Emmerich says the challenge facing him and screenwriter Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) is finding a throughline for the film. "There's not one character going through, so Bob Rodat came to me and said, 'I'm like a fanatic reader of ... Foundation,' and I ... talked with him. ... He said, 'We have to consolidate the characters.' And that's what we did, and that's what's worked really, really well in the context. And I think that if Asimov ... would have ... conceived this as a science fiction trilogy or series from the very beginning, he would have done that, too. But he didn't. ... I think in spirit [the movie is] totally Foundation, but it has consolidated characters which go through the three movies."

Rodat keeps promising to deliver the script to Emmerich soon, the director said. "He kind of keeps calling me and saying, 'It's fantastic, Roland! I've never written such a good script.' And I say, 'Well, maybe you should send it to me so I can, like, read [it]?' ... I love him, he's a great, great guy. But I think I get it soon. He promised me, ... he said, like, before 2012 comes out [on Nov. 13]. I said, 'Oh, that's good.'"

In an exclusive interview, Emmerich talked about what inspired him about the series. "Well, it's the same thing that Asimov was inspired by," he said. "Just the downfall of a great civilization and how you can stop it. And you cannot stop it, it's just inherent. ... As a civilization crumbles, it falls."

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Star Trek Movie Blooper Reel

Here's some of the blooper reel from the Star Trek movie. It's really funny. This will be on the upcoming DVD release of the film. Do wait around until you hear Zachary Quinto's inappropriate Irish accent. Take a look:



Posted on October 12, 2009
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Summit to Reboot Highlander Franchise

Summit, the producer of the Twilight films, is going to reboot the Highlander films. No, really.

Summit Entertainment is going to reboot the popular Highlander film franchise by handing the reins to Justin Lin, director of Fast & Furious. He will direct from a script to be written by Iron Man writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway.

The reboot will reportedly deal with an immortal Scottish swordsman who must confront a murderously brutal barbarian, who lusts for a fabled prize (or Prize?). Unclear how much, if any, of the previous franchise's mythology will figure into the reboot.

We can't even imagine how this is going to sort out. But the Highlander films have a long and troubled history. The TV series became the best part of the franchise, mostly due to Adrian Paul's portrayal of Duncan McCloud.

Posted on September 22, 2009
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Harrison Ford Ready For Fifth Indiana Jones Movie



Access Hollywood reports that Harrison Ford says he is ready for a fifth Indiana Jones movie if the script is good. He says the story for the fifth movie is already taking shape.

"The story for the new 'Indiana Jones' is in the process of taking form," Harrison told France's Le Figaro, as reported by People.

The 67-year-old actor reportedly told the mag that another movie all depends on the script.

"Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and myself are agreed on what the fifth adventure will concern, and George is actively at work," he said. "If the script is good, I'll be very happy to put the costume on again."

We are also ready for a fifth Indiana Jones film and a sixth and a seventh if possible. Critics attacked the last film, but it was very entertaining.

Posted on September 14, 2009
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Tron Legacy Gets Release Date

Tron: Legacy has a release date now: it's December 17, 2010. That's a bit earlier than expected. Reelzchannel says that weekend will also see the opening of The Green Hornet and The Smurfs.

Green Hornet was recently pushed back into the December 17 slot, and considering Sony owns both Hornet and The Smurfs, it's likely that one might be moved to another weekend.

Tron: Legacy is the sequel to the 1982's Tron, which starred Jeff Bridges as a computer programmer sucked into a video game to fight the master control program. Legacy will follow Bridges's son (Garrett Hedlund) as he is sucked into the video game to fight the program alongside his father.

We can't wait to see Tron: Legacy. Putting it up against The Green Hornet seems unwise, although we'll take Tron over Seth Rogan playing a superhero any day.

Posted on September 8, 2009
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Wild Rumor of the Day: Justin Timberlake Will Star in New Battlestar Galactica Movie



JustJared.com reports that Justin Timberlake just had lunch with Bryan Singer, who is going to direct and produce the film version of Battlestar Galactica. Jared thinks that Justin may get a part in the film, which is just mind-boggling.

