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Category: Films

Headline News

Applegate Joins Saget’s Farce

Christina Applegate (ANCHORMAN) has joined the voice cast of Bob Saget's FARCE OF THE PENGUINS as the female lead, reports VARIETY. Cast also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Lewis Black and Mo'Nique. ThinkFilm is financing. Its a co-production with Permut Presentations and Saget's Two Angels Prods. The film will use archival footage of penguins to bring the story to life.

Effects Headline News

MPC & Cinesite Provide VFX for Little Man

Moving Picture Co. (MPC) of London was hired to create the little man character in Sony/Revolutions LITTLE MAN, while London-based Cinesite contributed 210 vfx shots to the Wayan brothers comedy.

The Wayans filmmaking team enlisted visual effects supervisor Alex Bicknell and visual effects producer Rob Yamamoto to oversee the complex effects process, which included hiring outside effects houses, to watching over daily principal photography, to overseeing post-production.

Headline News

Dead Man’s Chest Shatters 10-Day Record

Continuing its record-breaking pace, Disneys PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MANS CHEST (with terrific vfx support from ILM) looted another $62.3M in its second weekend for the period ended July 16, 2006. That brings the staggering 10-day cume to $258.3M, shattering the previous record set by REVENGE OF THE SITH. In addition, DEAD MANS CHEST clamed the fast to $200M and is the third highest grossing second weekend ever behind SHREK 2 and SPIDER-MAN.

Film Headline News

Animated Renaissance Comes to Comic-Con

Miramax plans to highlights its latest acquisition from France the motion capture film, RENAISSANCE. The studio will be located at booth #5469.

Directed by Christian Volckman, RENAISSANCE takes film noir to its most stylized edge, utilizing live action motion capture, animated in 3D and rendered in high contrast black & white to create a graphic novel look.

Film Headline News

Superman Producer Turns to Comicbook Inspired Films Again

Pierre Spengler, one of the first three SUPERMAN films, will return to comicbook inspired films with a 12-picture deal drawn from titles in the catalog of French graphic novel publisher Humanoides Associes, according to the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

The first will be the live-action film I AM LEGION, adapted from the World War II political intrigue written by Fabien Nury and illustrated by U.S. graphic artist John Cassaday.

Spengler's company, Clubdeal Ltd., will produce the films, whike he is talks with a U.S. distributor to release all 12 films in the U.S.

Headline News

Foxx Prays for the Power of Duff

Jamie Foxx and his manager Jaime Rucker King are set to produce THE POWER OF DUFF, joining Marc Platt, who already has been developing the feature film via his Marc Platt Prods, according to the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Foxx and King will help develop the drama, which Foxx may star in.

Universal won the script in a bidding war last year, paying $900,000 against $1.25 million. Russell Crowe, Ron Howard and Tom Hanks have circled the project as well.

Star Headline News

Alba Has Eye on Horror Remake

Lionsgate has picked up the Cruise/Wagner-produced remake of THE EYE out of turnaround from Paramount, reports VARIETY. The studio is now in talks with Jessica Alba to star and French helmers David Moreau and Xavier Palud to direct.

Lionsgate hopes to shoot the film this winter.

Directed by Danny and Oxide Pang, the original thriller follows a cornea transplant recipient who starts seeing disturbing images, which spurs her to find out what happened to the donor of her new eyes.

Effects Headline News

FrameFlow Contributes to Click VFX

Visual effects studio FrameFlows, including its US-based producers and international staff of artists based in Chennai, India, worked directly with the vfx team at Sony Pictures Imageworks to provide 3D tracking, wire removal, rotoscoping and compositing work on effects shots for CLICK from Columbia Pictures/Revolution Studios.

Headline News

Dead Man’s Chest Adds to Record Opening

Exceeding even the initial record-breaking estimate by $3M, Disneys PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MANS CHEST (with cutting edge vfx by ILM) broke out with an astounding $135.6M over the three-day weekend ended July 9, 2006. This swats SPIDER-MANs $114.8M. Other records smashed include best single and opening day ($55.8M), beating REVENGE OF THE SITHs $50M, and fastest to $100M (two days flat).

Headline News

Angelina Jolie Joins Kung Fu Panda Cast

Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie will join Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman and Ian McShane in the cast of the computer-animated comedy, KUNG FU PANDA. The DreamWorks Animation film will reunite Jolie and Black who voiced lead characters together in the 2004 animated comedy, SHARK TALE.

Headline News

Samuel L. Jackson Jumps onto Liman Sci-Fi Thriller

Samuel L. Jackson has leapt on board Regency Enterprises' sci-fi thriller, JUMPER, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Doug Liman is set to direct.

Based on the Steven Gould novel, the tale follows a kid from a broken home who discovers that he has the ability to teleport. As he searches for the man he believes is responsible for the death of his mother, the kid draws the attention of the National Security Agency and another youth with the same abilities.

Headline News

Good News Scares Up Dudleytown

The Christian media company Good News Holdings is developing a horror film franchise based on the upcoming DUDLEYTOWN series of teen novels by Bodie Ingelvie, VARIETY reports. Good News previously optioned Anne Rice's biblical epic about Jesus.

Good News will team with Illinois-based Bible publisher Tyndale House Publishers on DUDLEYTOWN, which is set in a town that is deserted following a series of disappearances and murders.

