Author Archives: Candace Ramirez

About Candace Ramirez

"Sun is bad for you. Everything our parents said was good is bad. Sun, milk, red meat... college." -Woody Allen Accomplished wearer of dresses.

Darren Aronofsky To Adapt Biblical Epic

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Darren Aronofsky, director of 2010’s controversial ballet thriller Black Swan, is currently casting the main roles for Noah, a biblical epic that will star Russell Crowe.

Christian Bale and Michael Fassbender were both initially considered for the lead role, but neither could take it due to scheduling conflicts, according to IMDb.com. Aronofsky also chose Douglas Booth for the role of Noah’s son Shem, according to Deadline.com.

Noah’s older son Ham will be played by Logan Lerman. The role of Noah’s wife, Naameh, has yet to be cast, though Deadline reported that Jennifer Connelly is being considered for the part, among others. Connelly had previously starred alongside Crowe in A Beautiful Mind to wide critical acclaim.

While there are rumors that Liam Neeson may join the cast as well nothing has been confirmed.

The film is being co-financed by Paramount and New Regency.

It is Aronofsky’s follow-up to Black Swan, which earned Fox Searchlight Pictures’ highest per-theater average gross ever, and received widespread critical acclaim.

Noah is expected to be released March 28, 2014.

Guillermo del Toro Announces Adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “The Witches”

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Director Guillermo del Toro recently announced that he has plans to adapt the novel “The Witches” by Roald Dahl for the big screen. The novel was originally published in London in 1983.

I think it’s the best screenplay I’ve ever written in any form,” he said in an interview.  “I adore that project, and it met with the approval of Dahl’s widow, who loved it and felt it was completely respectful of the book, but it’s not moving at all.”

The film would be done in stop-motion animation, according to ShockTillYouDrop.com. The book was previously made into a movie in 1990 starting Anjelica Huston and Rowan Atkinson but was live action as opposed to this reincarnation which will be stop-motion.

To find out more about The Witches, read the plot summary below:

This Roald Dahl classic tells the scary, funny and imaginative tale of a seven-year-old boy who has a run-in with some real-life witches! “In fairy tales witches always wear silly black hats and black cloaks and they ride on broomsticks. But this is not a fairy tale. This is about REAL WITCHES. REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ordinary jobs. That is why they are so hard to catch.” Witches, as our hero learns, hate children. With the help of a friend and his somewhat-magical grandmother, our hero tries to expose the witches before they dispose of him.” -GoodReads.com

Del Toro is also considering directing Trollhunters, and animated film for Dreamworks, based on a novel he co-penned with Daniel Kraus.

Del Toro told Variety he has “given up” guessing what he’ll do next, and working on a slew of other films, including Pinocchio and a Romeo and Juliet-style film set against the backdrop of Mexico’s Day of the Dead. His new projects including his work on developing numerous animated kids films, in addition to working on his next feature film Pacific Rim.

Del Toro most recently worked on kid-friendly films Puss in Boots and Kung Fu Panda 2. 

The director said he will get around to helming an animated film himself some day, and that it’s just a matter of timing.

Snow White and the Huntsman Tops Domestic Box Office

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Universal Pictures’ Snow White and the Huntsman topped the domestic weekend box office with earnings of $56.3 million from 3,773 theaters. That’s an average of $14,910 per theater.

Rupert Sanders made his directorial debut with the film, which stars Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron,Chris Hemsworth and Sam Claflin. Snow White earned $39.3 million in 45 international markets, and $95.6 million worldwide.

The film cost $170 million to make, not counting marketing expenses, according to ComingSoon.net.

Sony’s Men in Black 3 dropped 46.3 percent in ticket sales, putting it in second place with $29.3 million in North America in its second week. Made for $225 million, the film has earned $112.3 million in North America after two weeks. Internationally, it took first place at the box office with $78.6 million for an international total of $274.6 million and worldwide total of $386.9 million.

Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, which doesn’t open in North America until June 8, opened in 15 markets overseas, earning $35 million. The sci-fi thriller stars Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green and Charlize Theron.

Marvel’s The Avengers earned $20.3 million domestically in its fifth weekend in theaters, for a total of $552.7 million. Internationally, The Avengers has earned $802.5 million for a worldwide total of $1.355 billion.

