Ericson Core to Direct xXx 3
Ericson Core (”Invincible”) has signed to direct “xXx 3: The Return of Xander Cage,” the third installment in the franchise.
Core has some experience with Vin Diesel, who’s returning to the character he began in 2002, after working as the director of photography on “The Fast and the Furious” (2001). He replaces Rob Cohen after the latter abandoned the franchise he created to go and direct “Medieval” for Regency, a movie he describes as “The Magnificent Seven in the Middle Ages”.
According to THR, new film involves Cage’s return to the National Security Agency after an eight-year absence.
Vin Diesel’s “Los Bandoleros” Video and U.S. Premiere
“Los Bandoleros,” an original short film directed and written by Vin Diesel showcased on the Blu-ray and DVD release of “Fast & Furious” available July 28, receives its U.S. premiere in celebration of the Universal Studios Home Entertainment release.
The film, shot entirely in Dominican Republic, tells the intriguing back story about the characters and events leading up to the explosive oil truck heist in “Fast & Furious.”
Vin Diesel To Star In The Wheelman
Paramount Pictures has tapped Vin Diesel to star in “The Wheelman” a live-action adaptation of the Ubisoft vidgame with the same name. The videogame came out last month and Diesel is the game’s main character and also its producer.
Diesel will play an expert driver who comes out of retirement to protect a woman from his past.
Paramount has set John Singleton to direct and Lorenzo di Bonaventura to produce the movie. Singleton knows his way around a car chase, having directed “2 Fast 2 Furious,” the sequel that Diesel skipped.
The script for “The Wheelman” was written by Rich Wilkes. It was rewritten by Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell.
Box Office: Fast and Furious Sets Records at $72 million
Fast and Furious, the 4th film in the Universal franchise, claimed the top spot at the box office this weekend with a record-breaking $72.5 million (the biggest domestic opening since “The Dark Knight.”) The previous April record holder was “Anger Management,” which opened to $42.2 million in 2003.
The $30 million dollar take for “Fast and Furious” on Friday, came from 5,200 screens, and easily beat out the previous three installments. It bested “Tokyo Drift’s” entire debut weekend take, and easily trumped the original’s $15 million back in 2001. For the record, “2 Fast 2 Furious” took in just south of $20 million when it opened on Friday in 2003.
Fast and Furious Review
The tagline of “Fast & Furious” promises “New Model. Original Parts.” Well, yes and no. “Parts” is a remarkably apt way to describe the people of the movie, a crew of affectless hard bodies reunited from the 2001 B-movie sensation “The Fast and the Furious.”
Led by Vin Diesel, an inexpressive chunk of man whose actorly range is largely restricted to the occasional furrowing of a brow, the cast is slotted into a narrative involving revenge against a Mexican drug cartel, outlandish vehicular mayhem, flaunting of custom bodywork (both automotive and anatomical) and settings that encourage people to wear tank tops…read more [The New York Times]
Recession has hit the world of B movies: There’s no longer a budget for definite articles in titles. Fast & Furious, about dirtied-up car racing and badass drivers, arrives eight years after The Fast and the Furious revealed the unlikely charms of the sewer-throated, shovel-headed Vin Diesel. Back then, as Diesel’s Dominic Toretto burned through L.A. streets, we gasped, Who is that walking Popeye, and why does he sound like he’s in a Sylvester Stallone tribute band? Back then we also met Dom’s nemesis, Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), an equally feisty driver (and, as it happened, an undercover cop) as blond and blue-eyed as Toretto was bald and swarthy…read more[EW]
Fast & Furious Muscle Cars Featurette
New featurette for the upcoming “Fast & Furious” has been released, showing some of the new cars in the movie including 1987 Buick Grand National and a 2009 Subaru WRX STI that are driven by the stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. In addition, the video also has lots of new footage from the film.
2009 Subaru WRX STI -- driven by "Fast & Furious" star, Paul Walker
“Fast & Furious” re-teams Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in the ultimate chapter of the film franchise built on speed. Heading back to the streets where it all began, Diesel and Walker rejoin Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert in the new high-octane action-thriller.
