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Thursday, April 14, 2016

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

James Cameron Claims There Will Be Four 'Avatar' Sequels Now, and They Have (Alleged) Release Dates

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There's no denying the success of "Avatar," James Cameron's groundbreaking 2009 blockbuster, which still holds the record as the highest-grossing movie of all time worldwide, with a whopping $2.79 billion in the bank. But its long-planned sequels have been anything but successful so far: An ambitious shooting schedule has still not begun; the initially promised two follow-ups suddenly morphed into three; and the films' planned release dates have all been pushed back multiple times, before being abandoned altogether.

Will these films ever see the light of day? (Or better yet, even begin production at all?) Cameron still claims the answer is yes, and has revealed that he's now adding a fourth sequel to the mix.

Cameron's surprising announcement came on Thursday during a panel at CinemaCon, in which the director proclaimed that the four flicks -- "Avatar 2," "Avatar 3," "Avatar 4," and "Avatar 5" -- would be hitting theaters around Christmastime in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023, respectively.

"We're making four epic films, each one of which stands alone but together form a complete saga," Cameron told the crowd, adding that it became clear after beginning work on the first two sequels that there was a larger tale to be told.

"There is too much story and visionary ideas for two sequels," the writer-director explained. "So we talked to Fox and expanded it to three sequels. Now that the script work is finishing up, it's not three. It looks like four. So after talking it through with our partners at Fox and giving it a lot of thought, we decided to embark on a truly massive cinematic project."

Massive is certainly the right word for it. But can anyone believe Cameron at this point? Sure, the director took his time making "Avatar," his eagerly-awaited follow-up to 1997's "Titanic" which needed 12 years to materialize. But that flick eventually actually started production, and actually was released.

In the sequels' case, the first follow-up was tentatively scheduled to hit theaters in late 2016, before moving to late 2017, and then moving off the schedule entirely. (That was after a third flick was added to the mix; back in 2012, when there were still only two planned sequels, "Avatar 2" was optimistically slated for release sometime in 2014.) And the last update on the project noted that production (set for back-to-back-to-back shooting in New Zealand -- perhaps now back-to-back-to-back-to-back?) still hadn't begun. So forgive us if we remain more than a little skeptical at this point.

Stay tuned to see if this ambitious plan pans out. We suppose if anyone is up for the challenge, it's Cameron. Just don't be surprised if those release dates change yet again -- or if "Avatar 6" is announced soon after.

[via: WSJ Speakeasy]

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Fox Officially Confirms 'Deadpool 2' With Ryan Reynolds, Tim Miller

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Though Fox was reportedly developing a sequel to "Deadpool" months before the offbeat superhero flick even opened, the studio has now officially confirmed that plans for "Deadpool 2" are indeed a go, and the entire original creative team will return for the follow-up.

Speaking at a panel at CinemaCon on Thursday, Fox brass revealed that titular star Ryan Reynolds would be back in his signature red and black suit, and director Tim Miller would once again call the shots behind the camera. "Deadpool" screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are also penning the script again.

The move was a no-brainer for the studio, since "Deadpool" defied box office odds to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, and broke a bunch of other records along the way. It didn't hurt that the flick was a critical and fan favorite, too, and Reynolds himself was front and center in a hands-on, goofy publicity campaign that engaged with audiences on a personal (and pretty hilarious) level. Fox is no doubt hoping for more of the same on the second go-round.

Last fall, "Deadpool" producer Simon Kinberg teased that comic character Cable would feature prominently in a potential "Deadpool 2," and that appears to still be the case. No other plot details have been revealed just yet, though, and there's no official production timetable.

Stay tuned for more intel as it becomes available.

[via: The Hollywood Reporter]

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First 'Ghost in the Shell' Image With Scarlett Johansson Gets Strong Reaction

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Paramount and DreamWorks just released the first photo from "Ghost in the Shell," a live-action adaptation of the Japanese animation. The image, showing Scarlett Johansson, was issued along with a press release announcing the start of production in Wellington, New Zealand. Scarlett is said to play Major in the film, which is being directed by Rupert Sanders.

