App Media's PERSONA gets a 1st Teaser Trailer

The first official Teaser Trailer for the series I co-wrote with Phillip Barron, John Soanes and Ronnie Mackintosh has premiered via youtube.

Here are some Behind The Scenes photos from the set of PERSONA and the link to the trailer is below.


Linked here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnY4jbKRZms&feature=youtu.be&a

App Media's PERSONA gets Official Logo

COMING IN JANUARY 2011

Written by: Adam J Spinks, Phillip Barron, Ronnie Mackintosh and John Soanes.



Bringing PERSONA to life... that's a WRAP!

PERSONA, the worlds first iPhone television series has today completed principle photography on SEASON 1. Starting January 1st 2011, PERSONA will air 2 minutes per day of downloadable content.

Below are some of the photo's from behind the scenes.

Get downloading on JANUARY 1ST 2011...

Monsters Review

Gareth Edward's film is certainly remarkable.

Made on a shoe-string budget and lacking in a concrete screenplay, he lured two good actors in to roles in a movie he could barely fund and the results are quite honestly breathtaking.


What stands out here is the attention to narrative detail and character. This director knows both how to use silence and also the power of silence in the story and the careful balance between revelation and mystery. Surprisingly early on Edwards shows us the monster, looming in the night vision blackness as iconic as the tripods that swallow humankind in War Of The Worlds. There, for all to see, is a CGI Alien created entirely on a laptop. And it looks great...

Our two main characters are pretty compelling; Whitney Able is beautiful, subtle and gentle; taking in her surroundings in an absorbing fashion and poking fun at Scoot McNairy for relying on tragedy to make himself a living as a Photographic Journalist. He brilliantly points out " you mean like Doctors?". The relationship builds briskly and believeably as the journey moves from the standard to the intriguing, as the relationship between the " monsters" and the military is brought to the foreground. The fantastic thing here is that these aliens are not marauders from Mars but are creatures, stranded in a new world as they follow a loose migratory pattern across the infected zone in South America. The American Army seems to operate a shoot first-ask questions later modus operandi, which seems to cause far more conflict than they may like to admit.

Camera work is jaw-dropping and the film appears quite expensive; easily holding it's own with it's contemporaries and sometimes threatening to eclipse them as it moves on its whimsical, never-distracted gaze with our two main characters. What is clear from Monsters is that Gareth Edwards will be enormous... the next big thing and I, for one, am proud that he is British.

Outside contender for Best Picture at the 83rd Academy Awards- if there's any justice then it should be nominated.

App Media's PERSONA

Hi All,

I am delighted to inform my followers and readers of the following:

A few months ago now, I was selected from a pool of candidates to be part of a small team of screenwriters who would be tasked with bringing the first iphone/android application television show to reality. The title of this series is PERSONA and it is produced by App Media.

They are now rehearsing Season 1 and the shoot begins this coming week in and around London. Preliminary work has started on Season 2.

Persona is due to air on 1st January 2011 and will air 1.5 minutes a day, direct to your application. So, please friends... get downloading!

Adam

Oscar Predictions for 2011

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards presentation will be held at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood on Sunday, February 27, 2011. The Oscars, as the ceremony is better known, will be televised in the

United States by ABC and to more than 200 countries around the world.

Although the ceremony comprises a total of 24 awards, this article will focus on eight, trying to gather the expert's early assessments while keeping in mind that intangibles are an intrinsic part of predicting, and that the earlier predictions are launched, the more volatile they are.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Potential nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay include:

• Winter's Bone (Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini).
• Never Let Me Go (Alex Garland).
• True Grit (Joel and Ethan Cohen).
• The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin).
• 127 Hours (Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy).

My predicted winner: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network, who has been praised by Roger Ebert for his excellent portrayal of potentially complex computer programming.

Best Original Screenplay

Potential nominees for Best Original Screenplay include:

• The King's Speech (David Speider).
• Another Year (Mike Leigh).
• The Fighter (Paul Attanasio, Lewis Colich, Eric Johnson, Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy).
• Inception (Christopher Nolan).
• The Kids Are All Right (Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko).

Predicted Winner: Christopher Nolan. This may be the easiest pick of all. With Inception, Nolan continues playing mind games and showing an uncanny ability to write complex structures and translate them into smart thrillers that capture everyone's attention.

Best Supporting Actor
Potential nominees for Best Supporting Actor include:

Christian Bale (The Fighter).

