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With an $80 million opening weekend, it seems that Disney is already finding success with their Wizard of Oz prequel, Oz The Great and Powerful. Plans are already underway for a sequel, with Oz co-screenwriter Mitchell Kapner (The Whole Nine Yards) writing the first draft for the studio and whatever director takes over for Sam Raimi, who admitted that he won't be returning. As for those wondering whether Dorothy will arrive in the sequel, she won't.
For now, though, there's still Oz The Great and Powerful, and Disney has released an extended clip, which reveals over four minutes of the movie, showing James Franco's journey from a Kansas magician to becoming the great wizard everyone's been expecting.
watch the clip >> Posted 03.14.13 by Ryan -
"If we don't do something, we're all going to be dead."
It's hard for Evil Dead fans to think about the upcoming remake when director Sam Raimi publicly admits that the fans are "forcing" him to consider adding to his trilogy with a potential Evil Dead 4, adding that he was at least "talking" about a script for a fourth installment with his brother and frequent collaborator Ivan.
Of course, fans weren't too excited about the Evil Dead remake at first, not until two delightfully intense red band trailers arrived online and revealed that the remake might be just the thing Evil Dead fans have been waiting for since the trilogy closed out with 1992's Army of Darkness. With two TV spots arriving online and in televisions everywhere, however, Evil Dead actor and producer Bruce Campbell admitted to The LA Times that, while the remake will surely satisfy fans, that a fourth Evil Dead movie isn't out of the question.
watch the spots >> Posted 03.07.13 by Ryan -
Fans of Sam Raimi's 1981 horror classic The Evil Dead initially bristled at the thought of a remake, but after not one but two red band trailers, those fans might changed their minds the remake. But while there is still almost four months before Evil Dead reaches theaters, the release of Raimi's 1979 short Within the Woods (via The Playlist) is just the thing to keep Evil Dead fans drooling with anticipation.
Working basically as a predecessor to The Evil Dead, Within the Woods followed two couples who decide to spend a weekend in a remote cabin in the woods that just so happens to be located on an Indian burial ground. When Ellen and Bruce (Evil Dead actors Ellen Sandweiss and Bruce Campbell) decide to go have a picnic, Bruce finds an ancient Indian dagger and decides to keep it, upsetting the spirits below. Despite the poor transfer of the VHS, there's plenty for Evil Dead fans to enjoy, as the short has plenty of familiar hallmarks from Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy, including scary sound effects, possessed characters saying "join us" and twisting, turning camera work, albeit done at a much lower budget ($1600, to be exact).
watch the short >> Posted 01.19.13 by Ryan -
"You don't know much about witches, do you?"
One of the most highly-anticipated movies of 2013 is also, arguably, the one surrounded by most question marks: Oz The Great and Powerful. Director Sam Raimi certainly knows how to deliver a quality product regardless of high expectations after directing three highly successful (albeit occasionally polarizing) Spider-Man movies, however, his last feature, 2009's Drag Me to Hell, was embraced by horror movie fans but didn't exactly set box office records.
Further complicating matters is Oz The Great and Powerful's relationship to The Wizard of Oz. While the title and plot suggest the movie is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, Disney does not hold the rights to the 1939 classic, but does own the rights to L. Frank Baum's Land of Oz books. Oz The Great and Powerful follows struggling magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco) as he mysteriously travels to the enchanted land of Oz and meets three witches Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams) who aren't convinced of his greatness.
great and powerful trailersSaturdays 10:00a ET / 7:00a PT
watch the trailer >> Posted 01.14.13 by Ryan -
This remake's no joke.
The first red band trailer for the upcoming remake of Evil Dead was released in October, and brought with it the grotesque promise of bloodshed and more bloodshed. Director Fede Alvarez had gone on record that the remake was "gory" and contained "a lot of blood," but those familiar with Sam Raimi's 1981 horror classic were no doubt still thinking that the remake might include a little humor as well, especially since Academy Award–winning screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno) was brought in to rewrite the script. Well, if Cody was able to infuse the proceedings with a some levity remains to be seen, as the remake's second red band trailer is no laughing matter, filled with twice the amount of tongue-splitting gore as the first. [WARNING: VERY NSFW]
unleashing the latest trailers Saturdays 10:00a ET / 7:00a PT
watch the trailer (only for the strong of stomach) >> Posted 01.08.13 by Ryan -
"I might not actually be a wizard."
Director Sam Raimi has never been one to shy from including cyclone-shaped dimensional portals in his movies. 1987's Evil Dead 2 both starts and ends with such a device, and Raimi's latest movie, Oz: The Great and Powerful, utilizes one as well. However, while Evil Dead's Ash (Bruce Campbell) ends up in the past, Oz The Great and Powerful's Oscar Diggs (James Franco) heads to the same magical place depicted in 1939's The Wizard of Oz, likely the movie that inspired Evil Dead 2's whirlwind portal in the first place.
Based more on L. Frank Baum's Land of OZ books and less a prequel to The Wizard of Oz movie, mostly because Disney purchased the movie rights to Baum's 13 Oz books after The Wizard of Oz was released. As Raimi explained during the Disney panel at the San Diego Comic-Con, that means Oz the Great and Powerful won't have ruby slippers, but, as revealed in the movie's teaser trailer, the movie would begin in black-and-white and revert to color much like The Wizard of Oz did. What was not revealed was what Franco would be up to in the movie, outside of meeting several witches, played by Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams. The movie's latest trailer offers more details on what Franco's Oscar will be up against in the movie, including the entrance of a familiar villain.
we're off to see the latest trailersSaturdays 10:00a ET / 7:00a PT
watch the trailer >> Posted 11.15.12 by Ryan -
Which Director is Strongest With the Force?
Like many Star Wars fans, it took us a while to process the news that the creator and caretaker of the greatest sci-fi epic of all time, George Lucas, had sold Lucasfilm Ltd. to Disney. And, as if that news wasn't momentous enough, Disney concurrently announced that plans were already underway for an all-new Star Wars movie, a sequel to the original trilogy that would likely be the first movie in a new trilogy.
Minds thoroughly blown, we started to think about the future of the franchise. Jar Jar Binks and Hayden Christensen's horrible acting had really hurt the prequel trilogy and Lucas' constant meddling with the original trilogy tested our faith in ol' grey beard even further. With Lucas out of the picture, could the franchise regain its former glory?
In the days following the announcement, it was revealed that Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) had been hired to write the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode VII, while rumors continue to swirl that Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class) is in the running to direct. Do you think that Vaughn is the right man for the job or would you like to see J.J. Abrams (Star Trek), Jon Favreau (Cowboys & Aliens) or someone else direct? Who do you think has the vision to chart the course of the future of the Star Wars franchise?
Rate the Top 10 Best Directors To Helm Star Wars: Episode VII >>
Posted 11.13.12 by BrentJS -
Hail to the (new) king, baby.
Fans of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead franchise have been pretty vocal about their lack of faith in the upcoming Evil Dead remake, going so far as to boo Bruce Campbell at the New York Comic-Con (NYCC) when he said he was "too old" to play the iconic role of Ash ever again. Of course, that was before they saw any footage from the remake. On Wednesday, a trailer teaser offered proof of what looked like a gory and more tonally serious remake, something remake director Fede Alvarez confirmed to Comic Book Resources at the NYCC.
"It is gory, that’s for sure," said Alvarez. "Sam [Raimi] always says this: 'There’s a fine line between horror and comedy.' You go too far, everybody starts laughing. You hit it in the right place, everybody’s scared to death. So we were always trying to stand on that line. So sometimes gore can be very funny. It’s not that kind of gory film. It has a lot of blood. I would come back home after every day of shooting covered in blood. People on set would have to cover themselves with plastic bags because there was so much splatter." Now that Evil Dead's red band trailer is online, we can see why (WARNING: VERY NSFW).
more trailers than you can swallowSaturdays 10:00a ET / 7:00a PT
watch the NSFW trailer >> Posted 10.25.12 by Ryan -
Production on director Fede Alvarez's Evil Dead remake officially wrapped last month, and fans of director Sam Raimi's 1981 original and subsequent sequels are anxiously awaiting the results. Despite being a producer on the remake, Raimi admitted to MTV during the San Diego Comic-Con that he too was excited to see the results.
"I just think Fede Alvarez has really made a great horror movie," said Raimi. "It's scary. The actors are great in it. It's really gut-wrenching, real low budget and intense."
Adding to Raimi's "gut-wrenching" assessment is actor Jessica Lucas (CW's Melrose Place, Cloverfield), who will play the best friend to lead Jane Levy (Suburgatory) and told Digital Spy (via Evil Dead News) that the remake is "very dark and violent."
read lucas' comments >> Posted 08.01.12 by Ryan -
Director Sam Raimi finally debuted the first footage from his upcoming Oz: The Great and Powerful at Disney's Comic-Con panel on Saturday and Reelz was there to soak it all in.
Prior to screening the trailer for the thousands on hand, Raimi revealed that the movie would specifically follow James Franco as he goes from a carnival magician in Kansas to becoming the Wizard.
It's based on L. Frank Baum's great books that he wrote at the turn of the century. It’s really the story of The Wizard. It's who the Wizard was and how he came to be the great wizard we know. And really it's a story of a selfish man, who is a bit of a lothario, a bit of a cad, not a great guy at first. The story takes place, like the great Wizard of Oz, in Kansas, and he starts off as a carnival magician. And we see that he's a good magician, but he lacks a lot in social skills and human skills; being a good person. He has a good heart, but he isn’t in touch with it. He thinks the way to greatness is through fame and fortune, when really it’s about the sharing of his gifts and the selfless expression of his talents. So he's a little bit of a character in the beginning and his life becomes untenable in Kansas and he's forced out, in fact, he’s been sleeping with this woman — he’s an adulterer — [and] he’s chased out of Kansas and he takes a balloon up and that balloon gets swept up in a tornado and that’s how he ends up in the land of Oz.
watch the trailer and read more of our panel coverage >> Posted 07.13.12 by Ryan