Reviews, articles, rants & ramblings on the darker side of the media fringe

NEWS: Science Fiction

The Leviathan

Variety reports that not only has Ruairi Robinson‘s proposed sci-fi film The Leviathan attracted Neill Blomkamp and Simon Kinberg as Producers, but now Fox has bought the The Leviathan movie pitch and the script for the film, written by Jim Uhls (Fight Club).

Here’s the blurb and proof of concept teaser: By the early 22nd century mankind had colonized many worlds. Faster than light travel was made possible by harvesting exotic matter from the eggs of the largest species mankind has ever seen. Those that take part in the hunt are mostly involuntary labor.

The Leviathan — Teaser from Ruairi Robinson on Vimeo.


Escape From New York – Remake

Escape From New York_One Sheet Poster USAfter a few years arguments and bidding wars, Snake Plissken is back! Fox has emerged victorious and closed a deal to remake the 1981 John Carpenter cult classic Escape From New York. Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman’s The Picture Company will produce.

The original was released by Avco Embassy, and the rights were own by Studiocanal. Carpenter will be an executive producer and will exert creative influence over the project. Fox’s Mike Ireland brought it in and will steer. The hope is to reinvent the property with an eye toward launching a new franchise.

In the original, Kurt Russell played Plissken, an eyepatch-sporting tough guy who is conscripted to rescue the president of the United States after Air Force One — en route to a summit that could head off WWIII — goes missing after it crashes in New York, which has been relegated to a maximum security prison. Plissken, a former special forces operative convicted of trying to rob the Federal Reserve, is given 22 hours to liberate the president and a tape he carries which holds the key to peace. If he fails, he’s wired to explode.

The cynical original, hatched by Carpenter after the Watergate scandal, was set in a futuristic Gotham circa 1997. There have been remake overtures before, but not with Carpenter involved. There were a spate of rumours earlier this fall that the film was about to be cast with the likes of Sons Of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam, however it would appear that those rumours amounted to wishful thinking by fans, because there was no rights deal made until now, and there is still no script. They are starting from scratch. That said, the notion of Hunnam playing the Snake, or Chris Hemsworth who was another one rumored, would fit the bill. All of that is fantasy league stuff and the reality comes down the road when they hire a scribe and a filmmaker and the studio gets a script it likes. Who is worth considering for Plissken?


At The Mountains of Madness

Ath-the-Mountains-of-Madness_Guillermo-del-ToroAs dogged as ever, Guillermo del Toro is still desperate to being us an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness? Well, he’s willing to compromise with Universal Pictures, against his better judgement, stating that he’ll make the creature feature a PG-13 horror film.

The 3-D film originally had Tom Cruise in talks to star, but also had a ballooning budget of over $120M, which was a lot considering del Toro wanted it to be R-rated. The studio killed the movie, which resulted in us being gifted with Pacific Rim, among other great stuff like the forthcoming “The Strain.”

Del Toro now has a blooming relationship with Legendary Pictures, producers behind the project, and in an interview with the WSJ reveals that At the Mountains of Madness may be back in his cards.

I said to them, that’s the movie that I would really love to do one day, and it’s still expensive, it’s still … I think that now, with the way I’ve seen PG-13 become more and more flexible, I think I could do it PG-13 now, so I’m going to explore it with [Legendary], to be as horrifying as I can, but to not be quite as graphic. There’s basically one or two scenes in the book that people don’t remember that are pretty graphic. Namely, for example, the human autopsy that the aliens do, which is a very shocking moment. But I think I can find ways of doing it.

We’ll see. It’s certainly a possibility in the future. Legendary was very close to doing it at one point, so I know they love the screenplay. So, we’ll see. Hopefully it’ll happen. It’s certainly one of the movies I would love to do.

Guillermo-del-Toro_At-the-Mountains-of-MadnessMadness is the deliberately told and increasingly chilling recollection of an Antarctic expedition’s uncanny discoveries-and their encounter with untold menace in the ruins of a lost civilization-is a milestone of macabre literature.

In this day of studio control it’s always hard to trust the filmmakers to do what’s right for the movie, but if del Toro thinks he can pull it off with a PG-13, well, I’m he’s one of the few I’m happy to believe in.

Unfortunately, it looks like this could take a back seat to Pacific Rim 2, which he briefly talks about.

