Jolie’s intensity allows her to play action roles with credibility.
The full lips, the high cheekbones, the near-perfect body, the stunning self-confidence, that right leg—these are just a few of the characteristics that make Angelina Jolie one of the most exotic actresses in the world. She is gifted at her craft and she also has a conscience. With Jolie spending more of her time on charitable and political causes, there are several actresses who resemble her physically and could take over roles that may have been earmarked for her.
Sienna Miller — Miller not only has a face that is similar to Jolie’s, she also has the spunky nature to handle some of the action roles that have defined Jolie’s career. While Miller is a natural blonde, she had dark hair in “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” and showed more than enough athletic ability to mimic what Jolie does in her action movies like “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”. Like Jolie, Miller has a beautiful face and a drop-dead gorgeous body.
White House Going Down, Baby!: Once upon a time, he convinced aliens to destroy the White House. Now planetary disaster specialist Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, 2012) wants to take it down again, this time with humans. He’s in talks to direct White House Down, a hot script by hot writer James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man, Total Recall, RoboCop) that recently sold to Sony for $3 million. The project, referred to informally as ‘Die Hard at the White House,’ concerns a paramilitary takeover of the President’s modest abode. [Deadline]
Sit Down, Young Man: Having turned 1969’s Cactus Flower into last year’s Just Go With It,Adam Sandler is now ready to convert 1987’s Summer School into next year’s Fill in the Anonymous Title. Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions wants to produce the remake of Carl Reiner’s original, which starred Mark Harmon as a gym teacher forced to teach a class of misfits. The remake has been in development hell since 2005; Sandler is not attached to star, though that could change. [The Hollywood Reporter]
Redford and Watergate: Before the book All the President’s Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein was published, Robert Redford optioned the movie rights, eventually playing Woodward in Alan J. Pakula’s 1976 film version. And now, to complete the cycle, Redford will produce and narrate an ambitious documentary for the Discovery Channel. All the President’s Men Revisited aims to explore the effects of the Watergate scandal on politics and the media over the past 40 years; the doc will air next year. [New York Times]
As The Avengers continues to bring the full-on promotion ahead of its May 4th release date, Disney has just announced that Captain America 2 will hit theaters on April 4th, 2014, which is two years from yesterday. No word on where the story will take Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) this time around, or whether he'll be joined by other heroes, though the brief press release does state that Captain America 2 "will pick-up where the highly anticipated Marvel’s The Avengers (May 4, 2012) leaves off, as Steve Rogers continues his affiliation with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D and struggles to embrace his role in the modern world."
The announcement was made in conjunction with the release of a new photo of Captain America from The Avengers (see above). Captain America 2 will join Thor 2 (November 15, 2013) and Iron Man 3 (May 3, 2013) as the other announced future Marvel movies. We're expecting to hear more on Ant-Man soon as there's been recent activity on that (Marvel's Kevin Feige said there as close as they've ever been on that front), and we wouldn't be surprised if a sequel to The Avengers is announced before summer is out as well. We're also keeping our ears open for the unannounced movie Marvel has planned for May 16th, 2014. Will that be Ant-Man?
Who do you want to see Captain America square off against in the sequel?
Chris Clow is a comic book expert, retailer and contributor to Batman-On-Film.com and Modern-Myth-Media.com. When not geeking out, he is a Political Science major at Western Washington University. You can find his Dark Knight Rises Countdown column here at Movies.com every other Thursday, and his comic book reviews for various monthly titles and his participated podcasts at BOF and MMM. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisClow.
Last time on The Dark Knight Rises Countdown, I spoke a little bit about the immediate efforts followingBatman & Robin to get the character back on the silver screen. It was pretty interesting as this was all unfolding, and it was in that “limbo” era of 1998-2004 that I was starting to become aware, obsessed, and frustrated by the new efforts to get Batman back on the screen. It seemed in the late nineties that for every little tidbit of news I’d read, the longer the wait would be in between this bit and the next bit.
It was also during that era that I discovered my “home” of sorts with Jett and the gang at Batman-On-Film.
I’ll conclude the very brief look here at the pre-Nolan efforts to get Batman back on the screen before handing you off to the latest news to hit the web about The Dark Knight Rises.
2000-2002: Year One, the Misnomer
After Joel Schumacher and company had left the Batman film franchise, there were a few very notable attempts at getting another Batman film off the ground. The first was actually going to be based off of the popular television series Batman Beyond, which takes place roughly fifty years in the future. Bruce Wayne is an old man living alone in his giant palatial home, when a young man enters his life and reignites the mission of the Dark Knight. That concept might sound silly from a conceptual level, but in execution Batman Beyond was a phenomenal series that treated the source material with great reverence, and gave us some great Batman moments with both Bruce Wayne and his successor.
