Potter 6 Pushed Back

Half-Blood Prince moved to summer '09.
by IGN Staff

August 14, 2008 -Warner Bros. announced today that it has moved back the release date of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to Summer 2009. The sixth installment of the blockbuster Harry Potter franchise will now open day-and-date domestically and in the major international markets on July 17, 2009. The announcement was made by Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.

In making the announcement, Horn stated, "Our reasons for shifting Half-Blood Prince to summer are twofold: We know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers' strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films—changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move Half-Blood Prince to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer."

Jeff Robinov, President of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, confirmed, "The release date change does not alter the production schedule for this or future Harry Potter films. Post-production on Half-Blood Prince was completed on time, and the studio's release plans for the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will not be affected by this change. We know Harry Potter fans are eagerly anticipating seeing the final chapters unfold onscreen. In fact, the good news for them is that the gap will now be shortened between Half-Blood Prince and the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

Commenting on the release date change for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," David Heyman, the producer of all the Harry Potter films, offered, "When Jeff Robinov explained the rationale behind moving the release date of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to July 2009, it was immediately apparent that this offered us the potential to reach the widest possible audience. I am extremely proud of this latest film and of the work of David Yates and our incomparable cast; I believe we have developed and pushed the series further still. We are all looking forward to sharing it with Harry Potter fans around the world, even if we have to wait just a bit longer."

David Yates, the director of both Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and who will also helm Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, added, "It has been a joy to work on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Dan, Rupert and Emma and all our returning young cast continue to blossom, and our new cast members bring fresh color and life to Hogwarts. Even as we put the finishing touches on this latest film, we are already beginning preparations on the final two films—we start filming in February—and I am excited to bring this remarkable series to the exciting and moving conclusion its loyal fans deserve."

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films production, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. David Yates, who directed last year's summer blockbuster Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, returns to direct Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. David Heyman and David Barron are the producers, with Lionel Wigram serving as executive producer. Steve Kloves wrote the screenplay, based on the book by J.K. Rowling.

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are reprising their roles as young wizards Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The film also stars Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis and Julie Walters. The cast also features David Bradley, Jessie Cave, Frank Dillane, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Helen McCrory, Natalia Tena, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Bonnie Wright.

Source : http://www.ign.com/

Marvel Studios Update

News on Spidey 4, Iron Man 2 and more.
by Jim Vejvoda

August 8, 2008 - Some morsels of movie news were peppered throughout Marvel Entertainment's Q2 earnings conference call held earlier this week. Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel chatted about the studio's upcoming film slate which includes Iron Man 2, Thor, The Avengers and The First Avenger: Captain America and those of its partners, such as Sony's Spider-Man 4.

During the conference call a full transcript of which is available here Maisel was asked about whether Spider-Man 4, which Sony is eyeing for a May 2011 release, might conflict with Marvel's planned May 6, 2011 release date for Captain America.

Maisel replied that "we always have a lot of options now that we control green light and our destiny with these films. Obviously we can't respond to hypotheticals and what we would do with various either competitive moves or partner moves, like Sony with Spider-Man. So at this point, I'd just have to say once a move like that happens, we'll obviously let our response be made publicly but it wouldn't be constructive to respond to a hypothetical."

In other words, time will tell who will blink first in any potential game of release date chicken between Marvel and Sony.

Marvel Entertainment Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Kenneth West disclosed that "during this quarter, we did receive the $5 million advance [from Sony] associated with Spider-Man 4. That keeps Sony in line with actually releasing this picture within the normal time period."

Maisel was also asked whether Paramount Pictures was set to distribute all of Marvel's forthcoming productions or if the distributors could be split, as they were between Iron Man (Paramount) and The Incredible Hulk (Universal). "The only film that is a certainty at this point for the Paramount distribution is Iron Man 2," Maisel said.

Since Marvel Studios has a relationship with every other major studio save for Warner Bros. (home of DC Comics movies), that opens the door for Sony, Universal, 20th Century Fox or Lionsgate to possibly release one or all of the other three upcoming films on Marvel's slate (Captain America, The Avengers, and Thor).

