Thursday, November 19

• New Daybreakers Poster, Stills, and TV Spot

  With The Twilight Saga: New Moon opening this weekend, Lionsgate wants to capitalize on the vampire pandemonium to promote its forthcoming vampire flick, Daybreakers.

  Starring Willem Dafoe and Ethan Hawke, Daybreakers is a darker kind of vampire movie than New Moon. Set in 2019, vampires have taken over and hunt humans for food. The only problem is, humans are becoming scarce. Amidst the vampire's need to farm humans for their blood, a covert group of vampires makes a discovery that may save the human race.

  Written and directed by Peter and Michael Spierig (Undead), Daybreakers won't be released until January 8, 2010. That leaves a few months to enjoy the new photos, poster, and TV spot, which acts as a public service announcement for vampires to turn in human survivors. Check it out below.

  
  

  Posted 11/19/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Willem Dafoe | Ethan Hawke | Michael Spierig | Peter Spierig | Daybreakers

Tuesday, November 3

• Willem Dafoe Return for Spider-Man 4 "Possible"

  Dylan Baker is returning for the upcoming Spider-Man 4 to possibly play the Lizard, but what about Willem Dafoe?

  Dafoe played the Green Goblin in Spider-Man and then re-appeared, despite his character's death, in both sequels. With James Franco, who played Dafoe's son Harry Osborn, dying in Spider-Man 3, is there still a way for Dafoe to show up in Spider-Man 4? Dafoe told MTV that anything's "possible."

  I think it's possible. But I haven't heard anything. Let's put it this way — no one's called.

  How's that for leaving things open?

  
  
  Next Showing: Spider-Man 4 opens May 6, 2011

  Posted 11/03/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Willem Dafoe | Spider-Man 4

Wednesday, October 21

• Willem Dafoe Says John Carter of Mars Will Be "Mind-Blowing"

  

  Other than a few cast additions, the last news we had heard about Pixar's already-delayed live-action production John Carter of Mars came from actress Lynn Collins, who will play the Martian princess Dejah Thoris opposite Taylor Kitsch. Collins said that "some hair and makeup tests" had begun, but knew little else about the production.

  Now, two-time Academy Award-nominated actor Willem Dafoe confirms that pre-production on the CGI/live-action mash-up is chugging along. Dafoe will portray Tars Tarkas, a four-armed, nine-foot-tall Martian, or "Barsoomian," as they are referred to in the classic 11-volume novel series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Dafoe said that although his character will be rendered digitally, his performance should shine through, thanks to the incredible skills of the Pixar artists.

  [Pixar will] use my face, but they'll enhance it in a way — both after and before — in a way that I may not be recognizable. But, I'm good with that. It's particularly cool, because he's a creature, but he's got this huge range of character. And, he does cool things in the movies.

  When asked if he had developed a voice for his alien character yet, Dafoe told Ain't It Cool News:

  No, but there's a whole period where we're going to work with the language and the movement, and find out how I'm going to be nine feet tall, and all that stuff ... like, a long period of time where we're going to go to Thark school, you know what I mean? We're going to create our culture. So, it's going to be very cool. These guys know how to do this, and they've got great people. And, the designs and things are just mind-blowing.

  
  
  Next Showing: John Carter of Mars is scheduled for a 2012 release

  Posted 10/21/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Taylor Kitsch | Willem Dafoe | Lynn Collins | John Carter of Mars

Wednesday, September 30

• Three Additions to Cast of Pixar's John Carter of Mars

  The Hollywood Reporter writes that three more actors will star in Pixar's first live-action movie, John Carter of Mars. Thomas Haden Church, James Purefoy, and Mark Strong have joined a cast that already includes Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, Taylor Kitsch, and Lynn Collins.

  The story involves John Carter (Kitsch), a Civil War veteran who is transported to Mars. But this isn't the barren red planet we know; this Mars is a violent society involving "12-foot-tall green barbarians," according to IMDb.

