4 VFX Franchises Reborn, Hobbit Director A Monster, & Battleship with Aliens...
A Fourth Film for 4 Huge VFX Film Franchises?
(latimes.com) Four film franchises. One decade. More than $10 billion worth of theater tickets sold.
In their best moments, the "Lord of the Rings," "Spider-Man,"
"X-Men" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies have delivered
unforgettable adventure and escapism for audiences. Now, though, with
the decade winding down and all four franchises sitting as nice, tidy
trilogies, the question must be asked: Isn't three the magic number? Do
we really need a fourth movie from any of these aging popcorn
enterprises? The answer (in Hollywood, at least) is, of course, yes,
but each franchise faces unique challenges moving forward.
'Lord of the Rings'/ 'The Hobbit'
The story so far:
Director Peter Jackson's majestic and magical interpretation of J.R.R.
Tolkien's epic is arguably the gold standard now for fantasy-film
franchises. The "Rings" film trilogy piled up a staggering $2.92
billion in worldwide box office (plus more than $3 billion in DVD and
other ancillary sales) and also pulled off a magic trick that has
eluded the "Star Wars" or "Harry Potter" franchises -- it cast a spell
over voters in the marquee Oscar categories of best picture, director
and adapted screenplay.
The challenge: The bad news is: Jackson won't be directing this time. The good news, though, is that Guillermo del Toro is his handpicked successor. After the unsettling and singular fairy visions of the Oscar-winning "Pan's Labyrinth," there's plenty of reason to get excited about the Guadalajara, Mexico, native's mighty imagination coming to bear on, say, the black forest of Mirkwood. Still, "The Hobbit," published in 1937, is considered by some to be Tolkien's literary warm-up act for his 1950s "Rings" epic, which is more complex, darker and intended for an older audience. The stakes are high: "The Hobbit" will be told over two films with a combined budget north of $300 million.
The status: Work is well underway in New Zealand on "The Hobbit," although principal photography won't begin until April. Major casting announcements are imminent (Ian McKellen is already in, as are Andy Serkis and Hugo Weaving, according to recent comments by Del Toro in a BBC interview) and there will be plenty of time for fans to debate them -- the first of the two films isn't due until December 2011, with the sequel to follow in December 2012.
Jackson is onboard as co-writer and executive producer and, by all accounts, his working relationship with Del Toro is a supportive and upbeat one. And, miraculously, the film seems to have finally escaped the dreaded pits of litigation; an ugly dispute with the late Tolkien's heirs was settled in September and Jackson's scorched-earth battle with New Line Cinema was somehow resolved in 2007 and now seems like a fading memory -- well, at least to all of us who didn't pay attorney fees.
'Spider-Man'
The story so far: Not that long ago, the standard assumption in Hollywood was that there were only two superheroes with enough general-audience appeal to carry a film franchise -- Superman and Batman. That changed in May 2002 when "Spider-Man" swung into theaters and grabbed $115 million domestically in its opening weekend, a new record at the time. Unlike the majestic Man of Steel of Metropolis or the handsome billionaire prowling Gotham, this hero was a high school nerd bitten by a bug. Not only did he fight villains, he had to contend with homework, money problems and a losing streak with girls.
The franchise, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, has continued to soar commercially -- "Spider-Man 3" in May 2007 again set the mark for the biggest U.S. opening weekend with $151 million (although last year's "The Dark Knight" edged it with $158 million).
The challenge: A fourth "Spider-Man" film is a no-brainer
for Sony -- the web-slinger movies rank as the three highest-grossing
films in the studio's history. But while the first two films were
widely praised for their verve and heart, the third struck many viewers
as noisy, hollow and disjointed. Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan
wrote, "It's as if its plot elements were the product of competing
contractors who never saw the need to cooperate on a coherent final
product." The fourth movie has other challenges: How many other ways
can the relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson be bent
without totally losing its shape? What villain left on the list can
connect with a wide audience?
The status: In May, Raimi told The Times that filming on the
fourth film will start in February. In that interview, he said he has
regrets not just about the third film, but all of them. "What would I
have done differently? I would have done everything differently, every
single shot, I think, in every picture that I've ever made. Everything
that I've done torments me."
