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BEN-WHEATLEY

[BD Review] ‘Sightseers’ Shocking, But Still Falls Flat

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 03, 2012 @ 12:14pm
Category: Movies / Reviews

Director Ben Wheatley slammed into my world last year. His Kill List topped my list of the best horror of 2011, and quickly became “the” filmmaker to watch. Keeping his festival run afloat, Wheatley’s black comedy Sightseers screened with much anticipation at the Toronto International Film Festival. Unfortunately, what works so well in Kill List is what ultimately tanks this genre film.

Sightseers follows a relatively young couple – Chris (Steve Oram) and Tina (Alice Lowe) – who take a journey through the British Isles in Abbey Oxford Caravan. Chris is quickly pushed over the edge and the vacation becomes littered with dead bodies.

Sightseers is Wheatley’s version of Natural Born Killers or God Bless America, only instead of taking on the media and pop culture, he focuses on the elitist and self-absorbed attitudes of today’s youth. After beating someone’s head in with a stick, Chris is quick to point out that people get away with being pieces of sh*t and nobody does anything to stop them (basically they get away with “murder”, so to speak).

Wheatley’s message is clear and focused, only his decision to keep it snail-paced is what gums up the entertainment. While Kill List‘s pace is all about the impact finale, Sightseers is supposed to be a comedy with some energy. If anything, there’s no energy here, albeit, plenty of shocking moments fierce with impact. And it’s not very funny.

While Sightseers is beautifully made, and features rock solid performances by the entire cast, it just sort of falls a bit flat. The joke gets a bit old, quickly, and while there’s some juxtaposing between Tina and Chris, the message doesn’t have much impact post the initial kill. Sightseers may be worth a glance, but it’s not a place you’d visit again.

Trailer For ‘Kill List’ Director’s Black Comedy ‘Sightseers’!

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on August 28, 2012 @ 10:33am
Category: Movies / Images

Opening in UK cinemas November 30 is Kill List director Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers, which will also screen at next month’s Toronto International Film Festival.

But it doesn’t take long for the dream to fade. Litterbugs, noisy teenagers and pre-booked caravan sites, not to mention Tina’s meddling mother, soon conspire to shatter Chris’s dreams and send him, and anyone who rubs him up the wrong way, over a very jagged edge…” IFC Films will release here in the States. READ MORE

[Blu-ray Review] ‘Kill List’ Is An Atmospheric Delight

Movies
Posted by David Harley on August 21, 2012 @ 9:29pm
Category: Movies / Home Video

Kill List is the kind of film whose full impact doesn’t hit you until after you have had a chance to reel your mind in from the incredibly intense ending. Like Down Terrace, director Ben Wheatley’s last film, it follows the exploits of people living outside the law while moving in less expected directions, but has more of an emphasis on the physical and psychological pitfalls of their morally ambiguous lifestyles and the horrors, conventional and otherwise, it leads to. READ MORE

[TIFF '12] Vanguard Selection Highlights: ‘Sightseers’, ‘Thale’, ‘Here Comes The Devil’ And More!!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on July 31, 2012 @ 6:41pm
Category: Movies / Images

Earlier today we gave you detailed rundowns on images from almost all of the TIFF Midnight Madness selections – along with a separate overall guide. While the Midnight Madness selections offer a great selection of horror (John Dies At The End, The Lords Of Salem, Aftershock, Hellbenders 3D, The ABC’s Of Death etc…) that’s not all the festival has to add to the genre world.

The Vanguard Selections might be less overtly gory, but a lot of them have the potential to be strong and disturbing genre efforts. Kill List director Ben Wheatley has Sightseers, there’s the horror sound booth chiller Berberian Sound Studios, animated comedy Hotel Transylvania (which technically falls into the “Kids” section, but hey – monsters), chick-with-a-tail tale Thale and much more.

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th. Head inside for a preliminary rundown! READ MORE

[TIFF '12] First Images From Midnight Madness Selection ‘The ABC’s Of Death’!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on July 31, 2012 @ 10:23am
Category: Movies / Images

Naturally, The 26-director horror anthology The ABC’s Of Death is one of the Midnight Madness selections of the Toronto International Film Festival, and now we have a look at several new pics from the film.