Friday, the film passed The Dark Knight ($533.3 million) for the third spot on the all-time domestic box office list, according to ComingSoon.net. It also passed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 ($1.328 billion) for the third spot on the all-time worldwide list.

Universal’s Battleship took fourth place in North America, earning $4.8 million and has earned $55.1 million.

Paramount’s The Dictator was number five with $4.73 million. It has earned $50.8 million after three weeks.

AMC To Air All 19 Episodes of Walking Dead In One Weekend

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For avid fans of AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” or newcomers looking to get a late start, the network will air all 19 episodes from the show’s first two seasons during its Season 3 Preview Weekend July 7-8 beginning at 11:30 a.m./10:30 central each day.

The event, which airs one week before Comic-Con, will culminate with a Talking Dead live primetime special on July 8 at 8 p.m./9 central. The one-time-only airing of “Talking Dead,” hosted by Chris Hardwick (Nerdist), will be followed by a never-before-seen black and white version of “The Walking Dead” pilot episode at 10/9c.

This version of the pilot was created specifically for fans of Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead comic book,” according to AMC, as it holds true to the book’s black and white art style. Hardwick will introduce each episode of the marathon from the set of season three in Atlanta, so fans will be able to see some of the new sets.

With help from cast members and producers, he will set up the plot of each episode, and discuss climactic moments and characters. Each episode will close with new character and scene-specific content from the first two seasons, including behind-the-scenes footage and sit-down interviews with cast members.

During the hour-long “Talking Dead” event, shot live in Los Angeles, Hardwick will offer a look at season three, including a scene from the new season, video interviews with the cast, a tour of the new set and a look at props and wardrobes.

The show’s executive producers and celebrity fans will also be featured.

“The Walking Dead’s” involvement at Comic-Con will be discussed, as well as a look at the set-up of the show’s booth for the event.

At one point during the live show, Hardwick will provide a code to viewers, which they can use to enter The Walking Dead Watch to Win Sweepstakes. The winner will receive a trip to Atlanta and a “stagger on” role as a zombie on the show, according to AMC.

Treasure Island Gets New Life With Guy Ritchie

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Guy Ritchie, known for his work on Sherlock Holmes, will direct a new version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s pirate tale “Treasure Island.” It was also announced that Alex Harakis (Another Life) will write the script.

Treasure Island is a pretty universally known tale by Stevenson. It was first published in novel form in 1883, however, it was initially serialized in a children magazine under the title Treasure Island; or, the mutiny of the Hispaniola with Stevenson adopting the pseudonym Captain George North.

The book has been so intermingled with culture that many of the stereotypes we have for pirates originated with this novel including treasure maps marked with an “X”, schooners, the Black Spot,tropical islands, and one-legged seamen carrying parrots on their shoulders.

There has also been no shortages of adaptations of the famous story. There have been over 50 movie and TV versions made with the most recent notable incarnation being in 2002  with Treasure Planet – A Disney animated version set in space, with Long John Silver as a cyborg and many of the original characters re-imagined as aliens and robots, except for Jim and his mother, who are human.

The official plot summary for the novel is as follows:

Heady tale of a treasure map, a perilous sea journey across the Spanish Main, a mutiny led by the infamous Long John Silver, and a lethal scramble for buried treasure as seen through the eyes of cabin boy Jim Hawkins. An action-packed adventure story that will hypnotize young readers and entertain older ones.

Ritchie will produce along with Lionel Wigram (Sherlock Holmes) and Kevin McCormick (Saturday Night Fever). It was Wigram who originally adapted a stylized version of the novel, according to Deadline.com, as he also did with Sherlock Holmes, which Ritchie directed. Wigram set up the story before he and Ritchie became partners.

There is no word of when the big screen adaptation will hit theaters or who will star in the production.

Marvel Cinematic Blu-Ray Collection Revealed

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In a film where so many superhero story lines culminate into one amazing battle, it is no surprise that the Blu-Ray collection will have to be equally spectacular. It was announced that Marvel’s The Avengers, which is still number two at the box office, will be released on DVD and Blu-ray later this year and with it comes a worthy collector’s edition.

There is no official release date yet, but Amazon is advertising a related product. A Blu-Ray collection titled Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One- Avengers Assembled will be a 10-disc set.

