Disney's your daddy! Lucasfilm, and it's properties: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and ILM all aquired by Disney

In a historical move that nobody saw coming, last Tuesday, Disney bought the rights to Lucasfilm and all of its properties directly from George Lucas for $4 billion. Lucas will also retain shares of the company as well. Lucas also will have some input in future films but will not have full creative control... and he will NOT be directing the announced upcoming episodes VII-X, which are set to release in 2015, 2017, and 2019. Kathleen Kennedy, who has produced many, many Spielberg films from as far back as ET all the way to Lincoln has has been appointed as the president of Lucasfilm (she also produced the Back to the Future and Goonies movies and many more genre classics... and Tiny Toons!).


George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy discuss the future of Star Wars  

No word on a director for any upcoming Star Wars movies yet, but Marketsaw 3D has a "trusted source" that seems to point to the following directors being in the running:

From Marketsaw: (read the article)

Steven Speilberg, who may actually get to direct his episode of STARWARS after all.

- Neil Blomkamp, District 9, Elysium.

- Alfonso Cuarón, Children of Men, Gravity (which is a masterpiece by the way) When I was told this name, I said that's the guy.

- Matthew Vaughn. Kick Ass, First Class.

- Darren Arnofsky, The Fountain, Noah. (very popular candidate) and has been for a while.

- Joss Whedon. Serenity, The Avengers. That could work as Joss is currently overseeing Marvels next onslaught under the Disney Banner, but don't hold your breath for a directing gig for many years down the line. He may well have his part to play though ;-)  

 Now, I am/was a huge fan of the original trilogy. The prequels have in my opinion, taken much of the soul away from the originals, especially with all of the alterations that they (originals) have endured in the process. Some people keep saying that they are (were) Lucas's movies and he can do with them what he darn well pleases. Well, He sure couldn't have just just made $4 billion without an audience that supported him and if the quality of the originals was on par with the prequels, I HIGHLY doubt that there would have been even a second film made, let alone a trio of prequels. In my opinion, the only reason the the prequels did so well financially is because of the footsteps that they walked in. I think that the vast majority of people out there would back me on that too. Anyway, I have been wanting to see what a Spielberg Star Wars movie could be like ever since I can remember and I think Joss Whedon would  make a terrific follow-up movie. Avengers caught a lot of people off guard because the movie just stays true to some forgotten '80s formula where summer action movies can just be fun and intelligent without having to try to be all emo or overly complex just for the sake of it. There is a purity there that would just ring true with a movie set in the Star Wars universe. Not on the list, I have also heard Brad Bird's (Iron Giant, The Incredibles, MI: Ghost Protocol) name thrown around and he would also possibly make a good choice. Either way, this is looking to be interesting and already has the feel of being put back on the right track, even if little is known.

The Dark Knight Rises Review

The Man of Steel trailer arrives, finally

Premiering in front of The Dark Knight Rises (review up very soon), we finally get a first glimpse of the new Supes reboot from Director, Zack Snyder and Producer, Christopher Nolan, staring: Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni, Russell Crowe. Here's hoping that they can actually pull this off.

Wreck-It-Ralph trailer

This one first debuted a month ago at the E3 video game expo but was back and with more exposure at ComicCon this past weekend. Like a video game version of Roger Rabbit, Wreck-It-Ralph features a who's who cast of game character legends. Looks actually good for a Disney (non-PIXAR) 3D animated movie.

The Dark Knight Rises gets a lengthy featurette

New Hobbit poster for Comic Con

Yeah, I think that this will work just fine. I want this poster. 

Avatar 2 and 3 (and...4?) being shot simultaneously. Sigourney is in too?

Collider had a scoop via Showbiz411, where Roger Friedman of 411 says :

"She goes right into a new Christopher Durang play for a short run at Lincoln Center. Then she films Avatar 2, 3, and 4 with James Cameron. That’s right: they’re making three sequels to the blue 3D phenom all at the same time. Weaver says she has no idea how long it will take, or how it’s going to work. “I just show up,” she said."

