James Cameron is deep in pre-production for his next three Avatar movies, and far as actors go, right now it stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Stephen Lang, and there’s even a rumor that Arnold Schwarzenegger will be a part of it. It was a safe bet to assume that Sigourney Weaver would be a part of these sequels, and now she has confirmed it in an interview with Vulture. She even talks a little bit about what we can expect from her character saying,
“It’s going to be an adventure! It will be awesome. I can’t even imagine what I am taking on — and what James Cameron is taking on — with filming three AVATARs at once, but … Peter Jackson did it with the HOBBIT films, so we have that to look to. It will be challenging for me. I can’t talk about it, but my part is a little different in each one. I’ll transform somewhat. We’ll have to talk again when I survive this. For now, I’m going to skittle around and enjoy this leisure time.”
It’s interesting how she talks about her character transforming from one movie to the next. In the first movie her character failed to link up with the “Tree of Souls,” but maybe there is something on the planet of Pandora that helps them resurrect Dr. Augustine in some way? It’s not out of the realm of possibility in a fantasy sci-fi film like this. Whatever happens with her character, it will be great to see Weaver return.
On a more somber note, iconic artist H.R. Giger has passed away after suffering a fall.
THR reported that the man who designed the Xenomorphs in all of the Alien movies died in a hospital on Monday after suffering a fall in his museum. Here is what they had to say about him:
“Giger’s works, often showing macabre scenes of humans and machines fused into hellish hybrids, influenced a generation of movie directors and inspired an enduring fashion for ‘biomechanical’ tattoos.”
Giger’s work is amazing to look at; it has a very hard but beautiful quality to it. His classic monochromatic, futuristic style is loved by fans all over the world and has inspired people to emulate his work via tattoos. This, to Giger, was the highest form of flattery. This is what he had to say in an interview with Seconds magazine in 1994 about his work:
“The greatest compliment is when people get tattooed with my work, whether it’s done well or not. To wear something like that your whole life is the largest compliment someone can pay to you as an artist.”
He was a true artist till the very end! Everyone loved the work he was able to do! Will you miss what he did and could do! What are your thoughts?
After weeks of rumblings that Roberto Orci was the frontrunner, sources have told Variety that Skydance and Paramount have indeed tapped Orci to direct Paramount and Skydance’s “Star Trek 3.”
Orci is currently writing the story with J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay and had been campaigning to replace J.J. Abrams as director for some time. Abrams is busy with directing the next installment of the “Star Wars” franchise and will only be producing this pic.
Par, Skydance and his reps had no comment.
Plot details are unknown, but cast members including Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto are expected to return. Abrams will produce along with his producing partner Bryan Burke and Skydance’s David Ellison.
The news comes after Orci and longtime writing partner Alex Kurtzman decided to go their separate ways on future filmmaking endeavors (although their TV production company is staying intact). Sources had told Variety that both were looking to direct more pics and that going solo would be in the best interest of both parties.
what are your thoughts to this man directing the next star trek film?
Screenwriter Roberto Orci has been pushing really hard to replace J.J. Abrams as the director of Star Trek 3. A couple weeks ago we learned that he was in talks with Paramount Pictures to direct it, but now according to Deadline he has “emerged as the clear frontrunner.”
If he wants to direct the film, and the studio has pushed him to the top of the list, then I guess Orci is going to be the guy who brings the third Star Trek film to the screen. This means he beat out the likes of G.I. Joe director Jon M. Chu and Attack the Block director Joe Cornish.
The report goes on to say that Paramount’s partner, Skydance Productions, has been fighting for Orci to direct, but Paramount needed convincing. I guess they managed to convince them! This would be the first film that Orci has directed, but he worked on the first two films, so he has a solid idea of the story, characters, and how everything works. I’ll admit, I was rooting for Cornish to get the gig, but I think Orci is a good choice.
what do you think of this person being picked we want to know your thoughts?
The Steven Spielberg-produced live-action series set in the world of Halo is landing at Showtime. The cable network is close to making a deal with Xbox Entertainment Studios.