But hey, why stop there? How about Lady Gaga as a Cylon, Beyonce as Commander Adama (in a bit of gender bending) and Britney Spears as the new Starbuck? It's Hollywood. It could happen.

(Photo: Screenshot from Justin Timberlake's new Givenchy fragrance ad)

Posted on August 14, 2009
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Rain is the Ninja Assassin

Korean pop star Rain plays one of the deadliest assassins in the world in his new movie, Ninja Assassin. Rain play Raizo, who was taken from the streets as a child and turned into a killer by a secret society called the Ozunu Clan. When he is betrayed, he ends up on the run looking for vengeance. Works for us. Take a look:



Posted on August 1, 2009
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Video: Kristen Bell Talks Astro Boy and the Veronica Mars Movie

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Kristen Bell and Freddie Highmore about their next film, Astro Boy. Kristen is an old hand at Comic Con, so she talks about cons gone by and the status of the proposed Veronica Mars movie. She says they want to make it, but they have to convince Warner Bros to make the film. Take a look:



Posted on July 24, 2009
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An American Werewolf in London to be Remade



Dimension Films is remaking An American Werewolf in London. Sean and Bryan Furst will produce the remake of the 1981 movie which starred David Naughton, Griffin Dunne and Jenny Agutter.

Pic, which won an Oscar for makeup, centers on a college student going on a rampage after surviving an attack by a werewolf on a Yorkshire moor. The Furst brothers produced "Daybreakers," a pic set in a world conquered by vampires and to be released in January.

There is no writer, no director and no one has been cast in the film. John Landis, who wrote the original horror comedy classic, will executive produce and consult on the project.

Posted on June 30, 2009
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Another Transformers 2 Trailer

As the U.S. premiere date of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen approaches, the studio is releasing more trailers. Here's the latest one. The film opens in wide release on June 24. Take a look:



Posted on June 15, 2009
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Finding the Easter Eggs in the Star Trek Movie

Trekmovie.com has compiled a list of all the inside jokes, Easter eggs and other references in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie. R2D2 even made an appearance in the film -- which we totally missed.

R2-D2 LOCATION ANSWER (**SPOILER ALERT**)

During the Drill Machine sequence as the Enterprise comes out of its barrel role amidst destruction of the other Federation ships above Vulcan, we cut to an interior Enterprise bridge over the shoulder of Kirk that is looking out through the front viewscreen. In space, R2-D2 is floating in the debris from about the top middle of the screen to the bottom right.

See the rest of the list here. We did catch most of those, but not all.

Posted on June 11, 2009
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Leaked Avatar Concept Art



Above is some leaked concept art for James Cameron's 3-D adventure Avatar. It is impressive looking. If you look closer at the art on Marketsaw - which warns of spoilers - you can see a man inside the huge robotic exoskeleton (power suit).

(via Vulture)

Posted on May 31, 2009
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The Onion Takes Aim at Star Trek

The Onion pokes a bit of fun at hard core Star Trek fans with its report on J.J. Abrams' reboot of the series, which opens with screenings tonight. Take a look:


Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

Posted on May 7, 2009
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Stiller's Clone Comedy Gets Another Look

Hollywood Reporter says the Used Guys script is getting another look. The film was originally supposed to star Jim Carrey and Ben Stiller and was about two no longer needed pleasure clones in a world run by women. Fox pulled the plug on the version. Hollywood Reporter says the new version of the film starring Ben Stiller and Reese Witherspoon will focus more on the relationship between the clone (Stiller) and the clone's owner (Witherspoon).

The current take at Fox focuses more on the relationship between Stiller's character and Witherspoon's clone owner. Roach will remain a producer on the project along with Stiller's Red Hour Films.

Dave Guion and Michael Handelman ("The Ex") wrote the Roach-Carrey version of the project, which was to co-star Emily Mortimer, based on an original draft by Mickey Birnbaum. The film had a start date of June 11, 2006, and a release date of June 15, 2007.

