Warner Bros. has given Akira the go-ahead for production, which will begin either in late February or early March. Katsuhiro Otomo, director and writer of the original feature, has signed on as an executive producer. Tron: Legacy star Garrett Hedlund is currently the frontrunner for the lead role of Kaneda.
Well, the IMAX run of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol just got a lot more interesting; /Film has it from sources within (unnamed) theater distribution saying that a six-minute prologue to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises will screen in front of all IMAX prints of “Ghost Protocol.”
Anne Hathaway is known mostly for her acting talent, but the actress has quite a set of pipes. She put them to use in the family fantasy Ella Enchanted, but she has yet to star in a full-fledged musical. Now that’s about to change.
War is hell, but we still love watching movies about it and this week’s recommendation is the classic The Guns of Navarone. This movie is being re-released onto a reasonably priced Blu-ray which has a healthy amount of commentaries and documentaries. A number of eagerly anticipated movies are being released onto DVD and Blu-ray this, the particular highlights being Kevin Smith’s religious horror Red State and the animated adaptation of Batman: Year One. The blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is coming onto DVD and Blu-ray, rather for the whole family as well as the whole series coming onto a Blu-ray boxset. Comic book fans will also get a kick from the re-release of The Crow and musical fans have Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to look forward to.
In 1974, the action figure line Micronauts was introduced to the world by Japan’s Takara, but it was shut down in 1980. Just two years ago, Hasbro teamed up with Takara to revamp the line, and now the toy franchise will head to the silver screen.
According to final studio totals, Hugh Jackman and his robo-slugger narrowly sidestepped a defeat from the toe-tapping newcomerFootloose, which was good enough for another top place finish. Meanwhile, continuing a lackluster trend for its genre, even the notable horror name of The Thing was not enough to crack $10 million. Plus, “that bird watching movie” The Big Year let out little more than a peep as it tanked in ninth place.
With just about six months until The Avengers hits the big screen, Marvel Studios still has its eye on the future. President Kevin Feige has announced that 2013 will begin a second series of films that will lead to The Avengers 2.
Unlike its titular character, The Crow continues to have trouble finding new life in the form of a film reboot. Twitch is reporting that director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) has also left the project.
Warner Bros. has chosen director Matt Reeves to helm the planned update of The Twilight Zone. Even with only a few theatrical credits to his name, including Cloverfield and last year’s Let Me In, Reeves was chosen from a wish-list of directors that included Christopher Nolan and Alfonso Cuaron. Though the script is reportedly unfinished, plans for filming have been made for summer of next year.
Appian Way Productions, perhaps best known for its founder Leonardo DiCaprio, will be developing the reboot of the beloved 60’s sci-fi anthology series. A film version was made in 1983 which followed the series anthology format by bringing in multiple directors, including John Landis and Steven Spielberg, a partnership that led to an infamous following out between the two following an on-set accident.
After Fox slowly revealed details about the upcoming “Die Hard” sequel, the title and other details were revealed just yesterday. We also discovered that John McClane’s son would be integral to the plot, and earlier today, the shortlist of actors in the running for the part was just announced.
