Sony Animation Tense, She-Hulk, & Lucasfilm Singapore Hiring...

Universal Pictures Sets 2008 VFX Tentpoles

(Universal Pictures)              Universal Pictures has announced release dates for some of the studio's biggest films in 2008.

The studio will release graphic novel adaptation Wanted, starring James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman, on March 28, 2008. The movie is currently in that spot by itself.

Universal has moved The Incredible Hulk away from Disney/Pixar's WALL-E and up two weeks to June 13, 2008. There is also no competition on that date yet.

On July 11, 2008, Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz are expected to return for The Mummy 3. It is currently scheduled up against Ben Stiller comedy Tropic Thunder, which DreamWorks also just moved into that spot.

A week later, on July 18, the studio has put Mamma Mia!, the big screen version of the musical to star Meryl Streep. It will face Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark Knight.

Sequel Hellboy 2: The Golden Army has been targeted for August 1, 2008 with no competition yet.

Then, on November 14, 2008, Universal is looking to release The Wolfman, starring Benicio Del Toro.

Other high profile release date updates for 2008 include: Vin Diesel sci-fi thriller, Babylon A.D., coming February 29; the Fourth Installment of the Indiana Jones Adventures, booked for May 22; and Mike Myers' The Love Guru, aiming for a June 20 release.

Visit the ComingSoon.net Film Database for many more daily release updates.

Executive Shake-up At Sony Animation

(latimes.com)              Penney Finkelman Cox, a veteran animation executive who helped launch Sony Pictures' foray into animation, is stepping down to become a producer for the division, the company announced Friday.

The management shake-up follows mounting tensions between Finkelman Cox and Yair Landau, vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, over creative control of the animation division.

With the changes, Landau will be directly in charge of creative decision-making in the animation group while continuing in his role as president of Sony Pictures Digital.

Finkelman Cox's longtime partner, Sandra Rabins, will remain executive vice president of the animation unit and report to Landau.

The changes come at a delicate time for Sony, which faces stiff competition in the crowded computer-animation market.

Landau was unavailable for comment, but in a statement he praised Finkelman Cox.

"We value the enormous contributions Penney made to launch this new division and look forward to her creative voice in an area where she has distinguished herself," Landau said.

Finkelman Cox declined to comment but said in a statement that, having built a roster of animated movies at Sony, she was ready to "return to my true passion, creative producing."

Finkelman Cox spent several years as a producer and executive producer of animated and live-action movies before joining Sony in 2002. Her credits include DreamWorks' "Shrek" and Walt Disney Co.'s "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids."

At Sony, Finkelman Cox and Rabins have spent the last 4 1/2 years assembling top talent, including "Lion King" director Roger Allers, to build a pipeline of animated movies.

Their first film, "Open Season," was considered a moderate success, grossing $187 million in box-office receipts worldwide.

Sony will release "Surf's Up" in June and has two films in production: "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" and "Hotel Transylvania."

The Sensational She-Hulk On The Way?

(iesb.net)              You heard right, if Nicolas Cage gets his way with  mega producer Avi Arad, Eva Mendes will get to wear green paint and a very small bikini as She-Hulk.

ImageToday during the press junket for Ghost Rider, Nicolas Cage revealed to a surprised group of journalists that he is currently trying to get She-Hulk off the ground with Eva to star as the lead green she-monster.

While it may be too early to tell if the folks over at Marvel will take this offer seriously, you can catch both mega stars in Ghost Rider which opens next week.

Wikipedia: Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner (Hulk), is the small and somewhat shy daughter of Los Angeles County Sheriff Morris Walters. Agents of Nicholas Trask, a crime boss who had crossed paths with her father, shot and seriously wounded her on a day that Bruce Banner happened to be in town for a visit. Since no donors of her blood type were available, Banner provided blood for a transfusion; his radioactive blood transformed Jennifer into the green-skinned She-Hulk.