Imax Headline News

Superman Returns Smashes IMAX Box Office Records

IMAX Corp. and Warner Bros. Pictures announced that SUPERMAN RETURNS grossed $108 million at the domestic box office in 4,065 locations over the extended fourth of July weekend, and that SUPERMAN RETURNS: AN IMAX 3-D Experience contributed $6.83 million, representing a record seven-day per-screen average of $89,804. The film shattered every opening week record for an IMAX Hollywood simultaneous release, playing to sell-out crowds and strong audience satisfaction. The film also opened on 11 IMAX screens internationally and will launch on 24 more in coming weeks.

David Headline News

David Goyer Set To Pen Thor for Big Screen

During a panel at Charlottes Heroes Convention, BABYLON 5 creator and comicbook writer J. Michael Straczynski slipped the news that David Goyer (BLADE, BATMAN BEGINS) is writing a treatment for a screen adaptation of THOR, reports EMPIRE. Its unknown whether Goyer will be rewriting the draft from Mark Protosevich (POSEIDON) or starting from scratch.

Design Headline News

Imaginary Forces Helps Design ‘Transformers’ Teaser

Entertainment and design company Imaginary Forces (IF) recently designed and animated the dynamic title reveal in the TRANSFORMERS teaser trailer. The teaser for the Michael Bay-directed film is online now at the official website, www.transformersmovie.com, and will play in theaters with Disney's PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST beginning July 7.

Headline News

Keith Richards Confirmed as Jack Sparrow’s Dad

It has been confirmed that Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards will play the father of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in a cameo role in Disney's PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, reports THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.

In creating Jack Sparrow, Depp has said he used Richards body language and mannerism for inspiration.

"We're all looking forward to the idea of Keith coming in and doing a cameo," Depp said in London. "You never say it's definite until the guy steps on the set and the camera is rolling. But it's looking very, very good.

Digital Headline News

Realscan 3D Gives Bite to Disney's Underdog

Realscan 3D, an industry leader in high resolution, high color structured light 3D scanning, announced its involvement on the forthcoming Disney film UNDERDOG (Aug. 3, 2007). Realscan 3D provided the production with animation-ready precision digital doubles of the lead character, Shoeshine, Underdog's alter-ego, and the heads and muzzles of the cast dogs in the film. Realscan also created a digital double of the film's villain, Simon Barsinister, played by Peter Dinklage.

Headline News

Superman Flies High in Big Screen Return

Warner Bros. SUPERMAN RETURNS opened softer than expected but still posted solid Independence numbers in its five-day theatrical bow for the period ended July 2, 2006. Bolstered by vfx from Sony Pictures Imageworks, Rhythm & Hues, Framestore CFC, Rising Sun Pictures, The Orphanage, Frantic Films, among others, the Bryan Singer reboot scored an estimated $84.7M on around 8,200 screens at 4,065 theaters. For the weekend, it earned around $52.6M, which puts it below last years WAR OF THE WORLDS Independence Day start ($64.9M) but ahead of BATMAN BEGINS ($48.7M).

Movie Headline News

Dragonlance Movie Stay Close to Book

Cindi Rice, co-exec producer of the upcoming animated fantasy film, DRAGONS OF AUTUMN TWILIGHT, said the film will remain true to the book by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, the first in their Dragonlance Chronicles series, reports SCI FI WIRE.

"I'm extremely proud of the creative team I brought together," Rice said. "George Strayton has written a very cool script while staying true to Margaret's and Tracy's vision. Will Meugniot is simply an animation genius, and he's helping us create a very innovative and complex film. It is a joy to work with both of them."

Headline News

Superman Returns with $21 Million on Opening Day

SUPERMAN RETURNS took off with a solid $21M for Warner Bros. on Wednesday, which includes Tuesday night preview showings. For opening days, it ranks 29th on the all-time list, surpassing BATMAN BEGINS ($15.1M, a Warner Bros. benchmark) and eighth for Wednesday openers.

Of that $21M total, SUPERMAN RETURNS collected about $1.2M from 76 IMAX theaters. On Friday, the movie bumps up from 3,915 theaters to 4,065, making it the fourth largest all-time release. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.

Films Headline News

Frantic Flies With Superman Returns

Frantic Films delivered 140 vfx shots for Warner Bros. SUPERMAN RETURNS, its largest project to date. Having previously worked with director Bryan Singer on X2: X-MEN UNITED, Frantic was again enlisted for six major sequences. In the process, the company used its current proprietary software and created new technology.

Cancer Headline News

CG Feature To Help Cure Cancer

Lord Prods. Llc. and Strategic Dreamers Llc., in conjunction with JC2 Animated Ent., are in production on the CG animated film titled, THE LEGEND OF SECRET PASS, for which a percentage of its proceeds will go to cancer research. The fully funded film is set for release in 2008.

Set in the American southwest, THE LEGEND OF SECRET PASS will follows the magical clash between the animal and human worlds when a young Native American boy must win the help of the Thunderbirds of Native American folklore to overcome a wicked spirit and ancient evil.

Film Headline News

Sony Sallies Up with Southland Tales

Despite a critical drubbing at Cannes, Richard Kellys SOUTHLAND TALES will be released in the U.S. by Sony Pictures, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The studio, which will also release the film on DVD, has not decided which label at the company the theatrical release will be under.

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