Movieblaze

Sam Raimi returns to horror…’nuff said!

It was one of my favorites of 2007, the story of a Russian mobster so brilliantly played by Viggo Mortensen. I had always wondered if this would be a stand alone project, but there was room at the end to further explore what happens with the characters of Nikolai and Kirill.

I guess David Cronenberg has been wondering the same thing, telling MTV he wants a sequel “We are moving forward with it,” Cronenberg told MTV News in an exclusive chat. “We all are excited about the idea of doing a sequel.”

The “we” includes Mortensen, who was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role as Nikolai; the film’s screenwriter, Steven Knight; original producer Paul Webster; and original studio, Focus Features. “We are going to have a meeting very soon between me, Steve Knight and Paul Webster to discuss what the script would be,” Cronenberg said. “I have some very strong ideas about what I would like to see, but I would like to hear what they have to say as well. And then after that, if all goes well, Steve goes away and writes a great script. If we all like it, we make it.”

Click here to read the rest, and I really hope this happens and they get the players they want on board. A sequel to this movie would be awesome!

Following the departure of Gerard Butler as the would-be Priest, Paul Bettany has joined forces with his Legion director Scott Stewart to bring the TokyoPop comic to life.

The Korean horror-western is hot on the heels of original baddie-slaying man-of-the-cloth graphic-novel adaptation Preacher, in production with Sam Mendes at the helm, although Priest may come to the screen first now that they have ordained their man, whereas Preacher has still yet to collar a star.

Priest follows a warrior clergyman who must face off with a band of vampires who have kidnapped his niece amid an almost apocalyptic war between the humans and their blood-sucking adversaries.

Bettany has already played a holy man, having starred as crazed Catholic monk Silas in The Da Vinci Code, and the president of Screen Gems (who are putting the film together), said his latest role, due early next year, only affirmed his suitability for the role: “I knew the moment I saw Stewart’s first cut of Legion that Bettany was Priest and so I mentioned it to him immediately.”

Indeed Legion too has a strong religious undertone, as it follows a gang of people who join forces with an archangel in order to stop the renegade angels who wish to obliterate mankind.

So, is Bettany just how you imagined your Priest? Or does he look a little too angelic to play a man taking on the world’s problems?

It’s still got just over a month to go until release, but Star Trek is already set to be sequel-ised, with screenwriters Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof set to write a script.

Storyline-wise, the threesome are waiting to see what the fan reaction to the first film is before getting too specific. Said Kurtzman, ”Obviously we discussed ideas, but we are waiting to see how audiences respond next month. With a franchise rebirth, the first movie has to be about origin. But with a second, you have the opportunity to explore incredibly exciting things. We’ll be ambitious about what we’ll do.”

The trio have recently been working together on Cowboys Vs Aliens (not to be confused with this week’s ace Monsters Vs Aliens), although Orci and Kurtzman have worked as a duo for years and wrote this Star Trek script without Lindelof. The latter, however, co-created Lost with director JJ Abrams, so it’s fair to say he’s got some sci-fi pedigree too.

Abrams will be producing the sequel, but hasn’t yet confirmed whether he will step back into the director’s chair. The hope is, however, that the screenwriters can finish this script by Christmas, for a summer 2011 release.

Unsure about whether this is a good idea or not? Watch the trailer again and rejoice. After all, if this is this generation’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture, imagine how good its Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan could be.

Not alot to be said about this other than…good god I really cannot wait until Sherlock Holmes comes out here! A trailer next please Mr. Ritchie!

Now that Ghostbusters 3 is well and truly developing, the original cast have started talking about the project – since they’re all involved. Apparently.

“Bill Murray is just waiting for the truckload of money to arrive to get him out of his office,” Harold Ramis joked to MTV, before adding more seriously that what everyone is really waiting for is a script from writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky.