Interesting that there have already been 3 sequels lined up. Avatar director James Cameron has stated recently that he is in the Avatar business, and it looks like that is more true than anyone thought. Now that he is done tooling around in the deepest depths of the ocean that any human has gone before, maybe he can get to shooting. He has a history of turning a story on its side for sequels and I imagine this case will be no different. I think that some people took it a little more at face value into the notion of current political allegory of the first movie than maybe was actually intended. (Shock and Awe comment aside) It seemed to me to be much more of a look back into history of the US than current world involvement. I think that the Jake Sulley character choosing to be an alien over a human seemed to really irk people's patriotic nerve the most. There could actually be twists and turns in the sequels that will play devil's advocate to that, going against that notion, and also the intentions of humans could be turned into something hopeful, rather than a typical warning that we are capable of evil. Again, Cameron likes to change up themes for his sequels. Any way, it is interesting that Weaver's character will return in the first place.

Prometheus Review

Marvel's The Avengers Review

 

There is a new superhero in town and you won't see him until the credits roll. Of course, I'm talking about none other than director Joss Whedon. What an awe-inspiring spectacle he has created here! This movie is the stuff only the most gifted storyteller could pull off. Sure, he has fans, thanks to his successful Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly television shows, as well as the movie follow-up to Firefly, Serenity. Cult favorites, but hardly any motion picture industry recognition has been garnered from this writer/director. He certainly has never had this kind of budget or worked on a scale of this magnitude... but then who has? Well, he did produce last month's Cabin in the Woods, which also stared Chris Hemsworth (Thor), but that wasn't his story, per say. Marvel's The Avengers is a property (well, a multitude of properties) that could have gone horribly wrong or worse, could have been a mediocre big budget Hollywood machine project designed to have a huge opening weekend and bring in kids, who eat these kinds of movies up because they love to see their heroes on the screen, regardless of quality. Instead, Marvel has once again taken the high road, amounting to a duly deserved success. They hired the right director to make a movie for kids, comic book fans, and everyday people alike. This is the stuff we go to the movies for!

Movies of May: 2012

Here is a theatrical release day schedule of the most prominent movies to be released in this month of may, 2012. Click the FILM TITLE below the movie poster for a link to the trailers.

So far, the most interesting movies for me are The Avengers, for Marvel actually being able to tie all of this together (with first time blockbuster maker with a strong credit history, Joss Whedon directing, no less) and Moonrise Kingdom, because hey, if it doesn't look like another classic from Wes Anderson (will all kinds of shades of what made Royal Tenenbaums an instant classic).

WB's slate for 2012 previewed at CinemaCon

Clips from The Hobbit, The Dark Night Rises, The Great Gatsby, and The Campaign were shown at CinemaCon.

Since I did not go there myself, I will direct you to a nice summary from ComingSoon.net.

The Cabin in the Woods Review

Part Friday the 13th and part Rosemary's Baby / The Wicker Man, The Cabin in the Woods is 2 different concepts blended together with each genre true to its roots... but that is also to its fault. Without giving too much away, the hook is the teens-in-a-cabin slasher film and as the trailer for the movie suggests, the other involves folks in the control room. The movie goes back and forth between these two worlds and very gently lets you in on the greater plot line a little bit at a time. Eventually, the worlds collide in ways that you aren't expecting.

New Man of Steel logo revealed

The Zack Snyder (300, Sucker Punch) directed movie is currently set for release in the summer of 2013, with the first trailer likely being shown before The Dark Knight Rises. Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill as Superman (Kal-El) / Clark Kent, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and features Russel Crowe as Supe's father: Jor-El, Kevin Costner as Supe's adopted father: Johnathan Kent, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Michael Shannon as General Zod, and Lawrence Fishburne as Perry White.

Full Prometheus trailer #2 is up

Trailer #2 added to Prometheus preview page, along with the international trailer.

John Carter Review

 

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (USA) Review

This was a movie that fell into the category of "do not want!" by many people. After all, it is an adaptation of the English language altered version of the Swedish book, which already has its own movie treatment, which is pretty successful in its own right. This being the first of a three part book series by the late Stieg Larsson, translated by Steven T. Murray (under Reg Keeland). The original Swedish title of the book is Män som hatar kvinnor or translated: Men Who Hate Women. Yeah, doesn't quite have the same ring to it.