Pixar's Cars 2 Pushed Up to Summer of 2011

September 25, 2008
by Alex Billington

During the Disney Showcase yesterday held at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, John Lasseter and Dick Cook presented a brief look at the upcoming animated films from Disney. Included was a quick look at Cars 2. While there wasn't any concept art or photos, Lasseter and Cook announced that the film would be hitting theaters in the summer of 2011, as opposed to 2012, as was first announced. Additionally, Lasseter mentioned that he came up with the idea for the sequel while traveling around the world doing publicity for the first film. He wondered how the characters would react in various locations all over the world. Cars 2 will follow Tow Mater getting his passport and traveling to Europe with Lightning McQueen.

Lasseter also gave us a quick look at an episode from a series of shorts called Cars Toons. These shorts will feature "Mater's Tall Tales", a series of funny stories told by Tow Mater himself, starting with how he used to be a firetruck. The more I re-watch Cars, the more I come to appreciate it. It's definitely not Pixar's best film, but I'm honestly still excited for a sequel. Why are so many people angry at this news? I honestly don't understand! Since when has Pixar done anything wrong? It's not the most beloved film, but I think the sequel to Cars will definitely be embraced by 2011. The story sounds like it could be fun and it'll be a drastic change from the first film. Hopefully there are others out there who appreciate Cars as much as I do?

Source : www.firstshowing.net

Bruce Willis's Directorial Debut Shooting in October

September 23, 2008
by Alex Billington

Bruce Willis will be making his directorial debut on an indie film titled Three Stories About Joan. The psychological drama follows a young woman at three points in her life and the family tragedies that cause her to lose her grip on reality. Apparently the story involves her "faith in a love borne out of need, destroyed by a madness, and restored by a ghost." A ghost? Yes indeed. Willis has cast the lovely Camilla Belle as the lead in the film and will also star as her father. Shooting will start in early October in Shreveport, Louisiana under the production of Willis Brothers Films, which as you can assume, is the company run by Bruce and his two brother David. The budget is expected to between $10 and $25 million.

The screenplay for Three Stories About Joan was written by newcomers Christopher Alexander and Sam Applebaum. In addition to Belle and Willis, both Owen Wilson and Kieran Culkin will star in the film as well. It sounds like too much of a quirky story to actually turn out any good, but I don't know enough about all the details to really say. I'm more concerned about Willis' directing abilities than I am about the script. I'm sure this is going to be a big festival film next year, but I'm already worried that Willis won't be as good at directing as he is at acting. For some odd reason he doesn't feel like the kind of guy who knows how to work great behind-the-scenes, but then again, I haven't ever met him. I surely hope I'm wrong!

Source : www.firstshowing.net

Check This Out: Awesome Fan Made Dark Knight Sequel Poster!

August 14, 2008
by Alex Billington

I just got an e-mail with an interesting attachment - a poster for the sequel to The Dark Knight called The Dark Knight Returns. I'm pretty damn sure its fake, but it looks impressive, so I thought I'd put it up anyway. Not only is the Riddler not the official villain for the third movie, but a third movie hasn't even been announced! If indeed Warner Brothers has put out a poster for a movie three years out that hasn't been officially announced - that might be groundbreaking in and of itself. However, I'm guessing this is just a brilliant fan creation that deserves to be mentioned simply for the aesthetic and design fundamentals. Bravo to whoever created this. And if I'm wrong and this is real, then even I'll be shocked!

No need for any further introduction, let's just get down to it. Thanks to reader "Hilander" for send this.

I think it's an interesting idea and I would be all for the appearance of the Riddler in a third movie, I just want to actually give the writers time to write the movie first. This might have all stemmed from our contest for the best story for a Dark Knight sequel. Most of the winners featured the Riddler in some fashion, which I quite enjoyed. The reason why I think the Riddler could be an amazing choice for a villain comes from Christopher Nolan's background. Imagine the intricate story full of twists and turns in The Prestige implemented into the dark and visceral world of The Dark Knight. The Riddler starts asking riddles throughout the movie and it takes the story to an even deeper level. Thoughts?

Source : www.firstshowing.net

This is What Halo: Fall of Reach Will Hopefully Look Like

September 2, 2008
Source: Latino Review
by Alex Billington

Over the last month, our friends at Latino Review have been debuting concept art for Halo: Fall of Reach. As was explained originally, this isn't concept art for a movie that's actually in production, instead it's concept art that was attached to a spec script written by Stuart Beattie in order to try and sell it to studios. They were drawn by concept artist Kasra Farahani and are from various scenes in the script. These have been hitting individually every week, but now we've got a comprehensive final look at all of them together in order to show you what Halo: Fall of Reach will hopefully look like, if it ever gets made. Definitely check these out - they look pretty damn good and should make you excited if you're a Halo fan.

The script by Beattie is based on the book of the same name, Halo: Fall of Reach. Latino Review say they put these out because they "figured the fans would get a kick out of it and appreciate the fact that there is a filmmaker out there refusing to give up and see a Halo film come to fruition." I'm on the supportive side and really hope this gets made - just look at these photos, wouldn't it be incredible to see them actually in a film? We've featured all five below, where they can be viewed in full by clicking each one.

Clockwise from top left: a scene that takes place halfway through the film (in space); a scene showing Spartan children in training (fences); the ending of the film where the first Halo game begins (purple planet); a scene showing Spartans fighting the Covenant (wide photo); the climax of the film where Master Chief is fighting on Reach to get Cortana (on the planet). The story in the book follows the introduction of the Spartan soldiers and their fight on the planet Reach against the invading Covenant.

The reason why I'm featuring these is because they look great and are exciting for Halo fans to see. I've been a supporter of the Halo movie all-along, even claiming that Neill Blomkamp's District 9 is being made as a way to prove to Microsoft that Blomkamp can make a big-budget sci-fi movie - or more specifically, the Halo movie. I'm expecting the buzz that these images will create might cause some Hollywood studios to take an interest again. Some have said that the Halo movie and even this script is dead in the water, but I just don't believe it. I'm sure it'll happen, it may just take some time, maybe even a few years. Do you think this concept art is good inspiration for a Halo movie?

Source : http://www.firstshowing.net

Fresh Assortment of New Quantum of Solace Photos

September 1, 2008
Source: DVD-Forum.at
by Alex Billington

Although we're in the thick of the film fest season where indies get more coverage than mainstream flicks, we can't forget some of the better looking fall films coming up, including specifically Quantum of Solace. Thanks to the guys over at DVD-Forum.at, we've got an exciting assortment of new photos from the upcoming James Bond film. A lot of these look fantastic, which is why I mentioned that I've been reminded of Quantum of Solace. Earlier today I couldn't think of anything that I was really looking forward to by the end of the year, since Harry Potter was moved. Now I'm reminded that Quantum of Solace, amongst others, looks great and will be one of the most highly anticipated films left to see this year.

There are quite a few more photos over on their website, but we've decided to feature the better looking ones below. I'm a huge Bond fan and these look great. Craig's return will definitely be heralded and I can't wait to see Mathieu Amalric's performance as the villain as well. Enjoy!

Quantum of Solace is directed by Marc Forster, of Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction, and The Kite Runner previously. The screenplay was penned by both Robert Wade (Die Another Day, Johnny English, Casino Royale) and Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, Casino Royale). This is the 22nd Bond film in the series that first began back in 1962 with Dr. No. Sony Pictures will be releasing Quantum of Solace in theaters on November 14th this year.

Source : http://www.firstshowing.net