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"FINAL DESTINATION 2" - You Can't Cheat Fate... Twice!
Craig Perry, producer of "Final Destination 2" recently spilled the
beans on what fans can expect from the sequel to the original movie.
"We follow a totally different group of characters, which is something I
like about it. We only verbally reference the first movie once in the
first 30 minutes. There are certain things that I think an audience will
recognize and be aware of only because of their knowledge of the first
movie - that makes the movie kind of fun."
"And at about page 32 of the movie, wham! Ali Larter's character enters.
She becomes emblematic of everything the first movie had in it. All the
information; all the characters; all the pathos - everything from the
first movie is embodied in her character."
"After the characters meet her, they spend time trying to figure out how
this story relates to the other story. What do they have to do with one
another, outside of the fact that death seems to be chasing both of
them? And that's what's really cool. The turning and twisting and
searching, and then they finally get the connection at the end of the
second act, but is it in time to actually help them escape from death's
clutches?"
"Because two people survived at the end of the first movie, we decided
to kill one of them off during the time in between films for dramatic
reasons. [Having] one of the characters die off screen is more
interesting because these two characters were supposed to be watching
one another's backs. Well, Death got to one of them and Ali is the only
one left."
"THE ANIMATRIX" - Anime Series Debut Online... Soon!
A series of anime short films - set in the universe of "The Matrix" -
will make their worldwide debuts on the official "Matrix" website this
Autumn, 'Warner Brothers' have announced. The shorts are: "Second
Renaissance - Part I", "Second Renaissance - Part II", "Program", "Kid's
Story", "World Record", "Beyond", "Matriculated", "Detective Story" and
"The Final Flight Of The Osiris".
Four of the films have even been especially written by "The Matrix"
creators Larry and Andy Wachowski. The series will feature as part of
"The Matrix Reloaded" DVD's extra features, with the final short
possibly shown as a precursor to "The Matrix Reloaded" in cinemas.
As for now, here are two images from the final episode of "The
Animatrix" chronicles, which is, sadly, the only one created by
photorealistic CGI pioneers 'Square' - the company that made "Final
Fantasy: The Spirits Within".
For a preview, and more information on "The Animatrix", head over to
WhatIsTheMatrix.com
today... and start salivating...
"AUSTIN POWERS 4" - The Past... Or The Future?
"Austin Powers" director Jay Roach has revealed that he and star Mike
Myers were discussing ideas for a fourth movie while shooting
"Goldmember".
According to Roach: "Mike and I said, 'Hmmm, what if Dr. Evil goes into
the future? I had ideas and Mike has a billion characters in his head.
Suddenly, we were saying, 'What about Austin Powers in space?' I have an
idea for a prequel. You'll see Dr. Evil as the ultimate cold warrior guy
and, meanwhile, Austin Powers launches the British invasion."
"BALLISTIC: ECKS vs SERVER" - Chopsocky Espionage!
Directed by newcomer Kaos, "Ballistic: Ecks Vs Sever" is a high-octane
action thriller starring Antonio Banderas (Ecks) and Lucy Liu (Sever) as
two rival agents out to seize the ultimate gadget in futuristic
assassination. So there.
The Flash-intensive website can be seen (if you're patient) here:
www.ecksvssever.com. But one question, - just what is it with 'versus'
movies? "Freddy Vs Jason", "Batman Vs Superman", "Alien Vs Predator" and
now "Ecks Vs Sever"! Weird.
"BRUCE ALMIGHTY" - Carrey Is God!
Shooting has begun on elastic-limbed Jim Carrey's next comedy venture
"Bruce Almighty". Carrey plays titular everyman Bruce, who is given the
powers of God over mankind...
"BOND 20: DIE ANOTHER DAY" - Director Discusses 007!
Lee Tamahori, director of the latest Bond flick "Die Another Day"
recently spoke about his feelings about the Bond franchise.
"I got tired of Bond during the Roger Moore years, as a lot of us did,
when it got a bit hokey. Timothy Dalton was OK, but it was when Pierce
Brosnan came along that Bond got re-enlivened. "Goldeneye" revamped the
character in a really fantastic way. Instead of a smooth, suave
sophisticate, this was now a new MI6, SAS assassin-type Bond."
His response to people who fear Bond will be totally reinvented some
day? "There is only one James Bond and he's been going for 40 years.