But in May 2006, as the project was entering preproduction, Fox pulled the plug on it as too costly an enterprise, with a $112 million budget and Roach, Stiller and Carrey reportedly accounting for 27% of the backend profits. At the time, the studio portrayed the decision as merely a delay because of the stars' scheduling conflicts

We hope this version is good. The Stiller-Carrey version sounded like it could have been funny.

Posted on May 5, 2009
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Cast Reveals Whether They Are Star Trek Fans

During press interviews the cast and director of Star Trek were asked if they were Star Trek fans before they signed on to do the movie. Only John Cho and Karl Urban give appropriate answers. The rest are horrifying. Also, J.J. Abrams explains the whole William Shatner debacle. Take a look:



Posted on April 29, 2009
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Eric McCormack Talks Alien Trespass



Will & Grace star Eric McCormack plays an astronomer possessed by an alien in the film, Alien Trespass. The movie spoofs science fiction movies from the 50s. McCormack talked to New York Magazine about what is was like playing Urp.

I think my first instinct was to make him more alien, sounding like Mr. Spock, and [writer-director R.W. Goodwin] wanted more innocence — like a lilting, childlike inflection. So the image I used was that Urp is on another planet and has to steal a vehicle. And that vehicle happens to be my body. So the walk, the hands, the voice, and of course the erection that keeps happening, those were all just somebody trying to understand a machine that it needs to get around.

Here's a trailer. It looks hilarious. Alien Trespass opened in limited theatres on April 3rd.



Posted on April 6, 2009
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The Trailer for Wall-E, Done Watchmen Style

What if the trailer for Wall-E was done Watchmen style? Well, for one thing, it certainly makes Wall-E seem like a very different kind of movie than the one we saw. It's pretty funny, take a look:



Posted on March 25, 2009
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Sorcerer's Apprentice Gets a Release Date

Disney has set a release date for the family film, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. The film will be released on July 16, 2010. Jerry Bruckheimer is producing.

Also on Thursday, Warner Bros. made additions and changes to its 2009 calendar. Studio will open James McTeigue's "Ninja Assassin," instead of horror pic "The Box," on Nov. 25, with "The Box" now bowing Oct. 30. Studio originally intended to open "Ninja" in 2010. Dating of "Sorcerer's Apprentice" gives the Mouse House three event pics in summer 2010. The other two are "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (May 28) and "Toy Story 3" (July 18).

Jon Turteltaub is directing the live-action pic, based on the famed "Sorcerer's Apprentice" segment in Disney's "Fantasia." Modern-day update stars Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel. Lensing begins this month.

They say it's based on the Sorcerer's Apprentice section of Fantasia (which is based on the Goethe poem about the apprentice who gets in over his head with magic). So how does Jerry Bruckheimer approach this kind of source material? We're thinking there will be lots of exploding brooms and perhaps some exciting chase scenes around sorcerer's workshop.

Posted on March 23, 2009
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Mickey Roarke to Play Villain in Iron Man 2

Mickey Roarke has signed on to play the Russian villain in Iron Man 2. There had been rumors of Roarke's involvement, but reportedly the pay they offered him was so low it was embarrassing. Then Roarke was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his turn in The Wrestler. So Robert Downey, Jr. -- who knows a thing or two about being given a second chance in life -- took matters into his own hands.

While his ICM rep, David Unger, battled for more dough, Rourke's encounters with "Iron Man" star Robert Downey Jr. on the awards circuit sealed his participation in the film. Rourke won the Golden Globe and was Oscar nominated for "The Wrestler" and Downey got Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for "Tropic Thunder," so Downey used each occasion to recruit Rourke.

When Downey, Rourke as well as actors including Frank Langella and Anne Hathaway took part in a roundtable discussion with Newsweek's David Ansen, Downey interrupted the proceedings, reached across the table and flat out asked Rourke to do "Iron Man 2." Rourke also met with Jon Favreau and scribe Justin Theroux and got to be part of the development of his character. He'll play Whiplash, a character that includes elements from that comicbook villain and Crimson Dynamo, another Russian baddie.

Marvel won't confirm the casting, but Variety says it's a done deal and that Roarke is getting a decent paycheck. Scarlett Johansson is said to be the favorite so far to play the Black Widow.

