Movie News (Page 8)

The folks at Latino Review recently chatted with DC Comics President Paul Levitz. He dropped a few hints about where a trio of highly-anticipated summer movie stand.

For example:

"Last week Brandon Routh has come around the offices in New York and Los Angeles as of late to talk about Superman and what we want to do," Levitz said about the stages of the follow-up to Superman Returns.

It sounds as though the release date for that film, though, will depend on the status of the sequel to The Dark Knight, as Levitz said director Christopher Nolan's contract has to be worked out before anything else can be resolved:

"Everyone is waiting for Nolan to sign on for another Batman, once that happens, the release date for Superman and all other future projects will follow."

Here's a very early glance at when Levitz envisions three of his biggest upcoming movies to be released:

• The Green Lantern: Summer 2010
• Another Batman: Summer 2011
• New Superman: Summer 2012

It's a busy weekend for new movies. How will you ever decide what to see? Let's examine each new entrant into the box office world...

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Stars: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings
Quick synopsis: Nick and Norah meet, and spend one crazy night in New York City.
Prediction: The country's love affair with Cera is ongoing; number-one at the box office.

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
Stars: Simon Pegg, Megan Fox
Quick synopsis: Based on a memoir that exposes the seedy side of Hollywood.
Prediction: The book was well-known and acclaimed, but movie isn't generation tons of buzz; in top five.

Blindess
Stars: Julianne Moore
Quick synopsis: The world goes blind, except for one woman.
Prediction: Looks interesting... and depressing. People don't like feeling depressed.

Rachel Getting Married
Stars: Anne Hathaway
Quick synopsis: A woman is released from rehab in order to attend her sister's wedding.
Prediction: Opening in limited release, so will bring in rave reviews for Hathaway, but not big bucks.

Which of the three new movies should you run out and see this weekend? Here's an overview of the latest theater fare...

Eagle Eye
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan
Quick synopsis: A mysterious woman, through the use of technology, monitors - and threatens - a man and a woman.
Prediction: Number-one at the box office. Ladies love Shia and it looks like a cool plot.

Miracle at St. Anna
Stars: Derek Luke
Quick synopsis: A quarter of black American soldiers get trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII.
Prediction: Might be a bit too intense for many movie goers. But a Spike Lee joint won't fall too far.

Nights in Rodanthe
Stars: Richard Gere, Diane Lane
Quick synopsis: Two people are stranded together at a bed and breakfast. Romance awaits!
Prediction: Overly cheesy and sentimental. In other words: women will line up to make it a top three movie at the box office.

According to John Davis, a producer at Fox, a movie based around The Sims really is in the works.

Davis told Collider.com that the plot would revolve around a teenage boy and his friend who discover a version of the game called the "Sims Infinity Pack" in a strange video game store.

"But what they realize is that they can scan their world in, because this is the most life-like, real 'Sims' game ever," the producer said. "And as they are playing this, they are all of a sudden realizing that what they are playing on the game is having an effect on the real world. So in effect, through the game, they are able to control their world. It's wish fulfilment, and obviously it turns against them."

We hope there are lingerie-clad pillow fights in The Sims movie.

Three more big-time movies open this weekend. Before you decide on which to see, here's our in-depth analysis of each...

Lakeview Terrace
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson
Quick synopsis: An African-American cop takes issues with the interractial couple that moves in next door.
Prediction: Race relations is a touchy subject, but movie goers will dole out the big bucks to see Jackson have fun with the intense role.

The Duchess
Stars: Keira Knigtley
Quick synopsis: Based on the real-life story of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.
Prediction: The movie isn'y going for huge box office returns, and it won't find any.

My Best Friend's Girl
Stars: Dane Cook, Kate Hudson, Jason Biggs
Quick synopsis: An annoying guy falls for his best friend's ex-girlfriend.
Prediction: Dane Cook is involved. This movie will tank.

Miley Cyrus is currently making news for dating Justin Gaston.

But the teen sensation is hoping to broaden her image by starring in an untitled film by Notebook author Nicholas Sparks. The role is reportedly  being written especially for Cyrus.

After hearing that Miley was a fan of A Walk to Remember, the author agreed to write an untitled novel (due in fall 2009) and simultaneously work on a screenplay adaptation for the movie.

Sparks told Variety that the Cyrus clan was "very familiar with the work I've done in the past. That played a role in this project coming together."

After a quiet couple weeks at the box office - last week's showed the lowest grossing receipts in five years! - studios are banking on a big weekend.

These three movies lead the way...

Burn After Reading
Stars: Brad Pitt, Georne Clooney, John Malkovich
Quick synopsis: A couple morons discover the lost memoirs of a CIA agent and bribe him for its return.
Prediction: Arguably the two most popular movie stars on the planet, plus the Coen Brothers, will equate to a top ranking at the box office.

The Women
Stars: Meg Ryan and many other females
Quick synopsis: An all-female cast helps one woman deal with her cheating husband.
Prediction: Everyone involved should send a thank you note to Sarah Palin; a definitely top three this weekend.

Righteous Kill
Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro
Quick synopsis: Veteran partners must decide when it's the right time to go out on their own and commit murder.
Prediction: A disappointment. Pacino and De Niro don't carry the same weight as they once did and moderate reviews aren't helping.

According to Variety, executives at Fox are far from happy about their past summer box office fare.

The article says the studio is discussing how to make future changes. To wit:

Though Fox has no plans for a major overhaul, the studio has scheduled a strategy meeting to assess the status of its superheroes, a group sorely missed this summer. On the agenda, Fox will mull the possibility of more "X-Men" spinoffs, including a young-X-Men project as well as "Deadpool," based on a character played by Ryan Reynolds in "Wolverine." The studio is even considering reviving the "Daredevil" property.

We already know a Wolverine movie is on the way. Would you welcome more X-Men character spin-offs?

We understand if you don't believe everything the Reel Movie News staff has to say.

But the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator himself says a live-action adaption of the former cartoon series really is on the way. Peter Laird told MTV:

MTV: Peter, there was a lot of buzz recently when Kevin Eastman posted on his website that there have been trips out to Northampton to talk with you, as well as [original "TMNT" director"] Steve Barron, about a potential live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. How serious are these talks?
Peter Laird: I have to say that I don’t know why Kevin was talking about something with which he has no involvement. The blurb he put on his website was very inaccurate. He has not been involved with any meetings in Northampton, nor any others related to a new “TMNT” movie, as far as I know. That being said, I can confirm that we have had several meetings with very interested people, and I think we are pretty close to making a deal. As owner of the TMNT property, I want to be the first to announce it at a time of my choosing (hopefully soon).

Columbia Pictures has put The Office co-producers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky on the daunting task of writing a third Ghostbusters movie featuring the original cast according to Variety.

The duo of Eisenberg and Stupnitsky are no strangers to Ghostbuster Harold Ramis as they just wrote the comedy Year One, which he directed.

The original two Ghostbusters were written by Ramis and co-star Dan Aykroyd and directed by Ivan Reitman. Let's hope they can get the whole team back.