I've got good news and bad news, video game fans. The good news is that a "Space Invader" film is on the way. The bad news is that it has no connection whatsoever to the classic arcade game.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Iron Man 2" screenwriter Justin Theroux is set to pen "Space Invader," Fox's astronaut romantic comedy that has nothing to do with shooting down wave after wave of aggressive alien aircrafts via joystick and button mashing. Instead, "Space Invader" focuses on a man who goes to space after suspecting that his astronaut girlfriend is cheating on him with a fellow astronaut.
Don't get me wrong, this "Space Invader" premise is pretty funny, and Will Arnett's attachment to the lead role makes it even funnier. Still, why throw away the "Space Invaders" name on a romantic comedy, rather than reserving it for a future video game adaptation? That's almost as bad as if the following five video games had their titles used for entirely different premises... Read more...
A couple weeks ago, Variety ran a story about what's next for Denis Leary, Jim Serpico and Apostle Films after the hit FX series "Rescue Me" wraps up in 2011. Tucked away at the end of the story was a brief bit about plans to produce a future-set one hour police procedural based on the Andrew Niccol-directed "Gattaca." Writer/producer Gil Grant, whose previous TV credits include "24" and "NCIS: Los Angeles," was named as the scribe, but that was where the news ended.
"Gattaca," released in 1997, didn't explode at the box office. It's attracted quite a following in its home video afterlife however, and deservedly so. You've got Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law starring in a futuristic thriller set in a world divided between Valids -- people who were genetically altered in utero to "reach their full potential" as humans -- and Invalids, or those born through natural means. Grant was kind enough to take some time last week to chat with us about the still-gestating project, and he revealed that his first move was to strip away the closed confines of the NASA-like organization that Hawke's character worked for in the movie. Read more...
We now know that Robert Zemeckis is playing it old school in at least one respect when it comes to his "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" sequel: the script will be penned by original scribes Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman.
But with over two decades of moviemaking technology between the release of his first cartoon bunny film and the beginning of creative brainstorming for the second, the question is whether or not Zemeckis will also play it old school when it comes to the look of the film. Will it merge live-action with traditional animation? Or, building on his work on films like "A Christmas Carol" and "Beowulf," will the director introduce motion-capture and 3-D technology into the equation? Read more...
Rounding out the evening's coverage, I give you a video window. It's a very special video window, one that will play all of our coverage from tonight's red carpet premiere of "Michael Jackson's This Is It." Now... who's planning to see the movie this weekend? Cast your vote in this week's box office poll.
Charlize Theron isn't only up for a role in "Mad Max 4." No. She's also been keeping busy... by getting busy!
Last night, Charlize kissed a girl. A woman really, from the look of things. Hard to tell with their faces smashed together like that, isn't it? The kiss -- and the $140,000 that paid for it -- was part of a charity event supporting OneXOne, an organization committed to helping children in developing regions. You may remember OneXOne from the recent "Entourage" season finale, in which Matt Damon, as himself, hassled movie star Vinnie Chase (Adrian Grenier) to get involved.
Theron was initially on stage to auction off a trip to Africa, complete with a Nelson Mandela meet-and-greet, Us Magazine reports. The bidding topped out at $37,000, so the the actress sweetened the deal by offering up a 7-second kiss to a man for $130,000. One lucky lady upped that ante to 20 seconds for $140,000, and she took the prize. Hit the jump to get a look at the big picture. Read more...
Lots of arrows flying in this clip, an exclusive from John Woo's "Red Cliff." Maybe not as many as there were in the 2002 Jet Li flick "Hero," but I would argue that they're used to better effect here. In this action-packed scene, our heroes storm a fortification under fire from flaming arrows and catapult projectiles. If you enjoy epic-scale warfare, you will enjoy this clip.
The best place to really absorb the scale of something like "Red Cliff" is in theaters, which you can do starting November 18. For those who absolutely can't wait, you can also check out the movie via Video OnDemand services, Amazon and Xbox Live starting today, October 22. So get on it.
Early this morning, a rumor hit the Internets concerning Vin Diesel and one of his upcoming gigs. Citing a "trusted source," website CineFOOLS reported that "Vin Diesel has dropped out of 'xXx 3.'" No reason accompanied the news, though the writer speculated that it might have something to do with director Rob Cohen's departure from the franchise. Diesel of course launched the franchise in 2002, though the 2005 sequel centered on a new hero, played by Ice Cube.
Seeing as how the title of the film specifically references Diesel's character, his departure would likely spell some pretty significant changes for the coming sequel. Fortunately, it turns out that the rumor is untrue: Vin Diesel is still on board to star in "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage," which currently has a tentative 2011 release listed. Read more...
Jessica Biel is gearing up to bring her A-game to "The A-Team." The actress said in a recent interview with MTV News that if fans are expecting it to be anything like the TV show, they are in for a surprise. The movie will be much more serious in tone than the classic 80's action series.
"I think it will be a little bit similar here and there but we really have our own tone going on," she said. "It’s a little bit less campy than the actual show and a little bit more serious action and fighting sequences but still with lots of humor. Lots and lots of humor." Read more...
"The Boondock Saints," the original film released in 1999, is a strange beast. It was not well-received by critics but has since built up a sizable cult following. It's one of those "love it or hate it" movies, a stylish crime thriller that surfaced in the wake of Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs." Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus star as fraternal twins, Irish Americans who strike out as vigilantes after they cross the Russian Mafia.
Now there's a sequel coming, "Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day," with director Troy Duffy returning alongside the rest of the key players: Flanery, Reedus, Billy Connolly and David Della Rocco. The sequel finds the brothers MacManus hiding out in Ireland from their bloody past. Boston isn't quite finished with them however; the duo returns to right a wrong after they receive word of a murdered priest. You can follow the continuing adventures of the MacManus brothers when "Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day" hits theaters on October 30. Hit the jump for the hot new poster and a trio of stills. Read more...
This week, fans get to celebrate almost a century of "The Wizard of Oz" with a 70th Anniversary DVD/Blu-ray release of the 1939 film. It's fitting then that we have some exclusive new information to share with you on the screen adaptation of Todd McFarlane's "The Twisted Land of Oz" toy line.
MTV Splash Page editor Rick Marshall spoke to the man himself recently, and he was more than happy to delve into the project's genesis, some basic story elements and what the future holds. There's new stuff in here, things you haven't heard yet. The short version: this ain't your granddaddy's "Wizard of Oz." "Spawn" creator McFarlane has some dark ideas kicking around in his head, and they mesh very well with the inherently creepy qualities of "Oz." Read more...
