Leterrier Sizes Up "Fantastic Voyage"

According to reports, producer James Cameron is looking at Louis Leterrier ("Clash Of The Titans"), to direct his 3D reboot of the 1966 feature "Fantastic Voyage" for 20th Century Fox and Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment, from a screenplay by Shane Salerno ("Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem).

The original "Fantastic Voyage" feature was written by Harry Kleiner, from a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby. The movie also inspired an animated Filmation TV series and follow-up book series by author Issac Asimov.

In "Fantastic Voyage", The US and Soviet Union develop technology allowing matter to be miniaturized using a process to shrink individual atoms. But the smaller an object is made, the quicker it reverts back to its original size.

Scientist 'Jan Benes', working behind the Iron Curtain, calculates a way to make the shrinking process work. With the help of the CIA, Benes escapes to the West, but an assassination attempt leaves him near death, with a blood clot in his brain.

To save his life, 'Charles Grant', 'Captain Bill Owens', 'Dr. Michaels', 'Dr. Peter Duval' and assistant 'Cora Peterson' board the submarine 'Proteus', which is miniaturized and injected into Benes.

The ship is reduced to one micrometre in length, giving the team one hour to repair the clot; after that, the submarine will begin to revert back to its normal size, becoming large enough for Benes' immune system to attack it.

The crew are forced to detour through the heart, inner ear and the lungs. When the surgical laser needed to destroy the clot is damaged, it becomes obvious there is a saboteur on the mission, with only six minutes remaining to operate and exit the body.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Fantastic Voyage"...

Catch A Buzz With "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest"

Sneak Peek a series of posters supporting the Swedish-language feature "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest" aka "Luftslottet som sprängdes" or "The Air Castle That Exploded".

The 2009 thriller, directed by Daniel Alfredson, starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist, is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Swedish author/journalist Stieg Larsson, in the third and final entry of his "Millennium Trilogy" book series.

"...'Lisbeth Salander' is hospitalized after a meeting with her father, and is later put on trial. 'Mikael Blomkvist' takes on the task of proving she is innocent as he continues to uncover the reasons why Lisbeth has been treated so harshly by the Swedish authorities..."

The feature was released in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, November 2009, in Finland and Iceland, January 2010 and subsequently released in European countries throughout the spring and summer of 2010.

"Hornet's Nest" is scheduled for a limited release in North America October 29.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest"...

"Blood & Chrome": The Agony And Ecstasy Of Human-Cylon War

As Sneak Peek first reported July 27, Syfy has now given the greenlight to "Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome" from Executive Producer David Eick. for Universal Cable Productions, shooting a 2-hour pilot in Vancouver. "...'Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome' takes place in the 10th year of the first 'Cylon' war. As the battle between humans and their creation, a sentient robotic race, rages across the 12 colonial worlds, a brash rookie viper pilot enters the fray. 'Ensign William Adama', barely in his 20's and a recent 'Academy' graduate, finds himself assigned to the newest battlestar in the 'Colonial' fleet, the 'Galactica'. The talented but hot-headed risk-taker soon finds himself leading a dangerous top secret mission that, if successful, will turn the tide of the decade long war in favor of the desperate fleet..." "We jumped at the chance to revisit the 'William Adama' character and explore this exciting chapter in the BSG narrative which falls between the events of the original series and the prequel, 'Caprica,' currently airing on Syfy", said Syfy's Mark Stern.

"While maintaining the themes of politics, social propaganda, and the timeless question: what does it mean to be human? - 'Blood & Chrome' will also return us to the authentic, relentless depiction of combat and the agony and ecstasy of human-Cylon war, which was the hallmark of 'Battlestar Galactica's' early seasons," said Eick.

Michael Taylor wrote the teleplay from a story by Eick, Taylor and Bradley Thompson & David Weddle.

Taylor said "Blood & Chrome" will be about "...a young man's initiation into war: both the realities of war as fought by soldiers on the ground and the somewhat less real version portrayed in the media..."

The series will comprise 10 episodes @ 10 minutes each, with green screens and virtual sets using high-tech scans made from the original "Battlestar Galactica" sets in Vancouver.

"But the movie isn't confined to 'Galactica'," said Taylor. "Far from it. It's a story that will take us to new corners of the 'Battlestar' world and yet it aims to be a very contemporary war movie in a lot of ways...We're not going to be shying away from R-rated blood and guts and sex. Because this is initially meant to air online, we pretty much have no restrictions in that department."

If the series takes off, it will serve as a 'backdoor pilot' for a Syfy TV series...

