Hitman 2 Locked and Loaded

Director reportedly hired, but will Olyphant return as Agent 47 ?

by Jim Vejvoda

20th Century Fox has reportedly hired Spanish filmmaker Daniel Benmayor to direct Hitman 2, but the question is whether there will be a new actor stepping into the shoes of Agent 47?

Deadline reports that Benmayor, a commercials director whose credits include Paintball and Bruc, will be making his stateside feature filmmaking debut with the sequel to the 2007 game-to-film adaptation.

Kyle Ward, who also scripted Kane & Lynch, penned the sequel's script. Variety reported last year that the sequel will be based on the Eidos game Hitman 5, which they said at the time was set for a late 2010 release. Deadline had the following blurb about the plot: "Agent 47, is a beaten man and must build himself back psychologically and physically to reclaim his mantle as world's most feared assassin."

Deadline also said that while the studio has an option on star Timothy Olyphant to return, it's not clear if he will reprise his role as Agent 47. As the site points out, Olyphant's career is hot right now thanks to his hit TV series Justified.

Source : IGN

Kick-Ass New Character Posters for Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass!

Source: Firstshowing

By Alex Billington

Freakin' sweet! IGN has debuted the first four character poster

s for Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Asstonight. By now everyone has probably heard about this (or seen the leaked Comic-Con footage), so I don't think it needs an elaborate introduction. Kick-Ass is the adaptation of Mark Millar's awesome comic series about a kid who decides to dress up and be a superhero. While it could've been a goofy, Hollywood spoof, Vaughn went all out to make sure it was a bloody, brutal, violent adaptation true to his own pure vision. And that's already starting to show even in the marketing, as these posters definitely look awesome. Check'em out!

Kick-Ass is both written and directed by British filmmaker Matthew Vaughn, of Layer Cake an

d Stardustpreviously. The screenplay was co-written by Vaughn and his writing partner Jane Goldman, ofStardust as well. The story is an adaptation of Mark Millar's comic of the same name that is currently in the middle of its first series. Kick-Ass was funded entirely by Matthew Vaughn and his own private investors and sold once finished to Lionsgate earlier this year. They've currently set an April 16th, 2010 release date for the film, although I hope they change that, because that's a terrible opening day. Hopefully we'll see a trailer soon!

Rumor: Bethesda's Fallout 3 Headed to the Big Screen?

April 20, 2009
Source: Joystiq
by Alex Billington


I'm sure that in about 50 years, every video game ever made will be made into a movie. Obviously it has to do with the idea of having a pre-established fanbase surrounding the property, however, some of the stories in video games just aren't fit for the big screen. Fallout does not necessarily fall into the category. Considering the success of the latest game in the series, Fallout 3, I would've imagined that it would already been picked up and in development, but as far as I know, this is the first time I've heard anything about it. Joystiq is reporting that publisher Bethesda Softworks has filed a trademark for theatrical rights.

Joystiq's report is very speculative and the fact that Bethesda is filing for a trademark is only an extremely early indication that it may one day be possible that we'll see a Fallout 3 movie. For those unfamiliar with the game, Fallout 3 is set in the year 2277, 200 years after the nuclear war that devastated the world in an alternate post-WWII timeline. The game puts the player in the role of an inhabitant of Vault 101, a survival shelter designed to protect humans from the nuclear fallout. When the player's father disappears under mysterious circumstances, the player is forced to escape and journey into the ruins of Washington DC.

There's nothing wrong with that story, and I'd probably go see it if they made a movie, but I've got a feeling that Fallout 3 is one of those games that just won't make for a good movie (think Resident Evil). As in, it's great to play on the Xbox 360, but it's not great to see adapted, or at least in the way I'm sure Hollywood will adapt it. It's sad that this is the difference between two of the most popular entertainment mediums, but alas, that's just the reality for video game movies until something breaks that mold (and right now I'm hoping that's either Prince of Persia or BioShock or both). Only time will tell what happens to this game.

Source : www.firstshowing.net

Sound Off: Max Payne - What Did You Think?!

October 17, 2008
by Alex Billington

Now that you've seen it, what did you think? Fox is back again this October with another big video game movie - Max Payne! Fans have been excited ever since that first trailer arrived back in July. Now it's time to see if it truly lives up to all that hype. Will Max Payne finally break out of the video game mold? Will it at least be a step up from Hitman last year? Were Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis the right choices for Max Payne and Mona Sax? Did it feel like the video game or was it a cheesy action film and nothing more? Sound off below, leave your thoughts, and let us know what you thought of Max Payne.