The tentative list of content is as follows:

  • Marvel’s The Avengers (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)
  • Captain America: The First Avenger (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)
  • Thor (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)
  • Iron Man 2 (Blu-ray)
  • The Incredible Hulk (Blu-ray)
  • Iron Man (Blu-ray)
  • Bonus Disc- The Phase One Archives (Blu-ray)
  • Collectible packaging with exclusive memorabilia from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The list also includes the below image, which suggests the set’s design was inspired by the briefcase Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury uses to transport the Cosmic Cube.

The set is scheduled to be revealed July 15 and you can currently pre-order the collection for $153.00.

Marvel’s The Avengers is the superhero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

This new film is being directed by the (incredibly amazing) Joss Whedon and and sports an all star cast.  It includes:

  • Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man:
A self-described genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist with a mechanical suit of armor of his own invention. 
  • Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America:
A World War II veteran who was enhanced to the peak of human physicality by an experimental serum. 
  • Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner / Hulk:
A genius scientist who, because of exposure to gamma radiation, transforms into a monster when enraged or excited. Ruffalo was cast after negotiations between Marvel and Edward Norton broke down.

  • Lou Ferrigno will voice the Hulk.
  • Chris Hemsworth as Thor:
The god of thunder based on the Norse deity of the same name. Hemsworth was cast as part of a multiple movie deal. Hemsworth stated that he was able to maintain the strength he built up for Thor by increasing his food intake, consisting of a number of chicken breasts, fish, steak and eggs a day.
  • Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow:
A highly trained spy working for the international peacekeeping organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. 
  • Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye:
A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and master archer known in the comics as the “World’s Greatest Marksman”. Renner said it was a very physical role and that he trained physically and practiced archery as much as possible in preparation. 
  • Tom Hiddleston as Loki:
Thor’s adoptive brother and nemesis based on the deity of the same name. 
  • Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury:
The director of S.H.I.E.L.D., who was revealed in previous films to be coordinating the “Avenger Initiative”. Jackson was brought to the project with a deal containing an option to play the character in up to nine Marvel films.
  • Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill:
A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who works closely with Jackson’s Nick Fury. 

Safe Haven Casting Update Featuring Julianne Hough

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Julianne Hough, from the upcoming rock musical, Rock of Ages, signed on to play the female lead alongside Josh Duhamel, from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, in the big-screen adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ 2010 novel “Safe Haven.” Lasse Hallström, most known for his work on Chocolat, will be directing the project.

Hough will play Katie, a young woman with a dark secret, who travels to a small North Carolina town. While there, she meets a widowed store owner named Alex (Duhamel), and begins to trust and get close to him.

Safe Haven will begin production next month, and is scheduled to open in theaters Feb. 8, 2013.

View the book’s official summary below:

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

Sparks, who is no stranger to the film adaptation world has his 7 of his novels adapted with Safe Haven being the eight and a ninth recently optioned. His adapted works include:

  • Message in a Bottle (February 12, 1999)
  • A Walk to Remember (January 25, 2002)
  • The Notebook (June 25, 2004)
  • Nights in Rodanthe (September 26, 2008)
  • Dear John (February 5, 2010)
  • The Last Song (March 31, 2010)
  • The Lucky One (April 20, 2012)
  • Safe Haven (film)
  • The Best of Me (film)

Update For Iron Man 3 Features The Patriotic Armor

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SuperHeroHype has confirmed that Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 will feature the red, white and blue Iron Patriot armor. The tri-colored armor first appeared in 2009’s Dark Avengers #1.

Following the Secret Invasion crossover, Norman Osborn was mistakenly thought of as a hero, and made the leader of a group of government-sanctioned Avengers, according to SHH. Using technology from Stark Industries, Osborn designed his suit as an homage to the recently-deceased Captain America.

However, this won’t likely be how it works in the film though, because Osborn is a Spider-Man villain, and Sony Pictures owns the rights.

Iron Man 3 is currently in production in North Carolina, and stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, James Badge Dale, Ashley Hamilton and Jon Favreau. The film is intended to be a sequel to 2010’s Iron Man 2 and the 7th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It will be in theaters May 3, 2013.

WARNING: Potential spoilers follow.

