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Category: Films

Effects Headline News

Mr. Brooks Marks Theatrical VFX Debut for SWAY

SWAY studio marked its theatrical film debut with the June 1 release of MR. BROOKS. SWAY's team of talented visual effects artists created realistic bullet wounds, exploding plaster, wood debris and blood spray, adding a precise element of photorealism to more than 85 shots within the Kevin Costner drama.

Headline News

Breach Director Writing Westworld Remake

Billy Ray is now at work on a script re-envisioning Michael Crichton's 1973 sci-fi film, WESTWORLD, for Warner Bros, reports SCI FI WIRE.

The BREACH and SHATTERED GLASS director commented to the website, "There is no director attached. I would resist the idea of directing it myself, not that they've offered it to me, because I don't want the pressure of that kind of a budget sitting on my shoulders."

Ray added that he's interested in the idea of "how sometimes machines can behave like humans while humans can sometimes behave like machines."

Headline News

City of Heroes Visiting a Theater Near You

TRANSFORMERS producer Tom DeSanto has acquired the screen and TV rights to NCsoft and Cryptic Studio's videogame CITY OF HEROES, according to VARIETY. DeSanto plans to launch the franchise on film first then move it to television.

The MMORPG follows the superheroes of Paragon City, who must unite to thwart an alien invasion.

Since its debut in 2004, CITY OF HEROES has already spawned a sequel game, CITY OF VILLAINS and a Top Cow comicbook series.

Animation Headline News

Exodus Prods. Enlists French Sparx on Igor

Paris-based Sparx Animation Studios is providing services for Exodus Prods.' CG-animated film, IGOR. Production for the film began at Sparx in November 2006 and is set for a wide theatrical release by The Weinstein Co. on Oct. 24, 2008.

Sparx recently gone through a change of ownership, and IGOR will be the first feature project under the new management team.

Headline News

Thundercats Roar at Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. has optioned Paul Sopocy's take on THUNDERCATS, reports VARIETY. Paula Weinstein, via her Warner-housed Spring Creek Prods. with Dick Robertson and Lew Korman, will produce the live-action feature.

The animated series/toy line followed the cat-like humanoid survivors of the planet Thundera, who crash onto Third Earth, where the evil Mumm-Ra is determined on killing them. The live-action feature will be a coming of age tale following Lion-O's maturing role as the leader of the group.

Headline News

Warner Bros. Snags The Shannara

Warner Bros., who has found gold with the HARRY POTTER franchise, has landed the film rights to THE SHANNARA from Terry Brooks, the second bestselling fantasy book writer after J.K. Rowling, reports the trades.

Dan Farah brought the property to the studio and is in talks to produce via his Farah Films. Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media is in negotiations to fund the project.

Imax Headline News

Spider-Man 3 Breaks IMAX Opening Record

Columbia Pictures' SPIDER-MAN 3: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE has grossed more than $20 million worldwide since premiering on May 3, 2007. The picture continued its heroic box office performance by reaching the $20 million milestone faster than any other 2-D digitally re-mastered IMAX release, between its opening on May 3 and June 3. SPIDER-MAN 3 is currently playing on 84 domestic IMAX screens and 34 international IMAX screens, the largest opening in IMAX's 40-year history.

Game Headline News

Eyetronics Scans Invasion, Rush Hour 3, Next & Ocean's 13

Eyetronics has provided 3D scanning for some of Hollywood's most highly anticipated summer releases. Among those films are THE INVASION, RUSH HOUR 3, OCEAN'S 13 and NEXT.

Eyetronics scanning technology was chosen to capture the images of Nicole Kidman for THE INVASION, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker for RUSH HOUR 3 and Nicolas Cage for NEXT, as well as a massive cargo ship and docking area for NEXT and koi for a fish pond featured in OCEAN'S 13.

Film Headline News

Saw Baddie Now Devil on Highway 61

Tobin Bell, aka the Jigsaw Killer in the SAW franchise, has been tempted into play the premiere villain, Satan, in U.K.-based Halcyon Pictures and Utah-based Prankster Film Co.'s HIGHWAY 61, VARIETY reports. Bell will also exec produce the film from writer/directors Luke and Jeremy Jackson.

The story follows a fledgling rock group as their manager sets up a meeting with the Devil at the Crossroads, the famed Mississippi intersection where blues legend Robert Johnson claims he sold his soul to Satan as payment to be the best guitarist in the world.

Headline News

Master Mind Masterminds All About Adam

Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons -- who recently sold their superhero spoof spec, MASTER MIND, to DreamWorks -- have sold another spec script, ALL ABOUT ADAM, to Disney in a six-figure deal, reports VARIETY. Scott Rudin will be producing.

The story follows the biblical Adam, who after a row with Eve, follows his soulmate into modern New York City, where he learns that Satan was behind their break-up.

At DreamWorks, MASTER MIND has Ben Stiller attached as a producer and FIRST FLIGHT helmers Cameron Hood and Kyle Jefferson set to direct.

Game Headline News

Spy Hunter Feature Gets Reboot

Universal is going to take another spin at a SPY HUNTER feature, according to VARIETY. Paul W.S. Anderson (RESIDENT EVIL) has been hired to direct the adaptation of the classic Midway game franchise.

Anderson will team with new writers for his take on the project, which previously had such scribes as Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Zak Penn and Stuart Beattie. The story follows a mysterious spy hunter, who works for a secret government agency using his gadget-filled automobile, the Interceptor.

Speed Headline News

Friday Night Lights Star Drives with Speed Racer

Scott Porter (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) has been cast in Warner Bros.' SPEED RACER, VARIETY reports. He will play Speed Racer's older brother, Rex, who fakes his death and later reemerges as Racer X (Matthew Fox). The cast also includes Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman and Susan Sarandon. Andy and Larry Wachowski, who also penned the script, will direct the film, which starts shooting this month in Berlin.

Headline News

Ringu Helmer & Producer Get Inhuman

20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises have re-teaming original RINGU director Hideo Nakata and producer Taka Ichise to direct and produce, respectively, the horror film, INHUMAN, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Vertigo Ent.'s Roy Lee and Doug Davison will also produce.

The project was pitched to Regency by Eric Heisserer, who acquired the idea for the film from Orion Prout, who will serve as an associate producer on the project, which is loosely based on a real Japanese murder investigation.

Headline News

Smallville Writer to Adapt Teen Titians for Big Screen

Warner Bros. Pictures is moving ahead with a live-action adaptation of DC Comics' TEEN TITANS, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Weed Road's Akiva Goldsman and Kerry Foster are producing. SMALLVILLE producer/writer Mark Verheiden will pen the screenplay.

Halloween Headline News

Hercules Returns to Movie Theaters

With 300 brining sword-and-sandals flicks back in a big way, Millennium Films has begun development on a new Hercules feature film, VARIETY reports. Avi Lerner, Boaz Davidson, Danny Dimbort and Trevor Short will produce. Davidson, Millennium's president of production, and Joe Gatta, the company's evp, developed the property ancient Greek myth. Sean Hood (HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION) will write the screenplay and no director has been hired. The plot details are being kept under wraps.

Headline News

Deschanel Takes Lead in The Happening

20th Century Fox has added Zooey Deschanel (THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, ELF) as the female lead in M. Night Shyamalan's THE HAPPENING, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. She will join Mark Wahlberg in the disaster flick, which puts a family on the run from a natural crisis that threatens human life on Earth.

Lensing will start in August in Philadelphia.

Shyamalan, Samuel Mercer and Barry Mendel are the producer with Jose Rodriguez associate producing.

India's UTV Motion Pictures will co-fund the project.

Production Headline News

Last House Remake Captures Director & Writer

Midnight Pictures, Wes Craven's production company, has in final talks with Dennis Iliadis (HARDCORE) to direct a remake of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, reports VARIETY. Adam Alleca has already signed on to adapt the screenplay. Rogue Pictures will fund and release the picture.

Craven will produce alongside Marianne Maddalena and Sean S. Cunningham.

The remake will keep the core premise of killers coming to stay at the home of the parents of one of their victims, but bring a more realistic tone to the characters.

Headline News

Weitz Brothers Eyeing Elric?

Chris and Paul Weitz have gotten a seal of approval from author Michael Moorcock to bring his famed Elric series to the big screen, reports EMPIRE ONLINE. The Weitz brothers would produce the film via their Depth of Field production company. No director has been attached as of yet.

Story Headline News

Shrek 5 to Be The Last

DreamWorks head Jeffrey Katzenberg said that a fifth installment of the SHREK franchise will be the last, reports THE AGE.

"It's a finite story, has been from the beginning, and I think that's part of its integrity, part of its strength, that we're not thinking this up as we go," Katzenberg said to the Australian newspaper. "Ultimately, we will come back to understand how Shrek arrived in that swamp. We will reveal his story."

Story Headline News

Naruto Feature Playing One Night in Canada, Rarely Seen Story Now on DVD

Cineplex Ent. and VIZ Media announced that advance tickets are on sale now for the special one-day-only Canadian event of the first NARUTO feature film, NARUTO THE MOVIE: NINJA CLASH IN THE LAND OF SNOW, opening nationwide on Saturday June 23, 2007.

Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.cineplex.com as well as at participating Cineplex Ent. theatre box offices; admission for children is $8.95 + tax and general admission is $9.95 + tax.

Film Headline News

Third Pirates Rules Memorial Holiday Box Office

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (with more cutting edge vfx from ILM) continued to chart new waters and rewrite the record books at the global box office with its unprecedented six-day opening tally of $404M. The film easily surpassed the previous opening record of $382 million set by SPIDER-MAN 3 just a few weeks ago.

Imax Headline News

The Dark Knight Takes Batman to the IMAX

In an attempt to up the exhibition ante, IMAX has arranged for four scenes of Warner Bros. Pictures' THE DARK KNIGHT to be shot with its proprietary 65mm cameras for projection on the enormous 15/70 format, including the introduction of the Joker (played by Heath Ledger). Chris Nolan's sequel to BATMAN BEGINS will open day-and-date July 18, 2008, in conventional and IMAX theaters.

Games Headline News

Woo Strikes Ninja Gold

John Woo is set to direct and produce NINJA GOLD, a property from videogame creator Warren Spector, the creator of DEUS EX, THIEF: DEADLY SHADOWS and SYSTEM SHOCK, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Fox Atomic and Woo's Lion Rock Prods. will produce the film with Terrence Chang as the producer. Spector is the exec producer.

Set in modern times, a descendant of an ancient bloodline must adapt to more covert forms of warfare.

Film Headline News

Latest Pirates Uncovers $58 Million in Pre-Release

Walt Disney Pictures' PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END landed a hefty worldwide gross of $58 million in its first two days of pre-weekend release. Domestically, the film was virtually sold out in theatres across the country on Thursday night and collected an impressive $17 million from the evening showings. Overseas, the film grossed a swashbuckling $12.1 million from 13 territories on Wednesday, and brought in an additional $29 million from Thursday showings in a total of 39 territories.

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