James Franco to star in “Rise of the Apes”
James Franco has his damn dirty paws on the lead role in "Rise of the Apes," a prequel to the "Planet of the Apes" franchise.
The Fox feature focuses on a scientist (Franco) who has been testing a cure for Alzheimer's on apes. The test subject named Caesar starts to evolve rapidly, and the scientist takes him home and protects him from cruel doctors.
The story is designed to be show the modern-day event that set in motion the eventual dominance of apes over humans seen the classic 1960s and '70s movies. It is unclear how much of the movie will focus on the ape inciting an ape revolution, but given that Peter Jackson's WETA effects house is on board, the monkey play could be significant.
The apes will not be actors in costumes but rather rendered digitally to be photo-realistic by New Zealand-based WETA, employing certain of the groundbreaking technologies developed for "Avatar."
The movie will shoot this summer in British Columbia. Rupert Wyatt is on board to direct.
Franco's credits include the "Spider-Man" films and "Milk."
‘A-Team’ cast is updated from the 80s TV show
Two relative veterans and two newcomers make up the new A-Team movie cast for this era.
Fox's $100-million adaptation of “The A-Team” (June 11) takes glee in rehashing certain touchstones of the cheese-tacular '80s TV action-comedy series.
Where the original Alpha Unit was a quartet of disgraced Vietnam war vets turned soldiers of fortune, the new squadcomprises covert operatives who ran missions during the most recent Iraq war and get hung out to dry for crimes they didn't commit. They're determined to clear their names from the moment they make their inevitable break out of maximum security prison.
According to the filmmaker, Joe Carnahan, it's more in the spirit of Christopher Nolan's “Batman” reboot than, say, Ben Stiller's comedy-arrested “Starsky & Hutch.” “I'm not interested in making the easy, breezy Cover Girl version of ‘The A-Team,'” Carnahan said. But, um, isn't this a summer popcorn film full of sight gags and big explosions? “We streamlined and stripped it down. But we had to keep some staples,” the director clarified.
Charlie Sheen signs on for 2 more seasons of ‘Two and a Half Men’
Charlie Sheen will return to Two and a Half Men for two more seasons.
"To put a fitting end on the two and one-half months of whirlwind speculation, I'm looking forward to returning to my CBS home on Monday nights," Sheen said in a statement. "I want to thank [CBS President and CEO] Les Moonves for his support."
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Calls to CBS and Warner Bros. were not immediately returned, but CBS will unveil its fall lineup Wednesday.
“Carancho” a tough-as-nails Argentine thriller
When young director Pablo Trapero shot "El Bonaerense" in 2002, he pushed the frontiers of socially realistic cinema in Argentina; with "Carancho," he returns to the same nitty-gritty terrain (the film is even shot in the same neighborhood) where police corruption is a given and survival depends on beating your rivals to a pulp before they hit on you.
Inspired by the sultry smooth atmosphere of Hollywood film noir, "Carancho" spills the beans about corrupt hospitals that allow unscrupulous lawyers to make a mint on other people's calamities.
Low-key is far from Trapero's esthetic, of course, and as co-editor he injects the film with the pummeling rhythm of a heavy metal session. Punishing for some, it could be just the cup of tea for the young male demographic.
Shrek 4 is forever after – A full guide
It's crazy but a 4th Shrek is actually coming out, called 'Forever After'.
Oh Shrek, you lovable computer-generated ogre, who could've predicted your immense success at the box office? Back in 2001 you were just the latest DreamWorks animation that would probably not be as good as a Pixar movie. But something funny happened when you were released -- you were a hit. A franchise was born, and now nine years later we're preparing for the fourth film in your series. Here's what we know about the film so far...
It was all the way back in May of 2004 when we first heard about the project. It was actually in the days before Shrek 2opened when DreamWorks animation boss Jeffrey Katzenbergannounced plans for a third and fourth film.
The movie business in action
Anyone who doubts that the movie industry is still partly a handshake business had only to watch the glad-handing, backslapping and double-cheek air-kissing at the Vanity Fair-Gucci party at the Hôtel du Cap on Saturday night, Manohla Dargis writes in The New York Times.
This is where, some 30 minutes by private car or pricey taxi from Cannes, you could find after midnight the likes of Jeff Skoll, the first president of eBay and the founder of the busy company Participant Media, remeeting and greeting the likes of Michael Barker, who with Tom Bernard runs Sony Pictures Classics and who could later be seen in an intense tête-à-tête with the director Brett Ratner.
