MNN (First Trailer for THE HANGOVER III; Sam Mendes Won't Direct BOND 24)

MOVIE NEWS AND NOTES Vol. 25


TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK (Feb 25 - Mar 3) [link]
- Rumor: Christian Bale to return as Batman in JUSTICE LEAGUE movie; Ronda Rousey offered a role in THE HUNGER GAMES sequel; First trailers for CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 and James Wan's THE CONJURING; Gary Oldman joins DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES; James McAvoy circling THE CROW Remake; SUPER TROOPERS 2 could shoot later this year; Emma Watson to star in Kenneth Branagh's CINDERELLA; And many more.


TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK (Feb 18-24) [link]
- ARGO wins Best Picture at the Oscars and full list of winners; Megan Fox to play April O'Neil in Michael Bay-produced NINJA TURTLES; Jason Clarke lands the lead in DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES; Bruce Lee biopic BIRTH OF THE DRAGON in the works; Rupert Wyatt to direct THE EQUALIZER; Trailer for Norway's Oscar-nominated KON-TIKI; And many more.


TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK (Feb 11-17) [link]
- Jason Statham will be the villain in FAST & FURIOUS 7; Peter Dinklage to play the main antagonist in X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST; First trailers for Google comedy THE INTERNSHIP and Pixar's MONSTERS UNIVERSITY; Original 3 actors to return for STAR WARS: EPISODE VII?; Update on new SPAWN movie and animated series; Michael Mann to direct Chris Hemsworth in new action thriller; And many more.


TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK (Feb 4-10) [link]
- Paul Walker to star in HITMAN remake; Yoda, Han Solo and Boba Fett in STAR WARS standalone films; Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Olsen join GODZILLA; J.J. Abrams planning to make PORTAL or HALF-LIFE movie; 3-Minute extended trailer for FAST & FURIOUS 6; Chris Pratt lands the lead in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY; And many more.


TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK (Jan 28 - Feb 3) [link]
- Duncan Jones to direct live-action WARCRAFT; Marvel planning PLANET HULK and WORLD WAR HULK for Phase 3; Paul Giamatti to play the Rhino in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2; Emily VanCamp lands female lead in CAPTAIN AMERICA 2; Eva Green to play the lead in SIN CITY 2; Warner Bros. greenlights ENTOURAGE movie; THE RAID 2 begins production; First trailer for SPACE PIRATE CAPTAIN HARLOCK; Watch all the Super Bowl TV spots for the upcoming movies; And many more.


TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK (Jan 21-27) [link]
- J.J. Abrams will direct STAR WARS: EPISODE VII; First trailer for OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, the Coen Bros.' INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, Michael Gondry's MOOD INDIGO and THE EAST; DOCTOR STRANGE confirmed for Marvel's Phase 3; Promo posters for 47 RONIN; Joaquin Phoenix to reteam with Paul Thomas Anderson in INHERNET VICE; And many more.


TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK (Jan 14-20) [link]
- First trailers for SPRING BREAKERS, RED 2, THE BRASS TEAPOT, EMPEROR and MUD; J.J. Abrams to develop Lance Armstrong cheating scandal film; MGM to Reboot BEN-HUR; Bruce Willis, Ray Liotta, Juno Temple and Jeremy Piven join SIN CITY 2; Brian De Palma to direct Al Pacino in Joe Paterno biopic; And many more.


TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK (Jan 7-13) [link]
- Christopher Nolan's next film will be the sci-fi INTERSTELLAR; Dan Trachtenberg to direct Y: THE LAST MAN; Louis C. K joins Christian Bale in David O. Russell's new film; First trailer for Danny Boyle's thriller TRANCE; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin and Chris Meloni join SIN CITY 2; Watch impressive aliens vs. robot short film R'HA; And many more.


TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK (Dec 24 - Jan 6) [link]
- Quentin Tarantino details on his potential next film KILLER CROW; New plot details on THE RAID sequel, BERANDAL; Full red-band trailer for EVIL DEAD remake; First look at Sharlto Copley's villain role in Neill Blomkamp's ELYSIUM; First trailer for DEAD MAN DOWN starring Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace; And many more.


TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK (Dec 17-23) [link]
- Jackie Chan Joins THE EXPENDABLE 3; First trailers for Crime Drama THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES, post-apocalyptic comedy THIS IS THE END, Michael Bay's PAIN AND GAIN, Terrence Malick's TO THE WONDER, and THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE starring Jim Carrey and Steve Carell; And many more.






Link to previous thread: MOVIE NEWS AND NOTES Vol. 24

 

Brian De Palma to Direct Al Pacino in Joe Paterno Biopic



The Scarface duo of Brian De Palma and Al Pacino are united once again to tell the story of the late former Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno in the upcoming biopic Happy Valley (tentative title). Paterno’s decorated legacy at the school was overshadowed by the revelation of his knowledge of defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky’s molestation of children, which will likely be one of the main focuses of the film.

The rise and fall of Paterno is chronicled in the bestselling book that bears his name – Paterno, by Joe Posnanski, which has been optioned by Wall Street producer Edward R. Pressman. Dave McKenna (American History X) is said to be on board to write the script. As it was reported last fall, Pacino has been attached to the project for some time.


Brian De Palma to Direct Al Pacino in Joe Paterno Biopic HAPPY VALLEY

 

Japanese Trailer for G.I. JOE: RETALIATION is 100% Action



Doing its best to remind the world that G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens (for real this time) this year, a new Japanese trailer has surfaced. It shows off a few new action sequences involving all of our favorite Joes, including Dwayne Johnson, Ray Park, Adrianne Palicki and Bruce Willis. Lee Byung-hun also gets a good amount of additional screen time in this go-round. Also starring Channing Tatum, RZA, Elodie Yung, Walton Goggins and Ray Stevenson, G.I. Joe: Retaliation opens March 29th.

