Category Archives: Movie Adaptations

Y: The Last Man

“Y: The Last Man” Heading Toward Production Limbo?

Y: The Last Man

For a while it appeared that the big screen adaptation of “Y: The Last Man” was moving forward after Dan Trachtenberg was named director. However, author Brain K. Vaughan came out today and told Comic Book Resources that the film rights to the comic book could soon revert to himself and co-creator Pia Guerra if production on the feature doesn’t begin soon.

“It’s my understanding that the rights to ‘Y: The Last Man’ will revert back to co-creator Pia Guerra and me for the first time in a decade if the planned New Line adaptation doesn’t start shooting in the next few months,” Vaughan said. “So I expect there will be some ‘Y’ news in 2014 either way.”

“Y: The Last Man” has been eyed for a film adaptation since 2002, and almost since the comic series first appeared. Since then the film project has gone through many different hands with most recent iteration featuring a screenplay by Matthew Federman and Stephen Scaia.

The dystopian tale follows Yorick Brown, a young man who, along with his Capuchin monkey, Ampersand, somehow survives a catastrophic event that kills off every living creature with a Y chromosome. Left in a world of only women, Yorick teams with a government operative, 355, to try to uncover the truth about the plague and why he and he alone made it through alive.

Although set against an enormously scaled post-apocalyptic backdrop, the 60-issue series primarily serves as an exploration of modern gender politics and is, at its heart, an intimate coming-of-age drama.

Aaron Paul to Star in The Dark Tower Adaptation?

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Aaron Paul, our favorite drug dealer and Wheel of Fortune contestant, has reportedly had “tons of meeting” regarding the starring role of Eddie Dean in the upcoming adaptation of “The Dark Tower.” Paul confirmed the news at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

The adaptation (which may be a TV or movie) would be based on Stephen King’s eight book series of the same name. The project has been in the works for years now and was thought to be stuck in Hollywood limbo. However, my hero of film, Ron Howard, is now the director attached to the adaptation. He has assured fans that he and everyone else hasn’t forgotten about the mammoth project sitting on their radar.

He also said that he and producer Brian Grazer had taken a vow of silence due to rabid media interest. Sorry, not sorry.

Then this month, Paul, revealed that the project is moving forward and he is in talks to play the central character.

“I just had a general sit down with Ron Howard, who is a huge fan of the show (Breaking Bad, naturally),” Paul told Ain’t it Cool News at Sundance, “which is such a crazy thing to even think that Ron Howard even knows who I am. They’re definitely planning on making it.”

Also, no one spoil the ending. Paul is only halfway through the series right now but admits that the main character’s awesomeness.

“I’m excited. Their goal is to do three films, but also have a television element to it, which will be very interesting. From what I hear, Eddie Dean is a pretty epic, iconic character.”

Currently, there is no more word from Howard or Grazer about the progress but we are hoping for news to popup soon now that Paul may be involved.

Sacha Baron Cohen Eyes Villain Role in Alice in the Wonderland Sequel

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Sacha Baron Cohen, who is very obviously a time traveling 1920’s villain, is rumored to be eyeing a role in the upcoming film, Through The Looking Glass. The film is director James Bobin’s big screen sequel to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.

Cohen appears to be looking to take on the role of the lead villain in the project, as if he could audition or any other role. Though there is no word on what the role would entail or even a broad synopsis regarding the plot of the sequel.

The original film, itself a sequel of sorts to Carroll’s 19th century texts, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass,” starred Johnny Depp alongside Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Mia Wasikowska, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Christopher Lee, Paul Whitehouse and Barbara Windsor and grossed more than a billion dollars at the worldwide box office.

Linda Woolverton, who scripted the Burton film, is again providing the screenplay this time around with Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska both set to reprise their roles.

Denis Villeneuve to Helm “Story of Your Life” Adaptation

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The big screen adaptation of Ted Chiang’s short story, “Story of Your Life,” is moving forward. FilmNation Entertainment has hired Denis Villeneuve to direct the project.

The film was first announced in late 2012 using the adapted screenplay written by Eric Heisserer. “Story of Your Life” was originally going to be directed by commercials director Nic Mathieu. Based on Chiang’s award-winning short story, the film takes place after aliens land around the globe and follows a linguist who is recruited by the US government in a race to decipher their intentions on Earth.

“Story of Your Life” will be produced by 21 Laps’ Shawn Levy and Dan Levine with FilmNation’s Aaron Ryder and Karen Lunder. Lava Bear’s David Linde, Tory Metzger, FilmNation’s Glen Basner and Eric Heisserer will executive produce.

At the moment there is no word on who the studio is looking to star in the film or a projected release date.

