Cruise and Raimi Team for Adaptation of “Sleeper” Comic Book August 20, 2008 3:13 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comics, Movies, News.add a comment
Tom Cruise and Sam Raimi are teaming up to develop an adaptation of the comic book Sleeper. The series was written by Ed Brubaker and ran from 2003 through 2005. As per THR, the comic book series centers on an operative whose fusion with an alien artifact makes him impervious to pain and allows him to pass it on to others through skin contact. He is placed undercover in a villainous organization by an intelligence agency and falls for a member of the group, named Miss Misery.
Cruise could star in the film, while Raimi will produce alongside Josh Donen.
Source: THR
Clips from “The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior” + Enter to Win Collectibles From the Film August 19, 2008 9:31 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, The Scorpion King 2: Rise of A Warrior, Trailers.1 comment so far
The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior was released today (buy it on DVD here, or on Blu-ray Hi-Def here). Check out some behind-the-scenes footage and in-movie clips from the film below. Also, the official site is running a contest where fans can win collectibles from the film including the grand prize package that includes an autographed sword by Randy Coulture that was used in the movie, as well as a set of Sargon’s armor worn by Couture. Enter the contest at this link.
“The Dark Knight” Passes “Star Wars”; Now #2 Highest Grossing Film of All-Time August 19, 2008 7:17 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Box Office, Movies, News, The Dark Knight, Tropic Thunder.2 comments
After placing first for four straight weekends, The Dark Knight fell to second place this weekend with $16.4M, edged out by the hilarious movie-within-a-movie comedy Tropic Thunder which took first place with $25.8M.
However, and more impressively, The Dark Knight passed up Star Wars ($461M) to take second place on the domestic all-time chart. Through Sunday, its gross stood at $471.1M and is now at $473.2M when including Monday’s grosses. The film moved its way into the number two spot on Saturday.
How appropriate is it that Star Wars fell out of the number two spot on the weekend when a new Star Wars film, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, was released? ‘The Clone Wars’ in fact could only manage a third place $14.6M.
I’m currently projecting the final domestic gross of The Dark Knight at between $502-513M.
The rest of the top 10 follows after the jump.
“Witchblade The Complete Series”: DVD Review August 19, 2008 6:42 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in DVD, DVD Review, Television, Witchblade, Witchblade The Complete Series.add a comment
In this adaptation of the Top Cow comic book, Witchblade is the story of a New York detective, Sara “Pez” Pezzini, whose search for justice brings her into contact with the Witchblade, an ancient, intelligent, living weapon so powerful it can battle Earth’s darkest evil forces. Week in and week out, “Pez” employs her skills as a police detective to fight crime. She finds she must employ the Witchblade to combat a much greater and frighteningly organized conspiracy of evil that threatens the very soul of humanity. As Sara tries to keep the secret of the Witchblade, do her job and have a personal life, she finds that her most formidable adversary may be the Witchblade itself.
Read my review of the complete series DVD after the jump.
“Iron Man” Deleted Scene August 19, 2008 6:41 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Blu-ray, DVD, Iron Man, Movies, News.add a comment
The DVD/Blu-ray isn’t due until September 30th, but Access Hollywood got their hands on one of the deleted scenes include on the home video release of the film. Watch the delete scene below.
Fox Goes with Relativity on “Voltron” August 19, 2008 6:35 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Voltron.add a comment
20th Century Fox is moving forward with their big screen adaptation of Voltron. According to Variety, the film is being set up at Relativity Media with a “more moderate budget, utilizing the type of cost-effective technology employed in films including 300.
Mark Gordon and Jordan Wynn are still attached to produce, as are executive producers Bryan Zuriff, Jim Young, Mark Costa and Ford Oelman. A director is expected to be announced within the next week.
