In what has become a pattern with Cruise's movies of late, Warner Bros. will likely move Kill to another slot to avoid Maleficent just as his MI4's wide release was delayed by 5 days to avert a head-to-head with Sherlock Holmes 2 and his Knight and Day was advanced by two days to avoid Grown Ups.
If it were Cruise's signature franchise MI5 against Salt 2 we'd have more of a battle. But director Brad Bird, the principal reason why MI4 ($694 / $145M) far outpaced MI3 ($397 / $150M), has said he won't be back to direct another MI sequel and will instead helm Damon Lindelof's 1952. While Salt 2 is listed as "announced" on IMDb, there has been no word on whether Angelina has officially signed on after initially rejecting Kurt Wimmer's draft. She is known to be very choosy about her roles and the directors she works with and I expect Sony will do everything to please her. That means their short list of writers and directors will have to consist of top talent even if not necessarily on the level of David Fincher and Darren Aronofsky.
Angelina may be Maleficent's big draw but they've also assembled an impressive cast to support her. The number of Award-winning and acclaimed acting talent involved in this film -- Miranda Richardson, Leslie Manville, Sharlto Copley, Imelda Staunton, Peter Capaldi, Elle Fanning, Juno Temple, Sam Riley + Angelina -- surpasses that of Harry Potter, the Avengers or any other recent blockbuster. While we don't yet know how Robert Stromberg will fare as a director, at least visually he should deliver a dazzling, audience-pleasing spectacle on par with his Award-winning work in Avatar and Alice in Wonderland. Linda Woolverton penned the screenplays for past Disney hits Alice, Lion King and Beauty and The Beast which gives us an idea of what her Maleficent script will be like.
Perhaps most importantly for the box office, Maleficent is a prequel to one of the most popular fairy tales, telling the story of the most iconic fairy tale villain, and from the company that is synonymous with fairy tales. This won't be another Mirror, Mirror ($162M on $85M) or SWATH ($396M on $170M). Like most of Disney's films, Maleficent will have numerous merchandise and theme park tie-ins where Disney expects to earn even more. Even if Maleficent doesn't match Alice's $1B in sales, it's hard to bet against it at least coming close.
All You Need is Kill's concept was already done just recently by Jake Gyllenhallal's critically acclaimed Source Code (2011), directed by Duncan Jones and based on a Black List script, which made $147M on $32M. Unlike Bird who previously directed the excellent The Incredibles, Liman's work in action thrillers is merely serviceable at best and this isn't likely to be any different. Emily Blunt will play the requisite female co-star much like her roles in Adjustment Bureau and Salmon Fishing in Yemen. By the time it comes out, Kill will be Cruise's 4th action thriller in a row (after MI4 and the upcoming Jack Reacher and Oblivion) which also raises the spectre of audience fatigue.
Maleficent vs All You Need is Kill is a gross mismatch on almost every level. Disney execs probably just raised their eyebrows in amusement when they heard the news. Warner may have thought it was one way to get attention for their project and it did that -- but with much head scratching and skepticism.
Tom Or Angelina? 'All You Need Is Kill' Set To Open Opposite 'Maleficent' On March 14, 2014
by
October 1, 2012 8:00 AM
October 1, 2012 8:00 AM
Regardless of how it plays out, "All You Need Is Kill" boasts a pretty interesting little concept. An adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka's novel, the story follows a soldier in an alien war who finds himself living his last day in battle over and over again after being caught in a time loop, becoming a better soldier along the way. Emily Blunt, Charlotte Riley and Bill Paxton co-star. Here's the synopsis via Deadline:
The story unfolds in a near future in which a hive-like alien race, called Mimics, have hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, shredding great cities to rubble and leaving millions of human casualties in their wake. No army in the world can match the speed, brutality or seeming prescience of the weaponized Mimic fighters or their telepathic commanders. But now the world’s armies have joined forces for a last stand offensive against the alien horde, with no second chances.
Lt. Col. Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and then dropped—untrained and ill-equipped—into what amounts to little more than a suicide mission. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an Alpha down with him. But, impossibly, he awakens back at the beginning of the same hellish day, and is forced to fight and die again…and again. Direct physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop—dooming him to live out the same brutal combat over and over.
But with each pass, Cage becomes tougher, smarter, and able to engage the Mimics with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt), who has lain waste to more Mimics than anyone on Earth. As Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated battle becomes an opportunity to find the key to annihilating the alien invaders and saving the Earth.
