Saturday, November 28

• Kevin Smith's Latest Film Is "Average...in a Good Way"

  When filmmakers self-promote as much as Kevin Smith does, they typically get the reputation for being a snob. However, when Smith does it, it's often so candid and humorous that he ends up coming off as self-deprecating rather than arrogant. In a recent interview with AICN, Smith described himself as " a big f--in' loser from Jersey" and said that his success has forced him to rethink the films that he makes.

  It was devastating the day I realized that, like, I can't do this anymore, 'cause it's too easy at this point. Like, I could do this in my sleep, but it's disingenuous. Like, I love Zack and Miri. I mean, I think it turned out well, but I look at Zack and Miri, and I look at Chasing Amy, and I go, Okay, two movies cut from similar cloth. What's the difference? One is made with the passion and brio of somebody who is desperate to get their message across, desperate to communicate desperate to say, "If I don't make this film, I'm gonna die." And, the other one was made by a guy who was, like, "Well, that's the movie I chose to do that year."

  Smith said that he realizes that he "lowered the bar" with movies like Clerks, and that he doesn't "want to make that kind of movie anymore." His latest film as a director, A Couple of Dicks (which has apparently been re-titled A Couple of Cops), is a buddy-comedy starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan that Smith calls "average."

  And, when I say "average,", I mean that in a good way, like, it looks like everybody else's movie now. Back in the days, you'd look at my flick and you'd be, like, "Oh, that's by the motherf---er who made Clerks. You can tell, because it looks so terrible. His camera won't move." A Couple of Dicks, man, it looks like 48 Hours. It looks like Beverly Hills Cop, Lethal Weapon. And, I know some people are, like, "Great, your movie looks like an '80s movie." But, hey, I'm on a slow curve. What the f--- do you want from me?

  
  

  Posted 11/28/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Bruce Willis | Tracey Morgan | Kevin Smith | Chasing Amy | Clerks | A Couple of Dicks | Zack and Miri Make a Porno

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• Robert Downey, Jr. Not Just a "Hired Gun" in the Iron Man 2 Process

  Now that Robert Downey Jr. has kicked his addictions and resumed his place on the A-list of Hollywood actors, he's putting everything he has into making sure that he stays there. In a recent interview with Empire, he said that just because the first Iron Man was successful, that doesn't mean that the Iron Man 2 team can relax.

  We are grinding our minds and hearts in the ground on this movie. Could we have just skated through a sequel and would it probably have made the same box-office numbers? Yes, sure.

  Downey Jr. went on to say that he had an intuition about how to portray Tony Stark and his alter-ego, Iron Man, in the first film.

  I have fortified my belief that if I have a creative instinct about something, usually it's not because I've had too much coffee or because I'm bored — it's because I sense there's something there. And it's always mind-blowing when you follow a hunch and realise it's exactly what the movie wanted.

  Jon Favreau, the director of both Iron Man films, said that Downey Jr. brought much more to the table than what he was hired for.

  Robert is a real partner in the process. He's been very involved in the screenplay. When he went away to do Sherlock Holmes he was still part of our creative process. Even in the first film, where he was originally a hired gun playing the role, he really stepped up to rewrite scenes — he's a great writer, too. So we really are sharing the responsibilities.

  
  
  Next Showing: Iron Man 2 opens May 7, 2010
  

  Iron Man Exclusive

  Never before seen clip from Iron Man.

  Posted 11/28/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Jon Favreau | Robert Downey Jr. | Sherlock Holmes | Iron Man | Iron Man 2

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Friday, November 27

• Matt Damon Almost Played Kirk's Dad in Star Trek

  Is there another actor with the luck streak Chris Hemsworth is currently enjoying? After playing the role of Captain Kirk's father in J.J. Abrams's Star Trek, Hemsworth grabbed the title role in Thor.

  However, Abrams told MTV that Hemsworth almost lost the role to Matt Damon.

  I went to Damon for the role of Kirk's father, and he declined in the most gracious and understandable and logical of reasons. Maybe it would have been distracting to have someone as massively famous as Matt Damonst in that role.... The decision was made very early on to have actors who were not necessarily the most famous but the most right for the role. We lucked out with Chris Hemsworth, and he did a great job.

  Without Star Trek, it's doubtful Hemsworth would have landed the Thor gig. Here's hoping he gave thanks yesterday that that Damon had "reasons" to turn down the role.

  
  

  Posted 11/27/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Matt Damon | J.J. Abrams | Chris Hemsworth | Star Trek | Thor

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• Jeremy Renner to Play Hawkeye in The Avengers and Thor?

  The Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner was once vying for the role of Mad Max in Fury Road, but lost out to Tom Hardy. However, Renner may land an iconic role in The Avengers and Thor instead. Renner told Empire that Marvel is talking to him about playing archer hero Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye.