Kevin Smith: “Watchmen” is ‘F**king Astounding’ August 19, 2008 6:31 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Watchmen.add a comment
Kevin Smith (Zack and Miri Make A Porno) really likes Watchmen. The writer/director was recently given a private screening of the Zack Snyder film, based on the popular graphic novel, and wrote the following on his MySpace page:
“I saw Watchmen. It’s fucking astounding. The Non-Disclosure Agreement I signed prevents me from saying much, but I can spout the following with complete joygasmic enthusiasm: Snyder and Co. have pulled it off. Remember that feeling of watching Sin City on the big screen and being blown away by what a faithful translation of the source material it was, in terms of both content and visuals? Triple that, and you’ll come close to watching Watchmen. Even Alan Moore might be surprised at how close the movie is to the book. March can’t come soon enough.”
Synopsis
300’s Zack Snyder brings Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ critically acclaimed comic book Watchmen to the big screen, courtesy of DC Comics and Warner Bros. Pictures. Set in an alternate universe circa 1985, the film’s world is a highly unstable one where a nuclear war is imminent between America and Russia. Superheroes have long been made to hang up their tights thanks to the government-sponsored Keene Act, but that all changes with the death of The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a robust ex-hero commando whose mysterious free fall out a window perks the interest of one of the country’s last remaining vigilantes, Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley). His investigation leads him to caution many of his other former costumed colleagues, including Dr. Manhattan, Night Owl (Patrick Wilson), Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), Sally Jupiter (Carla Gugino), and her daughter, The Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman). Heralded for bringing the world of superheroes into the literary world, Watchmen gave the super-powered mythos a real-life grounding that had been missing in mainstream comics to that point. The film adaptation had languished in one form of development hell or another for years after the book’s release, with various directors on and off the project, including Terry Gilliam, David Hayter, and Darren Aronofsky, as well as Paul Greengrass, whose eventual dismissal stemmed from budget conflicts with the studio.
Watchmen hits theaters on March 6, 2009.
Lionsgate Moving Forward with R-Rated “Conan” August 19, 2008 6:26 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Conan, Movies, News, Television.add a comment
The upcoming proposed $100 million R-rated Conan film from Lionsgate is moving along. The studio has hired Outlander scribes Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain to rework the former script that was written by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer.
“We all want this movie to go into production as soon as possible,” producer Fredrick Malmberg said. “It’s a fast-tracked movie. Lionsgate felt the process was enhanced by having a second team come in and do a script.”
The film is expected to be released in 2009.
Source: THR
Matthew Fox of “Lost” Gets Pay Raise; Other Cast Members Also Re-Negotiating August 19, 2008 6:20 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, Casting, Lost, News, Television.add a comment
Mathew Fox is the first of the principal cast of Lost to ink a new deal. The actor, who with Evangeline Lilly entered into negotiations with ABC on a new contract, will now be paid about $225,000 per episode (up from about $150,000 per episode). A deal still hasn’t be struck with Lilly, and also, upon hearing about the contract negotiations of the show’s two main stars, many of the show’s supporting cast have entered into their own renegotiation’s. They’re currently paid in the $80,000-$90,000 per episode range.
“Valkryie” Gets New Release Date + More Photos August 19, 2008 6:15 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Photos, Valkryie.1 comment so far
The delay to February 13, 2009 was short-lived. MGM has announced that the release of Bryan Singer’s Valkryie, which stars Tom Cruise, is moving up to December 26, 2008. Despite the obvious awards season advantage, MGM says that they believe it will play stronger during the holiday season than it would in February. A couple new photos from the film have also been released, which you can check out after the jump.
Synopsis
At the absolute height of World War II, German generals hatch a daring plan to assassinate Adolf Hitler and effectively render the German war machine impotent. Directed by Bryan Singer (Superman Returns), Valkyrie stars Tom Cruise and was penned by writing partners Chris McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander.
New “Heroes” Trailer And Posters August 19, 2008 6:05 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Heroes, NBC, Posters, Television, Trailers.add a comment
A new trailer of Heroes that was set to debut on August 30th as part of NBC’s NBC Primetime Preview, has been released online, as well as two new posters.
