Category Archives: Movie Adaptations

First Official Clip From MIB3 Revealed

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The first clip from the upcoming film Men In Black 3 has been released by Columbia Pictures through Yahoo! Movies.

The third installment of the film series is based on the Malibu / Marvel comic book series The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham. The film stars:

  • Will Smith as Agent J, an MIB agent
  • Tommy Lee Jones as Agent K, an MIB agent
  • Josh Brolin as Young Agent K
  • Emma Thompson as Agent O, agent of the MIB in present day and a secretary in the 1960s
  • Alice Eve as Young Agent O
  • Nicole Scherzinger as Lily Poison, an antagonist
  • Jemaine Clement as the main antagonist Boris
  • Bill Hader as Andy Warhol
  • Keone Young as Mr. Wu
  • Yuri Lowenthal as Knuckles (voice)
  • According to Digital Spy, Lady Gaga and Adam West among other celebrities slated to appear in MIB 3, will make a small cameo in the movie.

The film will hit theaters in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on May 25.

The official plot of the film is as follows:

Men in Black 3, Agents J (Smith) and K (Jones) are back… in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

You can watch the clip courtesy of Yahoo! Movies below:

Two New Dorothy And The Wizard of Oz Adaptations Moving Forward

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Some classic books provide fodder for directors for decades to come. They get remade every decade or so by new directors for a new audience. Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has inspired numerous film adaptations. Ronald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has also been adapted multiple times. The latest addition to the list is L. Frank Baum’s Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz.

Most recently adapted for television in the form of SyFy’s “Tin Man”, starring Zooey Deschanel and Alan Cumming, the story is now providing the foundation for two new projects.

E!, a network known mostly for reality shows such as Keeping Up With the Kardashians, is now developing several scripted drama series. Among the new shows is “Dorothy”, a new take on Baum’s classic story.

Here is E!’s description:

Inspired by the book Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, a girl from Kansas City falls for a man and moves with him to the Emerald City to work at his Emerald Hotel.”

The show will be written by Natalie Krinsky (Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy), so viewers can expect hearty servings of weekly drama.

In other Oz-related news, Summertime Entertainment is developing its own adaptation—a 3D CG animated film.

The role of Dorothy will be voiced by Lea Michele, most known for her role on “Glee.” Tony Award-winning actress Bernadette Peters will lend her voice to the character of Glinda the Good Witch.

To have Bernadette Peters as Glinda is such a treat,” said Will Finn, one of the film’s directors in a report from Summertime Entertainment. “She epitomizes the character who is known by Oz fans worldwide to have a very caring and generous heart.”

Peters agreed with this sentiment.

“Glinda and I have the same heart and soul,” she said. “Her hair has a mind of its own like mine!”

According to ComingSoon, Peters and Michele will perform a duet on the film’s soundtrack.

Also starring are Martin Short, Jim Belushi , Dan Aykroyd, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Hilty, Hugh Dancy, Oliver Platt and Patrick Stewart. The film will be directed by Dan St. Pierre.

Fox Animation To Adapt The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

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Most everyone knows the stories of literature’s classic fairy tale princesses by now— Rapunzel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella… etc. Children have been reading these stories and watching their respective Disney adaptations for decades. Now first-time author Jeff Healy is telling these classic stories from a different perspective.

Now available, The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom tells the story of the four princes from these familiar fairy tales.

“In the tome, the princes’ due is glossed over by various minstrels, but the four young men—cast out of their respective castles—get a shot at redemption and glory when they uncover a plot that could destroy the kingdoms,” according to Hollywood Reporter.

The 432 page novel was released by Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins Children’s Books. Before penning the novel, Healy was a children’s entertainment reviewer, and before that a haunted house zombie actor. If these former occupations are any indication of Healy’s writing style, Save Your Kingdom should be an interesting read.

Those interested in checking out the book may want to do so quickly, as there will soon be an animated film version as well. It was also announced that Fox Animation has picked up the movie rights to Saving Your Kingdom. The project will be produced by Chernin Entertainment—the same company that produced Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

See the book’s official plot synopsis below:

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change. Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Gustav stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it’s up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be. Debut author Christopher Healy takes us on a journey with four imperfect princes and their four improbable princesses, all of whom are trying to become perfect heroes—a fast-paced, funny, and fresh introduction to a world where everything, even our classic fairy tales, is not at all what it seems.”

There is no word yet on when the adaptation will be released or who is expected to provided the voices for the characters.

Peter Jackson Answers Criticism Regarding Filming The Hobbit

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Director Peter Jackson is facing criticism for the style of filming he used for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. A preview of the highly anticipated film was unveiled at Cinemacon last week and despite the excitement, many of the viewers were displeased. Some of the viewers who saw the preview for the unfinished movie stated they were unimpressed with the footage. The film was shot in a “hyper-realistic” style at a rate of 48 frames per second, instead of the standard 24.

Jackson recently took on the criticism of his hyper-realtistic film during an interview with TheWrap.

He spoke about his reasons why he decided to film the movie using the 48 frames per second stating that it would “improve the film’s 3D imagery and better immerse audiences in the action.”

The director plans to continue with his original format despite audience protests.

I can’t say anything, just like you can’t say anything to someone who doesn’t like fish,” Jackson said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “You can’t explain why fish tastes great and why they should enjoy it.”

Jackson also said he feels that people will get used to the film style, and prefers that they enjoy other aspects of the movie.

“I just wonder if they were getting into the dialogue, the characters and the story,” Jackson said. “That’s what happens in the movie. You settle into it.”

Though audience members may be able to “settle into it,” Jackson may run into more problems when getting movie theaters to screen the film. Because of the style used, most theaters will have to upgrade their technology to show the film. While this may not be an issue for large chain theaters, smaller operations may turn The Hobbit down.

One theater owner said “he was unimpressed by the high frame rate footage and unsure if it was worth the investment,” according to an article by Brent Lang. “He noted that he had already made a substantial investment to convert his theaters from film to digital in recent years, spending roughly $150,000 per screen. He said that he estimated updating his projectors would cost $8,000 apiece.”

Jackson, however, said he feels higher film rates are in many directors’ future.

Nobody is going to stop,” he said. “This technology is going to keep evolving.”

An executive from New Line told TheWrap that they almost didn’t preview with film with the high frame rate but that Jackson had pushed very hard for the preview and ended up winning the debate. The executive also assured that the film would look even better once the finalized coloring and special effects were included.

Despite the lackluster response to the look of his film, there was a strong positive reaction to the overall tone and story of the film with MSN calling it “chilling and absorbing.”

The Hobbit will be released Dec. 14, and will also be available at the standard film rate of 24 frames per second. It’s sequel, The Hobbit: There and Back Again will be released on December 13, 2013.

8 Reasons I Love Ender’s Game

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Ender’s Game is a novel written by Orson Scott Card and published in 1985. Since then it has remained a cult favorite among sci-fi fans. After several years of attempts it is finally moving forward with a film adaptation directed by Gavin Hood and staring Asa Butterfield as Ender.

With the film on its way, I began reading the iconic novel. After only a few pages in, I was hooked. I finished it over the course of probably a few days. I can tell why it is so popular, however, I can see why it took so long to be made into a film. We just now have the technology to do the adaptation right.

Along with reading the novel, I was able to listen to the audiobook as well. This was really great because at times I was really into the novel but had to leave. Thankfully, I was able to pick up where I left off with the audiobook while driving without missing a beat in the story. It was a great companion to the paperback. If you are a busy reader, having the audiobook in your car will make things so much easier. I promise!

So, after finishing the story, I am SO excited to see the film. So, here are eight reasons I loved the novel and I can only hope they keep these things in the movie.

The Tone

I love the tone of this novel. Despite the serious content, it is not all serious. There are several moments in the novel that are used to break up the tension. It can be very overwhelming to have a novel that is one serious scene after another. However, as the story progresses those moments are fewer and fewer because we head to the climax. Not to mention the switch in prospective from Ender to Gruff. The aid is showing the audience that what Ender is working toward is even more important that he realizes. It is very effective storytelling in my opinion.

The Surprises

There are SO many surprises in this novel. I don’t just mean twists, I mean things that are surprising to the point that I literally set the novel down just to grasp what I had read. Despite all the surprises though, it didn’t ever feel like they were arbitrary or just thrown in there to create tension. It felt more honest and less sensational. Some of the surprise moments even caused me to flip back in the novel and re-examine something I had read. Not many novels surprise me, usually I can see something coming, but there were moments I didn’t see. A fantastic read, definitely.

Ender

I loved this main character. At the beginning I was very skeptical of the characterization. At the young age of Ender, I had a problem believing he could talk and act the way he did. However, the longer I read this book, the more I liked him. The more the audience grows to know him. I think it aids a lot to the story to not see what Graff sees till later. But after watching him grow and learn, the audience begins to see what Graff always saw within Ender. I ended up really feeling for him as a character by the end, so far as to feel bad for him and the life he was forced to live and the things he was forced to do.

The Pace 

This novel jumps into the story pretty quickly. I absolutely hate it when too much exposition is part of a novel. Thankfully, Ender’s Game spends minimal building before throwing Ender and the audience into Battle School and the plot. I think this is wise especially as this novel is used to hook children into reading. To much exposition makes it hard for picky readers to get into the story. But in a matter of pages, we are immersed in the new world of Ender and Battle School.

Character Development

One of the best parts of this book is the character development. And not just for Ender either. We see his siblings Valentine and Peter evolve, we see Colonel Graff devolve due to exhaustion and stress, and yes we see Ender grow and became the savior of the world. None of the main characters are two-dimensional because the story takes place over years of development we are forced to see them and that makes the story that much better. If we didn’t know the changes that Graff makes or Valentine, their actions would make less sense to the audience.

The Battle Room

Who doesn’t love the Battle Room? I mean really? If you have read this novel, it is probably one of those things you love. It is the setting for so many scenes and aids so much in shaping Ender to the young man who saves the world. It is critical. This is one of those things that I think caused the movie to be delayed for so many years. If you can’t get it right, there is no point in even making the movie.

The Ending

The ending caught me off guard. I knew something was up about halfway through Ender working with Mazer Rackham, but the extent that he was tricked and used, I did not see coming. I also felt that Ender’s reaction to what happened was very realistic. Not many can commit mass genocide and walk away being ok, but then again that’s the reason they picked Ender instead of Peter. Ender secluded himself, mourns, becomes depressed. If he had gotten up and been fine, or even if he was sad but moved on, it would have been less acceptable. We see throughout the novel the kind of person Ender is and will be. We know how he cares deeply for humanity but also feels guilty for necessary steps he was forced to take in order to protect said humanity. This even more prevalent after finding the hive queen, despite being war hero, Ender is compassionate and strong and searches to find somewhere she can live again.

Valentine and Peter

These two are so important to the story. Like Ender they are smart and they are creative. But both his sister and brother are very different then he is. To truly understand why Ender was chosen, the audience needs to see why Valentine and Peter were not. Valentine is too compassionate while Peter is too fierce and sadistic. Knowing why they were not chosen is said almost immediately but the audience doesn’t fully grasp the reason till we see what Ender is put through. It then becomes more apparent why Ender is the savior, being a perfect mix between his two siblings.

I know creating a film adaptation of a novel means taking things out and adding things in to make it flow better, or work better, but I hope most of these things stay relatively intact. And please, make the Battle Room awesome!

The film adaptation will be released on November 1, 2013, by Summit Entertainment. It stars Asa Butterfield as Ender as well as Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Aramis Knight, Hailee Steinfeld, Jimmy Pinchak, and Abigail Breslin.

Note: Review copies of the audiobook and paperwork were provided by Macmillan in partner with this review.

