Tag: Warner

  • ‘It’ sequel officially releasing in September 2019

    ‘It’ sequel officially releasing in September 2019

    The Losers Club had to wait 27 years and suffer several maladies before they encountered Pennywise the Dancing Clown again. Cinema audiences will have a comparatively shorter wait, with New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. announcing Monday (US time) that the IT sequel will drop on 6 September 2019.

    The unsurprising news comes on the back of a number of records broken since the theatrical release earlier this month, including the title of the biggest horror film of all time, raking in $266.1 million domestically and $478.1 million globally to date says THR. In Australia, the film opened to a similarly large box office, partly thanks to an ingenious viral marketing campaign involving storm drains and red balloons. 

    Where the first film explored a group of early teens banding together to fight off an evil under the town of Derry, the tentatively titled IT: CHAPTER 2 will pick up 27 years as the estranged group slowly returns to their hometown to once again fight their fears. No casting has been announced yet, but the Internet is having a field day trying to do that on Hollywood’s behalf.

    Stephen King’s original novel didn’t split the narrative into two distinct sections, instead choosing to weave the twin stories together as the adult Losers discovered fragments of their missing memories. It has already been reported that the cast of the original film will return in flashback scenes.

    The sequel will be released in Australia from Roadshow Films. They are yet to confirm the local release date, but following the success of the simultaneous global release of Chapter 1, fingers crossed for the same pattern in 2019.

  • Jorge Gutierrez developing LEGO movie ‘The Billion Brick Race’

    Jorge Gutierrez developing LEGO movie ‘The Billion Brick Race’

    The Book of Life director Jorge Gutierrez has signed on to take over a LEGO spin-off movie, reports THR. Titled THE BILLION BRICK RACE, it was originally being guided by Jason Segel and Drew Pearce.

    The Mexican animator and artist is also behind the award-winning TV series El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, along with Guardians of Oz (which was released internationally under the ridiculously awesome title Wicked Flying Monkeys).

    Looking ahead, it’s possible that this could be the Untitled Warner Group Animation Project currently slated for 29 march 2018 or even the Untitled Warner Animation of 31 May 2018.

    Following The LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie, other brick films coming from Warner and Roadshow Films include The LEGO Ninjago Movie, opening in Australia on 22 September 2017, and The LEGO Movie Sequel, which hits the US on 28 February 2019 before landing in Australia on 4 April 2019.

  • Official ‘It’ trailer relieves us of our collective bejesuses

    Official ‘It’ trailer relieves us of our collective bejesuses

    coulrophobia
    [kool-ruh-foh-bee-uh]
    noun
    1. an abnormal fear of clowns.
    2. the condition resulting from watching this trailer.

    Actually, is it abnormal to fear clowns? The latest adaptation of Stephen King’s IT certainly makes no case for it, playing straight into our subconscious fears and scaring the bejesus out of us. If you find that you have no bejesus, it’s because of this trailer.

    Various research indicates that the fear comes from the notion of a painted face, or the transgressive behaviour of the harlequins of mirth. We place the blame instead squarely on King’s Pennywise, who has once again made us very afraid of sewer drains as well. Seriously, Stephen: is nothing sacred?  

    In Andrés Muschietti’s latest version, we finally get to hear Bill Skarsgård’s voice as Pennywise. Set in the fictional town of Derry,Maine, a group of young kids are faced with their biggest fears when they square off against the evil clown, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries.

    IT is released in Australia on 7 September 2017 from Roadshow Films. 

  • Comic-Con: New ‘Justice League’ trailer and poster

    Comic-Con: New ‘Justice League’ trailer and poster

    Warner has revealed the next trailer for JUSTICE LEAGUE at San Diego Comic-Con, showcasing even more footage from the highly-anticipated superhero team film from the DC Extended Universe. 

    The poster looks like a piece of Alex Ross’ art, sharply recalling the Kingdom Come covers and similar work from Ross.

    Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

    JUSTICE LEAGUE hits Australian cinemas on 16 November 2017.

