Hunchback of Notre Dame
Plot details are being kept under wraps, other than being based on the Victor Hugo’s novel “Notre Dame de Paris” about Quasimodo, the deformed bell-ringer of Notre Dame, and the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda.
Oldboy (2013)
is a provocative, visceral thriller that follows the story of an advertising executive (Josh Brolin) who is abruptly kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his bizarre and torturous punishment only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment.
Co-starring Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley, OLDBOY was directed by Spike Lee, from a script by Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend, The Cell, Thor). The film was produced by Roy Lee, Doug Davison and Nathan Kahane.
Sin City: A Dame To Kill For
The film is about Dwight McCarthy planing to have his vengeance against the woman who betrayed him, Ava Lord, while Nancy is trying to cope with Hartigan’s death.
Poster And Synopsis For Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’
We had a rough image for a poster for FilmDistrict’s upcoming Oldboy remake the other day, but now a final one has been released indicating the protagonist’s 20 years spent locked up (they upped it from the original).
I’m definitely excited to see what Spike Lee has in store in this new version. “‘Oldboy’ is a provocative, visceral thriller that follows the story of an advertising executive (Josh Brolin) who is abruptly kidnapped and held hostage for 20 years in solitary confinement. When he is inexplicably released, he embarks on an obsessive mission to discover who orchestrated his bizarre and torturous punishment only to find he is still trapped in a web of conspiracy and torment.”
Co-starring Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley, Oldboy was directed by Spike Lee, from a script by Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend, The Cell, Thor). The film was produced by Roy Lee, Doug Davison and Nathan Kahane. READ MORE
Teaser Posters For ‘R.I.P.D.,’ ‘Oldboy’ and ‘Insidious Chapter 2′
Out of the CinemaCon starting tomorrow in Las Vegas comes teaser logo posters for a trio of upcoming genre films.
The Insidious Chapter 2 looks like the film’s first logo, only with the letter “S” forming a “2″. In theaters September 13, Oscar-nominated Barbara Hershey will play the role of Lorraine Lambert, the mother to Patrick Wilson’s Josh Lambert and the grandmother to the demon-possessed boy Dalton. Directed by James Wan, who was recently attached to the next Fast & Furious installment, the pic also stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Andrew Astor, Jocelin Donahue, and Danielle Bisutti.
I quite enjoy FilmDistrict’s Oldboy tease, which scratches out the number of days before the protag. is released from prison. In theaters October 11, the film stars Josh Bolin as an advertising executive who is kidnapped and imprisoned for 20 years without explanation. He is abruptly released and sets out to discover the who and why of his captivity, running across a social worker (Elizabeth Olsen) and an illusive man (Sharlto Copley) who allegedly holds the key to his salvation. The film also stars Samuel L. Jackson and James Ransone.
Just added is also a look at the poster for Uni’s R.I.P.D., Robert Schwentke’s troubles comic adaptation in theaters July 19. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, Stephanie Szostak and Mary-Louise Parker, it follows a recently slain cop joins a team of undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department and tries to find the man who murdered him. READ MORE
‘Sin City: A Dame to Kill For’ Has A Mob Boss
American History X‘s Stacy Keach has signed to portray a chief villain in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller from Miller’s screenplay.
Keach will play mob boss Wallenquist, described by Miller as “the one man who can’t be redeemed in Sin City. He is pure evil.”
Cast includes Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dennis Haysbert.
Production is under way at Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas.
The film will be released domestically by Dimension on October 4.
Horror Vet Strips For ‘Sin City: A Dame To Kill For’
Julia Garner, pictured above, has joined the cast of Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, which is now filming in Austin at Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios, Deadline reports. Garner, an up-and-comer whose credits include Martha Marcy May Marlene, We Are What We Are and The Last Exorcism 2, will play a young stripper opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Johnny in the follow-up to 2005′s Sin City, adapted from Miller’s own graphic novel series.
Dark Shadows star Eva Green, pictured below, has also been cast as Ava Lord, the deadly muse Miller described as “every man’s most glorious dreams come true, she’s also every man’s darkest nightmares.” She replaces Angelina Jolie.
Also onboard for Dimension Films’ October 4, 2013 release are Josh Brolin, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Dennis Haysbert, and Juno Temple, while Sin City vets Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Michael Madsen, Rosario Dawson, Jamie King, and Clive Owen are returning. READ MORE
Bruce Willis Has Unfinished Business In ‘Sin City: A Dame To Kill For’!
