The Big Bang Theory renewed for another three seasons

March 12, 2014, 12:46 pm

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Fans of The Big Bang Theory rejoice! The hit U.S. sitcom has been renewed for a further three seasons by CBS, meaning that the show will air at least until 2017, at which point it will have reached its tenth season.

The series is currently in its seventh season, and has been pulling in record viewers for CBS, while stars Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar are currently in negotiations about extending their contracts with what will surely be wallet-bursting deals for Warner Bros. Television.

"Comedy is a big part of our schedule, and The Big Bang Theory is the biggest comedy force on television," said CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler. "This multi-year deal further strengthens our network’s position for future seasons and marks another chapter in the great partnership CBS enjoys with Warner Bros. Television for delivering audiences the best in comedy. We’re proud to work with and showcase the incredible talents of Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro and this amazing cast every week."

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See The Flash in action in latest set photos and video

March 12, 2014, 1:33 pm

≫ Next: Jesse Plemons, John Boyega and Ed Speleers in contention for Star Wars: Episode VII lead

≪ Previous: The Big Bang Theory renewed for another three seasons

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Yesterday we got our first look at Grant Gustin's Barry Allen in full costume as The Flash thanks to an official image from The CW's Arrow spin-off, and now we've got a batch of set photos and video of the Scarlett Speedster in action during filming of the pilot episode, along with a snap of Candice Patton (The Game) as Iris West; check them out courtesy of CBM....

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The Flash also stars Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order) as Detective West, Patrick Sabongui (Almost Human) as David Singh, Danielle Panabaker (Friday the 13th) as Caitlin Snow / Killer Frost, Rick Gosnett (The Vampire Diaries) as Eddie Thawne, Broadway star Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon / Vibe, Michelle Harrison (Emily Owens, MD) as Nora Allen, Tom Cavanagh (Ed) as Harrison Wells, and original Flash star John Wesley Shipp in an as-yet-unrevealed mystery role.

Jesse Plemons, John Boyega and Ed Speleers in contention for Star Wars: Episode VII lead

March 12, 2014, 1:45 pm

≫ Next: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series - Season 1, Episode 1 Review

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With Star Wars: Episode VII having secured its villain in Girls star Adam Driver, Variety is reporting that several actors are now battling it out for the lead role in the eagerly-anticipated return to a galaxy far, far away. According to the site, Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Ed Speleers (Downton Abbey) and theatre actors Matthew James Thomas and Ray Fisher head J.J. Abrams' wishlist for the lead.

Apparently, the original draft from Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) would have focussed on the offspring of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), although those characters are said to have been relegated to supporting roles in Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan's rewrite, with the director wanting a more diversified cast. Instead, the lead role is said to be a Jedi apprentice, who will presumably be training under Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).

What do you make of these latest names to be linked to Star Wars: Episode VII and who would you like to see taking on the lead?

From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series - Season 1, Episode 1 Review

March 12, 2014, 2:31 pm

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Luke Owen takes a look at the pilot episode for From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series....

You know From Dusk Till Dawn? That 1996 movie with the vampires in the bar in Mexico? Well, you know the first ten or so minutes of that movie? Stretch that out over 45 and you have the pilot episode of Robert Rodriguez's television adaptation of his own work, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series.

After premiering last night on Rodriguez's El Ray Network, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series debuted on Netflix and Amazon today and shows off just what we can expect from the show. Rodriguez himself has said that the idea is to expand upon the characters from the movie by fleshing out their backstories with the infamous Titty Twister bar coming into play midway through the season. With that in mind, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series is a rousing success, if a little unnecessary.