Posted on March 11, 2009
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Christopher Nolan to Direct Inception

Batman director Christopher Nolan has signed on to direct Inception, a sf action thriller for which Nolan is writing the screenplay. That means no sequel to The Dark Knight for at least two years.

The sci-fi action film "set within the architecture of the mind" aims to begin shooting this summer and hit theaters in summer 2010, according to studio. In case anyone's forgotten, Knight was a box-office monster, scoring the second-highest gross of all time. Additionally, deceased star Heath Ledger has scored a Best Supporting Actor prize in nearly every awards show this season, with only the Oscars to go.

Batman lovers should be used to exercising patience, though. Three years passed between the first Christian Bale-fronted venture, 2005's Batman Begins, and last year's The Dark Knight. During that span Nolan released the fantasy thriller The Prestige, starring Bale and Hugh Jackman as rival magicians.

It's never a good idea to go too long between sequels, but two years isn't a terrible lag.

Posted on February 11, 2009
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Orlando Bloom to Star in The Cross

Orlando Bloom has signed on to play the lead in The Cross which will be directed by Andrew Niccol (Lord of War). The SF adventure film will also star Olga Kurylenko from Quantum of Solace and Vincent Cassel.

Set in a border town, "Cross" returns Niccol -- Oscar-nommed for writing "The Truman Show" -- to his favorite domain: the near future. Bloom plays a man seeking to cross a mysterious border, something no one else has achieved; Cassel limns the guard who will go to any lengths to foil him. Kurylenko takes the femme lede.

Pre-production has already started and the filming will begin this July in Australia.

Posted on February 6, 2009
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The New Star Trek Trailer Stars...Will Ferrell?

SputnikAnimation has created a new Star Trek trailer, only this one stars images and voices of Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Stephen Colbert and Samuel L. Jackson. We're ready to see this movie. Take a look:



Posted on January 30, 2009
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Lara Croft May Return to the Big Screen

Lara Croft has been on plenty of missions in the video game world but she hasn't been on the big screen since 2003. The Hollywood Reporter says the film series may soon get a reboot.

Warners Bros. and producer Dan Lin are in early development on a a reboot of "Tomb Raider," the popular video game action franchise.

"Tomb Raider," which was published in 1996 by a London-based video game company called Eidos, was a wildly popular game that involved the daredevil archaeologist Lara Croft on a series of global missions. Several spinoff games have been published since, with a 10th-anniversary edition of the game released in 2006.

Paramount previously made the two movies based on the game, but the rights have since reverted to Eidos. When Time Warner upped its stake to 19.92% in Eidos in December, films rights to the property were included as part of the deal.

Lin will produce the project via his Lin Pictures banner while Stephen Gilchrist will co-produce; Ian Livingstone of Eidos will exec produce. Matt Reilly is overseeing for Warners. Lin is the producer behind Warners' upcoming Guy Ritchie-directed update of "Sherlock Holmes" and the adventure film "Jonny Quest."

The Hollywood Reporter says planning for the film is still in its early stages and an actress to play the Lara Croft role won't be named until a writer and director are attached to the project.

British gymanst Alison Carroll is currently the face of Lara Croft's video games. Take a look:



Posted on January 28, 2009
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Roland Emmerich to Direct Film Based on Asimov's Foundation

Variety reports that Roland Emmerich is being given the opportunity to direct a film based on Isaac Asimov's Foundation after Columbia won screen rights to the film in an auction.

Emmerich and his Centropolis partner Michael Wimer will produce the film. The deal was mid six-figures against low seven figures.

Originally published as a series of eight short stories in Astounding Magazine beginning in 1942, "Foundation" is a complex saga about humans who are scattered on planets throughout the galaxy, living under the rule of the Galactic Empire.

A psycho-historian who can scientifically read the future sees an imminent empire collapse, and sets to work preparing to save the knowledge of mankind.

The emergence of Sony and Emmerich at the controls of "Foundation" is a surprise development, and one that owes at least a bit to the animosity between Warner Bros. and Fox over "Watchmen."

