New Clash of the Titans Sequel Set Photos from Tenerife, Spain

A new round of photos from Warner Bros’ sequel to Clash of the Titans — rumored to be titled Wrath of the Titans — have surfaced online, courtesy of the Spanish website Tumba Abierta. The pics are said to have been taken on the island of Tenerife in Spain, and show sets in the process of being constructed. Check out the photos below and click the link above for the full set.
The sequel, from director Jonathan Liebesman, will star Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Danny Huston, Edgar Ramirez, Bill Nighy, Toby Kebbell and Rosamund Pike.
Story summary: A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus-the demigod son of Zeus-is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity’s lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld. Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans’ strength grows stronger as Zeus’ remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son, Argenor (Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.
While the first Clash of the Titans was critically panned by most, yours truly actually enjoyed the film. I certainly understood the origin of many of the criticisms — you could spot plot holes and character deficiencies — but I didn’t feel they were as egregious as others.
Moreover, I felt that the attacks on the film’s visual effects were unwarranted. I usually have a sharp eye for substandard VFX, but never once took umbrage with any of the imagery in Clash of the Titans.
Late last year, Sam Worthington responded to the widespread criticism of the first film, stating the sequel will be better than the original. He told Moviefone:
“I just think we can improve on it. I think the first one, we kind of let down some people. And yeah, I totally agree. The only point of doing a sequel is either the audience demands it or you believe you can better the first one. What we’re setting out to do with this one — the writers and the director and myself — is improve. I think I can act f***ing better, to be honest… Just take all the notes from people that I have been reading about on the ‘net and give them a movie they f***ing want. This one I want to kind of try to satisfy a lot more people.”

Paramount Reveals Super 8 Sneak Peeks with the Help of Twitter

Paramount and Twitter have announced special sneak peek screenings of JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg’s Super 8, set to happen tomorrow (Thursday, June 7). Below you’ll find the release with all the details of this anticipated film, which is fast gaining momentum as the talked about film of the summer.
Here’s the studio’s official blurb, in concert with Twitter:
Paramount Pictures and Twitter jointly announced today sneak preview showings of the movie SUPER 8 for 1-day only on Thursday, June 9th, in advance of the film’s scheduled nationwide release on Friday, June 10th. To promote the sneak previews, the companies have designated the hashtag #Super8Secret, which Paramount has also sponsored as a Promoted Trend, allowing Twitter’s global user base a direct link to buy tickets to the advanced previews. At select, participating theatres in the United States, SUPER 8 Sneak Preview moviegoers will be treated to a free popcorn (with a concession purchase) at each sneak preview show. Hosting movie sneak previews marks a first for Twitter. This promotion continues a key partnership between Paramount and Twitter on SUPER 8. The duo joined forces in March for the movie’s exclusive trailer premiere via Twitter, another exciting first for the site.
SUPER 8, from writer/director J.J. Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg, will open exclusively tomorrow, June 9th, on over 300 screens nationwide, featuring all 239 IMAX playdates in the U.S. and Canada. Fans can go to Twitter.com/Super8Movie and use #Super8Secret to share information about the movie with friends. To be among the first to see SUPER 8, visit Super8-movie.com for tickets and show times.
“With SUPER 8, J.J. and Steven have created a really fun and engaging movie for all ages,” said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures. “We are excited to finally get it out into the marketplace and using this sneak preview promotion with Twitter to kick start the film’s release, is an unprecedented way to get people into theaters and talking about the movie.”
“Twitter is how we hear about new movies and share our tiny reviews before the credits finish rolling,” said Biz Stone, Twitter cofounder. “There are already millions of people talking about SUPER 8 on Twitter and Paramount gets that. Creating more excitement about the film with sneak previews and free popcorn is a smart way to make this film a global conversation even before it’s released.”
“Twitter has the incredible capability of spreading buzz in real-time, as well as fostering communal conversations that encapsulate large audiences in a matter of seconds. We believe these elements are key in promoting a movie like SUPER 8 that has such incredible playability and the potential for unlimited positive word of mouth,” said Amy Powell, Paramount’s Executive Vice President, Interactive Marketing Strategies & Film Production.
SUPER 8 is an Amblin Entertainment / Bad Robot production, directed by Abrams from his original script and produced by Steven Spielberg, Abrams and Bryan Burk. The film stars Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Gabriel Basso, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee and Zach Mills. The movie takes place in the summer of 1979, where a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