Directed by Kaare Andrews, Angela Bettis, Adrián García Bogliano, Bruno Forzani & Hélène Cattet, Ernesto Díaz Espinoza, Jason Eisener, Xavier Gens, Jorge Michel Grau, Lee Hardcastle, Noboru Iguchi, Thomas Cappelen Malling, Anders Morgenthaler, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Simon Rumley, Marcel Sarmiento, Jon Schnepp, Srdjan Spasojevic, Timo Tjahjanto, Andrew Traucki, Nacho Vigalondo, Jake West, Ti West, Ben Wheatley, Adam Wingard, and Yûdai Yamaguchi – ABC’s will have its world premiere at the fest.

Twenty-six directors… 26 ways to die! The ABCs Of Death is perhaps the most ambitious anthology film ever conceived, featuring segments directed by over two dozen of the world’s leading talents in contemporary genre film. With each director assigned a letter of the alphabet, they were then given free rein in choosing a word to create a story involving a tale of mortality. It’s an alphabetical arsenal of destruction orchestrated by some of the most exciting names in global horror including Ben Wheatley (Kill List), Ti West (House of the Devil), Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun), Adam Wingard (You’re Next), Xavier Gens (Frontieres), and Nacho Vigalondo (Time Crimes).

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th. Head inside for the pics! READ MORE

[TIFF '12] Midnight Madness Films Announced! ‘The Lords Of Salem’, ‘The ABC’s Of Death’, ‘Hellbenders 3D’ And More!!!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on July 31, 2012 @ 10:09am
Category: Movies / Images

Holy sh*t! There’s obviously a lot of horror in the Midnight Madness selections of the Toronto International Film Festival, but I’m not sure if you were expecting this many big fish! For starters, we’ve got Rob Zombie‘s The Lords Of Salem. Next? The 26 director anthology The ABC’s Of Death. Not enough? How about Nicolas Lopez‘s Eli Roth/Selena Gomez starrer Aftershock. Still hungry? Then there’s JT Petty‘s Hellbenders 3D.

TIFF’s Midnight Madness selections will present the major world premieres for those films, the first time any kind of general audience sees them. But that’s not all! Head inside for the full listing of films! We’ll be updating you throughout the day with image galleries for these selections so keep checking back!

The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6th-16th. READ MORE

Ben Wheatley’s ‘Freakshift’ Closer To Happening, Could Be The Rare High-Concept Movie That Actually Turns Out Great!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on July 26, 2012 @ 9:30pm
Category: Movies / News

Ben Wheatley directed the amazing Kill List (and I can’t wait for Sightseers) so I’m stoked that director’s planned cops-and-monsters film, Freakshift, might be acquired in pre-production by Lava Bear who will help co-finance the movie with Film4.

Per Variety, “Lava Bear is in exclusive negotiations to acquire monster action thriller “Freakshift,” which “Kill List” director Ben Wheatley will helm. Rook Films’ Andrew Starke, Claire Jones and Lava Bear will produce. Katherine Butler will exec produce via the Film4 banner which developed and co-financed the project.”

Co-written by Wheatley and Amy Jump, “pic is set in a world where monsters rise from the ground and terrorize citizens when night falls. The Freakshift is a band of government-organized misfits and lawbreakers who hunt and kill the creatures for civic duty, sport and money. Wheatley told me back in February: “It’s like “Hill Street Blues” vs. Monsters. But it’s like 15 million [budget] so it’s quite big. That’s our first kind of American film as well. We’re hoping to start it in the beginning of next year, all things being equal.”

The project is likely to shoot in spring 2013 and I couldn’t be more excited. Usually projects like Freakshift sound great in development, but get watered down along the way. I don’t see that happening here.

The Incredible Indie Thriller ‘Kill List’ Dated For Home Video!

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on July 24, 2012 @ 1:32pm
Category: Movies / Home Video

A one-of-a-kind blend of family drama, hitman thriller and terrifying psychological shocker, Kill List (review) is the story of an ex-soldier turned contract killer who plunges into the heart of darkness – and takes the viewer with him on a ride from which there is no return. The “#1 horror film of the year” (David Harley, Bloody-Disgusting) arrives on high-definition Blu-ray and DVD on August 14, 2012.

