RIP David Bowie. Rock star, movie star, artist, genius.

"Sin City 2" gets a name change

Poster with dumbed-down title for SC2

"Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" has been retitled "Sin City: A Dame to Die For" in an apparent attempt to make sure none of those uber-sensitive consumer types get their knickers in a twist and find themselves offended. Oh well. It'll always be "A Dame to Kill For" to me.

Justin Lin takes director's chair for Bourne 5

New "Bourne" director Justin Lin

Though rumors have teased the return of Matt Damon to the franchise for a couple of years now it seems pretty clear that the Bourne universe he essentially created is moving on without him. He has stated on multiple occasions that he would not return to the character of Jason Bourne unless director Paul Greengrass was brought back with him.

Well, Universal has pretty effectively hammered the final nail in the coffin of Damon/Greengrass with their announcement that "Fast and Furious" director Justin Lin will take the big chair for the series' next installment. It's hoped that Lin - who turned the lame F&F concept into box office gold - will do the same with the Bourne franchise, which frankly is difficult to justify without an actual Bourne character in it.

"Mad Max Fury Road" the film that wouldn't be born

The delays on George Miller's fourth Mad Max film had already become the stuff of developmental legend. But a few months ago it seemed that maybe, finally, the film was in the can. Apparently, that's not quite the case after all.

Said star Tom Hardy at the BFI London Film Festival: “[Mad Max] is great, it’s a big old beast, it’s a behemoth. I’m off out there next week to do some reshoots – well, not reshoots, actually, we’re doing more. Building more Mad Max that’s even more spectacular.”

Hardy's words are the kind that those of us who've been waiting on this film for several years now really didn't want to hear and raises the question: is he simply putting a brave face on a disaster or did the studio decide that what Miller had done to this point was so good it warranted an additional investment to put it over the top? I guess we'll know when we finally see the flick.

If we finally see the flick.

Possibly coming some day to a theater near you. Maybe.

Release date set for Episode VII

December 18th 2015. Mark it on your calendar Star Wars fans. That is now the official release date of Episode VII.

Disney studio head Alan Horn made the announcement Thursday and went on to state;“We’re very excited to share the official 2015 release date for Star Wars: Episode VII, where it will not only anchor the popular holiday filmgoing season but also ensure our extraordinary filmmaking team has the time needed to deliver a sensational picture,"

This announcement follows by a couple of weeks word that writer Michael Arndt was leaving the project for reasons that probably won't be clear for a while. It was an announcement that sent shivers through the fanbase many of whom feared there was trouble in a galaxy far, far away and that we might not see this film until 2016 or even beyond. Thankfully that's not the case.

Disney Chairman Robert Iger also chimed in on the issue during an earnings call noting that  December 18th “is also the date Avatar opened in 2009.” It can be safely assumed that associating his film with the biggest grossing film of all time was Iger's way of placating those who fear that releasing a Star Was movie in any month other than May is asking for trouble. It's also notable that the 2 biggest names at Disney felt compelled to tag team the media regarding this announcement. Apparently the departure of Arndt caused some significant ripples on the Disney pond prompting the two to handle the fire extinguishers personally.

Ridley Scott confirms "Prometheus" sequel is a go

Long rumored this project has been sputtering through development for the past year with writers leaving, writers coming and the presumed director tied up with a plethora of other high-profile projects. Now however, Ridley Scott has finally put something like an official stamp on it with his statement (made during a press conference for his new film "The Counselor") that the sequel to the prequel "is being written right now". Whether or not you believe that's good news I suppose depends on what you thought of the original film. Personally I thought "Prometheus"' was stunning from a visual standpoint and that its problems stemmed from really poor writing that had Damon Lindelof's kind of "wouldn't it be cool if..." TV mentality all over it. Also, the musical score was one of the weakest I've ever heard for a major motion picture with the theme sounding like it was lifted from a 40 year old episode of "Cannon".

