Total Film News

Big Hero 6 director confirms the Avengers won’t make cameos
André Benjamin is Jimi Hendrix in new trailer for All Is By My Side: watch now
Matt Reeves reveals how Andy Serkis came to be cast in Episode VII
Rumour: Batman v. Superman will boast four villains besides Lex Luthor
Jessica Alba stars in new clip from Sin City: A Dame To Kill For: watch now
Guillermo del Toro talks Pacific Rim 2
Luc Besson talks creating a female action hero with Lucy
Antoine Fuqua talks reuniting with Denzel Washington on The Equalizer
Exclusive poster art for crime thriller Cheap Thrills

Big Hero 6 director confirms the Avengers won’t make cameos

Posted: 04 Jul 2014 04:49 AM PDT

In issue 222 of Total Film magazine, Big Hero 6 director Don Hall tells us that even though the film's based on a Marvel comic, we shouldn't expect any of the Avengers to drop by for a cuppa.

Inside the issue - which is available for just £2.99 on your iPad - Hall reveals that Big Hero 6 won't be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"Very early on, when we were collaborating with Marvel, the decision was made to intentionally not connect it to the Marvel universe," he explains of the CGI superhero flick.

"Everybody felt like it would be great for us to take this idea of theirs and make our own universe with it. Marvel really encouraged us to do that. So there'll be no Iron Man or Captain America, and no Avengers in this world.

"Our Avengers are the Big Hero 6."

For more on Big Hero 6, pick up the brand new issue of Total Film, which is out now, and includes an exclusive look at Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, plus nine more of the coolest movies coming your way – including Lucy, Kingsman: The Secret Service and Lucy.

Never miss an issue by subscribing to Total Film magazine now!

Buy the magazine online.

Start your iPad trial subscription now - and get one whole free issue on your iPad!

Android users: Get Total Film magazine from Google Play!

André Benjamin is Jimi Hendrix in new trailer for All Is By My Side: watch now

Posted: 03 Jul 2014 11:57 PM PDT

A new trailer has arrived online for music biopic All Is By My Side, in which André Benjamin stars as legendary rocker, Jimi Hendrix.

The new film will follow Hendrix's meteoric rise to fame, while also dealing with the many battles he fought against the prevailing prejudices of the period.

Benjamin looks a great fit as Hendrix, oozing charisma from the get-go, but really coming into his own during the music sequences. Quite the six-pack he's rocking, too…

Take a look at the new trailer, below…

Alongside Benjamin's magnetic performance there are also some sterling supporting players in evidence, with Burn Gorman looking set to pinch a few scenes as manager Michael Jeffrey.

Directed by John Ridley and co-starring Imogen Poots, Hayley Atwell and Ruth Negga, All Is By My Side will open in the UK on 8 August 2014.

Matt Reeves reveals how Andy Serkis came to be cast in Episode VII

Posted: 03 Jul 2014 11:40 PM PDT

Matt Reeves has been discussing how he asked J.J. Abrams for feedback on some early footage from Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, and how that inadvertently led to the casting of Andy Serkis in Episode VII.

"I showed him a bit of the movie," reveals Reeves. "I wanted to get some feedback. And I know that he had known and really loved Andy Serkis. But it's the same experience I had coming in and asking to see all the footage of Andy from Rise with him in his helmet cam, so that I could understand exactly what the process was."

"And the thing that struck me, and actually got me so excited, was the mystery behind how great he is, is that he's great. That he's an amazing actor. And the scenes that I showed [Abrams] were of Andy just in mo-cap. And he was like, "Oh my God, he's an incredible actor." He was so blown away."

And while Reeves isn't claiming sole credit for getting Serkis the gig, he does think that that private screening may have gone some way towards sealing the deal…

"They had known each other a bit before, anyway, but I think when he saw it, it was like a real revelation," says Reeves. "He said to me, 'that looks - I'm not kidding when I tell you I think that's one of the best performances I've ever seen.' I said 'I know, isn't he amazing?' He's so good."

We can look forward to seeing Serkis in action when Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes opens on 17 July 2014, followed by Star Wars: Episode VII on 18 December 2015.

Rumour: Batman v. Superman will boast four villains besides Lex Luthor

Posted: 03 Jul 2014 11:22 PM PDT

With Batman v. Superman already boasting a host of heroes, it makes sense that should be plenty of villains to counter balance them, with Latino Review reporting there will be as many as four antagonists lining up alongside Lex Luthor.

First up will apparently be Gotham villain, Victor Zsaz, the knife-wielding mass-murderer who carves a scar on his body for each of his victims. Nice chap.

He'll also be joined by Luthor underling Morgan Edge, and David Cain, a fiftysomething assassin who also finds himself in Luthor's employ. No prizes for guessing who his target will be…

Finally, the report claims that Senator Amanda Waller will be making an appearance, regarding Superman as a serious threat to her power, and planning a counter measure to take him out of the picture. Boooo!

