ScreenCrave.com » Wanted

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?

Angelina Jolie Says No to Wanted 2, Goes for Gravity

Krystal Clark — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:47:27 +0000

Angelina Jolie has been a busy bee lately and she’s showing no signs of slowing down. At the moment she’s in Europe filming The Tourist alongside Johnny Depp, and after that her next project is Wanted 2, oh wait, no it isn’t. The actress just killed any sequel dreams fans may have had regarding her return for another film because according to Vulture she’s taking on Gravity instead.

Ever since the popular 2008 release of Timur Bekmambetov’s assassin action flick Wanted, there’s been talk of a follow up. It was previously reported that he planned on coming back to helm a second film with a script written by Evan Spiliotopoulos, but Jolie’s latest career move puts a damper on that. Sources are saying that the actress dropped out of the movie and rather than recast the role the studio has pulled the plug on the sequel all together.

Jolie will instead take on a space thriller called Gravity, from director Alfonso Cuarón who directed the criminally underrated Children of Men. Cuarón co-wrote this screenplay with his 28 year old son Jonás making the film a true family affair. Like Wanted, Gravity was set up at Universal but was recently put into turnaround. Some think the film is “artistically challenging” because during the majority of the story Jolie’s character is onscreen alone.

Gravity centers on “the sole surviving human member of a space mission, desperately trying to return home to Earth and her daughter.” Does this remind you of any other film? Moon perhaps? Warner Bros have snatched up the movie and they’ve set David Heyman and Legendary Pictures to produce.

What do you think of Angelina Jolie’s latest film choice? Were you looking forward to Wanted 2?

Winnie the Pooh Writer Tackles Wanted Sequel

Krystal Clark — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:21:31 +0000

What does Mark Miller’s graphic novel Wanted and the children’s classic Winnie the Pooh have in common? On the surface it seems like absolutely nothing, but Universal saw something and they’re going to use it. According to THR, the studio has just hired a writer for the sequel to the 2008 comic blockbuster and it’s none other than Evan Spiliotopoulos. He’s the guy who co-wrote the screenplay for Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, and it’s Halloween spin-off.

Mark Miller gives some details about the story for Wanted 2 after the jump.

According to /Film, Miller stated that the sequel will include some of the material that wasn’t used from the first book in the original film. “So in the loosest sense it will be based on the book, but only very little.” Wanted 2 will be produced by Marc E. Platt and Jim Lemley, with the Timur Bekmambetov returning to direct. The first film was co-written by Chris Morgan, Derek Haas, and Michael Brandt. There had been rumors that Morgan had written an early draft for the sequel, but it’s probably dunzo now that Spiliotopoulos is on board.

I’m not familiar with Spiliotopoulos’ work at all, so I don’t even know what to make of this news. I remember the commercials for the Heffalump movie and I absolutely hated them. Those things seriously annoyed me. I think this is a brave choice for the studio and Millar to put this in his hands.

What do you think about Spiliotopoulos being hired to write Wanted 2?

First Photos of Angelina Jolie in Salt

Krystal Clark — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:30:25 +0000

If you enjoyed Angelina Jolie in the summer action flick Wanted, you’re probably one of the many who are anticipating her latest film Salt. Jolie goes from assassin to spy in the movie, which originally had Tom Cruise attached as it’s star. Jolie will play Evelyn A. Salt, whom was previously known as Edwin when Cruise was in talks for the role. Over at USA Today, they have posted the first photos of the actress as the spy who the film’s producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura claims is “a character you never know.” Salt is directed by Phillip Noyce, and co-stars Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor. You can check out the full sized photos of Jolie in costume after the jump

These photos don’t personally impress me in terms of wardrobe. A spy movie where the person wears wigs? That’s not new. Even though I think she can pull off this action star persona, I would have liked to see Jennifer Garner in something like this. I miss ass-kicking Jen from Alias!

What do you think of Jolie’s super-spy look?

Awards: Winners of the ScreenCrave BS Awards

Matt Hansen — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:54:45 +0000

As we’re coming to the close of 2008 let us do what Hollywood does best, let’s give out some awards!

Without further delay, here are the winners (we didn’t bother with the whole nominee part) of the first ever ScreenCrave BS Awards. We have the categories you really care about like “Who greenlit this piece of shit“ and many more.

And the awards go to….

Category: Movie that doesn’t need a sequel but will be getting one anyway

Winner: Iron Man

Hailed by critics as “One the best summer blockbusters ever,” Tony Stark’s alter ego earned huge numbers and was an audience favorite. There is a long standing tradition in Hollywood that if a film makes money, they will keep making more of the same film until they bleed the goodness out of it. While Iron Man‘s comic book history does have many different characters and plot lines that could be explored, one has to wonder if Director Jon Favreau can catch lighting in a bottle twice. Let’s just hope the project doesn’t get rushed to a release date, or it could end up looking like… well let’s get to the next film.

