How about a hefty dose of casting news to kick off your week? We’ve got Nonso Anozie going to Ender’s Game, Kathryn Bigelow adding Kyle Chandler to her already impressive ensemble cast and more. There’s also quite a bit of news coming from the video department, The Amazing Spider-Man showing off the very first clip from the film and The Host offering fans a chance to actually be in the film’s trailer.
Over in sequel world, Warner Bros sealed the deal with Akiva Goldsman and Overbrook Entertainment to make another I Am Legend Film while Paramount’s busy planning to bring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back to the big screen.
Check out the details on all of the stories and much more in your weekly Movie News Cheat Sheet.
1. First Scene of The Amazing Spider-Man: A select few worked hard playing the Mark of the Spider-Man viral game across the country and now we can all reap the benefits. Now that the game has wrapped, the grand prize is now available to the masses, the very first clip from The Amazing Spider-Man. No, the video doesn’t show off Marc Webb’s Spider-Man in action, rather Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker trying to use his boyish charm to get into Gwen Stacy’s building without revealing his identity to her doorman. No, not the most compelling scene ever, but a solid start.
2. Ender’s Game Gets Three: The Ender’s Game movie is getting closer to becoming a reality. With director Gavin Hood’s start date fast approaching, supposedly this month in New Orleans, he’s pushing to fill the voids in his cast. The latest to sign up is The Grey’s Nonso Anozie, snagging the role of Sergeant Dap, the Battle School teacher assigned to look after the “Launchies,” the newest recruits. Unlike the rest of the teachers at the school, Dap gets the okay to actually befriend his students, which is quite reasonable considering, in Orson Scott Card’s book, the newcomers are merely six and seven years old. According to Deadline, Stevie Ray Dallimore and Andrea Powell are on board to play Ender’s (Asa Butterfield) parents.
3. Kathryn Bigelow Gets Kyle Chandler: Friday Night Lights may be so last year, but every time Kyle Chandler nabs a new role, I can’t help but to want to cheer for Coach Taylor. And this time around, it’s a pretty big one, too. As reported by Deadline, Chandler recently signed on the dotted line to join Kathryn Bigelow’s ensemble for her film about the Navy SEAL Team 6’s hunt for Osama bin Laden. The word is Chandler might be playing a CIA agent, but that’s yet to be confirmed. Despite the film’s current predicament, charges against Bigelow and writer Mark Boal claiming the duo worked with top-secret information about the mission while developing the script, the film is still heading towards its planned December 19th release date.
4. I Am Legend 2 Buzz: It’s been over four years since I Am Legend hit theaters, but according to Deadline, it’s only now that Warner Bros closed a deal with Akiva Goldsman and Overbrook Entertainment to produce another. The group hopes to get Will Smith back on board as Robert Neville, a New York City-based scientist desperately trying to figure out how to reverse the manmade virus that turned the entire population into vicious monsters. There’s been some rumblings that this new film will be a prequel, but there’s no confirmation on exactly which route writer Arash Amel will take. Smith reportedly won’t commit until he’s got a script to consider.
5. 300 Sequel Finds Its Lead: In other budding franchise news, the 300: Battle of Artemesia has found its other main man, Jamie Blackley. Via Deadline, Blackley is all set to co-lead for Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures alongside Sullivan Stapleton. Noam Murro will direct Blackley as Calisto, a teen striving to become a hero like his father that leads a small band of soldiers into battle. Stapleton will play the role of Themistokles and apparently, Rodrigo Santoro is currently in talks to return as Xerxes. Eva Green is also in as the title character, Artemesia.
6. Ben Foster to Get Behind the Lens: I can’t say I love all of Ben Foster’s films, but his performances are generally always unforgettable. Soon enough he’ll get the chance to impart his ability and knowhow on an entire production because, according to Screen Daily, Foster will make his directing debut with the help of producers Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen and Oren Moverman. The article doesn’t delve into any story details, but it does note that the film is a drama and could start shooting this summer.
7. More Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the Way: First off, do we really want another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie? We already have the three live action films from the 90s and the animated TMNT, which only arrived about five years ago. But, hey, these are the Ninja Turtles we’re talking about; if another movie is in the works, I’ll be thrilled to check it out. But now we’ve also got the issue of Jonathan Liebesman. According to Variety, Liebesman is in negotiations to direct Paramount’s live-action reboot. I’m all for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, but Battle: Los Angeles was a pretty harsh letdown. As a non-fan of Clash of the Titans, Liebesman’s got a lot to prove when his next directorial effort, Wrath of the Titans, arrives on March 30th. Should the detail go through, Liebesman will collaborate with writers Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec, and producers Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form of Platinum Dunes.
8. Your Chance to be in the Trailer for The Host: The Twilight Saga may be wrapping up, but the Stephenie Meyer saga continues. The author’s next feature film adaptation, The Host, is due to arrive on March 29, 2013 and, to ring in the big release, Open Road Films is looking to put together a particularly special trailer. If you consider yourself the ultimate fan of The Host, you can enter for a chance to be included in the film’s first trailer. All you’ve got to do is like the film’s Facebook page, take a photo of yourself and e-mail it in to enter.
9. Trailers: The Snowtown Murders, Tomorrow When the War Began, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: Looking for something disturbingly dark? How about a film based on the true story of a vicious murder spree? The Australian film The Snowtown Murders delivers a new trailer packing an eerie realism that’s all the more terrifying courtesy of its true roots. Also from Australia is the new trailer for Tomorrow, When the War Began. The Red Dawn remake is lucky this one’s not getting a wide release here in the states. The subject matter seems pretty similar and Tomorrow, When the War Began looks as though it runs with it quite well. Back in Hollywood territory, we’ve got the very first trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The action is intense, but I’m itching for some promotional material that suggests this one will be more than a mere spectacle.
10. Box Office: The old timers prevail! Even though both Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and This Means War enjoyed solid starts, Safe House and The Vow held on quite strong. Safe House moved up to the top spot with a $24 million total while The Vow fell to #2, losing 42.7% of its week one earnings for a $23.6 million total this time around. Ghost Rider debuted at #3, taking $22 million on a strong $6,931 per theater average. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island enjoyed a notably strong second weekend, dropping a mere 26.5%, bringing another $20.1 million to the bank. This Means War rounds out the top five with a $5,503 per theater average and a $17.6 million weekend one total. (via Box Office Mojo)
The Amazing Spider-Man Clip