"In Treatment": There Are Many Sides To The Truth

The HBO Emmy and Peabody Award-winning half-hour dramatic TV series "In Treatment" is back for a third season, with two new half-hour episodes debuting back-to-back, Monday October 25 and two more new episodes back-to-back, Tuesday October 26.

Gabriel Byrne returns as 'Dr. Paul Weston', joined by new cast members Dane DeHaan, Irrfan Khan, Amy Ryan and Debra Winger.

In the third season, Weston continues his therapy practice out of the living room of his Brooklyn brownstone.

Among his patients are 'Frances' (Winger) an aging stage and screen star who has been 'blanking out' during rehearsals for a major Broadway role, 'Sunil' (Irrfan Khan), a recent widower and new immigrant from Calcutta and 'Jesse' (DeHaan), an adopted 16-year-old recently contacted by his birth mother.

"...As 'Dr. Paul Weston' continues to struggle with the aftermath of his divorce, he faces new emotional and physical challenges – including hand tremors that he fears might be the onset of Parkinson’s Disease, which killed his father. Meanwhile, he takes on three challenging new patients and turns to a new therapist of his own..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "In Treatment"...

VIFF 2010 Wrap Up

The 29th annual Vancouver International Film Festival concluded its 16-day run, October 15.

The Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema went to Hirohara Satoru of Japan for the film "Good Morning To The World", with Special Mentions for "Don't Be Afraid Bi!" and "Rumination".

The ET Canada Award for Best Canadian Feature Film went to Quebec director Denis Villeneuve for "Incendies", with an Honourable Mention given to Denis Côté's "Curling".

The Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film award was presented to Quebec's Halima Ouardiri of Quebec for "Mokhtar".

The Best Canadian Actress Award was given to Lubna Azabal for "Incendies" and The Best Canadian Actor Award was presented to Alexander Gammal for director Ingrid Veninger's "Modra".

Audience Awards included the Rogers People's Choice Award for the UK/Brazil co-pro of Lucy Walker's "Waste Land";

the VIFF Most Popular Canadian Film Award was awarded to "Two Indians Talking", directed by Sara McIntyre.

The VIFF Most Popular Nonfiction Film Award was presented to Germany's "Kinshasa Symphony", directed by Claus Wischmann and Martin Baer;

The NFB Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award went to John Zaritsky's "Leave Them Laughing";

The VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award went to Sturla Gunnarsson's "Force Of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie".

The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) was attended by over 150,000 people, with more than 600 screenings of 373 films from over 80 countries.

Founded in 1982, the festival's mandate is to encourage the understanding of other nations through the art of cinema, to foster the art of cinema, to facilitate the meeting in British Columbia of cinema professionals from around the world, and to stimulate the motion picture industry in British Columbia and Canada...

Depp Investigates Hammett's "The Thin Man"

According to reports, actor Johnny Depp, looking for a comfortable film franchise after "Pirates of the Caribbean", is interested in remaking "The Thin Man" for Warners, with director Rob Marshall, based on the 1934 detective novel by author Dashiell Hammett that previously spawned six MGM films, starring actors William Powell and Myrna Loy.

"'The Thin Man' has long been a favorite of mine and with Rob at the helm, I know we're in great hands," said Depp, who is looking to play protagonist 'Nick Charles'.

Depp and his production partner Christi Dembrowski will produce with former Warners executive Kevin McCormick.

Hammet's "The Thin Man", set in Prohibition-era New York City, follows former private detective, 'Nick Charles' and his wife 'Nora'. Nick, the son of a Greek immigrant, has given up his career since marrying Nora, a wealthy socialite, and he now spends most of his time cheerfully getting drunk in hotel rooms and speakeasies. Nick and Nora have no children, but they do own a clever dog named 'Asta'.

In the book, Nick is drawn, mostly against his will, into investigating a crime, bringing him in contact with the grotesque 'Clyde Wynant', the 'Thin Man' of the title. As they attempt to solve the case, Nick and Nora share a great deal of banter and witty dialogue, along with copious amounts of alcohol.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Thin Man"...

NZ Actors Guild Fails To Break "The Hobbit"

The New Zealand Actors' Equity, which announced it would boycott the production of "The Hobbit", has reached an 'interim agreement' with producers to lift the boycott and keep the production on schedule.

"In an effort to restore the confidence of the international and domestic film financing and production communities, and to ensure a peaceful stable period ... we negotiated an interim agreement until 31 March 2011 when it is expected that the (labor negotiations) will be concluded."

However, "Hobbit" director producer Peter Jackson said this latest ploy with no guarantees of further disruptions, "does nothing to help the film stay in New Zealand...the damage inflicted on our film industry by (the actors unions) is long since done", including a mysterious fire that destroyed parts of Jackson's SFX house, Weta Workshop.

"There was an acceptance by the parties that the targeting of individual productions by the union had not been a successful strategy," said producers rep 'SPADA' (The Screen Production and Development Association of New Zealand). "This recent period of industrial unrest has been damaging for New Zealand's reputation as a shooting location..."

Warners now appears keen on shooting the film @ Leavesden Film Studios near London, UK where the "Harry Potter" movies were filmed, in addition to "The Dark Knight" and "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace".

Click the images to enlarge...

Edward Burns: "Nice Guy Johnny"

Sneak Peek the comedy feature "Nice Guy Johnny", from Marlboro Road Gang Productions, written, directed and produced by Edward Burns. Aaron Lubin and William Rexer also produce with co-producers Benjamin Cheah, Mike Harrop and Nicolas Newbold.

Burns co-stars in the film as 'Uncle Terry', alongside Matt Bush as 'Johnny Rizzo', Kerry Bishe as 'Brooke', Max Baker as 'Max', Anna Wood as 'Claire', Brian Delate as 'Frank', Marsha Dietlein as 'Nicole' and Jay Patterson as 'Dr. Meadows'.

"...Sure, she can be a little overbearing sometimes, but baby-faced 'Johnny Rizzo' loves his fiancée 'Claire and he made her a promise: by the time he's 25-years-old, he'll trade his current dream job as a local sports talk radio host (even if it is the 2 a.m. slot) for something that'll pay bigger bucks. And Johnny's nothing, if not a man of his word.

"Now he's flying to New York to interview for some snoozeville job that Claire's well-to-do father set up. Enter Uncle Terry, who lives in New York, a rascally womanizer bent on turning a day in the Hamptons into a final fling for his nephew. Nice guy Johnny's not interested, of course, but then he meets the lovely Brooke..."

Open to US residents only, enter to win 1 "Nice Guy Johnny" Gift Bag, including:

-Signed "Nice Guy Johnny" poster by Ed Burns
-Signed "Nice Guy Johnny" screenplay by Ed Burns
-DVD of "Nice Guy Johnny"

-Soundtrack from "Nice Guy Johnny"

To be eligible to win, send your name and address to : commandentertainment@yahoo.com

"Nice Guy Johnny" will be available on iTunes, DVD and VOD, October 26th.

Become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/niceguyjohnnymovie

Pre-Order the Movie on iTunes at http://bit.ly/NiceGuyiTunes

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Nice Guy Johnny"...

2009 British Columbia Film Report

British Columbia Film reports that the total British Columbia film/television production spend in BC was just over $1.3 billion in 2009, a slight increase over 2008.

This growth can be accounted for by a significant increase in total service production spend – from $841 million in 2008 to just under $1.1 billion in 2009.

84 service productions – 14 television series, 9 animations and 24 other projects – were shot in British Columbia in 2009.

The increase in service production was offset dramatically by a decline in productions created by BC companies – with domestic production dropping to $218 million in 2009 from $366 million in 2008. This decline is at least partially due to reduced product demand by Canadian broadcasters who experienced declining ad revenue over the last two years and by increased competitive pressure from Ontario.

166 domestic productions were shot in the province last year, including 19 feature films, 34 television series, 90 other television projects and 12 animated projects.

Feature film saw an especially large decrease – 19 projects with a BC spend of $31 million, down from 25 projects with a BC spend of $84 million in 2008.

Click the images to enlarge...

Oakley Looks Into "TRON: Legacy"

Oakley, Inc. will release a special edition of 3D eyewear in November, to support the upcoming 3D release of "TRON: Legacy", opening across North America, December 17, 2010.

"The premiere of 'TRON: Legacy' is a great opportunity for us to introduce moviegoers to the unique innovations of Oakley 3D eyewear," said Oakley CEO Colin Baden. "This film will be an incredible visual experience, and those who view it with our eyewear will get the most out of it by enjoying the clarity and 3D performance..."

"Collaborating with Oakley provided Disney with a great opportunity to interpret the aesthetics and themes of 'TRON: Legacy' into cutting edge eyewear for fans to enjoy," said Stephen Teglas, vice president and general manager of Fashion & Home North America at Disney Consumer Products.

Oakley 3D eyewear, features 'HDO-3D', a collection of proprietary lens innovations that eliminates 'ghosting' or 'crosstalk' between images, and offer a unique lens curvature, providing a wider field of view and minimum glare.

3D Gascan is also designed with a 'Three-Point Fit' to retain the lenses in optical alignment, eliminating unbalanced pressure points. The lightweight frame makes contact only at the sides of the head and bridge of the nose.

Click the images to enlarge...