Unused Movie Posters for KICK-ASS

A series of unused movie poster art has surfaced online for the Mathew Vaughn directed film Kick-Ass. I like the splash of superhero thing that’s played within the posters. There was a lot of paint splashing going on in the other posters, but it’s used in a fun creative way here. I’m excited that the sequel is moving forward over at Universal! I hope it turns out just as good as the first one. 

STAR WARS Geometric Art

There is nothing better than geometric art, that is unless it’s Star Wars geometric art. We have that just that for your viewing pleasure thanks to Ashraf Omar. My favorite is the Stormtrooper and Boba Fett.

Which is your favorite?

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Art Deco DC Superheroes By Dave Ault

These sweet art deco posters by Dave Ault show what it would look like if DC’s superheroes promoted tourism in their cities. Check the posters out below and share your thoughts:

IRON MAN 3 Plot Point Revealed, Andy Lau Casting Confirmed

A Hong Kong newspaper article recently revealed (via ComicBookMovie) a new plot point for Shane Black’s upcoming Iron Man 3, and also confirmed a bit of casting news that we reported on recently. Andy Lau will definitely be playing a scientist who helps Tony Stark, but the plot point is this (excuse the poorly transcribed Chinese-to-English translation):

The film will have location shooting in Beijing and Shanghai, it will narrates that the daughter of Robert Downey Jr.’s friend was kidnapped and brought to China, in order to save his friend’s daughter, he flew over from America to China to seek help from Andy to strengthen his abilities to fight The Mandarin. You will see Iron Man fly over The Great Wall of China, National Palace Museum & other landmarks in Shanghai May 2013

So that’s yet another source that claims The Mandarin is going to be the villain. I’m really not sure who to believe in this scenario; are Black and his team spreading misinformation, or are they telling the truth when they say The Mandarin is truly not the villain in this movie? Shooting begins at the end of this month, so I guess we can look forward to set photos and things like that to solve the mystery soon.

Do you want to see The Mandarin as the villain, or would you be content with Tony Stark fighting the confirmed nano-technology virus as the main villain?

Johnny Depp and Edgar Wright’s THE NIGHT STALKER Finds a Screenwriter

The Night Stalker has gotten one step closer to production. Walt Disney Pictures has hired D.V. DeVincentis to pen the script. Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) will direct his biggest project to date, on this starring vehicle for Johnny Depp. Depp and his Infinitum Nihil partner Christi Dembrowski are producing, and David Kennedy will serve as exec producer. 

The Night Stalker began as a TV movie  that aired on ABC, based on a novel which was adapted by famed screenwriter Richard Matheson. It starred Darren McGavin as investigative reporter Carl Kolchak who goes to Las Vegas to pursue a serial killer. Only when he discovers the bodies of the killer’s victims, he realizes it is the work of a vampire. As a child, Depp was reportedly infatuated with the TV movie series.

This sounds like a great team for a cool movie. Wright in the directors chair will insure pure awesomeness. Are you excited to see Wright working with Depp?

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Entertaining Short Documentary on Artist John Baldessari

You’ve got to watch this entertaining short documentary on artist John Baldessari. It was made by Catfish and Paranormal Activity 3 directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. The doc is also wonderfully narrated by Tom Waits. In fact it’s his distinct voice that takes the film to a whole new level awesome. 

The epic life of a world-class artist, jammed into six minutes. Narrated by Tom Waits. Commissioned by LACMA for their first annual “Art + Film Gala” honoring John Baldessari and Clint Eastwood.

Hope you enjoy the doc!

MOON Director Duncan Jones to Direct IAN FLEMING Biopic!

Moon director Duncan Jones has found his next film project, and I can’t wait to see what he does with it! Jones, who most recently directed the sci-fi film Source Code, is set to direct a biopic that centers on James Bond author Ian Fleming. I’m a big fan of Jones’ film work and his directing style, and this sounds like it will be a great project for him to take on.

It’s based on the on the biography by Andrew Lycett, Ian Fleming, the Man Behind James Bond. This project was actually being developed about two years ago, and James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class) was in talks to play Fleming. It doesn’t look like he’s attached to the project though as Jones is currently in the middle of casting the movie. 

The movie will be about the man behind James Bond, specifically focused on the war years that inspired him to create his badass Bond character. Basically, Flaming was a badass himself. 

Years before creating Bond, Fleming struggled and floundered under the shadow of his family name (his father was a member of Parliament, and his siblings were also well-known, as well, including Peter — a travel writer). Likable but lost, Fleming was little but an aimless playboy, until his experiences in World War 2 changed his life, and it was those autobiographical experiences during war time that inspired James Bond, who was based — in part — on Fleming.

Fleming actually served as a Naval intelligence officer for the Royal Navy in the war, and helped mastermind secret operations around the world. It was these adventures that inspired him to create agent 007. Jones had this to say in a statement,

Fleming lived through one of the most perilous periods in world history, in a position that allowed him a unique vantage point of all the players, all the stakes. He witnessed true heroism first-hand. And he saw what evil men could do. Then, when the war ended, he went off to write fiction. The essential question for me is: Where did Ian Fleming end and Bond begin?”

The movie will go into production later this year, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out, I think he’s the right director for the job. What do you think about Jones directing this Ian Fleming biopic?

Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry Lend Voices To THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

If you only know Hugh Laurie from his work on the FOX series House, you’d be forgiven for not knowing that he’s actually an Englishman. Now that House is coming to an end, The Hollywood Reporter says Laurie is teaming with former comedy cohort Stephen Fry for a new animated film based on Oscar Wilde’s story, The Canterville Ghost.