    Justice League

  • Comic-Con: Warner releases ‘Ready Player One’ trailer

    Comic-Con: Warner releases ‘Ready Player One’ trailer

    The highly anticipated “holy grail of pop culture” that is READY PLAYER ONE has dropped its first trailer at San Diego Comic-Con.

    Steven Spielberg brings us an adaptation of Ernest Cline’s novel, the rest of the teenager Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), who escapes from his bleak surroundings by logging into the virtual reality network known as OASIS. He soon finds himself on a treasure hunt for the vast fortune the OASIS creator leaves behind when he dies. The film also stars Olivia Cook, Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg, and Ben Mendelsohn.

    What’s immediately striking about the trailer is just how many film and pop culture icons they’ve managed to squeeze into it, from The Iron Giant, to Freddy Kreuger, Ninja Turtles, and even a DeLorean in a high-speed chase. 

    READY PLAYER ONE hits Australian cinemas on 29 March 2018.

  • Review: Blade of the Immortal

    Review: Blade of the Immortal

    The title cards have barely finished forming before they are splattered with monochromatic blood in BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL (無限の住人), legendary Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike’s 100th film. This sheer amount of output is even more staggering when you consider he has done it in just over 25 years. As those familiar with his oeuvre might expect, Miike has compacted his entire career of bloodletting into a singular entity.

    Adapted from the long-running manga series by Hiroaki Samura, it follows Manji (Takuya Kimura), a skilled samurai cursed with immortality after one of the most epic opening battles in cinema history. Following the death of his own sister, Manji is recruited by Rin (Hana Sugisaki) to take revenge against a band of renegade swordsmen. So begins an almost endless series of fights, presented in all of their limb-lopping and artery opening glory. 

    Blade of the Immortal

    Miike has directed several successful forays into the jidaigeki (period) genre in the last decade, most notably the international successes of 13 Assassins and Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai. It’s the former that BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL shares the most DNA with, with the warriors literally slipping on the blood they’ve created by the end of the film. It’s an equivalent length to 13 Assassins too, but isn’t content to simply re-staging the 45 minute battle sequence. It’s an escalating bloodbath that aims to keep taking the violence up a notch, the kind that will elicit guffaws of joyous laughter from seasoned viewers of the cult circuit.   

    Yet there’s a certain amount of repetition to the structure as well. Betraying its serial origins, a series of individual fights during the second act start to feel episodic. This doesn’t make a fight with a fellow immortal seem any less spectacular, but it might numb some viewers to the climactic moments by the time they roll around. The photography of Nobuyasu Kita, a regular collaborator with Miike, is gorgeous.

    Miike’s year started with the series Idol X Warrior Miracle Tunes, a corporate-looking fantasy series aimed at young girls. By the time the year is out, Miike’s filmography will hit 101 titles with an adaptation of the wonderfully named JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter I. There are few filmmakers working today that are not only this prolific, but deal with such grand scale at the same time. BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL may not be Miike’s most groundbreaking work, or even his most accomplished samurai film, but it is certainly one of his bloodiest. For his legions of hard-earned fans around the world, that just might make it his best.

    [stextbox id=”grey” bgcolor=”F2F2F2″ mleft=”5″ mright=”5″ image=”null”]2017 | Japan | DIR: Takashi Miike | WRITERS: Tetsuya Oishi (Based on the manga by Hiroaki Samura) | CAST: Takuya Kimura, Hana Sugisaki | DISTRIBUTOR: Warner (Japan), Magnet Releasing (US), Icon Films (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 151 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 29 April 2017 (Japan), December 2017 (AUS) [/stextbox]

  • Joss Whedon takes over ‘Justice League,’ Zack Snyder steps down amid tragedy

    Joss Whedon takes over ‘Justice League,’ Zack Snyder steps down amid tragedy

    It’s with mixed emotions that the web reports a change of guard for the JUSTICE LEAGUE film. Joss Whedon is reportedly taking over the helming of the film following the departure of Zack Snyder. The suicide death of Snyder’s daughter in March has prompted the director to step down, with Warner hiring the Avengers: Age of Ultron director to finish the project.