Batman Beyond, at one point, was going to be a feature film from Warner Bros., with writer Paul Dini and director Boaz Yakin onboard. Unfortunately, the concept never saw the light of day, as the studio instead decided to abandon Beyond in favor of a film adaptation of one of the greatest Batman stories ever told: Year One.
Now, if you look hard enough, you can find the script for Year One on the internet. Two things will strike you, if you’re a fan of the original story: The first is that Frank Miller, the original writer, helped co-write the script with the to-be director Darren Aronofsky. The second is the fact that “Batman” isn't in the title at all. With Bruce’s wealth being a secret, working in an auto repair shop, and the guardian being named “Big Al,” it’s a wonder that WB even decided to take a glance at the thing.
A couple of years later, Miller spoke about comic book films in general in an interview that can be found on the 1989 Batman film’s special edition DVD, where he said that the most successful comic book films in recent years are the ones that are truest to the source material. I wish he had taken his own observation to heart when helping to craft this story, as well as in some of his work that came later.Year One wouldn’t be adapted until last year, when the animated adaptation of the story was released by Warner Premiere and DC Entertainment.
The last major effort to create a Batman film would’ve been a shared venture between the two biggest names in the super hero genre: the Dark Knight and the Last Son of Krypton, Superman.
2002-2003: Knight vs. Light?
It doesn’t seem too often that the franchises of Superman and Batman collide, but in the early 2000s it looked like the next big Warner Bros. superhero film would be one that brought the “World’s Finest” heroes together. Automatically, this was an ambitious project since there had never really been a full-fledged superhero team-up film on the silver screen before. TheSuperman franchise, one that has historically been in even more trouble than the lowest points of the Batman franchise, would be simultaneously restarted along with the Dark Knight in hopes of lighting the way for both heroes to go onto bigger things in the future.
The plan was definitely bold. After the abandonment of J.J. Abrams’ attemptedSuperman project FlyBy, the stars had aligned and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker successfully pitched Warner Bros. the hybrid film with Wolfgang Peterson attached as director. Batman Forever andBatman & Robin alum Akiva Goldsman was hired to do rewrites before the film went into production.
Things quickly go sour while on the honeymoon when Bruce’s new wife is murdered by the Joker. When plotting his revenge against his longtime foe, Bruce is confronted by Clark, who tries to stop him from seeking revenge. As a result, Bruce’s feelings boil to the surface and in rage blame’s Clark for his wife’s death. This leads to a confrontation that spans through Gotham, Metropolis, Clark’s home town of Smallville, and beyond. Eventually, the entire plot is revealed to have been orchestrated by Lex Luthor, who has sought the simultaneous destruction of both heroes before the World’s Finest put aside their differences to stop Luthor and bring him to justice.
This false start had probably gotten the closest to actually happening, as WB went so far as to greenlight it and put it on the production schedule for early 2003 with a planned summer 2004 release. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point-of-view), Wolfgang Peterson left the project in favor of what would become 2004’s Troy. As a result, WB then decided to shelve the team-up film and move forward with FlyBy and some kind of reboot of the Batman franchise.
Then, in January of 2003 we as fans were blindsided by the news that a director named Christopher Nolan had signed on to helm a new, solo Batman film.
And that, as they say, is history. To check out a lot of the news surrounding many of the old projects up to and including Batman Begins, take a trip back in time and check out Jett’s Archives at BOF!
Now, onto the bits of news!
Rises Storybooks Coming
In late March, BOF secured a few covers from some forthcoming children’s storybooks related to The Dark Knight Rises. The two very direct titles are “I Am Bane” and “Batman vs. Catwoman.” The Catwoman cover in particular, Jett notes, provides a cool, different look at Selina Kyle’s “ball room party” outfit seen in the film’s second trailer. Check out both covers at BOF and see them in full for yourself.
Major Spoiler Hits the Web
Back on March 28th, BOF reported that a major spoiler for the film’s plot has hit several sites all over the web. Jett’s warning reads thusly:
“While the outlets that are sourcing Warner Bros. Pictures when it comes to this news -- and they'd technically be right -- Warner Bros. themselves are not commenting on the story. From where I stand, this was information that was inadvertently announced and never meant to be revealed until the film's release this summer. If you're avoiding spoilers, I'd do my best to avoid this information.”
Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure that I’m aware of what the spoiler is, which I will not divulge here. If you are trying to have as pure and untouched experience as possible when July 20th rolls around, I join Jett in advising you not to seek out this information.