Emmerich also has a film that's supposed to be coming out this summer. It's the mega disaster movie, 2012, which will be out July, 2009.

Posted on January 16, 2009
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Ian McKellan Talks The Hobbit

Ian McKellan told reporters that he definitely will be involved in The Hobbit film. He was just heading off to dinner with director Guillermo del Toro.

"I'm having supper with Guillermo del Toro this evening," McKellan said in a group interview on Jan. 8 in Universal City, Calif. "You're asking me about 12 hours too early."

Preproduction on The Hobbit is underway. "I've been promised I am [going to be involved]," McKellan said while promoting his upcoming AMC miniseries The Prisoner. "And as Guillermo del Toro's directing it, I should be so lucky. And in New Zealand, a place I love, so it's almost an ideal job for me."

Though it may have been too long since McKellan's last book report to quote specific passages from The Hobbit, he still can't wait to speak wizard again. "He's got the best lines, hasn't he?" McKellan asked.

We can't wait to see McKellan reprise his role as the wizard Gandalf once again.

Posted on January 9, 2009
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Garrett Hedlund and the Tron Conundrum



Tron fans are not happy with the casting of newcomer Garrett Hedlund as the lead in the new Tron movie. We don't understand why he was cast, either. We tried slapping his head on one of the old Tron costumes, but it's still not working for us. Maybe he gave an amazing audition? And really, so long as it's not Shia LaBeouf, we're willing to wait and see.

Posted on January 8, 2009
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New Photos From Transformers 2



New photos are out from the set of Tranformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. You can see all the new photos here. Shia LaBeouf just had the second surgery on his hand to help restore full function after his car crash earlier this year. His bandaged hand was written into the film: he had the first surgery while the film was still in production.

The film is set for a June 26, 2009 release.

Posted on December 30, 2008
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Frank Miller Meets Buck Rogers

Frank Miller wants to bring Buck Rogers back to the silver screen.

Miller will write and direct his own big-screen take on the comic serial; while the creator has only begun to sketch ideas, it's expected to be a darker take, with many of Miller's signature visual elements and themes, such as corruption and redemption.

It's likely to be a priority project for Miller, though he has been mulling a Sin City sequel.

Frank Miller doing a remake of Buck Rogers is a very interesting proposition. Will it have that Spirit/Sin City look? Will Josh Hartnett be Buck? The mind boggles.

Posted on December 19, 2008
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The Day the Earth Stood Still International Trailer

The Day the Earth Stood Still opens in wide release this weekend. So far, reviews have been mixed, but most seem to agree that Keanu Reeves is perfectly cast. The CGI looks amazing. Here's the -- rather lengthy -- international trailer for the film:



Posted on December 12, 2008
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Is Kevin McKidd the New Highlander?



Kevin McKidd, who is best known as Lucius Vorenus from the award-winning HBO series Rome has reportedly been asked to star in the new film reboot of the Highlander franchise.

JoBlo reader 'Lynchy' tells us that actor -- and actual Scotsman -- Kevin McKidd (HBO's Rome, Dog Soldiers) was just on Dublin radio, and mentioned he'd been approached by the production company about starring in the film. We don't know much more than that, but the producers did previously mention they would include medieval Scotland in their version of the story. And McKidd may have some time on his schedule after the termination of his Journeyman series.

This is just a rumor, but it's certainly an interesting one. We like McKidd -- he was great in Rome and was underserved by the writers in his canceled series Journeyman. The series just got more and more infuriating and there was only so much McKidd could do with the ridiculous plot. For one thing, anyone who time travels should return exactly to the moment they left. The way the writers set it up, he'd beam out in traffic and then the car would crash. It was just unbelievably annoying.

Posted on December 5, 2008
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New Star Trek Trailer Features Leonard Nimoy

Perhaps worried about the fan reaction to the original trailer, J.J. Abrams released a new trailer to Ain't It Cool News. This is similar to the first trailer, but Leonard Nimoy makes an appearance at the very end. He's been made up to look very old, but that distinctive voice is the same. Take a look:



Posted on November 27, 2008
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