  Hawkeye could be interesting. [Marvel's] going to send me some stuff on it, see what it is. But I think they're pretty awesome, trying to make superhero movies almost plausible and not just some fantasy thing.

  Renner would apparently make a cameo appearance in Thor and have a larger part in The Avengers. The casting is still unofficial.

  
  

  Posted 11/27/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Jeremy Renner | Thor | The Avengers

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• Silver Surfer Spin-Off Is Not Dead, Says Straczynski

  The news that Fox's planned Fantastic Four spin-off, The Silver Surfer, had been scrapped traveled the Internet at the speed of light. In a recent interview with Collider, comic scribe and screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski (Ninja Assassin) said:

  What happened was when FF2 didn't do as well as they hoped it would do, it caused them to call into question a Silver Surfer movie. The script that I wrote picked up right where FF2 left off. So if they do a Silver Surfer film down the road, it'll have to be its own separate things.

  Almost immediately after the interview posted, numerous news sources declared the Silver Surfer project dead. Whether Fox got wind of this and asked Straczynski to amend his comment or he decided to of his own accord, the Babylon 5 creator quickly responded by clarifying his earlier statement:

  Guys ... guys ... GUYS ... whoa, slow down, back the bus up a second.

  When I was asked about the Silver Surfer script, I responded about the one I'd written around the time that FF2 was launched, and was designed to pick up where that one left off.

  When FF2 didn't do as well as hoped for, that script was set aside, but that has NOTHING to do with the Silver Surfer script that is NOW under development at Fox with other folks. As far as I know, that is proceeding apace. So the hysteria that's gripped the nets about "ohmygod the Surfer movie is dead!" is not correct, as I was again referring to only that one specific script tied into FF2, NOT what's being done now.

  The other script that Straczynski mentions is likely the one that Michael Green, co-executive producer of Heroes and the co-writer of Green Lantern, has been working on for Fox. Green's script will likely reboot the franchise, in light of the lackluster performance of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

  
  
  

  Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Traile

  The team squares off against the powerful Silver Surfer.

  Posted 11/27/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Michael Green | J. Michael Straczynski | Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

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• Danny McBride Talks Up In the Air and Your Highness

  Danny McBride, who has made a career out of comedies like Tropic Thunder and Pineapple Express,, is moving into a more dramatic role in the upcoming Up In the Air. McBride told Collider that he was attracted to the role because of the opportunity to work with George Clooney and director Jason Reitman.

  I just felt like the project was definitely special. It jumped off the page and the chance to get to meet Clooney and work with him was definitely a draw and to just be a part of something Jason believed in, it seemed like a no-brainer. So, yeah, I signed on for it and just thought I'd give it a whirl.

  Up next for McBride is Your Highness, which will reunite him with his Pineapple Express and All the Real Girls director, David Gordon Green. The movie, which McBride co-wrote, will harken back to some of the fantasy 1movies of the 1980s.

  Your Highness is ... he's a guy, like with Pineapple Express, you know Pineapple Express becomes an 80's action film without making fun of 80's action films. It just kind of becomes one by the end and that's really what we wanted for Your Highness. We didn't really want to make fun of 80's fantasy films. We just wanted to make an 80's fantasy film, you know? And so that being said like the costumes, the sets, all that stuff was taken seriously and it was done on a big scale. No jokes are had from cod pieces or anything like that. You wanted to world to be real and the comedy just comes from the people that happen to be in this world and really shouldn't be.

  How it is not like Pineapple Express is that Your Highness is not the middle ages stoner comedy the title may suggest.

  No, it's not really accurate. I know where that comes from. It centers around two brothers, [James] Franco and myself and he's the first born and I'm the 2nd born so he's going to be King and I'm a little jealous about that and therefore I just kind of shirk responsibility and don't really try to live up to being a good Prince. And with that I mean he drinks and smokes and does all these sorts of things but that's no means like the driving force of the movie. It's not Pineapple Express 2 or anything like that.

  Up In The Air opens December 4 in limited release and opens wide on December 25. Your Highness is scheduled to open October 1, 2010, and co-stars Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, and Damian Lewis.

  
  

  Posted 11/27/2009 by Ryan

  Related: David Gordon Green | Danny McBride | Up in the Air

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Thursday, November 26

• Ruben Fleischer Says Zombieland 2 Will Be in 3-D

  Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer spoke to Moviehole and announced that Sony was interested in making a sequel and that all the principal actors (Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin) are all ready to return.

  Fleischer says he would like to shoot Zombieland 2 in 3-D since "the genre really lends itself to [3-D]." Where the sequel will take place or what it will be about is unknown, as Fleischer and company are still trying to "crack" the story.

  Before Zombieland 2, however, Fleischer says he would like to make a romantic comedy. Likely one without zombies, considering he already made America's answer to Shaun of the Dead.