The Frank Miller/Robert Rodriguez-directed Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, just keeps on casting. And this time Rodriguez dropped the bomb that Bruce Willis is set to return to the franchise.
Per Rodriguez, “Bruce is back. He’ll be seen.”
He joins Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christopher Meloni, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Juno Temple, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jaime King, Rosario Dawson, Michael Madsen, Jessica Alba, Jamie Chung and Dennis Haysbert in the movie.
In theaters October 4, the 3-D film is about Dwight McCarthy planing to have his vengeance against the woman who betrayed him, Ava Lord, while Nancy is trying to cope with Hartigan’s death. If this synopsis is still accurate I’m assuming he’ll be seen in flashback.
Three New Stars For ‘Sin City: A Dame To Kill For’!
We’ve got three more for the Frank Miller/Robert Rodriguez-directed Sin City: A Dame to Kill For! Per Indiewire, Ray Liotta (Goodfellas), Jeremy Piven (“Entourage”) and Juno Temple (pictured above; Jack And Diane) have been cast in the film, with their roles currently being kept under wraps.
They join Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christopher Meloni, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jaime King, Rosario Dawson, Michael Madsen, Jessica Alba, Jamie Chung and Dennis Haysbert in the movie.
In theaters October 4, the 3-D film is about Dwight McCarthy planing to have his vengeance against the woman who betrayed him, Ava Lord, while Nancy is trying to cope with Hartigan’s death.
How About A Little Josh Brolin In Your ‘Sin City: A Dame to Kill For’?
Academy Award nominee Josh Brolin (No Country For Old men, Gangster Squad) has been cast as “Dwight” in the Frank Miller/Robert Rodriguez-directed Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.
Dwight is one of the favorite characters from Miller’s books and the 2005 film. In “A Dame To Kill For,” Dwight is hunted down by the only woman he ever loved, Ava Lord, and then watches his life go straight to hell. Chronologically, this story takes place prior to “The Big Fat Kill” and explains how Dwight came to have a dramatically different face. The “Dame”has yet to be cast.
He joins Joseph Gordon-Levitt, added yesterday to play the role of Johnny, alongside Christopher Meloni, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jaime King, Rosario Dawson, Michael Madsen, Jessica Alba, Jamie Chung and Dennis Haysbert.
In theaters October 4, the 3-D film is about Dwight McCarthy planing to have his vengeance against the woman who betrayed him, Ava Lord, while Nancy is trying to cope with Hartigan’s death.
Mastodon Writing Song For ‘Monsters University’
Progressive rock/metal band Mastodon will be contributing a song to the Disney/Pixar animated film Monsters University, which is the prequel to 2001′s Monsters Inc. The original featured the voices of John Goodman and Billy Crystal. The sequel will be released June 21st, 2013. You can see the teaser trailer below.
Mastodon contributed several songs to the 2010 film Jonah Hex, which starred Josh Brolin and Megan Fox. READ MORE
[News Bites] Joe Dante Reports ‘Air Disturbance’, ‘Skyfall’ Team For Vamp Drama, ‘
New Films Cinema has tapped Dylan Walsh and A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Robert Englund to star in horror movie Air Disturbance with Joe Dante (Gremlins) directing. Jeremy Sklar wrote the script. “Story is set on a transcontinental flight on which supernatural phenomena take place. Walsh plays a widowed father who protects his children and psychic girlfriend from some of the other passengers, particularly a fanatical minister (Englund).” The film will be distributed by Hason’s New Films, which is selling international territories at AFM. Shooting is set to take place late this month in Los Angeles. Variety reports.
Deadline adds that With the latest Skyfall co-writer John Logan and director Sam Mendes are re-teaming on the TV side. In what would be both Logan and Mendes’ series debut, the two have partnered for a drama project described as an origin story set in the 1800s London in the vein of “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,” which also was set in 19th century Europe, including London, and featured an assortment of fictional literary characters. The Logan/Mendes project features such characters as Van Helsing and Doctor Frankenstein as they hunt for vampires.
Lastly, check out an interesting image from the set of Spike Lee’s Oldboy. Josh Brolin looks “interesting”, but what caught our eye in the weird demon looking dude in the background. The images come courtesy of The Daily Mail. In Oldboy, Brolin portrays a man who has been captured and imprisoned for years in a private cell with no idea who has put him there. Upon his release, the perplexed prisoner attempts to unravel the mystery of what happened to him while social worker Marie – played by Elizabeth Olsen – helps investigate his past. READ MORE
[News Bites] Latino ‘Paranormal’ Director, ‘Oldboy’ Dated, “Mockingbird” Goodies and MORE!