Chloe Moretz Gives An Update For Carrie Reboot

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ComingSoon recently interviewed young actress Chloe Moretz and she gave us an update about her upcoming project, a reboot of the novel and 1976 film. Originally written by Stephen King, the novel was made into an incredibly well received film by Brian De Palma.

The novel follows young Carrie who takes revenge on the students who bully her using her telekinetic powers. Blood and massive amounts of death ensue.

The reboot is coming from director Kimberly Peirce who has stated that the project will be a more direct remake of the novel rather than the film.

Peirce has said regarding her adaptation:

I’m actually not looking at the original,” she says, “even though De Palma’s movie was one of the best movies ever made. It’s completely iconic and I’m proud to be able to be doing a retooling of it. We’re kind of going off the book. It’s darker and much more psychological. More ‘Black Swan.’ You’re really looking into her mind and it really looks into the relationship of Margaret and Carrie. It’s set in modern time, so it’s a lot different.”

Moretz will star as the titular character, Carrie. She begins work on the film in June and has nothing but good things to say about Peirce.

I start that June 1st. […] It’s going to be very well done. I don’t want to jinx it, but [Peirce] is a genius, genius, genius director. I would never do it with someone that I don’t trust. I trust her more than a lot of the directors I’ve worked with. She’s the right woman for the job.”

The role of Margaret White, Carrie’s mother in the story, was played by Piper Laurie in the original movie version. This time around, rumor has it that Julianne Moore has been offered the role, but there is no word on whether she has accepted the part.

Moretz has also offered a glimpse into how she will be playing the role that is so different than her own personality.

It’s something that’s very different from me,” Moretz says of Carrie’s wardrobe. “It’s an out of body thing. I’m becoming a totally different person for it. I’m letting go of all of my self-esteem issues and just kind of going into it. You have to.”

After the fan made teaser poster, which you can see above, made its way to Peirce and Moretz, the director and actress became even more excited for the project to begin shooting in a month. The poster came from Pierre-Luc Boucher and his DeviantArt page.

That was a cool poster!” Moretz laughs. “Kim sent that to me. She said, ‘Oh my god, you’ve got to look at this. It’s really, really, really cool!’ We both felt so pumped. Now we’re chomping at the bit to get in there.”

Carrie is set to be released in theaters on March 15th, 2013.

Yet Another Nicholas Sparks Adaptation In The Works

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Josh Duhamel may join the cast of the latest Nicholas Sparks adaptation. Duhamel, most known for Transformers, is negotiating with Relativity Media to work out the details.

The film, Safe Haven, follows the success of Sparks’ The Lucky One, currently in theaters. It reached number two in the box office.

The novel, which was published in August of 2011, is another in a long line of romantic struggles, crisis of identity and self growth. The official plot is described as:

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.

Duhamel is being considered for the role of the widower. The female lead role is still in consideration with no word on who is eyed for the role.

The film will be produced by Sparks and Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh, Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen. Tucker Tooley will executive produce. Lasse Hallstrom (Chocolat) will direct.

Sparks, best known in the film industry for the adaptations of his books A Walk to Remember and The Notebook, has made a routine of bringing his novels to the silver screen. Along side Safe Have, another one of Sparks novels, The Best of Me, is also being considered for the big screen, as Warner Bros. bought the rights to it on July 17.

Since 1999, seven of his books have been adapted. His movie adaptations 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 (Upcoming)
  • The Best of Me (Upcoming)

While Safe Haven, a romance typical of Sparks, will certainly not be for everyone, the author has a large and devoted fanbase. His last several films have received mixed reviews, but The Notebook and A Walk to Remember remain fan favorites.

The Lucky One is also fairing relatively well at the box office, so Sparks may be due for another box office hit.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Sequel Could Be On Its Way

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Tom Rothman, the Fox Co-Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Fox Filmed Entertainment, recently hinted at the fact that we may be seeing a sequel to the hit 2011 film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

The sequel was mentioned by Rothman as a part of a list of movies Fox is planning to start production by the end of summer. The list also included films such as The Wolverine, which is expected to begin shooting in Japan.

