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Category: Films

Selick Headline News

Vinton Studios Sets Selick On Gaiman's Coraline

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, September 23, 2004 at 12:00am

Vinton Studios has obtained the rights to Neil Gaiman's Hugo Award-winning children's book CORALINE and has named Henry Selick as the director, reports VARIETY. Co-producing the film with Vinton will be Bill Mechanic's Pandemonium Films. Selick will also adapt the book, which tells the tale of a young girl who views an alternate version of her life after walking through a secret door. HarperCollins published the novel in 2002.

Film Headline News

Lord of the Rings FX Wizard to Direct Paul Bunyan Flick

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, September 22, 2004 at 12:00am

Venice, California-based Exodus Film Group has tapped three-time Oscar-winning visual effects wizard Jim Rygiel to direct the feature film, BUNYAN AND BABE, reports HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Based on the Paul Bunyan legend, the family film follows Paul Bunyan and a group of kids as they attempt to save Bunyans pet ox Babe from an evil circus owner. Eddie Griffin will provide the voice of Babe the Blue Ox. The script was written by Michael A. Nickles (THIS IS NOT A FILM) and Julia A. Wall. Exodus' animation team, ElectroAge, will be handling the CG work.

Headline News

Bandai to Release Mobile Suit Gundam F91 in Theaters

Bandai Ent. has announced a limited theatrical engagement for Yoshiyuki Tominos MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM F91. The film will begin its run in theaters on Oct. 1, 2004 in New York with a screening at the Festival of Anime to follow soon after on Oct. 10.

Time Headline News

Independence Day: A Battle Ground Between Worlds & Fantastic Four

Independence Day 2005 is shaping up at a toe-to-toe battle between Foxs tentpole FANTASTIC FOUR and Paramount and DreamWorks event movie of the decade WAR OF THE WORLDS. The Marvel Comics adaptation from 20th Century Fox was first to stake a claim on the lucrative holiday weekend by taking a release date of July 1. However, the Steven Spielberg-directed, Tom Cruise-starring alien invasion flick has now set its sights on June 29. With Spielberg stating that his H.G.

Film Headline News

Stars Next In Line for Doom

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, September 15, 2004 at 12:00am

With Universal recently hiring CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE director Andrzej Bartkowiak, the studio has now secured one lead with a second in negotiations to star in its DOOM adaptation. BOURNE SUPREMECY baddie Karl Urban is set to star with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in talks to join the cast. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and John Wells are producing from a script by Dave Callahan. The film will follow the zombie blasting plotline of the recently released DOOM 3 videogame. The film is set to go before cameras in mid October.

Headline News

Fox to Produce Live-Action/CG Alvin & The Chipmunks

By Rick DeMott | Tuesday, September 14, 2004 at 12:00am

Fox 2000 Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Bagdasarian Productions have announced a live-action/CGI adaptation of ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS. Fox is searching for a comedy writer and director for the film as well as a top comedian to pay the CG Chipmunks dad Dave Seville. Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., and Janice Karman will produce.

Imax Headline News

IMAX and Warner Bros. Embark on 3D Denizens of Deep

IMAX Corp. and Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. will jointly produce their second original IMAX 3D film, DENIZENS OF THE DEEP (working title). This is Warner Bros. Pictures' sixth film commitment to IMAX theaters in the past 18 months, and follows on the successful release of NASCAR 3D: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE, which set opening weekend box office records for an original IMAX film, and has already grossed more than $18 million.

Film Headline News

Paramount Rides Sabrina Broomstick into Theaters

Paramount Pictures has teamed with Archie Comics Ent. to co-produce a live-action film adaptation of comic book character, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, reports THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The comic was previously the basis for the ABC live-action sitcom starring Melissa Joan Hart as well as several animated series produced by DIC Ent.

Total Headline News

Resident Evil: Apocalypse Upends Hero at Box Office

RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALPSE won the box office derby in its debut for the weekend ended Sept. 12, 2004. The horror flick (with vfx by C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, Mr. X Inc., Animated Extras International Ltd., Fantasy II Film Effects and Soho VFX) took in $23M for Screen Gems.

Software Headline News

DNA Selects Side Effects Software for CG Ant Bully Feature

Side Effects Software, developer of the award-winning Houdini family of 3D software, announced that DNA Prods. (THE ADVENTURES OF JIMMY NEUTRON, BOY GENIUS) will use Houdini extensively for its all-CG pipeline to create a new animated feature for Warner Bros and Playtone, THE ANT BULLY. Based on John Nickles best-selling childrens book, Playtones Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman and DNA founders John A.

Headline News

Doom Blasts Forward with New Director

Universal Pictures has secured the services of director Andrzej Bartkowiak (CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE) for the feature adaptation of legendary videogame DOOM, reports VARIETY. Bartkowiak will be replacing Enda McCallion, who was to make his directorial debut on the film. McCallion had to leave for personal reasons. Filming is set to start in mid-October. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and John Wells are producing the film from a screenplay by Dave Callaham. The zombie hacking videogame was produced by id Software and Activision.

