Chris Evans is Captain America

And the Red-White-&-Blue goes to...
It seemed like it was already a done deal when Chris Evans was offered the role of Captain America. And as easily expected, Chris Evans has accepted, and is now officially the man who would take on the role of Captain America for the upcoming movie adaptation of the Marvel comicbook character. There has been a really long process of choosing who will be right for the role; a role for a nine-picture deal because the role would make its presence not only in Captain America movies, but in the Avenger movie, as well as other Marvel universe-related movies. The villain for this movie has also been announced and it will be the Red Skull (of course) and will be played by Hugo Weaving (see earlier news).

Chris Evans has been known to have played Johnny Storm in the "Fantastic Four" movies, and he was last seen in the not-so-successful super-power action movie "Push", but it is in movies such as "Sunshine" that Chris Evans show a more serious acting side of him. The movie will be entitled "The First Avenger: Captain America" and will be directed by Jo Johnston (Rocketeer, Wolf Man 2010). This movie will be due for release on July 22, 2011.

Bond Girls (for James Bond 23) announced!

According to Bang Showbiz, Slumdog Millionaire actress Freida Pinto has signed on to play the title character's love interest in the 23rd James Bond movie which is set in Afghanistan. Olivia Wilde (who is the babe in the movie "Year One", she also has had roles in the television series "House", and will next be seen in the upcoming "Tron Legacy") has also been approached to play a role (spoiler alert: her role is a double-crossing UN worker based in Afghanistan).

Sam Mendes will direct the film, while Peter Morgan, who wrote "The Queen", has penned the first draft of the script. Of course, Daniel Craig will be reprising his role as James Bond. Production will start late this year, no speific release date has been announced as of yet.

Monster Squad to be Remade

Monster Squad Gets ReMake Treatment
By Dave Gonzales
source: Latino Review

Monster Squad Gets ReMake Treatment Monster Squad the 1980s film about a group of kids who discover Dracula and friends are in their town looking for an amulet that will let the creatures control the world is the next 80s film to get a remake treatment. The amulet is made of pure good and in combination with the diary of Abraham Van Helsing can cast the monsters into limbo

This one is under Platinum Dunes, the folks behind the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th horror remakes, which means Michael Bay is on as producer and the picture will be set up at Paramount.

Wait. Paramount?

Let's look at the monsters: Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Gill Man, Frankenstein...The Mummy.

Oh. I see what's going on here. Gill Man = The Creature From The Black Lagoon! These are Universal Monsters!

Universal responded to the remake fever of the past decade by trying again and again to re-boot their monsters one movie at a time. Yes, they also realized they could have done it all at once, and that attempt was called Van Helsing (and it bombed).

Over there in Platinum Dunes land, they are all about the horror remake to make bank, so it's actually surprising that it took them this long to find a project that allows them to take on all the Universal Monsters in one swoop.

Add to the fact that the original film is something of a cult classic horror-comedy from the 80s co-written by Shane Black who went on to write a little script called Lethal Weapon before setting records as the highest paid screenwriter of the 1990s.

It was pretty smooth business decision, then they added Rob Cohen (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) as director. On one hand, that makes sense. Cohen was a producer on the original Monster Squad, so you have some old blood. On the other hand: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

Platinum Dunes is meeting with writers.

Another Dumb News from Star Wars

IESB has learned that George Lucas is currently in pre-production on yet another Star Wars animated series. The key demographic are Pre-School to Kindergarten aged children. As reported, a director has been brought on board to direct the new series based on the popular line of toys known as "Star Wars: Galactic Heroes". And the working title for the TV series is believed to be "Squishies."

Another DUMB news from the continuously rotting world of STAR WARS. As if it should have needed to redeem itself from the horrendous and embarassing travesty that are the Prequels (Episode 1: the Phantom Menace, Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, and Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith) plus that silly-ass Clone Wars movie that was released, you would think that the once-respected, once-revered name of STAR WARS would at least do some effort to redeem itself and re-gain some of that old prestige. Instead they move on to make dumber spin-offs that would make even the most hardcore Star Wars fan denounce that very last bit of Star Wars love they have left. f%#k you, George Lucas!

Farewell, Peter Graves

Peter Graves passes at the age of 83
Actor best known for role in 'Mission: Impossible' dies

Peter Graves, who is best known for his role in the TV series "Mission: Impossible" and films including "Stalag 17" and "Airplane," died of natural causes in Pacific Palisades, Calif., March 14, 2010. He was 83.