Here's the synopsis:

"Based on the internationally-acclaimed sci-fi property, 'Ghost in the Shell' follows the Major, a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg hybrid, who leads the elite task force Section 9. Devoted to stopping the most dangerous criminals and extremists, Section 9 is faced with an enemy whose singular goal is to wipe out Hanka Robotic's advancements in cyber technology."

The rest of the cast includes Beat Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbæk, Kaori Momoi, Chin Han, Lasarus Ratuere, Yutaka Izumihara, and Tuwanda Manyimo.

When Scarlett was announced as the lead for this film, many frustrated fans cried "whitewashing" -- leading to a Care2 petition with more than 65,000 signatures -- and those fans are still frustrated today. However, other fans are excited to see her in character on the big screen.

"Ghost in the Shell" started trending on Thursday, after the release of the photo and press release, and here are some reactions:


What are your thoughts on this? Will you see the movie? Paramount will release it in the U.S. on March 31, 2017.

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'Game of Thrones' Fans Have the Weirdest Request for Maisie Williams

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Premiere Of HBO's "Game Of Thrones" Season 6 - ArrivalsSay you run into "Game of Thrones" star Maisie Williams at a fan convention, or even a coffee shop in London. What, if anything, would you say to the actress who plays Arya Stark?

Maisie was just on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" to promote the return of GoT on April 24, and it turns out fans ask her two main things:

1) What's going on with Jon Snow? (EYE ROLL)
2) Can you read Arya's kill list into my phone, and add my name?

If we were Maisie, we'd be most annoyed by the Jon Snow questions since, as she put it, "What about Arya, right? I'm like, no one wants to hear about Jon Snow, there's loads of other really exciting storylines that are going on on the show." Hint, hint. Seth said he hopes Kit Harington (who plays Jon Snow) gets questions about Arya when he walks down the street. (But probably not.)

Toward the end of the video -- after Maisie talks about her painful contact lenses for blind Arya, and Arya's unfortunate wardrobe on the show -- Maisie explains that weird request she gets from fans to read off Arya's list of people she wants to kill, but adding the fan's own name.

"It's always the most awkward thing, if it wasn't awkward enough, 'cause I've got to be like, 'Joffrey, Cersei...' -- like medieval names -- and then, like, '...Brian.' And somehow it doesn't seem to work as well."


As some other fans have noted, it's surprising more people don't ask her to say, "Oysters, clams, and cockles!" or "Valar morghulis."

FYI, it sounds like Arya may have a smaller role in Season 6. As she noted to Seth during their talk about this year being the first post-book season, "I feel like I'm not in it quite as much but my story flows a lot nicer than it has in previous years." Hmmm. There are a lot of storylines to balance, but that's kind of disappointing. Hopefully they didn't cut Arya's scenes to make room for more Jon Snow stuff. He's not the only character, you know!

Watch the video:


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Michael Keaton May Be the Villain in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'

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US-OSCARS-ARRIVALSBatman. Birdman. Vulture? According to Variety, Michael Keaton is in early talks to play the villain in the Sony/Marvel movie "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

Tom Holland is starring as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, after making his debut in "Captain America: Civil War." Marisa Tomei plays Aunt May, and Zendaya has a mystery role.

It's not confirmed that Keaton will play a villain, and it's possible there will be more than one villain no matter who is cast. Just the day before this report, Collider posted the rumor that the comics character Vulture would make an appearance, whether as the main villain or not. As they put it after the Keaton report came out:

"But boy is it hard to look at Keaton and NOT think of Vulture, an older comics character by the name of Adrian Toomes, whose career as an electronics engineer gives way to a flight harness that gives him superhuman strength."

It's not a bad idea to consider Keaton for the role, and not just because it's interesting to think of him transitioning from DC hero to Marvel villain. He's also on a streak, appearing in the last two films to win the Oscar for Best Picture: "Birdman" and "Spotlight." Spidey probably won't take home Best Picture, but it wouldn't hurt to cast a good luck charm.

