Saturday 16 August 2008

Brett Ratner brings 'Harbinger' to Hollywood

From: MTV.com

Director Brett Ratner — he of “X-Men: The Last Stand” fame — has decided the future looks bright for the cape & tights set. So much so that he’s moving shop from New Line on over to Paramount, and bringing a bunch of comic properties with him — most notably, “Harbinger” — the classic, Valiant Comics franchise created by legendary comic writer Jim Shooter.

Given that the news of a possible “Harbinger” film just broke, there will still be some time before any major announcements are made, so instead, Splash Page turned to Shooter for his take on the news, and how he hopes Ratner and Co. handle the next possible comic book blockbuster.

To Shooter, it’s no surprise that “Harbinger” found its way to Hollywood since the title’s history started out geared that way. Read more…

'Wolverine' crew backed green guide

From: Otago Daily Times.
By James Beech

Hollywood star Hugh Jackman has thrown his support behind a "how-to zero waste" initiative launched this week by the Queenstown Lakes District Council in association with Film Queenstown.

The Sydney-born actor starred in and co-produced X-Men Origins: Wolverine, filmed on location around the Wakatipu earlier this year.

The producers volunteered to participate in the trial that has become the council's "Green Screen Guide and Directory".

"It's great to be a part of a project that benefits the local economy while looking after the environment," Jackman said in a statement.

"The cast and crew really got behind this initiative, and we are proud to be a part of the new generation of sustainable film makers."

Film Queenstown manager Kevin Jennings said the appeal of shooting international movies in the district was its pristine environment.

The council had produced a "first-class insurance policy" to keep it that way.

"Wolverine was enthusiastic to be involved. They were willingly audited and the results were outstanding.

"The outcome is you can watch the new movie in the knowledge that it comes with a significantly reduced carbon footprint.

"The production made 670 tonnes of waste - 615 tonnes, or 92%, of which was diverted from the landfill, saving the film company an estimated $55,000."

Film production companies spent $38.7 million in Otago-Southland in the 2007 financial year, Statistics New Zealand said.

There were up to four television commercial and still photography crews operating in the district last month.

Wolverine, Peter Jackson's Lovely Bones and a Dutch drama, Bride Flight, were among the film projects to visit in the past 12 months.

The guide, which included information about how to recycle in the various departments of a film production, will be supplied to all future productions in the area and is on the council's website.

Friday 15 August 2008

Jones' Tears As Soldier Son Graduates

From: Imdb.com

Movie tough guy Vinnie Jones fought back tears on Thursday as he watched his teenage son graduate from the British Army.

The former soccer hard man-turned-actor flew in from his current residence in Los Angeles to Yorkshire, England to attend 17-year-old Aaron Ellison-Jones' ceremony.

Snatch star Jones says, "It was very emotional. I've done a few things in my life and he's starting out in his and it's probably bigger than anything that I've achieved...

"This lad is going to protect our country so I'm very proud of him."

Junior soldier Ellison-Jones is now set to join the Household Cavalry's Blues and Royals regiment - the same one British royal Prince Harry fights for.

Wednesday 13 August 2008

Wolverine Trailer Analisys

Coventry Telegraph has posted an analisys of the trailer footage shown at the San Diego Comic-Con, there are a few spoilers, but nothing you don't know if you haven't seen the trailer.

Jackman Back in the Sadle

From: AdelaideNow.com.au

RIDING high at Fox Studios, Hugh Jackman was back in the saddle yesterday - trimmed of his Wolverine beard and swapping hats to play his part in the upcoming Australia blockbuster.

With co-star Nicole Kidman making a low-key return to the set as a working mum for the first time, with baby Sunday Rose and a nanny in tow, Jackman took centre stage filming "pick-up" clips for the movie's final edit.

Having just holidayed on the Italian Riviera, not to mention getting his X-Men flick in the can, Jackman has been a busy leading man since he last donned the Akubra.

But grabbing the reins again, with the help of a few pointers from the film's handlers, Jackman impressed onlookers with his easy-riding style.

More from Adelaide:
Australia the movie: Special Section
Gallery: On the set of Australia
Nicole Kidman in steamy love scene with Hugh Jackman
Gallery: New parents - Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban

David Goyer May Bump ‘Magneto’ To Make Way For ‘Invisible Man’

From: MTV.com
Published by Larry Carroll

David Goyer is a busy man these days. Making the most popular film of the year, and one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, will do that to a guy.

Now, the “Dark Knight” screenwriter is hoping to capitalize on his success with such recent superhero scripts as “The Flash” and “X-Men Origins: Magneto,” which he’ll also direct.

“That may be next,” he told us recently. But first, Goyer revealed, he hopes to vanish for awhile.

“I’m writing a new version of ‘The Invisible Man’ for Universal,” said the red-hot writer/director, who was at Comic-Con recently to promote “The Unborn,” a horror flick due in theaters next year. “I’m in the process of doing ['Invisible Man'] right now, and I’m working with some conceptual artists in tandem with writing the script. I’m actually working with one of the artists from ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight.’ So it could be ‘Magneto,’ or it could be ‘The Invisible Man’ next.”

Old–school horror fans will undoubtedly be rooting for the latter. And it should make them giddy to know that Goyer has been tracing the non-material man all the way back to his roots, in order to yank him into the modern age.

“Well, ‘The Invisible Man,’ the Universal film, is a great movie, a Claude Rains film,” Goyer said with admiration. “My take is kind of an extrapolation. It actually deals with a nephew of the first character. It’s got some of the characters from the H.G. Wells book, but it’s kind of a continuation.”

Goyer said that if you’ve seen the Rains film, you might actually get more out of the new version; but at the same time, there’ll be no prior knowledge required.

“It involves Scotland Yard getting their hands on the current Invisible Man and basically saying, ‘Wow, you’d be a really good secret agent to send into Imperial Russia right now,’” an enthusiastic Goyer said of the plot. “It starts off from there.”

As for the intended look of the film he’ll direct as well as write, Goyer made reference to a popular style of fantasy that has emerged over the last few decades: “It kind of crosses a lot of genres. It’s very steam punk.”

And if you’re thinking that the nephew of Jack Griffin will similarly be rendered as a floating hat and scarf in our age of CGI, think again.

“I don’t want to give too much away, but I took what being invisible could mean to the next logical extreme,” he explained. “We do a lot of crazy things in it that are sort of far beyond what anyone’s done with it yet.”

Stan Lee Teams With Disney For Cross-Media Superhero Series ‘Time Jumper’

From: MTV.com

Add another one to Stan Lee’s burgeoning media empire. The co-creator of such iconic characters as Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Hulk — is joining forces with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment to produce what the studio calls the “most ambitious digital comic book series ever designed.”

Titled “Time Jumper,” the project is set to release on numerous platforms including online, print and mobile. According to Lee, “‘Time Jumper’ is more than a typical superhero. He’s a trend-setting breakthrough across all media; a hero for today’s digital age and tomorrow’s multiplatform entertainment.”

The series will follow Terry Dixon, a secret agent for a government org known as HUNT (Heroes United, Noble and True). His secret weapon? A cell phone invented by Dixon’s father called the Articulus that doubles as a time machine.

Disney says the book “combines the traditional print look and feel, including dialogue and thought bubbles, with today’s cutting edge multimedia elements, including edgy visuals, music, voices and a fast-paced storyboard, to take a classic genre into the next dimension.”

The project is one of multiple deals for Lee. In April, his company POW Entertainment announced a partnership with Virgin Comics where Lee will write, edit and oversee a “new universe of superhero characters.” POW is also producing the CGI superhero series “Legion of 5,” in addition to a slate of direct-to-video films under the “Stan Lee Presents” banner.