“Transporter 3″ Teaser Trailer

Here’s the French teaser trailer for the upcoming “Transporter 3“, featuring lots of action-packed scenes with Jason Statham returning to reprise his role.

The new movie will have new helmer, Olivier Megaton. Some of film’s story details are still kept under tight wraps, but it is said that in this film, Frank Martin (Jason Statham) has moved to Paris in order to continue his business of delivering packages without questions.

The movie finished shooting last month and is now in post-production, with a scheduled release date of November 26th. Lionsgate will be distributing this installment instead of 20th Century Fox.

Watch “Transporter 3″ French trailer after jump Read the rest of this entry

Frank Miller’s New ‘The Spirit’ Blog

Frank Miller has posted his 9th official blog on the production of the upcoming adaptation of Will Eisner’s “The Spirit” via an exclusive first look at SHH. The upcoming comic film, shot in the same visual style as Frank Miller’s Sin City and 300, stars Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson, Paz Vega, Jaime King, Dan Lauria, Stana Katic, Johnny Simmons and Louis Lombardi. Miller penned the screenplay and directed for Lionsgate.

In this latest blog, Miller addresses fan concerns for the upcoming adaptation.

“The Spirit” revolves around a slain rookie cop who returns from the dead to fight crime and track a cold-blooded killer.

“The Spirit” will hit theaters Dec 25, 2008.

‘The Spirit’ Moved Up to 2008

After positive fan response to the teaser trailer for Frank Miller’s “The Spirit” at the New York Comic Con, distributor Lionsgate has decided to move the film’s release date from January 2009 to this Christmas day - and just so you know, the fact that JJ Abrams‘ “Star Trek” abandoned the date in favor of May 2009 had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Based on the comic by Will Eisner, “The Spirit” is the story of a murdered rookie policeman, Denny Colt, who returns from the dead to fight evil in Central City. Gabriel Macht will star along with Eva Mendes as Sand Saref and Scarlett Johansson as ’sexy nurse’ Silken Floss.

Also set to open December 25th are two broad comedies: the Adam Sandler starrer “Bedtime Stories” and the Jennifer Aniston/Owen Wilson starrer “Marley and Me.”

Milla Jovovich To Star in ‘The 4th Kind’

Milla Jovovich will star in Gold Circle Films thriller “The 4th Kind.” Olatunde Osunsanmi, a former assistant to filmmaker Joe Carnahan, is making his directorial debut on the film, which he also wrote.Although project details are being kept under wraps, it is described as a fact-based thriller involving an ongoing unsolved mystery in Alaska, where one town has seen an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances during the past 40 years and there are accusations of a federal cover-up.

Jovovich plays a woman investigating the disappearances in the town.

A late-June start is being eyed.

“4th” is being produced by Gold Circle’s topper, Paul Brooks, along with Carnahan and Terry Lee Robbins.

The project will be fully financed by Gold Circle, with international sales handled by Mandate International.

Scott Niemeyer and Norm Waitt are executive producing. Exec Guy Danella brought the material into the company and will oversee.

Osunsanmi began developing the idea while working for Carnahan on “Smokin’ Aces.” After honing it, the pair, via their agents at Endeavor, then brought the script to Gold Circle.

The company, which is in production on the Kevin Coster starrer “The New Daughter,” has “Town Creek” ready for release form Lionsgate and is in post on “The Haunting in Connecticut” and “Chilled in Miami,” starring Renee Zellweger.

Jovovich, star of the “Resident Evil” movies, is in production on “A Perfect Getaway” for MGM and Relativity Media. She is repped by Endeavor and Media Talent Group.

Osunsanmi is additionally repped by Caliber Media.

Julie Benz Cast In ‘Saw 5′

Julie Benz will star in “Saw 5″, the next outing in Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures‘ horror franchise.David Hackl — who served as the production designer on the second, third and fourth “Saw” films — will helm the next appearance of Jigsaw. Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan wrote the screenplay.

Benz has been cast as a Brit with clothes and hair too proper and elegant to be a pawn in Jigsaw’s latest games. Tobin Bell will return as Jigsaw.

Mark Burg and Oren Koules are producing. Production began March 17 in Toronto; an Oct. 24 release is planned.

Benz (TV’s “Dexter”) recently appeared in Lionsgate’s “Rambo” and next will be seen in the company’s upcoming “The Punisher: War Zone“.

Lionsgate, New Line, Slayer - Trade Breaks

“Both Lionsgate and Marvel Studios have reached interim agreements the Writers Guild of America. These deals mean that both studios will put writers immediately back to work on their development slates. Terms of the agreements were not disclosed, but shows such as “Weeds” and “Mad Men” along with films like “Saw V,” “Thor” and “Captain America”…”
Full Story: Variety

Contrary to previous reports on IMDB there is “no truth” to the rumor that New Line Cinema’s Bob Shaye & Michael Lynne were being sacked, and all projects, including The Hobbit were moving completely over to the Warner Bros. camps. A New Line spokesperson stated via email to us today that the story was false, and they are seeking a correction on IMDB…”
Full story: The One Ring

Anchor Bay Entertainment has picked up U.S. distribution rights to Jon Knautz’s horror comedy “Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer” in a mid-six-figure deal with a theatrical commitment. The film (featuring “Nightmare on Elm Street” star Robert Englund) tells the story of a teen (Trevor Matthews) who is haunted by the murder of his parents. As his rage builds, he accidentally awakens an ancient evil, prompting chaos in the vein of ’80s horror-comedy creature features…”
Full story: Hollywood Reporter 

Conan the Barbarian crashes the Lionsgate

Avi Lerner’s obsession with muscle men continues. The Nu Image/Millennium boss has inked a deal with Lionsgtate that’ll see the shingle release Lerner’s “Conan the Barbarian” remake, says Variety. Lionsgate of course is the distributor of the Lerner-produced “Rambo” starring Sylvester Stallone, due out at the end of the month.

The pic, written by the team of Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer (”Sahara,” “Cowboys & Aliens”), is planned to be the first in a whole series of new Schwarzenegger-less “Conan” flicks. The first has a date with a camera later this year.

“I’m very happy with [Lionsgate’s] Jon Feltheimer and his whole team. They understand the business and the value of money better than a lot of studios,” Lerner said. “We will finance the movie, but the idea is to work closely with them on a creative level and use their experience.”

The only name that’s been mooted thus far for the lead in the $100 million dollar pic is “300” it-boy Gerard Butler.