ScreenCrave.com » Timur Bekmambetov

Timur Bekmambetov to Direct Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Krystal Clark — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:00:20 +0000

If you’ve been patiently waiting for some news regarding Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, we’ve got it! Previously, it was announced that Tim Burton would produce a live action feature based on the book of the same name, and now Empire is reporting that its landed a director. According to the site, Wanted’s Timur Bekmambetov has announced his attachment to the Civil War era vampire flick.

Here’s what the director had to say about his creative vision for Vampire Hunter:

“It is not a comedy at all – it is a very entertaining, epic history lesson for millions and millions of teenagers. If you remember Nightwatch, it is maybe in the vein of that kind of movie.”

“We are keeping the traditional look of Lincoln – the big hat and the beard. He has to be historically correct, but with a few special weapons. There is only one book, but there will be many opportunities to develop and explore this world if we get to do sequels. I hope we will start this winter. We are shooting in America.”

It sounds like we might see more of this historical figure kicking ass and taking names if the first film does well. I’m not too familiar with the book, but I’m interested in seeing how this will play out on the big screen. Seriously, who doesn’t want to see one of the country’s most revered Presidents stick a wooden stake through a vampire’s heart?

As for Bekmambetov’s other high profile projects, he spoke about Wanted 2, which he’ll do after Lincoln because James McAvoy is currently shooting X-Men First Class. As for the talk surrounding 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,

“Yes, it is happening. We are in development with a writer and Ridley Scott’s people. It’s early in development. I would like to direct myself – it’s a great tale that I love from my childhood. It will be a modernized version of the famous book.”

He’s also been working on another water-logged adaptation of Moby Dick, and he’s currently developing the script. This guy is a busy man!

What film are you the most excited to see from Bekmambetov?

David Fincher, Timur Bekmambetov Directing 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

Krystal Clark — Mon, 17 May 2010 18:37:24 +0000

Either studios don’t pay attention to their competitor’s upcoming slates or Fox and Disney just don’t give a damn. The two powerhouses are both producing adaptations of the Jules Verne classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, with David Fincher and Wanted’s Timur Bekmambetov in talks to direct. Does anyone else see a problem with this?

On Saturday, THR reported that Fincher would take on directing duties for Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which has been sitting in limbo ever since McG’s departure months ago. After being on hold indefinitely, the studio had a change of heart tapping Fincher and Bourne Ultimatum scribe Scott Z. Burns to create a fresh take on the story.

On the other side of town, Fox just couldn’t let the House of Mouse have all the fun so they’re also tackling the story of Captain Nemo and his Nautilus but with Bekmambetov. The studio is well aware that they’ll have to bring out the big guns to compete with Disney and Fincher, so they’ve brought on Ridley and Tony Scott to produce and the screenplay will be adapted by Clash of the Titans co-writer Travis Beacham.

Even though Fox has the Scott brothers as producers, Disney has a better screenwriter with Burns. Who will win? If you’re wondering what legal red tape the studios had to go through to use Vernes’ material there wasn’t any. The story is in public domain, which means a 5 year old could go out and make a movie version if they wanted to.

Which take on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea are you the most interested in seeing?

Timur Bekmambetov to Direct The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein?

Anet Hovhanesian — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:53:28 +0000

Remember when Timur Bekmambetov had so many projects on his plate that we didn’t know what he was going to tackle first? Lately, there’s been so much push and pull regarding whether or not Wanted 2 will happen that his developing slate seems a bit rocky. But according to /Film he does have his eye on something solid, he’s attached himself to Peter Ackroyd’s novel The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein.

Victor Frankenstein is an example of the horror classic being told in the first person, which heavily adds to its appeal. The book was published last year and is described as something different for audiences to enjoy. The author states:

“It is of course obviously true that Frankenstein is a wonderful story, and I was eager to see if I could extend it in other directions. It is a myth and a history, an allegory and a nightmare. I wanted to see if it was possible to maintain all those elements in a re-interpretation of the original text.”

