Warner Bros. Pictures has tapped scribe Travis Beacham (KILLING ON CARNIVAL ROW) to write a remake of the 1981 cult classic CLASH OF THE TITANS. Basil Iwanyk's Thunder Road is producing.
In 2002, Warners hired John Glenn and Travis Adam Adam Wright to write the script.
Beacham darker and more realistic take on the tale will still center on Perseus' journey to save the Princess Andromeda by overcoming the various tasks set forth by Zeus.
As part of its overall slate of self-produced films based on Marvel superheroes, Marvel Studios has tapped director/actor/writer Jon Favreau (ELF) to direct the big screen adaptation of IRON MAN. In addition to helming, the ZATHURA director will develop the script with the writing team of Arthur Marcum and Matt Holloway (CONVOY).
Columbia Pictures has launched RV PILE-UP, a free game for BlackBerry, built to promote the studio's latest family adventure comedy, RV, starring Robin Williams, due in theaters April 28, 2006.
London-based Double Negative helped director Paul Greengrass realize his documentary-like vision for UNITED 93, the story of the fourth plane to be hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, opening today (April 28, 2006) from Universal Pictures and Working Title.
Multi-award winning artist Virgil Manning has joined Cinesite (Europe) as senior character animator. Animator Jason McDonald, modeler Stephane Paris and 3D manager Claire McGrane are recent additions to the 3D team as well.
BlueArc Corp., a world leader in network storage innovation, has formed joint partnership with PipelineFX, makers of Qube!, the leading render farm management system for film production and game development, to help film, effects and game studios achieve maximum productivity through the deployment of an advanced technology infrastructure. BlueArc and PipelineFX will be presenting their solutions at NAB2006, in booth SL3238.
Toronto-based C.O.R.E. helped redefine Hell with their recent work on Sonys SILENT HILL.
Paramount Pictures has tapped Mike Myers to headline HOW TO SURVIVE A ROBOT UPRISING, reports VARIETY. Michael DeLuca, who oversaw production at New Line when Myers made the AUSTIN POWERS films, will produce.
Have no fear, Jason Lee is here. MY NAME IS EARL star Lee has signed on to voice for the title character of Underdog for Spyglass Ent. and Walt Disney Pictures' live-action adaptation of the classic 1960s cartoon.
UNDERDOG chronicles the adventures of a humble dog named Shoeshine Boy who turned into the superhero Underdog, who spoke in rhyme. For the film, Shoeshine Boy is adopted by a 12-year-old boy and uses his superpower to protect his love, Polly Purebred, and the citizens of Capitol City from the evil Simon Barsinister, who will be played by Peter Dinklage.
SCI FI Channel's Mark Stern, evp, original programming, announced today (April 26, 2006) an aggressive slate of original scripted dramas, miniseries, alternative reality and late night series for the network. The channel has also greenlit production on MOTEL MAN (working title), a limited series event that will premiere on SCI FI this December.
Pre-production on MOTEL MAN is underway with Lionsgate producing. Co-exec producers Christopher Leone, Laura Harkcom and Paul Workman are writing and developing MOTEL MAN.
BOXX Technologies Inc. officially launched BOXX APEXX 8, a personal workstation specifically designed to maximize productivity of visual effects professionals. With eight Dual-Core AMD Opteron processors, this new super-workstation is capable of working in full 2K film resolution and has enough memory (up to 128GB) to work in realtime on extremely large files. BOXX unveiled the APEXX 8 during the National Association of Broadcasters Convention (NAB) at the ProMax booth, SL 534, April 24-27, 2006.
Benderspink and producer Josh C. Kline are set to adapt the classic Japanese anime STAR BLAZERS into a live-action feature, according to the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Known as SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO in Japan, the 1970s franchise spun off three television series, five animated features and a host of merchandise. Voyager Ent. brought the series to the U.S. in the early 1980s.
Director James Cameron, who has sworn allegiance to digital 3-D in all future production plans, including his upcoming back-to-back features, AVATAR and BATTLE ANGEL, offered an optimistic roadmap during his keynote at Sunday's (April 23, 2006) NAB Digital Cinema Summit in Las Vegas. He noted the success of both POLAR
EXPRESS in IMAX 3-D and CHICKEN LITTLE in digital 3-D as proof that there is an audience willing to pay a premium for a more immersive theatrical experience, but cautioned that "content will drive this [revolution]."
