Monday, November 16

• Nick Frost Talks Paul and Tintin

  Nick Frost wasn't doing much acting before he met Simon Pegg, who included him in his TV show Spaced and has collaborated with him on Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the upcoming Paul, a movie about two British comic book geeks (Frost and Pegg) who encounter an alien near Area 51. Unlike their previous collaborations, Paul has Greg Mottola at the helm rather than Edgar Wright, though Frost told Movieline the trio is not breaking up.

  It kind of felt like we were cheating on each other, but in a good way — a kind of sexy, duplicitous way. It's good for us all to go off and do other things. Obviously, we'll get back together. People enjoy the stuff that Simon and I do, but I think they get bored of us.

  Paul is also the first movie that Frost has co-written with Pegg, though he says it's been planned for years.

  Simon and I were really big fans of [Steven] Spielberg, and really big fans of The X-Files, as well. We kind of had the idea for Paul when we were shooting Shaun of the Dead, so it's taken quote a while to actually make it. We were shooting the scene in the garden when we were throwing the record at the zombies, and our producer said, "So what do you want to do after this?" And we just kind of came up with an answer on spec, and lo and behold, we made it a few years later.

  Frost and Pegg got to be more than just fans of Spielberg in their other upcoming project, both actors got to work with Spielberg on The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, Spielberg's first animated movie. The process was a scary one for Frost.

  It was really terrifying, since I've only been an actor for eight years. I was a waiter before that for quite a long time. Going from someone who didn't really want to be an actor to working with Steven Spielberg was a heck of a leap. I felt like a five-year-old boy going to college, if you know what I mean. I don't really remember going to high school that much, but I remember watching Close Encounters for the first time as an eleven-year-old and thinking, "F**king hell, this is amazing." Being on set with him and he knows your name, and when he's happy with a take he does a little dance ... it's a great way to work.

  Spielberg has never used the motion-capture technique used to create Tintin, though Frost says Spielberg learned quickly.

  I think he was basically learning as he went along, but his rate of learning and a normal human's rate of learning is a lot different. Most of the time, he shot it like you would any other movie. He would actually operate the camera a lot of the time — he was very hands-on. The way we shot it, it kind of felt like rehearsing a play, because we were doing long takes in a room with four or five other actors in gray suits. It felt a little bit like we were in the Actor's Studio.

  Paul is scheduled for release sometime in 2010, while The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn opens December 23, 2011.

  
  

  Posted 11/16/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Nick Frost | Simon Pegg | Steven Spielberg | Greg Mottola | Edgar Wright | Tintin | Paul

Sunday, November 15

• First 20 Minutes of Scott Pilgrim Are, Apparently, Awesome

  Edgar Wright's upcoming adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's comic book Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is reportedly a pretty amazing flick. Or at least the first twenty minutes are amazing. Jason Schwartzman, who appears in the movie, told MTV after watching only twenty minutes of the movie that it's "unlike anything I've seen in my entire life. ... It's really funny, it's really emotional,"said Schwartmzan. "There's a lot of romance — but the action sequences, I've never seen scenes quite like these. They're really beautiful."

  Scott Pilgrim tells the of Scott (Michael Cera), who must defeat the seven evil ex-boyfriends of his new girlfriend to win her heart. Schwartzman was only too happy to continually praise the movie, even if he only saw a small portion that he wasn't even in.

  I was so excited. I hope — and I'm pretty confident —that that's the way people will feel when they see the movie, because I'm a fan of the comics and a fan of Edgar and Michael, and watching the first 20 minutes it was like, "Oh! There's that, and that, and that, and I've always wondered what that would [look like]..."

  Schwartzman isn't alone in his adoration for the movie. Director Jason Reitman (the upcoming Up in the Air) saw the first thirty minutes last month, then used his Twitter account to announce his enthusiasm.

  It is a game changer for Edgar and the genre. It moves the speed of light and carries more unadulterated joy than Ive seen in recent cinema.

  I'm in awe of the sheer control in the filmmaking. It feels like a Matrix for love and how willing we are to fight for it.

  If I had a movie coming out next year, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it. Hats off my friend. Can't get it out of my head.

  We just hope the rest of the movie doesn't completely fall flat after the first 20-30 minutes!

  
  

  Posted 11/15/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Jason Reitman | Jason Schwartzman | Edgar Wright

Monday, September 14

• Chris Evans Talks Scott Pilgrim and the Possibility of Reprising His Fantastic Four Role

  Scott Pilgrim vs. the World isn't your typical comic book-turned-movie adaptation. There are no costumes, no super powers, just a slacker anti-hero and his dream girl's seven "evil" ex-boyfriends. Based on the comic by Bryan Lee O'Malley, Pilgrim recently wrapped principal photography. Chris Evans, who plays Lucas Lee in the film, told Collider.com that the experience was "fantastic," if too short, but that working with director Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz) was a unique experience.

  I've never felt so secure with a director. He gets his days because, you know again, there's no fat. He's not working anything out in the day. He's done his homework. He's on-set like a machine and I've never seen producers ... give a director so much freedom.

  And, speaking of "fantastic," when asked about the rumors that the Fantastic Four franchise might receive a reboot, Evans was not totally against the idea and said that he would be interested in reprising the role of Johnny Storm/Human Torch.

  

  You want to make good products. You want to make good films. I love movies and good movies come from good directors and like I said since there isn't this massive surplus of films out there, if a good director offers you a chance to make a good movie, you take it even if you say well I just played a character like that. Who cares? You're a great director. Scott Pilgrim, I played characters similar to that guy but no f--ing way I'm going to say no to this guy. I'm doing your movie. So if Fantastic Four got rebooted and [The Dark Knight director] Christopher Nolan was going to direct it and said do you want to play Johnny Storm again, I'd be in those blue f--ing tights.

  Scott Pilgrim vs. the World also stars Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona V. Flowers.

  
  

  Posted 09/14/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Chris Evans | Edgar Wright | Fantastic Four | Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Thursday, September 10

• Pixar Is Not Making an Ant-Man Movie ... Probably

  

  According to director Edgar Wright, the recent news that Pixar would have a hand in the Ant-Man feature is false. Entertainment Weekly reported last week that "Pixar already has their eye on Ant-Man," which started a firestorm of activity on the internet and prompted Wright, who has been developing Ant-Man for the past five years, to contact his boss.

  I just spoke to [Marvel President of Production] Kevin Feige for the first time since I wrapped and we are meeting this week to discuss the next phase. The news that Pixar is involved is not wholly accurate and a little premature to comment on. I love Pixar's work more than anyone and indeed would love to collaborate with them.

  Even so, we can't help but be curious about the wiggle-room offered by the phrase "not wholly accurate" could mean. The rumor seemed plausible, considering Pixar has prior experience with miniature heroes — A Bug's Life, Toy Story — but Wright said that his movie will be a live-action adaptation of the comic book character, not a CGI film.

  My spin on Ant-Man is very different than a straight superhero origin and very much live action. At some point in this century, I intend to stop talking about it and make the damn thing.

  Wright went on to say that his movie would not be a typical superhero movie like Spider-Man or Iron Man.

  I want to make a film inside the Marvel Universe that is something a little different; a genre film within the superhero genre, so to speak.

  
  

  Posted 09/10/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Kevin Feige | Edgar Wright | Ant-Man

Wednesday, July 8

• Ant-Man Is Next for Edgar Wright

  Kenneth Branagh and Jon Favreau are among the directors working on Marvel's Avengers movies, and Edgar Wright, the director of Shaun of the Dead and the upcoming Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, is ready to join them. Ant-Man, one of the founding members of The Avengers, will be the hero in Wright's movie, for which he has already written a script. Trouble is, Wright's still working on Pilgrim, which means that Ant-Man will have to wait.

  Ant-Man is something I need to return to. I wrote a draft before Scott Pilgrim started and it's kind [of] on back burner slightly just because I've been busy with this. But it's something that I have got to return to. I have to do another draft after Scott Pilgrim is done. When you come away from something it's good and fun to rework what you've already done. But I'm very happy with the first draft and we need to get back into business.

  Pilgrim, the story of a man (Michael Cera) who must fight his girlfriend's evil ex-boyfriends, won't open until 2010, meaning Ant-Man likely won't see the big screen until after The Avengers hits on May 4, 2012.

  
  

  Posted 07/08/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Edgar Wright | Ant-Man | The Avengers

Tuesday, June 9

• Marvel's Kevin Feige Updates The Avengers, Thor, Ant-Man and More

  Marvel President of Production Kevin Feige has been very busy lately speaking about the upcoming slate of movies Marvel has in production, from The Avengers to Thor and even Ant-Man, giving plenty of updates about each one.