With Lindelof and composer Marc Streitenfeld not attached to the se-prequel (or is it pre-sequel?) hopes are high that Scott will get it right the second time around and give the rabid Alien fan-base a film they can sink their multi-tiered teeth into. Whether or not the near 80 year old Scott will wind up directing it may well depend on which completed script hits his desk first: this or the one being developed for his "Blade Runner" sequel.

Stephen Lang returning for Avatar 2, 3, 4

Pandora: home of the undead

Deadline is reporting that Stephen Lang will be returning for the trio of "Avatar" sequels that begin filming next year, in spite of the fact that he was killed good at the end of the original film. According to writer/director James Cameron  

“Steven was so memorable in the first film, we’re privileged to have him back... I’m not going to say exactly HOW we’re bringing him back, but it’s a science fiction story, after all. His character will evolve into really unexpected places across the arc of our new three-film saga. I really look forward to working with such a gifted actor, who’s also become a good friend.”

Well alright! I'm assuming if they can bring back scarface then it won't be any problem bringing back 'home tree' too. And while we're at it let's not forget Dr Grace Augustine. (Oops! Chris tells me Sigourney's already said she's coming back. Yikes!)

Sam Worthington on Avatar sequels

Though it seems like he's dropped off the edge of the planet since "Avatar" Sam Worthington is apparently still alive and kicking and resurfaced this past week to give a radio interview in which he touched briefly on the fate of the much-delayed "Avatar" sequels and indicated that there is apparently a genuine start date in place for production. Said Worthington:


"I think Jim is building the ship to Pandora to be honest... We are going to start this time next year and we will do two, three and four. I'll be grateful if it finishes." 

While any news is good news regarding Avatar, when you do the math it seems like holding your breath for the sequels would not be a good idea. Let's see: they start filming in 1 year, then 1 year of production, then at least 1 year of post production on each film plus inevitable delays... whew! Wake me up when we get there.

Michael Bay assaulted: The story from Hong Kong

As you may have heard Michael Bay was assaulted in Hong Kong yesterday while filming "Transformers 4" in the Chinese territory. Reports have been sketchy but most have alleged the attack was carried out by a pair of brothers who were unimpressed with compensation the film crew offered to local merchants to make up for the inconvenience of effectively shutting down their neighborhood to shoot. Now comes this video report from Hong Kong television which goes into things in a bit more detail, alleging the brothers were actually gang members intent on extortion. Take a look.

4th "Narnia" film finally gets the green light

"I'm not in the 4th movie?" "Sorry hon. At least we'll always have Paris, sort of."

Seems like a long time that the 4th installment in the Narnia series has been tied up in development hell. Which is a little weird because, while the third film - "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" - didn't do as well as the first, it was no slouch at the box office pulling in $415 million worldwide on a $155 million budget.

But, whatever the reason for the wait word has finally come that N4 has apparently been greenlit. The new film will be drawn from the C. S. Lewis novel "The Silver Chair" and will follow the exploits of King Caspian and Eustace Scrubb, played by Will Poulter in the 3rd film. I'm glad the series is finally moving forward but a Narnia film without any members of the Pevensie family? Whose idea was that?

Ahnuld the Avatarator?

A strange little rumor popped up a few days ago that had Ahnuld being cast in "Avatar 2" as one of those evil humans who enjoy making such a mess out of Pandora. It made a certain kind of sense I suppose as Schwarzenegger and Cameron are such good buddies. Still, it was a disturbing thought (for me anyway) on more levels than I care to mention.

Now, however, Fox has come out and in no uncertain terms put the kibosh on the rumor with a studio rep stating in no uncertain terms: “No truth to this”. Whew! For the record "Avatar 2" is currently in the casting stage with production set to start next year with release set for 2016.