As She-Hulk, Jennifer possessed powers similar to those of her cousin, though at a reduced level. She also possessed a less monstrous, more amazonian appearance. Jennifer's early adventures were chronicled in the 1980 Marvel Comics series The Savage She-Hulk which, following the first issue, were written by David Anthony Kraft.

Muren on Muren: VFX And The Art of Spectacle

(vfxworld.com)             Dennis Muren is more than a genius when it comes to visual effects -- he is a thinking man's filmmaker, which comes across in his work and in his thoughts about the aesthetics and craft of storytelling.

BD: What have you been working on lately?

DM: I'm actually writing a book on my own and spending a little bit of time at ILM and a little bit of time at Pixar. The book is for CG artists and I'm probably about a quarter of the way done with it. I've been on it for a year, but, hopefully, it will speed up.

BD: Do you have a title?

DM: No, not a real title yet.

BD: What's the focus of it?

DM: It's for people who are doing the work. I think people have not had an opportunity to learn about art. CG people come right out of school and are thrown into the work and there are a lot of basics they don't really have time to pick up on. Tools don't make the shots, and I talked about this to some universities and the people I've spoken to there don't seem to know what I'm talking about. We need more art classes and a better understanding of what reality looks like. Well, I gave up on them and just decided to do this as a book myself. That's what I'm doing. It's pretty important because I want to get this stuff down. Half of my job as an effects supervisor is saying the same stuff over and over and over again that I think could be in the job descriptions. If they just knew what they don't know -- and it's not taught anywhere.

More:   http://vfxworld.com/?atype=articles&id=3172

Ghost Rider A Tough VFX Shoot

(scifi.com)              Mark Steven Johnson, writer-director of the upcoming Marvel Comics adaptation Ghost Rider, told SCI FI Wire that special-effects challenges made the film a tough shoot. Ghost Rider stars Nicolas Cage as the title antihero, a stunt motorcycle rider who at night transforms into the devil's bounty hunter, a figure who rides a Hell Cycle, has a flaming skull for a face and wields a magic chain.

"We had a great time, and the studio was super supportive and all of that, but it was just tough, because we don't have the luxury of other comic-book movies like Spider-Man, where you can have Tobey Maguire be in the costume and shoot a scene," Johnson (Daredevil) said in an interview. "Every time you see Ghost Rider, it's a special effect. So it makes the movie ... become very expensive quickly, and ... you've got to plan out everything because of the cost."

Johnson added: "You know that if Ghost Rider is going to show up in a scene, and you're going to cut to his close-up, it's going to cost you $50,000. So you have to storyboard and pre-vis everything, and you can't cover a scene or get as much action sometimes in a scene as you'd like because of that cost involved."

The character of Ghost Rider also required some innovative computer graphics, Johnson said. "We had to create new flame programs for the CGI to make it all feel real and a part of his personality, the hellfire," he said. "Those were literally things we were inventing as we were going." Ghost Rider opens Feb. 16.

Lucas Planning New Star Wars DVD

(The Associated Press)           In an Associated Press reports on Hasbro's earnings, it states that "Star Wars" will remain a force to be reckoned with:

Looking ahead, Verrecchia said he expected Star Wars to continue to be a strong performer with Lucas planning a video release for this year's 30th anniversary, a Star Wars animated TV show next year and a live-action Star Wars TV show in 2009.

"He and his studio have a lot going on over the next several years to support the franchise," Verrecchia said.

We'll keep you updated on these three projects.

Steve Jobs Approved Backdated Options for Pixar's Lasseter

(news.toonzone.net)                    The Wall Street Journal is reporting that John Lasseter was granted back-dated options as part of his contract renewal in 2001. The options were granted at a price from three months before the contract was signed, which also happened to be the lowest price from the prior year. The contract was signed by Pixar CEO and Chairman Steve Jobs, who was investigated and ultimately cleared in an ongoing probe into back-dated options probe at Apple Inc.

