Is a New Matrix Trilogy on the Way?

Is a New Matrix Trilogy on the Way?

Are the Wachowskis working on a new “Matrix” trilogy? That’s the rumor coming from Latino Review, who say that the Jupiter Ascending filmmakers are returning to the franchise which brought in $1.632 billion for Warner Bros. Pictures.

It’s been over 10 years since the last film hit theaters. The Matrix, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving, opened in theaters in 1999 and was followed by both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions in 2003.

According to the site: “We’ve been told that the Wachowski’s have already started the writing process with early treatments and outlines already turned into the studio. No word if they will want to direct but my money says “Claro que Si!”…

The derisive ending of the original Matrix trilogy include the bearded Architect suggesting that Neo wasn’t the first “One,” opening the story world for prequels.”

GODZILLA Roars in Breathtaking New Trailer!

https://i1.wp.com/static.squarespace.com/static/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/t/530ce3b5e4b0603f2bc2cbab/1393353653384/godzilla-roars-in-breathtaking-new-trailer.jpg?resize=378%2C567Holy shit… this new trailer for Godzilla is awesome! This thing gave me goosebumps. I never would have imagined that another Godzilla movie would look so freakin’ incredible. I’m seriously in awe right now. Director Gareth Edwards is going to deliver a Godzilla that even the hardcore fans should appreciate and enjoy.

An epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

The movie stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, and Bryan Cranston. The movie hits theaters on May 16th, 2014!

Ghostbusters 3 Still Moving Forward After Harold Ramis’ Death

https://i0.wp.com/www.cinemablend.com/images/news_img/41848/ghostbusters_3_41848.jpg?w=584With the sad passing of comedy legend Harold Ramis yesterday, many movie fans wondered what it would mean for the seemingly always in-development Ghostbusters 3. The project was already moving forward without Bill Murray attached, but now will they make the film with just Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson? The answer to that question appears to be “yes,” as The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Sony has plans to rework the script that they have been developing. Continue reading

RIP Harold Ramis: 1944 – 2014

egonAmerican actor, director and writer Harold Ramis has passed away, reports the Chicago Tribune. According to the newspaper, Ramis died at 12:53 a.m. from complications of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, a rare disease that involves swelling of the blood vessels. He was 69. His wife Erica Mann Ramis said he was surrounded by family when he died.

The Tribune added that Ramis’s serious health struggles began in May 2010 with an infection that led to complications related to the autoimmune disease. Ramis had to relearn to walk but suffered a relapse of the vaculitis in late 2011.

Ramis’s best-known acting roles were as Egon Spengler in the Ghostbusters films and Russell Ziskey in Stripes, both of which he co-wrote. As a writer/director, his films included comedies Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, and Analyze This.

Ramis’s credits also include National Lampoon’s Animal House, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Stuart Saves His Family, Multiplicity, Bedazzled, Analyze That, The Ice Harvest, “The Office” and Year One.

A FARSCAPE Movie Is in Development

https://i1.wp.com/static.squarespace.com/static/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/t/530b7eaae4b091b1a7964b93/1393262283013/Farscapecast0715.jpg?w=584

It was recently announced that original Farscape scribe Justin Monjo is writing a screenplay for a spin-off movie. The sci-fi series was created by Rockne S. O’Bannon and produced by Jim Henson Productions and Hallmark Entertainment. It ran from 1999 to 2003. It was supposed to get five seasons, but only ran four. The series ended on a cliffhanger, but co-producer Brian Henson secured the rights to Farscape and developed and directed a three-hour miniseries to wrap up the story that left fans hanging. It was called Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars.

Henson is also set to direct the new movie in development. Thanks to Tor, we have a little information on the story:

Set to follow the awesome comics written by our favorite Keith R.A. DeCandido, the film would follow John and Aeryn’s son, D’Argo (or Little D, as we will always refer to him). Because their baby was exhibiting a set of interesting powers that made him a magnet for galactic villains, we find that John and Aeryn hide their son on Earth to grow up. Now the kid is 19 and ready to go into space with his parents.

