The wait is over, the announcement has been made - this evening during a live BBC broadcast, Scottish actor Peter Capaldi, 55, was confirmed as the Twelfth incarnation of alien time traveller The Doctor in Doctor Who.
So then...Doctor Who exactly?
Well, fans of television and movies in general won't even need to ask that question. Not only is Capaldi a self-confessed 'Whovian' (definition: dedicated fan of Doctor Who), but he is also an incredibly well established actor in his own right, his most famous credit as the hilariously foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker in the BBC's The Thick Of It. Other projects include Waking The Dead and, most recently, a supporting role in the summer blockbuster World War Z.
Eagle-eyed Whovians will also recognise Capaldi from appearances in previous episodes of both Doctor Who (pictured below in Series 4, Episode 2: The Fires of Pompeii) and its spin-off Torchwood for all five episodes of its third series.
Capaldi's casting is an interesting one, as not only is he an established acting talent, but the BBC contacted him and asked him to audition, rather than completely allowing unknown actors to try out for the role. Importantly, Capaldi is a huge fan of the show and he says he could not be happier to bag the most iconic role on British television.
It's about time that an older Doctor was brought to the fore, as the past two incarnations have been assuredly appealing to the "Twilight generation" despite their formidable acting abilities. In 2005, Christopher Eccleston played the Ninth Doctor in the first of the show's revived series; he brought a dark angst to the role following The Doctor's apparent act of genocide in a Time War, killing every single member of his own race.
After one series, Eccleston left due to creative differences between himself and the producers, which allowed fan-favourite David Tennant to take over as the Tenth Doctor. Tennant himself was an up-and-coming star, having played the lead role in BBC 3's Casanova (also written by then-showrunner Russell T. Davies) but Doctor Who was his big break into stardom.
In 2008, Tennant announced his departure from the show and after four seasonal specials, the Tenth Doctor emotionally regenerated on New Year's Day 2010 into his Eleventh incarnation: Matt Smith.
The reveal of Smith's casting was met with a barrage of head-scratching newspaper headlines: Doctor Who? After his first episode, Smith soon won over all the doubters and immediately made the role his own. Three years later, it's time for Smith to step down and the Eleventh Doctor will regenerate in this year's Christmas special.
Enter Twelve...
So what sort of Doctor will he be? Will he swing towards Smith or levitate towards Eccleston? Personally I'm hoping for the latter, but each Doctor has their own mix of dark and light and Capaldi is experienced enough to put his own spin on every line. Younger fans may find themselves in denial of him at first ("Oh but he's too old, he's not good looking enough!" was a particularly annoying Tweet I came across), but with some good writing and some positive side characters, Capaldi's Doctor will win over the fandom.
With this regeneration, the show is at an advantage. When Tennant left, so did all of the side characters who had supported him during his era - Billie Piper, Catherine Tate, John Barrowman, Bernard Cribbins - none of their characters have been seen nor heard since Matt Smith took over. And that's no bad thing - Doctor Who is all about change. Yet this time, Capaldi will still be aided by Jenna Coleman as the companion Clara Oswald, as well as a few other familiar faces who have proven popular with fans over the last year. The show is not reinventing itself again - more like shifting into a different gear.
Sadly however, we'll probably only see a few moments of Capaldi's Doctor in the closing seconds of the Christmas Special and after that, we have no idea when Series 8 will actually air on TV, although recent rumours have suggested that it'll hit our screens in late 2014.
So then, Peter Capaldi. Welcome to Doctor Who. You are now live aboard the TARDIS.
In the occasionally shocking world of the movie industry, one night celebrates the best of the best. The 2013 Academy Awards (or Oscars as they are more commonly known) will be broadcast live tomorrow evening, so here is a round-up of the nominees, as well as some predictions of who will win each category.
Best Picture
Argo
Amour
Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Who should win: Thanks to its brilliant cast and some fine directing from Ben Affleck, Argo should take home the gold for the Best Picture category.
Who should win: While the movie itself was dull to a non-American like myself, Lincoln was the perfect chance for Daniel Day-Lewis to show off his superb acting (mutton)chops as the performer didn't just act out the part - he became Honest Abe.
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
Quvenzhane Willis - Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Naomi Watts - The Impossible
Who should win:Silver Linings Playbook was a decent movie until the introduction of Jennifer Lawrence - where it became a great movie thanks to her effortlessly charismatic and eccentric performance.