    “In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was the way through it,” an emotional Snyder told The Hollywood Reporter. “The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all-consuming. And in the last two months, I’ve come to the realization … I’ve decided to take a step back from the movie to be with my family, be with my kids, who really need me. They are all having a hard time. I’m having a hard time.”

    Whedon will complete the film in time for the November 2017 release, before beginning work on his Batgirl film.

    The official synopsis for the film: “Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.”

    JUSTICE LEAGUE will be released on 16 November 2017 in Australia from Roadshow Films, following a 10 November 2017 release in the US.

  • New ‘Dunkirk’ trailer has got plenty of (Harry) Style(s)

    New ‘Dunkirk’ trailer has got plenty of (Harry) Style(s)

    That was one shamelessly click-baity headline, wasn’t it? Warner and Roadshow Films has sent over the new trailer for DUNKIRK, the epic new film from  Christopher Nolan. It hits Australian cinemas on 20 July 2017, and on 21 July in the US.

    Nolan directed DUNKIRK from his own original screenplay. DUNKIRK opens as hundreds of thousands of British and Allied troops are surrounded by enemy forces. Trapped on the beach with their backs to the sea they face an impossible situation as the enemy closes in.

    Some of the British propaganda around the real-life incident was recently covered in Their Finest, showcasing how the historic event was recreated for cameras in the 1940s. Hoyte van Hoytema’s photography is on another level, using a mixture of IMAX® and 65mm film to bring the story to the screen. 

    The massive ensemble cast includes Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and Cillian Murphy, as well as newcomer Fionn Whitehead. Other names in the cast include Aneurin Barnard, Harry Styles, James D’Arcy, Jack Lowden, Barry Keoghan and Tom Glynn-Carney.

  • James Wan tweets first ‘Aquaman’ set photo

    James Wan tweets first ‘Aquaman’ set photo

    Director James Wan has visually confirmed the start of production on AQUAMAN, the planned sixth film in the DC Extended Universe series of films. Not due out until December 2018 following a delay announced in March, the filmmaker gave us our first look at one of the film’s sets via Twitter.

    Simply tweeting “Months of intensive prep have led to this. Here we go. #DayOne #Ahab,” the image appears to show some kind of military base or possible submarine type whatsit. Cinematographer Don Burgess (Monster Trucks, Allied) is also listed on the clapper. 

    Aquaman - Set Photo Day 1

    The film will see Jason Momoa reprise his role as Aquaman from the Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League films. Amber Heard will be introduced as Mera, his love interest and fellow undersea badass. Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Dolph Lundgren, Willem Dafoe and Temuera Morrison will also star.

    AQUAMAN will be released on 21 December 2018 in the US from Warner, and on 26 December 2018 in Australia from Roadshow Films.

  • Joss Whedon to direct ‘Batgirl’ film

    Joss Whedon to direct ‘Batgirl’ film

    Batgirl is getting a solo film. Variety reports that geek god Joss Whedon will be the one to bring the hero to the screen as part of the DC Extended Universe. Whedon will write, direct and produce the film for Warner.

    Batgirl first appeared in comics in 1967 in “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!” by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino, originally so that Willian Dozier could introduce a new female character into the 1960s Batman television series. First portrayed by Yvonne Craig, a later version of the character also appeared in the short-lived Birds of Prey series.

    Whedon, of course, is no stranger to superhero films. Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron remain two of the highest grossing films for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Warner will be hoping that he can bring some of that coin to a universe that has been struggling to find a tone.

    Wonder Woman and Justice League are the next two films slated in the DC Extended Universe, with a solo film for Aquaman to follow in 2018. The studio is also developing a Suicide Squad sequel, a Harley Quinn spin-off Gotham City Sirens, The Batman directed by Matt Reeves, Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam, and Flash and Cyborg solo films.