Joseph Gordon-Levitt cast in DARK KNIGHT RISES
Mar 19Variety reports Joseph Gordon-Levitt has locked in a deal that will see him re-team with Inception director Christopher Nolan for Dark Knight Rises, the highly anticipated third Batman.
No official word on who he plays, but it is more than likely a villain.
Instant and unfair comparisons to the late Heath Ledger’s Joker performance inevitable.
Another great director succumbs to 3Dementia: Christopher Nolan edition
Jun 16
Despite finding “the dimness of the image extremely alienating,” Christopher Nolan foresees himself bowing to studio pressure and shooting something in 3D sooner or later. As Slashfilm wisely points out, it probably won’t be Batman 3, but Nolan’s been recently attached to some kind of Superman reboot, and Warner Bros. is likely to push hard for that to be shot in 3D; they even tried to get Nolan to post-convert Inception into 3D, but he dodged the bullet, claiming “We didn’t have time to do it to the standards that I would be happy with.” Phew. I don’t want my plot-induced headache to be upgraded to a full-blown migraine thanks to sloppy post-processing.
Besides grumbling about 3D, Nolan had some interesting things to say at the inaugural Hero Complex festival, so check out the full interview here.
(If you don’t know who Christopher Nolan is, then congratulations; you’re one of the sixteen people in the world who haven’t seen The Dark Knight. Here’s an Inception trailer, too, just in case you forgot what Nolan’s been up to lately.)
Studios seem suspiciously certain that INCEPTION will dominate the box office in July
Jun 10
Inception is due to hit US screens on the 16th of July. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was slated to appear on the same date, but it’s since been moved forward a couple of days to the 14th, to get a head-start on Christopher Nolan’s latest mind-bender. Dinner For Schmucks, originally slated for a 23 July release, has been pushed back a week because “the July 30 frame is a less competitive date for adult films and gives “Dinner” more distance from “Inception” (July 16) and “Salt” (July 23).”
Do Disney and Paramount / Dreamworks know something that we don’t? Are they making these decisions based on the overwhelming box office success of The Dark Knight in 2008? Are these decisions influenced by the tidal wave of positive buzz for Inception in the blogosphere? Or have they consulted their crystal balls and determined that Inception is going to be some kind of unstoppable juggernaut?
Find out what all the fuss is about on 16 July 2010 if you live in the US or UK; or later on the 22nd if you live in Australia.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND box office makes Tim Burton a $1billion director
May 27
Disney is jumping for joy and rolling around in large wads of cash as Tim Burton’s CGI-heavy version of Alice in Wonderland just become the sixth film in history to crack the illustrious $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office. To date, Alice has earned over $332 million in the US and almost $670 million in worldwide cinemas. This makes Tim Burton a billion dollar director– just think of the wild and crazy things he can dream-up and shoot now!
With the 3D movement and inflation continue to gently nudge movie ticket prices upwards, certain milestones in film box office takings become easier to obtain. Like Avatar reaching a staggering $2.7 billion, for instance. Technically, more people still saw Gone With The Wind in theatres back in 1939/40, but we let that slide because, unlike the music industry, the Hollywood spotlight is shone on how much money a film earns and not how many people bought a ticket (which is a shame).
As slashfilm reports, Alice in Wonderland now sits with other $1billion earners:
- Avatar ($2.7 billion)
- Titanic ($1.8 billion)
- The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King ($1.1 billion)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest ($1.06 billion)
- The Dark Knight ($1 billion)
Shouldn’t be much longer before the entire Top 10 earners of all time crack $1 billion. Christopher Nolan’s third Batman, perhaps?
MASS EFFECT movie announcement: good news or bad news?
May 25
Seems like Legendary couldn’t let the recent Heavy Rain movie announcement go unanswered: Mass Effect is now officially on its way to the silver screen. I don’t think I’m exaggerating here when I say Mass Effect was the most important thing I saw, played or did in the last few years: for me it was a nigh life-changing experience, so naturally my knee-jerk response to this news is to cross my arms and frown loudly.
The main problem with adapting Mass Effect to a non-gaming medium is that Mass Effect is one of those quintessentially game-y experiences. Everything from the sex, race and gender of your character through to the friends you make and the teammates you sacrifice are entirely in the hands of the player, and each of the three games (the third is yet to be released) tells a continuous story through which you can carry over your character and story choices. That is to say, there is no canon: no two players’ experience of the plot will be precisely the same, and that’s part of the game’s power.
In order for a film adaptation to work, there are two options: either take the plot straight from the games and lock the characters into one set path; or throw Commander Shepard and the Reapers out the window and come up with a whole new story in the Mass Effect universe. I know I’d prefer the latter, but I know just as well that would never happen.
No matter who they cast in the role of Commander Shepard (the player-controlled protagonist of the Mass Effect trilogy), at least half of the fan base will be outraged. Basic, fundamental things like Shepard’s sex will send the fans into fits of rage — most fans prefer a female Shepard because they reckon her voice-acting’s better than the male counterpart, but the game’s advertising focuses solely on the default “male model” Shepard. Thus, if half of players chose to play as a woman, they’re going to be irritated if a male is cast in the role. (Incidentally, Lost‘s Matthew Fox is a dead ringer for default Shepard.)
Mass Effect has a rich and distinct visual style, blending all of the best of sci-fi into one gorgeous package, from the neon dystopia of Blade Runner through the colourful 90s palette of Babylon 5 to the clunky real-worldiness of Star Wars, and deals with themes that explore both the lighter, Star Trek side of morality as well as the murkier, grittier Battlestar Galactica end of the spectrum. The film adaptation could easily tap all the groundwork laid by game developer Bioware in establishing the look, feel and sound of Mass Effect‘s expansive universe, and that would help their goals immensely.
Also helping the film’s cause is Legendary Pictures’ involvement: they contributed to Warner Bros.-distributed flicks like 300 and The Dark Knight; they’ve also got their fingers in other video game pies, like the developmentally-challenged Gears Of War adaptation as well as Sam Raimi’s World Of Warcraft feature. This bodes well for Mass Effect. Screenwriter Mark Protosevich is in talks to write the script: he wrote the ho-hum I Am Legend and the upcoming Thor, so his talents are relatively untested in my mind.
Just a few of the Commander Shepards out there.
What bodes even better for Mass Effect is Bioware’s involvement from the outset. Founders (and Doctors) Ray Muzyka and Gred Zeschuck will serve as executive producers on the flick, hopefully keeping the project in line with their “emotional engagement is everything” development mantra; and Mass Effect‘s lead designer (equivalent to a film’s director) Casey Hudson is quoted as saying he always “thought Mass Effect was perfectly suited to be a motion picture,” so maybe it isn’t all doom and gloom for us, the game’s fans.
Still, I can’t help but shake the feeling that a movie adaptation of this game is unnecessary. The first game is the closest thing to interactive storytelling perfection I’ve ever seen, and I wouldn’t want my personal experiences ruined by some screenwriter’s interpretation of events. That said, there’s a rich universe and strong story to tap, so I guess it might not be all bad … but I can’t help but be reminded of Wing Commander, Hitman, Doom, Resident Evil, and Uwe Boll’s litany of film sins whenever I think of game-to-movie adaptaions. I do not want Mass Effect to suffer a similar fate.
This Thursday’s Prince Of Persia has a lot to live up to: if it’s good, my faith in the Mass Effect movie will increase dramatically; if it’s average, or bad, my hopes for any and all video game adaptations will plummet below their already low levels.
OPINIONS COUNT