Category Archives: DVD Releases

X-Men “Days Of Future Past” Heading To The Silver Screen

Seminal X-Men story arc “Days Of Future Past,” will receive the big screen treatment, says producer Bryan Singer. The film will be a sequel to 2011’s X-Men: First Class, and while Singer didn’t say how true to the comic book the movie would be, but he did mention that some very new things would also be dealt with.

“It’s going to be very ambitious,” Singer says.

Singer says the film is still being written right now and will start shooting in a few months. Matthews Vaughn will return as director. While Singer couldn’t confirm the possibility of appearances of characters from the first four X-Men films, he did say that there was a strong desire to broaden out the universe.

“The X-Men universe is every bit on its own as big as the Marvel universe,” he says. “I think it’s time to reach out and explore it, and perhaps even bring some connectivity between the films. So, you may see some of that.”

The story arc “Days Of Future Past” features writer/artist team Chris Claremont and John Byrne and ran through Uncanny X-Men #141 and 142 in 1981. It deals with a dystopian alternative future where mutants are hunted by Sentinels and kept in internment camps. It stars Kitty Pryde, who transfers her mind through time into the younger present-day Kitty, who turns to the X-Men to prevent the political assassination plot that triggered the events. (This reality has been designated as Earth-811, by the way.)

X-Men: Days Of Future Past is scheduled for a summer 2014 release

Alan Ritchson and Bruno Gunn Cast In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

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Another tribute is cast, according to Lionsgate, in the upcoming adaptation, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The latest actor to join the sequel film is Alan Ritchson who is set to play a District 1 tribute named Gloss.

Like all the tributes in the 75th Annual Hunger Games (and the third Quarter Quell), Gloss is a former victor returning to the arena along side his sister Cashmere, who has not yet been cast. Gloss and his sister are relatively new winners of the games, as Katniss remembers watching them win when she was younger.

Ritchson has already taken to twitter to express his excitment for being involved in such a high profile film. He tweeted,

“No words can express…To have the opportunity to portray Gloss in @TheHungerGames. To be a part of this great trilogy…just…so grateful. “

Fans may recognized Ritchson from his reoccuring roles in hit television shows such as “Smallville” and “Blue Mountain State,” as well as a handful of TV guest spots and feature film credits, including Spring Break ’83 and Fired Up!

Also announced this week was the casting of Bruno Gunn as Brutus in the project. Brutus was the male tribute from District 2 and is enthusiastic to get back into the arena. He won his Hunger Games shortly after Haymitch.

Ritchson and Gunn join fellow tributes Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, Jena Malone as Johanna Mason, Amanda Plummer as Wiress, Lynn Cohen as Mags, and Meta Golding as Enobaria. Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks will also reprise their roles as Haymitch and Effie respectively.

Filming on Catching Fire is expected to begin next month in Atlanta, with the film set for release November 22, 2013.

Tim Robbins Signs Directing Deal For City of Lies

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Endgame Entertainment has announced that actor Tim Robbins has a signed a deal to direct the adaptation of Arthur Phllips’ short story, “Wenceslas Square.” Robbins is best known for his work as an actors but he had previously helmed three films in the 1990’s including the critically acclaimed Dead Man Walking in 1995. Robbins also directed a few episodes of HBO’s drama series, “Treme.”

City of Lies follows two spies who unsuprisingly fall in love while on separate missions in Prague. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, whose credits range from The Life and Death of Peter Sellers to Captain America to Michael Bay’s upcoming action movie Pain & Gain, are adapting Phillips’ story, which aired on radio’s This American Life last summer.

Phillip Noyce previously was attached to direct before dropping from the project. Endgame’s James D. Stern is producing along with Ira Glass and Alissa Shipp of This American Life. Endgame will finance the movie, with its Julie Goldstein overseeing production and Douglas E. Hansen exec producing.

Robbins is repped by UTA and 3 Arts Entertainment. Markus and McFeely are repped by UTA and attorney David Colden.

There is now word on when the project is expected to begin or a projected release date.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Heads to City of Bones

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The City of Bones adaptation, based on the novel by Cassandra Clare, has finally found it’s Valentine. And no not the red and pink kind. The main villain of the YA novel series, Valentine Morgenstern, will be played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Valentine is said to be one of the most powerful shadowhunters in the world and has a special connection with main character Clary. He also strives to make the world “pure” at any cost.

Meyers joins Lily Collins as Clary Fray, Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace Wayland, Robert Sheehan as Simon Lewis, Jemima West as Isabelle Lightwood, Kevin Durand as Emil Pangborn, Robert Maillet as Samuel Blackwell, Lena Headey as Jocelyn Fray, Jared Harris as Hodge Starkweather, and Godfrey Gao as Magnus Bane.

City of Bones follows a young teen girl, Clary Fray, who discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother, Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is expected to be released on August 23, 2013.

Christian Bale Offered Role In The Creed of Violence

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Actor Christian Bale is in early negotiations to star in Todd Field’s The Creed of Violence. Field, most known for his work on Little Children is adapting the film from Boston Teran’s acclaimed fifth novel of the same name.

The book tells the story of the 1910 Mexican revolution from the perspective of small-time assassin Rawbone and young Bureau of Investigation agent John Lourdes. The unlikely pair are forced to cooperate to infiltrate the Mexican criminal underground, encountering thieves, smugglers and professional killers.

Bale is being considered for the role of Rawbone. There is no word yet on whether the deal will be closed.

Universal will distribute the film, which is being produced and financed by Cross Creek Pictures. Field will be writing and directing. Brian Oliver, head of Cross Creek, previously compared the upcoming project to Heart of Darkness.

“Teran’s novel brings a unique perspective to U.S. imperialism for oil in the early 20th century,” Oliver said.

The film’s producers are projecting an early 2013 release date in the American Southwest and parts of Mexico.

View the official summary for The Creed of Violence below:

“Mexico, 1910. The landscape pulses with the force of the upcoming revolution, an atmosphere rich in opportunity for a criminal such as Rawbone. His fortune arrives across the haze of the Sierra Blanca in the form of a truck loaded with weapons, an easy sell to those financing a bloodletting.

But Rawbone’s plan spins against him, and he soon finds himself at the Mexican-American border and in the hands of the Bureau of Investigation. He is offered a chance for immunity, but only if he agrees to proceed with his scheme to deliver the truck and its goods to the Mexican oil fields while under the command of Agent John Lourdes. Rawbone sees no other option and agrees to the deal—but he fails to recognize the true identity of Agent Lourdes, a man from deep within his past.

As they work to expose the criminal network at the core of the revolution, it is clear their journey into the tarred desert is a push toward a certain ruin, and the history lurking between the criminal and agent may seal their fates.”

There is no word on when the film is expected to be released or other talent that may be attached to the project.

Guardians of the Galaxy To Get A Rewrite

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It was recently announced that Chris McCoy has been tapped to rewrite Guardians of the Galaxy, a new space adventure movie from Marvel Studios. The film is part of Marvel’s second wave of movies, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, it is the only new title among the group. The rest are sequels featuring Iron Man, Thor and Captain America.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Guardians first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy (vol. 2) #1 in May of 2008.

The comic series was published to wide acclaim. The May 2008 sales estimate for the first issue was 39,854 copies, making it the 61st top-selling comic title that month. The first and second issues sold out as well but were reprinted in a special collectors edition.

The film was officially announced at Comic-Con in July.

Though there have been multiple incarnations of the Guardians team in the comic series, the film’s team will include Dax the Destroyer, a human resurrected as a green warrior tasked with killing Thanos (the villain featured in the teaser scene at the end of The Avengers), Groot, a giant tree-man, Star-Lord, a gun-wielding alien-human hybrid and vigilante, Rocket Raccoon, a genetically engineered raccoon who uses explosives, and Gamora, the sole survivor of her species, saved by Thanos to be his assassin, but now fights against him.

Nicole Perlman, a graduate of Marvel’s former writing program, wrote the previous draft of the script, according to THR.

For more information about Guardians of the Galaxy, click here. The film is scheduled to be released on August 1, 2014

Kristen Stewart To Lie Down In Darkness

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Like she recently did with Rupert Sanders, BA-ZING!