This does sound like an intriguing concept, but will it turn out to be like 90 percent of novel adaptations where the book is way better than the movie? This is all speculation, and we’re not even sure if Bekmambetov is planning on working on this project. In another week or so, we might hear a new Wanted 2 rumor and the vicious cycle could begin all over again.

Do you think Bekmambetov should take on Victor Frankenstein ? Do you think he can make it a hit?

Additional Source: FirstShowing

Timur Bekmambetov to Produce The Last Witch Hunter

Anet Hovhanesian — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:40:55 +0000

The man who jumps from one big film (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) to another (Wanted 2) is adding another project to his “to-do list. According to Deadline, Timur Bekmambetov is set to produce and possibly direct The Last Witch Hunter.

In the film, the protagonist is one of the last remaining witch hunters, a breed that keeps the population of witches and warlocks in check, but unfortunately the magical creatures are about to repopulate in a major way unless he can stop them.

The idea behind The Last Witch Hunter was pitched by Cory Goodman who is known for his violent, fantasy background. You put Goodman and the Russain-Kazakh film director together, who has his own background with the vampire franchise Nochnoy dozor and Dnevnoy dozar, and you’ve got one twisted tale that’s sure to entertain.

So, the question is which project will Bekmambetov focus on first? People are waiting for the sequel to Wanted but The Last Witch Hunter sounds interesting as well. Which will he choose? With Angelina Jolie out of Wanted 2, I think he should focus on a more attainable project and The Last Witch Hunter is right up his alley.

What do you think, should Bekmambetov focus his energy on The Last Witch Hunter? What should his next project be?

Black Lightning International Trailer

Krystal Clark — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:15:21 +0000

Black Lightning may not mean much to you right now, but the film is produced by Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov, and features some jaw dropping action. It’s a Russian language film that’s being compared to the likes of Transformers and Batman. Black Lightning is co-directed by Dmitriy Kiselev and Alexandr Voitinsky, who previously worked with Bekmambetov on Night Watch and Day Watch.

Check out the trailer…

Here’s a brief synopsis of the film:

The film’s story centers on a Moscow University student who becomes the owner of a flying car. Not only will he be able to avoid traffic, but he unexpectedly finds himself the city’s defender, mysterious fighter against evil.

I can’t understand anything that’s being said in this trailer, but it still looks bad ass. I can definitely see where the comparison’s between Transformers and Batman comes in, but for the sake of the film let’s hope they’re referring to Transformers 1.

What do you think of the trailer for Black Lightning?

Source: Latino Review

9: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:21:49 +0000

Are you ready to face your nightmares in Shane Acker’s stunning feature length post-apocalyptic animated nightmare produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov and starring Elijah Wood? Well get ready, because it’s finally 9-9-09, which means that 9 is in theaters now!

The Players:

Director: Shane Acker (Watch Interview)
Producer: Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (Read Comic-Con Interview)
Written By: Pamela Pettler
Voices: Elijah Wood (Read Interview), Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau

The Plot:

The film is about 9 puppet like creators in a post-apocalyptic world who have to fight against the machines for survival. That is until 9 comes along with his fearless inquisitiveness and stirs up trouble and possible answers.

The Good:

The Visuals: Absolutely stunning. You can see why Acker was picked out by Burton and Bekmambetov to make this film. From the overall architecture and lighting, to the tiny little details of the threading and the sound of the blinking eyes, you could pause the film at any moment and it would be a piece of art.
The Tone: It’s refreshing to see how dark they went with the film. For a movie with puppets running around, it actually had a few scary moments. Knowing that it was an animation I thought that they pull back, but from gore to getting high, it’s got it all.
The Themes: We have TONS of end of the world films, but none of them touch on as many subjects as this one does and in as clever of a way. Maybe because we’re dealing with puppets instead of humans it allows us to look at ourselves deeper, but no mater what, the film brings up a number of poignant issues without hammering us over the head with them.
The Inspiration: Finally, something new to be excited about! The most important part about this film and why you should go and see it, is because it’s original and inspired. It’s not without it’s flaws but in the world of remakes the original idea is king!