“From director Ben Wheatley (Down Terrace, The ABCs of Death) comes a mind-blowing genre concoction that marks a new milestone in the annals of modern horror. Eight months after a disastrous hit job left him physically and mentally scarred (and struggling to support his wife and son), Jay (Neil Maskell, Pusher, Basic Instinct 2) is pressured by his partner and best friend Gal (Michael Smiley, Wire in the Blood) into taking a lucrative three-part assignment: kill a priest, then a dealer in torture porn, and finally a member of Parliament. As the two men – one a volatile hothead, the other a careful professional – carry out their work with shocking brutality, Jay’s world begins to unravel until paranoia and unexplainable visions send him reeling.”

Don’t miss out on easily one of the best films of the year! READ MORE

Ben Wheatley Closing Financing For Cops-And-Monsters Flick ‘Freakshift’

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on May 23, 2012 @ 8:50am
Category: Movies / News

Two Ben Wheatley posts in a row? Why the heck not?!

Film4 is in discussions with potential co-financiers here the Kill List and Sightseers director’s planned cops-and-monsters film Freakshift, reports Screen Daily. Wheatley told Bloody back in February: “It’s like “Hill Street Blues” vs. Monsters. But it’s like 15 million [budget] so it’s quite big. That’s our first kind of American film as well. We’re hoping to start it in the beginning of next year, all things being equal.”

The project is likely to shoot in spring 2013.

These are among a busy slate of diverse projects at Film4, which has a banner Cannes this year with both Sightseers and On The Road premiering tonight. Wheatley is also preparing another feature, I, Macrobane.

IFC Nabs ‘Kill List’ Director’s ‘Sightseers’ Out Of Cannes

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on May 23, 2012 @ 8:37am
Category: Movies / News

Some acquisition news out of Cannes as IFC Films has nabbed Kill List director Ben Wheatley’s The Sightseers, which stars Alice Lowe and Steve Oram as a couple on a countryside caravan trip that goes wrong. Below you’ll once again find the first piece of footage from the horror comedy that begins when the couple have a face-to-face with a local about not picking up their dog’s crap from the ground. I’d get pissed off too if somebody didn’t pick up after their mutt.

“Chris (Oram) wants to show Tina (Lowe) his world and he wants to do it his way – on a journey through the British Isles in his beloved Abbey Oxford Caravan. Tina’s led a sheltered life and there are things that Chris needs her to see – the Crich Tramway Museum, the Ribblehead Viaduct, the Keswick Pencil Museum and the rolling countryside that separates these wonders in his life. But it doesn’t take long for the dream to fade. Litterbugs, noisy teenagers and pre-booked caravan sites, not to mention Tina’s meddling mother, soon conspire to shatter Chris’s dreams and send him, and anyone who rubs him up the wrong way, over a very jagged edge…” READ MORE

Poster For ‘The ABC’s Of Death’ Spells Out Greatness

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on April 02, 2012 @ 8:55pm
Category: Movies / News

Abcsland40212 Poster For The ABCs Of Death Spells Out Greatness

Entertainment Weekly got their hands on the poster for The ABC’s Of Death, and I have to say it’s nothing if not absolutely great. The anthology film features segments from Adam Wingard (You’re Next), Ti West (The Innkeepers), Yoshihiro Nishimur (Tokyo Gore Police), Ben Wheatley (Kill List) and 23 other notable horror directors. I can’t wait to see it.

The ABC’s Of Death is a “feature film produced by Ant Timpson & Tim League. A project made up of 26 individual chapters by 26 directors that showcase death in all its wondrous and brutal beauty. Established directors and some of the most gifted emerging directors will make up the diverse roster of creative talent that will showcase twenty-six tales of mortality, beginning with the letter A and ending with the letter Z.

