Thursday 3 June 2010

Ilan Eshkeri to score X-Men: First Class

Ilan Eshkeri to score X-Men: First Class

According to XMF Ilan Eshkeri is in final talks to compose X-Men: First Class for Mattew Vaughn and 20th Century Fox. Eshkeri has worked with Vaughn before on Kick-Ass, Layer Cake and Stardust, so this news was expected. Eshkeri has also composed the scores for Ninja Assassin, Hannibal Rising and The Young Victoria, so he has range when it comes to crafting music.

Each of the X-Men films has had a different composer which has resulted in the X-Men not really having a theme or continuity with the music. Spider-Man had the ’swinging theme’. Batman has Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard doing their thing, so I think its about time the X-Men got a theme.

You can listen to some of Ilan’s work [MORE]

Will X-Men: First Class Feature a Kick-Ass Student? - UGO.com

Will X-Men: First Class Feature a Kick-Ass Student? - UGO.com

Kick-Ass star Aaron Johnson was recently spotted with X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn creating buzz about a possible role in the mutant-filled movie.

When you're a director of comic book films, any actor friends you keep company with will always be suspect for future casting. When one of these "friends" starred as the title hero in one of your recent films, then any rendevouzis a potential audition, even if its for the birth of your child.

In this case its director Matthew Vaughn, who helmed Kick-Ass and the upcoming X-Men: First Class, and his pals Aaron Johnson and James McAvoy were spotted heading to the hospital to welcome Vaughn's baby girl into the world. Filmonic.com pointed out that Aaron Johnson could be a potential candidate for Cyclops, since James McAvoy is set to play Charles Xavier.

It might not be too far-fetched. As The Playlist stated, the age difference works. With James McAvoy at 31 and Aaron Johnson at 19, the foundation for a teacher/student relationship is set up quite perfectly. After all, Johnson was convincing as a superhero with zero powers, so playing one with optic energy beams shouldn't be too difficult for the actor.

Is this just a case of friends meeting for a special occassion, or is First Class in session? Let us know what you think.

Sir Patrick Stewart Boldly Goes Under the Sword

Sir Patrick Stewart Boldly Goes Under the Sword

Captain's log: let it be known his name is Sir Patrick Stewart now.

The thespian best known for playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, earned a major promotion today, after Queen Elizabeth II officially made him a knight in a ceremony at Buckingman Palace.

The 69-year-old Stewart earned his title for doing more than dealing with Klingons and the Borg.

Considered one of Britain's greatest stage actors of his generation, Stewart is a core member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, which he joined when he was 26. He has appeared in more than 60 productions and like many of his legendary forebears at the company, the residency helped launch an enterprising career in TV and movies.

"It was an unlooked-for honor but as I grew up as a child, falling in love with the theatre and Shakespeare, my heroes were Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Alec Guinness," said Stewart.

"The knights of the theater represented to me not only the pinnacle of the profession but the esteem in which the profession was held. And now to find myself, to my astonishment, in that company is the grandest thing that has professionally happened to me."

Which is saying a lot, considering his Emmy and Tony Award nominations and such acclaimed roles stateside as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies and the leads in the TV movies A Christmas Carol and Moby Dick.

Keep going boldly, Sir Patrick!