I don’t want to spoil it, but I think at the end of the second movie, people will find out that the two movies stand on their own. They’re very different from each other, although hopefully bringing the same joyful giant spectacle. But the tenor of the two movies will be quite different.

Read the full interview at the Wall Street Journal link HERE


Christopher Nolan – Interstellar on IMAX 70mm

interstellar-posterChristopher Nolan, the director of The Dark Knight, Memento and Inception is well-known for being beholden to film, and in particular to IMAX film. IMAX continues to produce film cameras for directors like Nolan to use, but IMAX projection is quickly moving away from film. These days, an increasingly large percentage of IMAX theaters have digital projectors, and the company is working towards laser projection.

So where does that leave Nolan’s latest film, Interstellar? As in the past, Nolan shot much of Interstellar on IMAX film cameras. He would obviously prefer it be projected that on film, too. In a new interview, the president of IMAX said they’d oblige. Interstellar will be projected on IMAX film at “somewhere around 50″ theaters.

Greg Foster, the President of IMAX, revealed this piece of information in an interview with Collider. You can listen and watch the whole thing HERE.


Repent, Harlequin! Said The Ticktock Man

Repent-Harlequin_Harlan-Ellison_Jim-SterankoFor the first time, iconic sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison has allowed a film to be developed based on Repent, Harlequin! Said The Ticktock Man, the seminal story he published in Galaxy magazine in 1965. Ellison has granted an option directly to J. Michael Straczynski, whose recent credits include helping to fix World War ZThor, the TV series Babylon 5 and Sense8, the upcoming Netflix series he is doing with Lana and Andy Wachowski. He also wrote the incredible Rising Stars series for Image Comics… much better than the similarly themed Heroes television series.

Repent-Harlequin_Steranko_Harlan-EllisonThe story is about Everett C. Marm, an ordinary man who disguises himself as the anarchical Harlequin and engages in whimsical rebellion against the Ticktock Man. The trouble is that if he is found out, the government could stop his heart at long distance if they learn who he is. Straczynski sees the cautionary tale as especially relevant in a post-Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street environment, or even Edward Snowden, in a story of a man who goes against the system and must pay the price for his actions. Now that the script is done, Straczynski will look for production partners and a director, and the first parties he will approach will be Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro. Ellison’s story won the 1966 Hugo Award and the 1965 Nebula Award, among others.


Day of the Triffids – Walk, Talk, Stalk, Kill Again!

day_of_the_triffidsMike Newell has been set to helm The Day Of The Triffids, the adaptation of the classic Sci-fi book by John Wyndham that was scripted by Neil Cross for Ghost House Pictures. Those sparked about this development know the logline: After a comet shower blinds most of the world’s population, those with sight must battle alien plants, known as triffids, bent on destroying mankind.

The film’s being produced by Ghost House Pictures, Mark Gordon, Don Murphy, and Michael Preger, and Murphy’s Angry Films partner Susan Montford will be executive producer.

The book was previously turned into a 1962 film and most recently a 2009 miniseries that starred Dougray Scott and Joely Richardson.

Newell seems an inspiring choice for the material. The helmer of Four Weddings And A Funeral, Donnie Brasco and Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire last helmedGreat Expectations.


The Island of Dr. Moreau – Again…

Island of Dr Moreau_H G Wells_BannerThe Island of Dr. Moreau is heading for another update at Warner Brothers. The studio and Appian Way partners Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran have set Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy to script a ‘contemporary re-imagining’ of H.G. Wells’ classic novel. The intention is to make it a sci-fi film with a topical ecological message. Appian Way will produce with Mad Hatter Entertainment’s Michael Connolly.

The 1896 Wells book has been adapted for the screen several times with iconic participants: the 1932 film Island Of Lost Souls with Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi, the 1977 pic with Burt Lancaster and Michael York, and the 1996 New Line disaster that starred Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer. That last version didn’t fare well at all…

The writers and Connolly are are coming off of a successful run at Netflix, as their show Hemlock Grove got two Emmy noms. Series is based on McGreevy’s novel. CAA and Mad Hatter rep the scribes.