Back-dated options are not illegal, although they must be accounted for and disclosed to shareholders according to SEC guidelines. A representative of the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco would not confirm or deny the Journal's report.

Capricorn One Remake In Development

(moviehole.net)               Director Peter Hyams is said to be in development on a remake of his 80s sci-fi piece, 'Capricorn One'. The 'Time Cop' and 'Sound of Thunder' helmer will produce, and Dave Dobkin ('Shanghai Knights') will direct.

The remake, imaginatively titled (hmm) "Capricorn 2", has apparently been in the early development stages for about six months now, with a late ’07 start date being eyeballed.

The original film, written by Hyams, told of NASA faking a mission to Mars, and the company having to keep the secret. Elliot Gould, James Brolin and a pre-Bronco O.J Simpson starred. Peter Buchman ("Jurassic Park III") will write the remake.

Regency are behind the redo. John Davis ("Norbit", "I Robot 2") is also onboard to produce.

Attempts to confirm or get a response out of Mr Hyams, or the company, have been unsuccessful at the time of writing.

CG Animated Tinker Bell Coming Fall '08

(Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment)             Walt Disney Pictures' all new CG-animated feature Tinker Bell will arrive worldwide in Fall 2008 from Disney's Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment it was announced today by Bob Chapek, president of BVWHE.

Tinker Bell, produced by DisneyToon Studios, will be the first time audiences hear Tinker Bell speak, as the movie brings to life the amazing world of Disney Fairies, The Walt Disney Company's newest franchise, in all-new CG-animation with Brittany Murphy as the voice of the spunky and sassy fairy. In the tradition of its many animated classics, Disney will bring to life an enchanting tale of Pixie Hollow and Tink's new fairy friends voiced by some of Hollywood's most talented actors.

Disney Fairies represents an expanded definition of synergy at The Walt Disney Company. As part of its ongoing commitment to drive the franchise companywide, Tinker Bell will be supported with a strong marketing campaign and a broad licensed merchandise program at major retailers around the world through an expanded Disney Fairies line from Disney Consumer Products. The new line will launch into new categories such as role play, youth electronics, stationery, home decor, and personal care.

Live Action Sorcerer's Apprentice For Disney

(Variety)           Nicolas Cage (Ghost Rider) and Todd Garner will produce The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a live-action feature for Walt Disney Pictures. Variety says the film is a possible starring vehicle for Cage.

Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal (Flicka, Eragon) wrote the script, which takes its inspiration from the poem by Goethe in which an old sorcerer leaves his workshop, in the hands of his apprentice, who's not yet fully trained in magic. The apprentice gets a broomstick to do his chores for him but things get out of control when the broom takes over.

The tale was the basis for the sequence in Disney's animated classic Fantasia.

Garner will produce through his Broken Road Productions. Cage and his producing partner Norm Golightly will produce through Saturn Films.

Broken Road and Saturn also teamed up to produce Next, an action thriller starring Cage, due out from Paramount on April 27.

Disney's Don Hahn at Cal State Northridge

(animationnation.com)                 For Cal State Northridge animation students, art majors and alumni.

* Development work on paper, sketch books, storyboards, character designs, really outstanding Life Drawing.
* Animation on DVD or desk top. Traditional, 2D digital or 3D CG. Can be character, story based or just exercises.
* 3D CG Modeling, Lighting.
* Visual Effects work.

LUCASFILM SINGAPORE HIRING NOW!

(hongkong.craigslist.org)                  Lucasfilm Singapore has immediate openings on our Handheld Development Team in SE Asia. If you're someone who has strong creative and technical skills, a good sense of humor, and can embrace the entrepreneurial spirit of a start-up company (who happens to have an award winning parent company), we would love to talk to you. This may be just the opportunity for you to leave a lasting impression on a generation of gamers.

Follow the link below to send us your details. Hope to hear from you soon!