'X-Men'
The story so far: With the triumph of comic-book properties in Hollywood today, it's easy to forget how startling Bryan Singer's "X-Men" was when it arrived in 2000. Sleek, sophisticated and respectful of its studied source material, the Fox film ran counter to the then-standard Hollywood approach of turning comic-book adaptations into smirking cartoons that insulted loyal fans of the properties.
The $75-million film made $296 million in worldwide box office. The sequel "X2: X-Men United" arrived as one of the most anticipated releases of 2003 and finished with $408 million worldwide and better reviews than the first one. Singer left the franchise to take on "Superman Returns," so Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour") was brought in for the third movie, "X-Men: The Last Stand," which rolled up $459 million at the box office but suffered some withering reviews.
The challenge: The fact that the franchise's central hero, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), was spun off into a lone-wolf film this year suggested that the Marvel mutant team might be akin to an aging band that just watched its lead singer launch a solo tour. But last month, producer Lauren Shuler Donner, a key figure in the franchise, said that a fourth "X-Men" film remains viable and, more than that, there are efforts moving toward that goal, although they are in very early stages. That may be true, but there have been plenty of mixed signals when it comes to Fox and potential mutant movies; more than a half-dozen different projects have been trumpeted at one time or another, among them a Magneto film, a Deadpool movie and a New Mutants spinoff.
The status: Amid all the noise, the most interesting tidbit in
recent months was the August report in Variety that Singer was flirting
with the idea of directing "X-Men: First Class," which would be a
prequel based on the popular comic book series and the draft script by "The O.C."
creator Josh Schwartz. Later, Donner publicly stated that "First Class"
is not the likely next film, but the linkage of Singer to any Marvel
mutant is big news -- and may signal an effort to have him back in
X-business.
'Pirates of the Caribbean'
The story so far: Back in 2003, in the months before the release of the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, few observers thought the venture was seaworthy. It was a $135-million movie based on a Disneyland ride -- a crass approach to filmmaking that had given the world the failure of "The Country Bears" just a year earlier.
On paper, it looked like madness, but, of course, it turned out to be a treasure map. Johnny Depp's blowzy rogue, Jack Sparrow, would become a signature character in modern popcorn-film history, while director Gore Verbinski tapped into a rollicking mix of adventure, supernatural thrills and comedy. The first film pulled in $654 million worldwide. The sequel did even better -- its $1.06 billion worldwide made it the highest-grossing film of 2006. A third film in 2007 brought in $961 million. A fourth installment, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," is due in 2011.
The challenge: There are plenty. The first film was fresh, fun
and unexpected, but the franchise started to get creaky as soon as it
came back for a second voyage. The third film was oddly long and
labored. Claudia Puig of USA Today called it a "bloated, overwrought
and convoluted three-hour misfire."
Still, Disney wanted to keep this ship afloat, so a new approach was taken with this fourth film: The studio secured the rights to "On Stranger Tides," a 1987 novel by fantasy author Tim Powers that weaves a tale of pirates, voodoo and the Fountain of Youth, making this the first adapted work in the series. That's all to the good, but there's also the question of who will replace Verbinski, who decided that after three films it was time to go ashore. Rob Marshall ("Chicago") is the name that is everywhere, but his hiring has not been confirmed by the studio.
The status: The plan is to start filming in the spring (according to an MTV
interview with costar Geoffrey Rush). The venture got off to a sunny
start when Depp, proving himself a real trouper, showed up at a Disney
convention in Anaheim in his full Sparrow costume and makeup to promote
the film. Depp and Dick Cook, the longtime Disney studio executive who
was a key player in the "Pirates" franchise, smiled, hugged and mugged
for the cameras and fans. Then, just days later, Cook was fired by his
corporate bosses. Depp, in an interview with Claudia Eller of The
Times, said he was "shocked and very sad" and admitted that there was
"a crack in my enthusiasm" for the planned "Pirates" sequel. But a
contract is a contract, and few expect any mutiny from Captain Jack.
Monster Cameo For Hobbit Director
(TheOneRing.net) The Hobbit director confirmed on their message boards that he'll be making a cameo appearance as a small monster:
I had a hand on the design of the creature and I will personally sculpt the appliances that will be applied on my face and hands. I used to sculpt the creatures for NECROPIA (my FX company) and I miss it a bit. I will have a line or two and die quickly.
