Category: Films

SIN CITY director Robert Rodriguez told reporters today at Texas' Troublemaker Studios that he will direct and produce a PREDATOR film, reports IESB.net.

"I'm going to be able to shoot my upcoming MACHETE here, a sci-fi action film called NERVEWRACKERS, a re-boot of the PREDATOR series called PREDATORS, and a couple of smaller movies called SIN CITY 2 and THE JETSONS," he said.

-- By News Editor Annemarie Moody

Dimension Films, as has been rumored for a few weeks, may have lost the sequel rights to SIN CITY, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

The Weinstein Co. and Dimension claim they still hold the rights for any sequel to the 2005 film, but the rights are being shopped around Hollywood. Producers say they have been pitched the rights by representatives for Frank Miller's estate, who say they are trying to find a new place to house a follow-up.

UP will have a PG rating, according to Disney press materials just released (Via The Pixar Blog). The only other Pixar film to carry that rating was THE INCREDIBLES.

The MPAA deemed it PG because of "Some Peril and Action."

-- By News Editor Annemarie Moody

20th Century Fox will debut three major titles next year in off-peak times: January, February and April, reports VARIETY.

The studio will push back the release of THE TOOTH FAIRY (starring Dwayne Johnson and Ashley Judd) from November 13 to January 22. Comedy DATE NIGHT with Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg and James Franco is set for April 9.

Fox recently announced fantasy adventure PERCY JACKSON will debut February 12.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS for Paramount, reports VARIETY, based on the comic by Mike Bullock.

The film, which is about an adult reminiscing about his childhood when a group of stuffed animals come alive, would be live action with heavy CG effects.

Oric Scott De Las Casas will co-produce. Di Bonaventura's shingle is at Paramount, and has three other films completed with them: TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF THE COBRA and IMAGINE THAT starring Eddie Murphy.

Press Release from Fox Filmed Entertainment

LOS ANGELES, (April 20, 2009) -- In a hard-fought contest stretching over thousands of cities and towns across the Unites States, Tempe, Arizona has emerged triumphant in its far-reaching, citywide bid to nab the world premiere event of X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, on April 27.

Twentieth Century Fox will close down their genre and comedy label Fox Atomic, according to the trades.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER reports the division's marketing arm had been swallowed back into Fox back in January 2008, and has had few hits among their slate. Two coming up are I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER and comedy horror flick JENNIFER'S BODY.

Atomic's head, Debbie Liebling, will go back to Fox as an exec, developing comedies and genre films. Other execs' fates has not been decided yet.

Tony Kebbell has joined the cast of THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE from Disney, reports VARIETY, and will play a celebrity illusionist who teams up with Alfred Molina's evil sorcerer to gain power.

Nicolas Cage stars as the sorcerer with Jay Baruchel as the apprentice and Teresa Palmer as the love interest.

During Buttnumbathon this year, one of the standout favorites was 40 unfinished minutes from the new opus UP from the geniuses at Pixar. Even with temporary still images and incompletely rendered animation, the entire audience knew that this was a classic in the making.

Apparently, so did the folks at the Cannes Film Festival. The world premiere of the film is at Cannes on May 13. UP was chosen to be the opening film of the festival, the first ever animated film to be awarded that honor.

Australian newspaper the MT DRUITT STANDARD reports that Warner Bros.' GREEN LANTERN will be shot at Sydney's Fox Studios starting later in 2009 (Via COMINGSOON.net).

Sydney was also the home of the production of X-MEN ORIGINS and upcoming animated features HAPPY FEET 2 and GUARDIANS OF GA'HOOLE.

New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees estimated that the GREEN LANTERN shoot would employ 500 people at a given time, including 100 performers, 200 crew and thousands of extras.

Creature-designer-turned-director Patrick Tatopoulos (UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS) is set to direct comic book adaptation I, FRANKENSTEIN, according to multiple news outlets.

The comic's writer Kevin Grevioux will write and produce the adaptation, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Death Ray Films hopes to make a franchise out of the yet-unpublished comic from Darkstorm, which includes several classic movie monsters: Frankenstein's Monster, the Invisible Man, Dracula and the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Long-delayed SITA SINGS THE BLUES will see a theatrical run at the Red Vic in San Francisco from May 8-12, 2009.

SITA SINGS THE BLUES will be distributed by Shadow Distribution west of the Mississippi and by GKIDS east of that river. Shadow made a huge hit out of PARROTS OF TELEGRAPH HILL. Creator Nina Paley said, "I am thrilled that SITA is going to be at the Red Vic, one of my favorite SF theaters. I have many fond memories of ASIFA-SF and Ideas In Animation events at the Red Vic, as well as art films. I feel so triumphant!"