GENERAL MOVIE NEWS

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

Robert Redford Eyes Captain America: The Winter Soldier Role

March 23, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

robert-redford Robert Redford isn’t a name you’d have thought would be in contention for a Marvel’s superhero movie, but Deadline reports that he’s now in talks for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. If he does sign on, Redford would portray a senior leader at the S.H.I.E.L.D. organisation, although no further details have been given.

There already speculation that as with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, Redford’s character may be popping up in future Marvel movies, leading up to a more pivotal role in Avengers 2, although that has not been confirmed yet.

Chris Evans is set to once more play Steve Rogers/Captain America, with a story set in the present day after Marvel’s The Avengers (as opposed to Captain America’s WWII storyline). Anthony Russo and Joe Russo are directing from a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The movie will shoot later this year, probably in the UK.

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ACTORS: Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans DIRECTORS: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo FILMS: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Ninja Turtles Gets Its Raphael, In The Form Of Hottie Alan Ritchson

March 23, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

alan-ritchson2 With a June 2014 release date set, Platinum Dunes and Paramount Pictures really need to start moving on their new, live-action version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They’ve already cast Megan Fox, presumably as April O’Neil, and now they’ve found the first of the turtles, with Alan Ritchson set to play the sai-wielding Raphael, according to Deadline.

Unlike the 1990 original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the actors portraying the title characters will use state-of-the-art performance capture technology similar to Avatar, instead of wearing bulky turtle suits.

Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans, Battle: Los Angeles) is directing from a screenplay by Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Matt Holloway, and Art Marcum. There’s no info been released on the plot.

Alan Ritchson plays the District 1 tribute Gloss in this fall’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. He also played Aquaman on The CW’s Smallville and Thad Castle on Blue Mountain State, and was the facial model for Ray Winstone’s lead character in the motion-capture Beowulf (so he has some experience with mo-cap technology).

It does seem a shame that Ritchson’s body is going to be covered in loads of CGI, as shown by the image below.

Alan-Ritchson

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ACTORS: Megan Fox, Alan Ritchson DIRECTORS: Jonathan Liebesman FILMS: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

New Epic Trailer – Into an animated miniature world

March 22, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

The creators of Ice Age and Rio return on May 24th with Epic, which looks like it should be pretty fun, even if it won’t please anti-environmentalist nutjobs. It’s certainly got a great voice cast, including Amanda Seyfried, Beyonce Knowles, Josh Hutcherson, Beyonce, Colin Farrell and more.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘The creators of ICE AGE and RIO will reveal a hidden world unlike any other in an all new 3D CG action-adventure comedy. EPIC tells the story of a battle raging all around us between the forces of good, who protect nature, and the forces of evil, who wish to see it destroyed. When a teen age girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she must band together with a rag-tag team of fun and unique characters to save their world…and ours. EPIC is released in cinemas May 2013 from Twentieth Century Fox.’

Take a look at the new trailer below.

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ACTORS: Amanda Seyfried, Beyonce Knowles, Josh Hutcherson DIRECTORS: Chris Wedge FILMS: Epic

Logan Lerman Returns In First First Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Pics

March 22, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

percy-jackson-2-pic1 It’s taken a couple of years to get a sequel to Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief together, but Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters is now in the can and heading for release this August. The first pictures from the movie have been released, via USA Today, along with some comments from director Thor Freudenthal and star Logan Lerman, which you can see below.

Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Alexandra Daddario (Annabeth Chase), and Brandon T. Jackson (Grover), all return, along with new cast members Leven Rambin (Clarisse LaRue), Douglas Smith (Tyson the Cyclops), and Stanley Tucci (Dionysus). The story, adapted from Rick Riordan’s best-selling novel series, follows Percy and his friends on a quest to find a golden fleece, which is integral to saving a magical tree that protects his home, Camp Half-Blood.

Click on the pics below for larger versions and the director and star’s thoughts.

: Director Thor Freudenthal spoke about how Percy and Annabeth’s relationship has blossomed: “They are the best of friends. There is deep affection, but they are not a couple. You don’t know until the end where the relationship is really headed.”

: Leven Rambin’s Clarisse LaRue, pictured between Douglas Smith’s Tyson the Cyclops and Brandon T. Jackson’s Grover, becomes an ally to Percy in this sequel, according to the director: “This is the first movie we meet Clarisse. She goes from camp rival to unlikely ally to Percy.”

: Thor Freudenthal reveals Percy, Annabeth, and Grover have to take covert measures to complete their mission: “They basically have to sneak out of their own camp.”

: Logan Lerman revealed it’s easier to play Percy Jackson this time around: “It’s nice to go back to a world having a knowledge and a background in this kind of stunt work.”

: Stanley Tucci’s Dionysus, the God of Wine, is not allowed to drink anymore as punishment, according to Thor Freudenthal: “Zeus punished Dionysus by not allowing him to drink and that makes him incredibly frustrated. Stanley Tucci does a great comedic take on it.”

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ACTORS: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson DIRECTORS: Thor Freudenthal FILMS: Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Alex Pettyfer & Gabriella Wilde Find Endless Love

March 22, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Alex Pettyfer in Magic Mike

Director Shana Feste is getting the beautiful people together for a remake of Franco Zeferelli’s Endless Love, with Variety reporting that Gabriella Wilde and Alex Pettyfer are set to star.

Brooke Shields and Martin Hewitt starred in the 1981 version, which was about two teenagers, Jade and David, who fall desperately in love with one another. However Jade’s parent decide their passion is too string and try to stop them from seeing each other. Even David’s rather extreme reaction of burning down Jade’s parents’ house isn’t enough to break them up, although they may have to eventually realise that is they don’t stop, their desire is going to kill both of them. The new version will apparently stick quite close to that plot.

The roles have attracted quite a lot of young talent, with Magic Mike’s Alex Pettyfer beating out Brenton Thwaites for the male lead, with Three Musketeer’s Wilde scoring the female lead over Sarah Bolger and Olivia Cooke.

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ACTORS: Alex Pettyfer, Gabriella Wilde DIRECTORS: Shana Feste FILMS: Endless Love

Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal & Jeff Bridges Eyed For Jane Got a Gun

March 22, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

tobey-maguire There aren’t many movies that have faced as much drama as Jane Got A Gun did this week. After several days of arguments with the producer, director Lynne Ramsay didn’t show up for the first day of the shoot. This resulted in a scramble to find a replacement, with Gavin O’Connor stepping in.

Ramsay’s departure also saw Jude Law step away, as he’d only signed up to work with her. With O’Connor fast having to catch up on the film and 150 crew sitting around in New Mexico waiting to shoot, a new actor is needed fast. Now the LA Times reports that Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, and Jeff Bridges are being eyed for the part (Bridges may seem rather different to the other two, but he could still work).

Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton and Rodrigo Santoro are all still set to star in this Western, written by Brian Duffield. It’s about a wife (Portman) whose husband (Edgerton) returns home, barely alive after being shot eight times. She seeks the help of an ex-lover to defend her home when the gang of outlaws who shot her husband comes to finish what they started. It’s the head of the outlaws that’s the role currently up for grabs.

Hopefully everything will get sorted out and cameras can start rolling soon.

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ACTORS: Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jeff Bridges DIRECTORS: Gavin O'Connor FILMS: Jane Got A Gun

Gary Oldman Joining Tom Hardy & Noomi Rapace In Child 44

March 22, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman must like working together, as they’re set to team up for the fourth time in two years for Child 44, according to THR. Oldman joins Hardy, Noomi Rapace and Joel Kinnaman in the movie, which Daniel Espinosa is set to direct.

Child 44 is set in 1950s Russia, with Hardy as a Soviet military police officer who becomes the target of his suspicious government while he’s investigating a string of child murders. Joel Kinnaman will play the killer responsible for these brutal deaths, while Noomi Rapace is Hardy’s wife. Oldman meanwhile is the head of police who becomes suspicious of Hardy’s character and starts investigating him.

Oldman and Hardy previously starred together in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Lawless and The Dark Knight Rises, although they didn’t actually get much screentime together in any of those movies. Perhaps Child 44 will remedy that.

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ACTORS: Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Tom Hardy DIRECTORS: Daniel Espinosa FILMS: Child 44

The Lego Movie Title Logo & Competition Revealed

March 22, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

The first-ever, full-length theatrical LEGO adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, is due to open February 7th, 2014. Now the logo for the film has been revealed, which looks suitably bricky.

A competition has also been announced, offering aspiring filmmakers the possibility of having their own 15-30 second LEGO film creations featured in the movie. The competition opens on ReBrick on March 25th, but here’s a few details about it.