• Matt Damon (True Grit).
• Andrew Garfield (Never Let Me Go).
• Sam Rockwell (Conviction).
• Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right).

Predicted Winner: Matt Damon.

Best Supporting Actress
Potential nominees for Best Supporting Actress include:

• Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech).
• Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right).
• Keira Knightley (Never Let Me Go).
• Melissa Leo (The Fighter).
• Thekla Reuten (The American).

Predicted Winner: Keira Knightley.

Best Actor
Potential nominees for Best Actor include:

• Jeff Bridges (True Grit).
• James Franco (127 Hours).
• Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network).
• Mark Walhberg (The Fighter).
• Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine).

Predicted Winner: Jesse Eisenberg.

Best Actress
Potential nominees for Best Actress include:

• Natalie Portman (Black Swan).
• Annette Benning (The Kids Are All Right).
• Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs).
• Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone).
• Lesley Manville (Another Year).

Predicted Winner: Natalie Portman. The best support for this prediction comes from film critic David Nusair, who on an update about the Toronto International Film Festival says that "the actress' tour-de-force performance anchors the proceedings on a thoroughly consistent basis, and it's worth noting that much of the suspense that ensues in the film's final half hour is heightened by Portman's flawless work."

Best Director

Potential nominees for Best Director are:

• Danny Boyle (127 Hours).
• David Fincher (The Social Network).
• Gareth Edwards (Monsters)
• Christopher Nolan (Inception).
• Tom Hooper (The King's Speech).

Predicted Winner: Cristopher Nolan is one of the most original directors in years. It took him ten years to carve Inception into an intelligent thriller. But David Fincher's work with The Social Network was too good. The cinematography and the way he got his young cast to light up the dialogues were simply masterful. Outsiders chance for Gareth Edwards, who has re-defined the way film can be made and seen with a frankly masterful debut MONSTERS.

Best Picture

Potential nominees for Best Picture include:

• The Kids Are All Right.
• The King's Speech.
• The Social Network.
• True Grit.
• Monsters
• The Fighter.
• Never Let Me Go.
• Toy Story 3.
• Inception.
• 127 Hours.

Predicted Winner: Inception. The innovative thriller grossed over $287 million at the box office in the United States. Although The Social Network may be a more appealing and simpler movie, it will be hard for the academy to ignore those figures. Also, an expectation of intelligence will be in the air, and nobody will want to admit they didn't quite understand Inception. For many, It will be a dream come true

The future of the UKFC

Nice, informative article I found online about what's next for the UK Film Council and the industry its left behind...

The British Film Institute (BFI) is to become the new champion for British film, inheriting the funding responsibilities of the UK Film Council and ending a period of uncertainty for the industry.

Ed Vaizey, the minister for culture, said yesterday that a fundamentally changed BFI would have a new board and management structure while it established its new role over the coming months.

"We need a new strategic body to oversee the future of development of film in this country," he said. "On this basis, the BFI will be in charge of delivering the Government's policy for film." Mr Vaizey said it was an opportunity to "unite the British film industry" and added that, from April 2011, the BFI would distribute lottery money to British filmmakers, decide which films would receive tax credits and oversee any strategy to support film in the regions.

The Government axed the Film Council in July, prompting a stream of protests. Tim Bevan, the Council's chairman, condemned the move, saying that "abolishing the most successful film support organisation the UK has ever had is a bad decision, imposed without any consultation or evaluation. British film, one of the UK's more successful growth industries, deserves better."

Greg Dyke, the chairman of the BFI, denied he would have a hands-on role in the expanded organisation. "The moment the chairman tries to get involved in deciding what films should be made he should be shot," he said. "Our aim is to try and increase the annual production budget we use to invest in film from £15m to £18m next year. That's achievable if we reduce our overheads."

Mr Dyke did not confirm where cost-cutting would take place, but added: "We will certainly see a cheaper operation. You don't need two legal departments, for example."

Mr Vaizey said that lottery funding for the film industry was set to increase to £43m annually over the next four years from current subsidies of around £27m a year.

Founded in 1933, the BFI started an Experimental Film Fund in 1952, financing early work by Ridley Scott and Ken Russell. It funded Peter Greenaway's The Draughtsman's Contract in 1982 as well as the work of auteurs such as Derek Jarman and Terence Davies over the next 20 years. The Labour Government closed down its production operations in 1999 when it established the Film Council. "The Film Council was spending 20 per cent of its money on overheads," Mr Dyke said. "We need to be aware of the great competition that there will be for the money we have."