This will be a celebration of death in all its forms. From the shocking and exotic through to the banal and droll. The spectrum of cause will run from the accidental through to murder most foul. It is up to each director to interpret the letter (word) they are assigned. They have 6 months, 6 weeks and 6 days to finish their short tale on death. ”

Hit the jump to check out the poster by Kaare Andrews, who also happens to be directing Cabin Fever prequel Patient X. READ MORE

Exclusive

[Interview] Ben Wheatley Talks ‘Kill List’, ‘ABC’s Of Death’, ‘Sightseers’, ‘Megaevilmotherf*ckers’ and ‘Freak Shift’!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on February 03, 2012 @ 4:42pm
Category: Movies / Exclusives

KillListMondoLand13112 [Interview] Ben Wheatley Talks Kill List, ABCs Of Death, Sightseers, Megaevilmotherf*ckers and Freak Shift!

Topping Mr. Disgusting’s list of the best films of 2011 is Ben Wheatley’s instant classic Kill List (review).

With the film opening in select theaters today, I sat down with Ben Wheatley at the Andaz Hotel this week for a lengthy chat about the genesis of Kill List and the multitude of projects he has coming up.

I found him to be a genuinely amiable and intelligent presence, a guy who clearly loves making movies and is extremely grateful to be doing so.

I highly urge you to go see this film this weekend if it’s playing anywhere remotely near you. While it’s not for everyone (a topic we touch on in our interview), it resonates quite strongly with those who are receptive to it.

If you live in Los Angeles, the film is screening at Cinefamily tonight. The 730PM and 1015PM shows will feature a Q&A with Mr. Wheatley moderated by Devin Faraci. Tickets here.

Hit the jump for the interview! READ MORE

New ‘Kill List’ Mondo Poster Is Awesome, Says Too Much?

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on January 31, 2012 @ 7:10pm
Category: Movies / News

KillListMondoLand13112 New Kill List Mondo Poster Is Awesome, Says Too Much?

For me, one of the pleasures Ben Wheatley’s Kill List was actually paying heed to the recommendation of those who had already seen the film that I go in absolutely blind. I’m so glad I did. It’s a great film either way, but watching it unfold without seeing a trailer or even too many stills certainly elevated the experience.

Which is why – no matter how awesome this Mondo Poster for the film is – it might be a better idea to go see the movie which it comes out this Friday (February 3rd) first. Does the poster have spoilers? Not really, and certainly not in any strict sense. But it does have information you may or may not need ahead of time.

But if you want to see it now, hit the jump to take a look. It will be on sale at Mondo Tees on February 23rd for 30 bucks. READ MORE

‘Kill List’ Director Head To Prison For Ultra-Violent ‘Megaevilmotherfuckers’!

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on January 28, 2012 @ 5:03pm
Category: Movies / News

Ben Wheatley is THE director to watch as Kill List is easily one of the best films of the year.

Lee Hardcastle is an indie director to pay close attention too much because his “T for Toilet” (watch above) landed a spot in Magnet’s 26-part anthology The ABCs of Death.

According to Twitch both filmmakers will collide to produce a new stop-motion animated feature entitled, get this, Megaevilmotherfuckers. The site calls the project “an ultra violent prison exploitation picture” in the vein of the bloodbath Riki-Oh (you haven’t seen that yet? What? Really?).

That’s all there is available at this time, but we’ll update you with more when revealed.. READ MORE

First ‘Sightseers’ Pic Is Indeed A Sight To Behold

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on January 24, 2012 @ 5:41pm
Category: Movies / News

First Sightseers Pic Is Indeed A Sight To Behold

With Kill List topping multiple year-end lists, including Mr. Disgusting’s, all eyes are on director Ben Wheatley’s next project Sightseers.

It started shooting a few months back and now, courtesy of Empire Online, we have our first look at the film itself. In the accompanying interview, Wheatley concedes that the film will be less dark. Per Empire, “There will be kills, and there may even be a list of some kind, but Wheatley insists that this is lighter fare than his last two outings, ‘Down Terrace’ and the film that birthed the Kill List Stare. It’s not as dark as Kill List,’ Wheatley tells Empire, ‘I’d have to shoot a child in the head live on television to be darker than that, but it has the same humour and the same worldview. But it’s also quite romantic, a bit more of a love story.’”