Xbox has been developing the series with Spielberg and his Amblin TV production company for over a year. Variety reports that “the company is close to a deal with a pair of showrunners to steer the series adaptation of the expansive bible developed by screenwriter Stuart Beattie, but the deal is not envisioned as a straight-to-series pickup.”
Halo is only one of several properties that Xbox hopes to develop for their entertainment service platform. The report explains:
“The deal with Showtime has taken a long time to work out because the sides are charting new territory for a show designed to air on Showtime as well as Xbox, with enhanced interactivity built in for the latter platform. Details are still being hammered out, but sources say the plan is to have episodes bow on Showtime first, followed by the Xbox window.”
Here’s the official description of the series:
“The Halo television series is a groundbreaking original series based on the award-winning “Halo” franchise. Award-winning filmmaker, director and producer Steven Spielberg will executive produce the live-action TV series, created in partnership with 343 Industries and Amblin Television.”
Ridley Scott is also producing a separate Halo project that has been described as a “digital feature.” So there’s a lot of Halo goodness coming our way! This is all very cool and exciting, but I still want to see a movie.
Matt Smith seems to be enjoying a seamless transition to life-after-Who. The 11th doctor will be donning his finest for the premiere of Ryan Gosling’s Lost Riverat Cannes next week but now it looks like the Brit will be balancing that indie fare out with some muscular franchise stuff too. Just this weekend it was announced that Smith will be joining the upcoming Terminator trilogy in what might just be a significant role.
The word from Paramount is as follows.
HOLLYWOOD, CA (May 2, 2014) – Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions announced today that “Doctor Who” star Matt Smith will join the cast of the upcoming “TERMINATOR” reboot. Smith will play a new character with a strong connection to John Connor.
Deadline are also speculating that Smith’s role will grow in the two planned follow up films. Whatever the case, we’re just happy he’s on board, it’s certainly the strongest piece of casting thus far.
Any thoughts on who Smith might be playing? Drop us a line in the comments below.
Just as Netflix thought they had the whole ‘produce-high-quality-entertainment-and-distribute-it-yourself-online’ market sewn up, Microsoft come in and blow a hole in their plan a giant ringworld wide. The computing giant has announced that not only will we soon be seeing the Steven Spielberg produced Halo TV series, but a whole lot more besides.
The company has just revealed their first lineup of ‘Xbox Originals’ – their answer to the original entertainment programming of Netflix – and revealed that they intend to offer what they call ‘interactive entertainment’, as opposed to the passive, sedentary sort of stuff we’ve been raised on up till now.
The most exciting part of the announcement for most was likely the confirmation a Halo TV adaptation will indeed soon be on its way – the Spielberg produced series has already been rumored to have acquired Neill Blomkamp as a director. We’ll also definitely be seeing that Ridley Scott produced animated adaptation, too, apparently – which is now looking like a feature film rather than a TV series.
There’s other exciting news, though – Jonathan and Simon ‘Searching for Sugar Man‘ Chinn will bring a series of documentaries, Signal to Noise, “about technology’s impact on the world” to the new media platform, including one that will be of particular interest to fans of famously lost Atari cartridges.
Soccer fans will get Every Street United, a reality series focusing on street-soccer players. Music fans will be seeing two live streams of footage from Bonnaroo in June. Robot Chicken fans will have a new series featuring 3D animated characters, named Extraordinary Believers.
There’ll be shows competing more directly with Netflix and the like, too. The Jash project, an as-yet-unnamed comedy show starring Sarah Silverman and Michael Cera is sure to set many hearts a-flutter. Humans, a UK co-produced adaptation of a Swedish series to do with life-like robot servants will be similarly eagerly anticipated, and with comparisons to both The Killing and Downton Abbey easily raised, it’ll be hoping for similar crossover success.
And biggest of all? The creative team have teased that we might yet see franchises like Gears of War, Fable and Forza Motorsport come to the screen.
It’s all big, potentially industry re-defining news. There’s no doubt that a major games player like Microsoft entering the television market will be of serious concern to the likes of Netflix, HBO and the already struggling major networks – and if they can lead off successfully with as established and long-awaited a franchise as Halo, who knows what they could go on to do?
It also allows us to begin to ask some big questions about the Halo adaptation itself. Can we expect to see Spielberg (and possibly Blomkamp) heavily involved, or will they take on a more advisory role? Could the ‘interactive entertainment’ Microsoft is pitching allow us to feel as though we’re genuinely part of a television series for the first time – perhaps even integrating a simultaneously launched game? And, of course, who will take on the – presumably largely just a voice part – of Master Chief? Since the hero could well be entirely hidden by armor for much of the series, can we expect to see a major name take on the part?
Are you excited about this news? Are you a fan we want to hear from you!
Arnold Schwarzenegger will be joined by another T-800 Terminator machine in Terminator: Genesis. Body-builder Aaron Williamson revealed that he’ll be playing a T-800 in the next installment of the franchise. Here’s what he had to say:
“Thanks to an amazing team of people who help me get better each week, both physically & creatively, I’ll be playing a T-800 (Terminator) in the upcoming production ‘Terminator: Genesis’. I’m extremely grateful & motivated as this new chapter begins to take shape.”
What has yet to be seen is if he will be playing a new character in the movie, or just a younger version of the original model that Schwarzenegger made famous. In Terminator: Salvation they used a body-builder’s body for the T-800 and then digitally added on Schwarzenegger’s head. It looked awful, but technology has improved since then. When asked by TheTerminatorFans.com who he would be playing this was his reply:
“I’m not really at liberty to discuss anything w/ regard to this part. My social media followers have been following my journey since I returned to the states from Iraq, which is why I shared that photo; my desire to overcome adversity has really moved people. Where I’m at in my life right now is destiny & it’s truly a blessing. I grew up as a skinny kid watching the original Terminator & was fascinated by Arnold which is the man who inspired my career in fitness. To be a part of this production is a dream come true & a very special moment for me.”
The image above is something that he came up with and posted. As far as I know it’s not official production art.
The film is being directed by Thor: The Dark World‘s Alan Taylor, and it also stars Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi, Byung-hun Lee, Michael Gladis, Sandrine Holt, and Laeta Kalogridis.
What are your thoughts on this choice? We want to know!
Moon director Duncan Jones is deep into production on his epic big screen adaptation of Warcraft. Jones is the guy in the photo above, and as you can see he’s watching a couple of his actors on the monitors while they shoot a scene.
I don’t play World of Warcraft, I just don’t have the time to get sucked into that fantasy world. But, I am extremely excited for this movie! I loved the test footage that was screened at San Diego Comic-Con, and I trust that Jones is going give us something amazing. When talking about the his reaction he read the script for the first time Jones said, “It’s about both sides. It’s going to be red and blue.” He then explains that he wants the movie’s audience to “feel for the Orc heroes as much as they do the Human ones.” It will be interesting to see what kind of story he tells with this.
Warcraft stars Ben Foster, Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Toby Kebbell, Rob Kazinsky, Dominic Cooper, Daniel Wu, Clancy Brown. The film is set to open up on March 11th, 2016.
As you know, since J.J. Abrams took on directing duties for Star Wars: Episode VII he will not be coming back to direct Star Trek 3. Paramount Pictures has been looking to find a director to take his place, and over the year we’ve seen names such as G.I. Joe director Jon M. Chu and Attack the Block director Joe Cornish as potential replacements. We now have word from THR that Star Trek co-writer Roberto Orci is in talks to direct it.
This all comes along with the news that Orci and his long time writing partner Alex Kurtzman will be splitting up as a movie team. They’ve worked not only on the Star Trek films, but also the Transformers franchise and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The reason for the split is that they are just too busy working on their individual film projects now. Kurtzman is currently writing Venom for Sony Pictures and is looking to direct it as well.