12 Monkeys – Syfy Channels Series

12 Monkeys_Syfy ChannelDEADLINE EXCLUSIVE: Syfy Channel has given a cast-contingent pilot order to 12 Monkeys, a drama series based on the 1995 Universal Pictures/Atlas Entertainment film directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt. The 60-minute pilot, produced by Universal Cable Prods and Atlas Entertainment, was written on spec by Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett (Terra Nova). It follows the journey of a time traveler from the post-apocalyptic future who appears in present day on amission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will eventually decimate the human race. Filming is tentatively slated to begin in November. Atlas’ Charles Roven (The Dark Knight trilogy), who produced the feature, and Richard Suckle will executive produce, with Matalas and Fickett, repped by by ICM Partners and manager Brian Lutz, co-executive producing.

This is Syfy’s second consecutive pilot order to a sci-fi feature adaptation — last month the network greenlit a 90-minute pilot for Dominion, a drama based on characters from the 2010 feature Legion. Dominion is described as an epic supernatural action drama set 25 years in the future after a war between an army of angels and mankind has transformed the world. It follows the perilous journey of a rebellious young soldier who discovers he’s the unlikely savior of humanity. Bold Films, which produced the movie for Screen Gems, is co-producing with Universal Cable Prods. Stewart and Bold’s Michel Litvak and David Lancaster executive produce, with Wilmott, co-executive producing.

12 Monkeys was among several hot projects at Syfy, which may not be done with its orders (pilot or straight to series.) The other top contenders included Clandestine, from actor-writer Todd Stashwick and artist Dennis Calero; Proof, from Marti Noxon and M. Night Shyamalan; and Sojourn, from Phil Levens, Jason Blum and Lionsgate.


Blade Runner 2 scriptwriter hired.

Alcon and Ridley Scott announce details of planned Blade Runner sequel. Check out the press release below:blade_runner_poster

LOS ANGELES, CA, MAY 31, 2013, 3:30 pm, EST—Writer Michael Green is in negotiations to do a rewrite of Alcon Entertainment’s “Blade Runner” sequel penned by Hampton Fancher (“Blade Runner,” “The Minus Man,” “The Mighty Quinn”) and to be directed by Ridley Scott. Fancher’s original story/screenplay is set some years after the first film concluded.

Alcon co-founders and co-Chief Executive Officers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove will produce with Bud Yorkin and Cynthia Sikes Yorkin, along with Ridley Scott. Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble, CEO’s of Thunderbird Films, will serve as executive producers.

Green recently completed rewrites on “Robopocalypse” and Warners Bros “Gods and Kings.”

Alcon and Yorkin previously announced that they are partnering to produce “Blade Runner” theatrical sequels and prequels, in addition to all television and interactive productions.

The original film, which has been singled out as the greatest science-fiction film of all time by a majority of genre publications, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1993 and is frequently taught in university courses. In 2007, it was named the 2nd most visually influential film of all time by the Visual Effects Society.

Released by Warner Bros. almost 30 years ago, “Blade Runner” was adapted by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples from Philip K. Dick’s groundbreaking novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and directed by Scott following his landmark “Alien.” The film was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction). Following the filming of “Blade Runner,” the first of Philip K. Dick’s works to be adapted into a film, many other of Dick’s works were likewise adapted, including “Total Recall,” “A Scanner Darkly,” “Minority Report,” “Paycheck,” and the recent “The Adjustment Bureau,” among others.


More B-Movie Remakes

Girls_in_Prison_1024x1024Jeff Katz, Lou Arkoff, and Hal Sadoff plan to remake 10 titles in the Arkoff/Nicholson library of American International Pictures-produced 1950’s classics. That means a steady diet of antiheroes, monsters and naughty girls is back on the menu. They will start with these 1950’s drive-in classics: Girls In Prison, Viking Women & The Sea Serpent, The Brain Eaters, She-Creature, Teenage Caveman, Runaway Daughters, The Undead, War of The Colossal Beast, Cool & The Crazy and Day The World Ended. The plan is to shoot them all back to back, beginning this fall. The question will be how these films, distinguished more than anything by their titles, will play in the modern age.