Although I thought this was already announced, Christopher Landon – who penned Disturbia and the three Paranormal Activity sequels – is set to write and direct the currently untitled Latino version of PA for Paramount Pictures. The quasi-spinoff was teased during the post-credits of PA 4 and is slated for release Spring 2013. Says Deadline: “The spinoff will include the demon from the PA franchise and star mostly Latino actors and film partly in Spanish.”
FilmDistrict will release Spike Lee’s Oldboy on October 11, 2013. Starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, Samuel Jackson, Bruce Hornsby and James Ransone, a man gets kidnapped and held in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. Suddenly, he’s released and given money, a cell phone and clothes and is set on a path to discover who destroyed his life so he can take revenge.
Screen Daily reports that The Seasoning House will receive a UK theatrical and home entertainment release, through Kaleidoscope, in 2013. Having premiered at this past summer’ FrightFest in London, the film “Centers around a young Balkan girl (played by Rosie Day) forced to work in a rape house during an unspecified war, who kills a militiaman and goes on the run.”
Paramount Pictures has just closed a deal for the rights to Insurrection, a Boom! Studios comic created by writer Blake Masters, says THR. Masters is also attached to pen the script. A sort of sci-fi “Spartacus,” “‘Insurrection’ is a set in a future where corporations are more powerful than governments and command their own armies. The armies consist of clones who, for decades, have been treated like a sub-class. That all changes when one man stands up and leads a revolution that has vast repercussions.”
Lastly, airing on Friday, October 26, is NBC’s Halloween special, “Mockingbird Lane,” their TV reboot of “The Munsters.” Some promo art has been released alongside the official synopsis and new stills. It looks terrible. READ MORE
Paparazzi Photos From The Set Of Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’
Just Jared has your first look from the set of Oldboy where you’ll see Spike Lee directing, Josh Brolin as protagonist Joe Doucett, alongside other cast members.
Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, Samuel Jackson, Bruce Hornsby, Nate Parker all star in the remake of Park Chan-wook’s Korean masterpiece.
“In the 2003 Korean original, a man gets kidnapped and held in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. Suddenly, he’s released and given money, a cell phone and clothes and is set on a path to discover who destroyed his life so he can take revenge.” READ MORE
Spike Lee’s ‘Oldboy’ Hammers Down Its U.S. Distribution Rights
25th Hour director Spike Lee’s Oldboy has now hits US Distribution rights, reports Variety. FilmDistrict has acquired the domestic rights to the Good Universe production.
A remake of Chan-wook Park’s Korean revenge thriller, pic stars Josh Brolin as a man who is kidnapped and imprisoned for more than a decade for unknown reasons. Elizabeth Olsen (Silent House, Martha Marcy May Marlene) and Sharlto Copley (District 9) co-star. Samuel L. Jackson is expected to take on a small but key role as the head of the motel where the protag has been held hostage, who is subsequently tortured for information.
Mark Protosevich wrote the adapted screenplay and is co-producing.
The New ‘Oldboy’ Has a Doctor
One week after being named one of Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch in 2012, Arbitrage star Nate Parker (pictured) has entered negotiations to reteam with his Red Hook Summer helmer Spike Lee for Good Universe’s Oldboy, reports Variety.
A remake of Chan-wook Park’s Korean revenge thriller, pic stars Josh Brolin as a man who is kidnapped and imprisoned for more than a decade for unknown reasons. Elizabeth Olsen (Silent House, Martha Marcy May Marlene) and Sharlto Copley (District 9) co-star.
Parker is in talks to play a doctor who works with Olsen.
Samuel L. Jackson is expected to take on a small but key role as the head of the motel where the protag has been held hostage, who is subsequently tortured for information. READ MORE
Samuel Jackson Tortured In ‘Oldboy,’ While ‘Machete Kills Martial Arts Action Star
Marko Zaror (pictured below), an international martial arts action star, just finished filming Machete Kills, the sequel to Robert Rodriguez’s cult favorite Machete, Twitch was the first to learn. Zaror joins an all-star ensemble cast, including Lady Gaga, Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, Sofia Vergara, and Jessica Alba. Zaror, dubbed the Bruce Lee of Latin America, is cast as Zaror (which happens to be his real last name), henchman to Mel Gibson’s villainous character.
