July 2008 News Archive (Page 22)

Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci have collaborated for years with J.J. Abrams, co-writing Mission: Impossible III, Transformers and Abrams' reinvention of Star Trek.

The producers recently spoke with ComingSoon.net about their latest project, the Shia LaBeouf thriller Eagle Eye. Here are excerpts from that interview:

ComingSoon.net: We spoke last year around this time for Transformers. Was Eagle Eye already in the works at that time?
Alex Kurtzman: Actually, it was very much in the works. We were gearing up to... we were in the middle of prep, so we were prepping the movie at this point last year.

CS: This isn't a script you guys wrote originally though, right? It's just something you developed?
Orci: This is the first thing we were lucky enough to get to produce under our K/O banner at DreamWorks, so it's our first sort of movie as producers. Steven just kind of tapped us with, "Okay, producers, produce this thing. Hire writers, develop a script, use the kernel of the idea that I like and if you're lucky, we'll shoot it when it's perfect. (chuckles)

Josh Peck compared acting with Ben Kingsley in The Wackness to playing basketball with Michael Jordan.

Still, perhaps more daunting than that task may have been the sex scenes he had to share with co-star Olivia Thirlby.

"It was petrifying. I was afraid when the robe dropped, so would the sky. The world would come to end," the actor told ReelzChannel. "It was a funny day. We kind of didn't talk to each other for the whole first half of the day and then when we had to shoot it I don't think I had any lunch. I didn't want to be bloated. I did 50 push ups, dropped the robe and went with God."

Josh Peck plays Luke Shapiro - and gets naked! - in The Wackness.

Mark Millar, the comic book writer behind Wanted, held nothing back in a recent interview with The UK's Daily Record.

He wasn't a fan of Superman Returns, but has extremely high hopes for the next film in the franchise.

"Since I was a kid I've always wanted to reinvent Superman for the 21st century," said Millar. "I've been planning this my entire life. I've got my director and producer set up, and it'll be 2011. This is how far ahead you have to think.

The Superman brand is toxic after that last movie lost [a good chunk of change], but in 2011 we're hoping to restart it. Sadly I can't say who the director is, but we may make it official by Christmas."

Who would you wanna see direct the next Superman movie?

Admit it, you've missed Jigsaw, haven't you?

Get re-acquainted with him and the Saw franchise in the following trailer for Saw V:

Take this with a grain of salt the size of Joey Tribbiani's libido, but rumors of a movie based on the sitcom Friends are making their way around the Internet.

According to The Daily Mail, the cast of the series is set to hit the big screen, largely due to the success if the Sex and the City movie

An insider even told the British newspaper that the film might come together within the next 18 months. Reportedly, the hold up - until now - has been the supposed ego of Jennifer Aniston.

"As the biggest star of the Friends franchise, Jennifer can't help but look at what's happened with Sarah Jessica Parker and the Sex And The City film and be a little jealous," said the source. "What's held back a Friends movie so far is that people were worried that Jennifer had simply become too famous to play Rachel again."

If this is even the least bit valid, box office flops such as Derailed and Rumor Has It have likely silenced Aniston's view of herself as movie star by now.

Brendan Fraser and company take a Journey to the Center of the Earth on July 11.

Should movie goers take a journey to the theater in order to see this family film? Let's ask a few film critics for their take on it...

- Probably has the highest screams-per-capita ratio in the history of action-adventure pics, and a better thrill-per-minute deal than most... -- Variety

- Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D feels like a visit to Frontierland, with boat rides, mine carts, and one heck of a log flume... -- Cinema Blend

- Brendan Fraser, one of few actors who doesn't condescend to light material or fears to be outmatched by it, is likable in this reimagining of Verne's classic, which is minimal in characters (only 3) and story but takes full advantage of the 3D format... -- Emanuel Levy

- As a 2-D movie, or inevitable DVD, it probably fails. As a 3-D experience, though, it rocks... -- L.A. Weekly

Duran Duran has told the UK's The Daily Mirror that the band would love to collaborate with producer Mark Ronson on the the latest James Bond theme.

The group previously recorded the title track for A View to a Kill in 1985, and Nick Rhodes told the newspaper he and his band mates would love to repeat the experience on Quantum of Solace.

"We'd love to collaborate with Mark on a single for the film" he Rhodes, adding: "With him, we may even be able to surpass A View to a Kill."

Amy Winehouse had been scheduled to record the theme, but she dropped out in May because, well, she's an insane drug addict.

Young actor Michael Welch recently sat down with MTV to discuss his role in the upcoming vampire movie, Twlight.

Here's an excerpt from the interview:

MTV: Believe it or not, there might be somebody out there who still doesn't know what Twilight is. So if you could, explain Mike Newton.

Michael Welch: Mike Newton is a cool guy. He's a fun character. He is hopelessly obsessed with the new mysterious, interesting, beautiful girl in high school. He's got some contrasts [because] on the one hand he's this athlete, a basketball player, and on the other hand he's a geek and socially awkward.

He's like how "Family Guy" describes Shia LaBeouf: When Peter was like, "Not quite the nerd, not quite the hunk â€" Shia LaBeouf!" That's how I feel about Mike.

The viral marketing for The Dark Knight revealed this new poster today for the movie this week.

In the past week, movie critics and directors have absolutely gushed about the film. It opens on July 18.

How awesome does this sound?!?

An untitled comedy is being planned that will star Sacha Baron Cohen as master detective Sherlock Holmes and Will Ferrell as Watson, his crime-solving partner. Variety has the story.

Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder) is writing the script, while Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller will produce.

The comedy is inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series.

It reteams Baron Cohen and Ferrell, who played rival racecar drivers in the 2006 hit comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, which Apatow and Miller also produced. As you can see, the actors get along quite well: