BREAKING MOVIE/TV NEWS

Saturday, October 30, 2010

"Wolverine 2": Welcome To Japan Mr. Logan

According to reports, the upcoming 20th Century Fox feature "Wolverine 2", starring Hugh Jackman, to be directed by Darren Aronofsy ("The Wrestler") will be based on writer Chris Claremont and artist Frank Miller's Marvel Comics "Wolverine" solo, 4-part 1982 limited series.

In the series, 'Logan', aka 'Wolverine', the Canadian mutant with 'adamantium' retractable claws, is a 'ronin', or masterless, failed samurai who hides a deep-seated code of honor underneath his rage.

Logan travels to Japan to confront the woman he loves and the man that would keep them apart.

Claremont introduced the villain 'Shingen Yashida', a crime lord that is Wolverine's physical better. When his foe is eventually defeated, Logan prepares to settle down into wedded bliss with 'Lady Mariko', but the presence of new villains threatens to derail the peace, leading to a climactic battle between Wolverine and 'Silver Samurai'.

Also included in the stories are "X-Men" mutants 'Rogue', following a fight with 'Ms. Marvel', 'Cyclops' struggling to deal with the emergence of 'Madelyne Pryor', 'Storm' cultivating a friendship with 'Yukio' and appearances by mutants 'Kitty Pryde' and 'Nightcrawler'.


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Mad Harriet Makes The Cut In "Smallville: Abandoned"

Sneak Peek new images from the "Abandoned" episode of the last season of Vancouver-lensed "Smallville", airing November 12 on The CW, written by Drew Landis/Julia Swift and directed by Kevin Fair:

"...'Lois' (Erica Durance) finds a video made for her by her mother, 'Ella Lane' (Teri Hatcher), before she died. After watching the tape, Lois makes a drastic decision about her relationship with 'Clark' (Tom Welling) that takes her to the 'Fortress', where she comes face to face with 'Jor-El' and 'Lara'.

"Meanwhile, 'Tess' has a nightmare involving herself as a child and a music box. Upon awakening, she finds the music box in 'Luthor' mansion and sets out to find out who planted it there.

"Clark accompanies her to an orphanage run by 'Granny Goodness' (guest star Christine Willes) who may not have the young girls’ best intentions in mind.

"One of the young women living there, 'Mad Harriet' (guest star Lindsay Hartley), finds Clark snooping around and decides to take matters into her own very sharp hands..."

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"Zombie Rock" @ The "Toronto Zombie Walk"

Saturday October 23, 2010 thousands of 'zombies' took over the streets of downtown Toronto for the 8th annual "Toronto Zombie Walk"filmed by shooter Michael Stevens:

"The Green Hornet": Breaking The Law To Protect It

Sneak Peek the new poster, supporting the upcoming 3D release of "The Green Hornet", opening January 14, 2011.

Columbia Pictures' "The Green Hornet", stars Vancouver actor Seth Rogen.

The action thriller will be presented in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters.

"We couldn't be more excited about 'The Green Hornet'," said Sony's marketing, distribution head Jeff Blake.

Directed by Michel Gondry, "The Green Hornet" is produced by Neal H. Moritz ("I Am Legend"), for executive producers Michael Grillo, Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Ori Marmur and the son of "The Green Hornet" creator, George W. Trendle, Jr.

"The Green Hornet" also stars Taiwanese actor/pop music star Jay Chou as 'Kato', Cameron Diaz ("The Mask"), Edward James Olmos ("Miami Vice"), David Harbour ("Revolutionary Road"), Tom Wilkinson ("Valkyrie") and the villain 'Chudnofsky' is played by Oscar-winning Austrian actor Christoph Waltz ( "Inglourious Basterds").

Academy Award-nominee John Schwartzman ("Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian"), was DP, production designer, Owen Paterson ("The Matrix Revolutions") and Kym Barrett ("Speed Racer") designed the costumes.

"...'Britt Reid' (Rogen) is the son of LA's most prominent media magnate, perfectly happy to maintain a directionless existence on the party scene – until his father (Tom Wilkinson) mysteriously dies, leaving Britt his vast media empire.

"Striking an unlikely friendship with one of his father's more industrious, inventive employees, 'Kato' (Chou), they see their chance to do something meaningful for the first time in their lives: fight crime.

"But in order to do this, they decide to become criminals themselves – protecting the law by breaking it as Britt becomes the vigilante The Green Hornet as he and Kato hit the streets.

"Using all his ingenuity and skill, Kato builds the ultimate in advanced retro weaponry, 'The Black Beauty', an indestructible car equal parts firepower and horsepower.

"Rolling in a mobile fortress on wheels and striking the bad guys with Kato's clever gadgets, The Green Hornet and Kato quickly start making a name for themselves, and with the help of Britt's new secretary, 'Lenore Case' (Diaz), they begin hunting down the man who controls LA's gritty underworld: 'Benjamin Chudnofsky' (Waltz).

