Jason Clarke, Kodi-Smit McPhee, Gary Oldman, And Keri Russell All Join Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

With the success of Rupert Wyatt's revival of the classic Planet of the Apes series with Rise of the Planet of Apes, a sequel was inevitable from the start of the first film. And now we are getting our sequel in the form of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, although it isn't the sequel we were expecting, it is still one to be greatly excited for. With director Rupert Wyatt having left the project, and star James Franco making it sound like he isn't returning, Dawn seems to be taking a whole new story on while still centering around Caeser (Andy Serkis). Now director Matthew Reeves (Cloverfield) has added some big names to the film including Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty), Kodi-Smit McPhee (ParaNorman), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight Rises), and Keri Russell (Felicity).

 

So from what we know so far, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set very apart from it's predecessor Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and is set to take place fifteen years in San Francisco after the events of the first film and will focus on the last human survivors of the virus introduced in the first film as well as the ape evolution itself. So basically we can plan on seeing a much more progressed evolution lead by Caeser (Andy Serkis) then in the previous film and a strong lack of humans who have been killed off by the virus, and Clarke, McPhee, Oldman, and Russell will all be playing the survivors of this catastrophe fighting on to keep their race alive.

It seems to be a very surprising move advancing so far up into the ape revolution already, with the fact that Rise of the Planet of the Apes was so well by both fans of the original series and movie goers for going back to the origin of the apes rise to power in the first place. But we probably could've seen this big change coming as soon as Rupert Wyatt left the project for creative differences with the studio (He most likely wanted to continue where the last film left off), where as Matt Reeves seems to be taking the post apocalyptic route similar to his film Cloverfield.

Whether this was the right move for the series or not we won't know till we see more from the film, but as of yet the film seems to be getting off to a great start with a very well put together cast. One of the things that I mention if my Rise of the Planet of the Apes review that I had a problem with was the strong cast that wasn't really used to their full potential in the film. While Caeser is given a lot of great character development, the humans in the film themselves, especially Franco and Pinto really didn't have much depth to them, even in comparison to other human characters played by John Lithogow and Tom Felton. With such a strong cast coming on for Dawn, we can only hope that they're used to their full potential here and more balance is set between the humans and apes of the film.

Jason Clarke is set to be playing the lead in the film, Clarke has recently proven himself in Katherine Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty and will be basically taking the spot left vacant by Franco. Kodi-Smit McPhee is a less surprising choice as he's worked with director Matt Reeves in the past on his Let Me In remake, and he's best none for his critically acclaimed performance opposite Viggo Mortensen in The Road, as well as most recently voicing the lead in ParaNorman. Gary Oldman is best known for most recently portraying Commissioner Gordon in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy has been keeping his schedule busy, recently with a role in the RoboCop remake, and he'll be portraying the head of the group of scientist in San Francisco, and the main rival of Caeser. Actress Keri Russell will be taking on the female lead, most likely as a love interest of Clarke's character, and she's most recently been seen in the FX series The Americans and in the film Dark Skies but is best known for her role as the lead in J.J. Abram's Felicity.

So what do you think of these casting choices? Are you happy with these choices or do you prefer the actors from the first film?

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will hit theaters May 23rd, 2014

Read More

Elizabeth Olsen Set For Godzilla Reboot And Bryan Cranston In Talks To Join

Just like most classics in Hollywood today, Godzilla is indeed getting a 2014 reboot, but this was seems to be well worth the remaking. Monsters director Gareth Edwards has been brought on by Legendary Pictures to make their long anticipated Godzilla reboot, with many writers working on the films script including David S. Goyer (Co-writer of The Dark Knight trilogy), Max Borenstein (The Seventh Son),  Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3), and now Frank Darabont (The Walking Dead). But as the March production date approaches, the cast for the film is now shaping up with Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass) seemingly the front runner for the lead role after Joseph Gordon-Levitt turned it down, and now Elizabeth Olsen has officially signed on with Bryan Cranston in talks to join.