Heroes season three kicks off on Monday, September 21st with a one-hour recap special at 8pm ET, followed by the two-hour season premiere from 9-11pm.
Posters’s (click to enlarge)
30th Anniversary “Dallas” Reunion August 19, 2008 5:58 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in CBS, Dallas, News, Television.add a comment
Take note J.R. fans. On Saturday, November 8th, cast members of the CBS classic Dallas will gather at the Southfork Ranch for a 30th anniversary of the series. Those attending will be Larry Hagman (J.R.), who will be the unofficial host, Linda Gray (Sue Ellen) and Patrick Duffy (Bobby) will be in attendance. Tickets for the event go on sale this Friday, August 22nd and will cost between $100 and $1,000. Price of admission earns you the opportunity to ask a question, tour Southfork and watch a fireworks display, among other things I’m sure.
‘Harry Potter 6’ Pushed Back to Summer 2009 and New Photos + “Bolt” and “Twilight” Take Advantage of Delay August 19, 2008 5:56 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Bolt, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Movies, News, Photos, Twilight.add a comment
Citing after effects of the writers strike as one of the reasons, Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros. has announced that the studio has pushed back the release date of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from November 21, 2008 to July 17, 2009.
“Our reasons for shifting ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last ‘Harry Potter’ film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films—changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”
Walt Disney Pictures’ Bolt was the first film to take advantage of the delay, moving the animated film up five days from November 26th to November 21st. Summit Pictures was quick to follow, deciding to move its heavily hyped vampire drama Twlight from December 12th to November 21st.
You’ll find the press releases from Warner Bros. and Summit Entertainment, respectively after the jump, as well as some new photos from Harry Potter 6 after the jump.
“Batman: Arkham Asylum” Video Game August 19, 2008 5:49 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Batman, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Video Games.1 comment so far
While there won’t be a videogame released based on the hit film The Dark Knight, at least not at the moment, there will be a new Batman game. Featuring a story written by Paul Dini, EA has announced that they’ll be releasing Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009. Click here to check out some scans from the game.
Source: Game Informer
‘Indiana Jones 4’ DVD and Blu-ray Details Revealed August 19, 2008 5:44 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Blu-ray, DVD, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Movies, News.add a comment
Paramount has announced the specs of its October 14th release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film will be released on both DVD (single and two-disc) and Blu-ray Hi-Def (two-disc only). This marks the first time an Indiana Jones film has been released on a high-def medium, and only the second Steven Spielberg-directed film. Check out the full details after the jump.
LaBeouf Back on the set of ‘Transformers 2’ August 19, 2008 5:23 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.add a comment
Turns out the hand injury that Shia LaBeouf suffered from a recent car accident won’t be as big a factor on the filming as originally expected. Although it was previously reported that first unit filming would be delayed for at least a month due to LaBeouf’s injury, Entertainment Tonight and Film School Rejects have reported that as of last Thursday, the actor returned to the set of filming.
Synopsis
Michael Bay returns to helm the sequel to the highly successful big-screen adaptation of the Transformers toy line for DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. Much of the original cast returns for the second installment, including Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro, with Rainn Wilson joining in the fun as a college professor.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters on June 26, 2009.
‘Madagascar 3’ In the Works + Sequel for “Kung Fu Panda” in Early Stages August 19, 2008 5:18 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Movies, News.add a comment
DreamWorks Animation CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, revealed that he expects at least one additional film in the Madagascar series, and confirmed the rumor that the studio is moving forward with a sequel to their summer hit Kung Fu Panda.