Fry stars as the title character, Sir Simon de Canterville, a 300 year old ghost, while Laurie stars as his nemesis, a lowly gardener who is revealed to be Death himself. Set in rural England at the end of the nineteenth century, it tells the tale of Canterville who, for hundreds of years has been haunting Canterville Chase. Everything changes when an American family – the Otises from Boston – buys Canterville Chase and moves in.

Sounds like a typical haunting comedy (Beetlejuice, etc.), but with Laurie taking a turn from the dramatic back into the comedic, perhaps it will be something worth checking out for fans of the stoic doctor character he’s played for so many years. I haven’t seen any of his previous work with Fry, but I’ve heard the two work well together, and they’ve been trying to find a project to reunite on for years.

Kim Burdon is directing this film, and a Christmas 2014 release date is expected. Have you seen any of Laurie and Fry’s collaborations? Looking forward to this one?

PARANOIA Starring Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford Gets Release Date

Relativity Media is set to distribute a new thriller from director Robert Luketic called Paranoia. The film stars Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman, Harrison Ford and Lucas Till.

Here is the synopsis:

In this high-stakes thriller, Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) is a charming, blue collar guy trying to get ahead in his entry-level job at Wyatt Telecom. But after one costly and illegal mistake, Adam is confronted by ruthless CEO Nicholas Wyatt. He won’t turn Adam in under one condition: Adam must agree to infiltrate the competition as a corporate spy. Adam soon finds himself packaged for success, surrounded by glamorous boardrooms, expensive cars, and a life he only dreamed of.  But behind the scenes, Wyatt is pulling the strings – stopping at nothing, even murder, to win a multi-billion dollar advantage. Realizing he’s nothing more than a pawn in his boss’s ruthless game, Adam’s only way out – is to go in deeper.

 

This sounds like a cool movie, and it has a great cast. Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman add some acting chops to the cast, which is great. The Hemsworth brothers seem to be picking decent roles. Which is your favorite, Chris or Liam?

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Disney’s Brave Premiere, Cannes’ Beasts and Colin Firth’s Mad Dogs: Biz Break Cannes

Also in Saturday’s (mostly) Cannes related news round up, actress Isabella Rossellini gets a new festival jury gig, Lincoln Center teams with Dubai to spotlight Arab cinema, and two groups join for a $150 million equity fund for indie filmmakers. Also check out this weekend’s specialty film releases.

Disney/Pixar’s Brave to Open Dolby Theatre
The world premiere of Brave will mark the opening of the newly re-dubbed Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the home of the Academy Awards. The Los Angeles Film Festival will co-host the event as a red carpet special presentation. The animated feature is an epic tale set in the mystical Scottish Highlands where the film’s headstrong protagonist, Merida, is “forced to discover the meaning of true bravery.” Disney opens the film wide in theaters June 22nd.

Dubai and Film Society of Lincoln Center Team for Arab Cinema
Arab cinema will take center stage in a new program partnered by the Dubai International Film Festival and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the groups said in Cannes Saturday. Dubbed DIFF Focus taking place August 24 – 30 in New York, the program will feature Venice Film Festival love story Habibi Rasak Kharban and Gulf Film Festival opener City of Life.

$150M Independent Film Equity Fund Launched
Financier and production outfit AngelWorld Entertainment and independent merchant bank First Wall Street have set up a $150 million fund dedicated to independent productions, the groups said in Cannes. AWE funds 100%, providing a single source of funding allowing the equity investor to sit in the first position, minimizing its risk by securing against all of the film’s assets including foreign sales, tax credits, minimum guarantees and  intellectual property rights until the investor has fully recouped its money.

Walk Away Renee to Bow in North American Online Premiere
The Cannes 2011 documentary by Jonathan Caouette will have its North American debut via Sundance Selects’ digital sister SundanceNOW. Walk Away Renee is a follow up to Caouette’s lauded 2004 doc Tarnation. Renee will be debut along with its North American premiere June 27th at BAMcinemaFest.

Around the ‘net…

Preview This Weekend’s Specialty Releases
The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing and at least two distributors are bowing their Cannes cache this weekend. Zeitgeist Films is debuting Elena in the U.S. The film won awards in Cannes and elsewhere before its long (and somewhat bizarre) road to the screen. Sundance Selects, meanwhile will roll out French César and Cannes winner Polisse in theaters and day-and-date VOD using some of its past offerings as a distribution template. Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black’s directorial debut Virginia opens in limited release and documentary Never Stand Still starts its rollout in New York before heading to other cities, Deadline reports.

Fox Searchlight Fetes Beasts of the Southern Wild in Cannes
The 2012 Sundance winner hit the Croisette Friday, basking in two standing ovations. The mystical story set in the deep Louisiana Delta’s swamp country deals with a young girl’s search for her mother after her father’s deteriorating health and environmental disaster put her life in peril. Searchlight will release the feature in the U.S. June 27th, Deadline reports.

Colin Firth Boards Mad Dogs
Oscar winner Colin Firth has joined Noel Coward’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen, the story of flamboyant English playwright, director and actor singer’s engagement at Las Vegas’ Desert Inn in 1955. THR reports from Cannes.

Isabella Rossellini to Lead Abu Dhabi Film Festival Jury
Rossellini has been named president of the narrative jury for the festival’s 2012 edition taking place October 11 – 20. The actress last chaired a jury at the Berlinale in February, which gave the best film, best actor and best actress prizes to Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film earlier this year, Cannes Market News reports.