Movie & TV News, Posters & Stuff

[GamerMan316]

Jason Flemyng Is In X-Men: First Class
He'll play Azazel



We've known for some time that Jason Flemyng is director Matthew Vaughn's good luck charm, appearing in all his films to date - and sure enough, he has a role in X-Men: First Class, where he will play Nightcrawler's dad, Azazel.

Today at Movie-Con he told us, "Matthew showed me my costume just the other day. Now I swore I'd never be in heavy make-up again, but this role is going to involve it. But at least they said, "Don't worry, we'll add the tail in post". I am Azazel, and I can teleport by waving my arms [gestures like a cross between a flamenco dancer anda  Bollywood star]."

As really big X-Men fans will know, Azazel is a teleporting creature from another dimension who tried to impregnate human women in the hope that one of his children would provide him with a permanent link to this plane that he could use to come back here. And fear not: we confirmed after Flemyng left the stage that he will be red, and not Nightcrawler blue or anything like that (Vaughn is clearly trusting that people can figure it out from the tail and pointed ears),

Whether he will have a big part to play in this film remains to be seen, but we do know that Vaughn's hoping not to break his winning streak this time around. At least, unlike Kick-Ass, Flemyng actually gets a name this time around, other than Bell Hop.

[GamerMan316]

Karl Urban Confirmed as the New Judge Dredd



Remember that early report a few weeks ago about New Zealand-born-actor Karl Urban (Star Trek, Pathfinder, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Lord of the Rings) becoming the new Judge Dredd? Well, it's now confirmed. According to Empire Online, Urban has been tapped to essay the steel-jawed, helmet-wearing, hard-core dispenser of justice in a dystopian far future. Producers Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich confirmed Urban's casting at a Q&A session.

Here's an excerpt from my original piece about the Judge Dredd character's comic book background:

    For those not in the know (or the now), Judge Dredd first appeared more than 30 years ago in the pages of 2000 AD, a British-based, science-fiction oriented weekly comic book anthology. Credit for Judge Dredd belongs to writer/editor Pat Mills, writer John Wagner, and artist Carlos Ezquerra. In a dystopian future, uniformed Street Judges patrol Mega-City-One, dispensing on-the-spot justice, acting as police, judge, jury, and executioner. Dredd rides a cannon-powered, computer-equipped motorcycle, the "Lawmaster" (as opposed to the Lawnmaster, a completely different vehicle used for landscaping), a DNA-coded handgun called, appropriately enough, the "Lawgiver," a pliability inducing baton, and, most iconic of all, a helmet that covers his face with the exception of his mouth and jaw.

Even better, at least for diehard Judge Dredd fans? Unlike the first attempt to bring Dredd to the big screen with Sylvester Stallone fifteen years ago, Urban won't remove the helmet during the entire running time. That's right, Urban will have to depend on his exposed lower jaw, mouth, head, and body movements to convey Dredd's inner life, assuming he has one.

Here's more from Empire:

    "The main thing about Dredd is that it's a fantastic comic that was completely messed up 20 years ago," said Macdonald. "Our idea is to make a very hard, R-rated, gritty, realistic movie of Dredd in Megacity, so we've got to get the tone right. He's not going to take off his helmet. His bike is going to feel real. He's going to hit people and it's going to feel real."

In my early report, I expressed doubts about a new Judge Dredd flick going this route. It might be true to the long-running comic-book series, but not everything that works on a printed or digital page will (or should) work on the big or small screen. That specific departure from the Judge Dredd character angered fans fifteen years. I consider Urban an above-average actor, capable of dramatic range, but keeping the helmet on might be asking too much of him, not too mention non-fans or casual Judge Dredd fans.

Pete Travis (Endgame, Vantage Point, Omagh) has been tapped to take on directing duties. Empire didn't mention a start date for principal photography (or a release date), only that shooting will occur in Johannesburg, South Africa, so stay tuned for additional information.

So what do you think of the news? Is Urban a good match for the Judge Dredd character? What do you think of Urban keeping the helmet on the entire time? A good decision or a bad one? And will you see a new Judge Dredd film theatrically regardless of whether you see Urban's face or just the lower half?

[GamerMan316]

Star Wars Coming to Blu-Ray Fall 2011!



That sound you might have heard Saturday afternoon? It was the collective groan of Star Wars fanboys and fanboys when they (and we) learned at the Star Wars Celebration V (via IGN) that the Star Wars trilogies are coming to Blu-Ray next fall (as in 2011, not 2010) . Sounds like good, if not great, news right? True to form, George Lucas plans to release both trilogies as part of one set (meaning you can't buy them separately or by trilogy) and you won't be able to choose between the theatrical versions and the remastered versions (you'll get the latter, but not the former).

As with the previous releases on VHS, DVD, special editions, etc., Lucas is counting on "true fans" to purchase the Star Wars trilogies in a new format. That might sound cynical, but Lucas is right: some fans might complain about this or that preference or having to purchase both trilogies when they really want the original trilogy, minus the late 1990s' changes Lucas made to better match his vision for the films, but ultimately they'll purchase the rejiggered, remastered versions collectively or, at some unspecified point in the future, the original trilogy separately.

There is good news, though. As with previous releases, the Blu-Ray set will "utilizi[e] the highest possible picture and audio presentation, along with extensive special features [and include] documentaries, vintage behind-the-scenes moments, interviews, retrospectives, and never-before-seen footage from the LucasFilm archives." Fans were given a preview of things to come when Lucas premiered a never-before-deleted shot from Return of the Jedi of Luke Skywalker completing work on his new lightsabler before the attempt to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hut.

