Mechanism Digital recently designed, modeled, textured, animated and composited a Bell 222 EMS Air Ambulance into the final scene of HELP!, a film directed by Val Lauren. With the hours counting down on the deadline for submissions to the Sundance Film Festival, Mechanism was called upon to create the helicopter featured in the last, dramatic scene of HELP!
VARIETY's piece about Twentieth Century Fox's unremarkable summer, includes speculation that Fox is considering more X-MEN spinoffs, as its superheroes were missed in 2008.
A young X-MEN project is being considered, as well as DEADPOOL, based on a character played by Ryan Reynolds in WOLVERINE. Fox is also thinking about reviving the DAREDEVIL franchise.
Twentieth Century Fox's THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, directed by Scott Dickerson and starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, John Cleese and Jaden Smith, will be simultaneously released to both IMAX and conventional theaters on December 12, 2008. The film, which is a remake of the 1951 classic sci-fi film about an alien visitor and his giant robot counterpart who visit Earth, will be digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology.
The IMAX release of DreamWorks Animation's MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA has been extended to include the Thanksgiving holiday, and will now run into December. MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience and play for a full run in IMAX theatres, including select new IMAX Digital theatres, which began rolling out this summer.
MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA opens on November 7 in North America.
Will Smith may be headed for ancient Egypt in his next role. Randall Wallace (BRAVEHEART) has been hired to write THE LAST PHARAOH for Columbia, a drama created as a star vehicle for Smith to play Taharqa, the pharaoh who battled Assyrian invaders in 677 B.C., per VARIETY.
Smith, James Lasister and Ken Stovitz will produce for Overbrook Ent. Smith brought Wallace the story, having long wanted to play the Egyptian leader. The film will focus on Taharqa's battles with the Assyrian leader Esarhaddon.
Winning its opening weekend, Lionsgate's BANGKOK DANGEROUS earned $7.78 million (actuals) for the weekend ending September 7. The Nicolas Cage-led assassin flick was the solo wide release of the weekend, which was the lowest-grossing box office weekend in five years, per VARIETY.
Last week's winner, TROPIC THUNDER (Paramount/DreamWorks, vfx by CIS Vancouver, CIS Hollywood and CIS London, Hammerhead Productions, Custom Film Effects and Proof) came in second with $7.23M and has a four-week gross of $96.54M.
Warner Bros.' THE DARK KNIGHT: The IMAX Experience has crossed the $55 million mark in worldwide gross box office receipts after its seventh week of release. As of Friday, the film reached a total of $43.2 million from 101 IMAX screens domestically and $12 million from 41 IMAX screens internationally.
Columbia is seriously pursuing a new installment of its GHOSTBUSTERS franchise, per VARIETY.
They have hired THE OFFICE co-exec producers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitzky to pen a script for a new film that would bring back the original cast -- minus the retired Rick Moranis -- of Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson.
Columbia refused comment on development of a new film.
Director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire have been signed up to do SPIDER-MAN 4, according to Nikkie Finke's DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD DAILY. The script will be from ZODIAC writer Jamie Vannderbilt with a release date set for May 2011.
Sony Pictures Co-Chair Amy Pascal was openly discussing replacing Maguire a few weeks ago, because the actor was unsure he wanted to return. Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane Watson will be in the film, although the actress has yet to sign a deal.
The long-delayed WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE from director Spike Jonze is headed for an October 2009 release date, per COMINGSOON.net.
Warner Bros. has added the film back onto its release schedule after dropping it off a month ago. It's now set for October 16, 2009.
It was originally set for an October 2008 release but was delayed because of reshoots, creative differences between Jonze and the studio and an increasing budget.
Guillermo del Toro has plans for the next decade, including remakes of FRANKENSTEIN, THE HOBBIT two-picture project and an adaptation of DROOD, per VARIETY.
Universal has a three-year first look deal with del Toro they signed a year ago, and have committed to him with four directing projects, including remakes of FRANKENSTEIN, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE and SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE. Project four will be an adaptation of Dan Simmons' novel DROOD that is set for publication by Little, Brown in February.
MGM has signed Vadim Perelman (HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG) to direct POLTERGEIST.
Cale Boyter, Exec VP, Production and Luke Ryan, VP, Production, are overseeing the project for MGM.
Currently directing and executive producing ICE, a drama pilot for the AMC cable network, Perelman wrote and directed HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, starring Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley, which earned three Oscar nominations in 2004. Recently, Perelman directed THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood.
Freestyle Releasing and Fathom Studios have picked a December 12 release date for CG animated film, DELGO.
DELGO won Best Animated Feature of 2008 at Anima Mundi in Brazil this year.
DELGO is a fantasy action-adventure of a world's struggle for unity. The voice cast includes Freddie Prinze, Jr., Jennifer Love Hewitt, Anne Bancroft, Val Kilmer, Chris Kattan, Malcolm McDowell, Lou Gossett, Jr., Kelly Ripa, Michael Clarke Duncan, Eric Idle, Sally Kellerman and Burt Reynolds.
Stephen Sommers is negotiating to be brought on to direct the next feature version of TARZAN for Warner Bros. and producer Jerry Weintraub, per VARIETY.
Sommers would also co-write the script with Stuart Beattie. TARZAN has been in development at WB and Weintraub since 2003, when John August was hired to write a script. Guillermo del Toro negotiated two years ago to direct.
Ben Stiller's action-comedy TROPIC THUNDER again landed the top spot at the box office (weekend ending September 1) with $14.6 million and a three-week cume of $86.94M. The Paramount/DreamWorks film's vfx were by CIS Vancouver, CIS Hollywood and CIS London, Hammerhead Productions, Custom Film Effects and Proof.
Number two went to Vin Diesel newcomer BABYLON A.D. (Fox, vfx by BUF and Dansk Speciel Effekt Service) with $11.54M.
Diane Kruger (TROY, NATIONAL TREASURE) has been cast in Quentin Tarantino's INGLORIOUS BASTARDS, in a role that had been rumored to be Nastassja Kinski's, per THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
Kruger will play Bridget Von Hammersmark, the glamorous German actress who aids a group of American soldiers on a World War II mission to kill Nazis to infiltrate a movie premiere. Kinski was in talks with Tarantino, who flew to Germany to meet with her, but a deal was not reached. Kruger, who, like Kinski, is German, will speak in German and in English for the role.
Baz Luhrmann's big budget romance AUSTRALIA will be released in the U.S. on November 26, more fallout from the HARRY POTTER shift to 2009, per VARIETY.
AUSTRALIA was set to be unveiled November 14, just after its Australia premiere on November 13. The film will now open in both countries on November 26.
Starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, the film is the saga of an English woman who comes to the Australian Outback and falls in love with a cattle rancher during World War II. The move by Twentieth Century Fox gives Luhrmann more time to finish.
A car accident last month injured TRANSFORMERS 2 star Shia LaBeouf's hand enough to alter the film: the injury will be added into the film, due out next summer, according to SCI FI WIRE.
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN will incorporate the injury mainly to protect the actor's safety. Co-writer Roberto Orci told SCI FI WIRE earlier this week, "Shia just got back to the set last week. We incorporated his injury into it. Not because it was absolutely necessary, but [director] Michael [Bay] in particular wanted to be able to protect him on the set."
From Rick's Flicks Picks
From Rick's Flicks Picks
Ever see a film as a kid that so captured your imagination that you become obsessed with it for months. You went outside and reenacted it with friends over and over again. You created new grander, more fantastic adventures in your mind for the heroes to get caught up into. Now imagine you’re an imaginative 10-year-old, who due to religious reasons, has never seen a film or TV show. Think about how they would be consumed with the joy of cinema, even if that cinema is a Rambo flick.
Swedish animated film GNOMES AND TROLLS: THE SECRET CHAMBER has sold to 69 countries so far, per VARIETY. The English-language children's film first screened this weekend at the Norwegian Film Festival in Haugesund.
GNOMES was directed by Robert Rhodin, who produced along with Carl Johan Merner for White Shark. It has yet to be sold in the U.S., U.K., France, Italy or Germany, but will screen at the AFM in Santa Monica, California in November and a TV version will be shown at MIPCOM in Cannes, France in October. An unfinished version showed at Cannes Film Market.
Winning its second week, Paramount's TROPIC THUNDER earned another $16.27 million (actuals) at the box office (week ending August 24), with a two-week gross of $65.84M. The Ben Stiller written/directed/acted action-comedy's vfx were by CIS Vancouver, CIS Hollywood and CIS London, Hammerhead Productions, Custom Film Effects and Proof.
Sony's comedy THE HOUSE BUNNY opened in second with $14.53M, respectable for a disavowed Playboy Bunny (Anna Faris) who becomes a sorority mother.
Nicolas Cage will KICK-ASS in director Matthew Vaughn's big screen adaptation of the comic from Mark Millar, per THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Lyndsy Fonseca are also part of the cast. KICK-ASS, written by Millar and illustrated by John Romita, Jr. from Marvel Comics, is about a dorky high school student (Johnson) who is determined to become a superhero despite no ability. Fonseca will play the girl the hero has a crush on, who thinks he's gay.
More dust is settling after the HARRY POTTER push-back last week: Sony's QUANTUM OF SOLACE has been moved to a November 14 opening, per VARIETY.
The new James Bond flick had been slated to open November 7 with DreamWorks Animation's MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA, which for now has the weekend to itself. Bond titles have traditionally opened the weekend before Thanksgiving, but HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE was set to open November 21 -- it's now set for July 2009.