ComingSoon has also obtained photos of the new suit, along with a look at exactly who will be wearing it. James Badge Dale, who plays Eric Savin in the film, will be donning the patriotic armor. In the comic books, Savin becomes the cyborg villain Coldblood, though it is not known whether this will play into the film.

You can see the photos below:

The Effects of The Amazing Spider-Man To Be More Realistic

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Mark Webb’s Amazing Spider-Man, due in theaters July 3, may seem like just another comic book adaptation by a different director but it seems this one will at least differ in its stunts and practical effects from director Sam Raimi’s trilogy. Stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong, who has worked on James Bond films, the original Superman movies and the first three Indiana Jones movies, worked as second unit director and stunt coordinator on The Amazing Spider-Man and has brought his real world stunt work to the project.

In an interview with Flixist, he discussed his work for the film and the exact differences from Raimi’s work.

They came to me and my brother [Andy], who’s working on it as well as another stunt coordinator, and said, ‘Look, we want to try and make it more about physical flying than computerized flying,’ and Andy and I had been talking about that anyway, and we said absolutely, that’s how we’re going to do it.”

Armstrong also explained how he used his expertise from another film adaptation, Tarzan. He explained his choice of effects comparing it the character from that film.

Tarzan would grab one vine, fly diagonally away from it, sweeping down which gives him the momentum, and then at the height he would change to another vine when he’s weightless and sweep down in another direction. That propels him along.”

In his memoir The True Adventures of the World’s Greatest Stuntman, Armstrong explained why he isn’t a fan of using CGI in films when he can avoid it.

A good analogy for CGI would be morphine — morphine is an incredible drug if you use it for what it was intended for, used sparingly, in the right amounts,” he said. “But when it’s used too much, you get addicted and it’s a killer. And that’s exactly what CGI is. More movies have been killed by CGI than have been helped by it.”

The Amazing Spider-Man is based on the comic book of the same name and starring Andrew Garfield as the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It is the fourth Columbia Pictures film that portrays Spider-Man in film and is a reboot of the film series that stars the superhero. The cast includes Garfield as Peter Parker and his alter ego, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors. The film will portray Parker as his super powers are evolving in high school and will explore him trying to discover the truth behind his parents. The film also brings to life new designs of the film franchise such as Parker inventing artificial webs like in the original comics instead of organic webs.

The Amazing Spider-Man will hit theaters on July 3, 2012.

You can see one of the TV spots for the film below:

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Announces Special Screening For Navy

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20th Century Fox took advantage of the holiday last weekend and released a new trailer for Timur Bekmambetov’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter on Memorial Day. The video gives fans a look at weaponry and numerous slayings over a recital of the president’s Gettysburg Address.

This is the third and final trailer to be released for the film. Fox also announced that there will be a special screening of the film for the sailors aboard the Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in June.

Cast members Benjamin Walker, Anthony Mackie and Erin Wasson are scheduled to attend the event, as well as Bekmambetov, screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith and producer Jim Limley.

We’re very excited that 20th Century Fox and Navy Entertainment wanted to provide ABE’s crew the opportunity to preview the new Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter movie while we’re out here on deployment,” Capt. John D. Alexander, Commanding Officer of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) said in a press release. “We’re extremely fortunate that the studio wants to give us an early showing. It’s something that we’ve never experienced before on this ship, and we’re extremely grateful for their willingness to share this with our sailors.”

Walker said he is looking forward to meeting the sailors, and hopes they enjoy the event.

I hope it brings them excitement, goodwill and a taste of home,” he said.

Lemley commented how he is pleased and proud to have such an opportunity.

We hope they enjoy our film and know how much everyone in the United States appreciates their service,” he said.

The cast and filmmakers are also scheduled to attend two other special screenings events at undisclosed locations, according to Ace Showbiz.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will be in theaters June 22.

View the newest trailer below:

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is based on the novel of the same name written by Seth Grahame-Smith who also wrote the screenplay for the film. It was released on March 2, 2010, through New York–based publishing company Grand Central Publishing.

Several of the authors other novels are also on their way to the big screen including Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which was optioned by Lionsgate Entertainment, with Natalie Portman producing, and David O. Russell adapting and directing. Grahame-Smith is also attached as a producer for this project. It also been reported that his new novel, Unholy Night will be adapted in the future.