Doug Jones (AKA Abe Sapien) has started a blog from Hungary where he talks about the pre-shoot days of the Hellboy sequel and drops a new casting bit. Here are some interesting quotes:
Since cameras don�t role until June 8th, I have SO enjoyed the couple hours here and there rehearsal schedule so far that affords me all this much-needed down time…
I have been rehearsing scenes with Guillermo and the lovely Anna Walton, who plays Princess Nuala. Without giving anything away, I will simply tell you that this is one fantastic actress, and her highness may bring out a side of Abe Sapien that you�ve never seen before. Anna is just delightful, and is here in Budapest with her 4 week old baby!!!!! I shall never complain about stress ever again for as long as I live (said Dougie, as he pictured 3am feedings before a work day). My hope is that you will fall in love with Anna as we all have on this end…
I arrived here Thursday May 17th to begin my 6 month stay for the production of Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. I am very excited to be reprising one of my favorite characters, Abe Sapien the blue fishman. Along with him, I am also tackling a couple of other heavily made-up characters: The Chamberlain, a doorkeeper for the King of the alternate world, and The Angel Of Death, kind of self explanatory, but not to be feared, as she (yes, she) is SUCH a cool moment in the film that will leave you wondering when you might see her again in films to come.
DreamWorks honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg told the Australian newspaper The Age that he envisions two more Shrek movies, and that’s it. The fourth Shrek installment is in progress, with a release in 2010. The fifth will be the last, Katzenberg told the newspaper. “It’s a finite story, has been from the beginning, and I think that’s part of its integrity, part of its strength, that we’re not thinking this up as we go,” he said. “Ultimately, we will come back to understand how Shrek arrived in that swamp. We will reveal his story.” Shrek the Third has grossed more than $217 million domestically since its May 18 release.
Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. and Universal Orlando Resort are partnering to create the world’s first fully immersive Harry Potter themed environment based on the bestselling books by J.K. Rowling and blockbuster feature films from Warner Bros. Envisioned as a “theme park within a theme park” and titled “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter”, the new environment will become part of the experience within Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park at the Universal Orlando Resort. Inspired by J.K. Rowling’s compelling stories and characters - and faithful to the visual landscapes of the films - “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” will provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience the magical world of Harry and his friends. The fully immersive, themed land will enable guests to visit some of the most iconic locations found in the books and the films including the village of Hogsmeade, the mysterious Forbidden Forest, and even Hogwarts castle itself. Expected to open in late 2009, the new environment will feature immersive rides and interactive attractions, as well as experiential shops and restaurants that will enable guests to sample fare from the wizarding world’s best known establishments. Also debuting will be a state-of-the-art attraction that will bring the magic, characters and stories of Harry Potter to life in an exciting way that guests have never before experienced.
DC Comics’ superteam Teen Titans is getting the big-screen treatment courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures, says The Hollywood Reporter. The live-action adaptation is being produced by Akiva Goldsman and Kerry Foster through their Weed Road production company, while Mark Verheiden has been brought on board to write the script. The Teen Titans, which first appeared in 1964, are comprised of Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wonder Girl and Speedy, the respective sidekicks of A-list heroes Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Green Arrow. The comic series reached X-Men-style success in the 1980s, when the team was relaunched in a new comic with the characters no longer kids but college-age adults and the stories explored more mature themes. The series also saw the addition of Cyborg, Starfire and Raven, original characters who weren’t sidekicks, while the character of Robin matured into one called Nightwing.
Most recently, the comic was adapted to the television screen with a Cartoon Network series that ran from 2003-06 that used many of the ’80s comics’ heroes and story lines. It is not known which heroes will be used, but Nightwing is said to be in the mix. Goldsman said the tone will be consistent with such recent Warners’ comic book fare as Batman Begins, Superman Returns and the upcoming Watchmen. Verheiden was a writer-producer on “Smallville” and is a writer-producer on “Battlestar Galactica.”
ComingSoon.net is reporting that Warner Brothers Pictures has moved up Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix two days, from Friday, July 13 to Wednesday, July 11. This will give the movie a potential big five-day opening, from Wednesday through Sunday. The move also cuts into Transformers’ reign at the box office, with the film opening on July 4, just seven days before.
USA Today reported that The Dark Knight, the sequel to director Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, will become the first feature film to be partly shot in the large-screen IMAX format. Nolan will shoot four action sequences, including the introduction of the Joker, played by Heath Ledger, in IMAX, the newspaper reported. “There’s simply nothing like seeing a movie that way,” Nolan told the newspaper. “It’s more immersive for the audience. I wish I could shoot the entire thing this way.” The four scenes will fill the IMAX screens, some of which are eight stories high. And in traditional theaters, the scenes will appear more vivid.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End hauled in $142.1 million to set a record for best Memorial-Day-weekend debut, capping a huge month that puts Hollywood on track for record summer business, the Associated Press reported. But the third movie in the hit franchise fell short of breaking the best three-day opening ever, the $151.1 million haul for Spider-Man 3 three weeks earlier, the wire service reported. At World’s End cruised past last year’s record for best four-day Memorial Day opening, $122.9 million for X-Men: The Last Stand. Compared to the previous two Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the $115.1 million that At World’s End drew from Friday to Sunday was well behind the $135.6 million premiere last summer of Dead Man’s Chest, the second-biggest debut ever.
Adding in $14 million from Thursday-night previews before its official Friday release, At World’s End had taken in $156.1 million domestically. The movie also grossed $245 million internationally since Wednesday, putting its worldwide total at $401 million in a matter of days, the AP reported. At World’s End took over the top spot at the box office from Shrek the Third, which slipped to second place, with $69.1 million for the weekend, raising its domestic total to $219.4 million. Spider-Man 3 came in third place with $18 million, putting its domestic total at $307.6 million. Upcoming summer releases include the potential blockbusters Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Transformers, Ocean’s Thirteen, The Bourne Ultimatum and The Simpsons Movie.
The BBFC reports that the soon to be released fifth film, Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix, will have a running time of 138 minutes - the shortest of the films so far despite being based on the longest of the books.
To give you an idea of how Order of the Phoenix compares - both Sorcerer’s Stone and the Prisoner of Azkaban were 142 minutes, Goblet of Fire was 157 minutes and the Chamber of Secrets was 161 minutes.
So it would seem that Warner Brothers is still scared and doesn’t listen to the fanbase. How can Warner, David Yates or JK Rowling allow the longest book in the series to be the shortest film of the series? The studio’s paranoia is going to the sink this series. And this still makes me wonder . . . has Harry Potter outgrown Warner Brothers with the Order of the Phoenix?
Twentieth Century Fox and the Franklin Mint have created a Silver Surfer U.S. quarter that has been put into limited circulation in advance of the release of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Variety reported. A total of 40,000 quarters were released into the currency stream after being dispatched to cities across the country in special silver armored trucks, the trade paper reported.
The legal tender coin is a California state commemorative quarter minted by the U.S. Mint and color-enhanced by Franklin. One side of the limited-edition collector’s quarter features an image of the Silver Surfer character, while the name of the movie’s Web site appears in tiny lettering. Those finding the quarter can go to the Web site and take part in the Search 4 Silver campaign, including registering to win a trip for four to the world premiere of Silver Surfer in London. This weekend, Fox will pull off another marketing stunt when a team of 20 skydivers and a champion sky-surfer perform an aerial show at the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer opens June 15.
If anyone finds an extra one, email me - editor [AT] mynetpublishing.com, I would love to have one. And if I get my hands on more than one, I will give them away in some form of a contest.
Two weeks ago, we reported that Brian De Palma’s Untouchables prequel had landed Nicolas Cage in the lead role of Al Capone. Variety reports that if Brian De Palma moves ahead with prequel The Untouchables: Capone Rising, it will be without Nicolas Cage. Cage had been in negotiations to star in the follow-up, but talks have ended because of scheduling issues, according to his representatives. Relativity Media is financing the film, while Paramount has domestic distribution rights. Art Linson, who produced De Palma’s 1987 pic The Untouchables, is producing the prequel as well. It was announced last week that Gerard Butler has joined the cast as Jimmy Malone, played by Sean Connery in the original. Cage would have played the young Al Capone.