-
"The force is strong with this one."
The new year has brought one piece of incredible movie news after another for sci-fi fans, but none has sparked as much debate as Disney’s plans for its recently acquired Lucasfilm assets and the Star Wars movie franchise. January was dominated by questions and rumors about who would be chosen to direct the sequel to Return of the Jedi, currently titled simply Star Wars: Episode VII, with the month closing out with fiery debates over whether the man who reignited the Star Trek franchise for Paramount, J.J. Abrams, was the right choice to reignite Star Wars for Disney. Only eight days into February and the internet is practically melting down over the news that Disney is also developing solo movies featuring a young Han Solo and the mysterious bounty hunter Boba Fett.
With Star Wars on our minds, we decided that this would be a fitting time to find out how you would rank the original trilogy of movies — Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi — against other sci-fi movies of the same era. Put down those sabacc cards, pour yourself a glass of blue milk and choose the best sci-fi movies of the 1970s and '80s.
Rate the Top 10 Best Sci-Fi Movies (1970s - 1980s) >>
Posted 02.08.13 by BrentJS -
Progress on the Escape From New York seemed to moving forward last summer, with director Breck Eisner (The Crazies) being brought on board after screenwriter Allan Loeb's rewrite of the script had renvigorated the interest of New Line Pictures. Eisner admitted that he still wanted to do a "significant pass" on Loeb's script before moving forward, but apparently that pass didn't keep the momentum going because, a year later, the project is without a studio.
what happened? >> Posted 07.23.11 by Ryan -
Director Breck Eisner has been lining up projects after his remake of The Crazies gained over $50 million in worldwide box office (on a $20 million budget). Eisner has mentioned that his next project will be another remake, this time Escape from New York, based on John Carpenter's 1981 classic. The movie has been in development for years, stagnating until screenwriter Allan Loeb delivered a rewrite in February that renewed studio interest. Eisner was brought on board, but he recently told Comingsoon that production won't begin on Escape until more work is done.
Director Eisner takes a stab at current script >> Posted 06.29.10 by Ryan -
After finding success with the remake of The Crazies earlier this year, Breck Eisner is busy filling his schedule with several different projects, including a recently announced comic book adaptation of Blood of the Innocent, which pits infamous murderer Jack the Ripper against Dracula. Eisner spoke to FEARnet, explaining his interest in making the movie.
Read what Eisner said about all three movies >> Posted 06.26.10 by Ryan -
Since Breck Eisner's The Crazies remake entered theaters, Eisner — whose previous work included the 2005 dud Sahara — has become the go-to genre director, lining up an Escape From New York remake as well as a remake of 1980's Flash Gordon. Eisner isn't done, either.
The busy director is looking to add yet another genre project to his schedule, and this one isn't a remake. Eisner has his eyes on Mark Wheatley's Insight Studios comic book Blood of the Innocent.
more on this Dracula vs. Jack the Ripper tale >> Posted 06.16.10 by Ryan -
The remake of John Carpenter's 1981 classic Escape from New York got back on track in February when reports that screenwriter Allan Loeb had created a rewrite that sparked renewed interest from New Line Pictures.
While there's still no actor hired to replace Kurt Russell as the eyepatch-wearing Snake Plissken — Gerard Butler was attached but left over creative differences — but they do have a director. THR reports that Breck Eisner, who directed the remake of The Crazies, is in negotiations to direct the movie.
more on the Escape From New York remake Posted 04.25.10 by Ryan -
Plans to remake John Carpenter's 1981 classic Escape from New York have been stuck in development hell for years now, but according to New York Magazine are back on track after a new rewrite from Allan Loeb, the man responsible for rescuing the Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps script.
Like the original, the Escape From New York remake will see the island of Manhattan become a prison after being ravaged by World War III, though Loeb's solution to keep shooting costs cheaper was to make Manhattan abandoned rather than destroyed. A source explained that the remake will be "an exposé of an ecosystem, if you put a huge wall around Manhattan and then dropped in the most f**ked-up, dangerous criminals on Earth. Another change for the remake was that war-hero-turned criminal Snake Plissken will not be attempting to rescue the President but rather a female Senator, which apparently created a better situation for dialogue.
What won't change is the character of Plissken himself. In order to get the rights to the movie, New Line had to sign a contract with Carpenter that maintains that the character "must be called Snake," "must wear an eyepatch," and, most importantly, "always be a bad-ass." How much Carpenter will be involved with the remake remains to be seen. Loeb told MTV that he wasn't sure how much Carpenter will be involved.
I don't know how much John Carpenter is involved. I don't think he's involved extensively. I know I did my work without his tutelage.
While a replacement for Kurt Russell is till ongoing — Gerard Butler was attached at one point but dropped out over "creative differences" — Loeb says he would like to see Russell return in another role.
The only reason I would think [he wouldn't be involved] is if Kurt didn't want to do it. I'd be the first to jump on my computer and find the cameo for [Russell]. If [New Line] asked me to, it would be a lot of fun.
Loeb says both he and New Line see "franchise" potential with the new remake.
Posted 02.15.10 by Ryan