Fox Moves Up CGI "Chipmunks" Sequel
The move comes in response to figures showing that more than three-quarters of kids will be out of school by the Wednesday of that week and hopes to start cashing in early before the crowded Xmas Day slot takes hold.
The downside however is the studio will open its two big season tentpoles within less than a week of each other (the other is "Avatar" opening December 18th).
Is Avatar Too Expensive To Be Successful?
(nytimes.com)
Avatar will reportedly cost 20th Century Fox, James Cameron and all
subsequent investors a combined total of $500 million to make and
market, leaving, well, MOST OF US wondering if the film based on a
(semi) original story imagined by Cameron) \u2013 has a hope of being a
box office success story, or the fate of being the next Waterworld.
At what point the various partners in “Avatar” would see profit from the film depends on what share of revenue each receives as the movie reaches theaters, then home video and other media around the world. If domestic ticket sales reach $250 million — a level broken in the last year by five films, including “Star Trek” and “The Hangover” — Fox and its allies would appear to be headed into the black.
Mr. Cameron’s “Titanic,” which took in more than $1.8 billion at the worldwide box office after its release in 1997, was a major corporate event for the News Corporation, then about a third the size of the current conglomerate, which has roughly $30 billion in annual sales. Less than a year after the release, the News Corporation raised nearly $3 billion in a public offering of shares in its filmed entertainment group, partly on the strength of “Titanic.” (It bought those shares back four years ago.)
The News Corporation is carrying a much smaller share of “Avatar’s” production cost, as a pair of private equity partners — Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Media — pick up 60 percent of the budget, according to people who were briefed on the economics of the film but spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid conflict with the studio or filmmakers.
Speaking by telephone on Thursday, James Clayton, the chief executive of Ingenious, confirmed his company’s backing for “Avatar,” but declined to discuss the size of its stake. Greg Coote, the chief executive of Dune, declined to be interviewed.
Full Press: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/business/media/09avatar.html?_r=4&src=twr&pagewanted=allPeter Berg's Battleship Adaptation Will Have Aliens!
(screencrave.com) First off all, why are we making a movie based on the board game Battleship? The news has been out for a while, and just when you think you can settle into the ridiculousness that is this adaptation something else comes along that's even more disturbing. According to the folks over at Latino Review a break has been made in the plot of the upcoming Peter Berg film and it's so outlandish yet still predictable.
For the most part, no one had any idea as to how Berg and company would adapt this board game for the big screen. There are some basic ideas about war and ships but who would be the villains? That's where this latest development comes in, we're hearing that the bad guys in question will be ALIENS! That's right, extraterrestrials of the ET/Alien vs Predator kind.
How does the story go from the high seas to space? Perhaps the military needs to find a way to fight off an invasion on their turf? Or maybe these are water based aliens who need the slippery stuff to survive like the squid like monster in The Faculty? Either way, this is not making the film look any better. If anything it makes me want to claw my eyes out in frustration.
Production on Battleship begins next spring, so between now and then lets hope there are some developments regarding the story that can debunk this idea. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on August 5, 2011.
Spielberg's Manga Old Boy DEAD!
(latinoreview.com) You know that OLDBOY remake…well it wasn’t really a remake, anyway (which is a terrible idea by the way) Steven Spielberg and Will Smith were suppose to do a film that was based on the Japanese manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya and NOT FROM THE ORIGINAL FILM.
At the time DreamWorks was in the process of securing the rights along with MANDATE, until NOW.
According to a trusted source…
…It’s DEAD!
Mandate and DreamWorks didn’t see eye to eye therefore DreamWorks has apparently walked away.
No Spielberg.
No Will Smith.
THEY’RE OUT!
Hence no stateside Oldboy remake…or whatever you want to call it.
Achieving the Look of Fantastic Mr. Fox
(comingsoon.net) Even among animated films, Fantastic Mr. Fox looks unique. In a field dominated by computer generated animation, Wes Anderson's new film stands apart even from other stop-motion movies.
Anderson began creating this unique look long before a single set was built, or an anthropomorphic fox was posed in front of a camera.
