Thursday, November 12

• New Ninja Assassin Clips

  Six new video clips have emerged for Ninja Assassin, the latest action spectacle from producer Joel Silver and his V for Vendetta and Speed Racer partners, Andy and Larry Wachowski (the creators of The Matrix trilogy). The trio of producers brought V for Vendetta's director, James McTeigue, in to helm the feature, which was shot in Berlin, Germany.

  Starring Korean pop star Rain in his first featured role, Ninja Assassin tells the story of Raizo, a boy trained to kill in an orphanage that serves as an assassin factory for the Ozunu Clan, a secret society thought only to exist in myth and legend. When Raizo attempts to escape from the clan and start a new life, they track him down to exact their revenge.

  
  
  Next Showing: Ninja Assassin opens November 25
  

  Ninja Assassin - Trailer

  This trailer follows the path of one person, from boy to man, who becomes a deadly assassin

  Posted 11/12/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Andy Wachowski | Joel Silver | Larry Wachowski | Ninja Assassin

Friday, August 7

• Is James McTeigue Directing the Next Superman?

  

  Last week, IESB reported that Warner Bros. had closed the door on Bryan Singer's involvement with Superman and were looking to reboot the franchise, possibly with James McTeigue as director and Andy and Larry Wachowski producing.

  Warner was supposedly hoping for a more action-oriented director, which McTeigue may prove to be with his upcoming Ninja Assassin. However, when SlashFilm asked McTeigue about the possibility of directing Superman, his answer was decidely vague:

  You know ... I ... I would say. .. I'll keep you guessing, actually. It's good not to dispel every rumor, right?

  McTeigue's answer was surprising considering he was the one to announce Warner's interest in having the Wachowskis take over the Superman franchise in February. At the time, McTeigue thought the Wachowskis may be too busy should their pet project Plastic Man get off the ground, though McTeigue says the movie, at this point, is dead:

  Obviously, Larry and Andy, did a script for Plastic Man back in the day. I'll be very surprised if that movie gets made. We haven't ever really talked about it. But I know it's still a Joel [Silver] property or a Warner property...

  After directing V For Vendetta, McTeigue has been no stranger to comic book adaptation speculation. At one point he was in talks to direct X-Men Origins: Magneto, though he dismissed those rumors:

  [Magneto] was just one of those rumors that started out and I don't know where it came from or how it came up. I think that David Goyer would be surprised about that actually.

  I mean, you know, it's not a bad idea.

  So no Plastic Man, Magneto's "not a bad idea," and maybe to Superman? McTeigue could potentially have a full slate is any of these rumors become substantiated. Until then, fanboys will have to wait on Ninja Assassin's November 25 release to see if McTeigue's got the goods.

  
  

  Posted 08/07/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Andy Wachowski | James McTeigue | Joel Silver | Larry Wachowski | David Goyer | Superman Returns | Superman: The Man of Steel | Ninja Assassin | X-Men Origins: Magneto | Plastic Man

Thursday, February 12

• Bryan Singer Losing Superman Sequel to Wachowskis?

  According to AICN the Wachowski Brothers are set to take over the Superman franchise from ousted Bryan Singer, and if they are in charge, they will want to reboot it into a Matrix-style trilogy.

  The "dub-bros" were set to start work on another super-flick, Plastic Man, but Warner Bros. has put that project on hold, which would allow for the brothers to work on Superman.

  AICN goes on to say...

  The Wachowski's are currently reviewing their options as its like being asked to take the final play in a Superbowl final. [McTeigue] says if they do agree, he will likely either succumb to providing second unit support on the movie or will champion the directorship of 'Plastic Man.' The very thought of the brothers making a 'Superman' movie is unbelievable as they have grown up in the world of comic books and they would be ideal for the project.

  No need to shed tears for Singer, however. He's taking the helm of a Logan's Run remake.

  
  

  Posted 02/12/2009 by Jim

  Related: Andy Wachowski | Bryan Singer | Larry Wachowski | Superman: The Man of Steel | The Matrix | Plastic Man | Logan's Run

Thursday, May 15

• PETA Takes Aim at Speed Racer

  After being handed a thorough critical beatdown and feeling the painful sting of audience indifference, the Wachowski Siblings' beleaguered anime epic Speed Racer suffered yet another indignity today -- courtesy of those loveable activists at PETA. The L.A. Times reports that the animal rights group's German arm (the movie was shot in Berlin) has accused Speed Racer's animal trainer of chimpanzee abuse, alleging that a representative of the American Humane Association witnessed an incident in which the poor primate that played Chim Chim was smacked upside the head after biting one of the actors.

  The outcry over chimpanzee abuse comes as no surprise. Anyone who's seen the popular West German TV show "Sprockets" knows that Germans love their monkeys.

