MOVIE ROUNDUP (WOLF ON WALL STREET, KOJAK & TOLKIEN BIOPIC)

MOVIE ROUNDUP

(Scorsese longest film, New Tarantino and Vin wants Ang Lee)

THE WOLF ON WALL STREET

The Wolf of Wall Street opens on December 25^th and now we know just how long the Martin Scorese film will be. France distributor Metropolitan Filmexport tells Allocine [via The Playlist] that the movie runs 179 minutes, which would get it just in under the 3-hour limit usually set by most studios.  Early reports also said the film was NC-17, so even with that material cut, there’s still plenty left for the true story of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) raiding Wall Street during the 1990s. This is definitely one film you do not want to miss.

If Allocine is correct, then the movie will be Scorsese’s longest film to date, beating out Casino by one minute.  The film stars. Jonah Hill, Kyle Chandler, Matthew McConaughey, Jean Dujardin, Margot Robbie, Jon Bernthal, and Rob Reiner.  The Wolf of Wall Street opens on December 25th.

NEW TARANTINO WESTERN

We finally know what Tarantino’s next film will be, sort of anyway.

With Django Unchained having earned over $425 million at the worldwide box office, Quentin Tarantino is sticking with the Western genre for his next film.

Appearing on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," Tarantino talked about the project.

"I can't talk that much about it, but I will say one thing. I haven't told anyone about this publicly, but I will say the genre. It's a Western," he said. "It's not a 'Django' sequel, but it's another Western, and the thing is I had so much fun doing 'Django' and I love Westerns so much, that after I taught myself how to make one, it's like 'well okay, now let me make another one now I know what I'm doing.'"

KOJAK

Last year Universal Pictures' announced that Kojak would be coming to the big screen and Vin Diesel is set to headline it.  

"Kojak… New York… Ang Lee…" was the message Diesel posted on Facebook when asked what director he'd like to work with in the future.

Although it's entirely possible that Diesel is merely pointing out his top choice, to specifically name Kojak as the project coupled with the fact that the film has not yet announced a director suggests that Diesel's dream is about to come true.

Screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (Skyfall) are providing the screenplay to the television series adaptation. The original show, which ran on CBS from 1973 to 1978, starred Telly Savalas as NYPD Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak, known for his penchant for lollipops and his catchphrase, "Who loves ya baby?"

Kojak has never before been brought to the big screen but a short-lived series reboot was attempted in 2005 with Ving Rhames in the Kojak role.

Diesel is also set to produce the feature version alongside Samantha Vincent.

TOKLIEN BIOPIC

The true story behind The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien is in the works with a biopic tentatively titled Tolkien. The LA Times reports that David Gleeson will be providing the screenplay.

Tolkien is said to focus largely on the author's young life, including his time at Pembroke College and his military service during the first World War. The film will tie his experiences as a young man to those depicted in his iconic fantasy novels.

It is unknown whether or not Tolkien's estate will be involved in the biopic's production in any capacity. Christopher Tolkien, J.R.R.'s son, is infamously not a fan of Peter Jackson's big screen adaptations, the latest of which hits theaters December 13 as The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

MOVIE ROUNDUP (AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON, BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN & ANT-MAN)

MOVIE ROUNDUP 

(Olsen is a Scarlet Witch, Ant Man will be a Badass and Batman wasn't a afterthought)

AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON

Elizabeth Olsen just recently been cast as Scarlet Witch in Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron, hs finally given the freedom to talk about the latest film as well as her role in the film.

Olsen cites the sequel's "cool ensemble" as one of the project's draws for her, telling The Huffington Post, "When there's a great ensemble already in place, you're just like, That sounds awesome -- because I want to work with all of those people. That's amazing. And it's all of these people that I respect."

The Godzilla and Martha Marcy May Marlene actress also likes the fact that no one's portrayed Scarlet Witch onscreen before, thus allowing her the opportunity to make Wanda Maximoff her own.

Olsen says Scarlet Witch's "life is insane. And for obvious reasons you can't talk about certain background [her dad's Magneto, but Fox owns the film rights to him so Marvel can't use him], but it is so much fun. And it's so funny, everyone always talks to me about, 'Do you really love having all of these psychological problems and things like that [with your characters]?' And I'm like, 'I don't mean for that to happen.' And with Scarlet Witch, I'm like she's complicated, that one! You know? Like, She might be the most damaged of them all! Which is so cool."

Avengers: Age of Ultron -- which will reunite Olsen with both Oldboy's Jackson and her Godzilla co-star Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Scarlet Witch's brother Quicksilver -- begins filming in early 2014 for a May 1, 2015 release.