I’m sure fans of the series are going to love this news. Hopefully Henson and Monjo can deliver a great film that they will enjoy.

It was also announced that Monjo is developing a new series for HBO called Mongo. It would be based on the detective series by George C. Chesbro, and the lead role was reportedly written specifically for Peter Dinklage.

James Cameron Gives Update on the Avatar Sequels

avatar James Cameron recently talked to RTL (via MarketSaw) about the upcoming three sequels to Avatar, the top grossing movie of all time with $2.782 billion at the worldwide box office.

“We’re still in the early stages. Right now we’re developing the software. I’m writing the scripts. We’re designing all the creatures and characters and the settings, and so on. So, I’m not actually directing yet, but I’m doing all the other creative processes that lead up to that,” Cameron said.

He added that he thinks “it’s going very well. I think it’s going to be spectacular. You’ll see new worlds, new habitats, new cultures. The primary conflict between the human view kind of dominating nature and the Na’vi view of being integrated into nature is the same, but it manifests itself in very different ways.”

As far as the tech behind the upcoming films, they have greatly reduced how long one movie will take to make. “The first film… took almost four years to make. We expect to be able to accelerate the process quite a bit, because we’ve improved a lot of the software and the computer graphics tools, and we’ve been working very closely with Weta Digital down here in New Zealand developing a whole new suite of tools to speed up the process.”

Cameron also said they are “looking at high frame rate. I’m studying that. I haven’t made a final decision yet, whether the entire film will be made at high frame rate or parts of it. You know, we’ll be shooting at a native resolution of probably 4K and so then there should be a lot of true 4K theaters by then as well.”

So what can we expect story wise? “The thing that’s great about ‘Avatar,’ it’s such a rich world, I can explore any theme or any idea that I want. Once you’ve got the characters that an audience loves, it’s great to surprise them and make changes and turns that they don’t expect. And you don’t have to spend so much time of the movie setting up all that stuff, because the audience will remember from the previous film.”

MAGIC: THE GATHERING Headed to the Big Screen

Via: THR

We’ve got another big, epic fantasy game world coming to the big screen! 20th Century Fox has closed a deal with Hasbro to acquire the rights to the fantasy card game Magic: The Gathering. The studio has hired writer and producer Simon Kinberg to help develop the project into a feature film. He’s previously helped in developing the X-Men and Fantastic Four universes for the studio.

The plan is to adapt it into an epic film franchise like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. This is one of the games I played a ton with my friends growing up in the ’90s. I haven’t played in years, though. I don’t really even remember how to play it, but I did enjoy it. I just didn’t have the time to keep up with it.

After World of Warcraft was picked up to get a movie adaptation I knew that Magic: The Gathering wasn’t far behind. The game was introduced in 1993, and it involves cards featuring a bunch of fantasy races, wizards, creatures, weapons, and spells that the players use to defeat each other. The cards and characters varied in strength, and some of the cards are incredibly valuable.

There’s so much awesome potential here, they have a ton of stuff to work with, and I’m really excited about the possibilities. If this thing turns out to be successful, we could have another badass fantasy franchise on our list of things to follow and watch! I’m hoping for the best.

Microsoft Says They Have No Plans for a HALO Movie

HalomovieEarlier this week a Production Weekly rumor that Ridley Scott would be producing a big screen adaptation of Halo hit the net. Apparently the movie would exist independently of Steven Spielberg’s series, which is set to air on Xbox Live.

Well, unless Microsoft is lying to us, there’s no truth to that bit of news. They released a statement to Eurogamer that says:

The Halo franchise encompasses many elements, including games, action figures, novels and more. As always, we have many projects in the works that offer us the opportunity to bring in new audiences to the franchise, as we did in the past with Halo Legends and Halo: Forward Unto Dawn. We plan to continue telling the Halo story through innovative channels, but there are no plans for a Halo motion picture at this time.