  Source: L.A. Times

  
  

  Posted 05/15/2008 by reelz

  Related: Andy Wachowski | Larry Wachowski | Speed Racer

Friday, April 18

• Colin Chou Turns Down Ninja Assassin

  During the course of our exclusive interview with Colin Chou (debuting on ReelzChannel.com later today!) we got the chance to ask Chou about his rumored involvement in James McTeigue and the Wachowski sibling's Ninja Assassin.

  "I just turned down that project," Chou told ReelzChannel.com. "Unfortunately the character they were trying to offer me is not what I'm looking for at this stage in my career. I don't know where that news [came from]..."

  "After I read [the script] I said, 'Sorry, I'm not going to take it.' I want to jump to another stage [in my career] so I don't want to play that role, but it's a great script."

  
  

  Posted 04/18/2008 by reelz

  Related: Andy Wachowski | James McTeigue | Larry Wachowski | Collin Chou

Wednesday, April 2

• Speed Racer to Close Tribeca Film Festival

  The Wachowski Brothers' highly anticipated Speed Racer has been announced as a special presentation screening for the closing night of this year's Tribeca Film Festival on May 3, 2008 in Manhattan.

  For more info on the festival and to buy tickets for festival screenings, check out the official Tribeca Film Festival site.

  
  

  Posted 04/02/2008 by reelz

  Related: Andy Wachowski | Larry Wachowski | Susan Sarandon | Emile Hirsch | Speed Racer

Tuesday, September 18

• Hirsch Talks Speed Racer

  ReelzChannel was on hand today at the junket for Into the Wild in Los Angeles. The film promises to be a break out of sorts, at least critically, for star Emile Hirsch. His commercial breakout, Speed Racer, is finishing production now with a tentpole release slated for next summer.

  The young actor spoke briefly about his role as Speed Racer today: "One of the crazy things about Speed Racer was I went from being outdoors, beautiful nature shots, to not one scene do I shoot outdoors in Speed Racer. Everything is on a green screen stage. It was like being in a sauna and then jumping into an icebath for three and a half months. They both have their advantages. The green screen is certainly a lot safer."

  "I think people should expect something very special out of the Wachowski brothers on Speed Racer. I think that they really reinvented themselves. It's nothing like The Matrix, [it] doesn't look like The Matrix. It is its own new movie, and that was something very important to them, that they bring something new to the character."

  Hirsch himself admits to being a fan of the show as a kid. He firmly believes the new movie will please fans of the show. "I used to watch Speed Racer as a kid. Go Speed Racer! [Fans] will be very, very happy. They'll be more than happy. They'll be ecstatic."

  When asked whether the film will have a camp element to it like the show, Hirsch smirks. "Well, you'll have to see about that."

  
  
  

  Reelz Clip

  Dailies made the trip to Berlin to talk with the cast.

  Posted 09/18/2007 by reelz

  Related: Andy Wachowski | Larry Wachowski | Emile Hirsch | Speed Racer

Friday, June 1

• Check out Speed Racer's sweet new ride

  Things have been mighty quiet on the set of Speed Racer, the new live-action adaptation of the classic animated series currently being developed by Matrix siblings Larry and Andy Wachowski.

  Aside from a few notable casting announcements (Emile Hirsch as Speed, Christina Ricci as Trixie), information has been difficult to come by. Those of us eager to see how the Wachowskis will approach translating Speed Racer's quirky Japanese animation to celluloid have been consigned mainly to hearsay and speculation -- until now.  

  USA Today recently unveiled the first image of Speed's car of choice, the badass Mach 5, and it looks pretty sweet. If this pic is any indication of what's to come, Speed fans can rest assured that the Wachowskis intend to stay true to the animated series. 

  
  
  Next Showing: Speed Racer is set for a May 9, 2008 release.

  Posted 06/01/2007 by reelz

  Related: Andy Wachowski | Christina Ricci | Larry Wachowski | Emile Hirsch

Saturday, March 24

• Hirsch Does Speed

  The reclusive Wachowski brothers (are they still brothers? Or is it brother/sister now?) are emerging from hiding this year to make Speed Racer, their first directorial effort since the Matrix movies. Emile Hirsch (Lords of Dogtown, Alpha Dog), who landed the coveted role of Speed, spoke recently about the highly anticipated project. 

  I always found the Speed Racer cartoon to be vaguely disturbing, though I could never quite figure out why. The Wachowski brothers are supposedly gunning for a G rating for the Speed Racer movie, which likely means no S&M outfits or out-of-place orgy sequences. Bummer.

  
  

  Posted 03/24/2007 by reelz

  Related: Andy Wachowski | Larry Wachowski | Emile Hirsch