A fan uploaded the footage to YouTube. It's slightly murky, but worth it for the audience reaction on the soundtrack:

Are you excited, upset, indifferent, or ambivalent to the news? Put me in the ambivalent camp. While I'd love to see the original Star Wars trilogy on Blu-Ray, I'd like to have the option to choose between the theatrical and remastered versions.

[Jaynestown]

Are you excited, upset, indifferent, or ambivalent to the news? Put me in the ambivalent camp. While I'd love to see the original Star Wars trilogy on Blu-Ray, I'd like to have the option to choose between the theatrical and remastered versions.

No more extra scenes, please! I'd be happy with the special editions if they just put the Greedo scene back to the original, Han shoots first... PERIOD!

Still buy it though!

[GamerMan316]

Are you excited, upset, indifferent, or ambivalent to the news? Put me in the ambivalent camp. While I'd love to see the original Star Wars trilogy on Blu-Ray, I'd like to have the option to choose between the theatrical and remastered versions.

No more extra scenes, please! I'd be happy with the special editions if they just put the Greedo scene back to the original, Han shoots first... PERIOD!

Still buy it though!

Damn right mate.   

[Jaynestown]

Are you excited, upset, indifferent, or ambivalent to the news? Put me in the ambivalent camp. While I'd love to see the original Star Wars trilogy on Blu-Ray, I'd like to have the option to choose between the theatrical and remastered versions.

No more extra scenes, please! I'd be happy with the special editions if they just put the Greedo scene back to the original, Han shoots first... PERIOD!

Still buy it though!

Damn right mate.   

Never ever understood why Lucas felt the need to do that, what the hell was wrong with Han shooting first anyway? What was he going to do, let Greedo kill him? 

[GamerMan316]

From hanshootsfirst.org and wikipedia:

George Lucas explained the change by stating that he wanted to make clear to children that Han had "no choice" but to shoot Greedo. This justification was unsatisfactory to many long-time and adult fans of the series. The ire of some fans led to an online petition demanding that the changes be retracted.
The primary objection to the revision is that it alters Han's initially morally ambiguous character, making his later transition from anti-hero to hero less meaningful; others claim that shooting Greedo first was justified, since Solo was likely to be killed by Greedo or Jabba the Hutt. The plausibility of Greedo missing from such a short distance is also considered questionable, and criticized as being depicted in an awkwardly facile manner.

[Jaynestown]

My thoughts exactly!

[GamerMan316]

Better quality trailer than the previous one I posted a few weeks ago, starts on Halloween in the States, hopefully soon after over here though no doubt we'll have to wait about six months.  TV shack for me then.   

[nCogNeato]

TV shack for me then.   

[GamerMan316]

The Walking Dead Wins Season Two
...Before the first one even airs

The story of Frank Darabont's attempt to bring Robert Kirkman's beloved zombie comic The Walking Dead to TV screens has, in the last year or so, been filled largely with good news. It got picked up by US network AMC (and FX over here), went quickly from pilot to first series commission (AMC's usual six episode kick-off), and has been building some healthy buzz, particularly after the trailer was shown at Comic-Con and arrived online. Now there's another milestone passed as the show has won a second season before a frame of the first has even aired.

Fangoria reports that the show has been officially renewed, with filming set to start in February next year. And in keeping with AMC's usual schedule, the next season will be 13 episodes.

While the first season took place in the blazing Atlanta heat, it's possible that the next set of stories could take a cue from Volume 2 of the comics and be set during a different season. "It would be great not just to get out of the heat, but to present a different idea to the audience visually and tonally by having it be winter," Darabont tells Comic Book Movie. There's some really cool stuff that Kirkman did, where they find the one zombie that's frozen to the ground. I'd never seen that before and that's really cool."

And given that he and Kirkman have been playing with the narrative and shifting stories and characters around a little (though the overall plot will be largely faithful to the comic), he might just get the chance to introduce his favourite character from the books: Michonne. "When she shows up – and boy, is she a character I can't wait to get to – when she comes striding out of the wasteland like a Clint Eastwood f***ing spaghetti Western character cross-melded with some samurai movie, like the Baby Cart character with the f***ing sword, and there's just a little drift of snow in the air. I would love to put that on film."

So if you were excited to see the show already, now you don't have to worry about it being cancelled immediately should you end up loving it, and then having to go through years of therapy to get over it like we did to get over My So-Called Life and Firefly. Er. Ahem.

The first episode, written and directed by Darabont, will air on October 31 in the US and arrives over here shortly afterwards.

[Failed]

Firefly waaaaaaaaa!!!!! *sobs woefully*

[GamerMan316]

Firefly waaaaaaaaa!!!!! *sobs woefully*

I feel your pain.   

[Failed]

i have read episode 1 for free here

http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?gid=1358

[GamerMan316]

'Kick-Ass 2' Officially Gets The Green Light



It was inevitable that Matthew Vaughn's big-screen version of the John Romita Jr. and Mark Millar comic "Kick-Ass" would get the green light for a sequel. Today it's been confirmed apparently by Millar himself on a radio station in the UK who claimed that due to the wonderful DVD sales the sequel is a go.

It's not really a surprise when you think about it. Sure, it didn't perform incredibly well like people thought it would in the box office, but it seemed destined to be one of those comic book flicks that would find it's audience on home video. Since this is all up and running, now it's a matter of the studio bringing back Vaughn and the cast to the new project.

At the moment Matthew Vaughn is in the middle of filming "X-Men: First Class" for 20th Century Fox which acts as a '60s set prequel, out in theaters on June 3rd, 2011. "Kick-Ass" star Aaron Johnson will be appearing next in Sam Taylor-Wood directed film "Nowhere Boy". Chloe Moretz is in the middle of filming her role in Martin Scorsese's "Hugo Cabret" and will be seen in Matt Reeves' "Let Me In" this October 8th.


Woo hoo