  
  
  

  Zombieland - Trailer

  Woody Harrelson Stars

  Posted 11/26/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Ruben Fleischer | Zombieland 2 | Zombieland

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• Guy Pearce Joins The Hungry Rabbit Jumps

  According to Production Weekly's most recent Tweet, actor Guy Pearce will be joining Nicolas Cage and January Jones in Roger Donaldson's (The Bank Job) new film, The Hungry Rabbit Jumps.

  The script, written by Robert Tannen, tells the story of a man (played by Cage) who becomes entangled with a vigilante group when he goes out seeking retribution on those who assaulted his wife. Rabbit is being produced by Tobey Maguire's Maguire Entertainment and Endgame.

  The Tweet from PA also indicates that filming will begin in New Orleans in two weeks.

  
  

  Posted 11/26/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Guy Pearce | Nicolas Cage | Tobey Maguire | January Jones | Roger Donaldson | Robert Tannen

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Wednesday, November 25

• James McTeigue Enlisted Comic Book Artist for Ninja Assassin

  In the past, comic book artists were not regarded very highly in Hollywood. When a director needed to have certain scenes "pre-visualized," it was often a storyboard artist that was tapped for the job. However, with the recent popularity of comic book movies and the sky-rocketing costs of developing feature-length action films, directors have increasingly turned to comic book or "sequential" artists to help flesh out their ideas.

  James McTeigue (V for Vendetta) is one such director. For his latest film, Ninja Assassin, McTeigue hired comic book artist Steve Skroce to help him bring the script to life, he told ComingSoon.net.

  What I usually do with Steve is that we start off with concept pieces — we call them key frames. We talk about the key frames and how they come together and then I'll say to him, "Look, I felt like this should be a cross between anime and gameplay," so then he starts sketching out the boards and I go, "Maybe look at Ninja Scroll" and then he'll go and do that and he'll draw some key frames, and then once we flesh out the aesthetic of the film, then we start getting into the action sequences. He pretty much draws a lot of them. And then after he does that, once you get the aesthetic down, you get the action choreographers —in this case, it was Chad Stahelski and David Leitch — and then we start working out the choreography exactly, like all the mechanics of how that will work. The way I do that is that we work out the basic choreography, then they get with their fight teams, and they video tape it, and then we edit it down and go, "Oh, that's good, that's not so good, let's put a bit more of that in, do a bit more of that, let's use this weapon ... the katana or the shuriken you see." So it's sort of a slowly evolving process.

  Skroce has worked on The Matrix trilogy and is the artist and co-creator of Doc Frankenstein, which is published by the Wachowski Brothers' Burlyman Entertainment.

  
  
  

  Ninja Assassin - Trailer

  Rain stars - in theaters today

  Posted 11/25/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: James McTeigue | Ninja Assassin

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• Peter Jackson Updates The Hobbit and Tintin

  With his Lovely Bones opening next month, writer-director Peter Jackson spent some time talking with the British press about a few of his upcoming producing projects. One of the most-anticipated is The Hobbit, the sequel to Jackson's Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Jackson told In The News that an initial script has been delivered to the studio.

  The Hobbit will be two movies and we've written the first script and delivered it to the studio who seem to be happy with it. We're now halfway through the second script and Philippa [Boyens], Fran [Walsh], Guillermo [Del Toro] and myself are doing the scripts and having great fun. It was an interesting experience because eight or nine years have passed since we wrote the Lord of the Rings screenplays and I was worried it'd be weird or hard or uncomfortable to go back there, but as soon as we started writing the scripts it was fun, actually, and easy.

  Del Toro will be directing The Hobbit, a situation he is "happy" about, stressing that "it's our job to support him and to help him tell the story." Jackson told BBC News that having Del Toro in on the writing process should make the transition easier.

  We're writing the screenplays with him, so in terms of the script, there is continuity. We're writing Ian McKellen's dialogue just the same as we did in Lord Of The Rings. But Guillermo, being the director, will obviously take the script and interpret that and shoot his film. So that'll be interesting to see. That's actually the reason I wanted him to do it. I felt like I'd be trying to compete with myself and deliberately do things differently, which is not the way I want to work. I want it to be natural.

  Jackson stated that The Hobbit will be shot "in 35mm, old-fashioned film" because of Del Toro's desire to have the movie "in the same space as the original trilogy." Meanwhile, Jackson's other producing project, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, will be in 3-D. Jackson said that the movie is complete. Mostly.

  Tintin is great. It's made. The movie is cut together and now [we] are turning it into a fully-rendered film. So the movie, to some degree, exists in a very rough state.

  All that's left is to turn the movie from motion capture into 3-D animation, which will only take a mere two years to complete.

  
  

  Posted 11/25/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Peter Jackson | Guillermo del Toro | The Hobbit | Tintin | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

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