The Bad:

Runtime: Yes, animations are SUPPOSED to be 72 minutes, but so much of this film defies what a film is SUPPOSED to be, so why decide to follow the rules with the runtime? I appreciate how hard it is to make this film and that every little tiny thing had to be created by hand, but in the end, I wanted more. I needed more to fully support the story I was being given. With so many amazing characters, beautiful backgrounds, and such detailed animation, I wanted to see more from the characters and a bit less action. In order to feel invested in the actions scenes, there needed to be more back stories and more time spent on the arches of each of the main characters.
Too Many Unexplained Objects: Although it’s great that not everything is spelled out for you and many of the characters in the film don’t know what’s going on, do it makes sense that not much is explained, but when they reached their revelation, I was still left a bit confused. There needed to be more explanation either through character arches, more flashbacks or something.

Overall:

My biggest problem with this film is that it could have very easily been one of my favorites of the year. I loved so many parts of it, the tone, the characters, the action, but it needed more time to develop. I know that Acker spent 10 years creating the film, but perhaps if he had not been so rushed (like he told us in our interview with him) towards the end, he could have brought his dream to true fruitition.

Rating: 7.3

Go see 9 in theaters on 9-9-09!

Further Reading:

Tim Burton, Shane Acker, and Timur Bekmambetov for 9

Mali Elfman — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:31:18 +0000

I’ll be honest, this press conference for 9 has been waiting to be posted since last week. It wasn’t intentionally put aside, in fact it’s probably one of the most interesting press conferences to come out of Comic-Con with three of the most creative minds in the film industry Tim Burton, Shane Acker, and Timur Bekmambetov.

Much like how District 9 director Neill Blomkamp got his jump start from Peter Jackson, 9 started by two film giants Burton and Bekmambetov seeing something great in Acker and creating an environment and budget for him to make this movie.

Check out the interview below…

Tim, this is a very unique project. How did you get involved with this?

Tim Burton: Well I saw Shane’s short film and it just blew me away. It was amazing. After going through stuff myself trying to get movies made and people complaining like “Why doesn’t the character have any eyeballs?” and things like that, I think our goal was to just let Shane make his movie.

Did you get this financed as an independent film?

Shane Acker: Yeah, it was a negative pick-up. I mean, the idea was I guess Focus guaranteed the money to buy the film as long as it met X amount of criteria at the end which kind of gave us the creative space to make the film that we wanted outside of their direct input or involvement, although they were definitely involved in the process. We were doing it at such a modest budget that we were able to take the risks and do the things that we really wanted to do and explore in this medium that is typically a medium designed for more family oriented material.

How do you do an animated film with a low budget these days?

Tim Burton: We did it.

Shane Acker: Well, yeah. You just find the right creative team and you make the right decisions as you’re going forward and just be really dedicated to the project and be conservative about your design but not let it be really…because we’re making a world…

Tim Burton: You did your short pretty much in your basement or garage. Right?

Shane Acker: Yeah. I think the technology is in the hands of artists now. You don’t need a whole studio like Pixar in place to do these films. You can take the software and put the team together and make these films yourself, and I think it’s a pretty exciting time because it’s not about the technological challenge now. It’s just about the stories and what is the story that you want to tell.

Did you teach Tim that movies can be made for a lot cheaper?

Tim Burton: Oh yeah. I mean, it’s great. It does allow a certain freedom that you don’t get when you’re dealing with big budget studio [films]. Fair enough. This was such a pleasure. They made the movie and it just was such a pleasure to see if he’d be able to do it and do what they wanted to do without any negative involvement with things. So, it was very liberating to see this process happen.

Where did you get the inspiration for this film?

