Newsarama: 23rd September

Newsarama: 23rd September

It's Sunday, which means it's time for a look back at 10 interesting tidbits of movie news from the last seven days.

10. Peter Cullen confirmed to return as the voice of Optimus Prime.

Despite director Michael Bay choosing to give the Transformers franchise a new direction by setting the fourth installment in space, he has confirmed that the movies will keep the continuity of its voice actors. Peter Cullen, the iconic voice of lead 'Autobot' Optimus Prime, will return to the role, however former protagonists Shia LaBeouf and Rosie Huntingon-Whiteley will not be making a comeback. 

9. Clint Eastwood discusses Expendables 3 rumours. 

Sylvester Stallone seems hell-bent on recruiting every single action star in recent cinematic history for the third movie in his Expendables series. Producer Avi Lerner has already confirmed that Nicolas Cage has joined the cast, however the film may have hit a setback when it comes to Clint Eastwood...

Speaking of Stallone's desire to get him on board, Eastwood said "He does? I haven't had the opportunity to see The Expendables yet. I haven't read any material. I'm probably more apt to direct something. Maybe I'll direct Expendables 3."

8. The Great Gatsby delayed until May 2013.

 

Director Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of F.Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel has been given a new release date. Previously expected to open on Boxing Day this year, The Great Gatsby 3D, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the titular character, will now be released on May 10th 2013. Warner Bros. have stated it is so that it "reaches the largest audience possible". Rather than going up against December's big movie The Hobbit, The Great Gatsby will now do box office battle with next year's summer blockbusters Star Trek 2, Man of Steel, Iron Man 3 and Monsters University.

Nice job, Warner Bros...

7. Director Rupert Wyatt leaving Planet of the Apes sequel.

20th Century Fox's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ship may need to find itself a new captain, as British director Rupert Wyatt is rumoured to be quitting the film citing over-ambitious scheduling. Fox have cited a May 23rd, 2014 release date for the sequel to 2011's surprise success, a date which Wyatt believes is far too close for such a large project.

The situation is very reminiscent of other studios' greedy impatience for money-spinning sequels to franchises. Last year, The Hunger Games director Gary Ross decided not to take on the sequel, Catching Fire, due to Lionsgate's desire to have the movie out by November 2013.

6. The Lord of the Rings helmer Peter Jackson states an interest in directing Doctor Who.

Peter Jackson is a particularly busy bee these days, what with the recent announcement that The Hobbit will be a trilogy rather than just two parts. However, the director is also a fan of 49 year old British sci-fi Doctor Who, stating "I'm a huge Whovian, and I think Matt Smith's fantastic." 

When asked about directing an episode, the New Zealand based film-maker responded "Just name a time and place and I'll be there!"

While this is all just idle chit-chat, something tells me that if, and only if, a Doctor Who movie was to be produced, Peter Jackson would certainly be the man for the job.

5. Joss Whedon's Avengers 2 struggles revealed.

Joss Whedon, the Godfather of all of Marvel's Phase 2 projects, has revealed that signing on to direct a sequel to his hugely successful The Avengers wasn't actually a no-brainer after all.

"There’s a business aspect to it and I would be disingenuous not to say that, but the question for me is, 'Do I have another story to tell about these people?'" he said. "So we worked on the business side of it and I didn’t think it was going to happen - I was like ‘I’m never going to do this again.’" However, he reveals that he couldn't say no to the movie after an intense brainstorming session in London.

"I’m so in love with that universe and the characters and the way they were played and I have so much more I want to do with them. I know I can’t match the success of the first one but I can try to make a better film and that’s what I’m excited about. That’s the new room of fear I’m entering now."

The Avengers 2 opens in the UK on May 1st, 2015. Marvel's Phase 2 projects, including Iron Man 3, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy and more, will be released beforehand. Speaking of which...

4. Marvel's head honcho Kevin Fiege discusses the involvement of Thanos in Phase 2.

Having made his big bow in the end-credits of The Avengers, intergalactic super-titan Thanos has been the subject of much speculation amongst Marvel fans. President of Production Kevin Fiege has discussed how the warrior will fit into their Phase 2 projects, particularly when it comes to sticking to the same plan of patience which worked for Phase 1.

"Clearly, there’s a purpose to us putting him in the end of [The Avengers]," he said. "We do have plans for him. I wouldn’t say we ever feel the need to rush anything one way or the other. We succeeded in Phase One because we stuck to our guns and stuck to the plan. That plan took place over many, many years and it ultimately paid off."

3. The Dark Knight Rises Blu-Ray/DVD gets a release date.

 

The Dark Knight Rises will be released for your home viewing pleasure just in time for Christmas. The trailer on YouTube has been altered to accomodate this, and the description of the video states that Nolan's latest will hit home on December 3rd 2012. Fans of the director shouldn't be surprised, as this is also the exact date that The Dark Knight and Inception were released in 2008 and 2010 respectively. While this isn't an official announcement, we can expect Warner Bros. to make one in the next few days.

2. Screenwriter slays rumours of 28 Weeks Later sequel.

Those hoping for a send off for the 28 [insert time period here] Later franchise have been disappointed this week, as screenwriter Alex Garland has confirmed there will be no final installment in the zombie-horror series. 

The Dredd director, who scripted the Danny Boyle movie 28 Days Later and executive produced its sequel 28 Weeks Later, said "I'm still so proud of 28 Days Later and how well it's been received over the years so I appreciate that. But in regards to another movie, no - there are no plans for a 28 Months Later or whatever they were calling it."

He added "This is a series I've always been heavily involved with between the original and the sequel so if there were plans for another movie, I would absolutely know about it."

1. Trailer round-up: Great Expectations and The Hobbit.

Director Mike Newell's adaptation of the classic novel Great Expectations has been given a fresh trailer. The film stars War Horse's Jeremy Irvine as the young lead, Pip, with fantastic support from Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havishem, the wealthy spinster living in her ruined mansion. Ralph Fiennes, Robbie Coltrane, Jason Flemyng, David Walliams and Holliday Grainger also star in the film, which will be released on November 30th this year. 

You can view the trailer right here:

 

Meanwhile, Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit has also released a brand new trailer ahead of its December release. This second teaser for the Lord of the Rings prequel gives us a deeper insight into Middle Earth's supporting cast, and the reason Bilbo is chosen by the dwarves to reclaim their homeland from Smaug the dragon. Look out for brilliant scenes such as Gandalf's admission that the young hobbit gives him courage, Bilbo facing off against goblins and, hilariously, Martin Freeman's famous "fed up" face as he waits for Gollum's ramblings to finish.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey stars Martin Freeman as Bilbo, with Ian Mckellen, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving and Elijah Wood all reprising their roles from The Lord of the Rings. New cast members include Sylvester McCoy, Richard Armitage, Stephen Fry, Benedict Cumberbatch and James Nesbitt. The first part of the trilogy will be released on December 14th this year, and you can view the fantastic new trailer below, as well as a brand spanking new poster featuring a surprisingly bad-ass looking Bilbo on the right.

 

That's all for Newsarama, check back to Movies Under The Microscope this week for a review of Rian Johnson's excellent new sci-fi Looper - before it goes on commercial release! Ooh, I feel so important.