Recent winner of the Israeli Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary, 39 POUNDS OF LOVE, about an Israeli 3D animator who has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, will play in Los Angeles at the Nuart Theater in Santa Monica until Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005.
20th Century Fox has announced that director Tim Story and writer Mark Frost will return for the FANTASTIC FOUR sequel, VARIETY reports. The studio has set July 4, 2007, as the release date. Avi Arad, Bernd Eichinger and Ralph Winter will produce.
Stars Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis are expected to return, having signed options for a potential trilogy. However, Julian McMahon, who played villain Dr. Doom, will not return.
The original film grossed $154 million in the U.S.
At last week's press junket in New York City, director Peter Jackson admitted that he changed the animation credit for Christian Rivers and Eric Leighton on KING KONG. Originally, the duo responsible for overseeing the masterful creation of the CG gorilla (with Rivers handling previs and MoCap) was given the credit: "Animation Designed & Supervised by," which appears in the production notes. However, Jackson requested that they be acknowledged as the animation directors in the end credits.
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE continued to lead the box office for the weekend ended Dec. 4, 2005, despite a 63% decline after the lucrative Thanksgiving holiday, racking up another $19.8M. The fourth entry in the hugely successful Warner Bros. franchise (with vfx from Double Negative, Framestore CFC, MPC, ILM, Cinesite, Animal Logic, The Orphanage, BUF and Rising Sun) has a three-week cume of $229.2M.
Platinum Studios and Blue Star Pictures have signed a deal with directors Danny and Oxide Pang to direct the upcoming feature film, THE DARKNESS, based on the popular comicbook published by Top Cow Prods. Inc. Platinum Studios will finance 50% of the production. Platinum, Blue Star and the Pang Brothers are jointly looking for a writer.
The Jim Henson Co. has hired Yuri Zeltser and Cary Bickley to adapt Barbara Hodgson suspense novel THE TATTOOED MAP, VARIETY reports.
Henson Co. principal Lisa Henson previously produced the Fox/Regency film HIGH CRIMES, which Zeltser and Bickley wrote. Janet Yang, who also produced HIGH CRIMES, will produce the film along with Henson. The company purchased the rights to the book and has hired the screenwriters with its own funds.
OLD BOY director Park Chan-wook has lined up his next two flicks a love story set in a mental asylum and a modern-day vampire movie, reports VARIETY.
The South Korean helmer said he'll start shooting his next movie, described as an "offbeat romantic comedy," in March, for fall 2006 release. The film is part of an eight picture funding deal with CJ Ent., where all the films will be shot on HD-24p by name helmers, including Hur Jin-ho and Ryu Seung-wan.
Gold Circle Films have snatched up Tim Metcalfe and Adam Simons A HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Gold Circle head Paul Brooks and Integrated Films & Managements Andrew Trapani are set to produce with Wendy Rhoads under her first-look deal with Gold Circle.
Based on a true story, the tale follows a family forced to move near a clinic where their teenage son was being treated for cancer. After the family begins experiencing violent, supernatural events, they discover that their house was once a mortuary with a dark past.
IMAX Corp. and Warner Bros. Pictures announced that HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE and THE POLAR EXPRESS: AN IMAX 3-D EXPERIENCE registered the highest grossing weekend ever at IMAX theaters, with combined grosses of $3.1 million, each on 66 screens over the three-day period from Nov. 25-27.
SCI, the computer games company that owns Lara Croft, along with the TOMB RAIDER franchise, has begun talks with Paramount Pictures to venture forth with a third installment in the movie franchise, reports The Business Online. Angelina Jolie is expected to return as Lara Croft, the English archaeologist/adventurer. The previous two movies have grossed more than $450 million at the box office.
Director Tim Burton and star Jim Carrey are partnering for BELIEVE IT OR NOT!, an action/adventure loosely based on Robert Ripley, reports the trades. Alphaville's Jim Jacks and Sean Daniel will produce alongside Ken Atchity and exec producer Chi-Li Wong. Richard Zanuck, who worked with Burton on CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, BIG FISH and PLANET OF THE APES, is also in talks to produce.
On the promotional trail in Europe for the LAND OF THE DEAD DVD, George A. Romero has been talking up the possibility for a sequel to his 2005 zombie epic. After a lackluster performance in the U.S. this summer, the prospects for a follow-up looked dim. However, U.S. DVD sales as well as big theatrical receipts in Europe and Japan have spurred Universal Pictures to start talks with Romero on a follow-up. The father of the modern zombie picture will pick up the story where the original left off with the survivors heading to Canada.
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE topped the box office for the second consecutive week during the five-day Thanksgiving holiday period ended Nov. 27, 2005. The fourth entry in the hugely successful Warner Bros. franchise (with vfx from Double Negative, Framestore CFC, MPC, ILM, Cinesite, Animal Logic, The Orphanage, BUF and Rising Sun) added $81.3M for a total gross of $201M.