  Church will portray a warrior with a desire for power, Purefoy a captain, and Strong the ruler of a people called the Thems. Directing the movie is Andrew Stanton, who also co-wrote the script. Stanton has already helmed several Pixar features, including Wall-E, Finding Nemo, and A Bug's Life.

  The movie is still in pre-production and is scheduled for a 2012 release.

  
  

  Posted 09/30/2009 by Rich Z

  Related: Samantha Morton | Taylor Kitsch | Willem Dafoe | Andrew Stanton | Lynn Collins | James Purefoy | Thomas Haden Church | Mark Strong | John Carter of Mars

Tuesday, September 1

• More Cast Additions to John Carter of Mars

  More Hollywood talent has been added to Disney's live-action John Carter of Mars movie, joining X-Men Origins: Wolverine's Taylor Kitsch in the title role. Previous cast announcements have included Academy Award-nominated actor Willem Dafoe as Carter's Martian (Barsoomian) ally Tars Tarkas, and Lynn Collins as Carter's love interest and martian princess Dejoh Thoris. Now it's been reported that Samantha Morton, Dominic West, and Polly Walker will "go Martian" in the movie.

  John Carter of Mars is based on the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs character who appeared in the 11-volume Barsoom series of books. The movie is planned as the first installment of a Mars trilogy and is based on the first novel, A Princess of Mars, which was first published in 1912. In the novel, Captain John Carter, a Confederate Civil War veteran, is mysteriously transported to Mars (Barsoom), where he finds that the lesser gravity gives him super-human strength and agility. Carter becomes embroiled in the conflict between the Red and Green Martians and falls in love with Dejoh Thoris, a Red Martian.

  Principal photography is expected to begin this November in Utah and continue through July 2010.

  
  

  Posted 09/01/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Samantha Morton | Taylor Kitsch | Willem Dafoe | Polly Walker | Dominic West | Lynn Collins | John Carter of Mars

Monday, June 29

• Ethan Hawke Fights Vampires in Daybreakers

  With the success of the Twilight Saga vampire movies are popular again, but the upcoming Daybreakers is far removed from a world where humans and vampires fall in love. Instead, vampires have taken over the earth and hunt the remaining humans for food. Only one problem exists: they're running out of humans. Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe star is this offshoot of I Am Legend. The movie doesn't open until January 8, 2010, which should give you plenty of time to digest the following trailer:

  
  

  Posted 06/29/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Willem Dafoe | Ethan Hawke | Daybreakers | The Twilight Saga: New Moon | I Am Legend

Tuesday, June 16

• Alfred Molina Would Love to Return to Spider-Man Series

  With the villains for Spider-Man 4 still a mystery, there's one former villain who wouldn't mind returning, and no it's not Willem Dafoe (who showed up in all three previous Spider-Man movies, in one way or another). Alfred Molina, who played Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2, told MTV he'd happily come back, though there might be a hurdle or two to climb before it's possible:

  No one's mentioned it, and I think it's highly unlikely, seeing as he died.

  Sure, Molina died, but death in the comic book universe has a way of not lasting forever:

  At the Spider-Man 2 premiere in London, I turned around to one of the producers and said, "It's a real shame that I died, because I would've loved to do another one of these." And he said, "Oh, characters don't die in this universe, they just disappear."

  Are there any favorites from Spidey's past that Molina can recommend before screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire turns in the script and Sony announces who they are?

  The only thing I'd like to see is to concentrate on one villain. Having two or three of them sort of dilutes the potency of it.

  After the villain overload of Spider-Man 3, fans would probably agree. However, only one villain would likely mean no Doc Ock, meaning no Alfred Molina.

  
  

  Posted 06/16/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Alfred Molina | Willem Dafoe | David Lindsay-Abaire | Spider-Man 2 | Spider-Man 4 | Spider-Man 3