Showing posts with label sequels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sequels. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 3, 2022



“They have announced there’s going to be an Eternals sequel,” the actor said on The Today Show. "Chloé Zhao is going to direct it. So, hopefully there will be more adventures of Starfox and Pip.”

D23 Expo, Sept. 10




Harry Styles.  What's the future of Harry Styles in the MCU?  Are we getting one more soon?
Feige: "Yes, The adventures of Eros and Pip is something very exciting for us. And as you start to see, you're talking about Ghost Rider.  We've got Blade, we've got Dr. Strange in the supernatural angles.  We've got street level with our announcement of Daredevil, Spidey going into the street level heroes.  And cosmic.  And that's where our friends Eros and Pip live."



Eternals Spoiler Special: Chloé Zhao On Faith, The Original Ending And Harry Styles

By Chris Hewitt | Posted On 28 12 2021

She merged her naturalistic, location-based filmmaking approach with Marvel's trademark superhero action for Eternals, in which a group of seemingly immortal heroes must protect the Earth from creatures known as Deviants. Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Kit Harrington, Don Lee and Barry Keoghan are among the sprawling cast for an adventure that spans millennia and forever changes how we think about the MCU.

Naturally, because this is an extract from our chat with the director on the Eternals Spoiler Special, we get into a lot of plot chat – so if you haven't seen the movie, don't read on. For the full chat, you can subscribe to the Empire Spoiler Special Podcast feed. Check out some highlights below.

A fairly big chunk of this movie shot in Camden, where the Empire office is. What was it about Camden? What lured you there?

It's funny because I have a lot of British people in my life, and when I decided to shoot in London for this sequence in the film, the places that were offered to me were quite standard places. Then my partner, who's the camera operator on Eternals, said, "We'll go somewhere a bit more cooler than that. Come on." The bar we shot in is a place where Kit lives across the street. Gemma, Richard, it was everybody's old stomping ground. Everyone had a story.

A question on everybody's lips after they see Eternals has to be the various mentions in the movie of Batman and Superman. Where did they come from?

I take responsibility for that. I just believe we all should live in one big happy family. And also, you know, we can talk about the elephant in the room – which is that Ikaris [Madden] reminds people of Superman. There are many brilliant filmmakers who've brought Superman to the screen in their own modern interpretation of this beloved mythology that exists in many cultures. So I just felt it's great to pay tribute, it's great to acknowledge these iconic interpretations of Superman. In Eternals, Gilgamesh [Lee], watches his movies while he's looking after Thena [Jolie]. You will see that there's going to be a deleted scene where he talks about another film that's gonna make you smile. And he loves Batman movies.

Perhaps the biggest theme of the movie is about faith and belief and dogma, and how doggedly people will cling to that. Can you talk about approaching that theme and filtering it through those characters in that way?

I appreciate you picking up on that, because this is one of the main reasons that drew me to this story when I first read the treatment. I think of the moment when human civilization has shifted from deism to humanism, when many of us were starting to question the existence of Gods. We started to ask ourselves, "Are we responsible to give meaning to the cosmos now? It's a lot of responsibility." In modern society, there's a lot of anxiety. And for better or for worse, we're asking this question, "Is there a bigger plan out there? Is there a higher power? Are we part of this grand design? And if so, do we have the right to break out of it?" This is a question that I asked myself a lot. To be able to explore these themes in a genre that kind of was born out of that...I think we've asked this question since the dawn of time. Each character represents some population in terms of how they view their relationship with God, or this grand design and, and how they might evolve and change.

Ajak [Hayek], Kingo [Nanjiani] and Ikaris; those three have faith in our film. They do believe that human beings have no right to break out of the natural order, because so many more are going to be created. Ajak made a mistake; she had to believe the people on this planet are her children. And she decided to choose love. Ikaris held on to his beliefs and killed her. And Kingo has confirmed the beliefs, but he refused to hurt people for it. That's a very difficult thing for a superhero to do in Act Three of a superhero film – to step back and not fight and not hurt anybody

Ever since Han Solo returns at the end of Star Wars to save the day, we've been conditioned to expect a character who's reluctant in the final confrontation, to come back in and help out. Kingo doesn't do that. That's a really bold decision.

We talked a lot about – what does it mean to be heroic? I feel we're entering a revisionist period for this genre. I feel the desire from the studios and from the audience. There's something about celebrating feminine strength, both in men and women in this film, that was very important for us. I think Sersi [Chan] is the bravest of all, because no matter how much someone wronged her, she's able to forgive them, to show them love instead of punch them in the face. She stays open and vulnerable, and that actually brought down the strongest, most powerful being.

There's probably a version of this movie where the last 20 minutes is the Celestials battling and special effects all over the place, but it's not that. The end of the movie is the creation of the of the 'uni-mind', with compassion and love overcoming that sense of destiny; overcoming violence.

I remember reading the treatments thinking to myself, 'Oh man, this is gonna be... really? So the climax moment of a superhero film is two people looking at each other, remembering that they love each other?'' I thought, 'This is the most exciting thing ever, and boy, am I gonna get myself in trouble.' But I just give a lot of props to Marvel and also to the actors. It's a very brave thing to do in today's climate – for Gemma to come in to the superhero genre as a woman, an Asian woman, who is not afraid to remain gentle and vulnerable, and not feel like she has to punch and be loud. That's a brave thing to do.

I wanted to talk about the depiction of the Mahd Wy'ry and Thena's mental health struggles. It's really refreshing and bold, especially for a movie like this. How much discussion was there about that aspect of the film?

It was very much in the treatment that I read. We're talking about one of the strongest female warriors out there in myth, and then we're talking about breaking her down to a point where she's lost herself. She can battle anyone else. But she can't protect herself from herself, not with strength, and not with power. When Angie came in, it just all clicked, because the way I work is – I very much depend on my actors to show me who these characters are, to really bring something human and personal. I need that from them. Angie immediately clicked with Thena's arc because she herself has dealt with things like that in her life. She has gone through similar things, trauma and stuff like that. From the very beginning, she said, "Chloe, we gotta have Thena stay feminine, stay vulnerable, break her down. I'm willing to go there". That's very Important, to know that you could be messy, you could have fallen apart and yet you could still be strong at the same time. And also for such a strong woman to not be afraid to lean on the shoulder of a strong man. That partnership Thena and Gilgamesh have; she's not afraid to lean on him, and that was important for Angie.

Was part of the decision behind killing Gilgamesh to almost remove that protector from her life?

Yeah. She had no choice but to embrace her vulnerability, her messiness. Before, she had Gilgamesh and he gave her the most important thing: "remember, you have it in yourself." She can't fight it with fire, she's got to let that that water come in. Thena needed to lean into the soft side of her, and remember the memories that are going to heal her. This was written in the treatment, but losing Gilgamesh is a tough thing for the whole group.



You end the film with several of our heroes being whisked away to God knows where, to face God knows what, and the final shot is of Dane Whitman [Harrington] looking a little bit bereft, but also determined to do something about it. Was that always how the film ended for you?

No. I have never made a film where the ending is what I wrote! You find it in the edit. Editing is a third of the filmmaking process, and when you show it to people, that's when you find the ending. I don't think I've made a single film where the opening and ending stay the same as the script, just because the scenes are fluid as we shoot. And we actually had another ending that is really bleak. Bleak. I didn't hate it, because I'm used to films that are more melancholy. But I don't think it went down well with audiences.

