The much anticipated Martin Luther King Jr. biopic is to be scribed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Ronald Harwood. [Variety]
Dreamworks, which has tied Steven Spielberg to the project, is receiving unprecedented access to the King estate and is clearly not taking the honor lightly.
Harwood, who won an Oscar for The Pianist, is a native of South Africa and has written a number of screenplays about another civil rights leader Nelson Mandela. “I will do my utmost to be true to the truth,” Harwood said on the assignment, which might be the most important socially relevant film since Milk. Harwood has a number of screenplays to his name, including the critically-acclaimed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Spielberg was linked to the project as a producer in May, after Dreamworks received access to the King estate and his intellectual property, the first film to do so. Since, they have been relatively slow to move. I think they are responsibly avoiding haste while piecing together such an important film. This is one movie that could be worth the wait.
Where will the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic rank among socially important films? Who should play the lead?
According to THR’s Heat Vision blog D.J. Caruso will be taking on the film adaptation of the upcoming science fiction novels I Am Number Four by James Frey and Joby Hughes for Dreamworks. This project was previously reported to have Michael Bay attached to it and was going to be filmed in between Transformers 2 and 3. According to THR the plot of the novels is as follows: Read the full story
According to Latino Review the American remake to Park Chan-wook’s South Korean hit Oldboy that was set to starWill Smith and be directed by Steven Spielberg is dead. Apparently Spielberg’s production company Dreamworks couldn’t come to terms with the producers of the original manga series authored by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi and distributed by Mandate who also own the rights. It is unknown if Mandate just didn’t want the project taken over by Hollywood or if Dreamwroks simply wanted too big a piece of the money train the film was sure to make. Read the full story
In honor of the Dreamworks Animation Monsters Vs. Aliens hitting theaters this weekend here is a list of my 15 favorite animated films of the last 10 years:
15. Coraline 3-D (Selick, 2009)
Henry Selick uses 3-D technology to perfection in order to create a massively immersive fantasy. With a story based on a Neil Gaman book, we are led into a variety of environments with a world of intriguing characters.
Keeping up with the tradition of a Transformers film every two summers Paramount and Dreamworks have set the release of the 3rd Transformers film for July 1st, 2011. Variety reports Paramount insiders said they wanted to claim the date of July 1, 2011 before another studio did, and that this isn’t an official announcement that Transformers 3 is a go. No writer, director, or stars have been hired, but I’m sure you can bet everyone will be back, considering the success of the first and the hype of the second.
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters June 24th, 2009.
What do you think of another Transformers film? Are you excited for Revenge of the Fallen?
Not sure what is coming out this month? Here is a run-down of my eleven most anticipated films:
11. The Great Buck Howard (March 20th) (limited)
Plot: A law school dropout (Colin Hanks), much to the chagrin of his father (Tom Hanks), becomes the new assistant to an illusionist in decline (Malkovich). Can the fledgling partnership lead to the comeback of a lifetime?
Today we have the official poster for the upcoming Dreamworks 3-D adventure, Monsters Vs. Aliens. Check it out below via Yahoo:
Monsters Vs. Aliens is co-directed by Rob Letterman (Shark Tale) and Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2). It features voice acting from Seth Rogen, Keifer Sutherland, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd, Rainn Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Will Arnett. Here is the plot: When a meteorite from outer space hits a young girl and turns her into a giant monster, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years.
The 3-D trailer on the Super Bowl was way funnier than expected. I think the movie is going to pleasantly surprise, and I’m a sucker for 3-D. Bring it on!
Monsters Vs. Aliens hits theaters March 27th, 2009.
Here is the 3-D Super Bowl Spot for the new Dreamworks Animation, Monsters Vs. Aliens. You will need Colorcode 3-D glasses to view it properly. Check it out below via Hulu:
Monsters Vs. Aliens is co-directed by Rob Letterman (Shark Tale) and Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2). It features voice acting from Seth Rogen, Keifer Sutherland, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd, Rainn Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Will Arnett. Here is the plot: When a meteorite from outer space hits a young girl and turns her into a giant monster, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years
I was pleasantly surprised by the spot. The 3-D effects were fun and I laughed more than I thought I would.
Monsters Vs. Aliens hits theaters March 27th, 2009.
Were you able to see the spot with 3-D glasses? Has it convinced you to check it out in theaters?
Dreamworks has released the new teaser poster for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on Yahoo movies.
Michael Bay has commented on the new poster on his website, taking a small swing at Terminator Salvation:
“Okay it’s time to turn up the heat on Transformers – Revenge of the Fallen. We’ve waited low in the weeds letting all the summer movies get their stuff out. We’ve seen the great year end movies, and watched the upcoming clips of the upcoming summer fare. We’ve seen certain movies coming out even try to duplicate Transformer size robots in their ads. Please, come on. Well, I promise you we will rock your world with Transformers 2. The fans wanted ROBOTS KICKING ASS – well we got it. Today we are releasing the teaser poster and soon the onslaught will continue with a steady drum beat until June 26th.”
The teaser poster features Jetfire who appears as a SR-71 Blackbird, abandoned by the Decepticons, and ressurected by the Autobots.
What do you think of the teaser poster and Transformers 2?
UPDATE: The list below was written in January of 2009. I suggest checking out our new list, 65 Must See Movies of 2010. Click the image below to see:
So 2008 is over, come on, it’s time to move on. Here are 50 great reasons to go to the theater this year:
January
My Bloody Valentine 3-D (Jan 16th)
Synopsis: After surviving a fatal accident that claimed the lives of five of men in a mine shaft, Harry Warden performed a horrific killing spree on Valentines night in the town of Harmony, killing 22 people before he was shot to death.
Why You Should See It: Early screening reports have said there is more sex, limbs, and buckets of blood than one can handle. The 3-D gimmick is the only reason this is on my list. If implemented right it should be a great time at the movies.
