MOVIE ROUNDUP (MAN OF STEEL CASTING, TONY JAA IS FURIOUS, SIMON PEGG X-FILES)

Worlds Finest FanArt

MOVIE ROUNDUP  

(MAN OF STEEL, THE HUNGER GAMES, 

SPAWN & MORE)

Worlds Finest FanArt

MAN OF STEEL 

A few days ago, the Internet exploded with the news that Ben Affleck would be playing Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel.

To say this news was divisive would really be understated as this news brought a wave of positive and extreme negative responses to this bit of news.  

According to The Hollywood Reporter, talks began between Snyder, Warner Bros. and Affleck earlier this year. After completing work on Man of Steel, Snyder reportedly had an idea for a follow-up and the studio began to gauge interest from actors, including the rumored Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling. Affleck was open to the idea and began discussing the story and the character with Snyder and when he liked what he heard, negotiations began for him to appear.

Now this isn’t the first time that Affleck has been linked to the role. About a year ago DC announced their plans for a Justice League film, at the time Affleck was under consideration to not only play Batman in Justice League but to direct the film as well. I’m thinking that his casting in the Man of Steel sequel would be the first step towards that goal.

So while many people might not be looking forward to seeing Ben Affleck as Batman, a Justice League film directed by him will definitely have any fan excited.

The trade adds that Affleck will shoot Gone Girl from September until February, then shift to the Superman/Batman film from February to August (while doing pre-production on Live By Night), then tackle that film, a Prohibition gangster movie, as writer-director-star next September.

While many celebrities have been throwing in their 2cents on the casting, with Joss Whedon the Avengers director showing tremendous support for Affleck, there was always just going to be one’s mans voice that mattered on this matter, and that’s Matt Damon.

Superman Vs Batman logo FanArt

Speaking with the Times of India (via CS), Damon unsurprisingly had encouraging things to say about Affleck playing Batman:

“I think it will be great. It will be terrific. I know there are a lot of people grousing on the Internet. I just think it’s kind of funny. You know, he’s not playing King Lear. It’s Batman! Certainly within his skill set. If anybody saw Argo or The Town, and all the work he’s been doing lately, it’s way more nuanced and interesting and way more difficult than Batman! Batman just sits there with his cowl over his head and whispers in a kind of gruff voice at people. Bruce Wayne is the more challenging part of the role, and Ben will be great at that.”

As for those that have suggested Damon play Robin to Affleck’s Batman, the actor laughed off the idea:

“I am a little older than Ben. I never saw Robin as older than Batman. Somebody sent me a picture actually (of his face photo shopped on Robin’s body and Ben’s on Batman’s). It was really funny. But it’s safe to say I won’t be Robin.”

Man of Steel's Henry Cavill will reprise his role as Superman in the film along with co-stars Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane.

David S. Goyer is scripting the new film from a story he co-created with Zack Snyder. Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder are producing, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan and Wesley Coller serving as executive producers. It is scheduled to hit theaters on July 17, 2015.

Superman vs. Batman will be released on July 17, 2015.

X-FILES 3

X-Files fans have been clamoring for a third film in the series for a long time and every time the subject is brought up, the stars and creators always say they'd love to do it.

Gillain Anderson & Simon Pegg

While the stars and creators of the show would love to have a 3^rd film that is not a decision they get to decide, but that still doesn’t stop Chris Carter from talking about it though.

In an interview with Empire he said, “I think all of us are interested in putting the band back together. I have an idea for a third movie in my head. The colonization date has passed and that is something we wouldn't ignore. For the second movie, we only had the budget for a standalone story, but we want to go back to the mythology."

Carter then went onto say that if the third film indeed receives the green light that he would like Simon Pegg to join the gang:

"Gillian [Anderson] worked with Simon Pegg on a movie and told me that he was a big fan. We actually thought about putting him in the second movie, but there was no part for him. I certainly would think about him if we were to go forward in any way."

SPAWN

After years and years of talk of a potential Spawn film, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane is talking and he says that a new take on his Image Comics antihero could be in front of cameras as early as next year.

“The thing that keeps slowing it down is that the negotiation I’ve done is I write, produce, direct,” McFarlane tells The Gate (via The Hollywood Reporter), “but I’ve got to push a lot of my other endeavors off to the side so I can just get tunnel vision on it. And so everybody at my company is now going, ‘We’ve got to find Todd the time to finish all this.’”

He goes on to say that the film is looking at a 60-70 day shoot and reiterates his previous claims that the project will differ greatly from big screen version released by New Line Cinema in 1997.

“It’s not going to be a giant budget [film] with a lot of special effects,” he says. “It’s going to be more of a horror movie and a thriller movie, not a superhero one.”

“Spawn,” which launched as a solo-series in 1992, follows the adventures of Al Simmons, an assassin who, after being murdered, returns to the world as a Hellspawn, a demonic undead creature powered by necroplasm.

FAST AND FURIOUS 7

Tony Jaa

While the world was still in recover mode after the big Batman Affleck announcement, the following day it was announced that Tony Jaa would be joining James Wan’s Fast and Furious 7.  

Tony Jaa is the star of the Ong Bak series as well as The Protector, although this will mark his first Hollywood film, Jaa has gained International recognition for some of the most mesmerizing fight and stunt scenes. He was previously linked for potential roles in Live Free and Die Hard and Rush Hour 3, but it looks certain that he will be making his debut in Fast and Furious 7.

The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Jaa would join Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson and MMA Champion Ronda Rousey who just signed onto the film herself, with many more franchise favorites expected to be confirmed in the days to come.

While FF6 proved to be action orgy, it might have lead to many believing that the Fast and Furious franchise running out of steam, but with actors such as Statham and Jaa joining the franchise it seems the franchise still has quite the punch!

Natalie Dormer

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY

The second installment in the Hunger Games franchise, Catching Fire, will be releasing on November 23^rd later this year, but it would seem the studio has its eyes on the future as three new stars join the cast of the film series as the third film gets ready to start shooting in just 3 weeks time!

Stef Dawson has been cast as Annie Cresta, Finnick’s (played by Sam Claflin) love interest, in the final two chapters of the Hunger Games series, The Hunger Games: Mockinjay - Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2.

While, Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) has officially signed on to plays the role of Cressida in both The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2. Book fans will remember Cressida as the film director who, along with Castor, Pollux, and Messalla, flees The Capitol to join the rebellion and ends up taking her camera crew on a journey to follow Katniss and get footage of the uprising.

Stef Dawson

Evan Ross on the other hand, is set to play Messalla, Cressida's (Natalie Dormer) cameraman, in the final in the final two chapters of the Hunger Games series, The Hunger Games: Mockinjay - Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2.

Both those films will be directed by Francis Lawrence, which based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games: Mockinjay follow Katniss Everdeen’s (Jennifer Lawrence) journey as she leads the districts of Panem in a rebellion against the tyrannical and corrupt Capitol. As the war that will determine the fate of Panem escalates, Katniss must decipher for herself whom she can trust and what needs to be done, with everything she cares for in the balance.

Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland and Julianne Moore are slated to star with the first part hitting November 21, 2014 and the final film arriving November 20, 2015.

Filming is set to begin in just a few weeks in Georgia.

While Catching Fire releases on November 23^rd later this year.