Lightstorm producer Jon Landau told VFXWORLD at Sunday's (April 23, 2006) NAB Digital Cinema Summit in Las Vegas that director James Cameron will emphasize performance capture technology as part of his upcoming digital 3-D feature production plans.
MTV: Music Television announced nominees for the 2006 MTV Movie Awards with two adult comedies 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN and WEDDING CRASHERS, each receiving five nominations. Also vying for the spotlight are BATMAN BEGINS, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, HUSTLE & FLOW, SIN CITY and STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH with three nominations each. Filming June 3, 2006, at Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, California, the awards will premiere to audiences nationwide on Thursday, June 8, at 9:00 pm ET/PT on MTV.
The SCI FI original movie, MAMMOTH, premieres Saturday, April 22, 2006, at 9:00 pm. The movie replays April 22 at 1:00 am and April 27 at 9:00 pm.
CBS Digital recently purchased Massive, embracing the artificial life-based software by Massive Software to speed turnaround of increasingly complex visual effects scenes on THE TWELFTH MAN (a pilot being produced for FOX Television), as well such projects as THE POPE and CAT7. Artists at the Los Angeles studio sought out the unique autonomous agent capabilities of Massive to efficiently fill large stadiums with realistic AI-enabled-characters for the basketball-themed show.
Iridas has launched FrameCycler DI. The new application, which provides review of frame-based file formats, EDL conform, and remote collaboration capabilities, will be presented next week at NAB.
Look Effects was awarded the complete visual effects contract for Richard Kellys (DONNIE DARKO, DOMINO) upcoming feature SOUTHLAND TALES. The project is slated for release this fall and stars Sean William Scott, Dwayne The Rock Johnson and Sarah Michelle Geller, among others.
SOUTHLAND TALES is one of only 19 films competing for the coveted Palm DOr at this years Cannes Film Festival.
Rogue Pictures has acquired distribution rights to Constantin Film and Impact Pictures' production of the movie version of the best-selling videogame DRIVER. Academy Award winner Roger Avary is scripting, and will direct.
Producers on the project are Impact's Jeremy Bolt and Paul W.S. Anderson and Constantin's Bernd Eichinger and Robert Kulzer. Rogue will hold worldwide distribution rights to the title, excluding Germany, Austria, and German-speaking Switzerland, which will be handled by Constantin Film. Foreign sales will be handled by Focus Features Intl.
Paramount has tapped J.J. Abrams to produce, write and direct the 11th STAR TREK feature, scheduled for a 2008 release, reports VARIETY. Damon L Lindelof and Bryan Burk, Abrams' producing team from LOST, also will produce.
Abrams will co-write the script with MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE III scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The story will focus on the early days of James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer space mission.
ALIEN and TOTAL RECALL writer Dan O'Bannon, former Paramount exec Brian Witten and producer Rob Gallagher are developing sci-fi thriller THEY BITE, reports VARIETY. O'Bannon is set to write and direct. Project is set to go into production this year.
While at Paramount as an svp, Witten oversaw THE LONGEST YARD, FOUR BROTHERS and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III. He previously worked as a svp at New Line.
Access Integrated Technologies Inc. has received the commitment of Warner Bros. Studios to release future movies in digital format as part of Christie/AIX's digital cinema nationwide rollout. The sixth studio backing the plan, Warner Bros. will also pay Christie/AIX virtual print fees for each movie booked helping fund exhibitor adoption of digital cinema equipment.
Vivendi Universal Games' Sierra Ent. has announced the development of MIAMI VICE THE GAME, a third-person action shooter inspired by the Universal Pictures crime drama, MIAMI VICE, directed by Michael Mann, in theaters July 28. Set in present-day Miami, players will go deep undercover as narcotic officers Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) in the rich, glamorous and decadent world of Miami Vice, a place where badges don't count.
Spark your creativity with a multitude of valuable resources available from Artbeats during the NAB2006 (booth SL3758). Whether you are watching one of Artbeats many informative demos, taking home a free IdeaDisc or browsing the companys expansive library at one of its many kiosks, attendees will gain essential know-how on using Artbeats royalty-free footage to make their stories come to life. Artbeats is also giving away numerous prizes during NAB, including free royalty-free stock footage, an iPod nano, backpacks and more.