And what did the director of “Rush Hour 3” (Mr. Ratner) and the distributor of Michael Haneke’s “White Ribbon” (Mr. Barker) have to talk about? “He wanted,” Mr. Barker said later of Mr. Ratner, “to know what the parameters for doing a deal with us on a lower-budget film would be. It’s not him as a director, but him as a producer. He’s spreading his wings in the film business on a number of projects.”
Show us the money, say TV networks to the web
'With the TV business evolving into eyeballs on the internet, TV studios are trying to wrestle control of how their shows are being watched.
The major networks have their sights set on the 2010-11 television season at this week's upfront presentations in Gotham, but there's another behind-the-scenes frenzy taking place that's all about the not-too-distant future.
The TV biz is engaged in a delicate balancing act of adjusting how and where to program their shows on the Internet, fearful of undercutting their traditional sources of revenue -- the 30-second spot and cable subscriber and retransmission fees -- but fully aware that they don't want to miss out on consumers' ever-increasing thirst for watching shows online.
The risks are obvious: Five years ago, in the wake of ABC's groundbreaking pact to offer its shows on iTunes, networks rushed to post their shows and clips on their Websites, as well as elsewhere. But there's been a big drawback to getting viewers in the habit of watching on their computer screens, as the ad dollars reaped are much lower online than they are on the TV set. And with mobile devices, the iPad, HD TV sets and Internet-enabled Blu-rays making it all the easier to access the Web, the threat has spread to cable operators: They fear consumers will pull the plug altogether for the lower-priced alternative.
‘Twilight’ – ‘Eclipse’ movie is third in series with summer 2010 release date
The buzz about the third 'Twilight' movie - 'Eclipse' - is building among its massive fandom. Aside from the “Harry Potter” franchise, there’s rarely a movie release that requires an official statement about when fans can begin camping out.
As you may have heard, camping is permitted for the “Eclipse” red carpet premiere at the Nokia Theater at LA Live beginning June 21st at 6AM PT. It has also been noted that people cannot wait in line to start the official camping out, which would (and will) no doubt happen with this fandom.
For the “New Moon” premiere, fans and fan sites started camping out about five days before the official red carpet premiere. FIVE DAYS! There are a lot of questions and thoughts that enter my mind: Food, liquid (and therefore bathroom breaks) and showers. I’m assuming you camp out with others and take turns “on guard” while the rest take care of their needs.
Sure, people who wait the longest will likely get the best spot and chance at meeting the cast, but is it worth it? Would you rather represent the fandom at your best, or in a likely exhausted, maybe run down state after sleeping outside for five days? I’d like to hear in the comments below what your opinion is on the subject, especially if you’ve camped out before.
Set Design Ideas from Alex McDowell – Designing ‘Minority Report’
Production Design is an art from in Hollywood and Alex McDowell is one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed production designers.
As Minority Report hits Blu-ray, we had the absolute pleasure of chatting at length with acclaimed production designer Alex McDowell. Here, he chats to us about bringing the look and feel of Minority Report to the big screen, and how to go about designing a futuristic movie that genuinely lasts. Here's what he had to say...
Robin Hood – Ridley Scott Updates A Legend
During the filming of American Gangster with Sir Ridley Scott, producer Brian Grazer approached Russell Crowe about starring in a new Robin Hood. Grazer looked forward to reteaming with the performer, with whom he had already enjoyed two successful collaborations—on A Beautiful Mind, for which Crowe earned an Oscar® nod, and Cinderella Man. For this telling, the men were interested on a unique take on the age-old legend: an origin story that explains how a common archer in King Richard’s army transformed into the legend we know as Robin Hood. Set against the backdrop of the Crusades, this action-adventure would give historical framework to the later exploits that had been covered in many other versions of the tale.
Grazer came aboard to develop and produce the project through Universal Pictures and the company he shares with Academy Award® winner Ron Howard, Imagine Entertainment. “Movies about heroes inspire me,” states the producer. “The story of Robin Hood particularly appealed to me because it is about a man who has nothing but the right cause in his mind, and the skill and resoluteness to pursue it.”
“With our film, we explain who the Sheriff of Nottingham, Maid Marion and her father-in-law are, the dynamics of the northern part of England and the barons, and how England was controlled at the time,” Grazer continues. “By the end of the movie, you also know who Robin is. The end of our movie is the beginning of all the dozens or so other films that have been made.”