Synopsis: A follow-up to the 2009 release of G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, which grossed over $300M worldwide, Paramount Pictures, MGM and Skydance Productions, in association with HASBRO and di Bonaventura Pictures, commences production on G.I. JOE: RETALIATION. In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.




Japanese Trailer for G.I. JOE: RETALIATION is 100% Pure Action

 

2nd Trailer for THE LAST EXORCISM PART II



Just last week CBS Films released the first trailer for the upcoming sequel The Last Exorcism Part II, and now just a few days later another new trailer for the horror pic has landed online. Produced by Eli Roth, the story picks up where the 2010 first film left off, with Ashley Bell’s lead character unable to remember the events of the previous months. While she begins the process of starting a new life, the evil force that once possessed her rears its ugly head once more. This trailer is essentially a shorter version of that first trailer, but it does a better job of setting up Part II’s relation to the first film. The Last Exorcism Part II opens on March 1st.

Synopsis: Continuing where the first film left off, Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) is found terrified and alone in rural Louisiana. Back in the relative safety of New Orleans, Nell realizes that she can’t remember entire portions of the previous months only that she is the last surviving member of her family. Just as Nell begins the difficult process of starting a new life, the evil force that once possessed her is back with other, unimaginably horrific plans that mean her last exorcism was just the beginning.




2nd Trailer for THE LAST EXORCISM PART II

 

First Teaser Poster for Shawn Levy’s THE INTERNSHIP

20th Century Fox has released the first teaser poster for Shawn Levy's The Internship. Reunited for the first time since The Wedding Crashers, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson finds them playing two old-school salesmen who haven’t kept up with the digital age. When they suddenly become unemployed, they attempt to remake themselves by interning at a major tech company. The film also stars Rose Byrne, Dylan O’Brien, Max Minghella, Jessica Szohr, and a few very cool cameos. The Internship opens June 7.




First Teaser Poster for Shawn Levy’s THE INTERNSHIP

 

First Teaser Trailer for S-VHS Horror Anthology
(Posted first by complete in the previous MNN thread)



In preparation for its debut at Sundance 2013, a new teaser trailer has gone online for horror anthology sequel S-VHS. Much like S-VHS is an improved version of VHS tapes, S-VHS hopes to outdo its predecessor with sequences directed by Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun), Gareth Huw Evans (The Raid: Redemption) and Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre), Ed

 

Poster for THE SWEENEY Starring Ray Winstone and Damian Lewis

The first poster for the upcoming action thriller The Sweeney has been released Directed by Nick Love (Outlaw) and co-written by John Hodge (Trainspotting), the film stars Ray Winstone as Detective Inspector Jack Regan and Ben Drew as his partner George Carter. The two are old school crime fighters who enforce the law in a modern underworld, and with a bank heist in progress and Regan’s old enemy making an appearance on the streets of London, the veteran cop will do whatever it takes to get the job done. The pic also stars Homeland’s Damian Lewis and Captain America’s Hayley Atwell. The Sweeney will be available in theaters and VOD on March 1st.




First Poster for THE SWEENEY Starring Ray Winstone and Damian Lewis

 

HERCULES Starring Dwayne Johnson Set for August 8, 2014 Release



Following the official announcement late last year, MGM and Paramount Pictures have set an August 8, 2014 release date for Brett Ratner's Hercules, starring Dwayne Johnson. The film will be based on the Radical Publishing Hercules comic books of which there were two series; The Thracian Wars and The Knives of Kush, both written by Steve Moore with art by Cris Bolsin. The screenplay for the film version was written by Ryan Condol. The Thracian Wars is officially described as follows:

Fourteen-hundred years ago, a tormented soul walked the Earth that was neither man nor god. Hercules, powerful son of the god king Zeus, received nothing but suffering his entire life. After twelve arduous labors and the loss of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods, finding his only solace in bloody battle. Over the years he warmed to the company of six similar souls, their only bond being their love of fighting and the presence of death. These men and woman never question where, why, or whom they go to fight; only how much they will be paid. Knowing this, the King of Thrace has hired these mercenaries to train his men to become the greatest army of all time. Hercules begins to question King Cotys' motives when he takes his army out to battle and sees them practice on innocent men, women, and children of their neighbors. Deep in his soul something stirs, but is it enough to stop a mad king and his army of the damned from marching across Greece - or even Olympus itself?!


Brett Ratner's HERCULES Starring Dwayne Johnson Set for August 8, 2014 Release

 

Warner Bros. in Talks with Amblin to Reboot GREMLINS



Vulture is reporting that Warner Bros. Pictures is negotiating with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment to reboot their 1984 horror comedy, Gremlins. The site's sources reveal that negotiations of this sort have happened several times over the years, but making Spielberg’s deal always proved too daunting a financial prospect and his involvement might simply be a requirement for making the film at all, so don’t hold your breath.

Having said all of that, Vulture's source reports that it might just actually come off this time. This wouldn’t be something Spielberg would direct, of course – he only executive produced the original, with Joe Dante behind the camera – but it never hurts to have the Great Man’s name on your project.


Warner Bros. in Talks with Amblin Entertainment to Reboot GREMLINS

 

First Official Image from Bong Joon-ho's SNOWPIERCER
(Posted first by Ablis89 in the Snowpiercer thread)

The first official image from The Host director Bong Joon-ho