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Scheduling might not be the only reason that Warner Bros. moved the release date for Jack the Giant Killer to next summer (from this summer) when it put the 2013 Arthur & Lancelot on hold in January.
In an interview with SlashFilm, Ewan McGregor, who plays palace guard Elmont in the movie, admitted that he hadn't seen the movie yet, then joked that the delay might have been motivated because the movie "wasn't good enough yet."
mcgregor talks delay; farrell to play lancelot >> Posted 03.15.12 by Ryan -
Director Bryan Singer's (X-Men, X2: X-Men United, Superman Returns) participation in the upcoming Jack the Giant Killer was cemented when Warner Bros. exercised a contract option that locked Singer to the director's chair and kept him from directing last summer's X-Men: First Class. Production on this riff on the Jack and the Beanstalk tale began last May, and the teaser trailer released last month indicated that Jack was on track to met its June 15th release date. With X-Men: First Class already on DVD and possibly getting a sequel, it doesn't look like audiences will get to look at Singer's movie for a while, since Warners has pushed Jack the Giant Killer's release date, scheduling it for March 22, 2013, instead of this summer.
The move is less dramatic than it appears, at least for Singer's Jack. The same can't be said for Arthur & Lancelot. This lighthearted take on the King Arthur legend from director David Dobkin (The Change-Up, Wedding Crashers) has been put on hold by the studio over concerns about the movie's budget. With Kit Harington (HBO's Game of Thrones) and Joel Kinnaman (AMC's The Killing) cast as Arthur and Lancelot, respectively, and a start date set for the spring, THR reports that the movie's budget spiraled from less than $100 million to $130 million, prompting Warners to put the project on hold and schedule Jack the Giant Killer in its place.
more about Jack the Giant Killer >> Posted 01.22.12 by Ryan -
It's an old saw that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, which is also pretty much the plot of The Change-Up. (In this latest movie in the body-swap "genre," an overworked father switches bodies with an underworked slacker.)
The same old saw applies to movies — winter Oscar-bait pictures always look greener until they're the only thing in theaters. With that in mind, here are five reasons to see this summer comedy now rather than waiting around for the soon-to-be-interminable emoting headed to theaters nationwide in just a few months. Hey, even The Change-Up's latest promo acknowledges the movie's frivolity.
5 Reasons: The Change-Up >>
Posted 08.04.11 by reelz -
Body-switching comedies are one of those ideas that Hollywood just won't stop producing. The sub-genre (if we can call it that) had a heyday (if we can call it that) of father and son body-switching in the 1980s starting with 1987's Like Father, Like Son (starring Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron) and followed in 1988 by Vice Versa (starring Judge Reinhold and Fred Savage) and, in a real change of pace, 18 Again! (starring George Burns and Charlie Schlatter as a grandson and grandfather combo). Also in 1988 was Big, which had a twelve-year-old kid switching bodies with his older self (Tom Hanks).
Jason Bateman was all too-aware of the body-switching deluge, and admitted to Entertainment Weekly (print edition) that he suffered a "Really?" moment when first presented with the idea of joining The Change-Up.
See what changed his mind, plus the trailer >> Posted 04.21.11 by Ryan -
Director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) has been filling out his cast for the upcoming comedy, The Change-Up, having recently added House actress Olivia Wilde to the cast. EW reports Dobkin's latest addition to the cast is Leslie Mann, who will bring with her some specific expertise for the upcoming comedy.
You could say The Change-Up, which follows Jason Bateman as a married man who switches bodies with his slacker buddy (Ryan Reynolds), was tailor-made for Mann — the actress starred in the most recent body-switching comedy, 2009's 17 Again. While Mann's role was not specified, Wilde was cast as Bateman's work associate and the catalyst for the physical transformations, meaning that Mann may be playing Bateman's wife.
The Change-Up, which goes into production this fall from a script by The Hangover screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, is scheduled to open in August 2011.
Posted 09.22.10 by Ryan -
Olivia Wilde has added another project to her growing resume. The actress is set to appear in two movies this year — the November 11th thriller The Next Three Days and the December 17th sequel Tron: Legacy — before Cowboys and Aliens opens July 29, 2011. Wilde will also appear in the comedy The Change-up, which goes into production this fall.
The Change-Up follows Jason Bateman as a married man who switches bodies with his slacker buddy (Ryan Reynolds). According to Deadline, Wilde will play a work associate of Bateman's and the catalyst for the, well, change-up.
In a refreshing change of pace, the movie will eschew the usual father-and-son body switching (see 17 Again, Like Father, Like Son) and mother-daughter body switching (Freaky Friday). David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) will direct the movie from a script by The Hangover screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore.
Posted 09.16.10 by Ryan -
The last time anyone saw the Griswold family they were headed to Las Vegas for the forgettable fourth installment, Vegas Vacation. THR reports that Warner Bros. acquisition New Line wants to get the Griswolds back on the road for another sequel, though this time son Rusty Griswold will take his family on a road trip, rather than his father, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase).
The fifth Vacation (sixth if you count Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure, but we don't) is planned as a sequel to the 1983 original and will not be a reboot. The sequel will reference the family's first Vacation, opening the door for appearances by Chase and Beverly D'Angelo should such cameos be written and should the actors want to appear.
New Line is meeting with writers this week to find a suitable screenwriter, but already have director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) attached to the project to produce and, possibly, direct. Originally a script from the late John Hughes, New Line is hoping to steer the franchise back in that direction and away from comedy flops such as, well, Vegas Vacation.
Posted 10.08.09 by Ryan