Shane Acker: I got the inspiration from a lot of stop-motion filmmaking – the Brothers Quay, John Stuckmeyer and the Eastern European sensibility of stop-motion filmmaking as well as Tim Burton’s projects in stop-motion. I just love that world. I love the tactile quality. I love the texture and the motion that that creates. When I was starting the short, a lot of the animated films were really clean, pristine, soft and pastel and it just doesn’t speak to me. It doesn’t speak to that kind of quality and the tactile nature, the organic kind of decayed nature that I really saw that the world of this film would take. I initially started playing with stop-motion and then realized that with the facility at UCLA, I wasn’t going to be able to do the kind of cinematography and the camera moves and the visual storytelling that I wanted so I quickly went into the CD world but I took with it all that quality of stop-motion. I even designed the characters as you would a stop-motion armature so that they’d behave — you know, metal behaves the way metal behaves and cloth behaves the way cloth behaves. I think that lended a kind of believability to the film. People often ask me “How’d you combine stop-motion with CG? How did you do it?” And I go, “No, it’s all in the computer.” It’s just that attention to detail that makes it believable, I think.

How long did it take you to make your short film?

Shane Acker: (laughs) 4-1/2 years.

How long did it take to make your feature film?

Tim Burton: (laughing) 4-1/2 years.

Shane Acker: 3 years actually so it’s shorter to make the feature.

What was it about the movie that made you spend 4-1/2 years on it? What did you learn about yourself during that process?

Shane Acker: Well I think that’s when I discovered that I was a …

Tim Burton: (interrupting) You can’t. The mind of an animator, you don’t have enough time to understand that.

Shane Acker: That’s when I discovered that I was an artist because I could not, not do it. You know what I mean? It’s like I could not walk away from it once I started. I had to see it through. I have all the best and worst qualities of an animator to be that venal and attentive. Around year 3 it started psychologically affecting me. It’s like, “Will I ever get out from underneath this thing?” I was like, “Oh my God, I’ve got cancer. I’m going to die before this thing is done.” All this psychological stuff really starts to affect you and you know your wife is like, “How are you going to finish that?” and everyone is like, “Are you still working on that film?” “I’m still married, yeah.” But somewhere around 3 I just started telling people, they’re like, “When are you going to finish that film?” and I said, “Oh, two weeks.” “Two weeks! Really?” And then a couple weeks would go by, a month would go by, and they’d come back and ask “Are you finished with that film?” and I’d say, “In two weeks, two weeks.” “Really?” And then they finally got the joke and just stopped asking.

Tim, do you remember ever working on a project that drove you crazy?

Tim Burton: I got out of animation because I couldn’t do that. To me, I just don’t have the patience for it and I was a very unhappy animator. In fact, when I was working at Disney, I slept half of the day. I learned how to sleep sitting at my desk in case they walked in. That’s why I admire what he’s done because it does take so much work. It’s an amazing feat for somebody to do this. It really is.

You and Timur are two very visionary filmmakers. What do you bring to the table? What do you offer Shane?

Timur Bekmambetov: I think you have to talk to Shane.

Shane Acker: Yeah, well what was great about it was that while the crew was working on it and we’re putting the thing together, whenever we got to a major milestone or we got a cut of the film, we’d present it to the filmmakers and it was great because they had that critical distance from being away from the project to see it in a big picture kind of way and give us those notes and really kind of shape the direction and give those notes that really cut to the core, to the heart of it, and allowed me to kind of step back and say “Oh wow, I can see this from a different point of view” and then be able to go back in with that new awareness and try to reshape it in other ways. Also, they were just a great resource when you had questions and you needed feedback and ideas.

Are there going to be any moments in the film that we’ll be looking at and say this is what Tim or Timur brought to the film? Are there any specific aspects or is it just a melding?

Shane Acker: I think it’s a melding. I can’t speak for Tim or Timur, but I think there’s a certain crossover of all our instincts as filmmakers. We’re sort of in tune in some way.

Tim Burton: I think I wouldn’t have gotten involved unless I didn’t really like what he did and I think that we all felt the same way that way. I’m not speaking for everybody but I think…

Timur Bekmambetov: Our role is just to protect him because as directors we know how…

Shane Acker: That’s right on the inside of your…

Timur Bekmambetov: Bodyguard.