Speaking on Madagascar, Katzenberg said “there is at least one more chapter. We ultimately want to see the characters make it back to New York.” On Kung Fu Panda, Katzenberg said “We’ve started conversations about it, and I think in the next 30 or 60 days, we’ll be able to talk completely about that,” Katzenberg said.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
ABC Adapting “Maid in Manhattan” from Film to TV August 19, 2008 5:14 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, Maid in Manhattan, Movies, News, Television.add a comment
The 2002 romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez, Maid in Manhattan, is being adapted from the big screen to Television courtesy of ABC. Lopez will executive produce the planned series, along with Joe Roth and the film’s producer, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, while Chad Hodge will write. The hourlong drama/comedy will not be a remake, however: “The show is a different maid in a different Manhattan,” Hodge said. While the lead will remain a young Latina from the Bronx, the series will focus mostly on her relationships with her co-workers at a Manhattan hotel.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
New Trailer for “Body of Lies” August 19, 2008 5:12 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Body of Lies, Movie Trailers, Movies.2 comments
Warner Bros. Pictures has released a new trailer for their Ridley Scott-directed drama Body of Lies which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. Watch the trailer below.
Synopsis
Fresh off of their success with director Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, star Leonardo DiCaprio and screenwriter William Monahan team with director Ridley Scott for this screen adaptation of David Ignatius’ novel Body of Lies. When CIA operative Roger Ferris (DiCaprio) uncovers evidence indicating that a major terrorist leader may be operating out of Jordan, he enlists the aid of CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) in infiltrating the elusive saboteur’s vast underground network. During the course of his dangerous mission, Ferris gradually comes to question how much he can trust his presumed allies — who include not just Hoffman, but the outwardly helpful head of Jordanian intelligence as well.
Body of Lies hits theaters on October 10, 2008.
Watch it in Standard Definition below, or click here to watch it in HD.
CBS Developing New “Hawaii Five-O” Series August 19, 2008 5:08 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in CBS, Hawaii Five-O, News, Television.add a comment
CBS is developing a new series based on the Hawaii Five-O franchise. The series comes from Criminal Minds executive producer/showrunner Ed Bernero.
The update will follow the structure of the original series, a procedural chronicling the workings of the fictional Hawaiian state police department, with Bernero noting that they “will try to keep as much of the original show as possible,” adding “I’m not trying to reinvent it.” In the original series, the unit was headed up by Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord). The new series will have McGarrett’s son Chris, as the head cop.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Broadcast TV Ratings for Monday, August 18, 2008 August 19, 2008 4:39 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.add a comment
Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, August 17, 2008 August 18, 2008 6:25 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings.add a comment
A complete breakdown of the night’s ratings follows after the jump.
Zak Penn to Write/Produce “The Argonauts” August 18, 2008 1:22 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News.add a comment
Zak Penn has been hired by 20th Century Fox to write and produce a big screen adaptation of the classic Greek tale The Argonauts. Penn will work with John Davis. This will be the third adaptation of the material, as it was first adapted in 1963 and more recently in 2000 for Hallmark Television. Dreamworks is also working on a project with the same title.
Source: Variety
“Nightline” At Risk of Cancellation August 18, 2008 1:13 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, News, Nightline, Television.add a comment
Despite a trend that shows the long-running newsmagazine Nightline closing the viewer gap against CBS’s Late Night With David Letterman, ABC could cancel the news magazine should the network get the opportunity to pick up Jay Leno in a new late-night talk show.
“It would be hard for ABC not to make a play for Leno,” said Greg Kahn, senior vice president of the ad-buying firm Optimedia. “He is still at the top of his game, and the thinking is that a lot of ad dollars would follow him to another network.”
Starting next year, Leno will step down from The Tonight Show, so that NBC can install Conan O’Brien as the new host, but Leno, 58, isn’t ready to retire and rival studios ABC and Fox are already making a play on the talk show host, whose show earns about $50 million a year profit for NBC.
Source: LA Times
“Star Trek” Movie Site Updated August 18, 2008 12:54 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, Posters, Star Trek.add a comment
The official website for J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek has been updated with the four recently revealed new posters, featuring John Cho (Sulu), Simon Pegg (Scotty), Karl Urban (McCoy) and Anton Yelchin (Chekov), which I posted about in this article. You’ll find the high-resolution posters after the jump.
Your Entertainment Now 