The Godzilla reboot has been in production at Legendary Pictures (The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception) and will be the first Godzilla film since the 1998 Godzilla film which wasn't well received by either critics or fans. But Legendary seems to be a fitting home for the project, especially with their upcoming film Pacific Rim from Guillermo Del Toro following a similar structure to the Godzilla films of the past, and both films seem to be bringing very talented actors and directors.

Cranston has obviously been busy as Walter White/Heisenberg on AMC's critically acclaimed Breaking Bad, but he's also made a big impression in film last year starring in many films including John Carter, Red Tails, Rock of Ages, Total Recall, and the Oscar nominated Argo. It's easy to see why Edwards would be pursuing him for the part, and it's most likely his character will be some sort of military official or government officer in the battle against Godzilla, as the main character of the film who Aaron Taylor-Johnson is most likely going to play is described as being a military soldier. It wouldn't come as a surprise that Cranston isn't the only person they are eyeing for the role, as many actors including Henry Cavill (Man of Steel), Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class), and Scoot McNairy (Killing Them Softly).

Olsen on the other hand has confirmed her involvement with the film, and it's highly likely that she'll be playing the female lead of the film. Olsen has already made an impressive mark in film, starring in 2011's critically praised Martha Marcy May Marlene, as well as in this year's Silent House and Liberal Rights, and is set to star in Killing Your Darlings with fellow young talents Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan, as well as Spike Lee's Oldboy remake. At the BAFTA Awards Olsen confirmed her involvement with film calling it a "heavy drama".

With Olsen as the first confirmed cast member of the film, we should begin to see more casting updates as the film reaches it's March production date, as well as confirmation on whether Aaron Taylor-Johnson will in fact be playing the lead role, and if Cranston will in fact be in the film. Legendary Picture's Godzilla reboot is currently set for a May 16, 2014 release date.

What do you think of Olsen and Cranston starring in the Godzilla reboot? Are you looking forward to the film?

Read More

Chris Pratt Officially Set To Lead The Guardians of the Galaxy as Star-Lord

 

A superhero role can really launch a career now a days, especially if it's for a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as we've seen with Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Chris Evans. After a shortlist of actors such as John Krasinski, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jack Huston, Garrett Hedlund, Eddie Redmayne, Lee Pace, Joel Edgerton, Jim Stugress, and Zachary Levi had all been thrown around for the lead role of Peter Quill/Star-Lord in Marvel's 2014 adaption of Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation, Moneyball, Zero Dark Thirty) has officially landed the part.

Pratt is best known for his role as Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation, but most recently has made an impressive debut in film, having been in such critically acclaimed films as Moneyball and Zero Dark Thirty. Pratt will be playing the only human character on the Guardians team, which also consists of members Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket Raccoon, all roles that haven't been casted yet and may or may not be fully CGI. For these reasons, the role of Star-Lord is probably carries the most weight, having to be a charismatic and relatable character who eyes the audience can see through, and Pratt seems to fit the bill of the "ordinary ex-military pilot" on this team of intergalactic beings.

For those who don't know, Peter Quill seems to be the main character of the film according to the log line released a few months ago which goes as follows:

About a U.S. pilot who ends up in space in the middle of a universal conflict and goes on the run with futuristic ex-cons who have something everyone wants.

So now that director James Gunn (Super, Slither) has found his Star-Lord, we should see the rest of the cast for the Guardians shape up in the coming months. While names such as Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler have been rumored for Rocket Raccoon, also a more comedic character of the team, I personally can only see Rocket with the famed cockney accent Greg Ellis has brought to the character in both Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Someone such as Simon Pegg or Andy Serkis seems better suited for the role, although if Jim Carrey can nail a cockney accent I'm open to that (Not too fond of Sandler in the role though).