"But Chudnofsky has plans of his own: to swat down The Green Hornet once and for all..."

"The Green Hornet" debuted January 31, 1936 on radio station WXYZ Detroit, the creation of George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, of "The Lone Ranger" fame.

Broadcasting until 1952 on the Mutual and NBC Blue networks, the series followed the adventures of 'Britt Reid', a bored playboy whose life changes when he inherits his father's newspaper 'The Daily Sentinel' and saves the life of 'Kato', a Japanese man with martial-arts skills.

After Reid and Kato witness a brutal crime, Reid becomes a crime-fighter, using two special, non-lethal guns, with one firing 'knock-out gas' and the other producing a 'Hornet's Sting' electric shock.

Following its successful run on radio, "The Green Hornet" ran in several comic books and a 1940's movie serial from Universal.

In 1966, the character made the jump to the ABC Television network, starring actor Van Williams as the Hornet and catapulting martial artist Bruce Lee as Kato to stardom.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Green Hornet"...

Friday, October 29, 2010

IMAX Increases Network Growth

Toronto-based IMAX Corporation reports that 100 theatre system signings in 2010 has led to the company's increased network growth outlook.

"Today, our Company is uniquely positioned at the intersection of the entertainment industry, innovation, and the digital age, which have come together to reinvent the IMAX business in many important ways," said IMAX Chief Executive Officer Richard L. Gelfond.

"We believe the combination of continued consumer enthusiasm for the IMAX brand worldwide, increasing demand from our exhibitor partners and film commitments from studios as far out as 2013 is setting the stage for long-term growth."

During the third quarter of 2010, the Company signed contracts for 100 theatre systems, compared to 13 theatre systems in the third quarter of 2009. Through the first nine months, the Company has signed contracts for 198 theatre systems, compared to 23 theatre systems for the same period in 2009.

"This quarter not only reflected the strong demand for 'The IMAX Experience' from moviegoers, but also from exhibitors around the globe," said Gelfond. "We experienced another strong quarter of box office growth, lead by Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. Pictures' 2D sci-fi actioner, 'Inception', which grossed over $50 million in IMAX theatres, making it our fourth highest grossing DMR title of all time. The performance of 'Inception' demonstrated how our fans seek out IMAX because it is the best way to experience a movie, whether in 2D or 3D.

"As we look ahead to the fourth quarter, we are excited about our coming line-up of titles, which includes DreamWorks Animation's 'Megamind', part one of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' from Warner Bros. and Disney's 'TRON: Legacy'."

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"DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle"

Sneak Peek illustrator Ryan Sook's cover to DK Publishing's "DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle", covering the origin of DC Publishing's comic book characters and the company that created them.

Covering 75 years of DC comics from its founding in the 1930's to its movie ventures of today, the book includes entries on the first comic book produced by the company, "New Fun" # 1 (1935), as well as other 'watershed' moments including the first appearance of 'Superman' in "Action Comics" #1 (1938), the first appearance of 'Batman' in "Detective Comics" #27 (1939) and the start of the comic book 'Silver Age' with the debut of the new 'Flash' in "Showcase" #4 (1956).

Also included are entries for DC's 'Western' heroes, the first appearance of 'Sgt. Rock' in "G.I. Combat" #68 (1959) and artist Jack "King" Kirby’s leap from Marvel to DC.

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Bluewater Signs With APA

Indie comic book publisher Bluewater Productions has signed with APA (Agency for the Performing Arts) for representation for television, film, video games and branding.

Based in Vancouver, Washington, Bluewater publishes biographical comics, adaptations from films and original titles with self-created characters, notably publisher Darren G. Davis' "Isis" and "10th Muse".

In 2007, Bluewater published, in conjunction with stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen, the comic book series "Ray Harryhausen Presents" featuring sequels to Harryhausen films "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad", "Clash of the Titans" and "20 Million Miles to Earth".The deal with the filmmaker continued with "Jason and the Argonauts: The Kingdom of Hades", "It Came from Beneath the Sea", "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" and "Back to Mysterious Island".

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Thursday, October 28, 2010

EW Looks @ "Captain America: The First Avenger"

Sneak Peek the cover to the latest Entertainment Weekly Magazine, showcasing actor Chris Evans as Marvel Studios "Captain America: The First Avenger", based on the Marvel Comics superhero.

The 3D feature, set during WW II, was written by David Self, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely and Joss Whedon, scheduled for a July 22, 2011 Paramount release.

"The interesting thing about this character is that he's an everyman who in the course of a few minutes become a perfect human specimen," said "Captain America" director Joe Johnston ("The Wolfman").

"I saw it as an opportunity to make a superhero movie that felt real, that didn't have to rely on an overabundance of fantasy elements."

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