Shrek 2 Moved Up Two Days to the 19th
Due to fan demand, DreamWorks has moved up SHREK 2 opening date from May 21 to May 19, 2004. Tickets for the blockbuster sequel will be available for advance sale on the Internet, beginning on May 7, 2004.
Due to fan demand, DreamWorks has moved up SHREK 2 opening date from May 21 to May 19, 2004. Tickets for the blockbuster sequel will be available for advance sale on the Internet, beginning on May 7, 2004.
Bill Desowitz sits down with the pioneering Ray Harryhausen to discuss the continuing influence of his special effects animation on todays creature features.
Paramount's MEAN GIRLS raked in a surprising $24.4M for the box office lead in its debut for weekend ended May 2, 2004. The teen comedy outpaced Fox's MAN ON FIRE, last week's leader powered by Denzel Washington a post 9/11 thirst for revenge, which took in $15M for a second place finish with $44.2M. Coming in third was Sony/Revolution's Jennifer Garner comedy, 13 GOING ON 30, which collected $9.8M for a cume of $35M. Debuting in fourth, fifth and sixth were Lions Gate's GODSEND, New Line's LAWS OF ATTRACTION and DreamWorks' ENVY with $6.8M, $6.7M and $6.1M, respectively.
Continuing a collaboration that has lasted eight years, director Joss Whedon and Zoic Studios' vfx supervisor Loni Peristere are reunited for the upcoming Universal feature SERENITY. The move marks the most ambitious feature to date for Los Angeles-based Zoic.
Although THE LADYKILLERS didn't work out as a fit for LORENZO, Disney has apparently found one that will stick with the comedy RAISING HELEN, the Kate Hudson-starrer opening May 28 in theaters nationwide.
Universal Pictures is teaming with Charlize Theron's Delilah Films to turn Brian Michael Bendis' graphic novel JINX into a live-action feature, reports VARIETY. Oscar-winning Theron is set to star as well as produce along with partner Meagan Riley-Grant and Circle of Confusion partners David Engel, Lawrence Mattis and Jason Lust. The crime noir story follows a bounty hunter who teams with an accused murdered to locate millions in missing mob money. Bendis' other graphic novel titles include ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, DAREDEVIL, ULTIMATE X-MEN and POWERS, which is in development at Sony.
Chris Landreth's new 3D-animated short film, RYAN, will have three premieres this summer, screening at festivals in France, Canada and the U.S. The 14-minute film will have its world premiere at Cannes 43rd International Critic's Week (May 13-21, 2004). The Canadian premiere will take place at the World-wide Short Film Festival in Toronto (May 11-16). It will also screen in competition at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival (June 7-12) in France. The U.S. premiere will be at the SIGGRAPH 2004 Computer Animation Festival in Los Angeles (August 8-12).
Edward Noeltner, svp, international distribution and head of sales at Miramax Films, has opened Cinema Management Group LLC (CMG), a new international motion picture licensing, distribution, marketing and sales firm, which will be taking the indie 3D feature HOODWINKED: THE TRUE STORY OF RED RIDING HOOD to the Cannes Film Market. From writer/director Cory Edwards and his writer/co-directors Todd Edwards and Tony Leech, the animated comedy is in post-production with an August 2004 completion date. Maurice Kanbar, Sue Bea Montgomery, Preston Stutzman and David Lovegren produced this Kanbar Ent.
The Denzel Washington revenge thriller, MAN ON FIRE, outpaced the Jennifer Garner comedy, 13 GOING ON 30, at the box office for the weekend ended April 25, 2004. The Fox film grabbed $22.7M compared to Universals $21M in their debuts. Meanwhile, Miramaxs KILL BILL VOL. 2 (with vfx by K.N.B. EFX Group) slipped nearly 59% in its second week to $10.4M and a cume of $42.9M. Lions Gates THE PUNISHER (with vfx by Fantasy II Film Effects) dipped nearly 55% in its sophomore outing to finish fourth with a total of $24.1M.
Warner Bros. and Scholastic are taking their animated CLIFFORDS REALLY BIG MOVIE on a bigger walk to more theaters on April 23, 3004, rolling out the theatrical to 471 houses across the U.S., following the test openings in several markets in February 2004.
After KING KONG, Peter Jackson and partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are eyeing Alice Sebold's bestselling novel, THE LOVELY BONES, reports VARIETY. Closer in tone to Jackson's HEAVENLY CREATURES than LORD OF THE RINGS, BONES tells the story of a deceased 14-year-old girl who looks down from heaven to watch her grieving family and find the person who raped and murdered her.
