The Green Lantern is one of many films being forced to relocate due to the falling U.S. dollar, reports THR. Production on the Martin Campbell film is pulling out from the land of Oz and coming to America. Rumors surfaced weeks ago about the financial cloud that was hovering over the DC comic adaptation, but there was no official statement regarding the issue, until now.
Were you a fan of last year’s sweeping epic Australia? OK, not many of you were, but that’s not stopping the film’s co-writer from stepping it up a notch. According to THR, Stuart Beattie will make his directorial debut with an adaptation of the Australian young adult novel entitled Tomorrow, When the War Began. The book is the first of seven installments of a popular series that ran from 1994-1999. They were written by famed author John Marsden and are typically referred to as “The Tomorrow Series”
Apparently, Australia is the place to be if you’re in film. Wolverine was filmed in Sydney last year, Happy Feet 2 and Guardians of Ga’Hoole is currently doing their post production there, and now according to IESB, The Green Latern is joining the bunch. It seems as if the biggest reason is (of course) money.
Nathan Rees, the premiere of North South Wales in Australia, Nathan Rees announced yesterday that the film would be shooting over seas and will be creating around 500 jobs and providing a major boost for the economy (like Hollywood couldn’t use that as well right now). I’m assuming it’s also cheaper to film is NSW because almost anytime you get out of LA, prices drop.
THR has reported that the film will have around a $150 million (the same budget as Watchmen) and I guess they want to make every penny count. The Australian dollar is currently down and they get a 15% location rebate from the Australian federal government who wants more films made over their to help their economy. This takes there $150 million and makes it closer to The Dark Knight‘s budget of $185 million.
Check out what Rees had to say below…
Pick of the Week: Australia
Starring: Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman
Here’s the epic that everybody missed, featuring arguably Australia’s two biggest starts. Didn’t seem to matter, however, as middling reviews and general malaise led it to bargain theaters weeks after it hit the big houses. Why was this? Probably because romance is dead in Hollywood. Nobody likes big sweeping gestures of love, preferring intimate stories of “realism” or silly chick flicks where love is some sort of prize. Nobody seems to consider love that grand anymore and therefore stories where it’s as big as an entire country fall flat. If you still long for the sweeping romance of yore, you can buy this DVD.
Also…
Christmas is almost here, which means gifts for you, and money for the studios. As the most profitable time of the year in terms of audience attendance, several holiday themed films are being thrown into our faces. Whether your into romance, comedies, or the typical family fare for the kids, your local theater has something to offer!
Baz Luhrmann, the man who brought you Australia, and 1996′s Romeo+Juliet, is taking on another historical piece of literature, The Great Gatsby. According to THR, Luhrmann has obtained the rights to the book, and wants to produce an updated film version as soon as possible.
Luhramann whats to emphasize the parallel between the pre-Depression era setting of the book, and the economic recession we’re dealing with today.
This week it seems like Hugh Jackman is everywhere. He’s currently promoting his new film Australia (read ScreenCrave Interview here) and was voted People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. That’s great coverage for him, but for die hard comic book fans there’s only one Jackman project that we’re interested in. I’m talking about X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The action flick isn’t going to drop until next May, but Jackman makes an early appearance as Wolverine for the January issue of Empire Magazine. He along with co-star Danny Huston (William Stryker), both gave exclusive interviews to the mag telling fans what they can expect from their characters in the upcoming film.
More of the interview after the jump.
If you’re one of the many people stuck at work, waiting for 5 o’clock to roll around, this articles for you! It’s a short work week and a long holiday weekend, so whats a film lover to do? Well, studios are hoping you will invest some time and money into your local movie theater. Opening this week is Four Christmases, Transporter 3, Milk (limited), and Baz’s Luhrmann’s sweeping epic Australia. Projections are already being made as to who will take the box office crown from last weeks champ, Twilight.
Continue reading to find out who might end up on top.
I know you’re all going to see Transporter 3, but please, at least think about the option of seeing a quality film? Milk or Australia are both great picks for this weekend. They’re funny, interesting, and overall great pieces of work. Or if you have to, see Four Christmases, which is it just has a bunch of great faces showing up and not doing what you know they can do. It won’t be as good as you’re hoping it might be. You have two great films, give them a shot! Transporter 3 will be on DVD before you know it!
This week’s movie releases:
Trailers below:
