It has begun.
That’s right…the official cast announcements for the upcoming Mortal Instruments film, based on the ever-popular series by Cassandra Clare!
And in an unexpected—but not unwelcome—twist on Hollywood protocol, the author herself has been given the go-ahead to break the news of who’s playing whom, posting her impressions of new casting decisions on her blog for all her devoted followers to read.
Although the official Twilight saga YouTube channel refers to this only as the second teaser, it sure feels like a full on trailer, especially since the last three have been under a minute long and told us very little about the storyline. The newest however, outlines the main plot of the film nicely, for anyone that doesn’t already know (do those people still exist?).
The trailer doesn’t give us a good look at Renesmee, though it does point to her as the catalyst in the conflict. I would think they were trying to make her appearance a surprise if not for the pictures we’ve already seen. It does, however, provide a few more shots of the new characters that assemble to help the Cullens, and hints that we might actually get some action in the film, despite the book’s lack of it.
Rumor has it that he will. Over at BleedingCool.com, Brendon Connelly admits he’s been getting many email tips claiming that they have inside sources or have gotten a sneak peek. But, as he can’t prove it, he’s chalking it up to speculation. On the other hand, with the new trailer (below) released on the 19th, he is willing to admit that it makes sense.
I’m willing to take it a step further. Gordon-Levitt is credited with the role of John Blake in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and he seems to be a prominent part of the trailer. However, a quick search on the DC Comics Database found only one mention of a John Blake, that of Adam Blake’s (Captain Comet) deceased father. However, the name does sound a bit like Tim Drake, Batman’s third Robin. It’s a leap, I know, but stay with me.
I’m in withdrawal.
Fairy tale withdrawal.
Since the season finale of Once Upon a Time on May 13, it pains me to have another Sunday go by without getting my OUAT fix. And with that ending – the curse broken, Snow White reunited with her Prince Charming, Regina’s comeuppance, magic’s return to Storybrooke – how in the world are we all supposed to wait until the fall for season 2 to start?
There’s only one thing that helps me get through this long period of waiting: those tantalizing tidbits of info telling us what to expect from the next season. And no news could be quite so magical as the OUAT exclusive released earlier this week, which announced that Emilie de Ravin has been updated to series regular for season 2.
Along with a press release announcing the beginning of production on the 2014 film, Disney also gave fans the first look at Angelina Jolie (Wanted) donning the iconic Maleficent headdress. The film will focus on the origin of this famous Disney baddie and explain what pushed her to the point of cursing the princess in an attempt to hurt her family and the kingdom.
The character is a Disney invention from their version of the Grimm Brothers original story where the thirteenth fairy curses the princess and then proceeds to never be heard from again. In their 1959 adaptation of the tale, Disney expanded the character to a level of determined resentment that certainly merits explanation considering that, as far as we know, all King Stephan did was not invite her to a party.
For those Hunger Games fans who are dying to know who is going to be playing who in the next installment, Catching Fire, well here is a little bit of a scoop for you. No, sorry, this is not a casting for Finnick Odair sadly, but Plutarch Heavensbee might just have a winner.
Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has been offered the role of the new Gamemaker. Hoffman, who recently has played in Moneyball and The Ides of March, has a very interesting pedigree. The movies that I have seen him in have been as varied in theme as I can think of. I am curious to see how he will bring this multi-layered character to life.
Game of Thrones. . . I consider myself something of a fan: willing to struggle every week against my slow internet connection and resulting low quality video to get my fix, and the mere mention of a favorite character or scene sends me into a flurry of joyous aspirations and recollective ramblings. Alas, despite my enthusiasm, I am so far naught but a TV-version junkie.
I am one of those fans which George R.R. Martin describes in his interview with HBO that loves the show, but considers lifting even one of the currently five existing books a daunting ordeal. I am sure they are wonderful and I do love a good read, but Mr. Martin himself admits that ‘prose and film have different techniques and weapons that they use.’
Based on George Orwell’s genre redefining novel, Imagine announced that a remake of 1984 is being penned for them by Noah Oppenheim. Oppenheim’s previous credits include television shows such as The Today Show and Hardball with Chris Matthews.