I  am one to say that i am  disappointed in the new i was  hoping to see a  full halo movie soon!  ow well  maybe  one day.  What is your  thoughts?

10 Movie Franchises Set to Hit the Big Screen in 2015

Chinese TheaterYou may not know it yet, but 2015 is poised to be an absolutely stunning year when it comes to blockbuster films. Any misgivings about the state of Hollywood creativity aside, the tentative line-up for 2015 packs a huge punch — and looking at it on paper makes you wonder whether this could become the highest-grossing year ever.

As if 2015 wasn’t already gearing up to hold an explosive amount of tent-pole franchise films, Universal Pictures (NASDAQ:CMCSA) decided to join the fray on Tuesday, as the studio announced that the fourth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise has finally been given a release date. Entitled Jurassic World, the film is set to be released on June 15, 2015 and will be produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed).

Just take a look at two of the biggest films of 2015 – Avengers: Age of Ultron and the Man of Steel sequel. Those two films have the power to drive the entire box office to a year of success. When you see the list of films set to appear through the year, you will be astounded by what Hollywood has in store.

1. Fantastic Four – March 6, 2015

If the idea of another Fantastic Four film makes you groan, you’re not the only one. Fantastic Four and it’s sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of Silver Surfer were almost universally panned by both critics and fans — the latter of which have been continually disappointed by a mediocre-at-best adaptation of one of the most beloved Marvel comics of all time.

Luckily for everyone who wants to see the comic series created with justice, 20th Century Fox (NASDAQ:FOXA) has apparently heard the complaints and intends to respond using the Warner Bros. method — reboot. The 2015 Fantastic Four film is set to be a complete reboot of the series from the ground up. The film will be directed by Josh Trank who helmed the well-regarded and highly lucrative Chronicle (2012), which made $126 million on a $12 million budget and won over superhero fans and critics alike.

Aside from that, there’s not much other information. However, it’s safe to say the Fantastic Four property is probably going to receive a quality, more serious treatment than it has so far.

2. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – May 1, 2015

With writer and director Joss Whedon set to return for Marvel and Disney’s (NYSE:DISThe Avengers: Age of Ultron, along with the entire original cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Chris Hemsworth, the sequel to 2012?s The Avengers is set to be up there with the highest grossing films of the year — if not beyond. The first film made $1.5 billion worldwide, becoming the third-highest grossing film of all time, and there’s a good chance the sequel could eclipse that number.

It’s still early, with principal photography not set to start until 2014, but we do know that the villain of the film will be Ultron, with James Spader cast to play him late last month. Whedon explained that the filmmakers intend to create their own origin story for the villain and that he felt Ultron was “the chief villain when I read the book. He’s been the Avengers villain for so long, I was amazed anyone was surprised it would be him in the movie.”

Along with Ultron, superheroes Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch are set to join the team in the sequel. Although neither roles have been officially cast yet, Elizabeth Olsen is reportedly close to taking on the role of the Scarlett Witch.

3. Jurassic World – June 12, 2015

Admittedly, the news of Jurassic World was only announced Tuesday, so information regarding the film is scant at best. With Jurassic Park III having been released over a decade ago in 2001, the news of a fourth installment has been mired by starts and stops for years. Now, if you believe Universal Pictures, it looks like a return to that world is finally coming true.

Other than the film’s title and a tentative release date of June 12, 2015, we don’t know anything about the film other than the major players involved. Unfortunately, Steven Spielberg will not be returning to the director’s chair, though he is set to produce along with Frank Marshall and Pat Crowley. Directing the film, which will be reportedly shot in 3D, is Colin Trevorrow, who directed the well-received indie flick Safety Not Guaranteed. Trevorrow also wrote the current draft of the script along with Derek Connolly.

4. Terminator 5 – June 26, 2015

When The Halcyon Company, who owned the rights to the Terminator franchise, filed for bankruptcy in 2009, they set off a bidding war that was ultimately won by Megan Ellison and her production company Annapurna as well as her brother David Ellison and his production company Skydance. While rumors of what Megan and David Ellison would do with the rights have been inconsistent over the last several years, it now appears that the franchise is gearing up for a reboot set to be made by Annapurna, Skydance, and Paramount Pictures (NASDAQ:VIA).

Story details haven’t emerged yet, but given the film’s status as a reboot, it’s safe to say the story will likely bear resemblance to the early episodes of the Terminator franchise. With a script penned by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier, The Hollywood Reporter revealed last week that director Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World, Game of Thrones) is in negotiations to direct the film. Along with Taylor, both Dennis Villeneuve and Rian Johnson were reportedly targeted by the film’s producers — the latter of which was a bit of a long-shot given that he normally only directs material he has written.

The question on everyone’s mind is will Arnold Schwarzenegger be involved? Early rumors said yes, but the project seems to still be in the process of settling, thus it’s a little unclear if the reboot involves a complete revamp of the franchise altogether — sans Schwarzenegger.

5. Independence Day 2 – July 3, 2015

Believe it or not, 20th Century Fox’s Independence Day 2 is moving forward with the film’s original helmer, Roland Emmerich, in the director’s chair. Actors Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman are already set to reprise their roles from the original film and now it looks like Will Smith, who had originally been thought to be too expensive and famous to return to the series, might also be on board. While Smith’s potentially late arrival to the film might push the release to 2016 according to Emmerich, fans of the original are more than likely to give him the time. Surprisingly, Emmerich has already dropped a lot of hints about the film’s story, which is obviously subject to change given how early in the process it is.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he told the publication that, “The humans knew that one day the aliens would come back. And they know that the only way you can really travel in space is through wormholes. So for the aliens, it could take two or three weeks, but for us that’s 20 or 25 years.” He also explained that, “It’s a changed world. It’s like parallel history. [Humans] have harnessed all this alien technology. We don’t know how to duplicate it because it’s organically-grown technology, but we know how to take an antigravity device and put it in a human airplane.”

Of course, leave it to Pullman to reiterate that, as close as the film appears to be, not to get too excited yet. “Nobody’s holding their breath because [the sequels have] been continually plagued,” he said. But given that the potential follow-up sounds fairly interesting, especially the idea of an alternate history, it would be great to dive back into the world we remember from the late 90s.

6. Batman & Superman (Man of Steel sequel) – July 17, 2015

With all the news that’s been going around about the Man of Steel sequel, it’s hard to believe that the film was only announced this past July by Man of Steel director Zack Snyder at the San Diego Comic-Con. Since that time, a seemingly endless stream of industry rattling news has come out. Ben Affleck has been cast as Batman to the disappointment of many fans; Bryan Cranston was rumored to be cast Lex Luthor, though no new information has come about since; and Warner Bros. (NYSE:TWX) is set to to film the Man of Steel sequel in Detroit and other areas of Michigan due to tax incentives.

It’s too early to say anything about the story and screenplay, which is being written by David S. Goyer with a story by both Goyer and Snyder, but it’s safe to assume that the film will likely involve aspects of Superman and Batman both working together and against each other given the storied history of the two characters in DC Comics. As far as the main actors from the first film, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, and Laurence Fishburne are all confirmed to return.

With a potential Justice League set to release in 2017, Warner Bros. and fans are likely hoping for this film to be the one that finally gets DC Comics characters onto the big screen where Marvel has unequivocally dominated in recent years.

7. James Bond 24 – November 6, 2015

Unadjusted for inflation, Sony Pictures’ (NYSE:SNESkyfall is the most successful James Bond film ever made, sitting at $1.1 billion worldwide. While the film received great business in the U.S. to the tune of $304 million, Skyfall is the highest-grossing film of all time at the British box office with 103 million euros. Given that director Sam Mendes had originally opted out of directing the next Bond film, his decision to come back for another back in July was met with celebration.

