22, 2013. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 will be released worldwide on November 21, 2014 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 opens November 20, 2015.

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FILMS: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

Scott Eastwood Joins Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf & Logan Lerman In Fury

August 27, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Scott Eastwood

Scott Eastwood started out with appearances in a couple of father Clint’s movie, such as Gran Torino and Invictus, but more recently he’s been breaking out on his own with movie such as Chasing Maverick, Texas Chainsaw 3D and the upcoming The Perfect Wave.

Now he’s scored another role in a major movie, as he’s signed on to star in Fury for End Of Watch writer/director David Ayer, according to Deadline. He joins Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman and Michael Pena in the World War II action drama that follows a five-man Sherman Tank crew who are stuck behind enemy lines during the tail end of the war. Scott Eastwood is set to play a member of the tank crew called Sergeant Miles.

David Ayer is directing from his own screenplay, with shooting scheduled to begin next month.

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ACTORS: Scott Eastwood, Logan Lerman, Brad Pitt, Shia Labeouf DIRECTORS: David Ayer FILMS: Fury

Divergent Trailer – First proper look at the young adult adaptation

August 26, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Last night at the MTV VMAs, the first trailer for Divergent debuted and now you can take a look at it right here. The movie initially concentrates on the look of the movie, before getting far more action-packed.

Neil Burger is directing the adaptation of Veronica Roth’s best-selling novel, which takes place in a dystopian future made up of five factions that are based on different personality types. As they come of age, everyone must join the faction they fit into, but certain people are ‘divergents’, showing traits from more than one group. Tris (Shailene Woodley) uncovers that these people are seen as dangerous and the government wants to get rid of them.

The likes of Theo James, Kate Winslet, Miles Teller, Ashley Judd and Maggie Q co-star.

The movie will be bidding to be the new Twilight when it hits cinemas next March. [Read more…]

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ACTORS: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet DIRECTORS: Neil Burger FILMS: Divergent

The Butler Tops The US Box Office Again, Beating Mortal Instruments & The World’s End

August 26, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Despite what many had thought would be some strong competition, in the end The Butler topped the US box office for a second week with $17 million, with We’re The Millers coming second once more with $13.5 million.

That was enough to beat newcomer The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones, which despite suggestion early on its marketing that it was on track to be the new Twilight (and resulted in a sequel already being in the works), took $9.3 million over the weekend and $14 million since it opened last Wednesday. As young adult adaptations tend to be quite front loaded and then drop off, it doesn’t suggest this will become a hit in the long run (and certainly doesn’t bode well for the sequel).

The World’s End came in at number 4 on its US debut with $8.94 million. That’s more than either Hot Fuzz or Shaun Of The Dead, although those film got more limited releases. It’s not too bad though, especially as few expected it to do that brilliantly in America.

The horror film You’re Next took seventh spot on the chart with $7 million. It’s one of the weakest starts of the year for a nationwide horror release, but as it cost little to make, it’ll probably still end up turning a profit.

Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine expanded onto more screens in its fifth weekend at cinemas and made its first appearance in the top 10 with $4.3 million. It continues Allen’s run of decent earners after years when his movies barely made a cent.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for weekend of August 23rd-25th.

Rank	Title	Weekend Gross (millions)	Total Gross to date (millions)
1	Lee Daniels’ The Butler	$17.0	$52.2
2	We’re The Millers	$13.5	$91.7
3	The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones	$9.3	$14.0
4	The World’s End	$8.9	$8.9
5	Planes	$8.5	$59.5
6	Elysium	$7.1	$69.0
7	You’re Next	$7.0	$7.0
8	Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters	$5.2	$48.3
9	Blue Jasmine	$4.3	$14.7
10	Kick-Ass 2	$4.2	$22.4

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FILMS: The Butler, We're The Millers, The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones, The World's End, Planes, Elysium, You're Next, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Blue Jasmine, Kick-Ass 2