To fuel the fire, I thoroughly enjoyed Max Payne, especially for its visual style, but wouldn't call it anything extraordinary. I think it deserves more credit than it's getting, because at the very least it was entertaining - which is exactly what the video game was, too. I thought the action scenes were the weakest part, but enjoyed director John Moore's acute sense of storytelling and visual style more than anything. It was a bit convoluted and could've used a script that actually made some sense, but I easily looked past that and just enjoyed it for what it was - mindnumbing action-filled popcorn cinematic entertainment at its finest.

Source : www.firstshowing.net

Prince of Persia Creator Talks Up Expectations for 2010

October 2, 2008
Source: MTV
by Alex Billington

Not excited for the big screen version of Prince of Persia yet? You should be! Disney is hoping this will be the next big franchise that follows in the footsteps of Pirates of the Caribbean. And with Jerry Bruckheimer producing and Mike Newell directing, it definitely could be. MTV caught up with the creator of the video game and screenwriter on the film, Jordan Mechner, and talked with him at length about what we can expect. The movie is currently shooting in Morocco and Mechner insists it'll be epic. "The scope of this is going to be massive. It's really spectacular." And that's not all. They really expect that this will "do for Arabian Nights movies what Pirates did for pirate movies." I certainly hope hope that's true.

As skeptical as most people seem to be at the moment, it's this kind of early behind-the-scenes buzz that makes me excited. I'm a big fan of the game and I'm always looking out for any mention of the movie. This time we've got some of the best quotes yet. Mechner (seen to the right) explains that the Prince of Persia movie was pitched to Disney and Bruckheimer "as an old-fashioned swashbuckling action-adventure in a tradition going all the way back to the Doug Fairbanks movies. The modern equivalent being Pirates of the Caribbean, an example of an old movie made new again, doing a fresh take on it for a modern audience." As for what we can expect? "Tonally, I'd say it's basically Pirates of the Caribbean with maybe a half-step towards Gladiator."

Of course, Mechner says "there'll certainly be a lot of stunts, a lot of special effects. I mean it's Jerry Bruckheimer!" If there is one producer out there who could show the world what video game movies should be like, it's The Bruck. And like the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Mechner explains that the story is essentially grounded in the real world with some fantasy elements. "If you take the first Sands of Time game, that was set in basically the real world, but with this mystical element that intrudes into it. It feels like it's grounded in a very real world with historical roots, but then its got this fantasy element as well. It's not completely over the top." That balance is key for turning this into a successful franchise.

This all sounds great so far, right? If you're concerned about the story being too contrived, Mechner, who had a hand in putting together the story, claims otherwise. "Well the movie's packed with action, so there'll be swords and horses and all the things that wouldn't be Prince of Persia without. But because it's a movie, it's about the characters and character relationships. There's no fighting for fighting's sake." However, because the action in the game is such an important part of it, Mechner adds that "fighting's a part of the story but it's not a movie about swordfighting." Based on what Mechner's saying, this should easily be one of the best big budget projects coming up in the next few years.

What I'm trying to say is that there's no reason to be concerned with this production. We all know video game movies have a bad rap, but hopefully that will change with Prince of Persia. And the more I hear, the more confident I become. Bruckheimer usually does a great job and if this is indeed supposed to be the next Pirates of the Caribbean, I don't expect him to let this one become a failure. Everything about it sounds like it has the potential to be incredibly entertaining and I think that's what is going to count the most with this movie. Mechner is only the most recent one involved in this to speak highly of the project and I suspect that he's dead on with his expectations. Only time will tell, I suppose.

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

Lara Croft, I Presume?

Meet the newest Tomb Raider.
by IGN Stars

August 15, 2008 - The hottest videogame character to ever make archaeology sexy is back, this time with a whole new look to go with her brand new game.Yahoo! recently blessed the internets with pics of the newest girl to sport Lara Croft's guns. British model and gymnist Alison Carroll takes over for the Eidosheroine's live-action duties, just as Lara's latest adventure amps up for a release later this year. All fans need to know is that Carroll is 23, limber and more than ready to match her console-self in the acrobatics department. To prepare for her tour of duty as the Tomb Raider, Carroll continues to undergo a strict training regime involving weapons training, survival techniques and, yeah, archaeology.

Source : www.ign.com