Movie News

Scott confirms two “Alien” prequels, both in 3-D

Just a couple of days ago we learned more details on Ridley Scott’s planned Alien prequels, specifically that the story will take place 30 years before Alien and will deal with the mysterious Space Jockey that had been discovered. Now we learn that Scott has more than just that story to tell, as he told Collider that he actually has two prequels planned. Oh, and that it’ll be shot in 3-D. Shocker!

Scott confirmed that he is only working on “prequel 1” right now, with no firm plans for “prequel 2” at this time. 

That leads me to believe that maybe Scott won’t direct the second part. It took quite a bit of negotiating to even get Scott to agree to be a part of this. At one point, Carl Erik Rinsch was attached to the project. Rinsch is a protege of sorts and a part of Scott’s RSA production company. Is it possible that Rinsch could be brought back for the follow-up feature?  This is all speculation by me, but what is clear is that this isn’t just a one-off project but a massive undertaking by the visionary director.

Pixar confirms “Monsters Inc. 2” and “Brave” in 2012

Disney has confirmed that Monsters, Inc. 2 will indeed happen, and that it is already set to hit theaters on November 16, 2012. That’s almost exactly eleven years after the original.  Peter Docter won’t be returning to helm the sequel as he’s already working on other projects. No confirmation on John Goodman and Billy Crystal reprising their roles voicing Sully and Mike, but I doubt Pixar would move ahead without either of them.

Green Hornet and Last Airbender to be converted to 3D

Two more big studio films have succumbed to 3D conversion: The Green Hornet and The Last Airbender. Both films are expected hits and so the trend continues to effect more and more films on this year’s release schedule.

The Green Hornet is an adaptation of a comic book series and the popular ’60s TV show which gave the world Bruce Lee’s acting debut as the sidekick Kato (it was even known as The Kato Show in Asia). The film is about to enter into post-production and at this early stage, director Michel Gondy (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep) has been convinced to convert the film into 3D

Breck Eisner to Escape from New York

Breck Eisner has had quite the last five years, having gone from directing one of the all-time Hollywood flops in the failed franchise starter Sahara, to surprising everyone by tossing out a rarity: a critically respected horror remake of The Crazies back in February. Execs from New Line are banking on the success of the latter, since now Eisner has been attached to remake John Carpenter’s cult classic Escape from New York.

Lesser-Known Marvel Heroes to Get Some Love

Comic fans with a deep knowledge of the Marvel universe will be excited to hear that some of the company’s unsung heroes will get their own feature, only with tighter budgets than their household-name counterparts.

The likes of characters Dr. Strange, Luke Cage, Dazzler, Ka-Zar, and Power Pack are at the center of early buzz to grace the big screen, says CHUD, with the hunt for filmmakers to take the reigns already being initiated.

Alien Prequel a Go! Due Out in 2011

Ridley Scott recently sat down with MTV Movies Blog to chat about Robin Hood. Luckily for us they were able to get out some serious details about the rumored Alien prequel that has been rumored to be in development. Not only did Scott confirm that the movie was happening, he went so far as to say that they are shooting for a late 2011 release. The movie will explore the origins of the “Space Jockey” found by the crew of the Nostromo in the original film and will not feature Sigourney Weaver’s ‘Ridley’ in any way shape or form as the setting will be far before her time. Here’s what Scott had to say regarding the plot:

It’s set in 2085, about 30 years before Sigourney [Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley]. It’s fundamentally about going out to find out ‘Who the hell was that Space Jockey?’ The guy who was sitting in the chair in the alien vehicle — there was a giant fellow sitting in a seat on what looked to be either a piece of technology or an astronomer’s chair. Remember that?

Stretch Armstrong expands … its crew

Growing much like its iconic character, “Stretch Armstrong” has found a director and writer.

According to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Heat Vision blog, The Universal Studios adaptation of the 1970s toy will be helmed by Rob Letterman, who co-directed the animated hit “Monsters vs. Aliens.” In the writers chair will be Nicholas Stoller who both scripted and directed “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” along with the upcoming spin-off “Get Him to the Greek.” Stoller will perform re-writes on Steve Oedekerk’s screenplay.

“Armstrong” will be an entry in a string of toy and game-based films originating from a deal between Universal and Hasbro which will include adaptations of board games “Battleship,” “Monopoly” and “Candy Land”.

Described as a “superhero adventure” by the studio, an “Armstrong” movie seems to be the lone endeavor with any promise, especially when contemplating the thought of a “Magic: The Gathering” adaptation.

Basic Avatar DVD and Blu-ray hits shelves

It remains to be seen if the DVD and Blu-ray release of the most successful film of all time will compare on the home entertainment charts as well as it did on the big screen, but nothing changes the fact that Avatar is the spring’s most hotly anticipated disc.

Despite a movie on another planet ironically being released on Earth Day, we folks here at Player Affinity wanted to give you all the official details on the DVD and Blu-ray versions as well as some helpful price comparisons. Considering a larger-than-usual segment of the population is considering spending human dollars to own some of cinematic history, they all might as well make that decision an educated one.

DVD/Blu-ray DISCussion (New for 4.20.10)

Peter Jackson’s foray into family drama/supernatural murder mystery didn’t go over as an awards season smash, but now you have the chance to test it out on your own. The story follows Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan from Atonement), a young girl who was raped and murdered but helps her family find her killer from a supernatural plane called “The In-Between.”
Critics’ Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 32% (bad)
Player Affinity Rating: N/A

Where Are They Now? Robert Englund