ANT-MAN

Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man film has been in development for a real long time, but the film is finally moving forward as fans can expect the film in 2015. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Wright elaborated on what he wants to do with the film and how he thinks it will surprise audiences.

"I want to make him into a badass [laughs]. No, I always liked that comic and I always thought it would be an interesting thing to see in live-action. That's why I [showed] that Comic-Con test that we did for Marvel, to show this fight scene like a proof of concept, like this is what the action is going to look like. I think a lot of people who maybe don't know the character sort of see that test and go, "Oh, right, I get it. It's like an action film," so that's the idea. I think people will be surprised by what kind of movie it is, and so in that respect it's something that I know is going to stand out because it's got a very different story and is a very different movie."

 

When asked about the tone of the film, Wright says he thinks it will be in line with the rest of the Marvel films.

"Well, I think the Marvel movies are funny, you know? I think generally the Iron Man films and The Avengers is funny. They're not ever in the comedy section, but they are funny and entertaining, so I think it'll be something in a similar vein to that."

Walt Disney Pictures has scheduled a July 31, 2015 release for the film, which was written by Wright and Joe Cornish.

BATMAN VS SUPERMAN

There are a ton of big, highly anticipated films set to be released in 2015 and Zack Snyder's Batman Vs. Superman film surely is one of them. In a recent interview with Variety, the producer of those films, Charles Roven, talked about their statuses,

“On ‘Batman vs. Superman,’ we started soft prep in June, and we’ll be shooting eight months later.... We felt that we accomplished our goals with ‘Man of Steel, our intention was to bring Superman into the 21st century with a contemporary character and a different kind of superhero than what’s out there right now...We knew we had created a world and we had left Easter eggs in the movie that let people know that in the universe that Zack was creating, there was the possibility of other DC characters besides Clark Kent."

 

He went on to reveal that the idea of the sequel has been around for awhile,

"We had a sketch of an idea, the beats of a story that David Goyer worked on with Zack. We have a first draft, and we’re continuing to work with it. Those scripts are never fully finished until the movie is in the theaters. We love the characters — we think that Ben (Affleck) is going to be a really great and interesting Batman.”

He went on to discuss why they cast Ben Affleck in the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

“We wanted a guy who had a certain age and a certain gravitas to what he had done in terms of his recent work. If you take a look at ‘The Town’ and ‘Argo,’ he plays a couple of serious guys in those movies. He’s a big man. He’s also a mature man. As you see him and Henry together, one definitely has much more experience just by looking at him. That’s what we wanted, particularly juxtaposed against our Superman.”

Batman vs. Superman is set to be released in theaters July 17th, 2015,

MOVIE ROUNDUP (FIFTY SHADES, JURASSIC WORLD, OLDBOY AND MORE)

CHARLIE HUNNAM SAYS HE AINT GREY, STAR TREK IN2 HORIBBLE BOSSES AND AMERICAN OLDBOY IS JUST THE COVER

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

Universal Pictures and Focus Features have recently announced that Charlie Hunnam will no longer play Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey.

"The filmmakers of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' and Charlie Hunnam have agreed to find another male lead given Hunnam's immersive TV schedule which is not allowing him time to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey," the studio said in a statement.

It has to be noted that Hunnam wasn’t that interested in the role initially and reluctantly signed onto the role last month.

Matt Bomer is said to be back in the running for the role, although casting for Grey is still ongoing.

Dakota Johnson and Jennifer Ehle are still attached to star in the August 1, 2014 release, which will directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson.

JURASSIC WORLD

A few weeks back we got confirmation that the fourth Jurrassic Park film would be titled Jurassic World. We also got news that Steven Spielberg would not be directing the film but would stay on as a producer with Collin Trevorrow stepping behind the camera for the latest installment. 

Deadline is now reporting that 12-year-old actor Ty Simpkins has landed one of the lead roles in the hotly anticipated sequel. The site also says that New Girl star Jake Johnson is reportedly in the mix for a role in the film, but that remains unconfirmed.

While most would know Ty as Harley in Iron Man 3, Simpkins has been acting for eight years and has had roles in Speilberg's War of the Worlds and both Insidious films.

Jurassic World will be shot in 3D and is planned to hit theaters on Friday, June 12, 2015.

HORRIBLE BOSSES 2

"Star Trek" and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit star Chris Pine has signed a deal to join Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day and Jamie Foxx in Horrible Bosses 2.

Pine will play half of a father-son duo who steal the main characters' idea for a new invention. Christoph Waltz was rumored to be up for the father role last week, but he reportedly won't be available.

Coming to theaters on November 26, 2014, the New Line sequel is directed by Sean Anders.

RAIDERS!

Back in 1982, two 11-year-old boys, Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala, set off to make their own shot-for-shot remake of Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark, spending a full seven years to complete what is now known as Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation.

A few years ago, the film managed to receive quite a bit attention with Spielberg himself praising it.

 

We now have word via Deadline that the film will be indeed moving forward.

"Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made," a 2012 book by Alan Eisenstock about the production, is set to serve as the film's source material. At one point, Ghost World creator Daniel Clowes was attached to provide the screenplay, but there's no word on whether or not his script is being used for this iteration of the project.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

Nintendo's Eiji Aonuma recently spoke with Kotaku about the possibility of a Zelda film and how the company would use the opportunity to embrace audience interaction in movie theaters.

“This is something that me and Mr. Miyamoto talked about,” Aonuma says. “If we were to make a Zelda title, if we had interest in doing that, I think really what would be most important to us is to be able to play with the format of a movie, make it more interactive, like you’re able to take your 3DS into the theater and that leads you into participating in it somehow. We wouldn’t want to make it the same as any other movie. We want to somehow change what a movie is.”

Unfortunately there are currently no plans to develop a Zelda film any time soon.

OLDBOY

Spike Lee’s Oldboy starring Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen will be invading our screens on November 27^th. The film is a remake of the Chan-Wook Park’s beloved 2003 film of the same name. With that being said there are many that have voiced their disapproval of this American remake of Oldboy,

Writer and co-producer Mark Protosevich, and stars Michael Imperioli and Pom Klementieff hit the stage at the New York Comic Con to discuss the film, but the large majority of the conversation boiled down to a single topic – how and why do you remake such an incredible film?

Protosevich insisted, "When the movie was announced, I appreciate and certainly I know there are people out there who are skeptical about our version." In fact, Protosevich recalled his own reaction to first hearing about the plan to remake Park's film before he was even attached to the project. "At one point, Justin Lin was going to direct it and I remember seeing that in the trades and as a fan of the original, my reaction was, 'Aw, really?' And so I understand that impulse. I get it. But in my circumstance, I was presented with this opportunity … to work with a couple of people [and it wasn't] a situation I was gonna turn down."

Those people were Will Smith and Steven Spielberg, but eventually, both decided not to follow through with it. However, at that point, Protosevich was already too immersed in the material to pull out. "I'd written a 30-page treatment and you really start to see the movie in your head. It really started to resonate with me and it meant a lot to me to see this through." After locking in Spike Lee as the film's new director, Protosevich recalled, "I came to New York and Spike and I had breakfast and then we sat in his office at NYU and we watched the original film together."

Read the Old Boy Manga and watch the film all you want, it's not going to convince the diehard fanbase that this remake is necessary just yet. Protosevich revisited one particularly distressing reaction to the project. "A friend shared with me a comment from the Internet where the reaction was, 'Typical Hollywood bullsh*t! They’re exploiting an existing piece of art just to make money!' And I do take issue with that because I dare you to show me somebody who would watch that original film and afterwards go, 'We're gonna clean up on this!'"

Park's feature is as dark and twisted as they come, and Protosevich proudly proclaimed, "We're just as psychologically screwed up, believe me." He also noted, "We all came from a place of honor and respect to the original. I love the original, and I think it's one of the great moviegoing experiences I ever had, and all of us involved were very much inclined to treat the material with as much honor and respect as we can."

But of course, respecting the original doesn't mean copying the original nor should it, so Protosevich pointed out a few differences. "I think one of the things that is different in our script and one of the things that I most remember from the film was the period of incarceration. We actually spend a little more time there and we shot for a week straight on this set that was just a small little room and Josh going through various makeups and transformations that correspond to different periods."

He also noted, "There are certain things that we felt were iconic to the original and we were absolutely going to use them. There were other things that I think we perhaps felt were culturally alien to what will be a western audience." Protosevich added, "There are also I think moments in the original film that are sort of these really unusual, unique visual moments that I think really, in a lot of ways, belong to that movie and to try to recreate them, that didn't feel right."

Protosevich dished out one particularly appropriate analogy that could put this whole thing into prospective. "What Spike and I often talked about was the idea of cover versions. Like, I love Neil Young's 'Like a Hurricane,' but Roxy Music does a great cover of it and I'm happy that both those things exist." On the other hand, he also noted, "If you feel that way about it, that it shouldn't even exist, there's nothing I can say or we can do that is going to change that opinion probably, because that's a very sort of fundamentalist belief. I just hope that perhaps there's a part of people who are open to the experience."

