Category Archives: Movie Adaptations

New Production Photo Revealed From Ender’s Game

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Courtesy of the Ender’s Game Production Blog, we have another picture from the set of the highly anticipated film adaptation. The new photo shows Ender Wiggin, played by Asa Butterfield, and the monitor in the back of his neck. You can see the new teaser image above.

Roberto Orci, the producer who runs the Tumblr blog said this along with the picture:

Though Ender’s world is one worth saving, it sometimes comes with a price. The novel was amazingly prescient about a great many things: remote controlled drone wars, the internet, the influence of blogging, hand held computing tablets like the I-Pad, and of course, electronic surveillance implants. Implanted tracking and monitoring chips are no longer a science fiction concept. They exist now. And one day, they may be as advanced as the monitor implanted into Ender, which allows Colonel Graff to “see through his eyes” and know: HE’S THE ONE.”

The project is currently filming, and is scheduled to be released November 1, 2013. It is being directed by Gavin Hood with an all star cast.

Written by Orson Scott Card, the story is set in a future utopian version of Earth. It follows a young boy who is a strategist of the genius level who becomes drafted by the International Fleet to battle and destroy to Formics. Formics are a dangerous alien race that threaten mankind. And if Ender fails, then Earth will be gone forever.

The cast, which includes several award winners, is as follows:

  • Asa Butterfield – Ender Wiggin
  • Harrison Ford – Colonel Hyrum Graff
  • Abigail Breslin – Valentine Wiggin
  • Hailee Steinfeld – Petra
  • Aramis Knight – Bean
  • Moises Arias – Bonzo
  • Jimmy Pinchak – Peter Wiggin
  • Suraj Parthasarathy – Alai
  • Conor Carroll – Bernard
  • Khylin Rhambo – Dink
  • Brandon Soo Hoo – Fly Molo
  • Ben Kingsley – Mazer Rackham
  • Viola Davis – Major Anderson
  • Caleb J. Thaggard – Stilson
  • Stevie Ray Dallimore – John Wiggin
  • Andrea Powell – Theresa Wiggin
  • Nonso Anozie – Sergeant Dap

Tie-In Novel To Be Released For The Dark Knight Rises

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Titan Books announced Monday that the official tie-in novel for The Dark Knight Rises will be released July 20, the same day as the film premiere. The Dark Knight Rises, to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, will be the final installment in director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

The film will be adapted to novel form by award-winning author Greg Cox, and published by Titan Books, according to a press release.

Cox has novelized DC Comics Universe stories before, including Infinite Crisis (2006), 52 (2007), Countdown (2009) and Final Crisis (2010).

Nick Landau, a publisher for Titan Books, said he is excited to be involved with the Batman project.

“Batman is one of the most iconic characters of popular culture,” he said. “We’re tremendously excited to work with Warner Bros. on the novelization of ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ especially since it is the culmination of everything Christopher Nolan has done with his amazing trilogy. This is a part of motion picture history.”

Christian Bale, Liam Neeson and Gary Oldman will reprise their roles in the film. This will be the last film in the series, however, as Christian Bale has decided to leave the franchise.

Additions to the cast include Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception) as John Blake and Tom Hardy (Inception) as the film’s primary villain, Bane.

The official plot of the film and tie-in novel will follow the events of the previous film. After the death of Harvey Dent, Batman assumes responsibility for the crimes committed by Dent. He is subsequently hunted down by the police of Gotham City. Then eight years later, Batman returns to Gotham City where he meets the mysterious and alluring Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman, as he tries to stop villainous Bane from destroying the city.

The Dark Knight Rises will be released in theaters and book form on July 20th, 2012.

Tim Burton to Judge Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Art Competition for 20th Century Fox

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Are you anticipating the new Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter big screen adaptation? If so, and you have some ideas for posters of your own, you might just impress Tim Burton enough to win a private midnight screening in your hometown.

20th Century Fox has challenged fans to depict their allegiance to either our 16th President, or the villainous vampires he tried to protect us from. The top five entries will be presented to the famous director, who will then pick the grand-prize winner.

Fans can also vote on submissions or view and share the artwork to help pick the best candidates.

All styles of art are encouraged including cartoon, photo, paint, sculpture, graphic design, etc. Whether your submission is real or imagined they leave the interpretations up to you, the artist.

CONTEST RULES

  • Submit your own pro-patriot or pro-vampire artwork to the gallery at www.Facebook.com/Vampirehunter
  • All Submissions due by May 12, 2012
  • Popular vote will decide the top five finalists
  • The winning finalists will be selected by Tim Burton
  • One Grand Prize Winner will receive a private midnight screening
  • Four runner-ups will receive a Tim Burton signed movie poster

Emily Blunt Joins All You Need Is Kill Adaptation

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Warner Bros. has chosen Emily Blunt to co-star with Tom Cruise in an adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka‘s 2004 sci-fi graphic novel All You Need Is Kill.

The story can be likened to Groundhog Day, but with a twist, according to Variety.com.