  While he could not confirm another Incredible Hulk movie, Feige did confirm that Hulk will appear in The Avengers:

  Now at least we can talk about Hulk being onscreen and Hulk being in a movie. It will have been four years since he was in a movie by that point. By 2012, I'd like to see him in it. We're just starting the story. I was on the phone with [Avengers screenwriter] Zak Penn this morning. He's coming in next week and he's going to work on the outline this summer. It's so intertwined with what we're doing before it. I almost wanted to get done with production on Iron Man 2, and the scripts to Thor and The First Avenger: Captain America well underway, before we even started The Avengers.

  With many of the movies being intertwined, this means that several characters will make appearances in different movies, in particular Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Feige explained that he hopes to provide fans with a comic book experience, where characters from other books show up unexpectedly.

  Feige gave an update on Thor confirming that Donald Blake, Thor's human alter ego, will not appear in Thor, which will take place on both Earth and Asgard. Meanwhile, The First Avenger: Captain America will "primarily" be a period piece taking place during World War II, with an appearance by Cap's sidekick Bucky "a safe bet."

  As for casting Captain America, Feige clearly hasn't made a decision:

  There are only a handful of stars that mean anything here, much less overseas. I do think that will be a factor in it. As long as we have the freedom to cast the best actor for the part. Whether it's an actor who's been a great actor, but hasn't starred in marquee action movies before like Robert Downey, or somebody that came out of Australia that we've never heard.

  As for the Ant-Man adaptation that Shaun of the Dead's Edgar Wright is working on, Feige said:

  I want to make Ant-Man one of these days. I think that'll be surprising and funny. I love Edgar Wright. What he likes about it is that when he says he's doing Ant-Man, people go, 'Ant-Man? What the hell is that?' I think that's funny.

  Ant-Man isn't the only movie Feige hopes to make post-Avengers, he's also excited about Doctor Strange:

  I think Doctor Strange would kick ass. I think we've done very well at this street-level superhero aspect of the Marvel Universe. I think with Thor, you'll see us cracking into the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe in a very good way that's never been done before in our movies. I'd love to get into that supernatural element.

  Marvel and Feige clearly have a lot on the horizon. However, ultimately, it's The Avengers that Feige is most excited about:

  I think The Avengers is going to have it's own vibe. It'll have a different tone than the other Marvel movies. It is about saving the world, because there's no other reason for characters that powerful to band together. I think the scope and the scale will feel like a much bigger thing.

  Iron Man 2 opens May 7, 2010, while Thor and The First Avenger: Captain America are due May 20 and July 22 of 2011, respectively. The Avengers should open May 4, 2012.

  
  

  Posted 06/09/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Kevin Feige | Scarlett Johansson | Zak Penn | Samuel L. Jackson | Robert Downey Jr. | Tom Hiddleston | Edgar Wright | Chris Hemsworth | The Incredible Hulk 2 | Thor | Ant-Man | The Avengers | Iron Man 2 | First Avenger: Captain America | The Incredible Hulk | Shaun of the Dead

Monday, March 19

• Can't Wait for Hot Fuzz? Go to a Hot Fuzztival.

  Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (aka the team that brought you Shaun of the Dead) is coming out with Hot Fuzz, a comedic send-up of cop/action movies, that opens in theaters on April 20th.

  To promote the movie, "Hot Fuzztivals" with Q&As with the Hot Fuzz team, rare theatrical prints, screenings of cop movie classics and advance screenings of Hot Fuzz are happening in select US cities.

  Washington, DC - Fri, March 23 @ Arlington Cinema N Drafthouse (Arlington, VA).

  Boston, MA - Fri, March 16 - Thurs March 29 @ the Brattle Theatre (Cambridge).

  Chicago, IL - Sun, March 25 - Mon, March 26 @ the Brew & View and the AMC River East.

  Atlanta, GA - Mon, March 26 - Weds, March 28 @ the Palace Theatre.

  San Francisco, CA - Tues, March 27 - Tues, April 3 @ the Landmark Lumiere Theatre, Landmark Embarcadero Center Cinemas, and Landmark Clay Theatre.

  Dallas, TX - Thurs, March 29 @ the AMC Northpark 15.

  Austin, TX - Sat, March 31 @ the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown.

  Seattle, WA - Mon, Apr 2 @ the Landmark Varsity Theatre.

  Los Angles, CA - Sat, Apr 7 @ the Aero Theater (Santa Monica).

  New York, NY - Tues, Apr 10 @ the Film Society of Lincoln Center/Walter Reade Theater.

  Check your local listings for details.

   

  
  
  

  Reelz Clip

  The creators of Shaun of the Dead are back again.

  Posted 03/19/2007 by reelz

  Related: Nick Frost | Simon Pegg | Edgar Wright | Hot Fuzz | Shaun of the Dead