The film arrives in theatres on April 3, 2009.
Paul Walker Confirms Fast & Furious 5
Paul Walker and Vin Diesel spoke at a “Fast & Furious” press junket, revealing that fifth installment in the franchise is in the works.
When asked about a possible fifth movie in the franchise, Walker said:
“No but I’ve heard it. I’ve heard it in the rumor mill. Like, I’ve spoken with executives at Universal at this point, and they’re pretty serious about it. They know where they want it to take place. They want to do it in Europe.”
On the subject on Vin Diesel reprising his Toretto role for a third time, Walker was pretty candid:
”I know Vin’s in there already”
Walker would also love to see Tyrese Gibson’s character from “2 Fast 2 Furious” return.
”Oh, man, he’s my brother. I love that guy. I had so much fun with him making the second one. He’s just one of those people that’s fun to be around. He’s just a big kid.”
Click here to read full story [Via Screen Junkies]
Click here to see all “Fast & Furious 4” photos.
UPDATE: August 1st, 2009.
In occasion of the launch of the DVD of “Fast and Furious“, and the short movie “Los Bandolers“, Fast and Furious actor Sung Kang (Han Lue) and director Justin Lin confirm that “Fast and Furious 5 is on developpement”. No date announced for the release of this new chapter of Fast and Furious franchise yet, possibly not before 2011, due to Vin Diesel’s schedule.
Paul Walker attended the Summer TCA Tour of 2009 to promote the National Geographic documentary he mades earlier this year involving the great white sharks. It’s called “Expedition Great White” and it will be aired in November during Expedition Week on the Discovery/National Geographic Channel. He was asked about “The Fast and Furious” franchise, specifically the status of the fifth one. Walker says that Universal Studios definitely wants another one (the last installment made over $349 million worldwide), and according to Walker, people who write scripts are writing a script for the fifth one as they speak.
Brand New Fast & Furious Clips and TV Spots
Universal Pictures have debuted two brand new TV spots and two clips of “Fast and Furious“. The promo videos provide more never-before-seen footage with glimpses at the street car racing actions.
Heading back to the streets where it all began, two men rejoin two women to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert. When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto reignites his feud with agent Brian O’Connor. But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmaneuver him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what’s possible behind the wheel.
The Justin Lin-directed action-thriller stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, John Ortiz, Laz Alonso, Gal Gadot, Shea Whigham, Tego Calderon and Liza Lapira.
This fourth installment of the street car racing movie franchise will speed up to theaters across the U.S. on April 3.
Vin Diesel Talks Chronicles Of Riddick 3
In an interview with Gamespot about the new Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena video game, Vin Diesel said another Riddick film is likely.
Gamespot:
The current state of a third movie in the Riddick series seems a little uncertain to the casual fan right now. How does that affect the writing and story explored in the new Dark Athena content? Does it sort of give you guys more room to explore this fiction, or does that change anything about how you’ve approached this game?
Vin Diesel:
Good question. Maybe we’re too tight-lipped about the next Chronicles of Riddick film, and I think circa the release of [Dark Athena] that’s probably when you’ll start hearing more about the next Riddick film. It is underway and I almost think it’s a coincidence that we haven’t heard anything, that there hasn’t been a lot of public stuff on the Riddick movie.
Click here to read the rest.
He also said that David Twohy, writer/director of The Chronicles of Riddick, is currently finishing up the script for the next film.
The game “Assault on Dark Athena” hits stores on April 7th.
New Fast & Furious International Poster
Thanks to Filmz.ru, we now have a brand new poster for the upcoming fourth installment in the “Fast & Furious” franchise, featuring shots of the main actors.
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker re team for the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed. Heading back to the streets where it all began, they rejoin Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert in the new high-octane action-thriller.
When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian O’Conner (Walker). But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmaneuver him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what’s possible behind the wheel. Fast and Furious hits theaters on April 3rd 2009.
The new movie is directed by Justin Lin, the man behind the third installment, “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” also stars John Ortiz, Laz Alonso, Gal Gadot, Shea Whigham, Tego Calderon and Liza Lapira. It is scheduled to hit theaters on April 3rd.