Sounds dandy....

Adam Spinks takes 3rd Place in Annual Student Film Screenwriting Competition

http://www.studentfilm.org.uk/competitions/screenwriting.html

Thank you very much to all of the young screenwriters who submitted their work to our competition! We have received 97 submissions and are proud to announce that the overall quality was excellent.

The following 10 scripts have been shortlisted and will each win one of our prizes, which you can find below.

1. Fancy That by Gavin Gunter

2. Dog House by Marilena Stracke

3. A different Life by Adam J Spinks

4. The Scarred by Gerry Linford

5. The Legacy by Fred Fernandez

6. Stocking Filler by Jonah Mayfield

7. A Substitute by Robert Page

8. Brotherly Love by Matthew Fothergill

9. A waverly path by Natalie Stephenson

10. Conflict of Faith by Mark McKay

The screenplays have been listed in the order of the winners.

The competition was run in partnership with the BFI and boasts a host of professional judges including BAFTA winner Asitha Ameresekere, the organisers of the London Screenwriters' Festival and selected board members of  Women in Film and Television and Industrial Scripts.

Adam Spinks Shortlisted for National Student Film Association Screenwriting Competition

That's right, my screenplay for A DIFFERENT LIFE has been shortlisted in the final 10 entries for this year's Annual National Student Film Association Screenwriting Competition, which has been judged by a panel of experts from across the industry.

The film follows Derek as he copes with his wife Lisa's short-term memory loss; a condition which causes her to forget everything, including him. Told over the course of one dinner date at the restaurant where he first got down on one knee...

Winners are announced on Wednesday 1st December...

Watch this space.

Ads

Pictures released from Favreau's COWBOYS AND ALIENS

I'd like to say this is a WORLD EXCLUSIVE but it's not... it's pretty fast though so here they are.

From COWBOYS AND ALIENS (2011) Directed by Jon Favreau and starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.

REVIEW: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1

HARRY POTTER finds an extra gear or two and finally gets the wheels turning.

It’s been  what… Ten Years for HARRY POTTER and his friends…

So when the first film came out I was 12. They weren’t lying when they said ” the film event of a generation” when they released the super-trailer for these films a few months ago… it really has been a very long, sometimes arduous journey but it seems that with film 7a, they’ve figured out how to turn Rowling’s world in to cinema…

This franchise lost my interest when the previous installment limped in to theatres with the feeling of a half-hearted blockbuster, made because they needed to get the audience to the final acts of the franchise.  If we're totally honest with ourselves, we would probably all agree that the initial enthusiasm for the story has been replaced with the kind of weary audience that may well be a good mirror for our main characters as we find them in this new film.

The problem with 8 was that the film suffered from a lack of development, dodgy acting and a story arc, to non-readers, that was almost non-existant. It had the feeling of frustration seeped through it because it felt like I was being cheated of the emotional truths that lay woven throughout Rowling’s dreamscape and fantasy. What is the motivation for Voldemort's actions? Or even, what is Mr Potter actually FEELING during these battles and deaths for the wizarding world...?

However, when it comes to the discussion of this first part of the final installments then it is good news. The changes to the format seem to breath life in into the film; allowing our characters to grow and change with their surroundings as they become increasingly bleak at the hands of the Dark Lord and his menacing brigade of followers. Hogwarts has become the symbol of safety and I am pleased that it has been jettisoned in favour of a new approach. It also became routine that the films would spend much of the first act travelling to the world of magic and mystery which was keeping the audience from the real adventure and themes that should be explored. Moments in previous installments threatened to reveal this danger but unfortunately it seemed to become rather cartoonish at times.

The choice of locations here is expert; with the travels reflecting the emotional standpoint of our protagonists and also offering some well thought out cinematic splendour. The script seems polished and noteworthy, although some of the overly explanative dialogue remains. There is a refreshingly honest and blunt tone about this picture that brings a new energy to the final chapters of this series. See the opening scenes for examples of this in practise.

At times, Radcliffe seems to have found a new gear here although he sometimes struggles to convey the sense of danger and responsibility that the film is themed around but the relationship between three friends rescues any moments that may be in danger of faultering. Emma Watson leads off from the front which can give the scenes an overwhelming sense of matriarchal dominance which is both comforting and yet strange, given that her character seems to be more vulnerable than she has before. Grint is solid and offers both comic relief and perspective throughout the film and the departure of his character really serves to up the stakes and test the dynamic.

