Movie News

‘Xerxes’ Spin-off Gets Title; Field Narrows for Director

Ugh…in case you were not aware (lucky), we hate to break it to you: Xerxes, the…unique villain of Zack Snyder’s 300 is getting his own spin-off film. Deadline has it that this spin-off will be titled 300: Battle of Artemisia and that competition for the director’s chair has narrowed to Noam Murro (Smart People) and Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown).

The sequel is actually a prequel, based on the work of Frank Miller—who also created the original graphic novel 300 was
based on. The story follows Xerxes who vows revenge on the Greeks after
his father is mortally wounded during the Battle of Marathon. Warning
his son that the Greeks could only be punished by a god, Xerxes sets out
to become one. One can only imagine that piercings and body glitter
followed shortly after that.

DVD/Blu-ray DISCussion (New for 6.28.11)

Several exciting releases are coming out this week. One of them is a re-release of a massive boxset of one of the biggest film trilogies. Something we should all over in some format. Also out this week are Zack Snyder’s action film Sucker Punch, Paul Giamatti in Barney’s Version, adaptation of two Chris Van Allsburg stories about some fictional board games you might have heard of, and international re-releases of films from France, Germany and Italy. 

‘G.I. Joe’ Sequel Nabs D.J. Cotrona and RZA

Although G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra was met with negative response from the critics, the general public ate it up. As it so happens, a sequel is in the works with leading man Channing Tatum set to reprise the role of Duke, as are several other actors from “Cobra.”

The sequel to “Rise of Cobra” isn’t content with just bringing back familiar faces. Elodie Young and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson have officially joined the cast as new additions to the “G.I. Joe” universe, but two more actors may be stepping on board. D.J. Cotrona from the television series 1-8-7 and rapper RZA are currently negotiating for roles in the sequel.

Warner Brothers Sees Green with ‘Green Lantern 2’

Despite the chilly reception audiences gave Green Lantern, Warner Bros. intends to go through with its plans for a sequel. Executives feel the series has legs despite a significant drop (66 percent) in revenue from its opening weekend to this past weekend.

Tom Hanks Says Pixar’s Working On ‘Toy Story 4’

Pixar made it very clear that the “Toy Story” franchise was done after last year’s heralded Toy Story 3. The film completed a trilogy and provided closure for fans young and old. No one had a problem with that — none whatsoever. The short film beforeCars 2 also gave fans a peak into what the now-retired toys are up to these days. But if we’re to trust Tom Hanks — and how can we not trust Tom Hanks? — Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang aren’t going into storage just yet.

‘Dark of the Moon’: The Next Great 3-D Film?

With Transformers: Dark of the Moon beginning to make the rounds, there comes the question faced by most going to a summer blockbuster these days: 3-D or 2-D show? Given the recent trend seen in the sales for the fourth “Pirates,” the second “Kung Fu Panda” and the debut of Green Lantern, the public has begun to turn their nose up at 3D.

Christopher Meloni to Play “A General” in ‘Man of Steel’

This past weekend, we reported that Christopher Meloni was negotiating to star in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel alongside Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, and Henry Cavill as the titular superhero. At the Public Theater Gala last week, Meloni stated that his role in the film was that of a general, not Lex Luthor as some had previously speculated. Unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to disclose any more information, jokingly stating that he’d “have to kill” if he revealed anything else.

‘Cars 2’ Wins the Race, But Not By A Landslide

The sequel to Pixar’s least-lauded franchise underperformed this weekend both critically and commercially. Cars 2 marked the first Pixar film in its brief history to score rotten on the Tomatometer. At 34% positive reviews, the animated children’s film was even less hailed than the R-rated comedy Bad Teacher, which received 46% positive reviews. Yet the “Cars” franchise is not a complete and utter failure. It placed in the number one spot at the box office with $68 million, standard compared to previous Pixar summer entries.

‘Fast and the Furious 6’ Set for May 24, 2013

With Fast Five nearing $600 million in global sales, Universal is turning their attention to the next installment in the series, tentatively called The Fast and the Furious 6. Deadline now reports that a release date has been set for the next movie: Memorial Day 2013. Series star Vin Diesel is set to return both in front of and behind the camera (as a producer) and Justin Lin — director of the last three films in the series — is said to be returning for more.

Paramount Might Team Up With New Regency for ‘Noah’

Darren Aronofsky looks to make his first fully mainstream project with Noah, based on the ark-building Biblical figure of the same name. However, the film, described as “a sprawling fantasy epic,” is currently set to cost more than $100 million, meaning that multiple studios would have to pitch in for funding. New Regency has been on board since day one, but now it seems that Paramount will partner with New Regency.