Apologies for the Movie News Cheat Sheet‘s tardiness, but it was for the sake of Steven Spielberg and Giancarlo Esposito! Totally worth it, right?
I’d like to think so, but this Cheat Sheet is packed with some pretty exciting material. Well, the idea of Scott Disick playing Patrick Bateman might not be the most thrilling tidbit in there, but we do have a new director for The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and a slew of posters from what should be some of the biggest movies of summer 2012.
The trailer department is lacking courtesy of the one for What To Expect When You’re Expecting dropping just after the massive New Year’s Eve meltdown, both critically and at the box office. But, in an effort to end this introduction on a better note, as we round the corner into awards season, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences brings us more Oscar potentials and while the short list for Visual Effects is still too big to weed out the undeserving, there are some clear winners in the pack.
It may be a day late but the time has come; here’s your Movie News Cheat Sheet.
1. Scott Disick May Be The New Patrick Bateman: Just recently word got out that Lionsgate hired Noble Jones to write and direct a new version of American Psycho, the film based on Bret Easton Ellis’ novel, and now Ellis demands to have either Scott Disick or Miles Fischer star, or else. Or else, what? Well, according to the author’s tweet, without one of those two options, he won’t approve a new version of his work. Yeah, he literally posted, “I have warned Lionsgate that I will not approve a new version of “American Psycho” unless it stars SCOTT DISICK or MILES FISHER.” Can he be serious? It’s hard to imagine Ellis having the clout and power to make such a demand, but, then again, Fisher isn’t a half bad option for the role. Considering Disick’s fame comes from the reality TV sector, it’s impossible to judge his ability beyond just looking the part, but this could be the leading role Fisher’s been waiting for and deserves.
2. Neil Marshall Might Go To Hellfest: Is this big news? Maybe not, but Hellfest sure sounds like a ton of fun. Then, with the director of The Descent behind the lens, it almost could be a sure thing. According to Deadline, CBS Films just recruited Neil Marshall to direct the piece about “a costumed killer who systematically slaughters the unsuspecting visitors who come to a theme park on Halloween night.” Hellfest will likely be next on Marshall’s to do list, as the studio has plans to begin production in the summer and subsequently spawn a franchise.
3. Ben Kingsley May Reteam with Asa Butterfield for Ender’s Game: Ben Kingsley and Asa Butterfield got along just fine in Hugo – well, eventually – and now, according to THR, the two might reunite on the big screen in Ender’s Game. The adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s novel focuses on a young boy who’s chosen to attend a battle school aiming to churn out soldiers to fight an invading alien race. Butterfield’s been set to lead as Ender Wiggin for quite some time and, just recently, Hailee Steinfeld entered negotiations to play Petra Arkanain. Should Kingsley’s deal go through, he’ll play “a legendary war hero presumed to be long dead.” Director Gavin Hood is set to begin filming in February with Summit waiting in the wings to facilitate the domestic distribution.
4. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Goes to Guy Ritchie: No George Clooney, no Bradley Cooper and then no Steven Soderbergh. However, after all the coming and going, Scott Z. Burns’ script, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., is attempting to gain some traction yet again, Warner Bros. hiring Guy Ritchie to direct. Based on the 1960s TV show, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. focuses on a pair of agents working for the United Network Command for Law Enforcement to take down an evil organization known as THRUSH. After the success of Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes reboot, it seems he could be the right man to bring U.N.C.L.E. back to life – assuming he doesn’t bail, too. (via Deadline)
5. Saw May Not Be Over Yet: Oh, please. Like you didn’t know this was coming. While Lionsgate Vice Chairman Michael Burns talked about the studio’s potential merger with Summit Entertainment with CNBC, he spilled the beans on a possible Saw VIII. When the conversation turned to Jigsaw, Burns explained, “I’m sure, some day, you’ll see Saw back in the picture.” Should there be another Saw movie? The answer to that is entirely personal. If you’re like me, you’ll head to the theater to catch a new Saw movie despite how severely the franchise’s quality has dropped, but in no way does that mean I want another installment. Regardless, Lionsgate is likely thinking about the potential profits and while Saw 3D may have been effected by the release of Paranormal Activity 2 last year, it still went on to make $136 worldwide, and that’s on a mere $20 million budget. After a slew of recent box office failures including Abduction and Conan the Barbarian, Lionsgate appropriately has its eye on the money and the return of Saw, could give the studio’s bank account a solid boost.
