-
The release dates of two highly anticipated genre movies have finally been announced.
First up is Cloud Atlas, an adaptation of David Mitchell's award-winning 2004 sci-fi novel that was co-written and co-directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski, (The Matrix) and German filmmaker Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run). Warner Bros. (WB) initially passed on Cloud Atlas, feeling that it was unaffordable at $170 million, but the Wachowskis and Tykwer found foreign backers and ended up making it for $101 million — thanks, in part, to Tom Hanks taking a smaller fee for his participation — and WB picked up North American distribution rights at Cannes for "about $20 million" despite the movie's lengthy 2:44 running time exceeding the contractural running time of 2:30. According to IndieWire, producer Grant Hill revealed that WB "plans to open the movie stateside December 6" and may screen it at the Berlin International Film Festival to make it eligible for Oscar consideration.
more about Cloud Atlas and Sin City 2 >> Posted 05.18.12 by BrentJS -
The sequel to Sin City, director Robert Rodriguez's bloody, stylized adaptation of Frank Miller's neo-noir comic book series, has been gestating for nearly seven years — with many predicting it would never happen — but we finally got the word last week that Sin City: A Dame to Kill For has been given the green light. Rodriguez's reluctance to move forward with the sequel before now has always been about the quality of the script, believing that the sequel needed to be "something truly exceptional" to meet the "epic expectations" of the fans, which was apparently accomplished after Academy Award–winning screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed) was hired to do some re-writes on Miller's script.
The next step is casting, which is expected to commence this week. Though many of the major roles will likely go to the actors who played the characters in the original movie, you simply never know in Hollywood — Terrence Howard being replaced by Don Cheadle as James Rhodes, aka War Machine, in Iron Man 2 springs to mind. In a recent interview with FlickDirect, Rodriguez confessed that he hasn't started casting yet and said that it may not even happen "in the next month." However, he did reveal that Mickey Rourke is "the first" of the original cast to return, which is great news because it's virtually inconceivable to envision anyone else portraying the "murder machine with a heart of gold" known as Marv. Rodriguez also said that Rosario Dawson is "pumped" to return as Gail.
what did rodriguez say about casting? >> Posted 04.24.12 by BrentJS -
When documentary filmmaker Pete McCormack last focused his camera lens on the life of a man who used his physical prowess and gift for gab to transcend athleticism, break down social barriers and become an icon, his subject was "The Greatest" boxer, Muhammad Ali. In his follow-up to Facing Ali, McCormack's subject is martial arts pioneer, physical fitness advocate and movie legend Bruce Lee, who was voted one of the most important people of the 20th Century in Time Magazine's Time 100.
Scheduled for a limited theatrical release on February 9th, I Am Bruce Lee, explores Lee's life and philosophy, with commentary from such notable celebrities as actor Mickey Rourke (Immortals), MMA fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano (Haywire), the L.A. Lakers' Kobe Bryant, WBO Welterweight Champion Manny Pacquiao and Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas.
watch the trailer >> Posted 01.24.12 by BrentJS -
The first set photo that arrived online from the Bulgarian set of The Expendables 2 was Tweeted by Arnold Schwarzenegger and depicted the former California governor with co-stars Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone. With Schwarzenegger moving on to the production of Last Stand, the rest of the group are still hard at work, as evidenced by the recent crop of set photos that have arrived online.
The latest set pics reveal Stallone along with Expendables members Terry Crews, Randy Couture, and Dolph Lundgren, as well as newcomers Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris. Missing from the photos are Jason Statham, Jet Li, and Mickey Rourke. But there's an easy reason why Rourke is absent: He isn't going to be in the movie.
see the reason Rourke gave and more photos >> Posted 11.10.11 by Ryan -
Mickey Rourke has never been one to pull his punches, a trait that has endeared him to his close friends and his dedicated fans, if not the studio execs and directors who are more and more frequently the target of his enmity. In recent weeks, Rourke has been making the rounds to promote his new movie, Immortals, and amidst the praise for director Tarsem Singh — "I'd work with Tarsem tomorrow. Absolutely. And not only is he a visual genius, he's so prepared." — the Academy Award-nominated actor has managed to slip in a few jabs at others he has worked with in recent years. First, he blasted Marvel Studios — President of Production Kevin Feige was his likely target, as he ultimately calls all of the shots on Marvel movies — for turning his nuanced performance as Whiplash in Iron Man 2 into a "one-dimensional villain". Then, Rourke called director Darren Aronofsky, the man who helped resurrect his career by giving him the lead in The Wrestler, a "sonofab*tch" and alluded that the acclaimed director was cheap (after which Rourke admitted that he would "probably go to work for free for [Aronofsky] again").
Rourke saved the bitterest of his recent barbs for Martin McDonagh, the Oscar-nominated writer (In Bruges) and Oscar-winning director (Six Shooter short) who wanted him to star in his new movie, Seven Psychopaths.
more about Seven Psychopaths and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. >> Posted 11.10.11 by BrentJS -
When Sin City creator Frank Miller revealed last week that the long-awaited sequel would include elements of his story "Just Another Saturday Night," it was the first time that there was any indication that the character of Marv would be appearing in Sin City 2 (working title). Though Marv makes brief appearances in the 6-issue "A Dame to Kill For" comic book that will serve as the basis for the bulk of the sequel, it was believed that Marv might be cut from the movie because of Mickey Rourke's reluctance to get back into the makeup chair to play the scarred anti-hero.
In a recent interview with ComingSoon, Rourke sounded as if he might be mulling over a return to the role that helped launch his comeback, saying that appearing as Marv "depends" on a couple of factors, implying that money and creative expression could entice him back into the makeup chair.
what did Rourke say about returning as Marv? >> Posted 10.31.11 by BrentJS -
The first TV spot for director Tarsem Singh's (The Cell) new movie, Immortals, has been made available for viewing online and it contains over a minute of epic stylized action in the vein of 300. Written by Charley and Vlas Parlapanides, the movie combines elements of the Greek myth of the Titanomachy, the war between the Olympian gods and the Elder Gods, the Titans, with the legends of Theseus, the mythical founder-king of Athens.
The plot of the movie revolves around the return of the Titan King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) years after the Titanomachy. With an army of killers behind him, Hyperion begins to lay waste to Greece in an effort to find the legendary Bow of Epirus, a powerful weapon that the mad king plans to use to free his fellow Titans from imprisonment and seek vengeance against Zeus (Luke Evans) and the rest of the Olympians. Unable to interfere in Hyperion's war against humanity, the fate of the Olympians and all of the world falls on the shoulders of the gods' champion, Theseus (Henry Cavill), a simple stonemason whose mother was killed during one of Hyperion's raids.
watch the action-packed tv spot >> Posted 09.23.11 by BrentJS -
With two Jason Statham movies opening in the next two months, it looked like the fall was going to be the "season of Statham" until the action thriller Safe moved from October to next March. But taking the place of Safe is director Géla Babluani's 13 to go along with September's Killer Elite.
Set in the world of underground Russian Roulette gambling, 13 is an English-language remake of the 2005 French thriller 13 Tzameti, both of which were directed by Babluani. The original won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2006, while the English-language version was shot in 2008 and disappeared after premiering at the South By Southwest Festival last March, outside of a trailer last November. With a cast that includes Mickey Rourke, Ray Winstone, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Michael Shannon, True Blood's Alexander Skarsgård, Entourage's Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Dexter's David Zayas, did 13 deserved to sit on a shelf for almost two years? Only one way to find out.
watch the trailer >> Posted 09.16.11 by Ryan -
Lionsgate set a August 17, 2012, release date for The Expendables 2 last month, despite the sequel lacking a director, and with Sylvester Stallone still working on a script with screenwriters Ken Kaufman (Space Cowboys) and David Agosto. Progress has been made, however, as a early teaser poster was discovered at the Canned Film Festival by First Showing.
The report offered no details on the sequel, however, production company Nu Image already has a plot synopsis (via ComingSoon) for Expendables 2. [UPDATE: Stallone has contacted fansite StalloneZone to say that the following synopsis is not correct and that the "real storyline will be forthcoming" despite this coming from the production company's website.]
The Expendables are back and this time it's personal! After Tool (Mickey Rourke), the heart and soul of the Expendables, is brutally murdered on a mission, his comrades swear to avenge him. They're not the only ones who want blood. Tool’s beautiful young and wild daughter Fiona embarks on her own revenge mission, complicating matters when she is captured and ransomed by a ruthless dictator plotting to destroy a resistance movement. Now Barney and the Expendables must risk everything to save her and humanity.
who's the villain? >> Posted 05.11.11 by Ryan -
After some initial hype centered around the pairing of hottie actress Megan Fox with Academy Award–nominated comeback kid Mickey Rourke, writer-director Mitch Glazer's Passion Play failed to impress when it debuted at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. Even so, Image Entertainment picked up distribution rights and the movie will get a theatrical release on May 6th — albeit a limited run in New York and Los Angeles only — before going to the home video market on May 31st.
The theatrical poster for the movie was released a couple weeks ago, and now a trailer for Passion Play is finally online so you can judge for yourself whether this is a "must" or a "bust."
watch the trailer >> Posted 04.13.11 by BrentJS