The fan-produced clips will relate to an exciting scene in the film, in which the citizens of the LEGO universe rally to prevent an unspeakable disaster. They do this by quickly disassembling the elements of their environments, brick by brick, and rebuilding them into fantastic and fun hybrid vehicles and tools, the stranger and more innovative, the better, like rocket/dragons or butterfly/speedboats, to take part in an epic battle.

Using only LEGO bricks and non-licensed LEGO mini-figures, contestants will select a character and set their action sequence in one of their favourite LEGO worlds, such as Space, Pirates, Western, Vikings, Dino, Castle, and others. After building and recording their LEGO vid, they must upload the video to YouTube, and bookmark it on the rebrick.com Building Challenge page, where it will be open for voting from the entire ReBrick membership. The 25 videos earning the most ‘Likes’ will be reviewed for creativity, originality, theme and suitability for the film by a panel of judges, including Phil Lord and Chris Miller, writers/directors of The Lego Movie.

The Grand Prize winner will receive a trip for two to Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California, for a VIP Tour; a meeting with the directors, to participate in a LEGO build; an exclusive LEGO film camera designed and built by the official LEGO model shop; plus souvenir items from the movie’s set, signed by the designers. His or her winning entry may also be edited into the film’s big battle sequence. Second and third place winners will also be honoured, as well as winners of bi-weekly prizes selected during the challenge’s six-week run, for a range of additional prizes, including tickets to the Studio’s tour, The Lego Movie merchandise, a $200 gift card for the Studio’s online store, and a feature spot on The Official LEGO Channel on YouTube.

All entrants must be at least 16 years old and be registered on the LEGO fansite rebrick. Submissions will be accepted from March 25, 2013, at 9:00 A.M., until May 6, 2013, at 8:59 A.M., EDT. Videos must be between 15-30 seconds and be captured using a camera that is at least 3.2 megapixels, and framed to fit within a 2.40:1 aspect ratio (as that’s what the final movie will use). If you fancy entering, make sure you read also the rule at rebrick.it/Contest.

The 3D computer animated The Lego Movie tells the story of Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.

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ACTORS: Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell DIRECTORS: Phil Lord, Chris Miller FILMS: The Lego Movie

Ian McShane, John Hurt and Joseph Fiennes Up For Dwayne Johnson’s Hercules

March 22, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

IAN-MCSHANE Brett Ratner is fast putting the cast together for Hercules, which has Dwayne Johnson attached to the title role, with Rufus Sewell and Aksel Hennie recently joining him. Now THR reports they’ve got more company as Ian McShane, John Hurt, Joseph Fiennes and Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson have signed up.

The film is based on the Radical Publishing graphic novel that takes a different approach to the Greek god, taking out many of the supernatural elements. Instead of being the son of Zeus, Hercules is a fierce mortal who is feared by many. When he leads his group of mercenaries on their latest mission, the job turns out to be much more complicated that previously imagined.

McShane is playing Amphiarus, a priest, prophet, and warrior who serves as Hercules’ adviser. It hasn’t been revealed who John Hurt, Joseph Fiennes and Rebecca Ferguson will play.

Brett Ratner is directing from a screenplay originally written by Ryan Condal (Paradise Lost), which is being polished by Evan Spiliotopoulos (Wanted 2). It’s expected to start shooting in the next few months.

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ACTORS: Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Joseph Fiennes DIRECTORS: Brett Ratner FILMS: Hercules (2013)

Seth Rogen To Direct The Interview, With James Franco Possibly Starring

March 22, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

seth-rogen Seth Rogen’s first directorial effort, This Is The End, hasn’t reached cinemas yet, but he’s already planning a follow-up, as he’s teaming up with Sony Pictures to direct, produce, and star in The Interview, according to THR. The studio is also courting Rogen’s Pineapple Express co-star James Franco for the other lead role, although negotiations have not started yet.

The movie is about a popular talk show host (which would be Franco’s role) and his producer (Seth Rogen), who become involved in a plot to assassinate the prime minister of North Korea. After Red Dawn, this is another movie that’s unlikely to improve relations between Kim-Jong Un and the West.

Seth Rogen is co-writing the screenplay with long-time scripting partner Evan Goldberg, based on an original story they concocted with The Daily Show’s Dan Sterling. It isn’t known when the $30 million project will start.

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ACTORS: Seth Rogen, James Franco DIRECTORS: Seth Rogen FILMS: The Interview