Based on the fact that most of the films on the list are expected for a summer 2013 release, there is a chance that Fox is planning the Planet of the Apes sequel to hit theaters at the same time. However, it also rumored that they could be saving the sequel for a fall or holiday release considering that the season is fairly open for blockbusters.

At the moment, there is not confirmation that director Rupert Wyatt would be returning. Andy Serkis will most likely be busy working on Peter Jackson’s two-part The Hobbit although he has signed on for the sequel, so they would have to make time for both films in the fall.

More information regarding the sequel is expected to be released soon.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was meant to act as an origin story for a new series of films based on the original series. Following its release on August 5, 2011, the film became a critical and box office success. In January 2012 the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Most Highlighted Book Passages Come From The Hunger Games

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The Hunger Games seemingly reigns over everything these days. Besides being the number one movie in the box office for four straight weeks, it also is sitting comfortably on bestseller lists everywhere. Along side those triumphs it can now add most highlighted passage, e-book style to its list of achievements.

Currently, according to the Kindle, a line from the second book of the trilogy is the most highlighted passage of all time.

“Because sometimes things happen to people and they’re not equipped to deal with them.”

The quote, which comes from Catching Fire, has been Highlighted by 17784 Kindle users as of today.

This line is nearly two times more popular than the second most highlighted passage, which is also from The Hunger Games trilogy. Surprisingly or not, most of the quotes on this list are from the mega-popular trilogy. In fact, 20 our of 25 passages on the list are from the series.

The list, courtesy of Amazon contain quotes such as:

“It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.” Mockingjay
– The number 4 most highlighted passage and has been Highlighted by 8833 Kindle users.
We also have number 10 with:
“I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun.” The Hunger Games
– Highlighted by 7519 Kindle users
While the list includes some heavy moments from the novels, there are also some oddballs thrown in, that are surprisingly on the list.
“Maybe I’d think that, too, Caesar,” says Peeta bitterly, “if it weren’t for the baby.” Catching Fire
– Number 21 on the list and highlighted by 4928 Kindle users
I am not surprised these dominate another list. This trilogy has taken the world by storm and it isn’t finished yet with three more movies on the way.
You can see the full list from Amazon here to find out what other quotes from The Hunger Games made the list.

Ender’s Game Producers Also To Write Amazing Spider-Man Sequel

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The Amazing Spider-Man won’t hit the silver screen for two more months, but Sony Pictures is already hard at work developing a sequel.  Writing duo Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci, the pair who are currently working on the big screen adaptation of Ender’s Game, have signed on to work on the screenplay to The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

The first draft of the screenplay was written by James Vanderbilt, who was also predominantly in charge of the script to The Amazing Spider-Man.

Production is tentatively scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2013, according to Sony Pictures.

Kurtzman and Orci are perhaps best known for their frequent collaborations with J.J. Abrams and Michael Bay. The duo is gaining a reputation for adapting comic books into movie scripts. They also collaborated on the Transformers series, Watchmen and Cowboy and Aliens.

We grew up as huge Spider-Man fans so, to us, the opportunity to work on this film is akin to being handed the Holy Grail,” Kurtzman and Orci said. “We love the direction Sony and the filmmakers are taking the Peter Parker/Spider-Man mythology, and we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this legendary franchise.”

Co-producer Matt Tolmach said Kurtzman and Orci have an exciting take on the franchise.

“Alex and Bob have a unique ability to write great characters and spectacular action that makes them pitch perfect for Spider-Man,” Tolmach said.

Co-producer Avi Arad said the two will put their stamp on the franchise.

“They have an innate understanding of what makes Peter Parker not just a superhero, but a hero for all of us,” Arad said.

This year’s film, The Amazing Spider-Man will hit theaters on July 3rd in 3D, 2D, and IMAX. The film stars Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, and Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors.