Sure it’s great to become incredibly famous, but the more recognizable an actor becomes, the tougher it is to shed that Hollywood persona and adopt a new role. Some of the greats like Meryl Streep and Daniel Day Lewis do it time and time again, and while Anthony Hopkins looks as though he’ll get the job done in “Hitchcock,” the jury is still out on Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor.
We’ll have to wait and see if things crash and burn for Lohan all over again, but, in the meantime, they’ve already done so for Carl Rinsch on his first feature, “47 Ronin.” There’s also more trouble on the set of “The Long Ranger” and this time, it’s far more saddening than even the most detrimental budget overages.
But don’t worry; it isn’t all doom and gloom in the film industry. “Twilight” fans will be thrilled to know that the series’ final installment comes with a post credits surprise, a little Lego might have revealed some “Man of Steel” secrets and more. Read all about it in your weekly Movie News Cheat Sheet.
1. Death on the Set of “The Lone Ranger:” Could the storm cloud hovering over Gore Verbinski’s “The Lone Ranger” get any darker? As reported by TMZ, a crewmember was prepping a water tank when someone noticed no bubbles were surfacing. Law enforcement says the man had suffered a heart attack so the situation is being treated as a natural death. Clearly this is nobody’s fault, but with all the troublesome reports surrounding the film, this certainly being the most devastating, it’s getting increasingly harder to look at that July 3, 2013 release in a positive light.
2. “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” Post-Credit Surprise: Disappointed “The Twilight Saga” is coming to an end? Well, even after the “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” credits roll, it’s still not over! Via ComingSoon, Kellan Lutz told The Insider that “there’s a really special thing happening” after the credits. What could it be? As a non-“Twilight” enthusiast, I’m concerned it might be something announcing the continuation of the franchise. There’s been talk of “The Saga” forging forward, so this something special could seal the deal.
3. Post Problems for “47 Ronin:” We’ve known that things haven’t been going too well on “47 Ronin” for quite a while, but now those issues have resulted in the removal of director Carl Rinsch. According to The Wrap, Rinsch was recently ousted from the editing room. Apparently the film had a budget of $175 million, but it’s crept up to $225 million. A source close to the film is saying that the first time feature director just couldn’t handle the pressure and that Universal reps were busy micromanaging his shoot. The studio had to abide by Directors Guild of America rules and have Rinsch finish production, but now that reshoots are over, Universal co-chairwoman Donna Langley is taking Rinsch’s seat in the editing room.
4. Fantastic Fest: Oh, what I would give to be down in Austin indulging in all the sick and twisted mayhem that is Fantastic Fest. “Frankenweenie” opened the event with a bang, IGN noting, “the story quite brilliantly merges multiple genres … But at its dark heart ‘Frankenweenie’ is a horror film, and a very good one at that.” Collider dubs “Holy Motors” a “wild, hilarious, fascinating, and bizarre ride,” while Complex gives “Antiviral” seven out of 10 stars and, of director Brandon Cronenberg, says, “His future looks incredibly bright, even if he only reinstates his dad’s vintage horror-of-the-flesh spirit this one time.” Shock Till You Drop caught “The Collection” and says, “it’s pulpy, grotesque and packed with the warped sort of humor we’ve come to expect from Dunstan/Melton” while Badass Digest reviews “Room 237” and notes, “I wish they had a little more fun with it, and again the lack of actual interview footage was distracting, but it’s certainly an interesting ‘alt’ way to enjoy the world of the Overlook Hotel.”
5. Anthony Hopkins Is Hitchcock: Speaking of iconic horror, have you caught the first poster for Fox Searchlight’s “Hitchcock?” We already knew that Anthony Hopkins had the Alfred Hitchcock look down, but this shot is absolutely uncanny. On top of the fact that Hopkins is Hitchcock, the overall design of the promo sleek, sticking with a minimalistic look that has meaningful pieces of flare here and there, most notable a particularly sharp tie. You can catch Hopkins in action as Hitchcock when the film arrives in theaters on November 23rd.
6. Melissa McCarthy Might Have a “Hangover:” As if her antics in “Bridesmaids” weren’t enough, Melissa McCarthy might get back into buddy comedy mode to join the Wolfpack in “The Hangover Part III.” According to Variety, nothing is final and it’s only a small role, but the outlet’s sources think a deal is immanent. No word on what the part will entail, but I’d like to bet Warner Bros. and Todd Phillips wouldn’t go through the trouble of bringing McCarthy aboard without making use of her comedic chops. Is a “Bridesmaids”/”Hangover” crossover even that farfetched? Phil, Stu and Alan are retracing their steps, yet again, and just so happen to bump into Megan and her band of puppies. And, action!
7. Lindsay is Liz: Lifetime recently unveiled the poster for the upcoming TV movie, “Liz & Dick,” and while Lindsay Lohan certainly looks the part, first off, is that something to brag about at her age and second, she also still looks like Lindsay Lohan. Lohan was a top-notch talent back in her “Parent Trap” and “Mean Girl” days, but has there been one too many mishaps to revert back to seeing her as a film star rather than a tabloid target? Based on the first teaser, it’s going to be a toss up. It seems like good old Lindsay is still in there so if she can keep it up and the caliber of the production matches, maybe she really will have that comeback.
8. Is Black Zero “Man of Steel’s” Secret Villain?: The folks at Screen Crush tracked down the names of the Lego sets due to be released in conjunction with a bunch of past and upcoming superhero movies and while most of the titles are what you’d expect – “Iron Man vs. Mandarin,” “Batman vs. Bane” – one comes as a big surprise – “Superman Black Zero Escape.” Black Zero first popped up in “The Man Who Destroyed Krypton” and, surprise surprise, is the guy who actually destroyed Superman’s home planet, Krypton. So now the question is, why release “Superman Black Zero Escape” in the midst of a bunch of movie related Lego sets if Black Zero isn’t in “Man of Steel?” My thought is, you don’t, and we’ll find out for sure when Zack Snyder’s latest hits theaters on June 14, 2013.
9. Trailers: “Vamps,” “Winnie,” “Beautiful Creatures:” The first trailer for “Vamps” may not be very funny, but the fact that it stars Krysten Ritter and brings Alicia Silverstone and Amy Heckerling back together is more than enough to keep me hopeful even though the material has straight-to-DVD written all over it. “Winnie,” on the other hand, has Academy Award written all over it – literally. But, despite having an Academy Award winning and nominated cast, “Winnie” never managed to secure distribution in the US, so, odds are, it won’t earn its cast any more nods. “Beautiful Creatures” is actually the one with the most potential of the bunch. No, I wouldn’t call it award-worthy, but as far as YA book to film adaptations go, it’s got a particularly fresh foreboding sensation to it.
10. Box Office: Four new wide releases and not one managed to crack $15 million. At the moment, “End of Watch” and “House at the End of the Street” are tied for the top spot with $13 million each, but actualized numbers will soon set them apart, likely ruling in “End of Watch’s” favor as it has the better per theater average. “Trouble with the Curve” comes in right behind with $12.7 million while “Dredd 3D” didn’t even manage to crack the top five, losing out to both “Finding Nemo 3D” and “Resident Evil Retribution.” After a lackluster start, “Nemo” held on strong this time around, dropping just 43.4% to earn another $9.4 million while “Retribution” plummeted 68.2%, barely beating out “Dredd’s” $6.3 million with $6.7 million. (via Box Office Mojo)
Liz & Dick Poster