AIP was founded in 1954 by Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson, and churned out 500 low-budget, indies for teens that included the Beach Party series with Frankie Avalon and the late Annette Funicello, as well as the early films of director Roger Corman. In 1979 AIP merged with Filmways which later was folded into Orion Pictures. Currently, the rest of the library is owned by MGM, Orion’s successor. Arkoff, son of Samuel, had previously produced remakes of AIP titles for Showtime’s Rebel Highway series in the 1990′s.

the-brain-eaters_vintage-science-fiction-movie-poster“The AIP spirit was all about innovation and giving new young talent a place to create,” said Arkoff. “We are now using that independent spirit and our library of classic titles to create something brand-new for the modern media model, with a coordinated social effort to accelerate interest in these properties. Our goal is to engage young audiences and drive the spirit of the times with the same excitement that fueled these titles decades ago”

Sadoff, who headed ICM’s indie film department, will sell them. “The independent film marketplace has never been stronger, with traditional along with new and exciting distribution platforms for consumers to access content. We will be working with established and cutting edge talent to create films that are fun and commercial, while maintaining the integrity of the classic AIP titles.”

the-she-creature-movie-poster-1956-1020143915Katz is a writer/producer and former studio executive who has worked on such films as Shoot ‘Em UpFreddy Vs. JasonWolverine and Snakes On A Plane and has written comic books for DC Comics, Top Cow and Dynamite. Katz has written all ten movies in the AIP series. “My filmmaking heroes growing up were men like Arkoff, Castle, Corman and Shaye,” Katz explained. “This series of movies is really meant as a tip of the hat to that sort of attitude. It’s not every day you get the opportunity to create a brand new universe out of old school titles and I feel incredibly fortunate and honored to get to play in the AIP sandbox.” Courtesy of DEADLINE


Escape From New York – Remake News

Escape From New York_One Sheet Poster USMore bad remake news… Joel Silver’s Silver Pictures has joined forces with Studio Canal to build a new franchise with a retelling of Escape From New York. The 1981 John Carpenter original starred Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, a tough convict dropped into a futuristic New York that has been turned into a post-apocalyptic maximum security prison. He’s charged with rescuing the president (Donald Pleasence), who is held hostage by the prison kingpin (Isaac Hayes) after his plane crashes within the city walls. Snake’s offered a pardon if he’s successful, but fitted with a lethal device that will kill him if he tries to run or misses the deadline.

A remake had been attempted not that long ago at New Line with producer Neil Moritz and The Crazies helmer Breck Eisner, with Gerard Butler, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hardy all mentioned as potentials to play Plissken. That effort ended when New Line let the option lapse almost two years ago.

Studio Canal has entrusted Silver with the rights, who is planning an entirely new take on the material. The goal is to turn it into a trilogy, starting with an origin story in a fashion similar to the way Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes restarted that franchise. Studio Canal will finance development of the project before placing it with a studio. A writer search is underway.


Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Gary OldmanGary Oldman is joining Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the Matt Reeves-directed sequel to Fox’s successful ape reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes. William Clarke and Kodi-Smit McPhee have already been set. Oldman will play Dreyfus, leader of the human resistance after the apes have taken power. Fox has set the film for release on May 23, 2014. Oldman seems to be everywhere at the moment, he most recently starred in Lawless and The Dark Knight Rises, and will next be seen in the Robocop remake for MGM.


J. J. Abrams Star Trek to Star Wars Internet Comics

JJ Abrams ‘defection’ to Star Wars from Star Trek has had the fan boys buzzing on the net…

Abrams_Star Wars_Star Trek_1 Abrams_Star Wars_Star Trek_2 Abrams_Star Wars_Star Trek_3

 


J. J. Abrams to direct Star Wars Episode VII

J J AbramsIt’s shaping up to be a big year for Star Trek director J.J. Abrams. It has just been announced that he will be helming the next Star Wars movie. “It’s done deal with J.J.,” a source with knowledge of the situation told Deadline late yesterday. Argo director Ben Affleck was apparently also keen, however, Abrams was courted heavily by producer Kathleen Kennedy to take the Star Wars job. Expected in 2015, Abrams’ Episode VII effort will be the first new Star Wars movie since 2005′s Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith.

Michael Arndt is writing the script for the first instalment of the relaunch of George Lucas’ franchise by Disney. The company bought Lucasfilm on October 30, 2012 for $4 billion with the Force franchise as the jewel in the crown. At the time, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that three more Star Wars films were in the pipeline. Abrams’ other space-based franchise sequel Star Trek Into Darkness comes out on May 17. This weekend, the Producers Guild of America will honour the Lost creator with its 2013 Norman Lear Award For Television, which it will be presented during the 24th Annual PGA Awards.


Robocop – Remake News

The Robocop remake is utilising similar (the same!) viral advertising techniques to the excellent campaign used for Prometheus. They have set-up an Omnicorp website that advertises Omnicorp technological products and weapons. The revised ED-209 can be seen above. Check out the Omnicop advert from their webpage which is viewable HERE.