Category: Biggest dump on my childhood memories

Winner: Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull

“Indy, I don’t love you!” Although Indy brought in a hefty chunk of change, the word of mouth and critics alike have deemed this latest installment the worst of the four films in the series and quite possibly this year. With two of perhaps the greatest minds in cinema Spielberg and Lucas, one would think that they could sneeze on the camera and make something better than this. Instead of pure genius, we got Shia LaBeouf swinging on vines with monkeys, translucent alien skulls, and CGI killer insects. Do yourself a favor, if you haven’t seen it yet, don’t. When the DVD box set comes out, buy the previous three instead. That way your belief in the great “Indiana Jones” can still remain intact.

Watch the Indiana Jones Rape video.

Category: Best Marketing Campaign

Winner: The Dark Knight

Aside from making more money than the gross national products of most countries; Christopher Nolan’s follow up to Batman Begins was altogether a worldwide smash hit, arguably the best film of the year, and the most talked about movie since who knows when. After the untimely and tragic death of Heath Ledger the marketing for this film could have taken a serious turn for the worst. Instead, the executives at Warner Brothers took the high road and decided to keep it simple and vague. Instead of throwing Ledger’s face around and exploiting his death, they focused on the film’s characters. With a little help from Internet chatter, Myspace, mobile phone companies, and even Domino’s Pizza; this was one of those rare advertising moments where everything came together and the end result was better than anyone could have anticipated.

Category: Movie poster that best proves the Hollywood actresses have gotten way too skinny

Winner: Wanted

Let me start off by saying this is not an attack on Angelina Jolie, I think she is a very talented thespian who has more than proven herself through various roles. Now, can we please get this girl some food! In case you haven’t seen the poster which shows Jolie’s arm clutching a gun (featured above), this was the primary billboard that was put up all over to promote the film. I’m sorry, but It’s hard to look menacing when the arm holding a powerful handgun is the size of a pencil. (True story) When I saw this billboard I had to stop a do a triple take to make sure that somebody hadn’t messed with the poster. Nope, that’s her real arm.

Category: Most shameless paycheck

Winner: Righteous Kill

When Al Pacino and Robert Deniro teamed up in 1995, there time together onscreen was limited but powerful and memorable. So when this movie’s trailer featuring these highly respected cinema icons came out, fans everywhere had great expectations. What they got was less than lackluster performances from both veterans who once again played (GASP) cops. A film that was rental worthy at best, Righteous Kill was slow paced, boring, and the ending was easily figured out halfway through the film. The only thing that could have redeemed this film is if right before the end credits started to roll both actors could have turned to the screen and said, “Well, you’ll always have HEAT.”

Category: Best movie that was a Box office flop

Winner: Speed Racer

It’s hard to say exactly why Speed Racer didn’t perform as well as it was expected to. Was it the marketing, new visual style, or cast of characters? In any case, word from the inside is that more than a few people lost their jobs because of the low sales receipts from the theaters. Maybe, beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. While the film was widely panned by critics, there was something truly spectacular about the way the Wachowski’s brought the Mach 5 to the big screen. Although their were enough brightly colored race scenes and mesmerizing special effects that might have sent some people into seizures, the end result was an adrenaline filled ride straight to the finish line. While the acting wasn’t anything to write home about, the way in which the movie was put together was. Unfortunately, that in itself could have been the main problem. Speed Racer was so fast and frenetic, it may take us a while to catch up with him. So while Trixie, Racer X and Chim Chim may have all been created more than forty years ago, for now they get signaled into pit row along with all the other films that were ahead of their time.

Category: Who greenlit this piece of shit?

Winner: Meet The Spartans

Every year there’s always a movie that comes out which causes you to wonder who’s running things at the Studio. Meet The Spartans was not only a complete and utter waste of time, but you would have to be no older than 11 to enjoy it (no offense fifth graders). Complete with toilet humor, Carmen Electra, and countless movie spoofs, this one should have have been left on the cutting room floor never to have seen the light of day. There’s more to say, but the Doctor said my blood pressure was to high already.

(Notice how small I made the poster because you really shouldn’t have to see it)

Category: Best New Dark Comedy

Winner: In Bruges

Released in January, In Bruges didn’t really stand much of a chance with all the Oscar contenders still in theaters. This one I wholeheartedly endorse. If you enjoy dark humor, this a sure bet to keep you in stitches. Everyone in the film gives a fantastic comedic performances and when it ends you just know it’s bound to become a cult classic. Most surprising of all is Colin Farrell, who convincingly proves that he can do much more than look good and smoke on camera.

So there you have it. The 2008 ScreenCrave BS Awards have come to a close. Join us next year when we’ll once again give out silly awards and ask the tough and important questions like: “How many more Comic book character movies will they make?”, “Why is Hayden Christensen still allowed to act in film?”, and “How long do you have to wait before you can remake a film like Robocop?”