Who should win: Christoph Waltz was the most enjoyable aspect of Tarantino's Django Unchained, a movie that turned out to be much weaker than the cast within it. An Oscar for him would be very well deserved.
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - The Master
Sally Field - Lincoln
Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Helen Hunt - The Sessions
Jackie Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook
Who should win: Anne Hathaway for completely bringing the house down in Les Miserables. Superb.
Who should win: The "unfilmable" adaptation of Life Of Pi came to extraordinarily colourful life thanks to Ang Lee's dazzling directorial vision.
Animated Feature Film
Brave
Frankenweenie
Paranorman
The Pirates! Band Of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
Who should win:Wreck-It Ralph is one of the most original, exciting and humorous animated movies of the last decade and, while it would be nice for Pixar to add another award to their collection thanks to Brave, Disney deserve this one.
Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin - Beasts Of The Southern Wild
David Magee - Life Of Pi
Tony Kushner - Lincoln
David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook
Who should win: With such a vast story and such a large amount of source material, David Magee did well to condense Life Of Pi into a well paced whirlwind of a movie, and therefore deserves to take home the Oscar.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Michael Haneke - Amour
Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained
John Gatins - Flight
Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola - Moonrise Kingdom
Mark Boal - Zero Dark Thirty
Who should win: Amidst all the political chaos of Zero Dark Thirty and the bloody violence of Django Unchained, Moonrise Kingdom sticks out as the film based purely on its believable, sweet characters. Its witty, absorbing screenplay should give it the edge.
Cinematography
Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
Who should win:Say what you want about Django Unchained, but Tarantino certainly made the movie look just as authentic as the westerns of old.
Who should win: Life Of Pi: one movie worth seeing in 3D. Beautiful.
Music (Original Score)
Anna Karenina
Argo
Life Of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall
Who should win: That iconic James Bond theme never gets old, and Thomas Newman's tense, exciting score found the perfect pitch for what is simply the best 007 movie yet.
Who should win: Skyfall, as Adele's original number opened the film in perfect style: shaken, not stirred.
Costume Design
Anna Karenina
Les Miserables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White And The Hunstman
Who should win: Les Miserables had a great narrative detailing the lives of these individuals living in revolutionist France - everything from the music to the outstandingly authentic costumes pulled us further into the story.
That's all of the major categories covered - until the Oscars are revealed tomorrow evening this is all speculation but for each one I get right, you owe me a beer. Done? Cheers!
Check out a round-up of all the Oscar winners right here at Movies Under The Microscope.
Newsarama is here once again, rounding off the week with a look back at the most interesting tidbits of movie news from the last seven days. Exciting new teaser trailers this week, as well as the reveal of some bizarre boardgame adaptations in the works.
10. Captain America 2 auditioning for a leading lady.
Since his untimely departure from his own era, poor old Steve Rogers has been missing his beloved Peggy Carter. Well, he may be in luck, as there's a new love interest on the cards for him to bond with in his sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Marvel have apparently assembled (geddit?) a wide range of female talent to audition for the unspecified role, including Imogen Poots, Teresa Palmer, Emilia Clarke and Jessica Brown Findlay. Logic would suggest that the part in question is that of Sharon Carter who, in the comics, is the granddaughter of Cap's girl in the first movie and offers him solace in his new modern setting.
Meanwhile, Marvel have also confirmed that Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow will be making an appearance in the movie, ensuring the Marvel universe stays consistent with its crossovers following The Avengers this year. Captain America 2 opens in the UK on April 4th 2014.
9. Director Matt Reeves confirmed for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Rupert Wyatt jumped ship from the sequel to 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes a few weeks ago following disagreements regarding the tight release schedule. Now, Cloverfield and Let Me In director Matt Reeves will commandeer Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Reeves is no stranger to huge action blockbusters, and Cloverfield certainly showed off his ability to display chaos and destruction.
His appointment does not change the release date, which will be May 22nd 2014.
8. Andrew Garfield and Marc Webb confirmed for Amazing Spider-Man 2.
It was pretty much a given thanks to the success of the first installment, but Andrew Garfield has signed on to reprise his role as Peter Parker in the sequel to this year's The Amazing Spider-Man. The reboot of the Spider-Man franchise grossed over $750million dollars at the worldwide box office, so it's no surprise that Sony are looking to push forward with a sequel.