Warner Bros. Pictures Pushes Batman vs. Superman Back to 2016

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Unfortunately we won’t get to see the epic struggle between Batman and Superman until 2016. Warner Bros. Pictures announced last week that the release f Zack Snyder’s untitled Superman/Batman film has been moved from a July 17, 2015 release to May 6, 2016, the same date as a yet-to-be-titled Marvel Studios film.

The studio said,

“the filmmakers time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story. The decision was made following the shift of the start of production to second quarter of this year.”

In the announcement, the studio also set a July 17, 2015, worldwide release date for its as-yet-untitled all-new Peter Pan adventure. Joe Wright will direct the epic live-action film about the boy who would never grow up, created by J.M. Barrie.

The dual date announcement was made by Dan Fellman, President, Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President, International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

In making the announcement, Fellman stated,

“We are happy to take advantage of these coveted summer dates, which are perfect for two of our biggest tentpole releases. We share the fans’ excitement to see DC Comics’ most popular figures, Superman and Batman, together on the big screen for the first time, which will now be arriving in theatres in May 2016. Peter Pan has delighted people of every generation for more than a century, so we are thrilled to bring him back to the screen next summer for today’s moviegoers.”

Kwan Vandenberg added,

“We know that there is already great anticipation building for the next Super Hero film from Zack Snyder, and we are equally eager to see what he has in store for Superman and Batman as they share the big screen for the first time ever. The summer release corridor is also perfect for Joe Wright’s ambitious new Peter Pan adventure, reimagining the ageless story of the beloved and forever-young hero for audiences worldwide.”

Zack Snyder’s Superman/Batman film stars Henry Cavill, reprising his role as Superman/Clark Kent, and Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne. The film will also reunite Man of Steel stars Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane, and also stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince.

Snyder will direct the film from a screenplay written by David S. Goyer, from a story co-created by Goyer and Snyder. Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder are producing, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan and Wesley Coller serving as executive producers.

The film is based on Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, Batman characters created by Bob Kane, and Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston, published by DC Entertainment.

Bob Orci Talks Sinister Six and Venom Spin-Offs

 

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Venom and The Sinister Six are getting their own spinoff films and will be hitting our faces thanks to some of my favorite people in the entertainment industry: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Jeff Pinkner, Ed Solomon and Drew Goddard.

Not much news has been released since the announcement from Sony but Orci recently spoke about the projects during an interview with IGN.

In case you were wondering whether the title characters in “The Sinister Six” would be bad guys or more of traditional anti-heroes, Orci said,

“That’s the discussion we’re having right now; how exactly do you do that, and how do you do it without betraying the audience and making them all mean? Drew Goddard [The Cabin in the Woods] is going to be writing that one, so it’s kind of his problem. [Laughs] I’m kidding. We’re all working on each other’s stuff. So we want to be true to it, but there are some antiheroes in this day and age. There’s been examples of that even on TV — Vic Mackey on The Shield, one of the great antiheroes of all time. There are ways to milk that story. Audiences have seen everything. They’ve seen all the good guys who never do anything wrong. Is there a story in seeing the other side? That’s the challenge, and that’s the fun. I’m not sure how we’re going to do that yet.”

Orci also enigmatically stated that him and Kurtzman and Solomon are planning to surprise audiences.

“I think they’re ready to have things shaken up. I think we’ve all seen everything. You’ve seen everything. You can probably predict the ending of most things even better than a general audience, but a general audience is still pretty good at it. They can see it all coming. So we have to shake it up. You can’t just keep telling the same stories every day.”

Our good friends at Oscorp will also continue to be an important presence in the spinoff projects.

“Oscorp plays an important part in how our villains get created, obviously, in the first one. So because Peter becoming Spider-Man came out of that, rather than saying, “And then this alien came from space,” or whatever, they’re doing human-hybrid, weird stuff at Oscorp. That’s where Gwen Stacy works anyway as well. So the idea of it representing the good and the bad of science, that it can do great things, but it can also mess you up and do weird things and transform people — as all science can be used for good or bad. So it’s nice to have that organizing principal, but it wasn’t like, “We must keep it at Oscorp.” It flowed naturally from the story development.”

Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Ed Solomon​ will pen the Venom spin-off, which Kurtzman will direct. Drew Goddard will write and direct The Sinister Six.

Michael Douglas Cast as Ant-Man (And I Feel Conflicted)

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Marvel has officially cast Michael Douglas the role of Hank Pym AKA Ant-Man in the upcoming movie. I guess Marvel didn’t listen to my pleas to cast Simon Pegg in the lead role. I feel conflicted.