(via Bloody Disgusting)
6. Critics Groups’ Top Picks of the Year Start to Come In: It’s that time of year again and the best movies according to the critics’ associations are pouring in. Over at New York Film Critics Online, The Artist was named best film of the year with Michael Shannon snagging the best actor honor for Take Shelter and Meryl Streep winning in the best actress category for The Iron Lady. Boston Film Critics went with Albert Brooks for best supporting actor for his performance in Drive and then Melissa McCarthy for her supporting role in Bridesmaids. Los Angeles Film Critics Association named Terrence Malick best director for The Tree of Life and Asghar Farhadi best writer for A Separation. Check out the full list of winners for all three organizations over at ComingSoon.net and keep an eye out for even more as 2011 comes to a close.
7. Academy Award Visual Effects Nominees Unveiled: Speaking of it being that time of year, we’ve got another short list from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Up for nominations for Best Visual Effects are Captain America: The First Avenger, Cowboys & Aliens, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Hugo, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Real Steel, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Sucker Punch, Super 8, Thor, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, The Tree of Life and X-Men: First Class. I’ve got high hopes this race comes down to Hugo for the stellar achievements using 3D technology and Rise of the Planet of the Apes for the work required to transform Andy Serkis into Caesar. The best part about that scenario? Not only do both films deserve an honor in terms of their visual effects work, but they’re all around solid films. Let’s hope Captain America: The First Avenger, Cowboys & Aliens, Sucker Punch and Transformers: Dark of the Moon get chopped early so an undeserving final product doesn’t end up with an Academy Award nomination.
(via The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
8. Summer Posters: The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, Battleship: We’ve got a trio of potential summer blockbusters with brand new posters. First off, and best off, is the design for The Dark Knight Rises. This image holds onto the darker take on the Dark Knight that we’ve come to love and does so through a beautifully textured design with a great deal of depth, wonderfully sans 3D. The Amazing Spider-Man attempts to evoke a moody feel, too, but everything comes crashing down courtesy of a downright terrible tagline. “The untold story?” This is a movie about a boy who gets spider-like powers. Regardless of the previous franchise, I’m sure there’s a more creative option than that. Last up we’ve got a new poster for Battleship and while the image itself isn’t all that bad, I’d like to bet I’m not the only one having a hard time digesting the board game/alien invasion crossover.
9. Trailers: The Three Stooges, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, G.I. Joe: Retaliation: Did I not watch enough Three Stooges to appreciate these jokes? Sure the trio’s comedy has always had its roots in slapstick, but the trailer for the feature film seems to resort to the lowest of the low in silly humor and none of it is particularly funny. Well, minus Snooki getting a long overdo shot in the face. Who hires Elizabeth Banks, Dennis Quaid, Cameron Diaz, Anna Kendrick, Chris Rock, Matthew Morrison, Rodrigo Santoro, Chace Crawford, Jennifer Lopez, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Tom Lennon and Rob Huebel and then wastes them all on material as lame as What to Expect When You’re Expecting? Well, actually, after New Year’s Eve, we should be quite used to having an all-star cast go completely to waste. Sorry, this week’s trailer section is just not much fun. The first trailer for G.I. Joe: Retaliation just arrived and, even as one of the few who thoroughly enjoyed round one, this video has me worried. First off, it’s poorly cut. That mid-battle sequence cut to the beat of the music is just too tacky to be effective. Then there’s the story. Does Retaliation have anything to do with the first film or are we just supposed to pretend it doesn’t exist? On the bright side, Retaliation looks as though it’ll win big in the action department. Let’s hope that’ll be enough.
10. Box Office: It’s yet another sad weekend for the box office. Rather than give the cash flow a boost, the ultimate cast failed to make due on their clout and New Year’s Eve tanked, earning just $13 million, not even half the amount of its predecessor’s $56 million opening. The Sitter didn’t fair too well either. The latest from David Gordon Green only managed to pull in $9.9 million at 2,750 locations. At least it’s a step up from Your Highness monetarily and quality-wise – just barely. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 took another tough tumble, losing 52.7% of its week three earnings, giving it just $7.8 million for week four. Even though The Muppets held on strong, dropping just 37% to take just under $7 million, it barely beat out Arthur Christmas for that fourth spot as Arthur Christmas feel a mere 12%, taking another $6.5 million to the bank. (via Box Office Mojo)
