Archive for the ‘Comics’ Category
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on December 3rd, 2008
Zack Snyder has been fighting Warner Bros.’ studio execs since before Comic-Con to retain the full length of his movie adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel, Watchmen. The objective: to preserve the “core” of the story. While I’m sure this is still the case, it seems that at the end of the day the business aspect of the picture is still key. Longer movies=less turnaround=less tickets=less money.
According to Sci Fi Wire, the current cut of the film is down to two hours and 35 minutes from the previous length at two hours and 50 minutes. The length still hasn’t been approved however, and it’s likely it will be cut further.
As announced, Snyder has been trying to be as faithful as possible to Moore and Gibbons’ seminal graphic novel, which tells a complex story of superheroes in an alternate-universe 1985 New York. The graphic novel interpolates other comics and book excerpts into its narrative, something Snyder has been really trying to approximate in his film.
It sounds like with each minute more that is cut, we might have to settle for reading Moore and Gibbons’ graphic novel again. Here’s a little bit of comfort, the director’s cut on the DVD will be three hours and 10 minutes long, incorporating even more than the theatrical version as far as the details that bring the film even closer to the graphic novel.
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on December 1st, 2008
When Darren G. Davis of Bluewater Productions and Marc Lougee of Handmade Heores discovered they were both working independently under the Ray Harryhausen Presents banner, the two immediately joined forces to bring you the comic book adaptation of Lougee’s award-winning stop-motion animation film The Pit and the Pendulum. Read on for the full press release. Cheers!
BLUEWATER PRODUCTIONS GETS GRAPHIC WITH RAY HARRYHAUSEN PRESENTS: THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
BELLINGHAM, WASH. (NOVEMBER 25, 2008) - The success of Ray Harryhausen Presents; The Pit and the Pendulum, a short stop motion animated film produced by Hand Made Heroes Film & Television has resulted in a comic book deal with Bluewater Productions. When Bluewater President Darren G. Davis and Director Marc Lougee of Hand Made Heroes discovered they were both producing work independently under the Ray Harryhausen Presents banner, Bluewater immediately penned a deal with director Marc Lougee to further develop film & comic book cross-over properties.
Since it’s premiere hosted by Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News at the BNAT Film Festival, The Pit and the Pendulum short film has screened in over 200 film festivals and comic conventions around the world including AFI Dallas and San Diego Comic-Con. Nearly 100,000 visitors logged into the film’s website within two days of the film’s premier in Austin, TX, and has continued to garner a global fan following.
“Seeing the film published as a comic thru a brilliant publisher like Bluewater is the realization of another dream of mine.” said Director, Marc Lougee, “What started as a labor of love, and a once in a lifetime chance to make a film with Ray Harryhausen at the helm, has just continued to expand and reach further than I’d imagined. I’m really excited to have an issue of Ray Harryhausen Presents; The Pit and the Pendulum comic in hand come February 2009.” (more…)
Posted by dominie in Comics, News on November 25th, 2008
Shock Til You Drop announced today that comic publisher Studio 407 will release Shadow Chronicles, a collection of new horror tales, in January 2009.
The anthology will include Robert Heske and Diego Yapura’s Night Projectionist, a story about a “vampire taking hostages on the last night of a condemned movie theater during an all-night Draculathon.” Next is Netherworld, from partners Chad Jones and R.B. Silva, which tells the story of a research vessel crew who is “abducted by the military for a top secret mission to a desolate alien planet.” And lastly, from Thirteen Ghosts scribe Neil Marshall Stevens and Rafael Ortiz, Demon Squad is about a “small town that is besieged by both the restless undead and the elite paramilitary team tasked with destroying them.”
Shadow Chronicles hit stands on January 21, 2009.
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on November 11th, 2008
Warner Bros. released six teaser posters for the Zack Snyder’s (300) Watchmen today. The posters introduce the six primary characters in this dystopian unorthodox superhero film based on DC Comics 1986 limited series created by Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons.
The posters were scattered across the web via various websites. Click on each image for a closer look and read on for character bios of each superhero.
Character Bios courtesy of Wikipedia. (more…)
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on October 30th, 2008
Columbia Pictures has acquired the rights to adapt a big screen version of Preacher from the 1990s DC/Vertigo comic series reports THR. Currently there is no writer on board, however the studio has tapped Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Revolutionary Road) to helm the project.
“Created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Preacher, which ran from 1995-2000, told the story of a down-and-out Texas preacher possessed by Genesis, a supernatural entity conceived by the unnatural coupling of an angel and a demon. Given immense powers, the preacher teamed with an old girlfriend and a hard-drinking Irish vampire and set out on a journey across America to find God — who apparently had abandoned his duties in heaven — and hold him accountable for his negligence.”
Several attempts to transition the comic book character onto the screen have been attempted before this. An HBO one-hour series was launched by Howard Deutch and then dropped in past August because HBO claimed it was “too dark,” “too violent,” and “too controversial.” Kevin Smith’s View Askew also attempted a hand at Preacher that only reached the casting stage of development even with its reported $25 million budget. This time around, let’s hope Columbia gets it all the way through—the darker the better.
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on October 29th, 2008
Universal has acquired the movie adaptation rights for Viper Comics’ graphic novel titled Villains reports THR. For a mid-six-figures, Universal will give the bad guys an opportunity to take control—at center stage. And it’s about time. This could also be Universal’s potential shot to break ahead from the pack and offer something new in mainstream comics that have transitioned to the big screen.
The graphic novel is told from the villains’ perspective and “follows a young man who is failing at life and finds purpose when he meets a Svengali-style villain, [Hardliner], who takes him under his wing.”
Matthew Jennison and Brent Strickland, the duo behind the upcoming Wonder Woman feature for Warner Bros., will pen the script with Sean Bailey producing the project under his Idealogy banner (Tron, The Blade Itself, Solace).
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on October 29th, 2008
Ain’t It Cool News posted the following update from Marvel Studios. Don Cheadle has officially replaced Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2 to take on the role of Rhodey and thus secured the same role in Marvel’s upcoming The Avengers.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. AND JON FAVREAU SUIT UP FOR MARVEL STUDIOS’ THE AVENGERS AND IRON MAN 2
As part of his four picture deal with Marvel Studios, Robert Downey Jr. is appearing as Tony Stark in THE AVENGERS motion picture, as well as reprising his starring role as the larger-than-life leading character in IRON MAN 2. Jon Favreau will return to direct the sequel to the blockbuster IRON MAN, which to date has grossed over $578 million worldwide, as well as executive produce THE AVENGERS.
Academy Award® nominee Downey was most recently seen in the summer comedy blockbuster TROPIC THUNDER starring opposite Ben Stiller and Jack Black. Before Iron Man, he was best known for his film roles in KISS KISS BANG BANG, WONDER BOYS and CHAPLIN, the film for which he was nominated for an Oscar®.
In addition to directing the first IRON MAN, Favreau has previously directed ELF, ZATHURA: A SPACE ADVENTURE and MADE. He is also well known for writing and starring in SWINGERS. He will next be seen acting in FOUR CHRISTMASES, I LOVE YOU MAN and COUPLES RETREAT.
DON CHEADLE WILL STAR AS RHODEY IN IRON MAN 2
Marvel Studios is pleased today to confirm that an agreement has been finalized with award-winning actor Don Cheadle to take on the role of Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes in Marvel’s IRON MAN 2 due in theaters on May 7, 2010. In casting Cheadle, Marvel replaces Terrence Howard who appeared in the role of Rhodey in IRON MAN.
Cheadle is also signed on to perform the same role in THE AVENGERS and subsequent installments of the IRON MAN franchise.
“We are very excited about working with the extraordinarily talented Don Cheadle as we expand the role of Rhodey in Iron Man 2. It has already become apparent as we prep the movie for production, that the dynamic between Robert and Don will take Iron Man 2 to new heights,” said Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios. (more…)
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on October 24th, 2008
Slashgamer has confirmed that Bioware and LucasArts will release the first Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Massively Multiplayer Online Game titled called Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Bioware CEO Ray Muzyka describes the game. “It’s a whole galaxy. It’s a galaxy of Star Wars. The game will take place thousands of years prior to when Darth Vader ruled the empire and about 300 years after the original Knights of the Old Republic — which was released back in 2003. If you were to compare the second installment of Knights of the Old Republic to the new MMO — don’t! The next game in series has “dwarfed” 
the previous entries. Muzyka called it, “A mammoth undertaking.”
In an interview with MTV News, Marvel Studio President Kevin Feige revealed that Dr. Strange may the studio’s next big budget comic hero to be adapted for the big screen post The Avengers.
“It’s something I’m very, very interested in,” says Feige. “Very much so. I’d say in the next year, year and a half, as we start putting together our film slate for 2012 and 2013, I would not be shocked if we saw Dr. Strange on those lists. I love the idea of taping into the magical realm of the Marvel Universe, which is fairly significant and hasn’t yet seen life on screen.”
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on October 23rd, 2008
The official trailer for Sony Screen Gems’ Underworld: Rise of the Lycans can now be viewed at Apple.com. Directed by FX specialist Patrick Tatopoulos (Angel Hair) and starring Michael Sheen, Rhona Mitra, Bill Nighy, Shane Brolly, Steven MacKintosh, and Kevin Grievoux, the third installment is a prequel to the previous films. Set in the Dark Ages, the story will trace the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires led by Viktor and the werewolf slaves known as the Lycans. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans debuts in theaters January 23, 2009.
Marvel’s search for Thor is still in the works. The studio is rumored to only have a short list of potentials. IESB caught up with Daniel Craig at the press day for Quantum of Solace and managed to sneak in a few questions about another known hero, the upcoming Thor Marvel adaptation. Craig reveals that “[Marvel] did approach him but he turned it down.” He jokes, “It would have bent too much of a power trip, both Bond and Thor, and running around with long hair and a hammer.”
Warner Bros. released a new teaser poster for Zack Snyder’s Watchmen today. The new extended trailer that premiered at the 2008 Scream Awards can also be viewed online here.
Posted by dominie in Comics, Films, News on October 22nd, 2008
The Hollywood Reporter announced that director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) has been tapped to helm Freaks of the Heartland from a screenplay by Peter Sattler and Geoff Davey, based on Steve Niles’ (30 Days of Night) Dark Horse graphic novel of the same name. This will be one of many of Overture Films’ recent titles (The Crazies, Let The Right One In) slated for a remake.
The original graphic novel is a six part feature “about the horrible secret of a rural Middle American town [that] involves Trevor Owen’s attempts to protect his ‘monster’ of a 6year-old younger brother and Gristlewood Valley’s other ‘freaks’ from their parents’ worst instincts.”
Zack Snyder has been fighting Warner Bros.’ studio execs since before Comic-Con to retain the full length of his movie adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel, Watchmen. The objective: to preserve the “core” of the story. While I’m sure this is still the case, it seems that at the end of the day the business aspect of the picture is still key. Longer movies=less turnaround=less tickets=less money.