"We started by developing a color theory for the film," explains Nelson Lowery, the film's production designer, "It was a limited color palate, quite unusual for an animated film. There was no blue or green. [It was mostly] autumnal colors."
This posed a slight difficulty for the team. "When you make a palate like that, when you interject grey it would become a new color. While grey would just be grey in any normal movie, once it's against those warm colors it becomes sort of purple, or slightly blue, or cold feeling." Despite this, Lowery is positive about the effect it created: "It was set up at the beginning, and it was very restrictive, so it was quite a challenge at first, but I think it paid off."
With this 'color theory' in place, Lowery began work on the sets. "When you go to design a film, and you have everything to draw upon, it's kind of nice to have a point of reference, and Wes likes to do that for sure."
That point of reference was Great Misenden, the village in which Roald Dahl lived. "We first did a lot of reference gathering on a couple of trips here. Even though the film is wildly stylized it is really based on this landscape. I was just noting on the drive in here, there is a radio tower across the street, and that's in the movie." This influence, Lowery tells us, even went as far as the tree lines. "We ended up making it from reticulated foam from air conditioners. [We] literally traced the shapes of the bushes and the trees here."
In addition to the extraordinary level of work that went into the landscapes, there was similar care and attention paid to the design of the characters. Andy Gent, who was the film's models supervisor explained how the process worked: "The character designers would spend an awful lot of time sketching them out, developing the characters in a 2D form, until Wes was happy with that, then we'd make a sculpt from that."
Full Press: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=60690
Paris to Host 3rd VFX Confab
(hollywoodreporter.com) PARIS -- French film industry professionals and moviegoers will treat their eyes to a special effects feast as the third edition of two-day VFX conference Parisfx kicks off in the French capital on Nov.18.
The two-day event devoted to special effects and digital technology will feature case studies, round tables and presentation of images from upcoming films.
This year's topics include 3D technology and the convergence of film, video games and new media.
Case studies highlighting these topics will feature visits from Buf Compagnie for Luc Besson's "Arthur and the Vengeance of Malthazar," Eclair VFX for Pierre Morel's "From Paris With Love" and Mikros Image for and Jacques Perrin's "Oceans."
Cube Creative Production will host a discussion on "3D in all its forms" and Digital Banana Studio will focus on "Cartoon characters from 2D to 3D."
A closing night cocktail for industry professionals to mingle will be held on Nov. 19th.
Len Wiseman to Direct The End Of The World
(The Hollywood Reporter) 20th Century Fox has bought an untitled pitch (going by the name "Nocturne") about the end of the world, with Live Free or Die Hard and "Underworld" helmer Len Wiseman in talks to direct and produce.
The project is based on an original idea about a group of people who survive the end of the world and the mystery surrounding how they got to that position. The studio is seeking writers for the project.
Wiseman is attached to Atlantis Rising and Shrapnel but does not have a go picture.
Laika Animation Hires New CFO from DreamWorks Animation
(The Oregonian) Phil Knight's Portland animation studio, named Gary Raksis chief financial officer tonight. Raksis formerly ran strategic planning and corporate finance at DreamWorks Animation SKG.
In February Laika released its first feature, "Coraline," which enjoyed wide critical acclaim and unexpectedly strong box-office results, with receipts topping $120 million.
Knight, Nike's co-founder, named his son Travis chief executive of Laika earlier this year. Together, the Knights are in the final stages of selecting Laika's next feature.
Last month, Laika parted ways with Henry Selick, who was Coraline's director and had been the studio's chief creative visionary.
Star Trek's Abandoned Mos Eisley Cantina Scene
(cinemablend.com) I loved JJ Abrams Star Trek reboot, but if there's a bad scene in the movie's Kirk's rather lame chase sequence with an alien monster on an ice planet. It just doesn't fit in with anything else that's going on in the film and, maybe there's a reason for that. Originally, they had something else in mind.
IO9 has concept art from the sequence they'd originally planned for Jim Kirk after being marooned by his shipmates. The planet was supposed to be a desert planet, and more than that a populated desert planet where he'd encounter alien traders and smugglers. Think Mos Eisley from Star Wars and that seems to be the direction they were thinking in.
Check out the concept: http://io9.com/5400693/the-lost-cantina-scene-from-abrams-star-trek/