Ok, I’m going to put my K-stew serious face on. It was recently announced that Stewart is set to play the lead role in the upcoming adaptation, Lie Down In Darkness. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by William Styron that was first published in 1952.

“Lie Down In Darkness” was Styron’s first novel and has received wide critical acclaim.

The official description of the novel is as follows:

“Lie Down in Darkness” centers on the Loftis family — Milton and Helen and their daughters, Peyton and Maudie. The story, told through a series of flashbacks on the day of Peyton’s funeral, is a powerful depiction of a family doomed by its failure to forget and its inability to love.

Scott Cooper is attached to direct the project. Stewart will play Peyton, however, there is no official start date yet.

There is also no word on any other talent attached to the project or an anticipated release date.

Warner Bros. Acquires Beautiful Disaster

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Warner Bros. has won a bidding war for “Beautiful Disaster,” Jamie McGuire’s Fifty Shades of Grey-like series aimed at the young adult demographic. Donald De Line, producer of Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain, is attached to the project.

The book began as a self-published online novel, became a hit and was picked up by a publishing house, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

It tells the story of squeaky-clean college student Abby Abernathy, who doesn’t drink or swear. She meets Travis Maddox, who is “lean, cut and covered in tattoos,” according to the book’s description. Maddox makes a bet with Abernathy, and if she wins, he must abstain from sex for one month. If she loses, she must live with him for one month.

Beautiful Disaster, according to THR, is being seen by studio executives as a safer and less risky adaptation than E.L. James’ increasingly popular Fifty Shades of Grey, which is full of sexual content that could cause issues at the box office.

McGuire’s book has sold more than 200,000 copies, first as an ebook, and later as a trade paperback through Amazon’s Createspace. It topped Amazon’s self-published sales chart, and appeared on The New York Times bestseller list.

Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, signed McGuire and will release an official paperback version on Aug. 14.

Read Beautiful Disaster’s official description below:

“The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand. Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.”

What do you think of the new risquee trend in literature? Tell us in the comments!

Two New Cast Members Added To City of Bones

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The upcoming film adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s “City of Bones” has almost rounded out is main cast. The author announced the addition of two new cast members yesterday including Aidan Turner as Luke and CCH Pounder as Madame Dorothea.

Turner is most known for playing (incredibly sexy) vampire Mitchell on the British “Being Human.” He also is gaining attention for his upcoming role in The Hobbit trilogy in which he will play the character of Kili. Turner is set to play Luke in “City of Bones,” a character that is a father figure to Clary as well as a protector to her family.

“Luke has a hell of a dark past despite his current mild-mannered, bookstore-owning ways. The scars he bears belie his gentle heart — but he could tear you apart with his teeth if you threatened something he cared about,” says Clare about Luke.

CCH Pounder has been in several television shows over the years and has a wealth of experience in the industry. She is set to play the role of Madame Dorothea, Clary’s next door neighbor who is definitely more than she appears at first.

“You may know her from The Shield. Or The X-Files. Or Warehouse 13. Or ER. Or The West Wing. Or pretty much every cool show in the known universe. Our director’s wanted to work with her for ages and I think she will be amazing,” says Clare.

Turner and Pounder join the already star studded cast that includes:

Lily Collins is Clary Fray
Jamie Campbell Bower is Jace Wayland
Robert Sheehan is Simon Lewis
Jemima West is Isabelle Lightwood
Kevin Durand is Pangborn
Robert Maillet is Blackwell
Lena Headey is Jocelyn Fray
Godfrey Gao is Magnus Bane
Jared Harris is Hodge
Aidan Turner is Luke
CCH Pounder is Madame Dorothea

The film is being directed by Harald Zwart.

11 New Promo Images For The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt. 2

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For those of you stoked about the upcoming finale movie installment in The Twilight Saga, you’ll be happy to see these 11 new promo images recently revealed online. And yes they all look positively brooding and/or ridiculous because it wouldn’t be Twilight unless all the vampires and werewolves were angsty (although the one of Stewart above appears she is sort of smiling, so thats something)

Despite being amidst a cheating scandal between stars/ former lovers Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, the film is expected to still do extremely well in the box office. The Bill Condon-directed adaptation opens in theaters on November 16.

Check out the new promo images below: