David Fincher options Panic Attack

David Fincher's (The Social Network, Zodiac, Fight Club) newly formed production company Panic Pictures has optioned its first property, an adaptation of the macabre crime novel Panic Attack. Jason Starr’s 2009 story is a dark thriller about a New York psychiatrist who shoots and kills a home intruder and then has to face a media frenzy and the victim’s accomplice who is seeking revenge.

Screenwriter Ted Griffin (Ocean’s Eleven, Tower Heist) will write the script for the movie adaptation. Novelist Starr’s tenth book The Pack is released next week and four of his previous novels are already in development in Hollywood.

No word yet on whether David Fincher will be directing panic attack himself or passing it on to another director. He is currently finishing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (released in cinemas in the UK on December 26th) and may make the next in the trilogy. He is also due to make Cleopatra with Angelina Jolie and has other projects in pre-production.

Emma Hutchings

Several Frankenstein films in development

Hollywood has become overrun with vampires and zombies and lately Snow White and The Wizard of Oz have also been the subjects of multiple projects. Now there’s another familiar character who is the focus of a number of films currently being developed: Frankenstein.

It has been reported that David Auburn (Proof) has signed on to write the film adaptation of Peter Ackroyd’s novel The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein, to be produced by Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures. This story follows Frankenstein’s youth, as he begins experimenting with corpses, influenced by the outspoken English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Frankenstein author Mary Shelley will also make an appearance in the film.

Meanwhile, Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) is going to direct an adaptation of Kenneth Oppel’s upcoming novel This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein, with a script written by Jacob Estes (Mean Creek). This story’s plot features Frankenstein’s twin brother Konrad, who falls gravely ill, forcing Victor to seek a mysterious old alchemist in order to help him produce the Elixir of Life, which bestows perpetual health. Victor sets out on an adventure to find the three ingredients it requires, accompanied by his best friend Elizabeth.

If that’s not enough, there are others in development, including Guillermo del Toro's (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth) remake of the classic 1931 Universal film, a contemporary re-telling of the famous tale recently acquired by Columbia Pictures, and an adaptation based on the graphic novel Wake the Dead, which Guns ‘n’ Roses guitarist Slash’s company Slasher Films is producing.

Emma Hutchings

Ian McKellen and Judi Dench to fight zombies

It has been announced that Ian McKellen (X-Men, Lord of the Rings), Judi Dench (Casino Royale), Mark Williams (Harry Potter) and Gillian Anderson (The X Files) are all attached to star in a zombie comedy set in the 18th century. The Curse of the Buxom Strumpet is about the inhabitants of a small seaside town who are struck down with a deadly illness.

Directed by Matthew Butler, who has also co-written the script with Tori Hart, this feature is based on their short film E’gad Zombies, which also starred Ian McKellen. The pair will also be producing the film for their UK production company Fizz and Ginger Films.

Butler is currently in talks with sales agents in Cannes and shooting on the £2-million movie is expected to begin in Scotland later this year. Zombie films are all the rage nowadays, so it’ll need to be special to stand out, but Sir Ian and Dame Judi fighting the undead horde sounds like a great concept.

Emma Hutchings

DVD Review – Laputa - Castle in the Sky (1986)

Laputa - Castle in the Sky, 1986.

Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Featuring the voice talents of Anna Paquin, James Van Der Beek, Mark Hamill, Cloris Leachman and Jim Cummings.


SYNOPSIS:

A young boy helps a girl with a mysterious crystal hunted by pirates, the army and secret agents in the search for a mythical floating castle.


Laputa - Castle in the Sky was the first film to be created by the Japanese animation studio and production company Studio Ghibli. The famous studio behind more recent successes Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001) and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) released the original version of this film back in 1986 and it won the Anime Grand Prix 1st prize that year. It was written and directed by the prominent and influential film director Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli.

Laputa follows a young girl called Sheeta who is voiced by Anna Paquin (X-Men, True Blood) in this English dubbed version. Sheeta wears a mysterious crystal as a necklace, which lots of people want to get their hands on. An exciting pre-credits sequence culminates in her falling from an airship after being tracked down by sky pirates, the crystal starts to glow and enables her to float safely into the arms of a young boy called Pazu (James Van Der Beek; Dawson’s Creek, The Rules of Attraction).

Hunted by the pirates, the army and some secret agents, Sheeta and Pazu go on the run and join in the search for a legendary floating castle that many believe to be a myth. The crystal has been in Sheeta’s family for years, passed down by her grandmother, and the different groups that want to claim it believe it holds the key to finding the castle of Laputa and unlocking its secrets.

Laputa - Castle in the Sky is a reference from Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, which features a hovering castle called Laputa. This imaginative extrapolation of that small idea is a very strong first outing from the studio responsible for a number of enjoyable animations that have become popular not just in Japan, but across the world. It is a fun adventure story with many selling points; pirates, conspiracies, robots, airships, magic crystals and a beautiful floating castle. The familiar visual style is seen in many Ghibli films, it is colourful and well-drawn. The supporting cast of voice actors includes Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, along with Cloris Leachman, Jim Cummings, Richard Dysart and others.

The film reverses audiences’ opinions about the different types of people we are introduced to. The pirates who at first (and often in films) seem to be the bad guys, later join forces with Sheeta and Pazu to try and find the floating castle. The men who work for the government should be agents for good but they have sinister ulterior motives.

Laputa - Castle in the Sky is a very engaging fantasy adventure. There are moments of action, comedy, coming-of-age drama, suspense and thrills that keep you hooked. The film also boasts great visuals and impressive animation. Although it lasts two hours, it successfully fills its runtime and maintains a high level of interest and excitement so you won’t be checking the clock. It’s a really fun animated film that will amuse and entertain the whole family.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky is released on Double Play Blu-Ray and DVD on May 9th.

Emma Hutchings

Hayao Miyazaki: Drawn to Anime

Javier Bardem officially signs on to star in The Dark Tower

Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men, Biutiful) has now officially signed a deal to star as Roland Deschain in the movie and TV adaptations of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series of books. The unique and ambitious project will see King’s novels adapted into a trilogy of films, with each one being followed by a TV mini-series.

The story follows Deschain, the last living member of an order known as ‘Gunslingers’ on his quest to find the fabled Dark Tower. He journeys through a land, which shares many characteristics with the American Old West but has magical aspects too, in search of a way to save his broken, dying world.

Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code) will be directing the first film, with production said to be starting in September for an expected release in May 2013. The huge franchise will then continue with the first of the TV series.

Johnny Depp will have a cameo role in 21 Jump Street

It has been confirmed that Johnny Depp will be appearing in the movie version of 21 Jump Street. He will star in a small cameo role that has been written especially for him. The film, based on the 1987-91 TV series about cops who went undercover in schools, will be directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs).

21 Jump Street’s cast includes Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Brie Larson and Dave Franco (James’ brother), with Johnny Simmons (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) also recently announced to be on board.

The film will be released on March 16th 2012. Depp, who played Officer Tom Hanson in eighty episodes of the TV show that helped launch his successful acting career, can next be seen at the cinema reprising his role of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which opens on the 18th of May in UK cinemas.

Gary Oldman presented with Empire Icon Award

Gary Oldman was named a film icon at the Empire Awards 2011, picking up his award from Colin Firth, who won Best Actor for his role in The King’s Speech. Firth said in his introduction, “He is as far as I’m concerned a very strong candidate for the world’s best living actor.”

Oldman has had a diverse career, starring in films like Leon, The Fifth Element, Sid & Nancy, Air Force One and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, as well as recently taking on roles in the popular franchises Harry Potter and Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies.

He said in his acceptance speech: “I can't tell you how nice it feels to have your work appreciated and honoured.” He thanked all of the directors who have cast him in their films over the years and allowed him to have a long career.

Other winners at the Awards included; Chloe Moretz (Best Newcomer), Noomi Rapace (Best Actress), Kick-Ass (Best British Film), Inception (Best Film), Edgar Wright (Best Director) and Keira Knightley (Empire Hero).

DVD Review - Demon Empire (2006)

Demon Empire, 2006.

Directed by Dong-oh Jo & Dong-oh Cho.
Starring Woo-sung Jung, Jun-ho Heo, Tae-hee Kim, Kwang-il Kim, Jeong-hak Park, Sang-wook Park and Ha-jun Yu.


SYNOPSIS:

A demon slayer finds himself in the place between our world and Heaven where, reunited with his lost love, he attempts to stop the leader of an unholy army from shattering the gates to the human realm.


First-time directors and co-writers Dong-oh Jo and Dong-oh Cho bring us the magical martial arts romance Demon Empire.

Under the rule of a corrupt royal family, the Royal Demon Slayers, called the ‘Chuyongdae’ carried out an unsuccessful rebellion to try to save the people. With most of their fighters wiped out, the desperate people began offering the living as a sacrifice to the demons. During this time of chaos, a mysterious young man rescues a woman bound to a post and kills the demons that came to claim her.

The townspeople rejoice and offer him food and wine for killing the evil creatures. It appears that all of the remaining Demon Slayers have been executed except for him; Yi Gwak, head soldier of the Chuyongdae (played by Woo-sung Jung; The Good, the Bad, the Weird, The Warrior, A Moment to Remember). Although he rescued their village, its people want the bounty on his head because they are poor and starving. They reveal that they drugged his food and he hurriedly escapes to the forest before he falls asleep.

On waking, he finds himself in a fantastic and strange place called Midheaven, which one man explains is where the spirits stay for 49 days before they are reincarnated. He doesn’t have a nameplate like the others, and can’t remember meeting the grim reaper. It soon transpires that he isn’t dead after all, but has somehow made his way to this place. In Midheaven he meets a young woman who announces herself as So-hwa (Tae-hee Kim). She is a ‘Chuneen’, a heavenly being with no memories of being human. Yi Gwak remembers her as Yon-hwa, his lost love who was accused of bringing demons to her village and burned.

Midheaven is under attack from the demons, and So-hwa has been given the mission to take her elder’s spirit to the Pool of Reflection to save the spirits. If Midheaven vanishes, the dead can’t get into Heaven and there will be no more births in the world. Ban-chu (Jun-ho Heo) is the one behind the attacks. He is building an unholy army ready for the time when the gates to the human realm are shattered and as that hour draws near, he sends his forces on the hunt for So-hwa, who is the only one with the power to stop him. Ban-chu and his allies have a connection to Yi Gwak that leads to some difficult experiences for both sides in the battle.

The film raises some interesting questions, such as whether a soldier’s duty is to protect the world or try to change it. It also asks what makes a person who they are and how big a part their memories play. So-hwa can’t remember her life with Yi Gwak but she finds herself falling in love with him all over again.

It won the Grand Bell Award in South Korea for Best Art Direction in 2007. The trio of Art Directors who worked on the film includes Ming Wu who previously worked on Hero (2002) and House of Flying Daggers (2004). Like those films, Demon Empire can be categorized in the Wuxia genre, popular in China and Korea. These martial arts fantasies are usually set in the past, star a chivalrous protagonist and include fight sequences where characters achieve superhuman feats, have lightning fast moves, fly, levitate, and show expert swordsmanship.

The film boasts some impressive special effects, such as So-hwa’s whirling flower petals she uses as a defence and the deaths of the demons. When they are defeated, they turn to ash, like an internal fire has spread from the fatal wound and they become only charred remnants. Bits of singed paper float down from where they stood.

The supernatural apocalyptic storyline that is highlighted in the poster and other promotional material is often sidelined, while the more personal love story between Yi Gwak and Yon-hwa is focused upon. There are enjoyable and well-choreographed fight sequences but it isn’t end-to-end excitement. The emotional storyline is frequently at the forefront, which isn’t really a criticism because it is interesting and complex. However, those expecting a martial arts extravaganza that never lets up on fights and action may be a little disappointed.

Demon Empire is released on DVD on March 28th.

Emma Hutchings

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character in The Dark Knight Rises revealed?

Joseph Gordon Levitt’s involvement in the next Christopher Nolan-directed Batman film The Dark Knight Rises is now official. It is also being reported that he will be playing Alberto Falcone.

You may remember mob boss Carmine Falcone (played by Tom Wilkinson) in Batman Begins. Alberto is his son, which effectively ties together the events of the rebooted Batman films.

There has been much speculation about what Gordon-Levitt’s role would be in the third instalment, with possibilities from The Riddler to Nightwing suggested. However, this choice fits the realistic style of Nolan’s Batman series and brings his trilogy full circle. He has been keen to steer clear of cartoonish characters like those of Joel Schumacher’s dire Batman and Robin from 1997.

Gordon-Levitt can soon be seen in Hesher with Natalie Portman and the cancer comedy 50/50 with Seth Rogen and Anna Kendrick. His upcoming projects include Premium Rush and the sci-fi Looper alongside Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt joins fellow Inception cast member Tom Hardy, who will be playing Bane, and Anne Hathaway has been announced as Catwoman. They join regulars Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. The Dark Knight Rises is scheduled for release on July 20th 2012.

Update - Now EW are suggesting that reports of Gordon-Levitt as Alberto Falcone are wide of the mark so it looks like we haven't heard the last of this story just yet...

Alan Tudyk cast in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Alan Tudyk has joined the cast of Timur Bekmambetov’s adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. He will play the historical figure Stephen A. Douglas who was Lincoln’s political opponent and in the novel was aligned with the vampires of the South.

Tudyk is best known as Wash, one of the main cast members of Joss Whedon’s short-lived but much-loved TV series Firefly and its movie adaptation Serenity. He also had a memorable role in Whedon’s Dollhouse, and has appeared in the films A Knight’s Tale, Dodgeball and the remake of 3:10 to Yuma.

Director Bekmambetov’s (Wanted, Night Watch) $69 million 3D period action movie will recount the future President’s mission to rid the world of the bloodthirsty undead. Although its premise is quite ridiculous, the film is expected to portray it seriously, as the novel does.

The other actors rounding out the varied cast for the film are Benjamin Walker (Flags of Our Fathers, The War Boys) in the lead role, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) as Lincoln’s wife Mary Todd, Robin McLeavy (The Loved Ones) as his mother Nancy, Jimmi Simpson (Date Night, Zodiac) as Lincoln’s friend Josh Speed, and Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia) and Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker, The Adjustment Bureau) in key fictional roles from the novel.

Alan Tudyk can be seen this summer in the blockbuster sequel Transformers: Dark of the Moon, in which he has a supporting role as a colleague of Agent Simmons (John Turturro). Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is due to begin shooting soon and is scheduled for release in the UK on August 22nd, 2012.

Logan Marshall-Green joins Ridley Scott’s Prometheus

The relatively unknown actor has appeared on TV in 24, The O.C. and Dark Blue, and in the movies Across the Universe, Brooklyn’s Finest and most recently, Devil. He has joined the cast as Holloway, a crew member on the space ship and a love interest for Noomi Rapace’s character, the scientist Elizabeth Shaw.

Prometheus will be Ridley Scott’s first sci-fi movie since Blade Runner. The much-anticipated film is an indirect prequel to Scott’s classic Alien from 1979. An original film, it will be a spinoff set in the same universe and is rumoured to reveal the origins of the mysterious Space Jockey from the first film. However, plot details are a closely guarded secret for the time being. The original draft of the script was written by Jonathan Spaihts before Ridley Scott asked Damon Lindelof (Lost, Cowboys & Aliens) to revise it.

Logan Marshall-Green is the latest in a number of casting announcements for the film. Joining him and Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) will be Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class), Charlize Theron (The Road), Idris Elba (Thor), Sean Harris (Harry Brown), Katie Dickie (Red Road) and Rafe Spall (Hot Fuzz).

Prometheus will begin filming later this month in the UK and is scheduled for release on June 8th 2012.

Neil Gaiman to write Journey to the West film series

Award-winning writer Neil Gaiman, whose works Coraline and Stardust have been turned into films in recent years, has signed on to write the scripts for an epic $300 million series of 3D feature films adapted from the ancient Chinese folk tale Journey to the West.

The classic 16th century fantasy follows the misadventures of the Monkey King as he journeys from China to India with his companions to retrieve Buddha’s scrolls and gain enlightenment.

Gaiman will collaborate with one of China’s most prominent TV producers, Zhang Jizhong, on the project and once the outline is written, they are hoping to secure a high profile director and financial support from Hollywood studios. Guillermo del Toro is said to be top of their wish list to direct at least one of the films and James Cameron will be on hand to advise on matters including the 3D technology.

Gaiman travelled to China recently for inspiration and to discuss with Jizhong which elements of the 2,000 page story would transfer well to the big screen. The initial plan is for a trilogy, with production taking place in China and both Chinese and Western actors appearing.

Neil Gaiman is well known for his fantasy novels and short stories including American Gods, MirrorMask, Neverwhere, and The Graveyard Book, which is set to be turned into a live-action film directed by Neil Jordan and produced by Gaiman. He has also written an episode for the new series of Doctor Who, which returns to the BBC at Easter.

Michelle Pfeiffer in talks for Tim Burton’s ‘Dark Shadows’

Tim Burton’s new movie, a big-screen version of the 1960s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, is set to start shooting in April and we are getting regular announcements regarding the cast.

Michelle Pfeiffer, who played Catwoman in Burton’s 1992 film Batman Returns, is in negotiations to star as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, the reclusive matriarch of the Collins family. Pfeiffer is currently shooting Welcome to People, the directorial debut of screenwriter Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek, Transformers, Cowboys & Aliens) and written with writing partner Roberto Orci, in which she plays the widowed mother of Chris Pine’s character who returns home for his father’s funeral.

Tim Burton often casts actors he has worked with previously in his films. There are rumours that his partner Helena Bonham Carter may be getting a role in Dark Shadows, which would make it their 7th film together.

Long-time Burton collaborator Johnny Depp is playing the lead character, Barnabas Collins, a self-loathing vampire searching for his lost love. Also confirmed are Jackie Earle Haley as conman Willie Loomis, Eva Green as Angelique the witch and Bella Heatcote as Victoria Winters, a young governess at the Collins estate.

What do you think about Tim Burton regularly casting the same actors in his films, such as Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter?

Best British Film: Don’t Look Now

The 1973 thriller Don’t Look Now starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie has been named Best British Film in a list compiled by Time Out magazine.

The film, directed by Nicolas Roeg, is set in Venice and follows a couple grieving the death of their young daughter. It features an infamous sex scene with the two main characters and a chilling twist at the end.

The full list of 100 movies was chosen by a panel of 150 actors, critics and filmmakers including Sam Mendes, Mike Leigh, Sally Hawkins, Wes Anderson and Terence Davies.

The oldest film in the list is Powell and Pressburger’s 1946 wartime fantasy A Matter of Life and Death, starring David Niven, while Trainspotting, directed by Danny Boyle in 1996, was the only movie from the past 15 years to feature.

The film editor of Time Out, Dave Calhoun, said “this once-in-a-decade poll throws new light on the films which inspire our current actors, directors and writers. In the same week that the BAFTA winners are announced, and as the British film funding landscape remains in flux, now seems as good a time as ever to think about British cinema in the context of over 100 years.”

The Top Ten films were as follows:

1. Don’t Look Now (1973)
2. The Third Man (1949)
3. Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
4. Kes (1969)
5. The Red Shoes (1948)
6. A Matter of Life and Death (1946)
7. Performance (1970)
8. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
9. If… (1968)
10. Trainspotting (1996)

What would be your pick for number one?

Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle to re-team for werewolf movie?

British screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, Oscar nominated for 127 Hours, is working on an adaptation of Toby Barlow’s Sharp Teeth. The novel mixes horror, noir and epic poetry and involves competing packs of werewolves in a dark and seedy Los Angeles underworld, a detective investigating dog-related murders, and a love story between a dogcatcher and a mysterious woman.

Beaufoy is hoping to reunite with award-winning director Danny Boyle, after the pair successfully collaborated on 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire. “If I write it well enough, he’ll direct it,” he said. It would be a return to horror for Boyle, who directed the popular British film 28 Days Later in 2002, which earned him global recognition as a talented and interesting director.

Beaufoy has been conducting research by going on ridealongs with LAPD officers. Meanwhile, Danny Boyle is currently working on the forthcoming stage adaptation of Frankenstein, starring Johnny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch at the National Theatre, with the two actors alternating the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature throughout the run of the production.

Harry Potter films to receive BAFTA award for contribution to cinema

The organisers at BAFTA have announced today that the ‘Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema’ award will be presented to J.K. Rowling and David Heyman, on behalf of the Harry Potter film franchise.

The Harry Potter series has been a worldwide phenomenon since the first instalment in 2001. They are a great success story for British film, showcasing both the cream of acting talent in front of the camera and the expertise of the production team behind the scenes. So far, they have received 7 Oscar nominations and a massive 28 BAFTA nominations. The eighth and final film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 will be released in July.

Daniel Radcliffe responded to news of the award by saying, “I am thrilled that the Harry Potter film series is being honoured with this award. I have loved every minute of making these films and to me the real heroes are the crew and the huge team of craftsmen that have made all eight of them possible - this award is a testament to their incredible work.”

The award will be presented at this year’s Orange British Academy Film Awards on Sunday 13th February. Meanwhile Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 brings the saga to a close on July 15th and features an all star cast including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, Imelda Staunton, David Thewlis and Bonnie Wright.