Hopefully you’re into sequels because this week’s Movie News Cheat Sheet is full of them.
Sam Raimi is aiming to pen “Evil Dead 4” this summer while Jason Blum and the folks at Blumhouse Productions are gearing up for another round of “Sinister.” Meanwhile, there’s been even more buzz than usual surrounding “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” not because Chris Cooper was just cast as Norman Osborn, but because of the trouble sparked by behind-the-scene shots of Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson. If it’s not sequels, it’s remakes. We’ve also got two “Harry Potter” stars on their way to playing major roles in highly anticipated adaptations of iconic source material.
Want to know all the details? Read on for information about all of these stories and more in your weekly Movie News Cheat Sheet.
1. “Evil Dead 4” Script to be Written: Perhaps all the “Evil Dead” remake hype lit a fire under Sam Raimi because, via Bleeding Cool, Raimi dropped an “Evil Dead 4” bomb at a Meet the Filmmakers event while promoting “Oz the Great and Powerful.” Disney even tweeted the quote: “I would love to make Evil Dead 4. My brother and I plan to work on the script this summer.” Between “Oz” hitting theaters this weekend and “Evil Dead” due for a SXSW debut on Friday, March 8th, there’s bound to be more updates on the status of the franchise’s fourth iteration soon.
2. “Sinister 2” on the Way: Here’s a big winner for someone who named “Sinister” her fourth favorite film of 2012; according to Deadline, “Sinister 2” is in the works! After the Scott Derrickson film went on to take in over $77 million worldwide on a mere $3 million production budget, Jason Blum and Blumhouse Productions are moving forward with round two. Apparently Derrickson and his co-writer, C. Robert Cargill, are due to return, but only to write “Sinister 2.” Deadline notes that “director conversations” have already begun.
3. Emma Watson Could Be Cinderella: Considering Saoirse Ronan’s schedule is entirely overloaded, it was becoming more and more likely that she would not be Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella and now, sure enough, Variety is reporting that it’s not Ronan, but Emma Watson who made it to the early talks stage of the casting process. Should the deal go through, Watson could be on set with her evil stepmother, Cate Blanchett, this fall with the live action adaptation heading towards a 2014 release.
4. Daniel Radcliffe Almost Locked for “Frankenstein:” Speaking of former “Harry Potter” stars moving on to high profile projects, Daniel Radcliffe took another giant leap towards landing a role in Fox’s “Frankenstein.” There have been rumblings about Radcliffe’s interest in the project for months, but now Variety is reporting he is officially in early negotiations to take the role of Igor in what’s said to be a version of Mary Shelley’s classic tale, one with a focus on “friendship and redemption.” Director Paul McGuigan is expected to get behind the lens in the fall, just after Radcliffe finishes his run in the West End play, “Cripple of Inishmaan.”
5. Gary Oldman Joins “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes:” The likelihood of moving on without James Franco is becoming less and less of an issue each day. Not only did Matt Reeves recently lock Jason Clarke and Kodi Smit-McPhee for the “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” sequel, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” but now he’s got Gary Oldman, too. The news comes from Coming Soon, the outlet reporting Oldman will star as the leader of a human colony. “Dawn” is set 15 years after “Rise” with the large majority of humanity long gone and the apes in control. This world narrows down to two key scenarios – the activities of a group of scientists in San Francisco trying to form a resistance and Andy Serkis’ Caesar trying to maintain control of his kingdom. “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is set for a May 23, 2014 debut.
6. Internet Explodes Over Photos of Shailene Woodley As Mary Jane Watson: While the news here should be that we’re getting a look at Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” most unfortunately, it’s about the abhorrent reaction to the images. Once the photos cropped up on the web, the comments started pouring in, and they weren’t very nice, asserting that Woodley is simply not pretty enough to play the role. But, worst of all, then came this post on ComicBookMovie.com, a piece trying to compare the photo of Woodley on set, not in full costume or makeup, but looking very natural, real, and yes, pretty, to the wholly unrealistic version of MJ as portrayed in a comic book drawing, waste the width of a pinky finger, boobs the size of your head, and all. Even with Comic Book Movie’s disclaimer noting that the piece is meant to be satirical, the article is still downright disgusting, offensive and flat-out mean. Shame on anyone who’s putting down such a talented actress with such spiteful and absolutely absurd accusations. Yes, everyone’s entitled to their own opinions and preferences, but it’s called human decency – plus you’re wrong.
7. “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” Gets a Green Goblin: In better, more appropriate “Amazing Spider-Man 2” news, Marc Webb has recruited his Green Goblin, Chris Cooper. Via THR, Cooper will reprise the role played by Willem Dafoe in the original trilogy, but there’s no word on whether or not Cooper will remain in Norman Osborn form for the duration of the sequel or go Green Goblin on Spider-Man and add another villain to the list. Considering we’ve already got Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Paul Giamatti’s Rhino, hopefully Webb won’t overload our hero with adversaries and save Osborn’s bad side for a possible third film. We’ll find out how Cooper’s character fits into the narrative when “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” hits theaters on May 2, 2014.
8. Release Date Update: We’ve got a few scheduling changes and new additions worth noting. The now Quvenzhané Wallis-starrer, “Annie,” is locked for a Christmas Day 2014 release. Hopefully that won’t get swept up in the “Hobbit” wave because “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” just got bumped from its Summer 2014 slot and will now bow on December 17, 2014 instead. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” got pushed as well, moving from May 16, 2014 to June 6, 2014, avoiding “Godzilla” and claiming June 6th all for itself – so far. We’ll have to wait an extra month for “Insidious 2” as well, but by shifting the opening from August 30th to September 20th, it’ll give James Wans’ July 19th release, “The Conjuring,” a little more time to breathe. Lastly both “Fruitvale” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” are first getting debit dates, the former due to arrive on October 18th and the latter on November 15th. (via Box Office Mojo)
9. Trailers: “Eden,” “The Conjuring,” “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2:” With titles like “Sorority Row,” “Sucker Punch,” and “Grown Ups” to her name, Jamie Chung could use a piece to break the commercial mold and solidify herself as some serious talent and, based on the new trailer for “Eden,” her big break could be right around the corner – March 20th to be exact. James Wan very well might have done it again. The first trailer for his “Insidious” follow-up, “The Conjuring,” is especially chilling, letting the material breathe and giving the viewer the chance to experience one of his haunted house-style scares in full, resulting in a very effective and creepy build. Last up is the first trailer for “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.” The first film was wildly creative and did a stellar job bringing the beloved book to life, but the food environment and animals of round two suggest this iteration could be even more imaginative.
10. Box Office: “Jack the Giant Slayer” went on to take the #1 spot and a nice chunk of cash, but the fact that the film only opened with $28 million on a $195 million production budget certainly takes away from the achievement. Meanwhile “Identity Thief” continues to soar higher into the green, dipping just 30.8% from weekend three to four, taking another $9.7 million to the bank and bringing its domestic total to just over $107 million. Newcomers “21 and Over” and “The Last Exorcism Part II” come in at #3 and #4, but both underwhelm. “21 and Over” snagged $9 million on a $3,248 per theater average while “The Last Exorcism Part II” didn’t even earn half as much as its predecessor’s $20.4 million opening, only taking $8 million on a weak $2,974 per theater average. “Snitch” wraps up the top five with $7.7 million thanks to a modest 41.5% weekend two drop. (via Box Office Mojo)
The Movie News Cheat Sheet will not run on Sunday, March 10th because this Shockya.com writer is going to SXSW! Keep your eye on the site for all the latest straight out of Austin!
Shailene Woodley and Andrew Garfield on the Set of The Amazing Spider-Man 2