None of these have been confirmed by Warner, of course, but they certainly make good grist for the rumour mill. Directed by Zack Snyder, Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice will open in the UK on 29 April 2016.

Jessica Alba stars in new clip from Sin City: A Dame To Kill For: watch now

Posted: 03 Jul 2014 11:03 PM PDT

The first clip has arrived online from Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, in which Jessica Alba decides to go a little crazy…

It looks like her character, poor old Nancy the stripper, is pretty much at the end of her rope, tormented by visions of cackling villain, Senator Roarke.

Deciding its time for a new approach to life, Nancy reaches for the scissors and gives herself a bit of a makeover. Looks like somebody is preparing to channel their inner badass…

Take a look at the new clip, below…

We're not sure where those scars have suddenly emerged from. Perhaps Nancy's hand isn't that steady with the scissors. In any case, she looks ready to cause some trouble…

Co-directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez and co-starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin and Mickey Rourke, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For will open in the UK on 25 August 2014.

Guillermo del Toro talks Pacific Rim 2

Posted: 03 Jul 2014 10:47 PM PDT

With Pacific Rim 2 getting the official green light from Legendary, Guillermo del Toro has been discussing what we can expect from his sequel to the monsters vs. robots smash.

"I'm hoping to bring the same idea I had in the first movie." says the director. "That was to make it multicultural and humanistic as much as possible, to make characters from many nationalities or genders, to make them equal in the scope of the adventure, in the day-to-day of the adventure."

"So, we're bringing a few characters that are new," he continues, "and hopefully doing good work managing those that survived the first movie."

"We had to sacrifice many aspects to be able to cram everything in the first movie. Namely, for example 'the Drift', which was an interesting concept. [Then there was] this portal that ripped a hole into the fabric of our universe, what were the tools they were using?"

Sounds like the cogs are already turning in the famed Del Toro imagination, with the director hoping that the two films will work together both as sequels and standalone films.

"I don't want to spoil it," he says, "but I think at the end of the second movie, people will find out that the two movies stand on their own. They're very different from each other, although hopefully bringing the same joyful giant spectacle. But the tenor of the two movies will be quite different."

Pacific Rim 2 will open in the US on 7 April 2017, with a UK date to be confirmed.

Luc Besson talks creating a female action hero with Lucy

Posted: 03 Jul 2014 04:55 AM PDT

In issue 222 of Total Film magazine, legendary action director Luc Besson tells us all about his love for the female action heroine as Lucy heads into cinemas.

Inside the issue - which is available for just £2.99 on your iPad - Besson discusses adding Scarlett Johansson's Lucy to his collection of kick-ass women, which already includes Nikita, Mathilda (Leon) and Cataleya (Colombiana).

"I try to write beautiful parts for women and I try to write beautiful parts for men," he says.

"I'm here for equality," he adds. "I think in the '80s it was just about the men. The woman would be crying in the back of the shot and that's not fair. So I just try to make good parts for everyone."

For more on Lucy, pick up the brand new issue of Total Film, which is out Friday 4 July, and includes an exclusive look at Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, plus nine more of the coolest movies coming your way – including Lucy, Kingsman: The Secret Service and Big Hero 6.

Never miss an issue by subscribing to Total Film magazine now!

Buy the magazine online.

Start your iPad trial subscription now - and get one whole free issue on your iPad!

Android users: Get Total Film magazine from Google Play!

Antoine Fuqua talks reuniting with Denzel Washington on The Equalizer

Posted: 03 Jul 2014 04:41 AM PDT

In issue 222 of Total Film magazine, director Antoine Fuqua talks to us about reuniting with his Training Day star Denzel Washington on crime thriller The Equalizer.

Inside the issue - which is available for just £2.99 on your iPad - Fuqua reveals that it's a very different role for the Oscar-winning actor.

"He's the opposite of Alonzo in Training Day," Fuqua says. "People will find a unique character. He's very reserved.

"Training Day is a very external character, this one is very internal. A bit of a mystery. This guy's so meticulous. He's OCD. But also there's a dark humour there."

For more on The Equalizer, pick up the brand new issue of Total Film, which is out Friday 4 July, and includes an exclusive look at Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, plus nine more of the coolest movies coming your way – including Lucy, Kingsman: The Secret Service and Big Hero 6.

Never miss an issue by subscribing to Total Film magazine now!

Buy the magazine online.

Start your iPad trial subscription now - and get one whole free issue on your iPad!

Android users: Get Total Film magazine from Google Play!

Exclusive poster art for crime thriller Cheap Thrills

Posted: 03 Jul 2014 02:00 AM PDT

Crime thriller Cheap Thrills hits DVD and Blu-ray in a couple of weeks, and to celebrate, we've landed two exclusive posters for the film.

Reuniting Sara Paxton and Pat Healy (the stars of awesome spook flick The Innkeepers), Cheap Thrills sees the duo playing a game that involves a series of increasingly-terrifying dares.

If you've already seen the movie, the dog poster below will probably have you contorting in discomfort.

Check out the posters below...