Attack of the Batmobiles
Strange things were afoot recently at Bob’s Big Boy Burgers in Burbank, as some very definitive vehicles made their first ever joint appearance together in a purported special feature to be present on the Blu-ray release of The Dark Knight Rises. These were all five cinematic Batmobiles, from the 1966 classic all the way up through the destructive Tumbler. The folks at CraveOnline provided BOF with their video coverage of the event, which you can view below!
This Week in Bat-Comics:Detective Comics #8, Night of the Owls Approaches
The only major Batman comic release this week is Tony Daniel’s Detective Comics #8. This issue features the return of Professor Jonathan Crane, aka the Scarecrow, and the fear monger’s latest match of wits with the Dark Knight. Daniel’s run to me personally has been a little soft. The fact of the matter is, because it takes a slight detour from where the main story has been, this issue feels like it’s more of an intermission than a new adventure unfolding before your eyes.
The founder himself, Bill “Jett” Ramey, reviews the latest issue of Detective this week on BOF. Give it a read and see if you agree with his take!
Starting next month, though, all of the Bat-titles are going to be taking a cue from the incredible work of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s main Batman title by having the elusive Court of Owls spill into every corner of Gotham City. The Batman crossover Night of the Owlsbegins with Batman #8 and lasts through May! Check out the BOF crew’s reactions to the event when the opening shot is reviewed by the great John Bierly on BOF later this month!
That about does it for this edition of The Dark Knight Rises Countdown! Be back here in two weeks when the next installment will be ready! As always, if there’s anything you feel needs to be mentioned in a future DKR Countdown, please feel free to leave a comment and I’d be happy to consider any requests. Thanks for reading!
After Dark Films, the guys who made the After Dark Horrorfest an annual event, then branched out into original projects, is now set to move beyond things that go bump in the night.
The After Dark team is teaming up with Dark Castle Home Entertainment to launch a new line – After Dark Action.
Company president and CEO Courtney Solomon explains the rationale behind the decision.
“After many years with the Horrorfest ‘8 Films to Die For and After Dark Originals brands, we are excited to expand into the action film arena. Our mission is to create innovative, first-rate entertainment for action lovers everywhere.”
Much like the 8 Films to Die For events, After Dark Action will showcase five new action films released theatrically in a sort of “national film festival” format. The titles will hit theaters and VOD on May 11th, and will eventually wind up on DVD if things hold true to form.
The titles featured in the event may not be big budget extravaganzas, but they do feature some names action fans known and love. Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, and Cung Le are just a few of the actors starring in the films slated for release.
Here’s the full breakdown of what viewers can expect when these films blast their way into theaters this May.
Transit – Starring Jim Caviezel, James Frain, Elizabeth Rohm, Harold Perrineau and Sterling Knight; and directed by Antonio Negret and written by Michael Gilvary
Dragon Eyes – Starring Jean Claude Van Damme, Cung Le and Peter Weller; and directed by John Hyams and written by Tim Tori
Philly Kid – Starring Neal McDonough, Devon Sawa and Wes Chatham; and directed by Jason Connery and written by Adam Mervis
Stash House -- Starring Dolph Lundgren, Sean Faris, Briana Evigan and Jon Huertas; and directed by Eduardo Rodriguez and written by Gary Spinelli
El Gringo -- Starring Christian Slater, Scott Adkins and Yvette Yates, directed by Eduardo Rodriguez and written by Jonathan W. Stokes
Anything in that line-up pique your interest? Dragon Eyes has us intrigued – Van Damme, Cung Le, and Peter Weller? That could be pretty good. We are sort of surprised that the list is completely devoid of Seagal, though – seems like a huge missed opportunity. Maybe next year…
Let us know what sounds appealing to you in the comment section below.
Not happy with what you've see of The Lizard so far? Well maybe this new "wall poster" will change your mind as it gives us one of the best shots of The Lizard from this summer's The Amazing Spider-Man that we've seen thus far. The image comes from Trends International(via Coming Soon), and we're guessing this is some sort of poster you can buy and stick up on your wall to scare away potential intruders or your grandmother.
Rhys Ifans will be playing The Lizard in the film, which arrives in theaters (in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D) on July 3rd.
The United States' leading soldier Captain America will be making his way back to the big screen this summer for Joss Whedon's highly anticipated Avengers film this summer. Writers from last year's Captain America: The First Avenger, however, have been working hard on a sequel to Cap's solo debut. So far no director has been attached to the project — including Joe Johnston who oversaw the first film. Now comes news from The Playlist (via Vulture) that the studio's list of ten potential filmmakers has been shortened to a mere three — and everyone has something different to bring to the table.