Actors Alice Lowe and Steve Oram wrote the script about a couple on a countryside caravan trip that goes wrong. “Chris (Steve Oram) wants to show Tina (Alice Lowe) his world and he wants to do it his way – on a journey through the British Isles in his beloved Abbey Oxford Caravan. Tina’s led a sheltered life and there are things that Chris needs her to see – the Crich Tramway Museum, the Ribblehead Viaduct, the Keswick Pencil Museum and the rolling countryside that separates these wonders in his life. But it doesn’t take long for the dream to fade. Litterbugs, noisy teenagers and pre-booked caravan sites, not to mention Tina’s meddling mother, soon conspire to shatter Chris’s dreams and send him, and anyone who rubs him up the wrong way, over a very jagged edge…”

Hit the jump to check out the pic and head to the film’s official website for more info. I’m picking up a Malick vibe from the pic. How about you? READ MORE

‘Kill List’, Bloody Disgusting’s #1 Film of 2011, Is Now On VOD!

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on January 05, 2012 @ 3:27pm
Category: Movies / News

Kill List, Bloody Disgustings #1 Film of 2011, Is Now On VOD!

Topping my personal list of the best films of 2011 is Ben Wheatley’s instant classic Kill List (review), which premiered at SXSW before making its way to the Midnight audience at the TIFF. The slow-burn chiller is now available on VOD everywhere, with a limited theatrical run planned for Los Angeles and New York on February 3rd. You’d be doing yourself a major disservice by missing it.

“Eight months after a botched job in Kiev, Jay (Neil Maskell) is an out-of-work hit man with no job, money, health insurance and a wife constantly on his case. But when his business partner Gal (Michael Smiley) comes over for dinner and pressures Jay into taking a new assignment, Jay quickly finds himself back in the game with the promise of a big payoff after three assassinations. Although the hits start off without incident, soon things begin to unravel and Jay’s paranoia reveals itself as he is plunged into the heart of darkness.”

Watch a new 30-second spot inside. READ MORE

Kill List (limited)

Posted by Bloody Disgusting Staff on January 04, 2012 @ 12:00am
Category:

A horror film about a group of demobbed soldiers turned contract killers who run up against a devil-worshiping coven.

Eight months after a disastrous job in Kiev left him physically and mentally scarred, ex-soldier turned contract killer Jay, is pressured by his partner Gal, into taking a new assignment. As they descend into the dark, disturbing world of the contract, Jay begins to unravel once again – his fear and paranoia sending him deep into the heart of darkness.

Trailer Promises ‘Kill List’ Will Unhinge the Hardest of Genre Fans

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on December 14, 2011 @ 12:38am
Category: Movies / Videos

Trailer Promises Kill List Will Unhinge the Hardest of Genre Fans

Hiding somewhere within my top 10 films of 2011 is Ben Wheatley’s instant classic Kill List (review), which premiered at SXSW before making its way to the Midnight audience at the TIFF. The slow-burn chiller opens in Los Angeles and New York theaters on February 3rd before arriving on VOD January 4th. You’d be doing yourself a major disservice by missing it.

Gearing up for release, IFC has now unveiled the final, full trailer that boasts a strong quote from David Harley’s review. The film is absolutely brilliant and will rock you to your core.

Official U.S. One Sheet and New Look at ‘Kill List’

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on December 06, 2011 @ 1:01am
Category: Movies / Images

Hiding somewhere within my top 10 films of 2011 is Ben Wheatley’s instant classic Kill List, which premiered at SXSW before making its way to the Midnight audience at the TIFF. The slow-burn chiller opens in Los Angeles and New York theaters on February 3rd before arriving on VOD January 4th. You’d be doing yourself a major disservice by missing it.

Gearing up for release, inside you’ll find the film’s official poster and a brand new still.