Also, director Marc Webb has confirmed he will return to front the film. The only major player still in talks to return is Emma Stone, who played Peter's love interest Gwen Stacy, but given that the sequel(s) may revolve around Gwen's fate (spoilers!) it would be very inconsistent for the series if she didn't reprise her role. The film's plot is being kept under wraps for now, however it has a release date of April 18th 2014.
7. Hasbro going wild with boardgame adaptations.
Following the, er, "success" of this year's Battleship, Hasbro are clearly going a little crazy with the brainstorming sessions at boardgame HQ. They have announced 3 more movies to be adapted from their family-friendly toys, including (you ready for this?): Monopoly, Action Man and Hungry Hungry Hippos.
I swear I'm not making this up. I'm going to cross my fingers and hope that Monopoly turns out to be an 18-rated drug fuelled bender movie starring Christopher Lloyd as "The Monopoly Man", desperately trying to pay off his gangster debts by selling train stations and hotels.
6. Rian Johnson provides in-cinema commentary for Looper.
Cinema-goers who loved Looper enough to see it a second time are in for a treat, as writer/director Rian Johnson has provided an audio commentary which can be taken into the cinema. Here's what he had to say on the matter:
"I recorded a commentary track to be downloaded, put on
an ipod and listened to in the theater as you're watching Looper. This
is an odd thing I tried with The Brothers Bloom, and have gotten a few
requests for it again, so here it is. It is totally different from the
commentary track that will be on the Blu/DVD, a bit more technical and
detailed. Needless to say, this is NOT to be listened to on a first
viewing, or before you've seen the film. Also, please work it so that a
glowing screening is never out of your pocket during the movie. Listen to the introduction before heading to the theater, it has instructions. And lemme know how it works."
Rian Johnson's audio commentary can be downloaded when you visit his Tumblr by clicking right here.
5. Seth Macfarlane will host the 2013 Oscars.
Seth Macfarlane, the man behind Family Guy and this year's feature film Ted, will host the Oscars next year. The ceremony, which celebrates and awards the most outstanding movies of the past year, was hosted by Billy Crystal this year and Anne Hathaway and James Franco in 2011. Both shows were panned for being "stale", "boring" and "not risky enough."
Given Macfarlane's affection for poking fun at celebrities, as well as his pedant for showtunes, we should be in for a decent night. Not quite as risky as Ricky Gervais but still a lot more entertaining than Billy Crystal.
4. Warner Bros. to re-release The Wizard of Oz in 3D.
To coincide with their 90th anniversary next year, Warner Bros. have given themselves a shiny new logo. The sheen will no doubt be paid for when they re-release one of their biggest hits, The Wizard of Oz, in 3D. Expected to be released in late 2013, possibly October, the movie will be preceeded by a 100-film DVD boxset including some of Warner Bros. biggest hits. The sets will also include a variety of documentaries and never before seen footage.
The downside? They're expected to have a retail price of over £400. Well, now that Harry Potter and Batman are gone, Warner Bros. do need the cash...
3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey's Extended Editions confirmed.
It was to be expected, following the phenomenal success of the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings movies. The Hobbit trilogy, a prequel to LOTR, will also recieve the extended treatment.
While the movie adaptation of Tolkien's beloved novel will hit cinemas on December 14th this year, the DVDs will be released in the summer of 2013 and will include up to 45 minutes worth of extra footage, as well as exclusive documentaries and interviews with the cast and crew.
Now you're Tolkien! Sorry...
2. Taken 3 could be taking it too far according to franchise director.
Poor old Taken 2 has had a tough time of it from the critics (you can read my review by clicking right here), but that hasn't stopped audiences around the world lapping it up.
So the inevitable question rose once again over the weekend - will there be a Taken 3?
Director Olivier Megaton (who is not a Transformer, as far as I know), squashed rumours immediately, stating: "We want to work with Liam again on another movie, and the priority is to
do something else, another movie. I don’t think that it will go on for
Taken 3, I don’t see the point. The second one, it was fine, we closed
the books. Even the screenwriters,
if this one’s a success too, maybe they’re going to think about it,
money is money for them. But it will be very difficult to ask Liam
to be back again. The logic of his character has ended for this one,
for me."
1. Trailer round-up: Die Hard 5, The Lone Ranger, Bullet To The Head and The Croods.
This week saw a steady trickle of trailers from Hollywood, including a new outing for Bruce Willis in A Good Day To Die Hard, Johnny Depp up to his (coughtboringcough) wacky adventures in The Lone Ranger, Sylvester Stallone kicking ass in Bullet To The Head and Nicolas Cage teaming up with Emma Stone in The Croods.
You can check out all of the trailers below. Check back to Movies Under The Microscope this weekfor reviews of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Liberal Arts and Ruby Sparks.
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.
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, asscreenwriter 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.
It's Sunday, which means it's time for a look back at the last seven days in movieland. Here are 10 interesting nuggets of movie news from the last week.
10. James Cameron nearly directed Jurassic Park.
Avatar and Titanic director James Cameron has revealed what could have been his vision for Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park movies. He described his story as "much nastier" than the final product, and also noted how he felt after he saw the released version.
“When I saw the film,” said Cameron, “I realised that I was not the right person to make the film, Spielberg was. Because he made a dinosaur movie for kids, and mine would have been Aliens with dinosaurs, and that wouldn’t have been fair."
9. Joss Whedon talks The Avengers 2 and his upcoming S.H.I.E.L.D TV show.
Work has already begun on the script for the sequel to Marvel's The Avengers, and writer/director Joss Whedon has described the more complex direction he would like the superhero team up to move in.
"The creation of the team is not the happy ending," he said. "It is the
beginning of something that is complex and difficult, and now I get to
dig a little deeper. And maybe, while I'm digging, just twist that
knife. And that's exciting for me."
Meanwhile, Whedon is also overseeing all of Marvel's Phase 2 projects (including Thor: The Dark World, Iron Man 3 and Ant-Man) whilst developing a spin-off TV show called S.H.I.E.L.D, based on the organization spearheaded by Nick Fury in The Avengers. However, fans hoping for cameos from Captain America and the rest of the gang may be disappointed.
“It’s new characters," Whedon confirms. "It needs to be its own thing. It needs to be adjacent to the movies,
but you don’t want to do a show where you’re constantly going, ‘Iron
Man just left, but he was totally here a minute ago.’ You want them to
do their own thing.”
8. Sequels planned for Ted and The Bourne Legacy.
Universal have confirmed that sequels are on the way for The Bourne Legacy and Seth Macfarlane's Ted. Despite mixed reviews for Legacy, producer Frank Marshall has discussed the direction they want to take the fresh Bourne franchise.
"We're gonna follow Jeremy Renner's new character," he revealed. "Everything else is wide open. That's the great thing about
this now. The table is set to go any direction we want to. But we will,
I'm sure, follow Jeremy and see what happens. Jeremy and Rachel Weisz."
Ted has racked up close to $400 million worldwide, having
amassed a raft of solid reviews, and Universal is looking to fast-track
a sequel to capitalise on the character's popularity. According to Universal CEO Steve Burke, the studio will move on a sequel, "as soon
as we can".
7. Justice League movie and Batman reboot may be completely unconnected.
Yet more confusing news from DC headquarters, as according to Batman-on-Film, DC and Warner Bros. are "considering the possibility" of having multiple Batmen on our cinema screens at once.
The studio already has Will Arnett voicing an animated lego version of the caped crusader in their LEGO movie, however the implication here is that the actor portraying Bruce Wayne in Justice League (2015) will be a completely different actor than the one in the as-yet-untitled Batman reboot.
So if this news is true, then the chances are high that Henry Cavill's portrayal of Superman in next year's Man of Steel will also differ from the version of the character that will appear in Justice League.
Blimey.
6. Dreamworks Animation reveals all upcoming movies until 2016.
Looks like Dreamworks have their hands full for the next 4 years, as they have announced all of their animated flicks in production up until 2016.
After this year's Rise of the Guardians, sequels will include Kung Fu Panda 3 and How To Train Your Dragon 2 and 3, as well as The Penguins of Madagascar, a spin-off of Madagascar.
Among the more original flicks heading our way, The Croods, Turbo and Mr Peabody & Sherman will all reach us by 2013, while Me and My Shadow and Happy Smekday! will be released in 2014. Trolls, B.O.O and Mumbai Musical are slated for 2015 while the aforementioned conclusions to the Kung Fu Panda and How To Train Your Dragon trilogies will reach us in 2016.