As aforementioned, the pilot is essentially a remake of the first ten minutes of the original movie as the Gecko Brothers hold up Benny's World of Liquor while on their way to the Mexico border. Seth (D.J. Cotorona) remains the calmer of the two while Ritchie (Zane Holtz) is slightly more unhinged and added to his character this time round is the ability to "see what others can't". What this means he gets visions of their hostages as monsters rather than just them saying lewd things about what they'd like to do to him. In essense, this is perhaps to replace the lack of vampires that won't show up until mid-season, but it's an effective addition to his character. Furthermore, the expansion of time also allows Rodriguez to flesh out Sheriff Earl McGraw (Don Johnson) and introduce us to his partner Freddie Gonzalez (Jesse Garcia).

However, the backstory expansion for McGraw is really only relative to those who were fans of the movie in the first place. And, really, it's only for those who cared enough to know more about him. His death isn't anymore impactful here than it was in the movie. Plus, outside of some character additions, will this series really add anything new to a story we all saw nearly 20 years ago? It does raise the question of whether this show is just Robert Rodriguez stroking his own ego by making us watch something we can watch in 90 minutes spread out and expanded on a weekly basis.

There is something that does save the show from being a totally pointless exercise though: it's awesome.

From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series is really, really great. This pilot is a wonderfully and masterfully put together show with excellent writing, beautiful camera work with some outstanding performances. Trying to replace George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino as the Gecko Brothers was not going to be an easy task, but both Cotorana and Holtz do impeccable jobs. The writing certainly helps, but Cotorana's smooth and cool delivery of his lines is a joy to watch and Holtz plays Ritchie just as Tarantino did (by way of Crispin Glover) without being an out and out copy. The pair deserve high commendations for taking on these roles and never feeling overshadowed by the performances that came before them. The tension builds throughout and Robert Rodriguez never loses focus, even when dropping in nightmarish visions of monsters, with the final shootout of the episode is simply spectacular. There is a common conception at the moment that TV shows are becoming more entertaining and better made than some movies, and this is yet another example.

You could argue that From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series is a fruitless endeavour, and in part you might be right. But if the series can keep up this level of brilliance, then it will be a fantastic show. Perhaps Robert Rodriguez would have been better off telling a new story with new characters set within the familiar world (you know, like the sequels) but the fleshing out of pre-existing characters and clever additions might just make this a success. There isn't just one element that made this pilot work, it was everything coming together. Let's just hope they can keep up the pace.

Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth's co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.

The Amazing Spider-Man producers discuss their plans for The Sinister Six and Venom spin-offs

March 12, 2014, 2:36 pm

≫ Next: Gareth Edwards talks Godzilla at SXSW

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As Sony prepares to unleash The Amazing Spider-Man 2, producers Matt Tolmach and Avi Arad are busy plotting the expansion of the studio's Marvel franchise with spin-off movies for The Sinister Six and Venom, and during a chat with SFX the duo have revealed a little about their plans to develop a fully-fledged Spidey movie universe.

"It’s a challenge in every sense," said Tolmach with regards to The Sinister Six. "Obviously questions of traditional hero/villain dynamics have to be looked at. At the same time it’s an awesome challenge, because some of the greatest characters are in fact villains, and how you construct that is so much fun. People love those bad characters if they’re good bad characters, and love to watch them. And nobody’s all good, nobody’s all bad, and so where we end up with that story, I think, is a really awesome challenge, and we all smile when we think about what you can do. It’s definitely a bad-ass group of people and I think it’s going to be a ton of fun to watch them."

Meanwhile Arad offered a few thoughts on Venom and how they plan to position the fan favourite as an antihero: "Venom hated only one guy – Spider-Man. He wasn’t innately bad, he was a shortcut guy, not really into fighting hard for achievement. That’s the Venom story. Can he also be a good guy? As you know, Venom was also called ‘lethal defender of the innocent’. We had a great history with him, especially caring for the homeless, which is a very sensitive issue and something that many of us are very concerned with. Our villains all represent a different side of the misunderstood, and some of them unfortunately turned to the dark side. Venom happened to be a phenomenal character. With Eddie Brock, or if you do Flash Thompson, it doesn’t matter who is going to be inside the suit – what’s important is that a man like him is going to realize there comes a time when you wake up in the morning and say ‘How did I get here? There must be a better way.'"