The Omnicorp vision statement from the website reads:

For a half-century, these words have set the framework upon which OmniCorp has aimed to build a brighter world.

We don’t do passive technology. At OmniCorp, our solutions generate a beacon of safety that we shine upon on the dangers of the day. No matter the obstacle – political, cultural, philosophical – we pursue our convictions around the globe to secure peace of mind at home. And when this requires bold new direction, we never allow doubt to shrink our duty. When your quality of life is in the balance, our leadership team will tip the scales.

Our products have elevated your lives. Our people have inspired your future. Our passion will always be at your side.


The Vision of Prometheus – Ridley Scott

Check out this new featurette that spotlights the director of the film, Ridley Scott. The clip, has some new footage, as well as interviews with the cast and crew about Scott’s vision and what to expect from the film once it hits theatres. Also included are soundbites from the director himself expressing his intentions to give the audience bad dreams and “scare the living shit out of [them]”. Courtesy of Fox Malaysia.


Star Wars released 35 years ago

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, or Star Wars, as it’s known in my house, is a 1977 American epic space western film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the six-film saga.

Groundbreaking in its use of special effects, unconventional editing, and science fiction/fantasy storytelling, the original Star Wars is one of the most successful and influential films of all time.

Produced with a budget of $11 million and released on May 25, 1977, the film earned $460 million in the United States and $337 million overseas, surpassing Jaws as the nominal highest-grossing film and remained that way until being surpassed 6 years later by E.T. the Extraterrestrial in 1983. When adjusted for inflation, it is the second highest grossing film in the USA and Canada as of 2010. Among the many awards the film received, it gained ten Academy Award nominations, winning six; the nominations included Best Supporting Actor for Alec Guinness and Best Picture.

Lucas has re-released the film on several occasions, sometimes with significant changes; the most notable versions are the 1997 Special Edition, the 2004 DVD release, and the 2011 Blu-ray release, which have awful, modified computer-generated effects, altered dialogue, and added scenes.


James Cameron to Direct “Prometheus” Sequel

James Cameron has said he wants to direct the follow-up to Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Cameron, fresh from his solo voyage to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, spoke at the Titanic 3D premiere about his involvement in a sequel to the Alien spinoff. The Guardian UK reported: “There’s a gap of a few years between Prometheus and the original Alien,” he said. “That gap is meant for me to answer all the questions raised in Prometheus.”

If Cameron signs on for the sequel, it will be the second time he has inherited one from Scott. The director was at the helm for Aliens, the 1986 sequel to Scott’s 1979 original Alien movie. He said the idea of him making a second Prometheus movie was first mooted when he spoke with Scott during the making of Avatar.

“Ridley came to me, and he saw what I was doing [with Avatar] and the ideas I was exploring,” said Cameron. “We sat down and talked about Alien, and saw that there’s big ideas hidden in these stories. Where do we come from? What does it mean to be human? This was something that Ridley saw as original and something he wanted to be a part of.

“I’m not sure if Ridley changed his mind, because the movie [Prometheus] turned out fantastic, but it was during those early talks when he brought up the idea of me stepping in to direct a follow-up.”

Prometheus, originally planned as an Alien prequel, is now described as a film based in the universe of Alien, which will involve the discovery of the origins of the alien race that the crew of the Nostromo face in the original film. Scott’s film will see a group of scientists land on a strange planet inhabited by a lifeform that may hold the secret to the origins of mankind. But the shrieking and wailing at the end of the film’s latest trailer would suggest that – like Alien – the promise of the scientists’ discovery quickly turns sour.

There’s no official word from the studio behind Prometheus as to if or when Cameron will be officially attached to a second film. “Right now I’m working on Avatar 2,” he said. “So if Fox wants to wait … we’ll see what happens.”


Prometheus – Viral Ad Campaign

Although Ridley Scott has been playing down quite how closely connected his new film, Prometheus, is to Alien; Scott gave an interview at the back end of last year, where he discussed the connection between the two films, which seem to hinge on the ‘Space Jockey’, the giant alien pilot whose body the crew of the Nostromo found on the derelict spaceship in Alien. But he was pretty emphatic that was where the connection ended.