“A soldier in a war against aliens finds himself reliving his last day over and over after being killed,“ according to Variety.com. “Through the training and battles he experiences in these time loops, he becomes a better soldier.”

The official summary of the graphic novel is as follows:

There’s one thing worse than dying. It’s coming back to do it again and again… When the alien Gitai invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many raw recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to find himself reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. On the 158th iteration though, he sees something different, something out of place: the female soldier known as the Bitch of War. Is the Bitch the key to Keiji’s escape, or to his final death?

Blunt, who is most known for her role on The Adjustment Bureau as well as the upcoming film The Five Year Engagement, will be cast as another soldier, fighting alongside Cruise.

Doug Liman, whose credits include The Bourne Identity, as well as the rest of the Bourne trilogy, will be directing the film.

Though certainly similar to Groundhog Day, the plot of All You Need Is Kill sounds like it could make for an interesting movie. Big screen adaptations of graphic novels have been popular in recent years, as proven by The Walking Dead, whose second season finale received a record-breaking number of views.

Liman has a history of directing successful films, so Sakurazaka’s work is most likely in  good hands.

The film, dubbed “We Mortals Are,” is set to be released in 2013.

 

The First Image Of Aaron Eckhart In I, Frankenstein Revealed

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Aaron Eckhart, the incredibly visually appealing actor, is starring the in the new big screen adaptation of the comic book written by Kevin Grevioux. Courtesy of photographer Pablo Hassan, we have the first image of Eckhart in full makeup as the creature, Adam.

Despite the film being based on the comic book, Eckhart told ComingSoon that he is choosing to focus on the original Mary Shelley novel when it comes to becoming his character. Eckhart described his character as “Frankenstein is an intelligent, evolved man, and that’s how he is portrayed in this movie, for sure.”

I, Frankenstein is a modern-day tale of the creature created by Dr. Frankenstein. Centuries after his “birth”, the creature, calling himself Adam, finds himself in a gothic city, in the middle of a war between two immortal clans.

Filming for the project took place in Victoria, Australia over a period of 10 weeks. It was produced by Australia’s Hopscotch Features and the U.S.’s Lakeshore Entertainment.

It seems Hollywood can not get enough of the comic book remake genre. It is nice, however, to see that they are also picking less popular graphic novels and comics to adapt. I don’t think I could watch another reboot of Batman, Spider-Man, or the Fantastic Four. And hey, since I don’t get to see Harvey Dent again (played by Eckhart), this will at least fill that void.

I, Frankenstein hits theaters on February 22, 2013.

Hunger Games Star, Liam Hemsworth, Gains Paranoia

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Liam Hemsworth, one of the stars from The Hunger Games, has signed on to star in the big-screen adaptation of Joseph Finder’s New York Times bestselling novel Paranoia.

“Paranoia tells the story of a young man, unhappy with his job, who funds a co-worker’s retirement party with company money,” according to Deadline.com. “Caught by his boss, he is given the choice of embezzlement charges or spying on the company’s competitor to steal top-secret project information.”

Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman are also likely to star, though they are both working on other projects.

Ford is currently filming Ender’s Game, and Oldman just completed filming The Dark Knight Rises.

Robert Luketic is set to direct the film although the choice is somewhat unexpected. Luketic’s body of work includes romantic comedies such as Legally Blonde, Monster-in-Law and Win a Date with Tad Hamilton.

Luketic’s two current projects, however, suggest he may be looking to get more serious. Aside from Paranoia, he is also working on Brilliant, a thriller starring Gerard Butler that is set to be released next year.

Those wondering whether Luketic can effectively handle weightier genres may want to check out 21, his 2008 Vegas crime drama.

Though a departure from his usual template, the film received mixed reviews, including a 35 percent rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers on the film rating site said Luketic took a fascinating true story, and added melodrama and glitz until the premise was lost, resulting in a dull final product.

If Luketic can use his past criticisms to improve his storytelling skills, he may be able to effectively tell Finder’s story.

See the full synopsis from Finder’s official website below:

Adam Cassidy is twenty-six and a low-level employee at a high-tech corporation who hates his job. When he manipulates the system to do something nice for a friend, he finds himself charged with a crime. Corporate Security gives him a choice: prison—or become a spy in the headquarters of their chief competitor, Trion Systems.

They train him. They feed him inside information. Now, at Trion, he’s a star, skyrocketing to the top. He finds he has talents he never knew he possessed. He’s rich, drives a Porsche, lives in a fabulous apartment, and works directly for the CEO. He’s dating the girl of his dreams.

His life is perfect. And all he has to do to keep it that way is betray everyone he cares about and everything he believes in.

But when he tries to break off from his controllers, he finds he’s in way over his head, trapped in a world in which nothing is as it seems and no one can really be trusted.

And then the real nightmare begins. . . .  

There is no word yet on who will star in the project, or an expected release date.