Source : www.ign.com

A Brief Look at the Technological Advancements in James Cameron's Avatar

August 9, 2008
Source: Hollywood Reporter
by Alex Billington

It's about that time again where we get a much-needed update from James Cameron on his still 16-months-out Avatar. The last update arrived back in late May when Cameron gave a speech at the Microsoft Advance '08 conference and talked about the technological advances they've made with Avatar. This week it was the Hollywood Reporter that talked with him further about some of the most amazing digital advancements you'll hear about, including live rendering of CG environments while shooting, an editing system called Facial Performance Replacement, as well as a camera system called Simulcam. We're still very far out from even seeing Avatar, but it's already one of the most advanced films in production and the technology implemented within it is all a testament to the genius of James Cameron.

"You have to make a good film that would be a good film under any circumstances," Cameron explains. And although we already know this, he emphasizes that "it is the most challenging film I've ever made." Cameron expects that by the time it's finished, Avatar will contain 60% CG animation featuring characters created using performance capture system, and 40% live action with visual effects imagery filling in the gaps. Although this may end up being the most amazing film we'll see visually, Cameron hasn't forgotten how to direct. "You have to put the narrative first. The reality is no matter how many (3-D) screens we get, you are still going to have a large number of people — possibly the majority of people — who see the film in a 2-D environment." They've already finished all of the performance capture with actors and are currently in the post-production process, which brings us to the technology they've invented.

Workflow: "The way we developed the performance capture workflow on Avatar, is we have our virtual camera, which allows me to, in real time, hold a camera — it's really a monitor — in my hands and point it at the actors and see them as their CG chartacters." This technology is something I've also seen at both DreamWorks Animation and LucasArts / ILM. Those two production houses also have a camera system that puts the operator in the virtual environment as if it is there; seeing this in person, it's obvious that it is where the future of filmmaking is headed. During the shoot, actors wear motion capture suits and a rig that takes an image of their face. "That is going though facial algorithms and going back into the camera as a real-time CG face of the character. You see it talk; you see the eyes move. It is pretty phenomenal."

Asset Management: "Once we've laid down a take, the take exists in the digital asset management system. It an be accessed at any time. Long after the actors have gone home, I'm still out there with the virtual camera, shooting coverage on the scene. I just have to play the take back. I can do the close up, the wide shot… I can even move them around on a limited basis. We relight it. We do all kinds of things." Now we might finally understand what Cameron is doing in the remaining 16 months, because as he works on the CGI and technology, he can at any moment go back and change the shot or the camera angle or any element of a scene. In essence, he'll be editing the film to perfection the entire time. "When you are doing performance capture, creatively it's very daunting. It's very hard to imagine what it will look like. But if you can see it, if you can have a virtual image of what is it going to be like, then you are there… I'm still doing a lot of virtual camera work on the film … on stuff that was shot six months ago."

FPR: Some experienced cinephiles might be familiar with the term ADR, which stands for Automated Dialogue Replacement, which is the process of replacing audio in the editing process to fix scenes that have dialogue changes or poorly recorded audio from the shoot. On Avatar, the system Cameron has developed is called Facial Performance Replacement and it's similar to ADR, but for CGI faces. "We changed the words and [actor Laz Alonzo] redid the dialogue. We didn't have to recapture (his body performance) and he didn't have to put the performance capture suit on again. We were just creating new words, and we were creating a new face." Again, referring to the idea that Cameron is simply editing the film for the remaining 16 months, this technology allows him to change dialogue or facial reactions without reshooting any of it.

Simulcam: As an extension of the workflow aspect above, Simulcam is the term they coined for the camera system that simulates the actual CG environment that they're shooting. "We're taking our virtual production toolset and superimposing it on physical production. We turned the set on the soundstage into a capture volume and turned the physical camera into a capture virtual camera, so we were able to integrate CG characters and environments into our live action." Again, this is a concept that's somewhat hard to understand without actually seeing it in person, but it's as if the CG world they've created can be seen by the actors and the director while they're actually shooting it with motion capture suits on. For example, Cameron describes: "We have people in flying vehicles, and I can see what is outside the window, fed in, in real time." If only the Wachowski's could've used this on Speed Racer.

Cameron's goal with the visuals in Avatar has been to create "one movie where the aesthetics of physical production and the aesthetics of virtual production are, to the extent that we could do it, pretty much it identical." From the sounds of it and from the descriptions of the technology they've invented, this definitely sounds like what we'll see next December. If you're salivating for more, be sure to head over to the full Hollywood Reporter article. For now we'll continue to wait until our next update from Cameron and potentially the first teaser, which I hope arrives by year's end. I've said it before and I'll say it again - we are in for one hell of a cinematic experience next December and even 16 months out, it's apparent that Cameron is advancing the technology of cinema so much that we may truly see a real revolution with Avatar.

