This Universal announcement isn’t as unexpected as the last one, since it’s been somewhat in the air for a while now, but Chad reminds us that Paul Greengrass’s “Green Zone” has landed a March 2010 release date, taking it out of this year’s Oscar race and leaving the studio with two summer hopefuls: Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies” and Judd Apatow’s “Funny People.” Unless, of course, there’s a festival pick-up. Lots of potential still floating around on that front.
Category: Daily
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‘The Wolf Man’ moves to 2010
This is kind of a bummer. I was actually really looking forward to “The Wolf Man,” starring Benicio Del Toro in the classic monster role and sure to be a showcase for makeup artist Rick Baker (not to mention design heads Rick Heinrichs and Milena Canonero.Today we get this, courtesy of ShockTillYouDrop.com:
You’ll have to wait a bit longer to see Benicio Del Toro howl at the moon as The Wolfman.
Universal Pictures is pushing the film out of its November 6th slot and placing it on February 12, 2010. That’s one week after the release of the creature feature The Cabin in the Woods by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon.
We can’t tell you exactly why Universal has made the shift. It could be due to the additional shooting that occurred earlier this year that reportedly involved FX artist Rick Baker. The radical release date bumps (original from April to November now next year) don’t bode well buzz-wise. Here’s hoping for the best!
Ah well. Update your predictions, I guess, but it’s a shame this couldn’t be positioned as a Halloween event.
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Focus’s ‘Boat’ gets a new title: ‘Pirate Radio’
A few weeks ago we learned that the folks at Focus Features would be re-editing Richard Curtis’s “The Boat That Rocked” for U.S. shores in an effort to whip the project, which didn’t fare well with critics across the pond, into more profitable shape. Now I’m hearing the title is also getting a change, to the more fetching (if you’re asking me, though I know no one is) “Pirate Radio.”
Thoughts?
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Herzog, Moore, Coens plan a stop at TIFF
Some exciting announcements out of Toronto today (still no “Road”). The festival is shaping up to be very, very cool this year.The film I am most excited about, announced today, is Werner Herzog’s remake “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” with Nicolas Cage in the role that Harvey Keitel made legendary. No in between with this one; they either nailed it or blew it.
Drew Barrymore will bring her directorial debut here, the roller derby flick “Whip It,” with Ellen Page. That brings back memories of Saturday afternoons with my grandparents watching roller derby. Barrymore made a startling impact in “Grey Gardens” on HBO earlier this year and hopes are high for this one.
The Coen brothers are back with “A Serious Man,” as is Michael Moore with “Capitalism: A Love Story,” his latest documentary that will take viewers into the financial brain centers of America.
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Sony Classics to distribute Yimou’s ‘Blood Simple’ remake
Director Zhang Yimou’s decision to remake the Coen brothers’ neo-noir modern classic “Blood Simple” is one of the more captivating film-related announcements in recent years. Today we learn that Sony Pictures Classics, which has been in the Yimou business since 1991’s “Raise the Red Lantern,” will distribute the currently untitled film.The press release, in part:
Sony Pictures Classics Co-Presidents and Co-Founders, Michael Barker and Tom Bernard jointly stated: “The idea of a remake of BLOOD SIMPLE as seen through the eyes of Zhang Yimou’s masterful visual elegance and clever narrative twists is genius. Our continued partnership over the years with both Zhang Yimou and Bill Kong has always been so fruitful. We are excited to be back in business with them.”…
Zhang’s film will be a thriller-comedy remake of Joel & Ethan Coen’s BLOOD SIMPLE , set in a Chinese noodle shop in a sand dune-specked desert, rather than a bar in an unnamed Texas town. The owner of the noodle shop’s seemingly simple plan to murder his adulterous wife and her lover quickly spins out of control after the introduction of a gun into the lives of characters more accustomed to knives and swords.
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7/28 Web Round-up
• Whoa. Remember Anna Chlumsky? [CNN]• Do “Antichrist” and “The Proposal” peddle outdated views of women? [The Guardian]
• Roger Ebert talks at length with “Funny People” director Judd Apatow. [Chicago Sun-Times]
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Is “‘Avatar’ Day” a canny move to dampen expectations?
When James Cameron unveiled 25 minutes of his forthcoming film “Avatar” to Comic-Con crowds last week, the reaction was pretty solid. But there were those who were quick to tone down the ecstasy, and with due cause. While the footage was awe-inspiring and, to this viewer’s mind, quite indicative of where the medium is going, it was not the moment of stunning change many might have expected.Maybe that is the fault of the uncontrollable hype machine, more so than the material, since Cameron has merely been plugging away, hard at work on a project he believes in, while the studio has been in no necessary position to offer up promotional materials like a poster or a trailer, given that the film is still six months from release.
The announcement of “‘Avatar’ Day,” which will bring 15 minutes of the footage to IMAX theaters across the world on August 21 for free and will also mark the unveiling of an upcoming video game tie-in and action figure set, was a shrewd way to drum up the excitement further while also giving fans something tangible to experience. But Stuart Heritage over at The Guardian is thinking along different lines. Maybe, he says, the occassion will provide the first opportunity to calm the waters of anticipation.
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Anderson’s ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ to open London Film Festival
As the London Film Festival grows in scale and stature by the year, its opening film becomes an ever bigger deal. Last year, they scored a massive coup by kicking off with the world premiere of “Frost/Nixon,” and I’m pleased to report that they’ve maintained that standard by landing Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox” to open this year’s fest.The eagerly awaited animated pic will have its world premiere on 14 October, just over a week ahead of its UK release (and a full month before its Stateside bow). Its selection continues a happy friendship between Anderson and the LFF — just two years ago, “The Darjeeling Limited” closed the festival. (Here’s hoping this is a slightly more well-received selection.)
In the press release, Anderson explains why this is the appropriate place to unveil what is, after all, a decidedly British production:
Fantastic Mr. Fox is a British film – based on a Roald Dahl book, set in the UK, produced in the UK – and so I am especially pleased to have been invited to be the opening night movie of this year’s London Film Festival. We had a wonderful experience at the LFF with my previous film, and I am eagerly looking forward to introducing Fantastic Mr. Fox to the world in this wonderful venue.
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The long haul
ScreenDaily editor Mike Goodridge raises a topic that has provoked more than a few grumbles this season: the inordinate length of some of Hollywood’s biggest summer releases.I’m not someone who automatically whines whenever a film pushes the 150-minute mark. Some films warrant that heft, and it’s not always directly related to the scale of the plot — more ambient pieces can need time and space to breathe and explore their environments. Many felt that “Public Enemies” hadn’t enough narrative to fill 140 minutes, which I can understand — though for me, the languidness felt right for a film that was principally an exercise in mood and texture.
I don’t entirely subscribe to Roger Ebert’s overly reductive stance that “no good film is too long, and no bad film is short enough” — there is plenty of “good” work that could enter “great” territory via some judicious pruning, after all — but the bottom line is that if I’m engaged by a film, I’m not checking my watch. (In any case, as a screenwriter, overlength is a factor I’m sympathetic to: I know the pain of cutting beloved scenes.)
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Shutter Fear
Anthony B. mentioned the similarities between the “Cape Fear’ and “Shutter Island” posters last week, so I thought I’d toss this up now that Comic-Con craziness has subsided. Intriguing parallels:
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Kevin Smith talks ‘Twilight’ at Comic-Con
One of my favorite parts of Kevin Smith’s Saturday Comic-Con appearance was his take on the “Twilight” series, video of which Dennis over at Think Hero has dug up and passed along. Great stuff (originally at ScreenCrave.com):
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Hackford takes over as DGA president
Congratulations to Taylor Hackford, who was elected this weekend as president of the Directors Guild of America. He takes over from Michael Apted, who has held the position since 2003. Hackford ran unopposed after being nominated by Steven Soderbergh — who in turn retains his vice-president position. Here’s Hackford’s statement, via Variety:This Guild has worked for nearly three quarters of a century to advance the economic and creative rights of its members, always addressing new challenges with a firm and steady hand … I’m extraordinarily proud of what the DGA has accomplished, and I hope to continue that great legacy of leadership at the Guild.
You’ll remember that Hackford (who is of course married to Helen Mirren) received his first Best Director Oscar nod for “Ray” in 2005, a quarter-century after actually winning a statuette in the short-film category. (Meanwhile, the Guild itself has shortlisted him twice, for “Ray” and “An Officer and a Gentleman.”) He has worked infrequently of late, though he currently has a few irons in the fire, notably directing his wife in “Love Ranch,” a true-life story of Nevada’s first legal brothel.
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Is Sandler a contender for ‘Funny People?’
I can’t say I saw this coming. Since the expansion of the Best Picture category, several people have considered Judd Apatow’s “Funny People” as a possible populist nominee in the race, while speculating that it could also land him a writing nod after near-misses (and Guild citations) for his previous two features.Meanwhile, others (Kris included) have sniffed awards potential for well-liked supporting thesp (and, of course, Mrs. Apatow) Leslie Mann. But whether due to his own dodgy résumé or the Academy’s anti-comedy bias in the lead races, no one has mentioned the film’s star, Adam Sandler, as much of an awards threat.
The reviews, however, tell a slightly different story. Although response to the film itself is mixed, the word for Sandler is very strong indeed, recalling the “OMG he can act” notices he garnered for “Punch-Drunk Love” seven years ago (which of course landed him a Golden Globe nod, if no Oscar traction).
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One more parting shot…
Snapped by Jon Favreau on the Hall H stage during the “Iron Man 2” panel discussion:
And a taste of Kevin Smith at the Con, where he talks about the fact that the title “A Couple of Dicks” may not hold (My camera lost battery power half-way through. Apologies):
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COMIC-CON: Wrapping it up
I wish I could tell you how awesome the “Iron Man 2” footage form yesterday’s Paramount panel was, but Hall H was packed to the gills and even us schmoes int he VIP line couldn’t get in because it was at capacity. Without a doubt, the event was the most popular attraction at this year’s Comic-Con.It sounded good muffled through the walls. That’s all I got. Hoping for another screening in LA soon.
By far the highlight for me was the Entertainment Weekly Visionaries panel with James Cameron and Peter Jackson. It’s a pretty big leap from last year’s set of Zack Snyder, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow. Let’s hope next year isn’t a step backwards at the crew responsible for this momentous occasion gets creative and puts a few equally brilliant minds together on that stage once again.
Speaking of Jackson, “District 9” made a major splash here. The screening was very well-received on Thursday and the Saturday panel got the crowd chomping at the bit. In this community anyway, the film is sure to be a runaway hit.