Ben Wheatley’s Shocking ‘Kill List’ Gets January Release

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on October 25, 2011 @ 4:19pm
Category: Movies / News

Ben Wheatleys Shocking Kill List Gets January Release

IFC has announced that Ben Wheatley’s absolutely shocking Kill List (review) will be opening in limited theaters on January 4, 2012, which probably means the VOD date is right around there. It will also kick off the Film Society Lincoln Center’s Scary Movies Festival, playing at the Walter Reade Theater Thursday, October 27 at 9:15pm.

“Eight months after a disastrous job in Kiev left him physically and mentally scarred, ex-soldier turned contract killer Jay, is pressured by his partner Gal, into taking a new assignment. As they descend into the dark, disturbing world of the contract, Jay begins to unravel once again – his fear and paranoia sending him deep into the heart of darkness.” READ MORE

Chris is About to Go Over the Edge in ‘Sightseers’

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on October 06, 2011 @ 4:42pm
Category: Movies / News

Chris is About to Go Over the Edge in Sightseers

It was announced the other day that Kill List director Ben Wheatley has just begun shooting Sightseers in Derbyshire, Yorkshire and the Lake District.

Actors Alice Lowe and Steve Oram wrote the script about a couple on a countryside caravan trip that goes wrong. This morning an official website was launched, which gives us an official plot crunch:

“Chris (Steve Oram) wants to show Tina (Alice Lowe) his world and he wants to do it his way – on a journey through the British Isles in his beloved Abbey Oxford Caravan. Tina’s led a sheltered life and there are things that Chris needs her to see – the Crich Tramway Museum, the Ribblehead Viaduct, the Keswick Pencil Museum and the rolling countryside that separates these wonders in his life. But it doesn’t take long for the dream to fade. Litterbugs, noisy teenagers and pre-booked caravan sites, not to mention Tina’s meddling mother, soon conspire to shatter Chris’s dreams and send him, and anyone who rubs him up the wrong way, over a very jagged edge…” Basically, everyone’s an asshole, and Chris loses it. Sweet.

Check out the film’s logo.
READ MORE

‘Sightseers’ Take Tour Into Terror!

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on October 03, 2011 @ 2:55pm
Category: Movies / News

Kill List (one of the best films of the year) director Ben Wheatley starts shooting today for his third feature Sightseers, which shoots for four weeks in Derbyshire, Yorkshire and the Lake District, says Screen Daily.

Actors Alice Lowe and Steve Oram wrote the script, with additional material from Amy Jump. Keeping it vague once again, “The story is about a couple on a countryside caravan trip that goes wrong.”

StudioCanal will distribute in the UK and Protagonist Pictures handles international sales.

Katherine Butler, Film4 Senior Commissioning Executive called the film “hilariously twisted,” while Lizzie Francke, Senior Production Executive at BFI Film Fund, added: “ ‘Sightseers’ takes us on a bizarre journey through some of Britain’s most offbeat tourist destinations.”

More as production continues.
READ MORE

A Pair of ‘Kill List’ Clips and a Rabbit Dinner

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on September 01, 2011 @ 2:54pm
Category: Movies / News

IFC has a pair of new clips from Ben Wheatley’s absolutely shocking Kill List (review), which will be screening at the “Midnight Madness” portion of the TIFF, while also opening in the UK on September 2. The first can only be viewed by UK reader here, while the second is the top video beyond the break. Hope you’re in the mood for a rabbit dinner…

A Pair of Kill List Clips and a Rabbit Dinner

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on August 15, 2011 @ 4:38pm
Category: Movies / News

After seeing both Down Terrace and Kill List, one thing is certain about director Ben Wheatley – his films are completely unpredictable.

Playlist caught up with Wheatley on the festival circuit where he revealed his next project: “We’re in prep at the moment, we start shooting in six weeks with a film called Sightseers with Big Talk,” he revealed.

To fill in some blanks, Sightseers is a dark comedy about a pair of psychotic caravaners, based on a short film, that’s set up at Film4 and Big Talk, the latter being the production company behind Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Attack the Block, and indeed Edgar Wright will serve as executive-producer on the project. It’s written by and will star Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, two familiar faces from the U.K. comedy scene.

In addition, Wheatley is developing a bigger-budget sci-fi flick that’s still under wraps, and it sounds like it won’t be getting underway until 2013 at the earliest.
READ MORE