So far, we know that Ocean's Twelve and Bourne Ultimatum writer (and Adjustment Bureaudirector) George Nolfi has made the cut. Also up for grabs is Italian Job and Friday directorF. Gary Gray. Finally, Welcome to Collinwood directors Joe and Anthony Russo are at the top of the list. Yep, these are three very different names, but we have to side with The Playlist and cast our vote for the Russo Brothers. Collinwood's colorful characters — brought to life by an incredible cast — thrive in their unique universe crafted by the directors (despite the film being a remake of 1958's Big Deal on Madonna Street).
According to website the directors have already won over Marvel head Kevin Feige — something pretty important considering he'll be spending the next few years working closely with the directors. No release date has been confirmed at this time, but word has it that the gang will go before cameras sometime before the end of the year. Let us know if you think the Russos would make a fine addition to Cap's canon below.
It's a bit much to say that the Total Recall remake has been long awaited, because, really, no one has been dying for a remake of Paul Verhoeven's classic memory loss spy thriller set on Mars, but since Hollywood cares not for the whims of fans, a remake was greenlit anyway, and ever since that day the curiosity levels have been creeping higher.
We've known for a good while now that the film, starring Colin Farrell in the Arnold Schwarzenegger role, wouldn't actually be set on Mars, that it was set here on Earth, and that it would be less a straight remake of the original film, and more a new take on the original Philip K. Dick source material. But of course we all know that's usually studio code for, "We wanted to remake the movie, but please don't call it a remake because that's a dirty word," hence the rising curiosity levels. Is it really not a straight remake? If not Mars, what will the future of Earth look like? Will there be another mutant lady with three boobs? These are important, need-to-know things.
Well, now we know a few of those things thanks to the first teaser trailer for the film (the full trailer will release on April 1st). We know director Len Wiseman's vision of future Earth is all flying cars and populations so dense that cities need to literally build on top of themselves. We also know that people still like jumping off of things while listening to the Inception"Bwaaaaaaooohhhm," and that Kate Beckinsale's butt still looks great in front of slow motion explosions. And, that's about it.
But what say you? Does this teaser do its job and make you want to see more? Or is looking exactly like what you feared a Total Recall remake from the director of Live Free or Die Hardwould look like?
Warner Bros. has unveiled our first clear look at the iconic S emblem logo for Zack Snyder'sMan of Steel and, well, it looks like a Superman logo. There's a bit more texture to it, a bit more swirls inlayed in its design, and the red is more sinewy in a muscular kind of way, but other than that, it's pretty much the Superman logo fans have known for generations. And we're perfectly okay with that. We'd much rather see an update with subtle tweaks than a drastic re-design, and we hope the fact that the logo does just that reflects the movie's motives as well.
But what say you? Does this image get you pumped for Man of Steel?
Last week Fandango had the online premiere of a new TV spot for The Avengers, which was most notable for two crucial reasons. We got to see Tony Stark not only brag a bit more about having The Hulk on the team, but we got to see exactly why that big green dude is worth bragging about: he smash Loki's alien army real good.
Of course, we still don't have any clear or official confirmation of who/what Loki's invading army consists of, but thanks to that new TV spot and some eagle-eyed geeks who took the time to turn clips of it into animated .gifs, we get a nice close-up look on an endless loop.
Thanks to /Film for bringing these little looped goodies to our attention. And for some moreAvengers images, do check out our set visit pieces: one and two.
Camelot 2: The Holy Grail Collector’s Edition Free
-
Camelot 2: The Holy Grail Collector’s Edition Free Download PC Game Cracked
in Direct Link and Torrent. Camelot 2: The Holy Grail Collector’s Edition
Is a ...
02.15
Unknown
Now, if you look hard enough, you can find the script for Year One on the internet. Two things will strike you, if you’re a fan of the original story: The first is that Frank Miller, the original writer, helped co-write the script with the to-be director Darren Aronofsky. The second is the fact that “Batman” isn't in the title at all. With Bruce’s wealth being a secret, working in an auto repair shop, and the guardian being named “Big Al,” it’s a wonder that WB even decided to take a glance at the thing.
The plan was definitely bold. After the abandonment of J.J. Abrams’ attemptedSuperman project FlyBy, the stars had aligned and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker successfully pitched Warner Bros. the hybrid film with Wolfgang Peterson attached as director. Batman Forever andBatman & Robin alum Akiva Goldsman was hired to do rewrites before the film went into production.
Now, onto the bits of news!
.jpg)
After Dark Films, the guys who made the After Dark Horrorfest an annual event, then branched out into original projects, is now set to move beyond things that go bump in the night.