Graves made his mark when he replaced Steven Hill as the lead in CBS' "Mission: Impossible" in 1967. Thesp starred as the gruff leader of the Impossible Missions Force for six seasons, and then returned in 1988 for ABC's remake of the series. He also starred as Capt. Clarence Oveur in 1980 laffer "Airplane" and its sequel.

Born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, Graves entered showbiz at an early age -- he was a radio announcer at age 16. Following a stint in the Air Force, he studied drama at the U. of Minnesota. Upon graduation he came to Hollywood, where his older brother James Arness was already starring in "Gunsmoke." Graves' first film was 1951's "Rogue River." A host of smaller roles in films, mostly Westerns, and TV followed, including horror films such as "Killers From Space." Among his film credits were a German spy in 1953's "Stalag 17," directed by Billy Wilder, and "The Yellow Tomahawk." In the 1960s, he turned to TV and played the lead in NBC series "Fury," as well as "Whiplash" in 1960-61. He had recurring roles on "The Love Boat," "Fantasy Island" and "7th Heaven."

Though he's best known for his role as Jim Phelps of the "Mission: Impossible" series, for which he won a Golden Globe and was Emmy-nommed, Graves turned down the chance to co-star in Par's 1996 film toplining Tom Cruise.

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YOU SHALL BE MISSED, Peter Graves! The original MISSION IMPOSSIBLE was one of my favorite series in the late 80's (I'm talking about the late 80's "new" series, it was only later that I grew to love the original 1960's series). I was actually obsessed with MISSION IMPOSSIBLE at the time because, at the time, it was the perfect spy series. This is why I loathed the movies because those crappy Tom Cruise movies turned MISSION IMPOSSIBLE into a childish James Bond rip-off. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE was supposed to be about teamwork and it's supposed to be getting in and out of a mission like a shadow, without having to fire a single shot or causing a single explosion. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE was supposed to be about a team who silently walks into a scenario, silently leave the scenario, but having left devastating effects only after they left. They never shoot the guns themselves; they cause the villains to turn on each other. They never get into James Bond-type chases; wherever they go, it's supposed to be as if nothing had passsed by. and their leader Jim Phelps, was an orchestrator and overseer of everything that they do. The role brilliantly played by PETER GRAVES. Peter Graves; the ORIGINAL Mission Impossible hero.
[Check out an episode from the series]

Hugo Weaving is the Red Skull

Hugo Weaving is one of the best actors and one of the most familiar faces in the area of action-adventure fantasy-sci-fi. He was Agent Smith in The Matrix trilogy, V in V for Vendetta, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings movies, and the voice of Megatron, among many other roles...

In addition to that is that we will soon get to see him as the Marvel comics nazi supervillain named RED SKULL in the upcoming CAPTAIN AMERICA movie which is currently in pre-production. Marvel Studios is currently in talks with Weaving who is their (so far) only mentioned choice to play the role.

In the Marvel comics, Red Skull has been Captain America’s archenemy since 1941, when he engaged in espionage and sabotage as Hitler’s right-hand man. In his final battle with the superhero, he was buried under the rubble of a bombed building but — as would occur later with Captain America — fell into a state of suspended animation. Both were revived in modern times.

Lang confirmed as Conan Villain

He was a bad-ass in "Public Enemies", even though his role was sort of a minor one he engulfs the air with his wicked coolness everytime he appears onscreen. He was also an unforgettable, mean, alien-hating villain in the ultra-successful "Avatar". Now it's confirmed that STEPHEN LANG is indeed going to be the villain in the upcoming CONAN (the Barbarian) movie.

Stephen Lang will be playing a character named Khalar Singh, a warlord and formidable warrior, brilliant, cruel, weathered and tanned by the many campaigns he has waged and won. He is driven in his quest to find the Queen of Acheron and has been building an empire to do so.

In an interview with MTV news, Lang quotes: "I have no idea how I'm going to do it," Lang laughed. "First I'm going to find out how I'm going to sound. I'm going to get back on a Mongolian pony and ride like the wind. I'm going to flash my scimitar. I'm going to cut the nuts off Conan and his father."

Percy Jackson is Spider-man!

Percy Jackson star Logan Lerman has been cast as Peter Parker in the Spider-Man reboot/remake/reimagining/reinventing/redonkulous movie.