While characters Drax, Gamora, and Groot also remain to be cast, some bigger questions about the Guardians of the Galaxy adaption still remain unanswered, such as whether the film will be primarily CG with the exception of Star-Lord, and if other famed Guardians members such as Quasar, Adam Warlock, and Nova will be making appearances in the film, or whether they're being saved for a sequel. There's also the question of who the Guardians will be facing off against, and while many signs are pointing to Thanos, he still seems more likely to be saved for something as big as Avengers 2 than simply the Guardians film (Unless rumors that the Guardians will fail which will leave the burden of Thanos onto the Avengers is true). I guess we'll just have to see how things come about as the MCU continues to unfold with Iron Man 3 and Thor: Dark World this year, but we can expect more details on Guardians come this summer during Comic-Con: 2013. The Guardians of the Galaxy is set to hit theaters August 1, 2014.

What do you think of Chris Pratt signing on as Star-Lord? Do you have any suggestions for the other Guardian roles?

Read More

Han Solo and Boba Fett Reported To Be The First Characters Getting Solo Movies

While the news of Star Wars: Episode VII and the rest of the new trilogy have been the real focus of attention post Disney's purchase of LucasFilm, we also have the character solo spin-offs to watch out for as well. It was announced a little after the new of the next trilogy that an all new full Star Wars universe would be fleshed out on the big screen in the next couple of years, and part of this universe would be solo movies for the iconic characters of the Star Wars series. And now the latest news is that the first characters to be getting their own solo debut are none other than Boba Fett and Han Solo.

The latest we'd heard on the Star Wars planned solo movies was that Yoda would be getting his own solo film with Frank Oz keen on returning to reprise the role, and it was also reported Yoda would be a part of a Seven Samurai type film directed by Zack Snyder (Watchmen, Man of Steel). Snyder has since debunked the rumors and Disney has not yet confirmed whether Yoda will indeed be getting his own film. But now the two names coming up seem a little for likely, with both Han Solo and Boba Fett reportedly being the first two characters Disney wants to get their own films.

The Boba Fett film doesn't come as much of a surprise, having been a very popular yet mysterious character in the original Star Wars films, Fett's back story and adventures separate from the original trilogy have been an interest of many Star Wars fans. Captain America: The First Avenger director Joe Johnston has consistently brought up his interest in directing a Boba Fett film, and that was before Disney had bought LucasFilm or new films were even announced. So we can still likely see Johnston's name involved with the project in some form, and it helps that he has now established a relationship with Disney through the First Avenger. The film has already been suggested to be similar to this past years Judge Dredd reboot Dredd, which makes the idea of Karl Urban as Boba Fett come to my mind almost instantaneously.

Han Solo comes off a bit more surprising, especially the fact that the film is apparently going to follow a younger Solo between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. While Harrison Ford is presumably in negotiations to return for the new Star Wars trilogy along with the rest of the original cast, it's still unknown whether he'll actually make an appearance in a young Han Solo film, but it's not too far fetched to say he'll at least make an appearance in it similar to Ian Holm's return as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, but with Martin Freeman getting the most screen time as the younger Bilbo. While many young actors automatically have come to people's minds when a role such as a young Han Solo becomes available including Chris Pine (Star Trek), Liam Hemsworth (Hunger Games), Ian Somerholder (Vampire Diaries), Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises), Armie Hammer (The Social Network), Nicholas Hoult (Jack the Giant Slayer), Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) and even Taylor Lautner (Twilight), the main actor that's been coming up for the role is none other than Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy).

What do you think of Han Solo and Boba Fett solo movies? Do you think Garrett Hedlund would be a good young Han Solo? Do you agree with Karl Urban as Boba Fett?

Read More

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For Casts Eva Green and Stacy Keach

So far the cast that has been shaping up for Robert Rodriguez's Sin City sequel A Dame to Kill For has been filled with very impressive names. So far we know Dennis Haysbert will be replacing the late Michael Clarke Duncan as Manute, Josh Brolin has replaced Clive Owen as the post-surgery Dwight, and actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christopher Meloni, Ray Liotta, Juno Temple have all joined the cast as unspecified characters. On top of that, original cast members Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, and Mickey Rourke will all be reprising their roles from the first film. And if that wasn't impressive enough, Eva Green and Stacy Keach have now officially joined as the 'Dame' and 'Big Bad'.