It might all be a smokescreen to deflect from some deeper truth about how Prometheus fits into the Alien universe. Truth be told, I’m kind of reluctant to dig too deep into all this: I’d quite like some surprises when I eventually get to see Prometheus, however, I was pretty excited when I clicked on the link to the Prometheus viral. In the clip, over at weylandindustries where you can see Guy Pearce’s Peter Weyland, CEO of Weyland Industries, delivering a TED talk in 2023, and handily getting out of the way a lot of exposition about the myth of Prometheus, which presumably will be referenced in some way in the film.

In an interview somewhere with Scott recently, he talked about how, in the late Seventies, he always imagined the future would be run by big corporations – hence, Weyland-Yutani in Alien (never mentioned by name, but you see their logo everywhere) and the Tyrell Corporation in Blade Runner. Of course, Weyland-Yutani took on a larger and more sinister role as the Alien series developed. So it’s great to see Pearce’s Peter Weyland delivering his lecture.


Blade Runner – Deckard NOT returning

Alcon Entertainment, the producer/financier teaming with director Ridley Scott to return to the world of the 1982 science fiction classic Blade Runner, is adamantly denying a web report claiming original star Harrison Ford is in early talks to return as replicant hunter Rick Deckard. Andrew Kosove, who runs Alcon with Broderick Johnson, said he and his partner couldn’t sit by as the unsubstantiated report spread like wildfire all over the world. That’s the downside of the digital world, where reports spread virally.

“It is absolutely patently false that there has been any discussion about Harrison Ford being in Blade Runner,” Kosove said. “To be clear, what we are trying to do with Ridley now is go through the painstaking process of trying to break the back of the story, figure out the direction we’re going to take the movie and find a writer to work on it. The casting of the movie could not be further from our minds at this moment.”

Kosove said they didn’t want in any way to disparage an iconic actor like Ford, but it certainly sounds as though they do not plan to continue his story line. “It’s like asking if we’re going to make the sky red or blue, there has been no discussion about it,” he said. “What Ridley does in Prometheus is a good template for what we’re trying to do. He created something that has some association to the original Alien, but lives on its own as a standalone movie.” Asked point blank if Ford could resurface, Kosove said: “In advance of knowing what we’re going to do, I supposed you could say yes, he could. But I think it is quite unlikely.”


Deckard back for Blade Runner sequel..?

Twitchfilm is reporting that Harrison Ford, yes Deckard himself, is in “early talks” to appear in a new Blade Runner film. In their article, TwitchFilm mention that “this is still very early stages and it is quite possible that things won’t work out.” They also mention, if Ford is being courted for the film, odds are it’s going to be some kind of sequel. Check out the article.


Luc Besson confirmed to direct Angelina Jolie in Sci-fi Epic

Universal Pictures has acquired 80% of distribution rights — including in the U.S. — to the large-scale dramatic thriller that Luc Besson will direct with Angelina Jolie in the starring role. Besson currently has The Lady in the Oscar mix, but this film sounds like a closer cousin to his earlier efforts like The Professional, La Femme Nikita and The Fifth Element. The script, rooted in true scientific elements, was written by Besson, who will also direct. His EuropaCorp developed the project and will co-finance, and production is set to begin in April 2012 mostly in EuropaCorp’s new production facilities in Paris. Virginie Besson Silla will oversee the project on behalf of EuropaCorp.

The film would be Jolie’s next as an actress, and  it would come before she teams with director Ridley Scott on a  historical epic about Gertrude Bell that The Constant Gardener scribe Jeffrey Caine is currently rewriting. Jolie is also moving  quickly on Maleficent, the Linda Woolverton-scripted  revisionist take on the Sleeping Beauty tale for Walt Disney Pictures,  and she is getting closer to playing medical examiner Kay Scarpetta in  the Fox 2000 drama based on the Patricia Cornwell novel series.

Jolie is getting ready for the release In The Land Of Blood And Honey,  her feature directorial and screenwriting debut, which is being  released by FilmDistrict in the heat of the Oscar race.


Prometheus – ‘Leaked’ Trailer and Images

Yesterday, AvP Galaxy reported on the existence of a brand new trailer for Prometheus. This new trailer lasts for around one minute and features a handful of scenes from the footage that was shown at Comic-con this year, scenes from the recently leaked 18 seconds teaser trailer and much more. You can watch it  at this link now. The quality isn’t ideal but the video is definitely worth a look.