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" opens in theaters on July 7, 2017.

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Robert Downey Jr. on Spider-Man's 'Hot Aunt,' Nervous Chris Evans, His Iron Baby Girl

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US-ENTERTAINMENT-DISNEYConsidering Jimmy Kimmel just asked , "Is there any chance you would adopt me?" it may be safe to say he's Team Iron Man in "Captain America: Civil War." Jimmy had Team Cap on his show the other night, and welcomed Team Iron Man on Wednesday. That meant Don Cheadle, Paul Bettany, and Emily VanCamp all sat with RDJ, who was the star of the show.

The cast just watched the movie together at the big Hollywood premiere, and RDJ said , aka Cap, was a total stress case about it:

"All I know is, Chris Evans is such a nervous nelly. He gets all — I mean, he plays a real butch guy in the movie. I love Captain America — I hate to say it, I'm not supposed to say it, I love Chris, I love Captain America. Before the premiere, he's all nervous. We're supposed to drive in the Audis. He's like 'Bro, I don't know, should you go first, should I go first?' I was like 'Man up, we've got to go to this premiere together!'"


Poor Chris. Apparently Evans brought, or at least invited, New England Patriots players to the premiere. And if you saw his JKL clip from earlier this week, you know he's basically in love with Tom Brady. You can watch or re-watch that clip below, with the others.

Downey also talked abut the new Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, whom he called "fantastic." Jimmy has already seen "Civil War" (out for the rest of us on May 6) and noted that Peter Parker's Aunt May just seems to keep getting younger, and now she's played by Marisa Tomei. "He's got like a hot aunt," RDJ said, then turned to look straight into the camera. "My god, just think of the possibilities." Down, Tony! Pepper would not approve!

In that same video, they showed a photo of RDJ's daughter, Avri Roel, wearing his Iron Man glove. He said he gave her a choice between the shield and the gauntlet and she naturally went for Team Iron Man. Jimmy said he has an "iron baby," and she's so cute.

Watch all of the videos:



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Benedict Cumberbatch Is the New Grinch, Because Obviously

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"Black Mass" - Virgin Atlantic Gala - BFI London Film FestivalBenedict Cumberbatch and his silky, sinister voice born for "it was a dark and stormy night..." tales (and greedy dragons) is now going to voice the Grinch.

Illumination, the studio that made "Despicable Me" and "Minions," made the announcement at CinemaCon. Cumberbatch will voice the Dr. Seuss character in a movie simply titled "The Grinch." (Sorry, Cindy Lou Who, you'll have to wait for your own standalone movie.) Why Cumby? Well, it's probably obvious, but producer Chris Meledandri said he has a voice that exudes "comedic wickedness while embodying vulnerability."

It sounds like it's early days for "The Grinch," but it will be adapted for the screen by writer Michael LeSieur and directed by Pete Candeland and Yarrow Cheney. According to Entertainment Weekly, the current release date is November 10, 2017.

You'll remember that the Grinch of the 1966 Chuck Jones animated TV short "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" was voiced by Boris Karloff, also the narrator. Jim Carrey took on the role in Ron Howard's 2000 feature-length film.

Cumberbatch is now filming "Sherlock" Season 4, and is starring in Marvel's "Doctor Strange," which just dropped its first trailer before its release in theaters on November 4.

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'Scream': 15 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About the Slasher Franchise

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It's been five years since the release of "Scream 4" (on April 15, 2011), but like the Ghostface killer, the franchise refuses to die.

Since the first film's release nearly 20 years ago (on December 20, 1996), there have been four movies that have grossed $604 million worldwide, as well as a spinoff series on MTV whose second season begins May 31. "Scream" not only became the most lucrative slasher-film series ever, but it also revitalized the teen horror genre.Still, as inescapable and relentless as the "Scream" franchise has been, there are still a lot of secrets behind that mask. Here are 15 terrifying tidbits of trivia.
1. "Scream" was originally a screenplay by Kevin Williamson called "Scary Movie," inspired in part by the real-life killings of five college students in Gainesville, Florida in 1990. But Dimension studio chief Bob Weinstein didn't think the title reflected Williamson's blend of horror and comedy.