Let's face it, he's always been desirous of beautiful women! You cannot
escape the fact Bond is about girls, gadgets and big action. It's a kind
of mantra. [But] if you only serve those things up, I think you do a
disservice to the 40 years of the genre."
"I grew up watching Bond as a Cold War spy thriller - "From Russia With
Love" was probably my favourite. Later, the series moved into the
outrageousness of "You Only Live Twice", then into the high-camp Roger
Moore years with big action and spectacular stunts. All the time, it's
been metamorphing. You can't go back to Ian Fleming's Bond now, because
the 40 years and 19 past movies have changed people's perceptions of
what this guy is."
"He's not Sean Connery anymore, and certain things do not hold true now.
I find it very dull when Bond goes off to casinos or the opera - it's so
boring! Tuxedos and wandering 'round Monaco and chips and roulette
wheels... you need some more juice these days."
"Die Another Day" is due for release in November 2002.
"DUMB & DUMBER 2" - The Idiocy Continues!
'New Line Cinema' are mulling over shooting a prequel to the hit 1994
comedy starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, which started the 90's
trend for bad taste comedy. It's unlikely Carrey or Daniels will reprise
their roles, or that the Farrelly brothers will resume directing duties.
"ESCAPE FROM..." - Snake Slithers Back...
'The Hollywood Reporter' has revealed that Snake Plissken - the
anti-hero played by Kurt Russell in director John Carpenter's "Escape
From New York" and its terrible sequel "Escape From L.A." - will be
making a comeback!
But not in movie form. Plans are afoot for Snake to appear in a series
of comic book adventures, video games escapades, and anime features
within the next few years.
The 'San Diego ComiCon' recently premiered a sneak peak of the comic -
entitled "John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles", which should be
released to tie-in with the "Escape From New York" Special Edition DVD
release.
Best of all, Snake's forays into games and feature-length anime movies
will have voice-over from Kurt Russell himself! The woman chiefly
responsible for this resurrection of Snake is producer Deborah Hill (who
worked on both "Escape" movies).
On the anime films in particular Hill said: "We want to take Japanese
sensibility and combine that with Western storytelling" Hill said. "When
we made the original film in 1981, there was no video or DVD or video
games. [We] want to relaunch Snake Plissken back into the vernacular of
pop culture."
"We introduced a lot of legends in the first two films and with the
comics, novels, video games and anime, we'll be able to explore some of
these things. How did Snake lose his eye? What happened in the Battle of
Cleveland or at the Battle of Leningrad? What is New Las Vegas? We'll
explore these stories as well as introduce new stories."
It's unknown what director John Carpenter has to say on the rejuvenation
of the character he created - and has similarly tried to resurrect in a
TV show interpretation. Whatever his feelings, Carpenter still stands to
make a lot of money in royalties from the new franchises!
"THE EXORCIST: DOMINION" - New Director!
It looks like director Paul Schrader will film the prequel to "The
Exorcist", starring Liam Neeson and Gabriel Mann. If true, the project
could resume in November, for a mid-2003 release. Schrader has
previously helmed the movies "Affliction" and "Cat People".
"JEEPERS CREEPERS II" - Get The Creeps!
An unexpected (and pointless?) sequel to modest horror hit "Jeepers
Creepers" is being filmed. The story concerns a High School Basketball
team who find themselves stranded in their coach in the middle of
nowhere - with the villainous Creeper close by (see right).
"ALIEN vs PREDATOR" - In Hollywood, No-One Can Hear Us Scream!
It really is happening, everyone. British director Paul W.S Anderson is
writing and directing the "Alien Vs Predator" movie - very soon.
Shudder.
"I'm just finishing the script for "Resident Evil: Nemesis" and as soon
as that's done, I'm gonna begin to work on AVP. I've been waiting to do
a movie with aliens in it since I was at school, since the first "Alien"
movie came out, since I fell in love with Sigourney Weaver and since the
Alien scared the hell out of me."
He continued to gush: "I've been obsessed with "Aliens" for a while,
it's the coolest cinema franchise out there and Predator is the baddest
hunter in the universe, so the idea of combining the two of them is just
phenomenal! It will be a stand-alone franchise. It will not be a
continuation of the "Alien" franchise."
Hopes for "Alien 5" continue to fade faster than ever...
"HELLBOY" - Details Emerge!
Speaking from the San Diego Comic Convention, director Guillermo Del
Toro ("Blade 2") spoke about his movie adaptation of "Hellboy" - based
on the comic-book by Mike Mignola, and starring the gravel-voiced Ron
Pearlman ("Alien Resurrection").
Del Toro stated that the movie will be based on the first mini-series of
the comic, including elements from unpublished back-story details by
creator Mignola. Details about the "Hellboy" comics can be found at the
comic's website www.hellboy.com
Fans are assured that the comic will be translated as faithfully as
possible to the big-screen, being dark and action-packed; with Hellboy
fighting huge Lovecraftian monsters. But it isn't gory, so will
definitely aim for a PG-13 MPAA rating in the States. Quite a departure
for Del Toro after "Cronos", "Mimic", "The Devil's Backbone" and "Blade
2"!
"KILL BILL" - The Cast!
The eclectic cast for Quentin Tarantino's latest movie, due out in 2003,
is confirmed as follows:
"Pulp Fiction" starlet Uma Thurman (The Bride), "Kung Fu" TV star David
Carradine (Bill), "Reservoir Dogs" badass Michael Madsen (Bud), Sonny
Chiba (Hattori Hanzo), "Independence Day" actress Vivica A. Fox (Vernita
Green), "Splash" babe Darryl Hannah (Elle Driver), "Charlie's Angels"
actress Lucy Liu (O-Ren Ishi), Quentin Tarantino himself (Pai Mei), and
"Spawn" actor Michael Jai White (Alburt).
"INDIANA JONES 4" - Digital Danger!
Steven Spielberg may film "Indiana Jones 4" as a digital film, following
the success of George Lucas' "Star Wars Episode II" - which was the
first film to use the technique, which replaces celluloid with a digital
medium
Spielberg said: "I'd do anything for George and if George asked me to
shoot "Indiana Jones 4" on digital, I'd do it. But my duties will always
be to shoot on film... I love shooting on film and I love editing on
film. I know that digital will do the same thing film will do. It will
still use lenses. It will still capture the same images."
"The difference is that digital is like acrylic paint. It's so
photo-realistic that you don't see any flaws. With traditional film,
where you have it going through shutters in a film gate, it's alive with
grain -- compared to digital; it's like an impressionist painting. I
would still rather see a still life painted by an impressionist than a
still life painted by Norman Rockwell."
"KING KONG" - The Big Ape Returns!
Director Peter Jackson's next project is increasingly likely to be a
remake of 30s monster movie "King Kong". Jackson has been a huge fan of
the original film since he was a child - in fact, it was his sole
inspiration to start directing!
He was previously expected to remake "King Kong" back 1997 - but aborted
his cherished project to work on the greater challenge of "The Lord Of
The Rings" trilogy.
Jackson has already penned the screenplay with partner Fran Walsh in
1996 (which retains the 30s setting, unlike the terrible 70s remake
with Jeff Bridges!), and preliminary designs were completed for the
movie back in 1997.
However, if the rumours of a "Kong" remake are true, it's unlikely the
film will begin shooting until after "The Lord Of The Rings: The Return
Of The King" has had its DVD release in mid-2004. Therefore it's
estimated the remake of "King Kong" couldn't possible be released until
late-2005 at the very earliest.
But - for those who can't wait - the screenplay is available
HERE,
albeit in a poorly-formatted state!
"THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN" - Release Date!
The adaptation of Alan Moore's celebrated graphic novel is currently
being filmed in Prague by Stephen Norrington ("Blade"). The $80 million
movie should be released in the US on 6 June 2003.
The film is a fantasy adventure starring fictional characters from the
Victorian era. Sean Connery leads the team as Professor Quatermain (an
inspiration for Indiana Jones, allegedly). He is joined by "La Femme
Nikita" TV babe Peta Wilson (Mina Harker from "Dracula"), Stuart
Townsend (Dorian Gray), Shane West (Tom Sawyer), Tony Curran (The
Invisible Man), Jason Flemyng (Jekyll & Hyde), Naseeruddin Shah (Captain
Nemo) and Jason Isaacs (Campion Bond, a precursor to James Bond
himself!)
The film's arch-villain is Professor Moriarty (the nemesis of Sherlock
Holmes) and not oriental opponent Fu Manchu (as in the graphic novel -
which I heartily recommend you read!)
"THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE" - Book To The Big-Screen!
Children's favourite "The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe", written by
C.S Lewis, is to be adapted into a big-budget movie - written by Ann
Peacock ("A Lesson Before Dying") and directed by Andrew Adamson
(co-director of "Shrek").
The story (last envisaged as a successful BBC TV series in the
early-90s) tells the story of a group of siblings who are evacuated to
a relative's house during World War II, and find the entrance to a
magical world called Narnia through a wardrobe upstairs. As if you
didn't know...
"LORD OF THE RINGS 2 & 3" - Jackson Throws Scraps!
Director Peter Jackson has spoken again about what fans can expect from
the upcoming "Lord Of The Rings" movies "The Two Towers" (2003) and "The
Return Of The King" (2004):
"What basically happens is [the films] become darker and they
emotionally go places, which is very interesting. As Frodo's journey
with the Ring continues, the Ring starts to affect him more. There's an
interesting dynamic that is going to happen in these films, where in the
first movie, Frodo is the audience. He's the Everyman character."
"In the second film, "The Two Towers", the Ring starts to act on him in
a much stronger way. By the third film, Frodo has such a burden to carry
and is starting to behave in such a strange way that I think the empathy
of the audience will switch to Sam, who is accompanying Frodo on this
journey.
"Frodo becomes so troubled by this Ring that we are now going to be
looking at this story through Sam's eyes by the time "The Return Of The
King" comes out, because we can no longer really go there with Frodo
because he has his own tortuous journey that he takes on. It will be
very interesting to see the three films together because there's going
to be this switch as each film becomes more intense."
"LUCKY STAR" - Fake! Fake! Fake!
Seen the ultra-cool trailer for "Lucky Star", directed by Michael Mann
("Ali") and starring Benecio Del Toro? Looked cool, didn't it!
Shame it won't be in the cinemas anytime soon... or ever, actually. I'm
afraid the trailer is a clever marketing ploy. A fake. The trailer is
actually promoting Del Toro's Mercedes-SL Class sports car! Not that
anyone watching could afford one!
Go to
LuckyLuckyStar.com
and shake your head in shame you were so damned gullible...
"THE MATRIX RELOADED" - SFX Report!
The 'Mail On Sunday' printed a report focusing on "The Matrix" sequels
"Reloaded" and "Revolutions". They spoke to some of the crew, as well as
lead actors Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne about what fans can
expect from the new movies...
Keanu Reeves: "You must be kidding. All I can give you is an overview. The
first film was about birth, the second is about life and the third is
about death. The look of the sequels is more sophisticated and
demanding. Instead of one-on-one fighting, I fight one-against-many.
There are some cool new weapons as well. I've been trained in new
martial-arts skills. I have surprised even myself in some of the
scenes."
"I don't think people understand just how physically taxing this work
is. I had to go on a very strict diet and endure vigorous, rigorous
training. I started in October 2000 and have devoted my entire life to
these films ever since."
And on the secrecy of the sequels, from a producer: "The scripts were
written in a special ink that couldn't be photocopied. The sets were
closed. Nobody was allowed to bring in cameras and we all had special
passes. They even hired a security firm to bring more minders and
guards. It was like Fort Knox."
Keanu Reeves continued: "We are all aware that we are involved in making
history. It's a great honour to be involved in these films. None of us
wants to ruin it for the fans by remaining so secretive but we don't
think anyone will be disappointed."
The article reveals why actor Marcus Chong will not be returning to play
Tank. Apparently, he fell out with the producers over a bizarre incident
in which he allegedly broke into the Matrix production offices! His
character does feature in the sequels, but is played by a different
actor.
A producer also spoke about the use of 'bullet time' in the sequels -
the acclaimed effects-technique that apparently slows time down:
"Everyone was blown away when the first film had 'bullet time' in it.
That was a composition of live and still photography, enhanced by
computers to create this amazing, fluid-like effect. There is more of
that in the sequels and a new technique that will blow everyone's socks
off."
Special effects supervisor John Gaeta added: "We've expanded on the
bullet-time technique, although there has been a lot of pressure to do
the effects without spending military-size budgets."
Actor Laurence Fishburne, who plays Morpheus, praised the effects work,
saying that: "We are doing things with cameras and technology that will
set the standard for the future". Reeves enthused: "We have invented new
technologies for this film. In the first one, we invented bullet time,
but this will be an even wilder ride."
Reeves finished the interview, saying: "I just hope the fans enjoy the
films. Then I will have done my job."