For those who aren't familiar with the original Sin City film, it was based on the comic book by Frank Miller, and was a black and white film that featured four different short stories based on Miller's The Customer's Always Right, That Yellow Bastard, The Hard Goodbye, and Big Fat Kill, all involving different characters. Here's the following synopsis of the first film:

Four tales of crime adapted from Frank Miller's popular comics, focusing around a muscular brute who's looking for the person responsible for the death of his beloved Goldie, a man fed up with Sin City's corrupt law enforcement who takes the law into his own hands after a horrible mistake, a cop who risks his life to protect a girl from a deformed pedophile, and a hitman looking to make a little cash.

Now A Dame to Kill For will follow a similar format to the first one, and takes place before the first Sin City. So far the announced stories are A Dame to Kill For, Just Another Saturday Night, The Long Bad Night, and an untitled original story which is set to star Alba post the events of That Yellow Bastard. A Dame To Kill For is the primary story which follows Josh Brolin's pre-facial surgery Dwight McCarthy to save his former lover Ava Lord (The 'Dame' to kill for), who Eva Green has now officially been casted as. Green is best known for playing the bond girl in Casino Royale, and her recent role in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows as Angelique Bouchard.

Just Another Saturday Night is set to feature Mickey Rourke's Marv as the primary character on the night That Yellow Bastard took place, while The Long Bad Night is set to feature JGL's character Johnny who is a cocky gambler, who disguises a darker mission to destroy the biggest villain in Sin City at his own game. He beats the wrong guy and things take a very bad turn for him. This 'biggest villain' in Sin City is presumably Stacy Keach's character 'Big Bad' also known as Herr Wallenquist. Keach is well known for his many television roles and appearances, as well as his role in American History X.

Sin City A Dame to Kill For is now filming in Austin, Texas, and will hit theaters October 4th, 2013.

What do you think of Eva Green as Ava Lord and Stacy Keach as Herr Wallenquist? Are you excited for a Dame to Kill For?

Read More

Star Wars: Episode VII Director Search Is Over, Disney Choses J.J. Abrams

Yes the official Star Wars: Episode VII director has been announced, and I can honestly say I didn't see this one coming. After names such as Matthew Vaughn, Colin Trevorrow, Guillermo Del Toro, Brad Bird, Jon Favreau, Joe Johntson, Duncan Jones, and Joss Whedon were all either rumored or fan favorites, it turns out J.J. Abrams (Mission Impossible 3, Star Trek, Super 8) will be taking on yet another intergalactic franchise in the form of Star Wars. Abram's best known as the creator of such TV shows as Lost, Felicity, and Fringe, as well as the film Super 8 has recently become a bigger name after his well praised 2009 Star Trek reboot, and it's upcoming sequel Star Trek: Into Darkness will be crossing over to the rival series .

Abrams comes as a very unexpected choice after taking him self out of contention to the media early on when the film was first announced, having said on his twitter that he'd just be seeing the next Star Wars film as a fan. On top of that seemingly straight forward denial of involvement from him, he's also been busy working on the Star Trek film series, which is almost guaranteed to have a third film. While Abrams has now directed his attention to the Episode VII, he will still be involved with the Trek franchise, but don't expect him to be in the director's chair by the time Star Trek 3 rolls around.

The news comes a bit bitter sweet, although it's very exciting to see someone as talented and well known as Abrams taking on the next Star Wars film, many of us had hoped he'd finish of the Trek series till the end, and switching to it's long known competitor is a bit frustrating for some fans. None the less Abrams heading the new film is very reliving, having already brought us many fun sci-fi action films, and always choosing very talented actors for any of his projects, Abrams really has all the qualities we need from the next Star Wars director.