Orwell’s novel, published in 1949, tells the story of a totalitarian society dominated by a government that sees everything and feeds back propaganda to control its subjects for the ‘greater good’. Given the media-centric plot of the novel, the choice of Oppenheim for screenwriter on this project might be telling as to what angle Imagine is planning to take on the original story.
All right DC comic fans, it’s time to get excited!
While everyone has been keeping their eyes on The Avengers, behind the scenes Warner Bros and DC Comics have been planning on getting Justice League back on track, (finally, I might say).
Warner Bros was planning a Justice League film back in 2007/2008, with a strange and intriguing cast that included Armie Hammer as Batman, Megan Dale as Wonder Woman and Adam Brody as the Flash. But with the writers’ strike and a few other issues, WB was forced to pull the plug.
I should really be more ashamed at how much I geeked out when I saw these pictures. But, alas, caring is beyond me at this point.
These photos from the June 15th issue of Entertainment Weekly, give us the first look at actress Mackenzie Foy as she takes on the role of Edward and Bella’s unexpected offspring. Most of the pictures of eleven year-old Foy are obviously from a photo shoot, but one that might be of particular interest shows Renesmee and Jacob allegedly having a conversation about imprinting. Awkward. 
Seeing Renesmee has really ramped up my excitement for the film to be released November 16th. We’ll have to wait and see how her acting skills are, but as far as I’m concerned, she’s got the right look to blend into the Cullen clan and play a character with the power to endear her to the people around her. However, it’s a little worrying that, according to her Twilight Wiki page, they are using a bit of CGI magic to make her look smaller earlier in the film by putting her head on the bodies of actresses Rachel St. Gelais and Eliza Faria.
Based on Hans Christen Andersen’s The Snow Queen, Disney began working on its version of the tale back in 2010, but put it on hold because of ‘story issues.’ Production is now surging forward with a release date set for November 2013 and cast announcements that include Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Idina Menzel (Wicked). In its official press release, Disney gave this synopsis:
In “Frozen,” a prophecy traps a kingdom in eternal winter, so Anna (voice of Bell) must team up with Kristoff, a daring mountain man, on the grandest of journeys to find the Snow Queen (voice of Menzel) and put an end to the icy spell. Encountering Everest-like extremes, mystical creatures and magic at every turn, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom from destruction.
In the 10th episode of Adaptation (hurray for double digits!), the hosts gather to discuss Joss Whedon’s The Avengers based on the Marvel comics and Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows based on the 1966 cult soap opera.
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Everyone is back to talk about the Grimm Brothers’ Little Snow White and Tarsem Singh’s Mirror, Mirror (2012) plus many other interesting and occasionally disturbing adaptations of the classic fairytale.
On the last morning of Bridport’s From Page to Screen festival, host Kendyl Bryant sits down with festival committee members Maisie Glazebrook, Polly Gifford, Paul Marshall and Nic Jeune as well as this year’s guest curator Francine Stock to discuss From Page to Screen‘s origins, objectives and favorites moments from this year.
First time host Dorin joins the rest of the crew to discuss the movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, how it compares to the book, what the filmmakers did brilliantly and what opportunities they missed.
Our other HG episodes: The Hunger Games (book), Catching Fire (book) (movie), and Mockingjay (book) (first movie).
Our hosts are joined by friend and fellow Hunger Games fan Chase Pifer to discuss Suzanne Collins’s brilliant young adult dystopian novel and make predictions for the March 23rd movie release.
Our other HG episodes: The Hunger Games (movie), Catching Fire (book) (movie), and Mockingjay (book) (first movie).
In the fifth episode of Adaptation, our hosts discuss the movie One for the Money (and Corey vents her frustration). This is followed up by gushing over the brilliance that is Dr. Seuss, analyzing The Lorax and predicting where the film will go right.
In this jam-packed episode, Kendyl, Jess and Corey discuss Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Janet Evanovich’s One for the Money and Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black.
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On episode #2, Kendyl and Jess are joined by coursemate Corey to discuss Martin Scorsese’s movie adaptation Hugo and how well the book translated to screen… and talk about Jude Law’s ability to play a sexy father.
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