According to The Cinema Source, Percy Jackson star, Logan Lerman has been cast in the Sony reboot of the Spider-Man film series. Director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) is set to helm the first film in what is obviously a restart of the Spider-man franchise.

The story takes the characters back to high school in the New York City borough of Queens. No word yet on who has been cast as Peter Parker’s love interest Mary Jane Watson or any of the other characters in the Spider-man universe.

Mickey Rourke getting big roles in upcoming "epic" movies

I know many of you cannot wait to see IRON MAN 2 wherein Mickey Rourke will play the villain known as Whiplash (check out this poster of his character). Seems like Rourke's prominence as a high profile actor just keeps getting bigger and bigger as he grows older. He has appeared in movies such as "Sin City" and the highly-praised "The Wrestler" And it seems that Rourke isnt slowing down. He is set to appear in two movies that promise to have an epic scale.

Rourke is set to join the remake of Conan The Barbarian, titled just Conan, which is the Marcus Nispel-directed reinvention of the Robert E. Howard creation. Rourke is negotiating to play Corin, the father of Conan who's played by Jason Momoa. There is talk that Stephen Lang (who played the military main villain in Avatar) will be the main villain in this movie, but there are still no confirmations of this. On the other hand, Rachel Nichols (who played Scarlet in the recent GI JOE movie) has been cast to play the lead female character named Tamara, in this movie.

At the same time, Rourke will also star in Relativity Media's Greek mythology clash "War of the Gods" opposite Henry Cavill and Freida Pinto. Rourke's been cast as the villain, King Hyperion. Tarsem Singh is directing with production set to start in April.

Story follows a young warrior Theseus who leads his men into battle with the immortal Greek gods to defeat evil elder gods of the Titans in order to save mankind.

Unitel's upcoming The Red Shoes

Unitel Pictures to release a love story of a missing pair of shoes from Imelda Marcos's collection, entitled THE RED SHOES. It is written by James Ladioray and directed by Raul Jorolan. here is its synopsis:

In 1986, the ten-year old Lucas Munozca was able enter Malacañang Palace in the evening of the People Power Revolution. When he catches sight of the First Lady's 3000 pairs of shoes, he steals a lovely red pair. He gives one shoe to his childhood sweetheart Bettina, while he gives the other to his mother.

In 2006, Lucas (Marvin Agustin) is now working as a professional wedding videographer. He is stuck with one kind of footwear: white sneakers. He too, is stuck with his past, unable to move on from losing the love of his life Bettina (Nikki Gil). Just like Lucas, his mother Chat (Liza Lorena) is also stuck in the past. After all these years, she still grieves the loss of her husband, Lucas' father, Domingo (Tirso Cruz III). Domingo perished along with an untold number of workers during the collapse of an upper floor of the Manila Film Center in 1981, a pet project of the then First Lady Imelda Marcos.

When his mother suddenly needs the complete pair, Lucas is forced to confront the consequences of stealing the shoes and to reveal why he did it: for poetic justice and for love.

The Red Shoes stars Marvin Agustin, Nikki Gil, Liza Lorena, Tessie Tomas, Iwa Moto, Tetchie Agbayani, Monica Llamas and Tirso Cruz III. It will be screened in cinemas starting March 10. Its premiere night at the SM Megamall this Saturday, March 6, will be for the benefit of the Philippine Red Cross. There will be a preview night at February 26, 2010 at 7PM at the Podium Cinema 2.

The thing about movies produced by Unitel is that they usually are sure to get nationwide distribution, unlike other indie or "pseudo-indie" movies that never reach Iloilo's silver screens. It is probably very much likely that we will indeed get to watch "The Red Shoes" on its release date.

SOURCE: Philippine Entertainment Portal

The "Hurt Locker" Academy Awards Controversy

'Hurt Locker' producer barred from Oscars
from the Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - A producer of the war story "The Hurt Locker" will not be allowed to attend Sunday's Academy Awards because of e-mails he sent urging academy members to vote for his movie, Oscar overseers said Tuesday.

But Nicolas Chartier will receive an Oscar at a later date if "The Hurt Locker" wins best picture.

The executive committee of the producers branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences imposed the penalty on Chartier, who violated Oscar rules that prohibit mailings promoting a film and disparaging another.

Chartier sent an e-mail Feb. 19 to some academy members asking for their support for "The Hurt Locker," "not a "$500 million film" — an obvious reference to blockbuster best-picture contender "Avatar."