In other brief casting news, the LA Times reports that Samuel Jackson (above) and Bruce Hornsby have joined the cast of the English-language remake of Chan-wook Park’s cult favorite Oldboy. Jackson will play the man who is being tortured by the hero (Josh Brolin) in a key revenge scene. Fans of the original will remember the scene as perhaps the most visceral and disturbing of the film. Protagonist Dae-su Oh exacts vengeance on a man who once guarded him by extracting his teeth one-by-one with the claw end of a hammer. The new film, which begins shooting this fall in Louisiana and New York, won’t go with the tooth removal, instead inflicting a different kind of torture, says the mag.
The duo star alongside Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley in the Spike Lee-directed thriller. In the 2003 Korean original, a man gets kidnapped and held in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. Suddenly, he’s released and given money, a cell phone and clothes and is set on a path to discover who destroyed his life so he can take revenge. READ MORE
Men in Black 3 (3D)
The film will use a time travel element that moves the action from contemporary back to 1969. Brolin will play the younger version of Jones’s Agent Kay character.
OFFICIAL: In Men in Black 3, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back… in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.
[BD Review] ‘Men In Black 3′ Stumbles Hard Out Of The Gate, Recovers Nicely
It’s no secret that the production for Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black 3 was a troubled one. In the film Will Smith travels back in time to 1969 in order to save a young Agent K (Josh Brolin) and avert a world-ending disaster. This is a time travel movie that started shooting without a completed script – a well known recipe for disaster. Miraculously, the film isn’t a disaster. In fact, even though its first 20 or so minutes are absolutely terrible, it winds up being a fairly decent movie.
“When Will Smith heads back to 1969 and finally meets up with the young Agent K (played by the always great Josh Brolin) the film kicks into gear. And while it may not be a high gear, at least it’s moving forward. Ironically, the chemistry that Jones and Smith are unable to achieve early in the film comes quite easily when Brolin is brought in to pinch-hit. And while his performance may start out as an impersonation of Jones’ work – it quickly and quietly grows into something else.”
Men In Black 3 is in theaters May 25th from Columbia Pictures. Tommy Lee Jones, Jemaine Clement, and Emma Thompson also star. Click here for the full review. Don’t forget to return this weekend and write your own!
[BD Review] ‘Men In Black 3′ Stumbles Hard Out Of The Gate, Recovers Nicely
I may never experience a more stunning reversal in my life than I did during my screening of MEN IN BLACK 3. You know sometimes how you can start out lukewarm on a film and then grow to love it? That’s the kind of trajectory we’re talking here. Except you have to pull it back a few notches. I started out hating the film and then grew to kind of like it. I even got invested in the story a little during the last 20 minutes. This is easily more than I can say for any other Barry Sonnenfeld film of the past 10 years.
After a somewhat interesting (if not a little groan-worthy) opening introducing Jermaine Clement as the film’s antagonist, Boris The Animal, the movie screeches to an absolute nails-on-the-chalkboard halt. As MIB 3 begins, Will Smith’s Agent J and Tommy Lee Jones Agent K are battling a hiccup in their working chemistry. J is tired of K being so emotionally shut down and their dysfunctional relationship has resulted in 14 years worth of aggregated miscommunication. Even though the awful Men In Black 2 has all but been erased from my memory, I know enough about these characters for this to make perfect sense – and so does the general audience. So I don’t know why the film sees fit to hammer the point home in the fashion that it does. We know these characters and can deal with a little bit of shorthand, but the film won’t allow it. And as a result, all of the trademark chemistry between these two is pretty much gone.
Sonnenfeld’s film continues to slip away from him until it reaches its absolute nadir when Emma Thompson’s Agent O delivers an alien language eulogy for a beloved character from the first two films. Almost as painful is an early set piece in a Chinese restaurant. Its unchecked desire to recreate the exact jokes that worked for the 1997 original is downright appalling. There’s no new twist to any of it. The whole culture has shifted since that film but so far there’s nothing in MIB 3 to indicate that its aware anytime has passed at all. These moments marked the first time I have ever contemplated walking out of a press screening (and I sat through Gone).