Source : www.firstshowing.net

First Look: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

March 20, 2008
by Kevin Powers

Here we go! Warner Brothers has released the first official photo from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Overall, the image is rather nondescript and doesn't tell us much, save for that the three leads - Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) - are returning for the sixth time. You can faintly make out the headline in the newspaper Hermione is holding as possibly "More Disappearances at Ministry of Magic" or something like that. Avid Potter fans might be able to interpret this headline better than us.

The photo first cropped up earlier this week as a low-res scan of a page in Nick Magazine from a fan in Brazil. Today, Warner Brothers released a high-res version for Potter fans at large to wallpaper their computer with. You know you will. Click the photo for full size.

You might recall that we brought you a bit of news last month dealing with producer David Barron adding a new scene to the film. Of course, this image doesn't speak to that particular scene, but it's safe to say that Potter news is turning into a steady drumbeat. This first photo, I'm sure, will definitely stir up some noise. As of tomorrow, Half-Blood Prince is due out in exactly eight oh-so-short months. Let the hype begin!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is directed by David Yates, of Order of the Phoenix previously. The screenplay was adapted by Steve Kloves, who also wrote the screenplay for every Harry Potter movie previously except Order of the Phoenix. Half-Blood Prince arrives in theaters on November 21st.

Are you already excited for Harry Potter to return again this fall?

Source : www.firstshowing.net

Comic-Con 08: This Year's Best Panels and Footage

August 1, 2008

by Alex Billington

After I returned from the San Diego Comic-Con earlier this week, I kept getting asked countless times over what the best thing I saw was the whole time. So to answer that question for everyone, I thought I'd throw together a quick recap of this year's Comic-Con and list my favorite panels and the best footage. While I generally knew what was coming and had my eye set on a few particular films, not only did they all deliver, but there were certainly a few exciting surprises as well. This year may not go down as the greatest year in Comic-Con history, as Paramount's absence was truly felt, but it certainly will be remembered! Read on for the list of my favorite presentations and the best footage from Comic-Con 2008!

To help set you in the right mood, I've added some costume photos that coordinate with each respective movie. Click each one to see them full-size. All of the costumes are from this year's Comic-Con.

1. Watchmen - I knew this was going to be the best of Comic-Con before it even began and boy did it deliver. The five-minute extended trailer we saw was truly breathtaking, even more than the first trailer. Instead of Smashing Pumpkins, the music this time was some sort of gospel-like orchestral played over some of the best visuals from the film, including Nite Owl and Silk Spectre kissing while a nuke explodes behind them, extended shots of Rorschach and the ink changing in his mask, and the scene where the original Minutemen are getting their photo taken. I also loved seeing how R rated it would be, where any time Dr. Manhattan would blow people up, you could actually see their bones and organs exploding as well. It was truly amazing and I've got a feeling this may even top The Dark Knight next March!

2. Terminator Salvation - This was the most delightful surprise of all of Comic-Con. I heard that McG was cool guy, but he truly took the crowd by storm just as Jon Favreau had done the year before for Iron Man. And the footage he brought was fantastic! I finally have an immense amount of confidence in McG and the entire creative team behind Terminator Salvation. The footage we were shown was yet again rough, but entirely composed with practical effects - no CGI had been finished by this time. And I was amazed that most of what they shot looked so good. As with any post-apocalyptic movie, it felt a bit like Mad Max, even with a racing scene involving shotguns and various punked out cars. But in the end, I had this gut reaction that kept telling me this is going to be frickin' badass. Christian Bale's intensity is what fueled it the most - he has some awesome scenes with Sam Worthington and others.

3. The Day the Earth Stood Still - The second biggest surprise of Comic-Con behind Terminator Salvation. I thought the first trailer looked pretty damn good, but I wasn't expecting the incredibly beautiful cinematography with lush dark green colors, great visual effects, and immense intensity that Keanu Reeves would bring to the movie. We saw the full scene where Keanu is being interrogated first and it went from mild to "holy sh*t" in a matter of seconds. And the extended trailer truly made my jaw drop by the end. I'm a big sci-fi nut and this looks like it has everything I could ever ask for in a sci-fi remake, including quality acting. Even after Watchmen and Terminator Salvation and Wolverine, I am still just as excited for The Day the Earth Stood Still.

