Oz the Great and Powerful Full HD Trailer
Check out the first full length HD Trailer for Oz The Great and Powerful, Sam Rami’s curious Wizard Of Oz prequel.
Official synopsis from Disney below as well:
Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot–fame and fortune are his for the taking–that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity–and even a bit of wizardry–Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.
Q Returns In New Bond Film Skyfall
Iconic gadget maker Q will finally return to the spy franchise in Daniel Craig’s third James Bond outing Skyfall, directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes.
Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli confirmed the news today in the following statement:
“It’s a real thrill to confirm the return of Q in ‘Skyfall’ played by the enormously talented, Ben Whishaw. We are delighted to have this beloved character back in the series.”
Ben Wishaw is a young British actor best known for turns in Perfume and Bright Star. He’s also worked with Daniel Craig before in gritty Gangster film Layer Cake, ironically the film widely credited with landing Craig his role as 007.
Skyfall will explore the backstory of Bond’s MI6 boss M, played by national treasure Dame Judi Dench. Director Sam Mendes admits that working with her and this aspect of the story was a big part of his decision to take on the latest instalment of Ian Fleming’s immortal spy franchise.
“I didn’t just say yes to doing a Bond movie, I said yes to doing a Bond movie with Daniel Craig. This Bond movie and Judi Dench. Judi, to me, is one of the great actors of the English-speaking world and so it’s a question of, well, a little bit like, what can we give her that will take her to another level we’ve never seen her before? What can we do with her that will surprise or challenge even her?”
Fantastic Four & Daredevil Reboot News
20th Century Fox has announced that Chronicle Director Josh Trank will be the man responsible for reviving the Fantastic Four franchise on the big screen. The studio already has The Wolverine and an X-Men: First Class follow up on the immediate horizon, but they’re clearly keen to capitalize on the unprecedented success of The Avengers as much as possible.
Fox has also announced they’re currently searching for someone to replace recently departed director David Slade (Twilight Eclipse) to make their Daredevil reboot a reality. A script remains in place, courtesy of a most recent re-write by first time feature screenwriter David James Kelly.
With Marvel having recently reclaimed creative control of many of their popular superhero franchises, Fox will be hoping that they can quickly erase memories of disappointing past efforts and build on the recent success of First Class. Fantastic Four in particular offers them a potentially lucrative superhero team to play with. No news of casting yet or hint at what direction these new versions of the costume clad adventures might take.
It is already clear though that 20Th Century Fox won’t be turning to stars of past films like Chris Evans, Jessica Alba or Ben Affleck as they search for a fresh batch of stars to suit up. Let us know your suggestions…
Forth Hunger Games Film Confirmed
Lionsgate has officially confirmed that it will follow the example of the Twilight Saga and Harry Potter by splitting Mockingjay the final book in The Hunger Games Series into two parts, stretching their successful film franchise into four films.
The first Hunger Games film has already taken £436 million pounds worldwide in cinemas alone. Only Marvel’s record breaking superhero blockbuster Avengers has kept it from being the highest grossing film of the year.
The inevitable news that Lionsgate will stretch out the Hunger Games as much as possible is hardly surprising. Especially given that the studio is already widely reported to be eagerly considering ways to further extend or even instantly reboot the vastly profitable Twilight Saga they recently acquired by buying Summit Entertainment.
As Lionsgate hastily rushes into production this September on second instalment Catching Fire, some fans may harbour slight concerns about the studios motives and whether it will affect the quality of the finished films. Water For Elephants Director Francis Lawrence has already replaced Gary Ross, who left amid apparent concerns over the rapid shooting schedule.
The recent addition of respected Oscar Winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman to the cast alongside returning stars Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland and Jennifer Lawrence should give fans some reassurance. Hoffman is set to play new Games Master Plutarch Heavensbee.
The Wolverine Adds Asian Cast
The Wolverine, Hugh Jackman’s next adventure as the gravel voiced ademantium clawed mutant hero has officially started adding cast members. Director James Mangold has assembled the distinctly Asian talents of Hiroyuki Sanada, Hal Yamanouchi and Rila Fukushima. Elektra star Will Yun Lee will also add another superhero spin off to his resume, playing Kenuichio Harada aka Silver Samurai.
Model Tao Okamoto takes on the role of inevitable love interest as Mariko, the daughter of a powerful crime family. While Grimm star Brian Tee plays her fiancé, a corrupt government official who’s not such a fan of Hugh Jackman’s rugged charms.
Most people will be fairly unsurprised by this casting with most of the film’s action set in Japan, though the more cynically minded may suggest that perhaps these were the only people they could find who hadn’t seen X-Men Origins: Wolverine.