But then something funny happens. The moment Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K disappears the film takes on a slight bit of urgency. When Will Smith heads back to 1969 and finally meets up with the young Agent K (played by the always great Josh Brolin) the film kicks into gear. And while it may not be a high gear, at least it’s moving forward. Ironically, the chemistry that Jones and Smith are unable to achieve early in the film comes quite easily when Brolin is brought in to pinch-hit. And while his performance may start out as an impersonation of Jones’ work – it quickly and quietly grows into something else.
While Smith is more than capable, Brolin actually becomes the film’s heart and soul. The younger K isn’t light years different than the older K, but he is different. Younger physically and, much more importantly, younger in spirit. He’s able to crack a smile and to offer up the occasional joke. Not that said jokes are funny, but it’s actually interesting to see this character in a different place in his life. A place where he’s enjoying himself more and where he allows himself to love (Alice Eve playing a younger Agent O). By the end of the film, his performance has morphed into something that’s actually touching. You like this guy and you’re a little bit upset that the rest of his life will not treat him quite as kindly as he deserves.
Aside from Brolin, another asset in the film’s corner is Michael Stuhlbarg’s Griffin – a neurotic inextricably plugged into the possibilities and variables of the space-time continuum. He’s somewhat annoying but his character also brings the biggest ideas to the table. And if there’s anything sci-fi should be predicated on, it’s ideas. Jermaine Clement also works as Boris The Animal, selling menace surprisingly well. It also doesn’t hurt that the film’s climax genuinely involves storytelling – something I was utterly shocked by in light of how poorly everything started.
Proving that much can be forgiven if something gets progressively better as it goes along, MIB 3 actually squeaks by with a mild recommendation. If you liked the original film, you’ll find something to latch on to here. Eventually.
6/10
‘Men in Black 3′ Trailer Rewrites History
A second full trailer for Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black 3, which this time follows Will Smith as he travels back in time to 1969 in order to save a young Agent K (Josh Brolin) and avert a world-ending disaster.
In addition to Smith as Agent J, Tommy Lee Jones’ reprisal as the wisecracking Agent K in the present. Josh Brolin, through a time-travel twist, plays a young Agent K from 1969 who encounters countercultural figures such as Andy Warhol and Yoko Ono.
In theaters May 25 from Columbia Pictures, Jemaine Clement, and Emma Thompson also star. READ MORE
‘Oldboy’ Pushed (Again), Clive Owen Exits Negotiations
Variety’s Jeff Sneider hit Twitter today with an update from the land of insect.
He explained that Universal was pushing back Spike Lee’s Oldboy late summer/early fall because of Josh Brolin’s press commitments for Men in Black 3.
He also broke the disappointing news that Clive Owen is no longer attached, stating, “Don’t think they could make the deal work…”
“ ‘Oldboy’ centers on a man (Brolin) who is kidnapped on his daughter’s birthday and held for 15 years in solitary confinement without explanation. He is eventually released and sets out on a path to take revenge on those who destroyed his life.”
The film is a remake of Park Chan-wook’s incredible Korean film, which was based on a Japanese manga of the same name written by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya. READ MORE
Jones and Smith Take Aim In First ‘Men in Black 3′ Still
USA Today shared the first official image from Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black 3, which this time follows Will Smith as he travels back in time to 1969 in order to save a young Agent K (Josh Brolin) and avert a world-ending disaster.
In addition to Smith as Agent J, Tommy Lee Jones’ reprisal as the wisecracking Agent K in the present. Josh Brolin, through a time-travel twist, plays a young Agent K from 1969 who encounters countercultural figures such as Andy Warhol and Yoko Ono.
In theaters May 25 from Columbia Pictures, Jemaine Clement, and Emma Thompson also star. READ MORE
Another Round Of Offers For ‘Oldboy’ Remake
Another round of offers have gone out for roles in Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake as Twitch reports that Mia Wasikowska (Stoker, Alice in Wonderland) has been offered the role of Marie, the female lead of the gritty thriller. The role was previously offered to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara. They also report that that the villain role has now been offered to Clive Owen (Shoot ‘Em Up, Intruders) after Colin Firth passed.
If they accept they will be playing opposite Josh Brolin in the lead as a man imprisoned against his will and with no explanation for years before he is released and sets out to find and take revenge on his captor.
Many names have been tossed around, so hopefully things will be finalized setting up a shoot early in 2012. READ MORE
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[BD Caption Contest] Win “Texas Chainsaw 3D” On Blu-ray!!!