Voldemort is scary here; I reference the first scene in which his snake devours a dying woman laying suspended in the air above a table full of Death Eaters. Ralph Fiennes takes every opportunity to lay some ham upon Voldemorts bones and the character is all the more fearsome for it. So in light of this, it is probably not such a good idea to take your children to this… maybe wait for DVD.

Overall… a final installment that teases for PART 2 perfectly and yet tells a compelling story in its own right. The fight ends almost evenly balanced but, it’s up there with LORD OF THE RINGS in terms of dread and suspense. A worthy final chapter should lay ahead if this film is anything to go by. 

Beautifully shot, choreographed and written; HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 is the best of the series by a country mile

Spielberg finally rolling on Lincoln Biopic

Daniel Day-Lewis will play 16th US president Abraham Lincoln in a biopic to be directed by Oscar-winner Steven Spielberg.

Lincoln, adapted by playwright Tony Kushner from Doris Kearns Goodwin book Team of Rivals. Spielberg has been attached to the project for years and earlier Liam Neeson was attached to star as Lincoln.

Kushner and Spielberg had earlier teamed up for Oscar-nominated Munich. Spielberg will begin filming the movie next year. He is also producing the biopic with Kathleen Kennedy, the Hollywood Reporter said.

"Daniel Day-Lewis would have always been counted as one of the greatest of actors, were he from the silent era, the golden age of film or even some time in cinema's distant future," said Spielberg.

"I am grateful and inspired that our paths will finally cross with Lincoln," he said in a statement.

The film is said to focus on the political collision of Lincoln and his cabinet over abolition and the end of the Civil War and Spielberg's DreamWorks expects to have the film in theaters late in 2012 through Disney's Touchstone label.

Day-Lewis recently starred in musical Nine and 2007 film There Will Be Blood, for which he won an Oscar for best actor.

"Throughout his career, (Daniel) has been exceptionally selective in his choice of material...which makes us feel even more fortunate that he has chosen to join with us for Lincoln," said DreamWorks co-chairman and CEO Stacey Snider.

Spielberg has a busy year ahead.

 

He is currently filming War Horse, which will release on December 28, 2011, and he is set to start filming Robopocalypse in January 2012 for a 2013 release. The Lincoln shoot will take place in between. He has also directed The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.

Check out the trailer for BATTLE LOS ANGELES... out next year

At this location! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_QZ1f-A8ec

What does everybody think?

NEW PICTURES RELEASED FROM TRANSFORMERS 3

Filming just wrapped on Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS 3 and from the look of these on-set photographs, new star Rosie Huntingdon Whiteley is enjoying her first production as she moves from commercials and modelling to the big bad Hollywood!

Long Leggy Cleggy Weggy and PM D-Cam announce the future of the UKFC...

Cameron/Clegg finally decides to tell the world what is happening to the newly abolished UK Film Council... it's about bloody time chaps!

The British Film Institute, the charity chaired by former BBC chief Greg Dyke, is to take over the UK Film Council's role handing out lottery funds to film makers. An announcement is expected from Culture Secretary Jeremy hunt next week.
The Government has pledged to abolish the Film Council in its 'bonfire of the quangos'.
The council was behind hits such as Bend It Like Beckham, Tamara Drewe and the Last King Of Scotland, though it also had its share of flops such as Sex Lives Of the Potato Men.

While the BFI is expected to handle the council's £15million a year funding to film makers, the Arts Council will handle some of the administration to avoid any conflict of interest.
Hopefully this news will steady the worried masses and kick-start some new productions.... here's to some more story then...

Review: DUE DATE

Due Date stars Robert Downey Jnr and Zack Galifinakis, as well as Jamie Foxx and is directed by Todd Phillips.


My Verdict: B

As a synopsis/ idea/ outline it sounds very familiar to the old Trains, Planes and Automobiles format and, to be honest, I'm not sure anybody minds. Hollywood's a bit like that if we're frank... there's only so many stories that they exist in a framework where the story will kick off at around minute 11 and so on. Formula. Story by Numbers and, on paper, Due Date is no exception.

Where I think it's different is in the characters, although it sticks closely to road-movie formula. Downey Jnr plays Peter Highman, an architect, who needs to get home by Friday for the birth of his baby. Galifinakis plays Ethan Tremblay, an actor who is looking for fame in Hollywood. Due to some expertly scripted plotlines, the dimwitted Tremblay manages to get both he and Peter kicked off a plane under suspicion of terrorism. Long story short; they end up in a car together on their way to Hollywood.