It's still early days for both movies, with Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) busy writing The Sinister Six and Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinker (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) working on Venom. Meanwhile the franchise will continue with the release of The Amazing Spider-Man sequel, which swings into cinemas on April 18th in the UK and May 2nd in the States followed by The Amazing Spider-Man 3 in 2016 and The Amazing Spider-Man 4 in 2018.

Gareth Edwards talks Godzilla at SXSW

March 12, 2014, 2:54 pm

≫ Next: Robert Rodriguez says From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series is better than the movie

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The King of the Monster's return to the big screen for the first time in 10 years in almost upon us and Gareth Edwards answered a few questions yesterday at SXSW about Godzilla.

In an interview with Variety discussing the film's tone, "probably one of the important things I felt about this film was that the characters at the heart of the story shouldn’t be superheroes," the Monsters director said. "They should be everyday relatable people. In the Spielberg movies they found that holy grail, the sweet spot of having the epic spectacle, but also relatable and emotional characters. Those events change and affect the characters, but the idea of someone blatantly saving the day becomes quite predictable. The events are real harrowing and present a life-changing scenario, so we just tried to take it really serious."

Edwards also talked about the pressures of making a movie about such an iconic character, ""As much pressure as the fans put on you, the studio put on you, nothing equals the amount of pressure I put on myself. You only live once and this is a once in a multiple lifetime opportunity, so I don’t want to screw it up. But you also shouldn’t make a film for other people, you should make something you want to sit and watch that gives you goosebumps. I went from a really low budget movie to this massive tentpole Hollywood movie. I was genuinely nervous, hearing these horror stories of filmmakers losing control and the studio taking over and everybody said, look at movies like this that you respect and see which studios made them. Legendary and Warner had a very high score, very filmmaker-friendly."

In previous interviews, writer Frank Darabont talked about how Godzilla became Clifford The Big Red Dog during the late 1960s and 70s due to the rise of Tokusatsu television and how he wanted to return to the characters's dark and gritty 1954 routes. Edwards says, "No, it is a standalone movie that is inspired by the original and we worked with Toho, who produced that film. [Godzilla is] neither [good or evil]. He’s restoring the balance to nature. We’ve taken an absurd position on the planet as this alpha predator and the movie suggests, what happens if we weren’t top dog. He comes along and puts us in our place. If you try and pick a fight with nature, you’re going to lose. But the film does take itself very seriously. I could have made a cheesy popcorn version and it probably would have done well, but that’s not what we were looking for."

And lastly, he discussed how CGI is changing in cinema, "I call it CGI fatigue and you can get it quite easily in these kind of movies, when you are constantly throwing every visual you can at the screen. You climax quickly, then reach a plateau. It’s the same with photography. I’m always about trying to find new perspectives on the event that give you a moment of quiet, somewhere to go with the movie. It’s so easy to peak with these films then you get stuck as a filmmaker. I think basically there’s this CGI trend that is going to be over soon."

It was over like 10 years ago" Edwards continues. "We had this big excitement and sort of a honeymoon period. It felt like Jurassic Park opened the floodgates and we worked through the list and checked off the boxes. We went through the list quite a few years ago. Now, it’s new territory to go back to proper storytelling and cinematic storytelling in terms of showing restraint and subtly, teasing the audience and being suspenseful as well. I know it’s very easy to just get fatigued with set pieces. That was something I was really careful about. I’m trying my hardest try to build the big moment in such a way that the audience will climax right the end of the movie and then we hit the credits."

Godzilla is released on May 16th and features Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass 2), Elizabeth Olson (Martha Marcy May Marlene) and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad).

Robert Rodriguez says From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series is better than the movie

March 12, 2014, 3:08 pm

≫ Next: Twilight Zone 3 3/4 action figures coming from Bif Bang Pow!

≪ Previous: Gareth Edwards talks Godzilla at SXSW

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Premiering last night on El Ray Network and debuting today on Netflix and Amazon, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series is getting some praise from those who have seen it (read our review here).

In an interview with Screen Rant, Rodriguez had some interesting things to say about the show as well as the 1996 movie it's based on, "The series is a crime saga with supernatural elements so you have to feel that from the very beginning, but it works much better because it’s the novel version so there are ties," he said. "Everyone’s supposed to get to that bar. Everyone’s destined to get there, and when they get there, because they don’t even get there until like halfway through the season, it’s so emotional when you get there, and you know what’s gonna happen and you know that everyone’s tied to it and it’s their destiny. Even the girl who comes out with the snake means so much now because you've gotten glimpses of her already. It’s really powerful, and I really like this version more than the film."

Rodriguez also discussed the genesis of the project, "Really early on, I just thought this would be a really great show to do, he said. "Ever since we finished the movie, there’s a last shot that I put in that wasn't in the script where the camera pulls back and you see that the bar was on top of an Aztec temple. People always loved that tease, thinking, ‘Is there a sequel that’s gonna follow this up,’ and we never did. And I've had that matte painting on my wall for 18 years, and I always thought, 'I wanna do something with that.' I didn't know what. I didn't know it’d be TV until I got this network."

From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series can be seen on El Ray Network, Netflix and Amazon.

Twilight Zone 3 3/4 action figures coming from Bif Bang Pow!

March 12, 2014, 3:21 pm

≫ Next: Chris Evans is the latest Avenger to praise Joss Whedon's script for Age of Ultron

≪ Previous: Robert Rodriguez says From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series is better than the movie

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First broadcast in 1959, The Twilight Zone captured the imagination of millions and has been called one of the finest television series ever made. Toy company Bif Bang Pow! have been pumping out action figures and collectables from classic moments of the show and now they've released images of their latest series.

From the press release:

World-renowned manufacturer Bif Bang Pow! announced a creative partnership with ZICA Toys in conjunction with David Lee, makers of high-quality retro-style toys and action figures, to produce a line of "The Twilight Zone" 3-3/4-inch retro action figures scheduled to ship in the fall of 2014.

The collection will focus on some of the most iconic characters from "The Twilight Zone" series, including William Shatner's nervous airline passenger Bob Wilson and the Gremlin that wants him to crash, both from the terrifying episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"; the sly alien Kanamit from "To Serve Man"; the Invader from Agnes Moorehead's "The Invaders" episode; Burgess Meredith's avid reader Henry Bemis from "Time Enough at Last"; and Talky Tina, the doll that spells doom for Telly Savalas in the "Living Doll" episode.

Check out the figures below and pre-order them from Entertainment Earth.

What do you think of The Twilight Zone 3 3/4 figures?

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Chris Evans is the latest Avenger to praise Joss Whedon's script for Age of Ultron

March 12, 2014, 4:04 pm

≫ Next: Neil Gaiman talks about the Sandman movie adaptation

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We've already heard praise towards Joss Whedon's script from Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) this week, and now it's the turn of Chris Evans (Captain America) to big up the screenplay for The Avengers: Age of Ultron as the cast gears up to start principal photography on the eagerly-anticipated sequel.

"[The Age of Ultron script] is great. It’s great" Evans told Collider during a press interview for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. "But I’ll tell you this: every time I've read a Marvel script, they surpass it. You read it and you’re like, 'Well this is gonna be great,' and then they make it and it’s even better. The script is great, it’s great. So if that’s any indication, I think we’re in for a good movie."

The Avengers: Age of Ultron is set for release on May 1st 2015, with Evans, Hemsworth and Johansson joining Marvel veterans Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Mark Ruffalo (The Incredible Hulk), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Paul Bettany (JARVIS / The Vision) alongside new additions Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass 2) as Quicksilver, Elizabeth Olsen (Oldboy) as the Scarlet Witch, James Spader (The Blacklist) as Ultron and Thomas Kretschmann (Dracula) as Baron Strucker.

Neil Gaiman talks about the Sandman movie adaptation

March 12, 2014, 7:30 pm

≫ Next: Adrian Pasdar cast as Glenn Talbot in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

≪ Previous: Chris Evans is the latest Avenger to praise Joss Whedon's script for Age of Ultron

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Neil Gaiman looks as if he is rather optimistic about the upcoming adaptation of  his his classic comic book series Sandman and is impressed with the creative team behind the project in Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David S. Goyer.

During a Q&A, Gaiman said of the film adaptation, "Joseph Gordon-Levitt, of all people, is an enormous Sandman fan. He and David Goyer talked about it, we’ve come I believe with a treatment of what they want the story of the first movie to be. They are talking to an incredible writer (Jack Thorne), who I coincidentally already knew. He did the movie script for The Ocean at the End of the Lane, so I’ve met him and loved his treatment of my work. And Wednesday afternoon I will be spending with Levitt and talking Sandman. That pretty much everything I know."

So Gaiman is excited for the prospect of a Sandman franchise and it looks as if the studio is confident of a movie series. Do you share this excitement?

Adrian Pasdar cast as Glenn Talbot in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

March 12, 2014, 8:00 pm

≫ Next: Two more Daily Bugle viral articles for The Amazing Spider-Man 2

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It's been announced that former Heroes star and regular Marvel animation voice actor Adrian Pasdar (Avengers Assemble) is set to appear in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the role of Glenn Talbot, the U.S. military Major who has spent much of his comic book career hunting The Incredible Hulk alongside General Thunderbolt Ross.

"In the same way that Iron Man [in Marvel’s Avengers Assemble] came up," states Pasdar when asked by Marvel.com how he secured the role of Talbot. "I got a call from my good friend, [Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Executive Producer] Jeph Loeb. “Would you come and do this role?” and I read the character description and I thought, 'Oh man. Here it is again. The sanctimonious [jerk]. That’s what they’re coming to me for.' [laughs] His way’s the only way! I said, 'Jeph, are you trying to tell me something?' He said, 'No, not at all! Nobody can play this quite like you, but no.' [laughs] So he came to me and I said yes... As willing as I am to jump when Jeph calls, there had to be a little bit more in it than just an episode for me. So I can’t say much more but the mustache is in a locker and it’s being taken out and prepped as we speak for next week. Every show needs a jerk, [and] I guess I’m that guy. I make everybody else look so nice. I think it was Walt Disney who said it, 'The show’s only as good as the bad guy is bad.'"

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs on Tuesdays on ABC.

Two more Daily Bugle viral articles for The Amazing Spider-Man 2

March 12, 2014, 8:30 pm

≫ Next: Rooney Mara cast as Tiger Lily in Joe Wright's Pan

≪ Previous: Adrian Pasdar cast as Glenn Talbot in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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After dropping another post earlier in the week [see here], Sony's Daily Bugle viral site has now updated with another two viral articles in support of the upcoming solo sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - the first of which speculates over Spidey's origin, while the second concerns the comic book villain Big Man and his Enforcers...

The Five Borough Blog

We asked our readers how they thought Spider-Man got his powers. You answered by email, text, blog, and even a brick through the window (please refrain from that in the future). Here’s what you had to say:

Lashawn F., Soho

Spider-Guy’s probably suffering from some diseases, I bet, like Arachno Syndrome, or Tarantulitis (my little brother came up with those, he’s mad funny)! He climbs walls, he shoots webs, and he eats bugs. He can never show his face cause he’s probably got fly-eyes or something. You know, you all should leave the poor guy alone! He’s not an insect; he’s a man. Or both, he’s a mansect! (I came up with that one!!!!)

Is Spider-Man an alien from another planet? Are his webs natural or supernatural? Your thoughts, your words, your paper! Submit here! Contributors who are chosen for print get a $20 Gift Card to Sal and Angelo’s Pizzeria in Mott Haven. Please limit submissions to less than 150 words.

The Big Man Wins Big, by Frederick Foswell

Despite the fun, innocent acronym, DUMBO, Brooklyn was the scene of an old-fashioned gun battle today when factions of the Russian mob and The Big Man’s gang escalated their ongoing war for control of the city’s organized crime, culminating in a dramatic shootout along Jay Street that left three dead and the police scrambling for answers.

Despite the tragic outcome, police found a silver lining as security camera footage captured the first visual confirmation of the reputed Big Man leaving the scene with his crew (the Enforcers). Police spokesman, Major Crimes Unit Sergeant Stan Carter, said the image would not be revealed to the general public until the department’s analysis of the footage was completed.

Sources indicate that the video footage confirmed the involvement of the Big Man’s Enforcers, including Fancy Dan Brito, Jackson Montana Brice and Raymond “The Ox” Bloch, all of whom were out on bail from previous criminal charges. The police identified the victims as Anatoly Melikov, Gennady Panarin, and Evgeny Teryoshin, all reputed members of Alexsei Sytsevich’s Brighton Breach crew.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is set for release on April 18th in the UK and on May 1st in North America, with returning stars Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker / Spider-Man), Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy), Sally Field (Aunt May), Chris Zylka (Flash Thompson), Campbell Scott (Richard Parker), Embeth Davidtz (Mary Parker), Martin Sheen (Ben Parker) and Denis Leary (George Stacy) joined by new additions Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained) as Electro, Dane DeHaan (Chronicle) as Harry Osborn, Paul Giamatti (12 Years a Slave) as The Rhino, Chris Cooper (American Beauty) as Norman Osborn, Colm Feore (Thor) as Donald Menken, Marton Csokas (The Lord of the Rings) as Dr. Kafka, B.J. Novak (The Office) as Alistair Smythe, and Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) and Sarah Gadon (Cosmopolis) in as yet unrevealed roles.

Rooney Mara cast as Tiger Lily in Joe Wright's Pan

March 13, 2014, 12:16 am

≫ Next: Olivia Wilde joins Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese's rock and roll HBO drama

≪ Previous: Two more Daily Bugle viral articles for The Amazing Spider-Man 2

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara has signed on to play Tiger Lily in Warner Bros.' upcoming live-action Peter Pan origin tale Pan, which is being directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Anna Karenina).

The lead role of Peter Pan is to be filled by an unknown actor, with Warner Bros. holding open casting calls for boys aged 10 - 12. Meanwhile, Hugh Jackman (Prisoners, X-Men: Days of Future Past) is set to play the villain Blackbeard, with Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy, Inside Llewyn Davis) also starring as Hook.

Pan is set for release on July 17th 2015, where it will face stiff competition from Marvel's first Phase Three offering Ant-Man.

Olivia Wilde joins Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese's rock and roll HBO drama

March 13, 2014, 12:20 am

≫ Next: Movie Review - Need for Speed (2014)

≪ Previous: Rooney Mara cast as Tiger Lily in Joe Wright's Pan

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Olivia Wilde (House) has joined Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese’s upcoming rock and roll pilot for HBO. The as-yet-unnamed drama follows the sex and drug fuelled music business in 1970's New York based upon an idea by The Rolling Stones lead singer Jagger.

It has already been confirmed that Boardwalk Empire star Bobby Cannavale will play record executive Richard Finestra, who tries to rebuild his label amid the advent of punk and disco. Wilde revealed on Twitter that she “could not be more psyched” about landing the role of Cannavale’s wife.

Scorsese will direct the pilot episode which is written by The Wolf of Wall Street collaborator Terence Winter, who will produce alongside Scorsese and Jagger, with George Mastras (Breaking Bad) serving as executive producer.

Movie Review - Need for Speed (2014)

March 13, 2014, 12:20 am

≫ Next: Chris McKay to direct The LEGO Movie sequel

≪ Previous: Olivia Wilde joins Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese's rock and roll HBO drama

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Need for Speed, 2014.

Directed by Scott Waugh.
Starring Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Dakota Johnson, and Michael Keaton.

SYNOPSIS:

After being framed for his best friend’s death a street racer leaves prison and travels cross country to prove his innocence.

I love a good popcorn movie and hope that I have not yet succumbed to movie snobbery, thus I jumped on the opportunity to review Need for Speed. It sounded and looked like and action packed, car chase filled bit of cinema. There are definitely car chases but action packed this film is not. For a film trying to sell us on a title like Need for Speed it is dreadfully slow and torturous.

The plot has us following Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), engineer and street racer who runs his Dad’s old garage and can’t afford to pay his Pa’s old loans. He takes an offer to spruce up a car from old rival Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper) who left their small time town in upstate New York to become a big time racer and, of course, stole Tobey’s girlfriend in the process. This all goes awry when, in a street race, Dino ends up killing Tobey’s best friend and Tobey ends up doing time for it. This set up of the movie takes over half an hour.

After this the movie does begin to liven up and we see Tobey, getting hold of the car he originally spruced up through the buyer of the car’s (very English) assistant Julia Maddon (Imogen Poots) and heading cross country to get his revenge and prove his innocence by participating in a race- on the other side of the country- hosted by the mysterious Monarch (Michael Keaton).

Need for Speed takes a while to really get going as evidenced by the very slow build up. That whole section could really have been done in around 10-12 minutes and the audience wouldn’t have lost out at all. The screenplay is totally ridiculous with Poots’ character starting off as seemingly icy and possibly strong female lead, to ending up as just another love interest in Hollywood’s disregard for female characters. This is not Poots’ fault and she tries her damndest to make something of her character.

Aaron Paul does a good enough job with the rubbish he’s been given, somehow managing to make us care about his characters misfortune using the range of emotions he so well used in Breaking Bad. He holds together a plot that is choppy, has no flow and does it’s best to insult the audience’s intellect. His ‘crew’ are totally forgettable and besides the guy who’s flying the plane I have no idea why they’re actually there. Cooper plays a douchey, rich guy who doesn’t really have much to do but just be a douchey, rich guy. Michael Keaton is given ridiculous dialogue which he delivers ridiculously.

The films true saving grace is the excellent stunt work and the angles in which they are captured. You’ll get enough awesome cars doing awesome things, all refreshingly with no CGI work.

Seeing a Mustang do some of the things they pull off, with some of the close calls, is good for those who love watching these kinds of things.

Need for Speed was probably intended to start a franchise akin to the Fast and Furious films, but lacks the self-awareness of those films to launch anything like that. Combine all the above with a score and soundtrack that’s more ‘feel good’ than ‘feel AWESOME’ and you get a 2 hour and 10 minutes of silly plot, some good stunts and what can only be called a wasted opportunity.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Matt Spencer-Skeen

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Chris McKay to direct The LEGO Movie sequel

March 13, 2014, 12:21 am

≫ Next: More from Michael Wilkinson on the costumes for Batman vs. Superman

≪ Previous: Movie Review - Need for Speed (2014)

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Warner Bros. wasted little time in giving the go ahead to a sequel to The LEGO Movie, kicking off development before this year's animated smash hit even opened in cinemas, and now Deadline has revealed that Chris McKay will take over from Phil Lord and Chris Miller to direct the 2017 follow-up.

McKay is no stranger to the world of The LEGO Movie, having served as co-animation director on the first movie. Lord and Miller will remain involved in a producing capacity with Dan Lin and Roy Lee, while Jared Stern (The Internship, Mr. Popper's Penguins) and Michelle Morgan (Middle of Nowhere, Girl Most Likely) will write the script.

The LEGO Movie sequel is set for release on May 26th, 2017.