4. Ninja Assassin - The most underrated movie of all of Comic-Con and it still kicked my ass! If you're unfamiliar with this gem of a movie, Ninja Assassin is V for Vendetta director James McTeigue's latest film. While filming Speed Racer with Rain over the summer, they came up with the idea of making a full-fledged ninja movie and thus the idea for this project was born. The trailer we saw was insane! That's actually probably an understatement - it was bloody as hell, exciting as hell, and badass as hell. Not only is it the first mainstream ninja movie I've ever seen, but it looked stunning. McTeigue may only be directing his second feature film, but this guy's got style and Ninja Assassin looks like it's going to kick ass!

5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - I'm probably the only one who didn't completely love the Wolverine footage and that's because there were honestly some problems with it. I know that it was all rough, unfinished footage and that it needed plenty of polishing, but that played into my reaction. Seeing Gambit and Wolverine and Sabretooth was all good and exciting, but it really looked too cheesy. When you compare something as perfectly refined as The Dark Knight to Wolverine, it was like comparing an expensive diamond to a dirty rock. I hope in time they clean it all up, but what I saw just look a bit too over-the-top for an Oscar winning director and someone as talented as Hugh Jackman. Too many explosions, too many colorfully cheesy shots, and an unnecessary need to expand the story into a team of superheroes.

6. Red Sonja - Although they haven't even begun shooting, Robert Rodriguez and the beautiful Rose McGowan presented some great looking promo photos and posters (which you can see here). I was honestly impressed with what I saw and when the two of them, in combination with the film's director Douglas Aarniokoski, talked at length about their interest in the mythology of Red Sonja and Conan as well as the direction the film would be going in, I felt like this could end up being pretty awesome. There wasn't much to go off of, but I thoroughly enjoyed the panel and was excited to see what they were going to come up with when shooting begins later this year.

7. Tr2n - The reason this isn't higher on my list is because I actually missed the official presentation during Disney's panel. Thankfully the wonders of the internet allowed me to actually watch the trailer, albeit in very bad quality, and in turn I felt I needed to include it on this list. The footage would've been breathtaking in person in high definition, but even the version I saw made me excited at the end. In combination with this news about John Lasseter's involvement has instantly shot this movie high up on my most anticipated list for the next few years (since it's not actually due out until 2010). Easily one of the best surprises at Comic-Con that has shown many people what true talent is capable of creating.

8. Tropic Thunder - Technically this wasn't a panel or a presentation, but I did have the chance to see it at Comic-Con and it kicked some serious ass! I've got a soft spot for war movies and this fit right into that niche on top of being one of the funniest comedies all year long. This is definitely going to give Apatow's Pineapple Express a run for its money and it will probably end up somewhere near the top of my best of the year list as well. I knew it would be good from the trailers, but it definitely surpassed all of my expectations, and it's always a relief when a highly anticipated movie does that. When I wasn't laughing my ass off, I was definitely smiling and enjoying all that the movie offered.

9. Friday the 13th - Last but not least is this lone horror remake that needs some extra special attention. Although I visited the set and liked what I saw, I still wasn't fully sold. Not until the trailer, and especially the last scene where Jason chases down a girl lying on the ground, did I realize that this movie is going to kick some serious ass. I don't care that it's not a direct remake of the first Friday the 13th or that it's not as faithful to the tone of the originals, because it looks entertaining and intense and that's what it needed to capture my interest. I want a movie that is going to scare the living crap out of me and also be entertaining and I think this Friday the 13th remake is going to do just that.

There were a few key presentations I missed, including Drag Me to Hell and Land of the Lost as well as a few others, but alas we'll get our taste of those soon enough. And as for let downs, Frank Miller's The Spirit tops the list and Max Payne comes in a close second. I had high hopes for both and both looked pretty bad - not what I was hoping to see for either. Coming off of Comic-Con this year, I feel like there's an exciting line-up of movies in the works, from Watchmen next March to Terminator Salvation next May to The Day the Earth Stood Still this December to Ninja Assassin next January. Another Comic-Con down and another twelve months to go until we do it all over again! What are you looking forward to the most?

Source : http://www.firstshowing.net/