Independent producer Steve Bing of Shangri-La Ent. has forked over $80 million to co-finance Warner Bros. feature, POLAR EXPRESS, reports VARIETY. Bing will not take a personal producing credit on the film, but the credits will read: "a Castle Rock presentation of a Shangri-La production." Unlike gap financing that must be repaid to an investor, Bing is taking the same financial risk as Warner, who will retain distribution rights worldwide.
David Hayter (X-MEN, X2: X-MEN UNITED) has been hired to rewrite IRON MAN for New Line Cinema, reports THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (TV's SMALLVILLE) wrote the previous draft. The Marvel comic told the story of billionaire industrialist Tony Stark, who creates an armored suit allowing him to fly and shoot repulsor rays. The comic began in the 1960s and brought Iron Man up against the Viet Cong, however the film will take place in a modern setting.
Caught in the tight web of SPIDER-MAN 2, which has been pushed up to June 30, 2004, Paramount Pictures has decided to postpone the release of SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW from June 25 to Sept. 17, which gives the experimental CG adventure more time to find its audience, according to the studio.
Darren Aronfosky is being named as the director of WATCHMEN, reports AIN'T IT COOL NEWS. The site says that Aronfosky will tackle the classic graphic novel after he finishes THE FOUNTAIN. David Hayter (X-MEN, X2: X-MEN UNITED) has written the screenplay for the film.
Newmarket Films has announced that it will be releasing in theaters a new director's cut of sci-fi cult favorite DONNIE DARKO, reports VARIETY. The new version will include 21 minutes of footage not in the original release and beefed up visual effects. The new cut will debut May 29 at the Seattle Film Festival then roll out in theaters slowly starting in July. The original theatrical release in 2001 only grossed $517,375, but the film has found a cult following on DVD, grossing $10 million.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM) and The Jim Henson Co. have signed a two-year first-look deal to produce live-action feature films. The Henson-MGM deal came together after a successful relationship working together on the hit family comedy GOOD BOY!, a live-action film produced by Jim Henson Pictures, which one of the most profitable releases for MGM in 2003.
Audiences will pay to see an ass-kicking woman seek vengeance as evidenced by the $25.1M opening box office turned in by Miramaxs KILL BILL VOL. 2 to take the number one spot and best the October 2003 $22.1M opening of KILL BILL, VOL. 1. BILL 2, with vfx by K.NM.B. EFX Group, easily knocked out the competition from Marvel Studios and Lions Gates THE PUNISHER, which debuted in second place with $13.8M.
After a long series of cast announcements featuring an all-star group of actors in the CGI indie fantasy DELGO, the title role has finally been announced with Freddie Prinze, Jr. as the voice of Delgo.
Section 8 and A Thousand Words have hired Bob Sabiston as the animation director on Richard Linklater's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's sci-fi novel A SCANNER DARKLY. Sabiston also served as the animation director on Linklater's WAKING LIFE. The animator has directed such shorts as SNACK AND DRINK and ROADHEAD.
John Malkovich has been added to the cast of THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, Disney's adaptation of the Douglas Adams novel, reported THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Malkovich is set to play religious cult leader Humma Kavula, a character created by Adams exclusively for the long-in-the-making film production. The film is set to start shooting this month in London, with former commercials director Garth Jennings helming.
MONTY PYTHON member John Cleese and LEGEND's devilish actor Tim Curry have joined the voice cast of Vanguard Animation's CG feature VALIANT, reported THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Cleese will play an Allied pigeon, trapped behind enemy lines. Curry will lend his voice to one of the baddies on the Falcon Brigade.
Artbeats, an industry leader in royalty-free stock footage for film, video and multimedia professionals, today announced it would release its new Ultra collections at the 2004 National Assn. of Broadcasters Convention (NAB). Featuring captivating slow motion imagery, Artbeats' Ultra collections offer an entirely new perspective to fire, water and motion, and provide some of the most unique royalty-free footage available at this year's NAB.
JOE BLOW, the latest Vinton Studios short film, directed and conceived by Emmy Award-winning director Mark Gustafson, bows at Landmark Theatres starting April 16, 2004 in New York City and LA with wider distribution to follow. The short film will run prior to the steamy drama YOUNG ADAM, starring Ewan McGregor and Tilda Swinton.
In a story that will never die, Morgan Creek has announced that it will release both the Paul Schrader and Renny Harlin versions of its EXORCIST prequel on DVD, reported VARIETY. Schrader was the original director on the project, but his version was not the fright fest Morgan Creek was looking for. The production house then hired Renny Harlin to punch up the film, which led to an almost entire re-shoot of the film with a revamped screenplay.