2. Inspired by the recent Michael Jackson hit, Weinstein renamed the picture "Scream" but kept the "Scary Movie" title for the horror-spoof franchise launched in 2000.
DREW BARRYMOREFilm 'SCREAM' (1996)Directed By WES CRAVEN18 December 1996SSI32760Allstar Collection/DIMENSION**WARNING** This photograph can only be reproduced by publications in conjunction with the promotion of the above film. For Editorial Use Only3. Horror master Wes Craven turned down the movie several times, but the director changed his mind when he learned an actress of Drew Barrymore's stature was involved. Barrymore was initially cast as heroine Sidney Prescott, but she then shifted to the smaller role of first victim Casey Becker due to her busy schedule.

4. Courteney Cox wasn't considered for newswoman Gale Weathers because producers assumed audiences wouldn't buy the "Friends" star in a bitchy role. The filmmakers considered Brooke Shields and Janeane Garofalo, but Cox assured them she could play against type.
5. The menacing phone voice of Ghostface in all the movies belongs to Roger L. Jackson, who also voices the villainous chimp Mojo Jojo on "Powerpuff Girls." During production of the first three films, none of the other actors even met Jackson but only heard his voice when talking to him on the phone; Craven thought that would make their fear more convincing.

6. Because of "Scream's" extreme violence and gore, Craven had to recut and submit it to the ratings board eight times in hope of avoiding an NC-17 rating. Craven even lied that he had no alternate, less bloody take of Barrymore's stabbing. Eventually, Weinstein persuaded the board that "Scream" deserved an R because the movie was satirizing violence, not glorifying it.
7. With the success of "Scream," the sequel was rushed into production, shooting in July 1997 for a release date that December. The haste led to a leak of the script, forcing Williamson to rewrite on set and change the identity of the killers.

8. "I hate horror movies," said Liev Schreiber, after he had played the menacing Cotton Weary in the first two installments. So why did he act in the series? Because he liked the idea of horror movies that were "in on the joke." Also, he said, "because I knew I wouldn't have to watch them. I would only have to be in them." Soon after, he signed on for "Scream 3."
9. Cox and David Arquette (Deputy Dewey Riley) met on the set of "Scream." By the time they shot "Scream 2," they were a couple off-screen. Just before the "Scream 3" shoot, they got married. When "Scream 4" was shooting in 2010, they were on the verge of splitting up.

10. The Columbine High School massacre in April 1999 made Hollywood much more sensitive, at least for a little while, about violence in teen entertainment. As a result, "Scream 3" was rewritten, taking it out of its initial high school setting, playing up the humor, and downplaying the violence.
11. Williamson proposed a second trilogy in 2008, but only got as far as "Scream 4." (Blame that film's less-than-expected box office for why the fifth and sixth films never materialized.) Weinstein instead decided to launch the MTV series in June 2015. Craven's death in August 2015 probably puts the kibosh on any more "Scream" movies.

12. Campbell initially didn't want to return for "Scream 4," and Williamson had to write Sidney out of early drafts of the script.
13. The "Scream 4" filmmakers initially offered Ashley Greene the Jill Roberts role that ultimately went to future "Scream Queens" star Emma Roberts.

14. Lauren Graham was cast as Roberts' mom, but left the shoot after just a few days. Mary McDonnell replaced her.
15. The Ghostface mask was designed by retailer Fun World in 1991, inspired (aptly) by Edvard Munch's famous painting "The Scream." It was also inspired by a figure from Gerald Scarfe's artwork from Pink Floyd's "The Wall" album and some ghost figures in an old Betty Boop cartoon.

The "Scream" franchise has reportedly made the mask, along with the ragged-edged cloak used in the films, into the best-selling Halloween costume in America.

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