Shane Acker: Let me give you a classic example. I had to argue. I had so many fights with Disney about changing the character’s, you know, Jack Skellington’s eye balls. You know, nobody is going to relate to a character that doesn’t have eyes. They’re just like, “Ahh, shit!” You know, it takes a lot out of you. So, I think for us, it was just absurd. You have enough to deal with when you’re making a film. You’ve got so much to deal with. You don’t need to deal with all that stuff.

If you’d like to do a film without all that interference, would you like to do an independent?

Tim Burton: I think making a film is a challenge in itself. No, I really enjoyed seeing this process. It really was a cathartic thing for me.

Was it fun being a mentor?

Tim Burton: I don’t feel that way. I don’t come into it like that. Again, for me, it was a very easy collaboration because we liked what Shane did so there was no controversy. Again, as Timur says, we were just there to kind of… If he wanted anything or to ask a question or show us something, whatever, we had that outside [perspective]…which is great in animation because you can get real tunnelvisioned in there and so it’s nice…

Shane Acker: (interrupting) You were going to make sure it didn’t take 4-1/2 years.

Tim Burton: (laughing) Just for his own sake.

Timur Bekmambetov: Personally, I learned a lot from Shane. It was an interesting process for me and I learned a lot of interesting things for myself.

So, with short films, they can take years and be really tedious. What inspired you to want to make this into a feature film?

Shane Acker: Well, there’s always an idea of the back story and the larger picture behind the short. I think what people were attracted to in the short and the solid potential of doing a feature is that it seems like a little slice out of some larger narrative. So, there were already ideas gestating about the back story and the world and how these characters came to be. It was really exciting to then get the backing to explore that – you know, expand that little idea into something much bigger and that territory that was already there when I was designing the short to see what was really there. There were these sort of broad strokes and gestures. And then, the idea of being able to see what those other creatures are like because in the short there’s just ‘5’ and ‘9’ and then in the feature we can see all 9 of those characters which was really a lot of fun to explore who those characters were and where they came from. It’s really a journey of self-discovery where they’re trying to find out who they are and it is looking back on the past at what happened to the humans that they discover who they are and what their role is. So, there’s just a lot of really fun territory to explore. So, I think that’s what reenergized me to keep going.

Will there be a sequel?

Shane Acker: ‘10’.

Tim Burton: That’s right.

Timur Bekambetov: They didn’t save the world, those dolls. They still…

Tim Burton: I think it’ll be ‘9 Squared’.

You spent all this time on the concept and the idea for the characters. When you bring in actors to bring these characters to life, how does that change the story?

Shane Acker: What’s nice about animation and also a little hair raising is that it’s always a process. It always is. You would have a session with the actors and they would bring a lot of their material and we would leave it pretty open and we’d explore the character and dialogue and then you’d run back to your secret lab with that and then you start to play with that material and see what comes out of it and you make new discoveries and you go back and do the process over again. So, I think that was always really exciting because you collaborate on every level which is great and the film just kind of organically shapes itself. They brought a tremendous amount to the table and we actually sought the actors who had the characteristics of the characters that we were portraying. We wanted them to speak in a very naturalistic way and it’s not as pushed as some animation and it’s not as broad. You learn a lot from that. They’re sort of the first round of the acting and they give you a lot of raw material and then you also work with the animators which do another level of acting on top of that so you’re always fleshing these characters out.

Was it helpful having two people like Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov involved in the project. Did that bring you any sort of cache?

Shane Acker: Oh, I’m sure. Definitely. Tim was involved very early in the project and I think that’s what really got the ball rolling and got people excited and interested in the project.

Tim Burton: These actors are all great. I mean, I was impressed by what they brought. The easiest thing with animation is to over … kind of broad… I think that’s just the nature of it. They all did a really great job of making it really natural. That’s one of the things that I really like about the film and the animation as well. It’s got that stop-motioney kind of … but naturalistic. It’s a film of power that I thought was really amazing.

Shane Acker: I think it really helps the audience begin to go past the abstract character designs and really start to see the humans inside these characters which is a big thrust of the film. It’s the concept of the film.

How would you say this film is different from whatever we’ve seen before?