 

The Hunger Games Wins Box Office For A Fourth Week

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It seems that after four weeks in theaters, The Hunger Games will continue to dominate. Even though it has slipped since opening weekend, it has successfully fended off several films in the box office, and accumulating over $300,000 domestically.

The Hunger Games adaptation based on the novel series by Suzanne Collins was adapted for the big screen by Gary Ross. Despite three new films hitting theaters over the weekend, The Hunger Games earned $21.5 million while in its fourth week. It should be noted that a film remaining at #1 for several weeks back in 2000, wasn’t that surprising. However, with the downturn of the economy, much has changed in the movie industry in the last 12 years. Now it is pretty amazing for a film to grab audiences like it has.

The only other films to achieve this honor has been The Dark Knight and Lord of the Rings: The Return of The King, while James Cameron’s Avatar remained at #1 for seven weeks.

Globally, The Hunger Games has crossed the $500 million mark with its success this weekend gaining its spot in the Top 100 Highest Grossing Films of all time after just one month in theaters.

This past weekend, The Hunger Games was up against new releases of Battleship, The Three Stooges, and The Cabin in the Woods.

The film is expected to gross even more by the time the weekend is over.

The director of the smash-hit film, Ross, has decided agaisnt directing its sequel, Catching Fire which is scheduled for release on November 22, 2013.

The Secret World of Arrietty Heads To DVD and BLU-RAY

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One of the years most gorgeous films, The Secret World of Arriety, a film from Studio Ghibli, is heading to a special DVD and Blu-ray combo back in May.

The film is based on the book series, “The Borrowers” written by Mary Norton. The film includes timeless themes such as friendship, courage, and determination.

Finally, on May 22, 2012 Walt Disney Studios and Studio Ghibli will release The Secret World of Arrietty on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD.

The voice cast includes stars such as Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Bridgit Mendler, Moises Arias, David Henrie and the iconic and much beloved Carol Burnett.

The two disc combo pack includes tons of bonus features such as:

·       Storyboard presentation of the film

·       Original Japanese Trailers and Television Commercials

·        “Summertime” Music Video – Performed by Bridgit Mendler, the speaking voice of Arrietty.

·       The Making Of “Summertime” Behind the Scenes – Bridgit Mendler hosts a look at the making of themusic video.

·       “Arrietty’s Song” Music Video – Experience the movie’s theme song, performed by innovative singer and harpist Cécile Corbel, who also wrote the lyrics.

1-Disc DVD: (1 DVD)

·       “Summertime” Music Video

·        The Making Of “Summertime”

The official film synopsis is as follows:

Residing quietly beneath the floorboards are little people who live undetected in a secret world to be discovered. Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (voices of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (voice of Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasionalcovert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts.

But when 12-year-old Shawn (voice of David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger. From the legendary Studio Ghibli (“Spirited Away,” “Ponyo”) comes “The Secret World of Arrietty,” an animated adventure based on Mary Norton’s acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers.”

Leonardo DiCaprio To Live By Night

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Warner Bros. is having a field day lately buying the film rights to various novels. They have now begun the process of bringing the upcoming Dennis Lehane prohibition-era novel Live By Night. Deadline has reported that the project has already asked Leonardo DiCaprio to star in the film.

The novel is the second book in a trilogy written by Lehane. It is the sequel to his 2008 book, The Given Day. 

Lehane is already an award winning novelist. He has also already had some of his novels adapted for the big screen. He wrote Mystic River which became an Academy Award-winning film. Another novel, Gone, Baby, Gone became an Academy Award-nominated film. DiCaprio also starred in a big screen adaptation of a Lehane novel, Shutter Island. 

I has also been reported that DiCaprio will produce the film adaptation.

There is no word on when the adaptation is projected to release or when it will begin production.

Old Boy Adaptation Casting Update

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News has been slow coming for the reboot of the Park Chan-wook film Oldboy which is based on the manga of the same name. Casting news has changed drastically over the last few months for the Spike Lee directed reboot. Colin Firth was originally offered the role of the villain, however he has decided against it and now Sharlto Copley has been offered the part.

Copely, most known for staring in the film District 9, will appear opposite Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen as the main characters.

The reboot will follow Joe (named Dae-su Oh in the original) who will be played by Brolin as he is captured and imprisoned in a hotel room for over two decades (it was 15 years in the original). But Joe has no understanding why he has been imprisoned. When he is suddenly released, he is told he has just four days to determine the reason for his detainment.

Originally a late ’90’s manga series by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi, the American version will apparently, as in that series, go by that two word title rather that the single world Oldboy that Chan-wook’s version used.

I have seen the original film (but have not read the manga) and there are some pretty heavy themes from live and love, to the psychology of being imprisoned, incest, family ties, and not to mention the brutality. I am not to sure American audiences are totally ready for what the film entails, and I am curious to see what they keep and what they change slightly to make more appropriate for the less open-minded audiences.

Oh yeah, and the scene where he eats a live octopus alive… will probably make you sick. This probably won’t be included in the American reboot as eating live octopus is not a delicacy here as it is in Korea.