How bleak are we talking here?

It used to end with everybody back on the ship, minds erased and just going on to another planet, like The Twilight Zone. I remember when it goes to black, everyone was like, "I don't know what to do." And also, it's the MCU, and you want to be excited for what's next.

So I have to ask about the post-credit stings, and a certain Harry Styles. Can you talk about his casting as Eros? And why, even though he's a brother of Thanos, he's not purple and massive?

I can tell you why! Long story short, with that depressing ending, at some point he was going to be one of the Eternals on that ship. And that didn't quite work out. But I had been wanting to bring Eros into the MCU. So I kept mentioning it to Kevin [Feige] at every chance I had in the hallway, because I love the idea of Eros being another Eternal, another Ajak. He's an Eternal, and he was stationed on Titan – 10 of them were, just like the 10 Eternals on Earth, assuming Titan is also a host planet at some point. Now, if you think about that, what influence could Eros have had on the inhabitants of Titan, the way Ajak has influenced people on Earth? And how that has affected Thanos?

If you go to the comics, there's some quite beautiful, heartbreaking influence Eros has had on Thanos. And how much does Thanos know? I love him as a character. It makes my imagination go crazy thinking, 'Why does Thanos think this way? Why is he worried about overpopulation and destroying his planet?' Think about the emergence – does Eros know about it? Maybe if he's an advisor, the way Ajak advised kings and queens on Earth? It gets my imagination going. For me, the backstory of Eros is that he deserted, he said, "I'm not doing this anymore." So he somehow got that sphere, which you saw in his hand, and he ran off and made Pip the troll. They're like Han Solo and Chewie. Arishem's been looking for him, and he's just been a space outlaw. That's the character I had in my mind. But I never said once to Kevin, "Here's the character. Let's find an actor." For me, it was a package deal. It's got to be Harry. That's how I pitched it to Kevin.

I have to ask about that voice we hear at the end.

You know who that voice is, right? Everybody knows! It's Mr. Blade himself!

You've blown my mind!

I gotta say, in just the little time I spent with Mahershala, I can't wait for the Blade movie to come out. It's gonna be epic.





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Saturday, July 26, 2014








SDCC

















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Tuesday, June 3, 2014





Angelina Jolie Hints At 'Maleficent' Sequel in China

8:58 AM PDT 6/3/2014 by Clifford Coonan


The actress spoke to the press in Shanghai ahead of the Disney film's local debut; Brad Pitt took the kids to get lessons in preparing dim sum.

While partner Brad Pitt took the kids for lessons in preparing dim sum, Angelina Jolie was busy charming the Chinese press corps at a briefing in Shanghai’s Art Deco Peninsula hotel and tantalizing everyone with the prospect of a follow-up to her smash hit, Maleficent.

The Disney live-action fairytale opened with a $170.6 million global box-office haul and is due to bow in China on June 20.

STORY: Angelina Jolie Not Tightening Red-Carpet Security After Brad Pitt 'Attacked'

Jolie directed the upcoming Unbroken, her second outing as a director, and she has spoken of her desire to act less and direct more, but when asked what her next role would be, she also hinted that she might be back as the titular villain in Maleficent.

“It’s kind of hard to top her, she was pretty fun. Maybe I’ll get the chance to play her again,” said Jolie.

“I’m very happy to begin a directing career. I didn’t know if I’d be able to successfully make this change. I love telling stories. You learn so much about life. In my case, both films I’ve done so far deal with history, so it’s a very full experience, and you work very closely with the crew. So I love directing, and I would like to direct more. I think I’d like to do less acting and more directing and I’m fortunate,” she said.

In China, Maleficent is one of a number of big Hollywood movies that will open this month. The Tom Cruise-starrer Edge of Tomorrow opens on June 6, Godzilla and The Guardians bow on June 13, Maleficent, Autómata and Grace of Monaco open on June 20 and Transformers: Age of Extinction will open day-and-date with its US opening on June 27.

Q&A: 'Maleficent' Writer Cried Writing Angelina Jolie's Big Moment

Jolie was not worried about the competition.

“What sets (the film) apart is that it has action and it does have a lot of adventure but it is something that you haven’t seen before. There is something very unique to this film. It has a message in it that is very strong,” she said.

She also spoke of the experience of working wither daughter Vivienne, who plays a younger Aurora in the movie.

“Brad and I never had intentions of turning our children into actors. When I was on the set I was quite physically scary for children and when little kids would visit the set and see me in person they would cry -- one little kid froze for a good five minutes staring at me,” she said.

PHOTOS: Inside the 'Maleficent' Costumes

“We realized it would be very hard for a young actor or actress to do that scene, where she has to like me so much. But Vivienne of course doesn’t see a monster, she only sees her mommy, and she happens to look like Aurora. She was the only child that could do it, and it was so much fun for me to be able to work with her,” said Jolie.

Jolie heard the news about the film's global box office tally en route to China, and she spoke of her delight.

“This type of a film is one that you do for the audience, and you hope that people will come and bring their children and share in the joy. It thrills me that people are enjoying the movie,” said Jolie.

“I believe that it’s very important in life to do things that scare you. The idea of playing this character movie scared me a bit because she was somebody I loved as a child, and this is such a big performance and such a big voice that there is no half way to go about it as an artist, to take it on. The script was very moving, one of the best I’d read. It’s so moving,” she said.

VIDEO: Angelina Jolie Says Maleficent Is a Character to Commit to

She spoke of her delight at discovering China for the first time and said she was finding out about Chinese directors and artists and hoped to collaborate with them at some point.

“I would hope someone in China would reach out,” she said.

“I try not to assume before I come to a country, and I try to be very open to new experiences. I loved the Long Museum of Contemporary Art, and I loved the French Concession. I loved being here with my children and seeing what other moms and dads do with their children and realizing all the things we have in common,” she said.

“Shanghai is very, very elegant,” she said.

VIDEO: Angelina Jolie Talks Wearing Leather Horns and Acting With Her Daughter in 'Maleficent'

One of the places the family visited was the Long (Dragon) Museum of Contemporary Art in the city, which is the second museum set up in two years in the city by the art collector Wang Wei and her husband Liu Yiqian.

Pitt, who angered Chinese authorities with Seven Years in Tibet and was banned from the country, was basically along to look after the kids, but he likely was also dipping his toe in the water to get a sense of the China market, now the world's second largest.

“Right now they're doing dim sum classes with their dad," Jolie said of her kids. "The most wonderful thing for us is we’ve gone for walks. Local families have been very gracious and welcoming. It’s been a wonderful experience."

VIDEO: Angelina Jolie Says Mastectomy Affects Her Conversations

A big driver for Maleficent's $70 million North American debut were girls and women. The female audience is also a key demographic for the movie in China and Jolie spoke of some of the complex women she had portrayed over the years.

“I never get cast as normal. People often perceive the characters that I play as being very strong, but they are often vulnerable. To me it’s very interesting to be able to show all sides of a woman, maternal, emotional and also open and very strong,” she said.

At the end of the briefing, she was presented with a birthday cake and the assembled crew and a fair smattering of journalists sang Shengri kuaile, or Happy Birthday in Chinese.

Asked if she could keep something from her costume as Maleficent, she immediately replied: “My horns!”

And why?

“It goes without saying!”








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Thursday, March 7, 2013

Oz 2



Variety

Disney: No Place Like Another ‘Oz’ Sequel (EXCLUSIVE)

Mitchell Kapner penning sequel to 'Oz the Great and Powerful'


Marc Graser

Senior Writer @marcgraser

Stuart Oldham


Disney already is prepping a return to Oz.

Studio has commissioned a follow up to “Oz the Great and Powerful” from screenwriter Mitchell Kapner, who co-wrote the first film with David Lindsay-Abaire.

While no plot details are yet available, Kapner can work with what’s featured in L. Frank Baum’s novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” which is public domain. But he can’t use any of the iconic creative additions from the original film — Dorothy’s ruby slippers, for example — as Warner Bros. owns the 1939 film.
“Oz The Great and Powerful,” which bows Friday, is considered a prequel to the earlier film. Disney declined to comment on sequel plans.

Kapner’s previous bigscreen credits include “The Whole Nine Yards” and “The Whole Ten Yards.” Grant Curtis and Joshua Donen also are producers on “Oz.”

The Mouse House tapped Kapner several months ago to work on the sequel, with the studio confident in the playability of the Sam Raimi-helmed film starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams. Fantasy pic has received mostly favorable reviews by critics and is expected to open around $80 million this weekend domestically.

Disney isn’t looking to wait too long to get a sequel into theaters, especially as it turns to well-established brands and characters as the basis for its high-profile tentpoles. Similar fantasy fare waiting in the wings at the studio include “Maleficent,” based on “Sleeping Beauty,” and “Cinderella.” After Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” generated $1 billion, in 2010, it tapped Linda Woolverton to pen a sequel to that film.
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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Summer Sequels




Summer's Studio Smackdown: From 'Men in Black 3' to 'Prometheus,' Which Franchises Will Get Another Chapter

8:00 AM PDT 8/1/2012 by Pamela McClintock, Tatiana Siegel

Snow White in Battle
Universal Pictures
"Snow White and the Huntsman"

It's bye-bye "Battleship," hello "Ted 2" as stunning upsets, a scandal and the success of "The Amazing Spider-Man" start to reveal what’s happening to Hollywood's next chapter of sequels.

This story first appeared in the Aug. 10 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

Before summer began, few would have predicted Magic Mike 2 would happen before a Battleship sequel. But so far the warm-weather season has delivered some surprises when it comes to creating or prolonging franchises, Hollywood's lifeblood. With summer heading into its final stretch, here's how the studios stack up.

UNIVERSAL

Despite the bad press, Battleship ended up grossing $303 million worldwide, but the $210 million-plus-budgeted pic made just $65 million domestically, killing its franchise chances. Still, thanks to robust showings on three of its summer films, Universal likely will be carving out sequel release dates for Snow White & the Huntsman, Seth MacFarlane's Ted and a new American Pie.

PHOTOS: Spider-Man's 50-Year History: How Peter Parker Became a Billion-Dollar Franchise

Long before Snow White launched a media maelstrom when compromising photos of star Kristen Stewart and married director Rupert Sanders emerged, Universal began moving forward with a sequel by hiring David Koepp, one of Hollywood's highest-paid screenwriters, to pen a follow-up. With a worldwide gross of $382 million on a $170 million-plus budget, Snow White is a modest if not mammoth hit, and the studio is said to be committed to extending the franchise. Will Sanders be involved? Universal says he will -- for now -- but an insider notes that Stewart's Snow White deal includes sequel language, while Sanders' does not.

Media Rights Capital and Universal are high on a Ted sequel, given the R-rated comedy's impressive $233 million worldwide take. But the decision is largely up to writer-director-producer MacFarlane. He told fans at Comic-Con, "I'd be open to making Ted 2." (Universal has yet to put together a sequel to its previous R-rated comedy smash, Bridesmaids.) At the same time, the R-rated American Reunion's $233.6 million showing -- 75 percent of which came from international territories -- has prompted the studio to think about a fifth Pie. Universal secured a production deal with the American Reunion writers before the film opened in April.

The Bourne Legacy is no sure thing, but if the Aug. 10 release performs as expected, the franchise almost certainly will continue, with room for Matt Damon to return alongside Legacy star Jeremy Renner.

PHOTOS: 10 Pre-'Hunger Games' Top Grossing International Film Franchises

FOX

The studio's big summer bet was Ridley Scott's Prometheus, June's sort-of Alien prequel. The $130 million-budgeted film grossed a solid but not spectacular $303 million globally, putting it right on the franchise bubble. Fox confirms to THR that Scott and the studio actively are pushing ahead with a follow-up (stars Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace are signed) and are talking to new writers because Prometheus co-scribe Damon Lindelof might not be available. "Ridley is incredibly excited about the movie, but we have to get it right. We can't rush it," says Fox president of production Emma Watts, who also has overseen the successful reboots of the X-Men and Planet of the Apes franchises. A Prometheus sequel would be released in 2014 or 2015.

SONY

Columbia Pictures entered summer with several big questions: Would audiences embrace a rebooted Spider-Man? Would Will Smith's star power shine in Men in Black 3 after his four-year absence from the multiplex? The answers were yes. The Amazing Spider-Man has grossed north of $621 million, and a sequel already has been dated for May 2014. Sony wants director Marc Webb for the next film, but talks are complicated because Webb has an obligation to Fox.
MIB3 has grossed nearly $620 million worldwide, more than the previous two films -- though some have questioned whether its $230 million-plus budget and rich profit participations to Smith, producer Steven Spielberg and others would make another installment worthwhile. Sony says MIB3 is solid financially and that it's committed to prolonging the franchise.

PHOTOS: 11 British Actors Invading Hollywood's 'It List'

Total Recall could become a new sci-fi franchise if it opens well Aug. 3. And spring's $200 million-grossing 21 Jump Street prompted a sequel that Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are scheduled to shoot in fall 2013.

DISNEY

With the March John Carter debacle behind it, Disney ushered in summer's box-office champ The Avengers ($1.46 billion worldwide, third-most of all time). Although Disney CEO Bob Iger told investors during a May call that Marvel is developing an Avengers sequel, insiders say a follow-up is coming only after four stand-alone Marvel movies: Iron Man 3 (May 2013), Thor: The Dark World (November 2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 2014) and Guardians of the Galaxy (August 2014).
Pixar's Brave has grossed $310 million worldwide so far and will end up ahead of WALL-E and Ratatouille. There is no sequel in the works, though the story left the door open for a second film, and the studio increasingly has pursued follow-ups (Monsters University is coming next summer).

WARNER BROS.

The studio has closed one franchise with the July 20 bow of The Dark Knight Rises, which has grossed a strong $543.5 million worldwide to date despite the Colorado shooting tragedy (though it trails The Dark Knight by about $25 million at the same point). Warners will try to resuscitate Batman as a stand-alone franchise and/or as part of a planned Justice League ensemble that could connect to next summer's Man of Steel.
Meanwhile, male-stripper romp Magic Mike has proved to be one of summer's biggest surprises with $108 million domestic (it hasn't opened overseas). Any sequel decisions are in the hands of star Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh, who together financed the $6.5 million pic. Tatum's producing partner Reid Carolin recently told THR he is mulling prequel and sequel ideas. If and when that happens, Warners will get first crack at distributing.

PARAMOUNT

The studio's big franchise movie, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, was bumped from late June to March 2013. So Paramount will need to wait until Halloween for its next Paranormal Activity and until winter to potentially launch another franchise with the Tom Cruise starrer Jack Reacher.
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Friday, June 1, 2012

Optimal Gap Between Movie Sequels

How Many Years Is Best Between Movie Sequels?

When it comes to sequels, 2012 runs the gamut. Alongside follow-ups to films that came out only last year, like Twilight and Paranormal Activity, you've got sequels to franchises that had laid dormant for a decade or more: Last week, Men in Black 3 underperformed ten years after its last installment, and coming up, we've got Prometheus, the sorta-prequel to an Alien franchise that's basically been on ice since 1997. It got us thinking: Is there an ideal amount of time that should pass between sequels to maximize the box office? To find out, we studied every modern-day live-action franchise that met the following criteria: The series had to span at least three movies, it had to retain most of its original cast or its director, and the first film needed to come out in 1990 or later (to limit the effect of inflation). What did we discover?

The Sweet Spot: Sequels that come out every two to four years.
Time and time again in our research, we found the best results from franchises that allow an average of three years' breathing room between installments—just enough time for a series to grow in people's minds and to find an even bigger audience on home video. Three years went by between the main movies in the X-Men series (not counting spinoffs) and the Austin Powers series, and each sequel bettered the last, often by a significant amount. Two years passed before the second Bourne movie outgrossed the first by more than $50 million, then three years passed before the third movie pulled the same trick, improving on the original by over $100 million.

The three Jackass sequels kept performing better with a gap of four years between each movie, while the four Resident Evil movies have pretty much trended upward with two to three years between sequels. Even when a series in this range peaks with its second installment — as the Transformers and Harold and Kumar franchises did — a gap of two to four years between sequels will ensure that there's not a significant drop-off for the third movie.

There were only two notable outliers in this sweet spot. The sequels to Ocean's Eleven were released every three years, and each did steadily worse with critics and at the box office. The real surprise? The original, Tobey Maguire–led Spider-Man franchise — a series where Spider-Man 2 is widely considered to be the strongest installment, as well as one of the best comic book movies ever made — decreased an additional $30 to $40 million with each sequel. Are some comic book franchises simply too frontloaded?

The Quick-Fix Gamble: Sequels that come out every year

It's a fairly recent trend for major franchises to pump out a new installment every year, and sometimes, the results can be big ... especially if the source material is a book series that the audience is passionate about. The Lord of the Rings movies trended significantly better each winter, while a Twilight movie has been released every year since 2008, and each improved on the last until the slight faltering of Breaking Dawn Part 1, the first part of the two-part series-ender. The Harry Potter franchise released its sequels with a gap of a year to a year and a half between movies, and pretty much stabilized its huge grosses around the fourth movie.

If you don't have the literary fanboys to count on, though, this release pattern can burn out quickly. The Saw franchise was pumped out every year and trended consistently downward after peaking with the second installment. Meanwhile, the Paranormal Activity franchise still has a high return on investment, but neither of its two sequels have topped the first.

The costliest decision? When a successful franchise-starter spawns two sequels shot at the same time and released within several months of one another: Sure, it saves money on production costs, but the third film always suffers for it. The second Pirates of the Caribbean movie landed in the sweet spot, grossing nearly $120 million more than the first after a release gap of three years ... and then the third film, shot in tandem and released mere months after number two, made only $4 million more than the first film (and around $110 million less than its predecessor). Same story for the Matrix movies, which jumped from $171 million for 1999's The Matrix to $281 million for The Matrix Reloaded in summer of 2003 ... and then came crashing down to $139 million for The Matrix Revolutions, released only a few months later in winter 2003. Absence truly can make the heart grow fonder.

The Inevitable Disappointment: Releasing a sequel six or more years too late

Still, if there's one franchise move that's always doomed to fail, it's releasing a sequel after too much time has passed since the last installment: roughly, six or more years. The Rush Hour, Meet the Parents, and Mission: Impossible series waited six years to put out a third film, and each hit a franchise low because of it. (Admittedly, the M:I series was uniquely hamstrung at the time by the couch-jumping Cruise's plummet in popularity, which he'd mostly recovered from by the fourth movie.) The longer the wait, the more spectacular the tank: The third Mummy film (released seven years too late) grossed around $100 million less than its predecessor, while the fourth Spy Kids film (eight years too late) made over $70 million less than number three. The American Pie and Scream franchises were recently resurrected after laying dormant for nine and eleven years, respectively ... and neither of these former $100 million grossers came close to their former glory (Scream 4 topped out at a measly $38 million). Yes, you could say that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull delivered a franchise-best total after nineteen years away, but here's where that tricky inflation rule comes in ... if you look at tickets sold for the entire series, which began in 1981, the fourth movie delivered by far the fewest.

Forecasting the Future: What sequels do these rules bode well for?

Fox recently announced two sequels that fall squarely into that three-year sweet spot: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the sequel to X-Men: First Class, both due out in 2014. Also likely to perform well? Grown-Ups 2 (due out three years after the first), the sequel to Star Trek (four years off), and this year's The Dark Knight Rises, coming four years after the titanic success of The Dark Knight. And we're not at all worried about Catching Fire next year, since the Hunger Games franchise has the passionate literary fan base to sustain a yearly release.

Something less than a sure thing is Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For, reuniting much of the original cast after eight long years (the same gap that cost director Robert Rodriguez in between Spy Kids installments). And that 300 sequel, which brings back only Rodrigo Santoro more than seven years after the first movie had its sleeper success? We'd watch the purse strings on that one. If only it had come out in 2009!

And then there's the franchise that most directly proves our many theses: Scary Movie. After the first movie made bank back in 2000, Dimension quickly rushed out a follow-up the next year ... and hit a franchise low. The third and fourth movies then rebounded after a healthy gap of two to three years between installments, but since the last film came out in 2006, next year's Scary Movie 5 (with its dated Black Swan parody) appears to be toast. Sorry, Scary: When it comes to box office numbers, we don't joke around.
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Saturday, May 5, 2012

Avengers 2 Dream Casting

Could they get her to join Avengers 2 now that she's part of the Disney family?  It's doubtful she'd be interested on her own, but if her children lobby hard enough it could happen (and we already know they can be very persuasive).   Per the interview with Tom Hiddleston below, Angelina told Chris Hemsworth that one of her daughters (probably Shiloh) is a huge Loki fan and was very upset when he was cast out in Thor.   Shiloh was notably also the leading proponent of Maleficent.  Angelina has a backlog of films she has to work through and Avengers 2 probably won't get into production for 2 - 3 more years so if her schedule aligns with theirs, I think it's very possible.

The Avengers is on its way to $1B+ worldwide and sequels usually do even better so Disney/Marvel can easily afford her full fee even with all the other stars.  Nabbing her would keep things interesting for both comic fans who are eager to see more Marvel characters introduced, as well as the general audience who may not be comic book readers but want to see her play a superheroine.  The Dark Knight Rises fans are still complaining about the casting of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman after watching the trailer as Angelina was at the top of most wishlists. 

Long before he took the helm of The Avengers, director Joss Whedon had written a still-unproduced Wonder Woman script with her in mind (see below) so the interest is there on his part.  The big hurdle has always been her interest.  But her oldest boys are now probably more into Marvel than fairy tales so Disney/Marvel and Whedon will have powerful allies if they should approach her with a proposal.

In an interview with EW's Anthony Breznican, Whedon hinted that the sequel needs to add women to the team and the Scarlet Witch, possibly the most powerful female Marvel superhero and one of the original Avengers, should be a top candidate.   It's easy to see why Angelina would be the fans' choice to play her.  The sketch doesn't even have to be modified to look like her -- everything from the hair, the lips, the body and the pose could have been lifted from one of her photos.  One movie critic noted that Angelina is an artist's vision of a bad ass female comic book character so she invariably tops almost all such dream casting lists.  She is also the star most actresses want to emulate when they take on action roles -- as Eva Green is the latest to say.

As Whedon noted, studios are reluctant to back a female-led action movie but with Angelina, they not only have the sole actress who can consistently open an action film but they also have the one most ideally suited for the part.  If she does accept and the cast her as the Scarlet Witch, they'll just need to make sure it doesn't appear like she simply changed costumes as Maleficent is also a powerful fairy. 

It would be nice to see her in a competently executed fantasy action film after both Tomb Raiders underwhelmed critics so I hope Disney starts wooing her now while she's working for them.  I would like to see Avengers 2 or even a stand-alone Scarlet Witch (with Vision) replace Scarpetta on her list.






Five (or So) New Avengers We'd Like to See in Avengers 2

Today 12:00 PM PDT by
Marvel/Disney Enterprises
 
Who's got next?

Let's say, as is the plan, The Avengers begets The Avengers 2. Let's say Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye return for the sequel, or let's say they don't. Let's say either way the new movie's good because we've already scouted a roster.

Behold, the superheroes deserving of closeups in the all-star group's presumed next big-screen adventure:


Note: The following characters are or have been members of Marvel Comics' Avengers team. They're also, to the best of our knowledge, under the control of Marvel Studios. (A Screen Rant rundown was helpful in this regard.) Avengers-affiliated characters whose big-screen identities are run by other studios, and are off-limits for a Marvel Studios-produced Avengers 2, include Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men's Wolverine.



Marvel
1. Scarlet Witch and Vision: She's a Magneto-trained mutant. He's a machine. They're in love. Sign Angelina Jolie and Jude Law, and make their fraught love story a centerpiece of a new film that Avengers director Joss Whedon says should be "more personal." (One thing: Marvel calls Scarlet Witch's rights status "a little complicated," owing to her X-Men connection, but the character should be good to go.)


Luke Cage, Iron Fist Marvel.com
 
2. Luke Cage and Iron Fist: These partners in crime-fighting would bring muscle, martial-arts skills and, especially important should Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark not be around to crack wise, a buddy-cop vibe. If it turns out Stark is around, then all the better—the Harlem-raised Cage (aka Power Man) and the billionaire heir would make a fun couple.
Henry Pym, Ant Man, Giant Man Marvel
 
3. Ant-Man/Giant-Man: Yet another package deal, except this duo's really just one man, the amazing Dr. Henry Pym. Pym's inclusion would bring the weird, provide a new superhero opportunity for experienced multitasker James Franco, and belatedly serve fans who've been waiting a long time for the long-brewing Ant-Man movie.
Wasp Marvel
 
4. Wasp: She's a founding Avenger. (Credibility!) She was married to Pym. (Drama!) She has history with Hawkeye. (More drama!) She just missed the cut for the first movie. (No fair!) She's due.
Two-Gun Kid Marvel
 
5. Two-Gun Kid: Even more than Luke Cage, this cowboy would give the group a different flavor. It would be a great part for Zac Efron, too, if only Efron's Efron-ness wouldn't unsettle the Marvel movies' actor-over-star aesthetic. So maybe it would be a great part Jamie Bell… (By the way, Jolie would not unsettle the aesthetic; she'd remake it, just as Downey did. Superheroes have special powers like that.)


 Nov 17 2010

Joss Whedon's Wonder Woman fantasy: Angelina Jolie

by
wonderwoman-angelina-jolie

Image Credit: DC Comics; Glenn Harris/PR Photos

There are no shortages of actresses who want to play Wonder Woman. Even Beyoncé Knowles has expressed interest. But when Hollywood finally does get around to making a film about the 69-year-old female superhero in the star-spangled short-shorts — sometime this millennium, one hopes — there’s really only one actress Joss Whedon sees in the role. When the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator was writing his never-produced WW script for Warner Bros. five years ago, he modeled the character on the closest thing he could find to a real Amazon goddess. “For me, Wonder Woman was basically Angelina Jolie,” he says. “She spends a lot of time flying around. She works in a lot of different countries. She’s very global. And she’s appalled by the way people treat each other.”
For more on why Wonder Woman still doesn’t have a film of her own — and what Whedon and other filmmakers have tried to do with the character — check out this week’s issue, on stands Thursday.




Eva Green: I want to emulate Jolie

added: 4 May 2012 // by: Film-News.co.uk Newsdesk
Eva Green - 'The Rum Diary' UK premiere


(Cover) - EN Movies - Eva Green wants to look like Angelina Jolie for her new movie.
The French-born actress is due to begin shooting action movie 300: Battle of Artemisia in Bulgaria this summer. Eva has embarked on a rigorous exercise regime to prepare for her role, and dreams of replicating the strength and beauty of her fellow Hollywood star.
“I need to look like a warrior. I need to look good, but also to have the mental strength that makes you feel like you could be a commander. In the morning, I keep saying to myself, ‘My body is a temple, my body is a temple!’” Eva explained to the latest issue of UK magazine InStyle. “The thing is, I don’t want to look very stiff and manly, you know? [I want to be] more like Angelina Jolie – although the trainer said I can’t look like her!”
The 31-year-old grabbed the world’s attention when she played a Bond girl in the 2006 movie Casino Royale.
Eva loved the role of Vesper Lynd and is grateful for being given the opportunity to be involved with the iconic franchise.
“[Vesper was] a real character. She had many dimensions and I was lucky to get it. Doing Bond gave me a name, which is good if you want to keep working!” Eva smiled.






Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff)




Born at the Wundagore base of the High Evolutionary, in proximity to the eldritch energies of the Elder God Chthon; Wanda and her brother Pietro's mother, Magda, fled Wundagore shortly after their birth. Although not known at the time, Chthon formed a mystic bond with Wanda, who, it was later learned, was destined to serve the role of Nexus Being, a living focal point for the Earth dimension's mystical energy. Kept in stasis by the Evolutionary for decades, the two infants were later placed in the custody of a Gypsy couple named Django and Marya Maximoff. When Wanda and Pietro were teenagers and had already manifested their mutant powers, their family's encampment was attacked, leaving Marya dead; Django survived, but was separated from his children, while the traumatized Wanda and Pietro also fled, believing their foster father to have died. After several months of surviving on their own in the woods, the siblings ventured into a nearby town, where Wanda's powers inadvertently set fire to a house. Set upon by villagers who believed the pair to be "in league with the Devil", they were rescued by the timely arrival of Magneto, the mutant master of magnetism. Magneto was in fact their father, but neither he nor the siblings were aware of this at the time. Exploiting the pair's gratitude, Magneto pressed them into service as part of his anti-human terrorist unit, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
Now known as the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, Wanda and Pietro accompanied Magneto and his fellow mutants in their power-seeking efforts, clashing with the heroic X-Men. After a time, the siblings, disillusioned with Magneto and feeling that their debt to him had been paid, decided to abandon their terrorist activities; alongside the archer and ex-criminal Hawkeye, they joined the Avengers under the leadership of Captain America. As a member of this foursome, the first major reorganization of the still young super-team, the Scarlet Witch served with distinction against such foes as Dr Doom, the Mole Man, Kang, and others.
As the team expanded, the Scarlet Witch, despite her brother's disapproval, became romantically drawn to one of her fellow Avengers, the android known as the Vision. To better control her power, she began taking sorcery lessons from the witch Agatha Harkness, and after both she and the Vision had built their confidence, the couple married. At the time, none of the Avengers realized the Limbo lord Immortus, who sought to arrange events so the Scarlet Witch would never have children whose power would grow to be a threat, had subtly encouraged the marriage.

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Not long after their wedding, the old Django Maximoff approached the Avengers. Determined to have his children back, he used a magical amulet known as the Nivashi Stone, the old man trapped the souls of Wanda and Pietro in two dolls shaped like them, which he locked in small bird cages. Rescued by the Avengers, the siblings took pity on the old man and decided to go back with him to Transia. Not long after, Wanda was attaced by the warlock known as Mordred, acting in the service of a mystical entity called Chthon. Chthon was able to possess Wanda's body, and hid in Wundagore Mountain. Pietro rushed to her aid, but was hit by an energy field and rescued by the evolved cow mid-wife Bova who, after healing him, revealed the nature of the sibling's birth to him. The Avengers flew to Transia and managed to save Wanda from Chthon's possession. Sadly, Django Maximoff died during the battle, and Wanda and Vision left active duty. Some time later, Magneto returned to Wundagore, searching for his past, and casually learned, from the lips of Bova herself, the truth about Wanda and Pietro. Excited to finally know the truth, Magneto traveled to Attilan, home of the Inhumans in Earth's Moon, where Wanda had traveled to in order to meet her newborn niece, Luna. Magneto told the pair the news, and held his granddaughter in his arms.
When the Baxter Building was threatened by the Negative Zone warlord Annihilus, the Scarlet Witch and the Vision returned to active duty. Weeks later, when most of the Avengers were trapped in the Secret Wars, the Vision was named Chairman of the team. He used his position to create a second branch of Avengers, placing them in the West Coast of the United States. Vision's mind was affected by an interface with the Titanian computer ISAAC, and he launched an attempt to take control of the world's computers, an effort stopped by the Avengers. The Vision and the Witch then left active Avengers duty once more. Although the couple sought only to live in domestic peace, they found themselves repeatedly drawn into clashes with several super-villains. During one such encounter, a battle with the sorcerers known as Salem's Seven, the Scarlet Witch used accumulated magic energy to become pregnant by the Vision, and she later gave birth to twin sons, William and Thomas.

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When the Scarlet Witch and the Vision choose to return to active duty as members of the West Coast Avengers, a multi-government force called Vigilance, concerned the Vision would again attempt a world takeover, captured and dismantled him; although he was soon rebuilt, his personality was severely altered, greatly distressing the Scarlet Witch. It was later revealed it was Immortus who orchestrated the Vision's dismantling. Her distress was magnified when her sons were reverted into fragments of the demon lord Mephisto's soul and effectively ceased to exist. The Witch suffered a nervous breakdown, which left her open to manipulation by her father, Magneto, who still sought to take control of the world in the name of mutantkind. She was subsequently abducted by Immortus, but was rescued by the Avengers and regained her sanity. Wanda had also reanimated her deceased mentor, Agatha Harkness, through whom she cast a spell to make her forget her children in order to ease her pain. Though Wanda later recalled her loss, she suppressed this memory over the long term. The souls of her twins were separated after Mephisto's defeat. She and the Vision separated, and she became drawn to another fellow Avenger, Wonder Man. With Agatha Harkness's help, the Scarlet Witch learned of her nature as a Nexus Being and was able to drive off an extradimensional invasion by another Nexus Being, Lore. When the West Coast branch of Avengers disbanded due to internal conflict in the overall team, several members formed a new team known as Force Works, and the Scarlet Witch was appointed leader. During their first mission, her mutant powers interfered with the teleportation of the alien known as Century, bringing him to Earth. Century joined the Force Works team, and did not hide his feelings for the Scarlet Witch, which she seemed to reciprocate. However, the team disbanded before they could actually express their feelings, and Wanda returned to the Avengers. She was among those who were seemingly destroyed by the psionic being Onslaught. In fact, they were transported to an alternate universe created by the powerful mutant Franklin Richards. She and her fellow heroes remained there for months before returning to their home universe. The centuries-old sorceress Morgan Le Fay came across the Twilight Sword of Surtur, and was able to gather the Norn Stones. She then created a series of attacks on the Avengers to capture Wanda in the process. Using Wanda's mutant powers, she was able to pierce the gap between her Celtic magic and the Asgardian magic of the Twilight Sword, with it she remade the world in her image, turning the Avengers into the Queen's Vengeance. Subsequently, while held captive by Morgan Le Fay, the Scarlet Witch, in attempting to summon the other Avengers, inadvertently caused Wonder Man to partially cross over from the world of the dead. Channeling the willpower of the Avengers through Wonder Man, Morgan was defeated and the world returned to normalcy.
While battling the Squadron Supreme, Wanda was once again able to call Wonder Man, and the deceased Avenger was able to return when Wanda was in danger, whether conscious or not. Wanda was also able to feel Morgan's magic within her still, even long after the sorceress had been defeated. Confused, Wanda sought the guidance of Agatha Harkness once more. Agatha revealed it was not Morgan's magic, but her own power that had matured before its time. Agatha then revealed that it was Chthon who had imbued in her the potential to wield magic, if not for his involvement, she would have been a mere energy-wielding mutant like her father. She was linked to Chthon's chaos magic, and that was the true source of her mutant power, though she wielded it in an unschooled manner. Agatha told her she had to control it and guide it, instead of allowing her subconscious to direct her "chaos-grenades", that she needed to understand her full power and subsume it within her, or the results could very well be disastrous. Wanda asked Agatha how she could bring back Wonder Man to life for good, and her mentor laughed saying Wonder Man had held on because he loved her, and all she had to do to bring him back was love him in return. Soon after, Wanda used her powers to bring back Wonder Man to life, as well as Wonder Man's brother, the Grim Reaper. She and Wonder Man began to pursue a romantic relationship.
With Iron Man severely injured, Thor preoccupied with his alter ego, and Captain America missing, the rest of the team appointed her as Deputy Leader, even though she had been considering leaving the Avengers. Wanda led the Avengers in the Captain's absence, focusing her energies on improving the morale and efficiency of the team. During this period, Wanda began using her powers in new ways, fighting diseases, healing wounds and even creating sickness in her enemies.

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Wanda's chaos magic, which was revealed to be an uncontrolled aspect of her mutant power, began to wear away at her mental stability. When vague memories of her children resurfaced, she suffered a nervous breakdown and lashed out with her new power, subjecting the Avengers to a series of devastating attacks, apparently killing several team members and ultimately causing the dissolution of the team. She was eventually defeated by the combined efforts of Doctor Strange and the Avengers, ultimately lapsing into a coma. In the ruins of the Avengers mansion, Magneto appeared to the Avengers and spirited her away to Genosha for treatment.
After several months of almost no progress in restoring her stability, The X-Men and the Avengers gathered to decide Wanda's fate. Quicksilver, suspecting that the inevitable conclusion would be to kill her, convinced Wanda to alter reality into a utopian world where all of the heroes and Magneto would have what they wanted. Wanda did, creating a reality where Magneto was the head of a mutant empire and humans were the minority. Eventually the heroes discovered the ruse and, believing Magneto to be responsible, attacked him at his fortress in Genosha. When Magneto learned that Quicksilver was the instigator of the warp, Magneto turned on him in anger. Distressed by all the fighting and her father's hatred of humanity, Scarlet Witch revived Quicksilver and muttered three simple words: "No More Mutants," sending reality back to normal, but reducing the mutant population from millions to an estimated 198. Wanda has since been living on Wundagore mountain in apparent powerless obscurity. Thus far only Hawkeye, seeking closure after his multiple deaths and resurrections at Wanda's hand, has sought her out.
It has been revealed that the Young Avengers members Thomas Shepherd (Speed) and Billy Kaplan (Wiccan) are new incarnations of Wanda's children, William and Thomas. Whether Wanda brought them back or there is another reason for their existence remains to be seen.




Tues Top Ten: Who for Avengers 2 ?

DateTuesday, May 15, 2012 at 12:00PM
Every once in awhile people will ask me if I really like superheroes or if I just post about them on occassion because it's good for traffic. The answers are a bold yes and an er, probably not (The Film Experience isn't so much on the fanboy traffic radar for numerous reasons including undoubtedly because actresses on the verge of onscreen nervous breakdowns are a way more thrilling visual effect than superhero powers). But in truth I've always loved superheroes and only wish that superhero movies had more variety and imagination and a fan culture that was less slobbering and homogenous. See, I grew up completely obsessed with X-Men. Just as with movies where strong casts are consistently more likely to thrill me than movies built on one performance, I generally appreciated team comics the most, so I also read (in ascending order of favoritism): The Legion of Superheroes, Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight, The Avengers and The Teen Titans. I liked the Avengers best when certain characters were present.  For those of you who didn't read comics, The Avengers operated on an internal narrative wherein the roster of heroes changed fairly regularly, sometimes only one or two slots but never exactly the same roll call.
So with last week's no shit announcement that box office titan The Avengers would be getting a sequel, I thought I'd list the ten characters I'd most like Joss Whedon to consider for it. He's already on record saying he'd like another female though the pickings are somewhat slim. The unstated problem is that the best female superheroes are part of the X-Men team, characters 20th Century Fox is in control of... a thorough breakdown of who owns which characters can be found at Screen Rant. This is all assuming that Marvel Studios doesn't want Whedon to just make the first movie again with a new villain. Which, I'll quickly note, is a ridiculous assumption. The guiding rule of expensive studio sequels is "make it the same only bigger"

Top Ten Heroes To Consider for Avengers 2
With apologies to Quake who was in the original post and was accidentally deleted until it was all written.
10 Doctor Strange
The Marvel Universe's premiere sorcerer has yet to make a dent outside of comic books. Name recognition wouldn't be high for mainstream audiences but that's what people worried about with Iron Man and look how that turned out? Strange got a TV movie in 1978 but subsequent planned film versions have been cursed, the spell forever uncast.
The rights have changed hands many times but last we heard, Marvel Studios had control of the mystic doctor again and had hired screenwriters. Adrien Brody was rumored for the role a couple of years ago and then Patrick Dempsey was lobbying hard in 2011. I'm not crazy about the Dempsey idea since his charisma is scaled so well for the small screen -- really it's just the hair that make people think he's right for it because as an actor he definitely lacks mystery -- but the Doctor could be an intriguing character in the right hands.
09 Ms Marvel / Binary / War Bird
I've never met a soul who has any deep feelings or fandom for Ms. Marvel, which probably dooms her big screen chances altogether but hear me out. Her backstory is so fucked up, her name has changed multiple times, that nothing is canon. A writer like Joss Whedon could do virtually whatever he pleased with her without upsetting decades of story. But it's also worth noting that Ms. Marvel's most intriguing story connects to the X-Men mythology. Rogue (played by Anna Paquin in the movies) once absorbed just too much of her and gained all her memories and identity giving both women major psychiatric issues thereafter.
If handled brilliantly and with a team of great lawyers couldn't she straddle both superhero franchises as a supporting player, essentially tying them into the same universe without disrupting either studio's plans too much?
08 The Beast
Yes, yes, we're still stuck on the X-Men which belong to 20th Century Fox. But couldn't they lend out just one character? If so it'd be interesting to see what Joss Whedon could do with blue, furry, brainy Hank McCoy. He's had two lackluster movie appearances (Kelsey Grammar in X-Men 3: The Last Stand and Nicolas Hoult in X-Men First Class) but Joss proved with the Hulk and the Black Widow, that he can reenergize characters without completely reinventing them.
A difficulty: he's blue and jumps around a lot which might look ridiculously like A Synchronized Superheroing Sport with the green and jumpy one in the mix (and you know the Hulk is getting a bigger part in The Avengers 2).
07 Daredevil
Speaking of characters that have been mishandled in previous movies. The Daredevil movie (and its spinoff Elektra) had absolutely no business being as awful as it was given that its source material was a pretty damn terrific comic book story. Frank Miller's dark violent and fascinating run on the series threw the assassins Elektra and Bullseye against the blind crime fighter and against each other and it should have been a great great movie. But here's the thing. You need imaginative directors, good casting, and the right tonal choices to make a great movie and Daredevil had none of those virtues. The best thing that could happen to Daredevil as a film character would be Marvel Studios buying back the rights and rebooting him through either his own standalone feature or in a supporting role, a la Hawkeye.
It's worth noting also that Daredevil has a pretty rich comic book history with Natasha Romanoff (The Black Widow) so he'd be easy to pull in to the narrative via Scarlett Johansson's assassin.
06 Firestar
I mention Firestar primarily because she is a woman, it's true. Quota! But there's a deeper more nostalgic reason. Everyone and their inner child was sad when Spider-Man didn't swing into the Manhattan action at the tale end of The Avengers. You can't have New York City superheroics without Spidey!
Since Sony is as likely to release the movie rights to Spider-Man as America is to boycott summer movies and superheroes forever more, isn't Firestar the next best thing? She debuted on TV as one of Spider-Man's "Amazing Friends" in 1981 forever tying her to the webslinger in the eyes of an entire generation. And she even did a stint as an Avenger in the 1990s.
Namor vs. Human Torch by Yildiray Cinar05 Namor04 The Human TorchSwerving towards the Fantastic Four here. But if someone is never going to make an Aquaman movie, though so many wish he would, whether ironically or un, shouldn't someone make a Namor movie. Water-based movies are notoriously expensive whether ships are sinking or the whole world is drowning but they can look exceedingly cool onscreen. And Namor's arrogance would fit right into the Thor / Tony Stark "me party" dynamic.
Mostly I just want to see The Human Torch again onscreen for more Chris Evans snark... oh. Damn. Chris Evans, otherwise occupied.
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03 The Wasp
If Edgar Wright ever makes that Ant Man movie, we could see either or both of the Pims (Henry and Janet), the shrinking superheroes in the mix. They're the only founding members of the team that weren't featured in the film version.
But maybe Joss isn't in her, using her as the but of his joke in his awesome jokey thank you to fans on Whedonesque wherein he quotes an imaginary Saturn awards speech:
[Reads from notecard]. I couldn’t have done this myself. Part of this Saturn Award belongs to Jeremy Latcham, Kevin Feige, and the fine Marvel folk… But the secret ingredient is my closest peeps: J-Mo, who did uncredited punch-up work (carrier battle, yo!), Z-bro, Drew “I am Loki only taller and foppier” Goddard, and Kai, all of whom worked the story with me. Without them (and Jeremy), I’d still be figuring out how the Wasp fits in to this, and where to put Red Hulk."
So maybe no Wasp?
02 Quicksilver
01 The Scarlet Witch
Ever since I was a wee boy, this brother and sister duo fascinated me. And for a long time The Scarlet Witch, at least, was a mainstay of The Avengers team. Like most non household name comic book characters, the siblings have had their origin stories messed with multiple times but my preferred reality is that they are the twin children of Magneto (!!!)and still siblings rather than lovers (which I'm hearing they're recently been rewritten as?).
The only sibling superheroes we've seen onscreen were in the truly terrible Fantastic Four movies, and who better to find ways to illustrate a complicated sibling bond with questionable family backstory than Joss Whedon? Plus, nobody on the current Avengers team has superspeed (Quicksilver) or magical powers (The Scarlet Witch) so the movie would be working with fresh material for its battle sequences.
But most importantly, the superhero genre desperately needs more female energy and The Scarlet Witch is the single best female Avenger. Bonus points if Whedon can come up with a more exciting way to show Wanda's "hex" power once it leaves her hands other than colored energy blasts of CGI light a la Harry Potter.
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Sunday, November 6, 2011

Blade Runner sequel

Blade Runner directors cut.jpgWhile speculating on possible projects in the Action Sci-Fi post, I had dismissed that it could be the Blade Runner sequel, but reading about Ridley Scott's recent update on the project made me think further about it.

Ridley Scott said that he was "close to finding a writer that might be able to help (him) deliver," and then added that "we're quite a long way in, actually."

At this point, it matters less if this is the project that's being cast in NY.  What's more interesting is if Angelina and Ridley Scott are in fact working on it since many sites interpret his remarks to mean this will be his next project. 

So my thoughts:

1) This could be the project that Angelina met with him about last Sept. 10 in London.  She was clutching a fairly thick script -- over half an inch -- with parts marked off with post-it notes.  Not long after their meeting, there was word that Scott Z. Burns was being eyed to work on the Blade Runner script.



2) Angelina was earlier rumored to be circling a part in Scott's Prometheus that eventually went to Charlize Theron, but even movie bloggers doubted she would go for such an ensemble role.  It's possible the source got the genre right but the title wrong.

3) She would be taking over from Harrison Ford which would be fitting.

4) It would certainly explain the desire for secrecy surrounding the aforementioned action sci-fi project.

5) The original Blade Runner was set in L.A. but they could easily move the setting of the sequel to NY or any other city given the futuristic backgrounds that will be used.  And the need for models is understandable given some of the scenes that were in the original.

6) If it is also set 40 years into the future, extras will need to be fitted ahead for their costumes, but if Burns just got hired last Sept., an Oct. casting call seems too soon.   Scott still has to finish post on Prometheus so the earliest it can start filming is July after Prometheus opens and Brad wraps his supporting role in 12 Years A Slave. 

It would be a pretty exciting project if this was what they discussed.  I am not ruling out that they may have also discussed the Gertrude Bell biopic which I am sure Angelina would love to do.  But she can't do Cleopatra, West with the Night and Gertrude Bell in succession.  I am excited about Cleopatra in particular esp. if Fincher or someone of equal stature is directing.  But the Markham and Bell biopics can wait as they are less age sensitive than her action-related roles.

Blood and Honey starts screening for the press on Monday so we should have a definitive update on her projects not long after.

In the meantime these are my best guesses on the most high profile projects that seemed closest to production:

Cleopatra - [25.02] Target release 2013 -  A poster on IMDb said preparations were proceeding but I don't think they'll start production until things have settled down in Egypt and neighboring countries for safety and insurance purposes.  While they can film some desert scenes in Malta, Morocco or other areas with similar topography, the scenes in the Nile have to be filmed in the Nile.  There's also the question of Fincher's availability since he has House of Cards up next and 20,000 Leagues is in pre-producton. If Fincher does 20,000 Leagues after House of Cards, he won't be free until mid 2013. Angelina seems to have her heart set on having him direct and Mike Flemming said he was keen to direct her so they'll have to sort things out. 

Maleficent -- [23.58] 2013 - If they can't get a director that meets with Angelina's approval right now, they'll have to wait until someone she likes becomes available.  Aronofsky is filling his time doing TV ads and music videos so he may not be taking on full feature projects before Noah.

Salt 2 - [22.47] 2014 - Whatever script Kurt Wimmer turns in will probably still need quite a bit of work, and then comes the search for a director that passes muster w/ Angelina.  Theoretically though, this could start sometime next year.

Unforgiven - [22.96] Given that it is a remake and the script should be fairly easy to adapt, I am assuming Christopher McQuarrie has already finished and submitted an acceptable draft.  They were originally targeting a May 2011 start so this could go into production on short notice.  Again, the big hurdle would be finding an acceptable director. 

The Tiger - [21.77] 2014 - Like Unforgiven, this could go into production on short notice since it doesn't require elaborate preparation.  If Aronofsky hadn't dropped out this could have been next in the queue.

So we go back to Blade Runner - [21.84] 2014 - It is certainly possible that this could leap frog over everything else and be her next project if she has nothing set to go before mid 2012. It has an esteemed director, a big star who can compare to Harrison Ford when he made it, and if they already have most of the script,  they can be ready to go as soon as the script is finished.


Warner Bros/Everett
WSJ Harrison Ford and Ridley Scott on the set of ‘Blade Runner’ in 1982.

Untitled Blade Runner Project [21.84]
Status - (2014), In dev't, Regular, OWA
Production Co - Alcon Entertainment
Studio - Warner Bros.
Director - Ridley Scott
Producer - Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove
Writers -
(source) - Phillip K. Dick
Production execs -
- 9/26/11: Scott Z. Burns said to be top choice to write. 


Ridley Scott talks about the new Blade Runner movie

Director says, "It's liable to be a sequel."

Nov 6th 2011 By Matt Maytum

Director Ridley Scott has spoken for the first time about his upcoming sequel to his sci-fi classic Blade Runner.

The new movie was announced in August, but until now there had been no word from Sir Ridley himself.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog, Scott dropped a few cryptic clues about the much anticipated follow-up, saying that the new project is "liable to be a sequel."

Scott also revealed that the production was further ahead than we had anticipated: "I think I'm quite close to finding a writer that might be able to help me deliver," he explained, adding, "we're quite a long way in, actually."

He also stated the film is moving forward, "not with the past cast, of course." When pressed on whether Deckard would reappear, Scott said, "No, not really."

Prometheus, Scott's sequel to his other groundbreaking sci-fi classic Alien, opens on 1 June 2012.
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