LucasFilm has released the following statement on Abram's getting the job:

J.J. Abrams will direct Star Wars: Episode VII, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to come from Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy. Abrams will be directing and Academy Award-winning writer Michael Arndt will write the screenplay.

“It’s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie,” said Kennedy. “J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.”

George Lucas went on to say “I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller.  He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

“To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor,” J.J. Abrams said. “I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.

Episode VII will also be produced by Abrams and his collaborator Bryan Burk, as well as his production company Bad Robot. It's also been revealed that screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back) and Simon Kinberg (X-Men: First Class, Sherlock Holmes) will be serving as consultants for the film alongside Lucas himself. As for whether Abrams will be staying on for the whole new trilogy, or if so who will be taking the rains of the Star Trek franchise post Into Darkness, there's still no word but it more information should develop as we approach the release of Star Trek: Into Darkness May 17th.

How do you feel about J.J. Abrams directing Star Wars: Episode VII? Would you have preferred someone else?

Read More

Is Joseph Gordon-Levitt Our Next Dark Knight Or Marvel's Star-Lord?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt. From block busters such as The Dark Knight Rises and Looper to the instant classic Inception, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a bright future ahead of him in terms of his film career. Recently there has news from Variety that is JGL testing out for the role of "Star-Lord" in Marvel and James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy. This is where the conflict begins because Levitt's recently been rumored to reprise his role as John Blake in DC's Justice League film as the new Batman. But does this news mean there's no hope for seeing JGL reprise his role in any future DC films?

DC's recent movie The Dark Knight Rises led us to believe that JGL's role as a rookie cop John Blake would be transformed into either Batman, Robin, or Nightwing due to him entering Bruce Wayne's Batcave towards the end of the film. But they never really say or show what he found in the Batcave so it is led to be inconclusive. Some fans of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy believe that he should portray the next Batman in the Justice League film, and the thought of JGL going up for the role of Star-Lord would be a bit surprising as he'd now be devoting himself to a job as both DC AND Marvel heroes.

So the question remains what role would be better for JGL? Batman or Star-Lord? If JGL decided that he's  going to play Batman, Robin, or Nightwing in the Justice League movie or in any future Batman films it could potentially set him up for a series of movies and would surely benefit his career. But what if JGL isn't right for the role of Batman? JGL has recently beefed up more for athletic roles, but Batman is usually portrayed as a much taller man than Levitt who's only 5 "10 where is Christian Bale was six foot. While he has gotten the physique more down for the role of Batman and less for those of Robin or Nightwing, JGL still seems just to young to be the Batman we all know and love. And of course there's also the fact that if John Blake is Batman, then we'll never be able to see Bruce Wayne as a member of the League, and he's had great character development and relationships with teammates that we won't ever be able to see on screen. So I say stick with Bruce Wayne as Batman and not John Blake, and if Christian Bale really isn't coming on board then Andrew Lincoln best known as Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead would be a great choice.

So now it comes down to Star-Lord. Numerous actors have been rumored for the part recently with names such as Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables), Joel Edgerton (Warrior), Jim Strugress (Cloud Atlas), Lee Pace (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), Michael Rossenbaum (Smallville), James Marsden (X-Men), Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), Sullivan Stapleton (Ganster Squad)and Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) have all been rumored for the part of the Guardians of the Galaxy leader and James Gunn's adaption. It's assumed that they will be looking for an actor around the age of most of Marvel's other leading men including Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth, and not so much on the older end of the spectrum with Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. Levitt seems to fit the bill very well, and the character of Peter Quill/Star-Lord in the film is said to be a US Pilot and we can also assume that they'd be looking for an actor that can still bring a humorous element to the character similar to characters in James Gunn's other films.

So what role do you prefer Joseph Gordon-Levitt in? Star-Lord, Batman, or neither?

Read More