MOVIEROUNDUP (RONAN UP FOR STAR WARS, MACKIE TALKS CAPTAIN AMERICA & I SAW THE DEVIL HIS A COWARD)

MOVIE ROUNDUP 

(COMEDY FOR TYRION, OLDBOY IS A COWARD & MACKIE GETS NO SPANDEX)

TYRION WILL TO DO SOME COMEDY

Peter Dinklage is set to headline an untitled comedy at Paramount Pictures, says a story today at The Hollywood Reporter.

Although no story details have officially been released, the trade suggests that the film's plot involves around a man who tells people that he's a leprechaun. We also know that the film might be R-Rated.  

Dinklage is best known for playing Tyrion Lannister on HBO's "Game of Thrones." He's also appeared on the big screen in projects like The Station Agent and both versions of Death at a Funeral. He'll next star as Bolivar Trask in Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past.

STAR WARS: EPISODE 7

For the last couple of months we have been hearing a number of different actors and actresses auditioning for the latest upcoming Star Wars film. Earlier in the week actress Saoirse Ronan revealed to Empire Magazine that she did infact audition for a role in the upcoming Star Wars film saying:

“Yeah, I did [audition for Star Wars Episode VII]… I don’t know whether I should have said that now! I mean, everyone did. Everyone has auditioned for it. So many people I know have gone in for the part I’ve gone in for, and guys who’ve gone in for a particular part, so I’d imagine J.J. is probably just scanning the earth to find the people that ne needs.”

Ronan also confirmed what we assumed, that no one knows anything about the movie.

“But nobody has a clue what it’s about, and nobody’s read the script. So I’ve gone in and read for it, but I have to say, I think it’s the only time I’ve ever thought, ‘You know what? Even if I don’t get it, I had so much fun auditioning, pretending to take out a lightsaber – out of a bag, kind of inspect it and not know what it is. That was… that was great. A lightsaber! Star Wars!”

Set to feature a script by Michael Arndt, Star Wars: Episode VII is rumored to focus on a new generation of heroes and could feature appearances by Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford in older incarnations of their beloved characters from the original Star Wars trilogy.

COWARD

Variety is reporting that Korean director Kim Jee-Woon (I Saw the Devil, The Last Stand) will be adapting "Coward," the first in Ed Brubaker's Criminal comic series, for the big screen. Brubaker has written the screenplay for the film, which was previously headed for an adaptation in 2011 with 30 Days of Night director David Slade. Jamie Patricof and Lynette Howell will produce the film.

Here's the official description for the comic:

"Coward is the story of Leo, a professional pickpocket who is also a legendary heist-planner and thief. But there's a catch with Leo, he won't work any job that he doesn't call all the shots on, he won't allow guns, and the minute things turn south, he's looking for any exit that won't land him in prison. But when he's lured into a risky heist, all his rules go out the window, and he ends up on the run from the cops and the bad men who double-crossed him. Now Leo must come face-to-face with the violence he's kept bottled up inside for 20 years, and nothing will ever be the same for him again."

Created by Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips, Criminal has won several Eisner Awards throughout its lifetime. Check back here for more news on the film as we learn it.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

Captain America: The Winter Soldier has debuted footage of the film at Comic Con and Disney’s D23 Expo meeting a great amount of exciting from the fans. The footage however has yet to be leaked online and Marvel are still holding out the trailer, presumably waiting for the release of Thor: The Dark World.

However, it would seem that has stopped actor Anthony Mackie from talking with Rolling Stone on his role as Falcon in the upcoming sequel to First Avenger.

“I wanted Falcon to be really lean, so it couldn't have worked out better timing wise,” Mackie said when asked about his fitness. “I worked so hard to get my body in shape that I wanted to show it off. So I told Marvel I just wanted to be in spandex. But they decided that they wanted Falcon to be more of a military character, which I'm not complaining about, because my gear looks dope and I get to kick a lot of ass. Ever since I got in good shape, though, I'm all about spandex.

He was then asked if he had seen any footage for the film, “Yes, and it looks amazing. It's so much bigger than everyone thought it would be, and we're kicking a lot of ass. It's a lot of fun to be a part of, especially with Samuel L. Jackson, who's been my mentor for so many years.”

Rolling Stone then asked him if its rough having to hear about sequels second hand like many actors in the Marvel Universe tend to find out.

He replied saying, “It can be frustrating at times, because if you're not "in house" with them, if you're not one of the people making the vision and you have no way of knowing what's going on. It's kind of like a sports game – something great can happen at any moment. One day you'll get a call from Marvel that's like, "Hey, we need you in New Mexico right now for The Avengers 2." I'd ride a moped to that set if I had to. My friends keep saying, "you'll be doing these forever," but I don't know about that. If it works out, it works out. It's all very hush.”

Captain America: The Winter Soldier will release on April 4^th 2014.