UPDATE: Paramount has confirmed to MTV that this news is indeed true. No surprises there, given the original source. Kudos to Deadline Hollywood for snagging the scoop!
Speculating fans of the "Mission: Impossible" series need speculate no more. We've been hearing for awhile about "Mission: Impossible IV." "M:I3" director J.J. Abrams told us in October that he probably wouldn't be back to direct, but he'd stay involved as a producer. He then told us in January that star Tom Cruise was "part of the plan" for the next one. Today's news supports both of those assertions.
It turns out that Cruise will, in fact, reprise his Ethan Hunt role to star in "Mission: Impossible IV," as reported by Deadline Hollywood. He will also produce the film, along with Abrams, and the two are currently searching for their director. The script, as had previously been reported, will be penned by Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec. Read more...
Last October, “Zombieland” took a big, gory bite out of the box-office, debuting at number one and bringing in over $25 million in ticket sales. Immediately, there was talk of a sequel, and when we caught up with the hit film’s red hot writers recently, they said the plans are moving forward.
“We want to stick with our dysfunctional family,” revealed Paul Wernick, who created the post-apocalyptic zombie world (now on DVD!) with writing partner Rhett Reese. “But also introduce new characters.” Read more...
FROM MTV.COM: "Kaltxì! Oeru lu fpom, slä oel tspìyang ngati fa swizaw oeyä! Ngaru tut?" In case you're not yet fluent in the language of the future, I just said, "Hello! I am well, but I am about to kill you with my arrow. And you?" in Na'vi.
Eight weeks into its release, and extreme fandom for "Avatar" is still feverish. But not all "Avatar" fans are created equal. One growing group of superfans is trying to perfect "lucid dreaming" in an effort to transport themselves to Pandora. And while we all wish we had a little distance from our parents, when moms and dads express a deep desire to live on Pandora, that's a whole new set of family issues.
Continue reading 'Avatar' Junkies Are Proud Of Their True-Blue Fandom
Kevin McKidd plays a god in "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief." He almost played a monster in "Harry Potter."
While chatting with MTV News about "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief," in which he plays Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, McKidd revealed that he was recruited for a meaty, villainous role in the "Harry Potter" franchise. A scheduling conflict prevented him from coming aboard.
"I was asked to be in the last two 'Harry Potter' films and I couldn't do it because I was busy filming 'Grey's Anatomy,' " McKidd said. "There was this mean, alpha-male werewolf character, who's like the big villain in the final film." Read more...
FROM SPLASH PAGE: "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan is making room for another superhero franchise — none other than the Man of Steel himself, Superman.
A report from Deadline Hollywood states that Warner Bros. has tasked Nolan with a "godfather" role in shepherding a "Superman" relaunch following the poorly received "Superman Returns." The site also reiterated its report from yesterday that Nolan is currently working on the third "Batman" screenplay with David Goyer and brother Jonah Nolan.
According to the report, Nolan isn't likely to direct the new "Superman" film, which won't be a followup to "Superman Returns." Curiously, the report mentions that "Returns" collaborators Brandon Routh and Bryan Singer aren't officially off the relaunch yet.
Continue reading Christopher Nolan To 'Mentor' New 'Superman' Movies, Unlikely To Direct
As "Tron Legacy" director Joseph Kosinski plows forward with post-production work on his 3-D sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic, he's also keeping his eye on bringing to the big screen a new version of another decades' old sci-fi touchstone: "Black Hole."
In an exclusive interview with MTV News, Kosinski gave us insight into the film's central concepts and revealed that Travis Beacham ("Clash of the Titans") will begin work on a script in early 2010. Read more...
Fresh off her turn in Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones," actress Rachel Weisz is sticking close to a murder plot in "Dream House."
According to Variety, Weisz has signed on to star in "Dream House," a new thriller directed by "Brothers" filmmaker Jim Sheridan. Weisz will star alongside the previously cast Daniel Craig and Naomi Watts. The Morgan Creek production comes from a script by David Loucka and will be distributed by Universal Pictures. Read more...
FROM MTV.COM: In the "Valentine's Day" trailers, Ashton Kutcher pops the question pretty early in the day to his onscreen love, Jessica Alba. And, in real life, he goes by a similar Valentine's Day mantra: You should always kick off the romance of the day ASAP.
"I'm generally a morning person myself," he told MTV News while promoting "Valentine's Day," opening Friday. "I actually think that Valentine's Day must start first thing in the morning. I really, really do believe the only way you're really going to catch somebody off-guard on Valentine's Day is when they're waking up."
Continue reading Ashton Kutcher Says Valentine's Day Romance Should Start 'First Thing'
For the past several months, we've been following a developing story around the "Terminator" franchise. Despite the solid box office performance of 2009's "Terminator Salvation," license-holder Halcyon Holding Corp. was forced to file for bankruptcy in the latter half of last year. The killer robot franchise has been up on the auction block for awhile, with studio frontrunners Lionsgate and Sony leading the charge.
We knew as of last week that the auction was scheduled for yesterday, and that the winner would become the new owner of all things "Terminator" moving forward: movies, TV, games, books, toys, etc. In an odd twist, it seems that the winner is neither Lionsgate nor Sony. It's not even a movie studio! The new owner of the "Terminator" franchise is hedge fund Pacificor, Nikki Finke reports for Deadline Hollywood. Wait though... this news gets even wackier. Read more...
Steven Soderbergh is a Terminator. No, that's not some tricky wordplay stating that he's directing the next "Terminator" films or anything — he's not. I'm simply hypothesizing that Soderbergh is a machine from the future sent back through time to protect us all with crazy amounts of film work. Honestly, the director goes from project to project so quickly that it's almost as second nature as breathing for the guy. So it's not much of a surprise, though still wild to hear, that he'll follow up his currently shooting ensemble action flick "Knockout" with yet another ensemble thriller, "Contagion."
The Playlist identifies Soderbergh as the director for the much buzzed action-thriller from screenwriter Scott Z. Burns. Actors Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard and frequent Soderbergh collaborator Matt Damon are all closing deals for the film, presenting an all-star cast that gives "Knockout" a run for its money. Read more...