“I’m consulting with them, as is Dan Aykroyd and Ivan Reitman,” says Ramis, admitting that neither he nor Reitman (who helmed the original two films) is looking to direct. “I’m sure we’re all hoping someone else will do it. It’s a lot of work!”
But what will Ramis, Dan Aykroyd and Billy Murray be doing? “We’re all going to be in it in different kinds of roles,” Ramis tells the site. “We’re going to be the sage mentors. There are going to be young Ghostbusters.”

Now we know that Judd Apatow isn’t directly involved, we’re guessing the casting net will be thrown a little wider than the usual Seth Rogen and company players…

To paraphrase Mark Twain, there are lies, damned lies and stories about the project known as Robin Hood, so big thanks go to Mark Strong for supplying a few titbits on Ridley Scott’s historical epic.

Strong, who was originally slated to play the dastardly Guy of Gisborne, is now appearing in the film as Russell Crowe’s nemesis, the equally-if-not-more dastardly Sir Godfrey. “A year ago I was playing the Guy of Gisborne character but the story isn’t the Robin Hood story. Although all the characters are all involved, it’s a different narrative,” he said, confirming rumours that Scott’s movie will deviate from the Robin Hood legend that has previously appeared on our screens.*

“I play King John’s right-hand man who is a bit of a bastard – there’s lot of horse riding, lots of threatening people with enormous swords.” Which is surely good news for anyone hoping for a villain of Rickman-esque genius.

* The official word according to Universal is that “Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power.” 

Original Source: Empireonline

The first trailer for Ang Lee’s new movie, Taking Woodstock, has been hit here.

Starring US comic Dimitri Martin, Emile Hirsch, Imelda Staunton, Liev Schreiber, and Eugene Levy, the film tells the tale of Elliot Tiber (Martin), who plays an unwittingly pivotal role in the history of the world’s most famous music festival.

Trying to save his family’s property, he offered the use of the place to the Woodstock organisers. Cue chaos, mud and musical magic.

The trailer debuted on US TV as part of Martin’s sketch show, but is now on the mighty Interwebs. Check it out and let me know what you think, I must be honest I’m a bit Lee fan AND the ever amazing Emile Hirsch stars alongside Liev ‘Sabretooth’ Schreiber dressed as a woman, Im there!

Always wanted to write a superhero movie? Already a Hollywood screenwriter? Well, this could be your lucky day: Marvel Studios are setting up a group of screenwriters to work on their massive library of characters, with a view to bringing more and more of those heroes and villains to the screen.

The idea is that Marvel will bring five writers per year in to work on creative ways to launch their lesser-known characters like Dr Strange, Black Panther, Iron Fist, Cable, Nighthawk and Vision. Marvel will be coming up with specific titles it wants the writers to tackle, and perhaps even plot-points (to allow further overlapping of the sort we’re already seeing between films like Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk).

This is a similar scheme to Disney’s Fellowship programme, running since 1990 to come up with film and TV ideas, and is designed to keep the ideas flowing. It’s a further sign of Marvel’s commitment to get their vast array of characters onto the big screen, and keep them there.

The news that Slumdog Millionaire screenwriter Simon Beaufoy is set to direct a film called Truckers for DreamWorks Animation is exciting stuff, even though nothing’s been confirmed about the storyline as yet. Why? Well, because I think I might know what it’s about.

If you remember a couple of months back, Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle did a webchat on Empire, and was asked about the fate of his once-mooted adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s Bromeliad series. He said that he and his Millions screenwriter Frank Cotrell Boyce had been working on it for DreamWorks animation “but sadly no longer”. Given that the first book of that series is called Truckers, and that Beaufoy worked with Boyle on Slumdog, isn’t it possible that this is in fact the same project?

The Bromeliad trilogy tells the story of a race of tiny people called nomes living in the nooks and crannies of a department store, who have to change their way of life and find their own home when some nomes from outside come to give them the news that the store is about to be demolished.

Beaufoy was last week rumoured to be set to work on an X-Men Origins: Wolverine sequel after meeting its producer Lauren Shuler Donner, but that’s been denied by all concerned. In any case, whatever this mysterious Truckers turns out to be, let’s wish our latest British Oscar winner lots of luck with it.