Stephen Sommers To Direct Tarzan
The Jungle Book director Stephen Sommers is in negotiations to direct a big screen version of Tarzan for Warner Bros, reports Variety. Two years ago, the studio was negotiating with Guillermo del Toro to direct but his commitment to The Hobbit has put him out of the running.
Jerry Weintraub (Ocean’s Eleven) is producing through his Jerry Weintraub Prods.
Variety says that Sommers will also co-write the “Tarzan” script with Stuart Beattie. With the first two “Mummy” movies, “The Scorpion King” and “Van Helsing,” Sommers, who is repped by WMA, has become a connoisseur of the big-budget, effects-driven spectacle. He recently finished shooting the summer 2009 Paramount tentpole, “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra,” which Beattie came in to write for him. Read the rest of this entry
Mark Millar Wants Three Superman Films
Mark Millar, comic book writer extraordinare, had an interesting interview with G4 that offered up some insight into his plans for writing a Superman movie. At this point, Millar has pitched the idea to Warner Bros and is currently waiting for the studio’s reply.
“I’ve had this plan for like 10 years for a big three-picture Superman thing, like a big Lord of the Rings epic, starting over from scratch again with a seven-hour Superman story. And hopefully one year after the other,” Millar told G4.
You can watch the full interview below, where Millar also talks about his other upcoming film project - Kick-Ass. Read the rest of this entry
Warner Bros’ “Watchmen” in Serious Legal Trouble
Watchmen - movie photo
A judge has denied a Warner Bros motion to dismiss 20th Century Fox’s lawsuit over Warners’ right to make a film based on the graphic novel “Watchmen.”
The ruling is a huge victory for Fox, which may end up as being a profit participant in the film. Fox retained the rights to the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, which the studio originally purchased in 1991. When producer David Gordon picked up the option on the project out of turnaround in 1994, the judge ruled, he never excersised that option for Fox’s remaining interest in the film, therefore, Fox’s rights to the film should still be intact.
Project, which has been in development for two decades, finally began lensing in September with Zack Snyder at the helm. Warners was set to release the film, which stars Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley, on March 6th in the same slot in which “300” opened. Read the rest of this entry
“Twilight” Takes Harry Potter’s Release Date
"Twilight" picture
The release calendar is shifting once again, Summit Entertainment’s highly anticipated adaptation of the Stephenie Meyer teen vampire romance novel “Twilight” has moved from its Dec. 12 perch to Nov. 21, the date just vacated by Warner Bros.’ “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
Explaining about the changes of release date schedule, co-chairman and CEO of Summit Entertainment Rob Friedman stated that the bumping up offers them the chance to present the movie on more screens. He also noted:
“When Warner Bros. decided to move ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ to the summer of 2009, we saw a unique opportunity to slot in our film which has been gaining tremendous awareness and momentum over the past several months.”
Friedman added that they were not trying to replace the Potter franchise for this year.
“We by no means are trying to fill the shoes of the incredible Potter franchise for 2008, rather we are just looking to bring the fans of Stephenie Meyer’s incredible book series the film as soon possible from a programming perspective.”
“Harry Potter 6″ Pushed to July 2009!
Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that it has moved back the release of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” from Thanksgiving this year until July 17th next summer!
The announcement was made by Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.
In making the announcement, Mr. Horn stated,
“Our reasons for shifting ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films-changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move ‘Half-Blood Prince’ to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.”
“RocknRolla” Is Very English!
“RocknRolla,” Guy Ritchie’s new movie is searching for a new distributor.
RocknRolla
The producer of Guy Ritchie’s upcoming gangster film “RocknRolla” Joel Silver has been screening the movie for rival studios Lionsgate and Sony in the hope that they will take it away from Warner Bros., according to the Los Angeles Times.
Alan Horn, chief operating officer of Warner Bros, said that he would honour a small-scale release agreement for “RocknRolla,” even though he doubted its commercial appeal.
“I think it’s a well-made picture, but while it’s funny in spots, it’s very English. [!] I don’t think it’s broadly commercial. It feels like a film that deserves a spirited release, but not a wide one. Joel has an 800-screen deal, which we’ll honour, but we might not be willing to spend the marketing money he wants us to,” Horn said.
He added that he would be open to selling the film to a rival if the right offer came along:
“If Joel is thinking there is someone out there willing to spend twice as much money as we’re willing to, I’m sure he will pursue that.”
RocknRolla’s scheduled UK release date is September 5, 2008. US release is expected in October.
“Gatchaman” Photos and Poster
“Gatchaman,” scheduled for release on April 3, 2009, originated in Japan in the early 1970s as the television series “Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.” Aired in the U.S. as “Battle of the Planets” and “G-Force,” it soon became a widely popular syndicated TV series.
Featuring some of the most ambitious action sequences ever seen in animation, “Gatchaman” is set in a future world grappling with environmental and technological issues.
The story focuses on five reluctant heroes whose remarkable genetic code makes them Earth’s only hope of defeating extra-terrestrial invaders.
Director: Kevin Munroe
Writers/adaptation: Paul Dini, Robert Mark Kamen
Studio: Warner Bros.