First Class; Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Since it seems as though TV spots and movie clips are showing up for X-Men: First Class, Transformers: Dark of the Moon andGreen Lantern almost faster than we can post them, we’ve decided to start amalgamating them into single posts from this point forward.
In the case of X-Men, it seems like we’re getting to see pretty much the whole movie via all these clips, and while many sequences are repetitive, each one also seems to contain new shots. A word to 20th Century Fox: you might want to save some of the action sequences for when we actually see the film in the theater; it’s becoming the visual equivalent of spoilers.That said, below you will find the latest seven (yes, seven) clips from First Class, courtesy of 20th Century Fox and via ComingSoon.
Story Synopsis: X-Men: First Class charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to prevent nuclear Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men.

New TV Spot for Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams’ Super 8 Debuts

A lot of curiosity surrounds Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams’ forthcoming film Super 8. It’s understandable. Story details remains scarce, yet at the same time it’s been revealed that the story is a pastiche of several of the movies that made Spielberg so successful in the 1970s…with the additional benefit of JJ Abrams’ directorial signature.
Today Paramount Pictures has debuted a new TV spot for the film, which you can check out using the embedded player below.
Story synopsis: In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth — something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.
Super 8 stars Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Gabriel Basso, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee and Zach Mills.

Trailer Scares Up Korean Monsters in Sector 7

Drilling for oil has always been a dirty and dangerous job, but when the crew of a drilling rig encounter a vicious sea beasty, well, it’s not going to be a good day. While there are obvious comparisons to Bong Joon-ho’s The Host, we’ll have to admitSector 7 looks like a viable contender and a real corker. This summer we’ll see which Korean monster emerges victorious.
Check out the film’s official website for the new trailer. Looks like another compelling argument against the dependency on fossil fuels…
Story Synopsis: In Sector 7, an underwater oil field located south of Jeju Island, Hae-jun is working as a marine equipment manager on an oil prospecting ship called Eclipse. Joining the crew later is Jeong-man, a former colleague of Hae-jun’s father, assigned to Eclipse as captain. Though his job is to oversee the withdrawal of the ship, he suggests conducting some drilling one last time. After 3 weeks of preparation, Hae-jun takes new recruit underwater, but he sinks to the bottom of the sea when his equipment fails. Shortly after crew members begin to turn up dead, one by one, their bodies viciously mutilated. What the few survivors soon discover is a transparent underwater creature they encountered once before. The viral monster infiltrated the ship through the drilling pipe and has been feeding on the crew to survive. For Hae-jun and his colleagues, a fight for their lives begins.

DreamWorks Unveils International Poster for Real Steel

After already debuting the domestic poster for Real Steel, DreamWorks Pictures has today unveiled the international poster for the film (via heyyouguys.co.uk), which gives one a better look at the featured robots. You can check it out below.
Story Synopsis: A gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near-future, where the sport of boxing has gone hi-tech, Real Steel stars Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.
Opening in conventional and IMAX theaters on October 7, the Shawn Levy-directed film stars Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo, Anthony Mackie and Kevin Durand.

Come Back Green Lantern, All Might be Forgiven

DC Comics’ Green Lantern character may come back in a sequel to the summer superhero flick despite that film’s underwhelming performance.
Speaking at New York Comic Con, DC Entertainment’s Geoff Johns told his audience that Warner Brothers was hopeful of seeing the man with the lamp light up again despite the poor box office performance of The Green Lantern.
“[O]bviously, you want it to be as big asTitanic,” he is quoted as saying by The Hollywood Reporter. “I hope that the character gets another film, and it will be live-action again – I guarantee.”
The promise of a live-action film may be intended to allay fears that a straight-to-DVD ‘sequel’ might be spun off from the upcoming animated series on TW’s Cartoon Network.
The Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, who is recruited by the Green Lantern Corps to help defeat an enemy called Parallax. An extended cut with footage not seen in theaters was released on Blu-ray and DVD by Warner Home Video today.

New Posters for Steven Spielberg’s Adventures of Tintin Revealed

Both domestic and an international posters for Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, have debuted online today. You can check out both posters from the first installment in the franchise below.
Secret of the Unicorn stars Jamie Bell as Tintin, the intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure.
Aso sarring are Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock, Daniel Craig as the nefarious Red Rackham, and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as Thompson and Thompson.
Spielberg directed the first film, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 23, 2011.
The sequel will be directed by Peter Jackson, with a third installment being planned.

Bond 23 May Show 007 to be of Scottish Blood

Prior to Daniel Craig taking on the role of British Secret Service agent 007, you could bank on the vast majority of James Bond fans voting for Scotsman Sean Connery as the actor whose interpretation they most enjoyed. Yet, even going as far back as David Niven, it seems that the character has often been interpreted as a suave Englishman. But what if Bond’s lineage is, in fact, Scottish?
That notion might become canon in the next (and officially the 23rd) Bond film. According to 411mania.com, the woman who owns Duntrune Castle near Lock Crinan in Argyll has claimed that the producers want to use the place in the movie, possibly as the home of Bond’s forebears.
“I think it is meant to be James Bond’s ancestral home – he will bring all the villains here,” Patricia Malcolm is quoted as saying. “I believe it’s mostly being filmed in China and Turkey. It looks as if they are going to construct the set and then blow it up. I think they are going to attack the castle from land and sea – there are going to a lot of bangs and explosions.”
The website says that the location will be in the film’s finale and that director Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) has not yet started shooting the movie. All of these pieces of information are unconfirmed.
Media speculation is that the next Bond movie could be called Skyfall, a title that sounds a bit too much like Skyline for our liking. What do you think of it and of the idea that 007 could be Scottish? Is Bond a bonnie lad?

Leonardo DiCaprio May be Circling Villain Role for Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained

Last month it was revealed that Will Smith is the front runner to star in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, a story about the revenge of a slave on his former master. Tarantino has previously expressed that his take on the material is“to do movies that deal with America’s horrible past with slavery and stuff but do them like spaghetti westerns, not like big issue movies…”
While Smith is still rumored for the title tole, today comes word from Creative Screenwriting magazine Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith that Leonardo Dicaprio is in talks to play the evil plantation owner. Variety’s Jeff Sneider heard the same rumor, but neither he or the trade have yet confirmed the rumor.

Tarantino regulars Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz are in talks to play Stephen, a wise, proud house slave, and a German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz, respectively.
In the story, a freed slave seeks to reunite with his slave wife, a journey that will see him team with a German bounty hunter to take down an evil plantation owner named Monsieur Calvin Candie.
Meanwhile, Idris Elba (Thor) is rumored to be in talks to play a role in the film
The plan is to begin filming in the fall.
Tarantino’s idea to mix his pulp style with the historical period motif will be an interesting experiment, but no less strange than the current trend which sees historical characters battling mythological creatures, i.e. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer. It will be interesting to see what the filmmaker comes up with.

Warner Announces TWO Complete Harry Potter Film Sets for Blu-ray/DVD

Warner Home Video has announced that it is going to release two sets of all eight Harry Potter movies on Blu-ray and DVD. One will be on shelves in time for Christmas and another will be out next year.
Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 11. Unsurprisingly it includes all eight movies from the film franchise: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. The press announcement didn’t say whether the 3D movies will be released on Blu-ray 3D in this set.
Presumably each film will be on its own disc and there will be no extra discs of special features in this set because the release will have 8-discs. It sounds like there will be at least one new extra, though. WHV will also release the first six films individually as Ultimate Editions and each will include a new chapter of the documentary series ‘Creating the World of Harry Potter.’ Hence, if you bought these films already, Warner is hoping you’ll give in to your consumerist urges and buy them all over again.
Be warned, though, those Ultimate Editions might not be so ultimate after all. According to WHV, hard-core fans will be “pleased” to known that they might want to get in line again for a third copy of each film in 2012. The distributor plans to release a “comprehensive Harry Potter film collection, with even more extras and collectible premiums” sometime next year.

It Seems Russell Brand Can Get Into Canada After All

Turns out that we don’t have Canadian customs officials to thanks for keeping controversial Brit comedian and actor Russell Brand out out of the land of poutine and toques after all. Apparently his plane into Ontario never even left the ground.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the star of Get Him to the Greek and the inferior remake of the Dudley Moore ’80s comedy Arthur set off a lot of chatter among his Canuck fans this weekend when he tweeted that he would be late for a stand-up show at the Casino Rama north of Toronto.
“HELP! I’m gonna be late for Casino Rama show unless someone can force Canadian customs officials to let us land in Orillia!” he said.
That, it seems, was interpreted by some to mean that he was the subject of the customs officials’ objections.
Rumors to that effect weren’t killed by a subsequent statement issued by the casino:
“Casino Rama regrets to announce that this evening’s Russell Brand show has been postponed due to a travel issue being experienced by the artist”
Then they were fueled by another tweet from Brand, a.k.a. @rustyrockets:
“I’m sorry. I can’t enter Canada. We must abolish the borders between our nations AND our minds.”
Alas, some Canadians may be disappointed to discover that there appears to be no legal objection preventing Brand setting foot on their soil. Apparently the comedian was trying to be funny.
“Ok all, let’s be clear, @rustyrockets is still in Cali[fornia], he never left, he has no immigration or border issue, it was a tech issue with plane!,” Casino Rama has reportedly since acknowledged on its Twitter account.
A spokeswoman for the casino, Jenna Hunter, has also said that she thought Brand was trying to be ‘witty.’ To paraphrase Borat, a character played by another British comic-turned-film actor, very funny… not.

Tim Burton Seeks Ethereal Tone for Dark Shadows

One of the projects yours truly is chomping at the bit to see when it’s released in theaters is Tim Burton’s remake of Dark Shadows, starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins. While I can take Burton or leave him, his work on films like Sleepy Hollow, I believe, could lend a contemporary Dark Shadows the sort of quality that renders it timeless.
Here’s hoping, anyway.
Meanwhile, TheWrap caught up to Burton at the LACMA, which has begun hosting a Tim Burton exhibit in Los Angeles — showcasing props, early writings and artwork from the filmmaker — and had an opportunity to ask him about how filming on Dark Shadows was progressing.
Here’s what Burton said:
“I’m just starting, and it’s a weird tone and it’s a lot of actors and, you know, we’re not starting with the simple stuff; we’re sort of getting right in there. You like to kind of sneak up on it a little bit, but this one we just kind of slammed right into it. [asked if it will have a soap opera quality] Yes, I don’t know. I’m early into it because it’s a funny tone, and that’s part of what the vibe of the show is, and there’s something about it that we want to get. But when you look at it, it’s pretty bad. I’m hoping that it will be — it’s early days, let’s put it — I’m very intrigued by the tone. It’s a real ethereal tone we’re trying to go for and I don’t know yet.”
The filmmaker mentioned that he’s not shooting the film in 3D. So right away, there’s that to take away as a positive.
Dark Shadows also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Moretz and Gulliver McGrath. It’s a cast that certainly fills one with anticipation at the possibilities.

X-Men First Class Touted as Marvel’s Casino Royale

Watching all the early teasers, trailers and clips for X-Men: First Class, we’ve often remarked that the film feels different; special in some way. It takes a period of history from which much of today’s culture, fashion, art and architecture has begun to borrow — the 1960s — and sets its story in that era. Even more interestingly, at the most politically-charged moment in that era’s history: the Cuban Missile Crisis.
So what happens when you mix X-Men with a little of Gerry Anderson’s Fab Future, a bit of Carnaby Street…and throw in some crazy Khrushchev for good measure? According to an increasing number of critics: a helluva film.
According to THR critic Todd McCarthy:“roughly the first half of this massive and very well-cast origins extravaganza is arguably the best hour of Marvel Comics-derived filmmaking among the torrent of it that’s cascaded across screens in recent years.” McCarthy even goes as far as to draw a comparison to Casino Royale, suggesting that X-Men: First Class has done for the Marvel franchise what the reborn Bond film did for the 007 franchise back in 2006.
He’s not the only one. Garth over at Dark Horizons calls the film “not just the best of the series but the best adaptation of a Marvel title yet.”
Variety, meanwhile, says the movie reclaims “much of the pop-operatic grandeur and insouciant wit so evident in the series’ first two installments”, extolling director Matthew Vaughn’s skills at blending style and substance into a ‘mainstream movie’: “…[Vaughn] manages to invest this unabashedly commercial product with a unique stylistic identity…”
CinemaSpy’s review of X-Men: First Class will appear on Thursday. Meanwhile, if you missed it — and even if you didn’t — give the official international trailer below a viewing.

Al Pacino’s New Fascination with Aging Rock Stars

Al Pacino seems to be gravitating towards playing rock stars these days. The actor is set to star as Phil Spector in an upcoming film for HBO directed by David Mamet. But that’s not all. According to Variety, he’s also close to toplining a new dramedy from writer Dan Fogelman (Cars) entitledImagine.
According to the trade, the story sees Pacino’s character discovering that he has an adult son after reading a never-opened letter from John Lennon. Steve Carrell was originally set to play the son, but he has since dropped out of the project as an actor, though he remains onboard as a producer.
The film marks the directorial debut of Fogelman.
Pacino will next be seen in the John Gotti biopic, Gotti: Three Generations.
Can you picture Al Pacino playing an aging rock star in a dramedy? Oddly enough, it seems to us like the sort of role to which the actor might just be well-suited, given his historical penchant for traditionally playing larger-than-life characters. Besides, he needs a new trademark line with which we can lampoon him moving forward. “Hoo-ah” is so 20th century.

Footloose Sneak Peeks This Friday

Paramount Pictures wants everyone to get Footloose and they're making it easier for some fortunate fans to do so by setting up a night of free screenings. The studio's hosting a 'Footloose Friday' event on September 30th at 26 theaters in the US and Canada. There's no charge to attend the screening, but you have to visit for ticketing information.
And, here's the deal about Footloose. I wasn't behind the idea of a remake of the 1984 Kevin Bacon dance film when it was announced, and never bought into the idea of a new version of the '80s film. However, I've actually seen the movie (which I readily admit I wasn't looking forward to) and it was reallyentertaining. Director Craig Brewer did a great job of sticking with what made the first film fun (including keeping a few of the hit songs) and Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough are terrific in the lead roles. Now, I'm not saying Footloose fans are going to forget Kevin Bacon and the first film altogether after seeing this new version, but it's great that this newFootloose doesn't besmirch our memories of the original film. The new Footloose is just plain fun, which is all you can ask of a Footloose remake.
Anyway, the cities hosting 'Footloose Friday' screenings are:
Atlanta (Regal Town Center); Boston (Regal Fenway); Chicago (Regal Webster Place); Cleveland (Regal Crocker Park); Dallas (Rave Ridgemar); Denver (Regal UA Pavilions); Detroit (MJR Partridge Creek); Houston (Regal Edwards Marq*E); Kansas City (AMC Barrywoods); Los Angeles (AMC Century City and AMC Burbank 16); Miami (AMC Sunset Place); Minneapolis (AMC Southdale); New York (Regal Union Square); Orlando (Regal Winter Park); Philadelphia (Regal King of Prussia); Phoenix (Harkins Tempe Marketplace); Sacramento (Century Roseville); Salt Lake City (Gateway Megaplex); San Diego (Regal Mira Mesa); San Francisco (AMC Metreon); Seattle (Regal Meridien); St. Louis (Wehrenberg Ronnies); Tampa (AMC Veterans); Toronto (Cineplex Odeon Varsity Theatre); and Washington DC (Regal Majestic)

X-Men’s Jennifer Lawrence is One Actress to Keep Your Eyes On

If you’ve already seen X-Men: First Class, then you probably understand what all the hype’s about. Yours truly reviewed the filmhere, but there was much I left out. The cast was almost uniformly excellent, grounded as they were by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender’s turns as Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto respectively. Kevin Bacon and January Jones were also clearly having fun with their respective roles as Sebastian Shaw and Emma Frost.
But what about the rest of the ensemble? Were there any standouts? Most assuredly there were, and top of the list, in our opinion, was Jennifer Lawrence playing Raven/Mystique. It was a heavy supporting role, and difficult, in many respects. As Charles’ consort-of-sorts for so many years, Lawrence had to wear a gamut of masks in the presence of Xavier: trusted friend, daughter-like child, blossoming woman…and finally independent individual.
Of course, being blessed with good looks helps, but Lawrence is more than just another pretty face with long legs (although, of course, those attributes don’t hurt). At 20, Lawrence’s performance often felt wise beyond her years. If you’ve seen the actress’ role of Norah in Mel Gibson’s The Beaver, then you know the Louisville, Kentucky native shines alongside major, established talent.
No surprise, perhaps. Lawrence starred in Guillermo Arriaga’s directorial debut The Burning Plain, opposite Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. That performance earned her the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best young emerging actor/actress during the Venice Film Festival in 2008.
She’s certainly one actress to keep your eyes on (and yes, we do mean that as a double entendre). Presently, Lawrence is starring as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, and we’re really looking forward to seeing what she does with that role in the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ bestselling novel.
Lawrence also seems to possess a keen awareness of today’s Hollywood. “Where are the Robert Redfords and Paul Newmans of my age group?” she asked rhetorically in an interview with W Magazine.“I love James Franco, but where’s the next James Franco? Where are the hunks who can act?”
Well, Jennifer, we suspect you might just be in a class of one right now.

Catwoman Spied in Full Costume on Set

The folks at ComicBookMovie have snagged themselves some pics of Anne Hathaway, cat ears and all, on the set ofThe Dark Knight Rises.
This is the first time anybody has seen her in full costume and we can’t help being reminded of Julie Newmar in her black tights from the TV series. The photos look to be spy pics and I suspect will not last long online, so be quick and click the link above to admire the form-fitting feline.
Not quite as iconic as Tim Burton’s version and I would have liked to have seen something a little more imaginative, but it’s serviceable…

Can Sly Stallone and Walter Hill Deliver Action Gold Together?

By now you may have heard about the Sylvester Stallone/Walter Hill team-up for a new action-thriller. If you haven’t, here’s the skinny: Hill is attached to direct the new film, which will be produced by Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment, IM Global and After Dark Films, and will star Stallone as a New Orleans hitman who works with a NYC cop (casting TBA) to bring down the killers of their respective partners.
The as-yet untitled film Headshot will be based on the Dynamite graphic novel “Bullet to the Head”, written by Matz (Killer) and illustrated by Colin Wilson (Star Wars Invasion). Here’s the publisher’s description of the novel: Two cops. Two killers. A political scandal. One beautiful corpse. And a city gripped with fear.
According to The Wrap, the project will begin production in Louisiana later this month and be distributed domestically by Warner Bros.
One’s first thought when one hears action-thriller + Sylvester Stallone is: Again? Really?
One’s second thought might be: With Walter Hill at the helm, could this also be crafted into an interesting character-driven piece that gives the action star more story to sink his teeth into?
Before you scoff at that notion, remember that F.I.S.T. — though long ago — showed what Stallone could do as an actor when under the helm of a truly top-notch director (in that case, Norman Jewison).
Hill, on the other hand, definitely knows a thing or two about drama—and for a long while now: Director and Consulting Producer on HBO’sDeadwood. Director and Writer of 48 Hours. Producer of Alien. Director ofThe Warriors. Producer and Story Writer of Aliens. Uncredited Second Assistant Director for Bullitt. Second Assistant Director of the original The Thomas Crown Affair (speaking of Norman Jewison).

The Hobbit Adds Evangeline Lilly…and Dame Edna?

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Things are getting interesting with The Hobbit films. In a Facebook post published over the weekend, filmmaker Peter Jackson announced that his two-movie version of the J. R. R. Tolkien fantasy novel had added three new castmembers.
First, Evangeline Lilly of LOST fame. Perhaps ironic, given that her beau and other LOST alumna Dominic Monaghan played Meriadoc ‘Merry’ Brandybuck in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Lilly will play a newly created elf character named Tauriel.
Meanwhile, Barry Humphries, the comedian best known for alter ego Dame Edna Everage, has also joined the production. He’s set to play the Goblin King.
Finally, Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the title character on the television series Sherlock is aboard and will provide the voice of the dragon Smaug.
Here’s what Jackson had to say in its entirety:
Yikes! I can finally get back to some postings! We’ve finished our first block of shooting and moved straight into location scouting. More on that soon… But today, I’m thrilled to announce two new cast members who will be joining us for our second block of shooting.
Evangeline Lilly will be playing a new character—the Woodland Elf, Tauriel. Her name means ‘daughter of Mirkwood’ and, beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas.) What is not a secret is how talented and compelling an actress Evangeline is; we are thrilled and excited she will be the one to bring our first true Sylvan Elf to life.
I’m also highly excited that Barry Humphries will be portraying the Goblin King, in much the way Andy Serkis created Gollum. Barry is perhaps best known for his business and social connections as the long-time manager of Dame Edna Everage. He has also been an ardent supporter of the rather misunderstood and unfairly maligned Australian politician, Sir Les Patterson. However, in his spare time, Barry is also a fine actor, and we’re looking forward to seeing him invest the Goblin King with the delicate sensitivity and emotional depth this character deserves.
Evangeline and Barry, along with Welsh actor Luke Evans as Bard and Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug, just about rounds out the major casting. I cannot wait to get stuck into these new scenes!
More soon, including a flurry of answers to your questions. Sorry for the delay!
Cheers,
Peter J