Peter Jackson has petitioned the Directors Guild of America to give an Animation Directed By credit on KING KONG to the supervisors who helped bring Kong to life, reports David Poland of MOVIE CITY NEWS (www.moviecitynews.com). However, the animators are not identified by Poland. Joe Letteri and Ben Snow served as visual effects supervisors and Christian Rivers directed the MoCap sessions with Andy Serkis.
The DGA has never allowed such a credit before.
IMAX Corp. and Warner Bros. Pictures announced that HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE shattered every record for an IMAX Hollywood simultaneous release. In its debut at 66 North American IMAX theaters, the film posted the biggest three-day opening ever, beating the previous record by more than 30%, with an estimated $2.93 million over the period ended Nov. 20, for a per-screen average of more than $44,000.
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE had the best opening yet for the popular franchise, raking in $102.3M for the weekend ended Nov. 20, 2005. In fact, the Warner Bros. wizard fantasy is second only to REVENGE OF THE SITHS $108.4M for openers this year. The first POTTER directed by Mike Newell and the first to don a PG-13 rating, THE GOBLET OF FIRE also boasts more impressive vfx from Double Negative, Framestore CFC, MPC, ILM, Cinesite, Animal Logic, The Orphanage, BUF and Rising Sun.
After years of dealmaking, New Line has finally signed the key players in making RUSH HOUR 3 happen, according to VARIETY.
The longtime hold out Chris Tucker will receive $20 million against 20% of gross, as well as a second-picture commitment for $20 million on a film to be determined later. The actor will not hold script approval as long as the final draft is similar to what writer Jeff Nathanson pitched.
Co-star Jackie Chan will net $15 million against 15% of the gross as well as control the films distribution rights in China and Hong Kong.
Dimension Films has signed an agreement to acquire the North American distribution rights to the feature adaptation of Tecmo videogame, DEAD OR ALIVE, VARIETY reports. THE TRANSPORTER helmer Corey Yuen is directing. Devon Aoki, Sarah Carter, Natassia Malthe, Matthew Marsden, Jaime Pressly, Eric Roberts and Holly Valance will star.
The Orphanage has been awarded THE HOST, South Koreas most expensive and ambitious film to date for Chungeorahm Films. The VFX creature film will be directed by internationally acclaimed director Joon-ho Bong and star two of Koreas top marquee names Song Kang-ho and Park Hae-il. As the exclusive vfx house on the over 100-shot project, The Orphanage team led by veteran vfx supervisor Kevin Rafferty, exec producer Marc Sadeghi, CG supervisor Shadi Almassizadeh and vfx producer Arin Finger will be working hand in hand with the production on location in Seoul.
After the successful launch of CHICKEN LITTLE in Disney Digital 3-D, which had an opening gross of approximately $2.1 million in 79 specialty theaters, Walt Disney Pictures will do it again with its next 3D-animated feature, MEET THE ROBINSONS, opening December 2006. To date, CHICKEN LITTLE has garnered more than $83 million at the domestic box office
Walden Media and New Line are teaming to co-finance JOURNEY 3-D, a modern spin on the Jules Verne classic JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. Academy Award-winning effects man Eric Brevig will make his directing debut on the film, which will be based on a screenplay by D.V. DeVincentis (HIGH FIDELITY). Visual effects vet Charlotte Huggins will produce the project, which is set to start production in April.
Pressman & Co. Films has hired THE PUNISHER actor Thomas Jane to star in its sci-fi/action film, THE MUTANT CHRONICLES, which is based on the role-playing board game of the same name, according to VARIETY. Producer Ed Pressman has had his project in development for nearly 10 years. At AFM, he signed a deal with Voltage Pictures for them to serves as the foreign sales representative for the film.
Under the guidance of vfx supervisor Mark Michaels and CG supervisor Richard Clarke, Double Negative created 500 shots in 15 months for Warner Bros. Pictures HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (opening Nov. 18), more than any other vfx facility working on the movie. The work comes on the heels of highly acclaimed Double Negative work for SAHARA, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, THE JACKET, PRIDE & PREJUDICE, DOOM and BATMAN BEGINS.
Alias and BFC Berliner Film Companie Prods. GmbH (BFC) have extended their partnership by utilizing Maya as the core 3D technology used in the upcoming 3D animated feature, HAPPILY N´EVER AFTER, produced by John H. Williams (the SHREK movies and VALIANT). BFC relies on its relationship with Alias professional services for support and custom software development to rapidly prototype new features that meet its particular production requirements.
When Warner Bros. Pictures releases HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE on Nov. 18, it will debut in a record 72 IMAX theaters, with an additional 18 to open in the coming weeks. This will eclipse the mark set by CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE this past summer.
Of the 72 IMAX theaters opening day and date, 66 of the locations are domestic, which is significantly more than the 49 domestic IMAX screens that HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE opened in June 2004.