Douglas will star opposite Paul Rudd (now confirmed to be playing Scott Lang) in the Edgar Wright film, set for release on July 31, 2015.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, said,

“With Hank Pym’s rich history in the Marvel Universe, we knew we needed an actor capable of bringing the weight and stature to the role that the character deserves. We felt incredibly relieved when Michael Douglas agreed to step into the part with the charm and fortitude he brings to every character he inhabits, and couldn’t be more excited to see what he will do to bring Hank Pym to life.”

Ant-Man will begin production soon in Georgia. It will be directed by Wright who also wrote the script with Joe Cornish. The film, which is supposed to launch “Phase Three” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will follow Avengers: Age of Ultron‘s May 1, 2015 release.

Wright also added,

“The idea that we have for the adaptation is to actually involve both… Henry Pym and Scott Lang,” Wright told SuperHeroHype some years ago in an interview that he confirmed this morning via Twitter is still accurate. “So you actually do a prologue where you see Pym as Ant-Man in action in the 60’s, in sort of ‘Tales to Astonish’ mode basically, and then the contemporary, sort of flash-forward, is Scott Lang’s story, and how he comes to acquire the suit, how he crosses paths with Henry Pym, and then, in an interesting sort of Machiavellian way, teams up with him.”

20th Century Fox Adapting Magic: The Gathering

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Magic: The Gathering, the card game in which that one table in the lunch room cafeteria seemed to play religiously (okay I was part of that table for a while, not ashamed) is being adapted into a feature film. According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Fox has optioned the film rights to the card game with Simon Kinberg providing the screenplay.

The collectible card game was originally launched in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast (which is now owned by Hasbro). Magic: The Gathering is set in n a realm inhabited by Wizards known as Planeswalkers. Using five different colors of magic, players do battle with one another using customized card decks that contain creatures, spells, artifacts and other fantasy elements. The game was so popular in the 1990’s that it helped launch an immense wave of CCG popularity.

There is no word yet regarding what the plot will follow or what talent is being eyed for the project.

Kinberg is most known for his work on X-Men: First Class. Stephen Davis, Brian Goldner and Greg Leeds will produce Magic: The Gathering with Josh Feldman and Aditya Sood serving as executive producers.

Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011. Magic can be played by two or more players each using a deck of printed cards or a deck of virtual cards through the Internet-based Magic: The Gathering Online or third-party programs.

Fox in Talks to Pick Up James Frey’s “Endgame”

 

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 (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Images)

The James Frey YA novel, “Endgame,” has been preemptively picked up for a film adaptation by 20th Century Fox. “Endgame” is the first novel completely written by Frey since the author launched his intellectual property company, Full Fathom Five, in 2009.

The novel is intended to be a series and will be published by Harper Collins. Any deal is likely to be in the seven figures and will include Frey writing the screenplay.

Currently, the plot for “Endgame” is being kept under wraps, although it was described as Hunger Games-like in tone by several sources.

Frey’s Full Fathom Five is intended to be a multiplatform IP generator and saw the author co-create works using a factory-like approach of hiring others to co-write the books. The Lorien Legacies, also known as the I Am Number Four book series, is the company’s highest profile issue.

But with Endgame, Frey will be the sole credited writer.

Frey is most known for the novel, “A Million Little Pieces” and the scandal that surrounded it. The best-selling writer’s fame was tarnished after allegations arose that certain elements were exaggerated in his memoirA Million Little Pieces.

James Marsden Replaces Paul Walker in The Best of Me

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Due to the untimely death of Paul Walker late last year, James Marsden has replaced the actor in the upcoming Nicholas Sparks film adaptation, The Best of Me.

The Best of Me will be directed by Michael Hoffman with a script written by Will Fetters and J. Mills Goodloe. Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name published in 2011, the book is officially described as follows:

In the spring of 1984, high school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably in love. Though they were from opposite sides of the tracks, their love for one another seemed to defy the realities of life in the small town of Oriental, North Carolina. But as the summer of their senior year came to a close, unforeseen events would tear the young couple apart, setting them on radically divergent paths.

Now, twenty-five years later, Amanda and Dawson are summoned back to Oriental for the funeral of Tuck Hostetler, the mentor who once gave shelter to their high school romance. Neither has lived the life they imagined… and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever changed their lives. As Amanda and Dawson carry out the instructions Tuck left behind for them, they realize that everything they thought they knew—about Tuck, about themselves, and about the dreams they held dear—was not as it seemed. Forced to confront painful memories, the two former lovers will discover undeniable truths about the choices they have made. And in the course of a single, searing weekend, they will ask of the living, and the dead: Can love truly rewrite the past?

Marsden, also known as Liz Lemon’s lover,  most recently appeared in Adam McKay’s Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

The Best of Me was originally planned to be released on October 17, but it’s a good bet that the project will now arrive in theaters at some point in 2015.