All is looking well.

But it's a road movie and so there has to be problems. And problems there are... loads. An accidental crossing of the Mexican border, picking up weed from a strange woman who thinks perms are for sissys, a masturbating dog and a coffee can filled with the remains of a man are just some of the problems they face.

It's a good movie until the last act. Usually these movies work because there's an overriding sense that the assholes in the movie learned not to be assholes and change their lives. Due Date lacks this emotional suckerpunch, despite several times coming very close but consistently shying away. By creating such unlikeable characters and not giving them the proper send off to the audience, it begins to feel like a wasted journey. A funny but ultimately wasted journey with people who will never change. Our real lives are full of this so we don't want to be reminded of this at the end of an escape to the cinema... fantasy and happy endings all around please.

New Image from SCREAM 4

Posted just yesterday... this is the exclusive new promo from SCREAM 4. Could this be Gail Weathers signing off?

Danny Boyle says hope is the message of '127 Hours'

Everybody knew how awesome Danny Boyle was years before the Academy decided it was time for him to be recognised for his work behind the movie camera. Eventually winning for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, Boyle has enjoyed a long and fairly illustrious career. Starting way back when with the short film STRUMPET and ending up with 127 HOURS, Boyle’s career output has been consistently brilliant. He also made 28 DAYS LATER and SUNSHINE... oh and TRAINSPOTTING by the way. 

On the eve of the release of his latest project 127 HOURS, Boyle has been forced to defend the content of the film. Starring James Franco, 127 HOURS tells the story of a mountaineer forced to amputate his arm after it became trapped under a boulder in a remote canyon in Utah. Boyle says that the story is one of rebirth.

The film is a true story; probably one of the reasons why the gory scenes have been a little tough for some to swallow. For five days, or 127 hours, the climber tried desperately to free the trapped arm, knowing he had not brought a mobile phone on the trip and had failed to tell anyone where he was. I won’t say told you so but kids, please, if you’re reading... always take a mobile phone with you and make sure that it is charged!

Reduced to drinking his own urine, the climber recorded a series of diary-like video messages with the intent that they may be viewed by his friends and family after the discovery of his body before apparently coming to the terrible conclusion that his only hope of survival was to cut off his lower arm. Without a penknife he was forced to hack away at the limb with only the contents of a portable toolkit. This scene is apparently the offender; causing several people to faint during test screenings.

Speaking ahead of the European premiere in London, Boyle argued that anyone would have done the same in the same situation."It's very disturbing but it's worth so much more. Life is given back to him. It's about childbirth."

Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, who has worked with Boyle before said the filmmakers "had a responsibility to stick to what he actually lived".

Speaking about his experiences on the project James Franco said that "Aron accepted his own death and he didn't know there was going to be a happy ending," Critics have praised the performance by Franco as a potential Oscar winner. Only time will tell if lightning may strike twice for Boyle and company.

 127 HOURS opens in the United States on November 5 and in Britain on January 7.

                                                                                                                                                           

DUE DATE tops the International Box Office

DUE DATE TOPS INTERNATIONAL BOX OFFICE

The Hollywood News presents this weeks’ run-down of the International Box Office and analyses what the figures mean for the major Hollywood players.

YOUR WEEKLY TOP FIVE:

1.     DUE DATE (New)

2.     JACKASS 3-D (New)

3.     DESPICABLE ME

4.     PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (Down)

5.      RED ( Held Position)

The new yearly record was reached despite a seasonally so-so weekend stanza overall, which saw director Todd Phillips' comedy DUE DATE costarring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis take the No. 1 spot on the foreign circuit with $21.5 million collected from some 4,000 screens in 36 markets. DUE DATE premiered  at No. 1 in the U.K. ($3.8 million from 450 sites), Germany ($3.6 million including previews from 519 spots) and No. 2 in Russia (an estimated $3.8 million from 543 screens).

Distributor Warner Bros. said the overseas DUE DATE opening tally was almost identical to that registered by The THE HANGOVER in the same markets. Phillips' 2009 hit comedy went on to gross $191.6 million on the foreign circuit.

JACKASS 3D finds itself at Number 2, drawing $12.5 million from 1,482 venues in just 14 markets. In only 10 days, the third Jackass title has already out-grossed its two predecessors. Overseas estimates currently stand at $18.8 million and the unstoppable DESPICABLE ME remains a high-flyer at Number 3.

Hollywood's six major studios nailed down an annual box office high by weekend's end with nearly two months of overseas playtime left on the 2010 calendar.

From January through October, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Warner Bros, Paramount, Sony and Universal, collectively grossed offshore box office of $10.661 billion, according to studio figures, from all territories outside of the U.S. and Canada.

These figures translate to an increase of 30% over last year's comparable 10-month period, and only $39 million shy of calendar 2009's record foreign box office of $10.7 billion. The $39-million box office gap was collectively erased by the majors in the Nov. 1 through Sunday period.

And, with several big tentpole Winter releases waiting in the wings – including Warner Bro.'s HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 which rolls out Nov. 19, and Disney's TRON: LEGACY, due in December – calendar 2010's total foreign box office will be significantly higher than the previous 2009 record. (Just in October the majors collectively grossed $819 million overseas.)

Fox is leading the six studios with a 10-month box office return of $2.544 billion, of which $121.2 million was grossed offshore just in the month of October. The year-to-date tally, a Fox International record, is 43% higher than the company's take in the January through October period of 2009.

Disney is second with $2.084 billion January through October, of which only $23.8 million was grossed last month. Vying to wrest second place from Disney this year is Warner Bro.'s, which registered $2.080 billion in 10 months, $192 million in October. Paramount weighed in with $1.688 billion over 10 months and $92.7 million in October.

Sony was the leading distributor of the big six in October with a monthly gross of $228.6 million while logging $1.222 billion since January. Universal also had a strong October, registered $161 million. The studio passed the $1-billion overseas gross mark last month, logging $1.043 billion in the January through October period.

DISNEY TAKE ON MARVEL DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS FOR AVENGERS AND BEYOND

When Disney acquired new studio Marvel Entertainment in 2009, changes were bound to come eventually. Paramount Pictures, for example, will not be the main distributor of Marvel’s cinema output following the release of IRON MAN 3 (currently penciled in for 2013) but now even that timetable seems to have changed. Reports suggest that the length of Paramount’s relationship with Marvel has been chopped once again.


All three parties involved have announced that Paramount will transfer its worldwide marketing and distribution rights for both THE AVENGERS ( 2012) and IRON MAN 3 (2013) to Disney. In this deal, Disney will pay Paramount $115 million in transfer, which will serve as a “minimum guarantee against distribution fees”, according to the press release.


Upcoming movies THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA will remain with Paramount as previously planned.
“In completing this agreement, Disney will now assume worldwide marketing and distribution of THE AVENGERS and IRON MAN 3 and leverage these two highly-anticipated films across the multiple global platforms of The Walt Disney Company,” said Rich Ross, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, in the press release. “We appreciate the tremendous momentum that Paramount established with these iconic Marvel characters and look forward to propelling the brand even further in the coming years.”


With Disney able to reach this agreement prior to the conclusion of their existing deal, it does cause me to wonder whether if it’s possible that Sony and 20^th Century Fox may yet relinquish their rights to SPIDER-MAN, FANTASTIC FOUR and X-MEN over to Disney in the years forthcoming. What is clear though is that’s the end of an era for Paramount, the production company responsible for all Marvel output up until now.




Sad Face…

JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg set release date for SUPER 8

Not much is known about Super 8. Written and Directed by the annoyingly masterful JJ Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg, it has now been confirmed that the film will be released on JUNE 10 2011.



Spielberg on location in Devon, UK for principle photography
on War Horse due Dec 2011



The film stars Kyle Chandler (The Day the Earth Stood Still) and Elle Fanning (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), and several newcomers.

Plot details remain mysterious, but the alien-themed story, set in 1979, pays homage to some of Abrams' favorite movies as a kid, including Spielberg's films, such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. The idea has a group of kids playing around with Super 8 cameras who accidentally capture something sinister.

This scheduling puts the film up against Fast Five, the action sequel with Vin Diesel and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and Something Borrowed starring Kate Hudson.

Abrams still plans to produce sequels for Star Trek, which he is likely to also direct, as well as Cloverfield with Matt Reeves (Let Me In) directing

Spielberg is currently still busy with both War Horse and TinTin: Secret of the Unicorn which are both due out in December 2011 through Spielberg's SKG Dreamworks production facility.

BATMAN 3 GETS TITLE AND RELEASE DATE

The name for the upcoming “Batman” movie was revealed by director Christopher Nolan during an interview with Hero Complex.