Shane Acker: I don’t know. This is just how I think. This is the thrust that I have, the interest I have in animation. For me, it’s what I think animation should be. I’m just expressing myself. Hopefully, if people like and engage in it, it will open the door for other possibilities to explore and expand.

Tim Burton: You don’t see many personal animated films. That’s what makes it special. It’s Shane’s thing. It’s really nice to see something [like this]. It’s like when you go to see an independent film and it’s got somebody’s stamp of their thing. You rarely see that in animation so that’s good.

Shane Acker: Yes. Speaking of that, I didn’t set out to shake the foundation of animation. I just kind of set out to tell the story that I wanted to tell and the world I wanted to tell with the characters and the way I see things. But also, it’s exciting to see that something like this can come out and get the backing. I’m very excited.

Has this project opened up doors for you?

Shane Acker: It has. People are really excited by this. It was great because we were flying so low and under the radar and it just sort of bubbled up to the surface and people were really excited and they gravitated to it. Like, what is this thing and where did it come from? It’s fascinating. It’s interesting. And I think it’s generated a lot of excitement in the industry.

Tim Burton: That’s a rarity too. And unfortunately, that won’t happen again. Enjoy it because it’s amazing to be under the radar. It’s the best thing in the world. Enjoy it before it’s too late.

Timur Bekmambetov: No responsibility.

Shane Acker: That’s right.

What other projects do you have coming up after this? Will there be a Wanted 2?

Timur Bekmambetov: It’s happening. I think the second movie will be in production soon.

Is Angelina Jolie signed up for it?

Timur Bekmambetov: We’re trying to wake her up but it’s difficult. She was wounded. We’re trying hard to wake her up.

Tim, have you ever been to Comic-Con before and how have you found the experience?

Tim Burton: I did come a long time ago. It obviously surprised me how big it is now. I mean, that really surprised me. But, it’s still passionate people, still dressed in funny costumes. It’s great. It really is a special energy here. It’s like the Cannes Film Festival. I saw the lines and I couldn’t believe it.

I’m curious if that community has reached out to this film or if you’re trying to reach out to them?

Shane Acker: They haven’t reached out to me directly but I’m a big fan of that world. You can see there’s a lot of inspiration from that kind of world in this film. I don’t know. I haven’t seen any rag dolls walking around yet.

Will the short appear on the DVD?

Shane Acker: Yes. It will be packaged on the DVD.

Can we see it now online anywhere?

Shane Acker: I think there’s a bootleg on YouTube. I don’t really promote that. You should see it in full quality but I think that’s possible.

Be sure to check out the film, in theaters September 9th.

Comic-Con 2009: Focus Features 9 Panel

Krystal Clark — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:17:03 +0000

3:44: We just saw another trailer and that’s all folks!

3:41: Burton says that even though a lot of his films have Gothic themes, he doesn’t consider himself a dark storyteller. He got involved with 9, because he wanted to see the film on the big screen.

3:35: Timur said he doesn’t think there will be any other films in the Day Watch series. The crowd let out a be sigh. I guess those films mean a lot to people here.

3:33: Shane Acker responds to whether or not he’s worried about the film flopping, since it’s an animated festure with darker content. He thinks the strength is in the story, and animation would be the only way to do it.

3:27: Producer/director: Timur Bekmambetov confirmed that James McAvoy will return for Wanted 2, which will begin filming this year.

3:26: Burton says he has no plans to return to Ripley’s Believe or Not. He said he worked on it for 6 to 8 months, but he thinks it’s done. He suggests you go to the museum to get your Ripley’s fix. Oh, Tim and the awkward comedy.

3:24: Elijah discusses how he picks his parts.”When I initially approached about this project. I was given some type of conceptual package, with a script, synopsis, and the short. I was so in love with the short!”

3:19: That was kind of amazing. Jennifer Connelly’s character kicks ass!! She’s a martial artist who wears a bird’s skull on her head!

3:15: We’re about to get a clip! It takes place during the middle of the film. It’s when 9 and his friends try to go rescue “2″ from a old factory that’s being guarded by a mechanical monster of some sort.