Headline News

Polar Express Unveiled at Press Event

A group of journalists from around the world were treated Thursday afternoon to the first sneak peek of THE POLAR EXPRESS (opening Nov. 10) in the Steven Ross Theater on the Warner Bros. lot. They screened several work-in-progress clips, including the opening scene, which looked far smoother and more polished than the trailer. They also screened a demo performance capture session with star Tom Hanks, who portrays five characters from the Christmas fantasy about a train bound for the North Pole on Christmas Eve.

Headline News

Sci-Fi Cosmonaut Lands Scribes

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, September 9, 2004 at 12:00am

Warner Bros. Pictures has tapped scribes Robert and Michelle King (ANGELS IN THE INFIELD) to adapt the screenplay for the sci-fi thriller COSMONAUT, reports VARIETY. Mace Neufeld (LOST IN SPACE) and Teddy Tenenbaum (writer on TVs DEAD ZONE) have been developing the project for the studio and will serve as producers along with Basil Iwanyk (K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER). Warner Bros. Pictures vp of production Aditya Sood is overseeing the project.

Film Headline News

Max Howard to Exec Produce Exodus' CGI Feature Igor

Veteran animation exec Max Howard is set to exec produce Exodus Film Groups upcoming CGI-animated film, IGOR, an irreverent comedy with a new twist on the classic mad scientist/monster genre.

Chris McKenna penned the screenplay about a mad scientist's hunchbacked lab assistant who dreams of becoming a mad scientist in his own right and win the coveted first place award at the annual Evil Science Fair.

Headline News

Eyetronics Scans for Contortionist VFX in Exorcist: The Beginning

In reproducing the famed spider walk from THE EXORCIST for the prequel, EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING, Pixel Magic of Toluca Lake, California (www.pixelmagicfx.com), called on the 3D scanning expertise of Eyetronics.

Universal Headline News

King Kong Principal Photography Begins

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, September 2, 2004 at 12:00am

Principal photography is set to begin in September on Peter Jacksons KING KONG. Jackson will shoot the epic action flick on location in his native New Zealand. Set to star in the Universal Pictures release is Academy Award nominee Naomi Watts (21 GRAMS), Golden Globe nominee Jack Black (SCHOOL OF ROCK) and Academy Award winner Adrien Brody (THE PIANIST).

Headline News

Spiderwick Nets Simpsons Writer

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, September 2, 2004 at 12:00am

Brent Forrester (TVs THE SIMPSONS, KING OF THE HILL) has netted himself a writing gig on Nickelodeon Movies, Atmosphere Ent. MM and the Gotham Groups THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, reports HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Atmosphere's Mark Canton, Nickelodeon's Julia Pistor and Gotham ceo Ellen Goldsmith-Vein will produce. The film will be based on the five-part series written by Holly Black and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, who will be serving as exec producers on the project.

Film Headline News

Aftermath Comics Land Film Deal

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, September 2, 2004 at 12:00am

Devils Due comics AFTERMATH line has been licensed for film, TV and videogames to producers Adrian Askarieh (SPY-HUNTER) and Daniel Alter, reports VARIETY. The comic titles include BLADE OF KUMORI, a modern female samurai; DEFEX, college students who alter their DNA; BREAKDOWN, the private life of the world's first superhero; and INFANTRY, the survivor of a military experiment.

Television Headline News

TripleTake Media Options Pen Dragon

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, September 1, 2004 at 12:00am

TripleTake Media has optioned the screenplay PEN DRAGON from first-time screenwriter Christopher Canole for film, television and comic book/graphic novel publishing. PEN DRAGON is the story of Leo, a teenager who obtains Leonardo Da Vinci's actual drawing set from an old illustrator by the name of Merle Lin that brings to real life anything that the pens draw.

Animation Headline News

Madhouse to Animate Highlander Feature

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, September 1, 2004 at 12:00am

Davis-Panzer Prods. and Imagi Intl. have tapped TOKYO GODFATHER production house Madhouse to produce a planned HIGHLANDER animated feature. HIGHLANDER TV series head writer David Abramowitz is set to write the script. Supervising the production will be associate producers Kevin Eastman (HEAVY METAL 2000) and Joe Pearson. Peter Davis and William Panzer are set to produce, with Thomas K. Gray and Galen Walker exec producing. The film should be complete in spring 2006.

Headline News

Theron Injured, Aeon Flux in Flux

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, September 1, 2004 at 12:00am

Oscar winning star of the upcoming live-action AEON FLUX feature, Charlize Theron, was injured on the set of the Paramount production, which has put the film in limbo, reports THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The production shut down could last up to six weeks.

The ASSOCIATED PRESS reports that she was injured during a wire-fu stunt. Unit publicist Jeanmarie Carrasco said, "She sustained an injury, and we are closing down for a few weeks so that she can be 100% when she returns. She wasn't hospitalized, but I can't comment on anything specific about her injuries."

Headline News

Kill Bill 1 & 2 Combo to Hit Theaters

Quentin Tarantino has said that he plans to bring a combined version of his KILL BILL films to theaters, reports USA TODAY. Spurred by strong DVD sales, Tarantino, who owns the copyright to the full-length version of the film, hopes to have the film in theaters early next year.

"It's not just like slapping the two together," he says. "There are slight changes, and it has an intermission, like a '60s movie."

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