MTV Movies Blog › Francis Lawrence

Will Smith, one of very few human survivors of a vampire viral outbreak that swept the world, struggling to salvage his sanity while working tirelessly to find a cure to bring mankind back from the brink… yeah, he is "Legend," alright. Or was, at least. We've heard for some time now that a prequel to Smith and director Francis Lawrence's "I Am Legend" was in the works, but the trail has gone cold in recent months and years. And there's a reason for that: the project is dead.

At the press junket for "Water for Elephants" last month, we spoke with Lawrence and he confirmed our suspicions that, yes, the "I Am Legend" prequel is off the table, at least as far as his involvement goes: "No, I don't think that's ever going to happen."

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Tags Francis Lawrence, i am legend, will smith

It's been about a month since we heard anything about Francis Lawrence's planned Houdini film, but with "Water for Elephants" hitting theaters this weekend he's ready to start looking ahead.

When MTV News caught up with the director at the "Water for Elephants" red carpet, he was willing to share what originally drew him to the project. "I'm interested in worlds and one of the things that's really exciting about being a filmmaker is you get to kind of dive into something that you're not an expert in and you get to immerse yourself in," he said.

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Tags Francis Lawrence, Water for Elephants

In what could prove to be his best illusion yet, Harry Houdini has managed to recreate himself... four times!

That's the magic of the movies, at least, where for every one idea for a film there are at least three other potential projects. Fittingly, today, on what would have been the masterful illusionist's 137th birthday, Variety reports that "Water for Elephants" director Francis Lawrence is in talks to direct a biopic about the life of Houdini for Sony Pictures. That would make for, yes, the fourth Houdini-related project currently in development.

Find out more information about each of the different projects after the jump.

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Tags aaron sorkin, danny elfman, Francis Lawrence, Harry Houdini, houdini, hugh jackman, J Michael Straczynski

The trailer for "Water for Elephants" has stampeded its way onto the Internet, giving movie fans a beautifully shot look at the adaptation of Sara Gruen's bestselling novel and its beautiful stars, Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson.

The first thing that occurs to us watching this trailer is that it's a whole lot like "Titanic"... except that the events unfold amid a traveling circus rather than upon a giant ocean liner. Depression-era setting? Check! Love triangle with beautiful woman, overbearing older lover and baby-faced younger suitor? Check! Climactic disaster providing the backdrop for the resolution of all things? Big-time check! Watch the trailer after the jump. Read more...

Tags Christoph Waltz, Francis Lawrence, reese witherspoon, robert pattinson, Video, Water for Elephants

Marco. Polo. No, I'm not trying to start a game with you here — I'm just telling you the topic of the next adventure film from "I Am Legend" director Francis Lawrence and Warner Bros.

According to Variety, WB picked up a pitch from writing team Adam Cooper and Bill Collage for an untitled film based on the adventures of 13th century explorer Marco Polo with Lawrence currently attached to direct. The film is set up with Erwin Stoff at 3 Arts Entertainment.

While the film's title and story details are currently under wraps, screenwriters Cooper and Collage insist that the movie is not a biopic, but an epic fantasy-adventure. Read more...

Tags Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, Francis Lawrence, Marco Polo

The stars of "Twilight" are certainly capitalizing on the success of the angsty vampire phenomenon. I just wonder: with such a large portion of the ensemble landing roles in other films, what will that mean for the production of the still-unannounced adaptation of "Breaking Dawn," the final chapter in Stephenie Meyer's series? Hard to say, but that definitely leaves a big question mark hovering over this latest bit of potential casting news.

The word is that Robert Pattinson may soon be sharing a bill with two-time Best Actor Oscar winner Sean Penn in an adaptation of Sara Gruen's best-selling book, "Water for Elephants," Variety reported yesterday. The news describes the two superstars as "circling" the gig -- ie they're in talks right now -- though Variety mentions that Pattinson at least will likely land the part. Read more...

Tags breaking dawn, Francis Lawrence, reese witherspoon, robert pattinson, sean penn, Twilight, Water for Elephants

It might not seem obvious, but this Sunday's 2009 Video Music Awards on MTV (coverage begins at 8pm!) is going to have a heavy Hollywood presence. Yes, yes... we all know that "Twilight" stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner will be presenting an expanded trailer for "New Moon." They're not who I'm talking about though.

See, a lot of music video directors these days have -- or soon will -- double-dip in the world of feature-length film. I'm going to be highlighting a few of them here on MTV Movies Blog in a series of Director Spotlight posts. First up is "I Am Legend" director Francis Lawrence, who's up for a Best Direction award for his work on Britney Spears' "Circus" video. Compare the video below with the "I Am Legend" trailer, embedded after the break.

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Tags Francis Lawrence, i am legend

There's no adventure too big or too small for Will Smith to tackle, no journey too epic for him to take onscreen. The moment a film with a title like "The City That Sailed" is announced, you probably think "Oh yeah, that'll probably star Will Smith. He could sail an entire city." And you would be right! According to The Hollywood Reporter, Smith is attached to star in the fantastical drama, and the film may reunite him with director Francis Lawrence ("I Am Legend").

Written by Andrew Niccol ("Lord of War"), the story focuses on a New York street magician and his young daughter. The two are separated thanks to unhappy family circumstances, and the daughter moves to England. One day while exploring a lighthouse she discovers a room filled with magic candles on which she wishes, birthday party-style, to be reunited with her father. The bond between them is so strong that her wish causes the entire island of Manhattan to break away, and float to England. The magical candles probably have something to do with it too. Read more...

Tags Francis Lawrence, The City That Sailed, will smith