Wait for it... The Dark Knight Rises

According to Nolan, the film will be the third and final movie in the franchise. Christian Bale is returning as Batman as will Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman. The Riddler though is apparently not the villain of the piece as was widely expected.

Nolan also defended his decision not to convert to the Hollywood norm of 3 Dimensions, choosing instead to remain in the traditional 2D format. However Nolan did say: “We’re looking to do something technologically that’s never been done before,”

What could this new technology be? What does everybody think?

Whatever the outcome, The Dark Knight Rises could potential be a great advert for commercial advertising. If Nolan doesn't strike up a deal with the makers of Viagra here then he's missed a trick or two.

The film is due in July 2012.

Cameron and Fox announce AVATAR sequels

 

Recently voted the most powerful man currently working in Hollywoodtoday ( displacing the mighty Steven Spielberg from his long-term throne), James Cameron has revealed that he will indeed be shooting two sequels to his 2009 smash-hit blockbuster AVATAR and that he will shoot them back to back, releasing them in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

 

The director has said that the next two adventures will be an "epic journey" - and will once again star Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, according to reports in the Independent, UK. Cameron also confirmed that, like the first movie, both films will be shot in 3D.

When asked about these new ventures Cameron said: "With two new films on the drawing boards, my company and I are embarking on an epic journey with our partners. Our goal is to meet and exceed the global audience's expectations for the richness of Avatar's' visual world and the power of the storytelling."

Chiefs at Twentieth Century Fox had previous said that getting Cameron to make a sequel to the most successful movie of all time was a "high priority" for the studio.

 

A spokesperson for Fox said: "Avatar is not only the highest-grossing movie of all time, it is a created universe based on the singular imagination and daring of James Cameron, who also raised the consciousness of people worldwide to some of the greatest issues facing our planet.

"We had no higher priority, and can feel no greater joy, than enabling Jim to continue and expand his vision of the world of Avatar. This is a great day in the history of our company."

 

 

A Week In The World Of Me...

So...

It's been about 10 days in the world of this blogging business for me now. I started this little puppy up because I wanted somewhere to vent my opinions, to open a forum for discussions and because it sounded like a lot of fun. Truth is, this little blog has already opened a MASSIVE door for me...

About six days ago now I got an email from a guy called Paul, who runs the 5th biggest online film website currently in the United Kingdom called http://www.thehollywoodnews.com/ and he invited me to become a staff writer at the website for a period of at least six months. It's voluntary but it's a lot of fun and you guys can be a part of the action at the website and follow your favourite opinion machine as he goes mainstream!

And then I got another response... again because of my blog and my current work ethic, a nice lady called Sheena contacted me with an opportunity to contribute to an ambitious online series which I have to keep hush-hush about until she officially lets the details go public...

The point is... things are starting to happen for me and I may just cry with happiness.

Peace.

Adam S

Alien Prequel Details...

The Hollywood News has discovered some interesting plot details centred around Ridley Scott’s return to the ALIEN franchise.

Much of the recent news about the as-yet-untitled prequel to ALIEN has been about casting but the Australian entertainment site What’s Playing claims to have potential uncovered a much bigger, better scoop. The site has claimed to have come across a draft of the screenplay for the film and has published several interesting plot details before removing the information ” at the request of the studio”…

 Fortunately for The Hollywood News and the rest of the world, WorstPreviews managed to copy the draft before it was taken down and have published the details on their site.

Some of the plot details fall in line with what Scott himself has previouslt said in interviews; for example the exploration of the Space Jockey that we glimpsed in ALIEN and the concept of terraforming planets…

That’s the normal stuff… some of the rest of it is a little out of left field.

Read the plot details for yourself and remember, have your grains of salt firmly at the ready here.

- The script tells of the space jockeys traveling from planet to planet and terraforming them. The process is essentially transforming a planet where living beings can exist.

- The aliens are used by the Space Jockeys  in their terraforming process as some sort of biological tools. They usually don’t develop into the creatures that we know, but do so during the latest effort.

-The Space Jockeys are holding two human slave farmers captive. They are named Fin and Karik and are forced (via mind control) to engage in sexual activity. (The twist: they’re both male). ooohhh controversial not.

- The idea behind the man-on-man action is apparently that the growers want their human slaves to breed. They have no idea about human genders as they are a single sex race and so things get a little confused.

-The signature alien won’t appear until the latter half of the film when it fully develops.

-There will be a spaceship crew, consisting of a black female named Oliver, similar to Vasquez. And another female crew member named Truks, who may well be being played by Gemma Arterton..