Due to Mendes’ surprise reversal, it now seems likely we’ll see the next Bond film in 2015 barring any setbacks. The Guardian reported in late 2012 that Mendes and his team of screenwriters had already formulated the plot to Skyfall’s sequel, regardless of whether Mendes returned or not, so it would appear that the Bond engine is firing on all cylinders.

8. Finding Dory – November 25, 2015

This highly-anticipated sequel to 2003?s Finding Nemo is set to be released just in time for the 2015 holiday season, led by the original film’s director Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E, John Carter). Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks are confirmed to return to voice Dory and Marlin, respectively, along with Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy coming aboard to voice new characters.

While no story details have been released about the film, according to an article from The Guardian back in August, Disney decided to undertake some rewrites after viewing the critically acclaimed, Sundance documentary Blackfish, which reveals details regarding the policy of keeping killer whales in captivity at SeaWorld parks that have allegedly killed three people. The script of Finding Dory, which apparently involves a marine park for a majority of the film, is currently being tinkered with in order to reflect the newfound sensitivity towards the issue of marine parks — though Disney insists the changes are only minor.

9. Star Wars: Episode VII – TBA, 2015

Star Wars: Episode VII is an ocean of rumors at the moment, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if the film was pushed back to 2016 despite Disney’s insistence on releasing it in 2015. What we do know about the movie is that J.J. Abrams is officially directing; the script was written by Michael Arndt; and a post-production facility, including green rooms, sound studios, and other features, recently sprung up in Los Angeles to satisfy Abrams’ desire to stay in Los Angeles with his wife and kids (Star Wars: Episode VII is shooting in the U.K.).

Aside from that, we don’t really know much. Rumors are swirling that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford could be featured in the film. A casting call also recently popped up with numerous available roles. There isn’t really much to offer there, but it appears likewe should be getting some solid information on this film over the next several months.

10. Mission Impossible 5 – TBA, 2015

Chalk this one up as another film that might not make it in time for 2015, but of the other 2015 to-be-announced films (like Ridley Scott’s Prometheus 2), Mission Impossible 5 appears closest to the filming stage. Recently, Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher) was attached to direct and while he doesn’t have a whole lot under his belt as a director, he was responsible for the screenplay for The Usual Suspects and Tom Cruise’s upcoming thriller entitled Edge of Tomorrow.

McQuarrie will be the fifth director in the franchise’s five movies and Cruise explains that it’s by design. “I began producing the films with the goal that a different director with his own vision would make each one. Chris is an extraordinary filmmaker who will deliver the heart-pounding action and thrills that audiences around the world have come to expect from the Mission: Impossible franchise,” he says.

Now that a director with considerable writing credentials under his belt is attached to the fifth Mission Impossible, it appears as though the film should see smooth sailing until it’s released in 2015 — or at the worst, 2016.

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Actors up for the Role of Kyle Reese in TERMINATOR: GENESIS

actors-up-for-the-role-of-kyle-reese-in-terminator-genesisParamount Pictures and director Alan Taylor are gearing up to start production on Terminator: Genesis. The casting process is underway and so far we have Jason Clarke up for the role of John Connor and Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke is set to play Sarah Connor. We assume that Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to be in the movie, as well, but we haven’t heard much about that recently.

Thanks to Variety we now have a list of actor who are up for the part of Kyle Reese, who was played by Michael Biehn in the original film, and by Anton Yelchin in Terminator Salvation. The list of actors currently set to test for the role include Boyd Holbrook (The Host), Tom Cocquerel, Wilson Bethel (Heart of Dixie), Sam Reid (Hatfields and McCoys), and Jai Courtney (A Good Day to Die Hard).

I’m not really impressed with the lineup of actors they got here, but maybe the role isn’t really going to be that big in the movie anyway. There’s still no official plot details, so it will be interesting to see how it all comes together.