2003 can't come soon enough!
"MONSTER'S, INC. 2" - Sequel Denial!
Peter Docter, director of CGI kid-flick "Monster's, Inc." has cast doubt
over the likelihood of a sequel. "So far we've talked about it here and
there, but really what it comes down to is the same with "Toy Story 2",
is that we just had this great idea: 'Oh, this has got to be done.' So
far we haven't come up with that great idea for "Monsters". We're
thinking about it, but it really won't make any sort of headway until we
come up with the really killer idea. It's idea driven."
"SPIDER-MAN 2" - "Smallville" to "Spidey"...
It has been confirmed that "Smallville" creators/writers Miles Miller
and Al Gough will pen the next instalment of "Spider-Man" for the
big-screen.
"We were brought [to] the project by (producer) Laura Zisken and
(director) Sam Raimi back before the first movie came out. Then, after
the first movie came out, David Koep approached the studio and said he
had an idea for the sequel that he wanted to write himself exclusively."
"The studio felt that since he had written the first film they were
going to let him do that and asked us to basically step aside for a
period of six weeks. He [has] turned his script in on the project [and]
we will use bits and pieces and ideas from his script."
"We've been sitting down with Sam, Laura, and Avi Arad ("Spider-Man"
executive producer) and working out basically what the script will be.
We're really happy to be on the project and so excited to be doing it."
"SPY KIDS 3" - A Sequel Too Far?
Robert Rodriguez, director of "Desperado" and "From Dusk Till Dawn" is
finding that his most profitable films are for kids! His fans were
amazed when he released "Spy Kids" last year, and even more amazed when
a sequel was fast-tracked for a 2002 release. But "Spy Kids 3" -
already?!
"I'm still writing the script," Rodriguez said while promoting "Spy Kids
2". "I mean, it just comes, because it's... one of those big ideas
that... you don't even have to write it. It just comes to you: 'Ahh,
that's what happens next!' I keep drawing it... I just... called the
studio back in March and said, 'Guess what we're making? "Spy Kids 3"!
[They said,] 'I didn't know there was going to be a 3.' [I said,]
'Neither did I, but I've got an idea, and I'm going to tell you right
now.' I told them the idea, and they said, 'Oh my God, let's make "Spy
Kids 3"."
Scarily, the movie should begin filming this November! With this
turnaround, he should be doing the Harry Potter franchise!
"PITCH BLACK 2" - Riddick Relates...
Vin Diesel, moments away from hitting the Hollywood big-time with his
movie "xXx" has been teasing fans of "Pitch Black" with hints about the
sequel.
"If you're familiar with the [J.R.R.] Tolkien novels, in the same way
that "Hobbit" is a prequel to "The Lord Of The Rings", "Pitch Black" is
a prequel to "The Chronicles Of Riddick" [trilogy]" Vin Diesel said in a
recent interview. He also denied that the next movie would be a direct
continuation of the events in "Pitch Black".
"It's got this extensive story that [writer/director] David Twohy's
putting together. He calls it the evil "Star Wars"."
"TERMINATOR 3" - Big Budget & Biehn Out!
The second sequel in the "Terminator" franchise, now finishing its shoot
in Los Angeles, is expected to have cost the studio $200 million! "T3:
Rise Of The Machines" is due for release on 2 July 2003.
In related news, Michael Biehn (who played Kyle Reese in the first
movie) has confirmed that he doesn't have a minor role in "T3"; "It's
not Jim Cameron, period", he seethed.
"xXx" - Sequel Assured!
Vin Diesel, star of "xXx" - where he plays an extreme-sporting version
of James Bond - has confirmed that there will be a sequel. "xXx2" is
likely to be filmed in Asia, at the behest of director Rob Cohen.
"X-MEN 2" - Wolverine's Origin...
Producer of "X-Men 2", Ralph Winter, recently spoke about the mutant
superhero sequel due out next Summer.
"We're going further and deeper about Wolverine. It's an ensemble piece,
no question about that, but Wolverine is the story that we're
following... You want to follow Wolverine, but you don't want to neglect
Magneto, Rogue or Charles Xavier. It's a delicate balance to peruse one
story, but not at the expense of others."
"There will be other villains, but I don't want to spoil the role that
Magneto's going to play in this movie. That's going to be fun, and it
has interesting little curves down the road."
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.