3:10: Elijah Wood describes his character of 9: “He comes into the world innocent. The difference is that 9 has so much to figure out. He has to figure out a society that’s already established itself. He asks these questions that everyone else is afraid of.”

3:06: Acker says that the story in 9, centers on the characters quest to find out who they are and where they came from, and in order for them to do that they have to discover what happened to the humans in the past.

3:03: Aww, it’s Elijah Wood who has been looking the exact same for the past 10 years! And following him is Jennifer Connelly who looks great.

3:02: Director Shane Acker was just introduced, and of course Mr. Tim Burton who was here yesterday.

2:56: We just got the introduction to 9. They showed the trailer for the film, and it looks amazing!!

Focus Features has prevailed where several other production companies have failed. They’ve managed to get the Comic-Con recluse Tim Burton to come out and promote a film! This year will be the director/producer’s first trip to the annual convention and he has a good reason for it. Burton will be promoting the upcoming fantasy epic 9. He along with Timur Bekmambetov will be present along with the film’s director Shane Acker.

Some of the film’s voice talent will also appear at the panel including Elijah Wood, and Jennifer Connelly. You can expect lots of goodies from the presentation, since there is so much talent packed on to one stage. We will be live blogging the event and posting the latest photos and video clips as the presentation rolls along.

The Focus Features 9 panel takes place on Friday, July 24 from 2:30 – 3:30 pm.

Make sure you continue to check back to our site for the latest news updates regarding the 9 panel, we will be live blogging from Hall H. You can also follow us on the official ScreenCrave Twitter, to get the most current news briefs! Stay tuned…..

Bekmambetov will film Wanted 2

Laura Aguirre — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:35:39 +0000

Russia’s biggest filmmaker, Timur Bekmambetov, spent $75 million making Wanted, a thriller about a frustrated office worker who discovers his father is a professional assassin and decides to join his father’s group of assassins, The Fraternity. The film starred James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie. Now Bekmambetov wants to make a sequel (Wanted 2), double the budget, and bring Jolie’s character back. For those of you who have seen the first film, you’re probably wondering how the hell that could happen.

Bekmambetov talked to RIA Novosti about Wanted 2 and here is what he said:

“In July we will start preparation for the film. I think in the late autumn or winter shooting will be performed. The shooting will take place in America, India and Russia.”

Bekmambetov added that they have “found a way” to bring back Jolie’s character. Knowing him, I’m sure it will be completely far fetched and magnificantly ridiculous. The odd thing is that he did not speak about James McAvoy’s character who seems like the most logical choice for a sequel. After all, he is the only one that lives! Should he just assume he’s signed on and found some magical way to reverse time and save Fox (Jolie)?

He also mentioned that another ghost will also be returning as well, Kostya Khabensky who played a bomb expert in Wanted will also be rising from the dead, although he didn’t say anything about the rest of the Fraternity.

The set budget of $150 million is the largest Hollywood production made by a Russian filmmaker, which means that Wanted 2 has the potential to be even better than the first Wanted, right? Probably not.

We all know that the budget has nothing to do with how great a film may be (take Moon and Terminator Salvation), but Wanted received positive reviews in 2008, and it will be exciting to see what Bekmambetov’s imagination can produce with that much money.

The sequel will hit theaters in 2011.

What do you think of Wanted 2?

9 Trailer: New Animation with All Star Cast

Mali Elfman — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 18:00:56 +0000

This looks really amazing. It’s got an dark and mysterious vibe mixed in with a modern post-apocalyptic animation. It has voices by Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, Elijah Wood, Crispin Glover, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, and more. It has been executive produced by Wanted Director Timur Bekmambetov and produced by Sweeney Todd Director Tim Burton. I guess that’s there that vibe comes from.

It’s about puppets trying to save the world from… Well just watch the trailer below.

I think it looks pretty cool, what do you think?

Movie is set for release on September 9th, 2009.

Thanks to TrailerAddict for the trailer

ScreenCrave.com » Timur Bekmambetov

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