Subsequent e-mails, posted by the Los Angeles Times, showed Chartier asking Oscar voters to rank "The Hurt Locker" at No. 1 and "Avatar" at No. 10 among this year's expanded best-picture lineup of 10 films.

Chartier apologized in a subsequent e-mail. "My naivete, ignorance of the rules and plain stupidity as a first-time nominee is not an excuse for this behavior and I strongly regret it," Chartier wrote.

He did not immediately return a call Tuesday from The Associated Press seeking comment on the academy's penalty. Officials at Summit Entertainment, which released "The Hurt Locker," declined to comment.

"Avatar" producer Jon Landau did not immediately return a call for comment.

"The Hurt Locker" and "Avatar" have been at the head of the pack throughout awards season, and they lead the Oscar field with nine nominations each.

"Avatar" won the Golden Globe for best drama, but "The Hurt Locker" has dominated honors from critics and key Hollywood trade groups, including guilds representing directors, writers and producers.

At last month's British Academy Film Awards, "The Hurt Locker" also won out over "Avatar," taking six prizes, including best picture.

Chartier is one of four producers listed on the film's best-picture nomination, along with "Hurt Locker" director Kathryn Bigelow, screenwriter Mark Boal and Greg Shapiro. Bigelow and "Avatar" director James Cameron were married from 1989 to 1991.

The penalty against Chartier does not affect the other three producers, who are free to attend the Oscars.

The academy announced its sanction against Chartier as Oscar balloting closed Tuesday. The producers branch stopped short of the harsher penalty of rescinding Chartier's nomination, which would have kept him from receiving an Oscar statuette if his film won.

Oscar rivalry is fierce, with filmmakers and distributors coveting awards wins both for bragging rights and for the bounce in box-office or DVD revenues an Oscar triumph brings.

The academy keeps a tight rein on awards campaigning, its rules prohibiting "casting a negative or derogatory light on a competing film."

"You would hope it wouldn't have happened," said Tom Sherak, academy president. "It will not cloud what the night is. This was an individual thing that happened. It's been dealt with, and now we're going on to the show."

Death Race 2 is Straight to Video

There's gonna be a DEATH RACE 2 to follow the successful Paul WS Anderson-directed, Jason Statham-starring remake of DEATH RACE 2000 (which starred David Carradine & Sylvester Stallone in the original). But this DEATH RACE 2 is actually going to be a PREQUEL and dont watch out for it in the silver screen, but on DVD shelves as it is going STRAIGHT TO HOME VIDEO.

Latino Review reports that Death Race 2 began principal photography on February 13, 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa. This prequel stars Luke Goss (Hellboy 2: The Golden Army), Ving Rhames (Con Air, Pulp Fiction), Sean Bean (National Treasure, Lord of the Rings trilogy), Danny Trejo (Planet Terror, “Burn Notice”), Frederick Koehler (“Oz,” “Touching Evil”) and Lauren Cohan (“Supernatural”), and it will be directed by Roel Reiné (The Marine 2, The Lost Tribe). The screenplay is by Tony Giglio (Chaos), from a story by Paul W.S. Anderson. A top-flight production team has also been assembled, including director of photography John McKay, production designer Johnny Breedt, editor Josh Galvin and costume designer Moira Meyer. Of course, this movie will NOT include Jason Statham (too bad, Statham fans!).

Death Race 2 takes place in the very near future, as the United States economy begins to decline and violent crime starts to spiral out of control. To contain the growing criminal population, a vast network of for-profit, private prisons springs up, creating a lawless subculture ruled by gangs, cold-blooded killers and sociopaths. The worst of these prisons is Terminal Island. Convicted cop-killer Carl Lucas arrives on the Island to serve his life sentence just as ruthlessly ambitious television personality September Jones launches the ultimate reality show, Death Race. A brutal prison yard demolition derby that pits prisoners against each other in steel reinforced, heavily armed vehicles, Death Race offers the winner the ultimate prize: freedom — if he can survive to enjoy it. When Lucas signs up to be a driver, the stage is set for the birth of a legendary racer.

Personally, I loved DEATH RACE. Sh1t. I loved DEATH RACE more than the Fast & the Furious movies combined. Although this is straight to video, I still do hope it is full throttle kickass to the point that will make producers regret that they didn't release this cinematically.