So there it was… thanks to Worst Previews and The Hollywood News.com  there!

*scratches head*

Steven Spielberg's DREAMWORKS to produce Bee Gee's biopic

The brothers Gibb are set to see their story told on the silver screen.

The film will chronicle the rise of Bee Gees from their humble beginnings; rocking out on the Isle of Man and then show their rise to being one of the most famous pop acts of all time. Currently, their album sales have broken 200 million worldwide.

Speaking recently about the project Robin Gibb has confirmed that Hollywood mega- mogul Steven Spielberg has signed on to produce the film, which means we will see his company Dreamworks SKG dipping their fishing rod in to another honey pot, with the legendary director describing the subject as “box office gold”. Following the footsteps of musical biopic might be a good move for Spielberg, who’s contemporary Martin Scorcese recently released SHINE A LIGHT to rave reviews. Of course, a director is yet to be announced and, if Spielberg stays to his traditional formula; then it’s doubtful he will direct. He’ll be too busy with TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN and WAR HORSE, both due out in December 2011 and usually Mr Spielberg will do two and then have some time off.

Details about the film are still slowly coming out but it is clear that the news has leaked as early in to the production as possible but it is rumoured that the original Bee Gee’s recordings will be used instead of having actors lend their own voices to the iconic material.

The Bee Gees split in 2003 following the death of Maurice, however they announced last year that Robin and Barry will reform the band for

James "King of the World" Cameron to shoot AVATAR sequels back-to-back

James Cameron, director of TITANIC, TERMINATOR and the colossal popcorn flick that was AVATAR has announced that he intends to shoot the sequels to AVATAR back to back.

The director hinted that he intends to make two films straight after each other, using improved technologies which were road tested with the first film.

“Our plan right now is to do two and three as a single large production and release them a year apart. In order to do that, we have to refine our technical processes beyond the end of where we were finishing AVATAR one a year ago. We need to future-proof ourselves out five or six years to the end of the third film.” The sequels will contain more backstory, more on the world of Pandora, the arrival of men there and Sigourney Weaver’s character Grace. The director suggested that the actress would return for the sequels. “Who said she died? Nobody dies in a science fiction movie. Whether Grace lives or dies depends more on Sigourney’s agent than anything.”

Interesting stuff, I’m sure you will agree.

I for one am nervous about the possibility of AVATAR sequels. Firstly because although the first was spectacular, a movie event and made by a clever bastard; it didn’t really excel in terms of narrative and character development. I understood everybody’s motivations in their most basic forms however the dialogue had the effect of making the film seem somewhat melodramatic in places.

Also, in regard to the story it’s pretty obvious where Jake goes next as a character and for that reason I feel his arc is finished. A prequel might ( focus on might) work but sometimes I just think it’s best not to explain things to much because it takes away the mystery. In my view what information an audience is given it makes together a mental imagination projection which differs for each individual but by doing this it can then transcend cinema itself to become emotionally attached to the person; an explanation can then feel forced…

Men In Black 3 Casting Rumours

Who could possibly be joining the dynamic duo of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the next installment of this popular series?

Ready?

First up, Alec Baldwin (Awec Baawin)  is in negotiations to play the Men In Black chief from 1969, the year in which the bulk of the film looks like being set.  This is potentially interesting because I'd have chosen the fifties for this, simply because of Roswell and alien culture becoming paramount in the minds of the American Nation but hey, I'm not the producer!

The  plot will allegedly see Smith's agent "J" going back in time to that year, in order to save a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K, who will apparently be played by Josh Brolin ( Jonah Hex, W).

Next up, Gemma Arterton (HOT!) is reportedly circling the role of Baldwin's secretary in the movie, although no further details are known about her character. Basically, there won't be any but it's guaranteed she will look hot. For reference; see Megan Fox in Transformers 2.

Finally, and perhaps best of all, the majestic Sharlto Copley, fresh from injecting lots of life in to the somewhat mixed bag that was this years reboot of The A-Team, is heading to Men In Black III as well. All together now... YAY!

 Copley is set to play a "fast-talking Yoda type alien".

 Heck, this is a film that's not really got me excited. My enthusiasm was all but killed by the absolutely atrocious sequel and I was secretly hoping that these rumours were rumours but instead, alas, we have yet another sequel dribbling down the Hollywood pipeline...but with the addition of Copley, my ears are slightly pinned back now.


Adam Spinks 2010