Engineer (Lead): http://www.lucasfilm.com/employment/jobs/les/job20060705_2.html
Engineer (Senior Level): http://www.lucasfilm.com/employment/jobs/les/job20060606_30.html
Engineer (Mid Level): http://www.lucasfilm.com/employment/jobs/les/job20060606_29.html
Designer (Lead): http://www.lucasfilm.com/employment/jobs/les/job20060606_17.html
Designer (Mid Level): http://www.lucasfilm.com/employment/jobs/les/job20060606_18.html
Environment Artist (Lead): http://www.lucasfilm.com/employment/jobs/les/job20060606_21.html

Lucasfilm Singapore is a studio designed to produce digital animated content, including films, television and games for global audiences. Located in the Changi area of Singapore the studio opened in October of 2005 and covers approx. 40,000 square feet. More than 100 employees from 22 countries around the world have already been hired and hiring will continue through out 2006 and beyond.

The Singapore operation will work hand-in-hand with the Lucasfilm companies at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California and at The Presidio in San Francisco, CA. They begin production on a 3D animated television show based on the ' Star Wars' universe and are currently in the early hiring stages for a Handheld Development Team to start working on games for handheld devices.

Current opportunities can be reviewed at www.lucasfilm.com/employment/jobs, which is regularly updated with new openings.

Source:   http://hongkong.craigslist.org/med/272347462.html

Frank Miller's Ronin Comes To The Big Screen

(iesb.net)         At the press day for 300, producer Gianni Nunnari reports plans for his next project, Ronin. An adaptation of another of Frank Miller's works, Nunnari has tapped Sylvain White (Stomp The Yard) to direct.

Gianni has a first look deal with Warner Bros. and owns the rights to Miller's Ronin for the big screen adaptation.

Ronin tells the tale of a dishonored 13th-century samurai who is reborn in a corrupt and computerized 21st century New York with one last chance for redemption. His quest takes him through the violent Manhatten netherworld, and brings him face-to-face with passion, betrayal, murder... and the reincarnation of his sworn enemy, the ancient demon Agat. On a bleak and decaying battleground, the two foes wage a final war: to settle past debts, and for the soul of a dying civilization.

Sylvain White's most recent work was as director on Stomp The Yard that dealt with stepping a tradition among black fraternities and sororities in the United States.

Bill Gates Sees No Humor In 'Mac vs. PC' Ads

(networkworld.com)              Just the other day I was acknowledging to myself, "Self, let's lighten up about Apple's 'Mac vs. PC' advertising campaign." Seems the spots had finally won me over, a stark departure from this post of last summer. Not that I'm about to buy a Mac, mind you, it's just that I'm finally prepared to roll with humor of it all.

Seems Bill Gates isn't quite so ready.

Asked by Newsweek if he's "bugged" by the ad series installment where John Hodgman (the dorky PC character) is facing major "surgery" because he's being upgraded to Vista, Gates got his dander up.

"I've never seen it," Gates tells Newsweek.

Hmmm. ... He continues:

"I don't think the over 90 percent of the [population] who use Windows PCs think of themselves as dullards, or the kind of klutzes that somebody is trying to say they are."

This was pretty much my position back in June ... and that part hasn't changed with my recent conversion. I've just stopped taking it so personally.

But Gates was just getting warmed up.

"Well, certainly we've done a better job letting you upgrade on the hardware than our competitors have done. You can choose to buy a new machine, or you can choose to do an upgrade. And I don't know why [Apple is] acting like it's superior. I don't even get it. What are they trying to say? Does honesty matter in these things, or if you're really cool, that means you get to be a lying person whenever you feel like it? There's not even the slightest shred of truth to it."

When you're the world's richest man running the world's biggest software company you can pretty much answer any question any way you please (with the possible exception of when you're under oath). However, here's what I would have suggested for an answer had Gates asked for my opinion:

"Those TV ads? Sure, I've seem 'em. Funny stuff. A little light in the truthiness department, but funny. Let's move on to more substantive topics."

Of course, I don't have a gazillion dollars riding on Vista.