More from Michael Wilkinson on the costumes for Batman vs. Superman

March 13, 2014, 12:28 am

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Earlier this week an image arrived online, claiming to be a leaked picture of Ben Affleck as Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel Batman vs. Superman. Seeing as we've not received any nasty letters from Warner Bros. demanding its removal upon pain of death, it's almost certain that said image is a fake.

So, while we're yet to see the suits for Batman, Superman (Henry Cavill) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), we've sure heard plenty about them, particularly from costume designer Michael Wilkinson (300, Watchmen), and now the Oscar-nominee has offered more insight into his work on the eagerly-anticipated sequel during an interview with Esquire, although as usual he's not giving much away:

On Batman: "I talked a lot with Zack Snyder. He has such a great vision for this film, the cinematic universe that we're creating together with the production designer and the cinematographer. It has a logic to it. It's very tight. It's a very gritty, real, contemporary world. That's what I had in the back of my mind when I tried to think of a Batman that works for that universe."

On Superman: "We're doing a few tweaks to the Superman suit. We want to make sure, again, that it's updated and feels fresh and right for this installment of Zack Snyder's comic-book universe."

On Wonder Woman: "I think there's a huge responsibility we all feel about Wonder Woman. She hasn't been on the big screen in a movie ever. She's been on TV, of course, with the legendary Linda Carter. She's been drawn a million different ways in graphic novels and comic books so we're really sinking ourselves into that culture and educating ourselves about her backstory and really thinking hard about a Wonder Woman who is contemporary and reverberates with modern audiences."

And, the burning question... when might we see the suits?

"I'm not sure what Warner Brothers has planned for that. I know last time when we worked on Man of Steel we released an image of the Superman suit well before the movie was released. That gives us a chance to really control that shot, to light it and make it look exactly how we want it to look. I'm sure they're going to release them well before the film."

So, rest easy. We'll see the suits before opening day, May 6th 2016.

Promo and clips from ABC's Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe

March 13, 2014, 12:29 am

≫ Next: First look at Matt Ryan as Constantine

≪ Previous: More from Michael Wilkinson on the costumes for Batman vs. Superman

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Next Tuesday, ABC is set to air a one-hour special entitled Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe which will delve into the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as giving us new footage from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and our first look at the eagerly-anticipated sequel The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Following last night's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., ABC aired a promo for the documentary, and you can check it out right here along with a clip...

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Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe airs on ABC on Tuesday, March 18th.

First look at Matt Ryan as Constantine

March 13, 2014, 12:36 am

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Earlier this week we got our first look at Grant Gustin as the title character in The CW's Arrow spin-off The Flash, and now we've also got our first look at another DC character in John Constantine, with NBC releasing an official behind-the-scenes image from the Constantine pilot featuring Matt Ryan (Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior) in costume as the supernatural detective....

Constantine has been developed for TV by David S. Goyer (Man of Steel) and Daniel Cerone (The Mentalist), with Neil Marshall (The Descent, Game of Thrones) directing a pilot that sees Ryan joined in the cast by Harold Perrineau (Lost), Lucy Griffiths (Winter's Tale), and Charles Halford (True Detective).

Intense new red band trailer for Sabotage starring Arnold Schwarzenegger

March 13, 2014, 1:40 am

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Open Road Films has debuted an intense new red band trailer for the upcoming action thriller Sabotage, which sees Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Last Stand) leading a cast that includes Sam Worthington (Avatar), Terrence Howard (The Best Man Holiday), Joe Manganiello (True Blood), Harold Perrineau (Lost), Olivia Williams (Dollhouse), Mireille Enos (World War Z), Josh Holloway (Lost), and Max Martini (Pacific Rim).

In SABOTAGE Arnold Schwarzengger leads an elite DEA task force that takes on the world’s deadliest drug cartels. When the team successfully executes a high-stakes raid on a cartel safe house, they think their work is done – until, one-by-one, the ten members mysteriously start to be eliminated.

Check out the new trailer here...


Sabotage is directed by David Ayer (End of Watch) and hits cinemas on May 9th.