DVD RELEASES: Prince Caspian, Wanted, Step Brothers

Andrew Payne — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:14:28 +0000

“Wanted”

Starring: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman

It’s strange that Hollywood is trying to make a movie star out of McAvoy. He’s certainly a very good actor, but he makes Tom Cruise look like Shawn Bradley. Despite this, he’s thrust into this film as an action lead and never seems right for the part. Some people are just good actors and shouldn’t be movie stars, McAvoy is certainly one of those.

Fans of the film or McAvoy believers can pick this up in a bare bones edition and a 2-disc collector’s set.

NEW FEATURES

“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”

Starring: Ben Barnes, William Moseley and Liam Neeson

What do you call a $10 Billion epic that nobody remembers came out? Why, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” of course! This film was hardly a bomb, but certainly not the rousing success of its predecessor. One has to wonder whether or not Disney will even complete the series after this arrived well below expectations. Hey, at least it wasn’t “The Golden Compass”.

Die-hards can pick this up in the standard special edition and a massive 3-disc collector’s set.

“Step Brothers”

Starring: Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly

At the Oscars a few years back, John C. Reilly joined Jack Black and Will Ferrell onstage for a medley about how to be a comic actor and an Oscar contender at the same time. He told them through song that you first must be serious and then you can do as much comedy as you want. Pretty soon you’ll be winning Oscars and being funny at the same time. Unfortunately, I think the serious ship sailed for Reilly with this goof fest on the heels of “Dewey Cox” and “Talladega Nights”. I think most Oscar voters will seem him as a goof from now on, and it will be very hard to get his former cred back. Of course, he’s all the richer for it, and appears to be having a ton of fun as Ferrell’s buddy.

“Step Brothers” is available in the theatrical release, an unrated version and a two-disc unrated version.

“The X-Files: I Want to Believe”

Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, Billy Connolly and Amanda Peet

Nobody saw this movie. Nobody. It’s astonishing that a TV show that ranked in the top ten for so long could release a movie that nobody cared about. This would be like “LOST” releasing a film in 2020 and having it make less than $30 million. Could anybody picture that happening right now? It didn’t help that this movie got as much publicity as Bob Barr’s presidential campaign, but still, could anyone picture a “Friends” movie opening at number 7 in 4 years? Just shows how fleeting our pop culture minds are these days.

This is available in a single-disc and three-disc special edition.

Also:

“The Longshots” – Learn More – Buy Now

TV ON DVD

“The Frost/Nixon Interviews”

Before you go see the surefire Best Picture contender, check out the interviews on DVD that inspired the play and then the film. This DVD set contains all 12 interviews in the series, but be forewarned: Only two of the interviews actually deal with Watergate. Still, this makes compelling viewing in a time where public figures weren’t just sound bytes and television made room for a more expansive format. Plus, there’s nothing like seeing Tricky Dick sweat.

Also:

“Jake and the Fatman”: Season 1 – Buy Now
“Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist”: Best Of – Buy Now
“Perry Mason”: Season 3, Volume Two – Buy Now
“Saturday Night Live”: Season 4 – Buy Now
“Law and Order”: Season 6 – Buy Now

SPECIAL EDITION OF THE WEEK

“Casablanca”: Ultimate Collector’s Edition

At long last, this classic finally gets the DVD treatment it deserves. This two-disc set comes complete with a book loaded with facts about the film and various other trinkets like photos and faux luggage tags. Along with the movie, the discs contain a feature length documentary about the film and its impact.

Also:

“The Day the Earth Stood Still”: 2 Disc Collector’s Edition – Buy Now
“I, Claudius” – Buy Now

HORRIBLE STRAIGHT-TO-DVD RELEASE OF THE WEEK

The surest way to spot a terrible straight-to-DVD movie is when the film is loaded with stars but holds its premiere in a Best Buy. This week, there are two such films. “The Contract” features Morgan Freeman and John Cusack while “Lower Learning” brings Jason Biggs, Rob Corddry and Eva Longoria-Parker to kindergarten.

Still, neither of these films take the prize for the HSTDR of the Week. That’s because a movie called “Bam Margera Presents: Where the F**K is Santa Claus?” hits shelves today. If the title is enough evidence to support its winning the award, take note of one of its two special features – naughty photos of Santa’s Sexy Helpers.

ScreenCrave.com » Wanted

Timur Bekmambetov to Direct Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

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Angelina Jolie Says No to Wanted 2, Goes for Gravity

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Awards: Winners of the ScreenCrave BS Awards

Category: Movie that doesn’t need a sequel but will be getting one anyway

Category: Biggest dump on my childhood memories

Category: Best Marketing Campaign

Category: Movie poster that best proves the Hollywood actresses have gotten way too skinny

Category: Most shameless paycheck

Category: Best movie that was a Box office flop

Category: Who greenlit this piece of shit?

Category: Best New Dark Comedy

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DVD RELEASES: Prince Caspian, Wanted, Step Brothers

NEW FEATURES

TV ON DVD

SPECIAL EDITION OF THE WEEK

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