MOVIE NEWS
DMD returns this week from a lengthy holiday due to personal circumstances
(don't worry, no deaths involved) and perhaps a slight case of laziness...
28 WEEKS LATER
The sequel to Danny Boyle's zombie thriller 28 Days Later is currently
filmed, with Juan Carlos Fresnadillo in the director's chair. None of the
original cast return, but the film continues the story... er, 28 weeks
later. Some raw footage has been released
at this link here.
FRAGGLE ROCK
The cult Jim Henson TV show from the 80s is being reinvented as a movie,
currently being penned by Ahmet Zappa. The show concerned an underground
society of Fraggles beneath their titular rock, who co-exist with Doozers
and steal radishes from giants known as Gorks.
STREET FIGHTER
Attempts are being made to remake the appalling 1994 movie adaptation of the
Street Fighter video game series. The game remains popular and hopes are
high that a more faithful movie can be created using the Street Fighter II
characters, particularly with the advances in special-effects from the
mid-90s.
Early word suggests Chun Li (right) will be the focal point (not Guile like the 1994
Van Damme debacle), although game fans are still alarmed the film isn't
focusing on Ryu (as the games always have).
HALO
The movie adaptation of wildly successful video game Halo is not going ahead
(for the time being). The movie was being overseen by producer Peter
Jackson, with advert director Neill Blomkamp in the director's chair (he was
the guy who did the transforming car ad).
The reason for the project's temporary sabbatical is purely financial, with
Universal and Fox apparently unhappy with the movie's mega-budget cost.
SUPERMAN RETURNS 2
The critics were kind to Bryan Singer's Superman Returns, and it was
certainly not a disaster, although the accountants were a little alarmed by
its relative underperformance considering the popularity of the character.
However, Superman Returns has made its $200 million budget back, and is now
in profit without even mentioning the DVD sales that should rack up soon!
The greenlight has been given to a sequel, with Singer finalizing a deal for
him to begin filming in 2008 for summer 2009.
The sequel will have increased action set-pieces (a criticism of the first
movie), while Lex Luthor will not be the main villain. Superman Returns'
budget was $208 million not including the millions spent on developing the
movie throughout the 90s, so the sequel will have a budget of $175 million.
The DMDB has been running through the months DMD was away, so be sure to
check it out of you who forgot to. Amongst the goodies are reviews of the
shows listed below, plus the usual links and articles on media-related
goodness!
Recent posts to DMDB include:
** IN THE PIPELINE **