Dreamworks are showing no signs of quantity over quality either, as the stars signing up to these flicks include the likes of Seth Rogen, Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, Jason Segel, Robert De Niro, Ryan Reynolds and Snoop Dogg. Even Jim Parsons (Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory) will be starring in the lead role opposite Rihanna in Happy Smekday!, a casting event which nobody saw coming.
5. Sequel to The Hunger Games begins shooting.
With the November 22, 2013 release date a little over a year away, Catching Fire has begun shooting in Atlanta. Based on the book by Suzanne Collins, the sequel to (the surprisingly excellent) The Hunger Games will see Katniss, played by Jennifer Lawrence, experiencing life after her horrific experience in the arena during the first film, as well as dealing with the repercussions of her refusal to kill her final opponent. President Snow, sensing that the rebellion from the lower classes is growing, prepares a twist for the 75th annual Hunger Games - a twist that will find Katniss back in the arena with all of the winners of previous tournaments.
The rest of the cast includes Donald Sutherland, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Woody Harrelson.
4. The Dark Knight Rises Blu Ray/DVD will definitely not feature a director's cut.
Backtracking on rumours that circled the web last week, sources close to Christopher Nolan have denied any such implication that The Dark Knight Rises will feature a director's cut upon its Blu Ray/DVD release.
That said, it is still unclear whether there will be any deleted scenes at all, however if there are not it should not come as a shock to anybody. Christopher Nolan has never been one to include additional material in any of his home releases. Until Warner Bros. releases an official statement regarding the release date and additional content of the Blu Ray/DVD, everything is speculation (as is always the Nolan way).
3. Godzilla and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboots given release dates.
May 16th, 2014 will see the release of Godzilla, a remake of the 1998 monster classic. The franchise will be given a "more gritty, realistic and terrifying actioner", according to Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures. The film will be directed by Gareth Edwards, the talent behind 2010's atmospheric drama Monsters, while David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight Rises) will be tackling the screenplay.
Scaly creatures cruising around Manhattan may be the norm in 2 years, as the as-yet-untitled reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will also be released on May 16th, 2014. The film will be produced by Trasnformers director Michael Bay and will reportedly focus on the origin of the mutants, however a leaked copy of the script upset many die-hard fans when it was revealed the turtles would in fact be aliens from outer space rather than the sewer-dwelling creatures as in their comic book stories.
2. 300 sequel given a new title.
The title for the follow-up to Zak Snyder's epic warrior movie 300 has finally been revealed after much speculation. Director Noam Murro has confirmed that the prequel will be called 300: Rise Of An Empire.
Meanwhile, Gerard Butler has confirmed he will not be reprising his role as King Leonidas, who died an epic death at the end of the first installment. "Oh yeah, I'm not doing it," he said. "They're filming the sequel right now. I wish them the best, but it didn't work out. It
wasn't really my thing."
300: Rise Of An Empire stars Eva Green, Rodrigo Santoro and Callan Mulvey, and it will be released on August 2nd, 2013.
1. Fantastic new trailers for Lincoln and Wreck-It Ralph online.
They're like chalk and cheese, but Steven Spielberg's ambitious take on the life of Abraham Lincoln has finally been given a full cinematic trailer, and the trailer for Disney's fantastic comedy about the lives of videogame baddies has also found its way online.
Spieilberg's new film charts Abraham Lincoln's final few months in office as he attempts to bring an end to the American Civil War while fighting to abolish slavery (vampires not included).
Lincoln stars Daniel Day-Lewis as America's 16th President, as well as Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, James Spader, Jared Harris and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (seriously, what isn't he in these days?). You can view the typically Spielberg-ish trailer below.
Meanwhile, Disney have released the brilliant new trailer for Wreck-It Ralph, an animated comedy which tells the story of a video game bad guy who is...well, sick of being the bad guy. For over 30 years, he has been attempting to destroy a building that the hero in his particular game builds to gain points. Deciding to prove he can be a good guy instead, Ralph escapes the game and enters a variety of others, including shoot-em-ups, racers and arcade classics. Fantastic stuff.
Wreck-It Ralph will be released on November 2nd, 2012 and it will star John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman and Jane Lynch. You can view the trailer above, and look out for appearances from classic characters such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Bowser from Super Mario, Smoke from Mortal Kombat, Frogger and even Inky, Blinky and Pinky from Pac-Man.
That's all for Newsarama this week, check back to Movies Under The Microscope for reviews of Dredd, Lawless, The Sweeney and To Rome With Love as well as the usual mix of features and articles.
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.