Kelsey Grammer joins "Expendables 3"

With Nicolas Cage out Sylvester Stallone has decided to fill the gap in his seasoned cast with the former "Cheers" and "Frasier" star. While some may balk I would point to Grammer's agreeable turn as a heavy in the recent (though short lived) "Boss", where he certainly held his own. Grammer's character in E3 is apparently someone named Bonaparte, a veteran mercenary who enables Stallone and his fellow geriatric malcontents.

J K Rowling goes back to Hogwarts for new film

J K Rowling and Warner Brothers have announced that the Harry Potter author will write the screenplay for a new film to be based on the character Newt Scamander. As well as being a former headmaster of Hogwarts Scamander is also author of the fictitious Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Scamander first appeared in the first Potter book and has popped up briefly in subsequent chapters of the tale. Warner's initial idea was to have someone else write the screenplay but after some thought Rowling decided to handle it herself. It's expected that this new narrative vein will lead to a new series of films though no specifics regarding how many or when they'll be released have been determined yet.

Here is Rowling's full statement:

“It all started when Warner Bros. came to me with the suggestion of turning Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them into a film. I thought it was a fun idea, but the idea of seeing Newt Scamander, the supposed author of Fantastic Beasts, realized by another writer was difficult. Having lived for so long in my fictional universe, I feel very protective of it and I already knew a lot about Newt. As hard-core Harry Potter fans will know, I liked him so much that I even married his grandson, Rolf, to one of my favourite characters from the Harry Potter series, Luna Lovegood. As I considered Warners’ proposal, an idea took shape that I couldn’t dislodge. That is how I ended up pitching my own idea for a film to Warner Bros. Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for 17 years, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world. The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, 70 years before Harry’s gets underway. I particularly want to thank Kevin Tsujihara of Warner Bros. for his support in this project, which would not have happened without him. I always said that I would only revisit the wizarding world if I had an idea that I was really excited about and this is it.”

"Jurassic Park 4" has a title and release date

The Steven Spielberg produced, Colin Treverrow directed 4th installment will officially be called "Jurassic World" and be released in the very crowded summer of 2015. The title is brimming with ominous overtones though nothing has been said publicly about the actual story as of this writing, and while the later-than-expected release date is a bit of a letdown it was probably unrealistic to think they'd have this baby ready to go next year, as many were hoping they would.

Finally, some news about Max Max Fury Road

The news is decidedly mixed, but news is news. This project has been in production since Eisenhower was president. It was on, it was off, it was rained out of Australia and assumed to be off, then it surfaced in Namibia of all places and was on again. Shortly thereafter Charleze Theron was seen cavorting about with a shaved head and everyone, especially me, got very excited ("It's really going to happen!). And then... nothing. Followed by more nothing and many (including myself) feared the worst. But its hard to keep a road warrior down and at long last in the past few days we've had two bits of info from the George Miller et al.

First the bad news. Most everyone thought that when the production wrapped in Africa some 92 years ago that we'd have a half year of post and then blessed release. Turns out that African wrap wasn't such a wrap after all. Sketchy reports that are circulating state that the production is now scheduled for 6 weeks of re-shoots though there's absolutely no indication exactly what or who is involved. So someone behind the big desk is not happy with what was turned in and is cracking the whip. As long as they get it right I suppose... but it means we most definitely won't be seeing this movie this year as had been expected.

Tom Hardy as Max. Spot on.

And now the good news. As a way of talking some of us back from the ledge the production has released the first ever image (that I'm aware of) of Tom Hardy as Max himself and it looks like, if nothing else, they got that right. Let's see, grizzled? Check. Weather-beaten? Check. World-weary? Check. Distraught but determined? Check. Armed to the f***ing teeth? Check. Alright!

Now if George and Co can get their act together and get this thing up on the screen we'll be cookin' with gas!

Paul Greengrass: killjoy

Couple of weeks or so ago word started circulating that Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass were in talks to return to the Bourne franchise. "Oh happy day!" cried Bourne fans the world over. Now however director Greengrass has surfaced to pour a could bucket of water on those rising expectations. When asked by empireonline to comment on the reunion rumors and their origin Greengrass replied “I’ve absolutely no idea...I’m not being funny but, no, that’s just a figment of someone’s imagination.”

Paul and Matt Greendamongrass love shootin' down rumors

Asked if there's been any serious discussion recently between himself and Damon regarding the Bourne franchise he replied: “Quite a while ago... We might have a laugh about it, but a serious conversation? Not for a long time.” And when asked if he harbored any secret desire to return to Bourneville at some point in the future Greengrass said: “Um... listen, I loved the Bourne movies... I loved making them but it’s like anything in life, you’ve got to move on and do different things."

This could be posturing on the director's part but it sounds more definitive than that to me. Sounds to me that, if you're a Bourne fan, you should probably get used to the name Jeremy Renner.

Alan Taylor will direct the new Terminator film

Until recently Taylor was most well-known for turning tv's "Game of Thrones" into something watchable, that was before he was hired to fill Kenneth Branagh's shoes and take on the "Thor" sequel, which is due to hit theaters this November and is looking good so far (if trailers can be any indication; which admittedly they not always are - cough - Prometheus - cough).

The news has taken some in Hollywood by surprise as they assumed Justin Lin would be helming "Terminator 5". That bit of assumption was always skating on thin ice, though, as Lin distanced himself from the project as much as 2 years ago and never gave any indication he was going to change his mind.

So Alan Taylor it is.

Production should begin early next year with a mid 2015 release date. About the only other thing known about the project is that The Impregnator will make an appearance of some sort and that Patrick Lussier and Laeta Kalogridis are writing the script. As far as what kind of film it will be it it seems pretty safe to assume that with Taylor on board we'll be seeing lots of big screen spectacle rather than the kind of tense, claustrophobic action that made the original such a thrill. But perhaps it'll all work swimmingly. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

"And then the terminator rises up out of the explosion..."

Matt Damon joining Nolan's "Interstellar"

Matt Damon's a busy guy. He's got "Elysium" in theaters, is in negotiations to return as Jason Bourne and now according to the playlist he's signed on for a part in Christopher Nolan's currently-in-production "Interstellar". No word on what his part entails though it's being called a "small, undisclosed" part.

I hope for his sake and the sake of the rest of the top-notch cast Nolan has enlisted for "Interstellar" that this effort doesn't drown in its own heaviosity the way "Inception" did.

Matt Damon in talks to return as Jason Bourne

Twitch is reporting that Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass are in negotiations to return to the Bourne franchise. With Damon stating repeatedly that he'd only consider doing another Bourne film if Greengrass is directing its no surprise to hear the studio is talking to both simultaneously.

Where this will leave Jeremy Renner is anyone's guess but I suppose if you're Universal it's good to have options going forward.

"Thor 2" Now with more Loki

"You must be truly desperate to be adding scenes at this late date."

Upset with the news that Loki wouldn't be appearing in "Avengers: Age of Ultron"? Despairing over the fact that "Thor: The Dark World" might be your last chance ever to see Tom Hiddleston's wonderfully infuriating god of mischief work his two-faced magic? Well the good folks at Marvel - ever with their ear to the pulse of the fanbase - have heard the mournful wails rippling across the cybersphere and decided to up the Loki quotient in The Dark World. Says director Alan Taylor in an interview with Collider:

"We're doing full scenes, scenes that were not in the movie before. We're adding scenes, creating scenes, writing scenes for the first time... We realized how well Loki was working in the movie, and we wanted to do more with him. So it was that kind of thing, it was like, 'Oh, we could do this, we could jam this in here because he's such a wonderful guy to watch do his stuff.'"

So step away from the ledge Loki fans or you'll miss all the added arrogance, sarcasm, bitterness and jealousy-driven duplicity that makes him so much fun to hate.