Of course it opened huge - Jason Statham is no slouch! Ok, the megalodon has something to do with it too.
THE MEG opened this past weekend to the tune of $44.5 million with the overseas markets yet to come on stream. That's an impressive debut. Rottentomatoes.com critics has the movie at a 49% rotten rating while audiences gave it a 61%. Personally I liked it. I still haven't seen it in 3D yet (*GASP* I know right?!), but I will in the coming week or so. I had to catch the flat version as it was the only screening at the time and I was on a tight schedule. I'm really looking forward to seeing some of those action scenes in 3D because I think they nailed it. Some excellent editing really brings the Meg into your lap - even in 2D.
China played a large part in the making of the movie (very evident from the credits and content) and should open amazingly well in that country. Seriously. AMAZINGLY well. And that's a good thing for Warner Bros. - THE MEG cost $130m to make.
I think Shark Week on the Discovery Channel helped the cause - they even had a show entitled "Megalodon: Fact vs. Fiction" to help feed the frenzy.
You know, we should look into using old dino-DNA to bring back Meg. I mean, what could go wrong?
Jason Mamoa doesn't need any help! Are you kidding me? C'mon. And director James Wan agrees. Usually these days, superhero movies will bring in a supporting cast to borrow their star power for the movie obviously, but also to build excitement for the universe and any ensemble movies - like JUSTICE LEAGUE.
But AQUAMAN will face Black Manta and King Orm without Batman, Superman, et al.
Says Wan:"I wanted to keep the story to the world of AQUAMAN and not have to worry about what other characters are doing in their films and how that would affect us. I just thought the simplest way was to keep it clean — keep it simple and let it be an AQUAMAN story."
He continues:"I told them I understand and respect that it’s part of a bigger universe but at the end of the day I have to tell the story I want to tell, and I want to develop the character as well. It was something the studio was respectful about… in my movie he starts off one way and becomes very different by the end. It’s a classic hero’s journey. I equate our story to The Sword and the Stone, it’s a very Arthurian story about a journey to becoming king."
Perfect! This is a pure James Wan movie. Exactly what I was hoping for - bring it!
Of course, post credit scenes weren't discussed. Sooooo... there's that. Potentially there will be some JUSTICE LEAGUE influence after all.
Here's the movie's storyline: From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, AQUAMAN starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be... a king.
The film also stars Amber Heard ("Justice League," "Magic Mike XXL") as Mera, a firece warrior and Aquaman's ally throughout his journey; Oscarnominee Willem Dafoe ("Platoon," "Spider-Man 2") as Vulko, council to the Atlantean throne; Patrick Wilson ("The Conjuring" films, "Watchmen") as Orm/Ocean Master, the present King of Atlantis; Dolph Lundgren ("The Expendables" films) as Nereus, King of the Atlantean tribe Xebel; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (upcoming "Baywatch," "Netflix's The Get Down") as the vengeful Black Manta; and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman ("The Hours" "Lion") as Arthrur's mom, Atlanna; as well as Ludi Lin ("Power Rangers") as Captain Murk, Atlantean Commando; and Temuera Morrison ("Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones," "Green Lantern") as Arthur's dad, Tom Curry.
Wan directs from a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick ("The Conjuring 2") and Will Beall ("Gangstar Squad," TV's "Training Day"), story by Geoff Johns and James Wan and Will Beal, based on characters from DC, Aquaman created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisnger. the film is produced by Peter Safran and Rob Cowan, with Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Jon Berg, Geoff Johns and Walter Hamada serving as executive producers.
Wan's team behind the scenes includes such frequent collaborators as Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess ("The Conjuring 2," "Forrest Gump"), his five-time editor Kirk Morri ("The Conjuring" films, "Furious 7," the "Insidious" films), and production designer Bill Brzeski ("Furious 7"). They are joined by costume designer Kym Barrett ("The Matrix" trilogy, "The Amazing Spider-Man") and composer Rupert Gregson-Williams ("Wonder Woman").
Wow. I saw MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT last Friday and it was amazing! The action is impeccably done and the movie is peppered with it. With Tom Cruise front and center performing his stunts! FALLOUT has already secured the franchise record for opening weekend box office with $61m ($156m worldwide). It should be well over $200m domestically for the run.
For me, when Ethan Hunt has a love interest involved in the story, everything is amped up a bit more. Definitely applies here. FALLOUT delivers. The stakes are extremely high and I'm caring about the characters.
The 3D conversion was also impeccably done, led by a friend of mine, Corey Turner over at Paramount. The depth was dialed up when it was needed with some very cool tracking shots close to the ground that showed me this movie is nailing it. And the aerial 3D shots? Hold your breath! Plenty of time for the eyes to rest too. Congrats Corey! Next up for Corey is BUMBLEBEE, slated for a December 21 release.
As usual, awesome credits and musical score. Look, if you enjoy spy movies, plots where YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION, characters to care about and technically proficient delivery, go see MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT.
**UPDATED: Check out the trailer and QandA below!!
I've been waiting for a LONG time for this movie and finally, we have the first trailer to take in! Today at 11am Eastern, James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez, Jon Landau and Rosa Salazar will be hosting the trailer on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AlitaMovie), as well as a question and answer session.
Here's the movie's storyline: From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.
The movie also stars Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Jackie Earle Haley, and Ed Skrein.
Set your calendar so you don't miss it! ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL opens on December 21.
It's on! If you're headed to San Diego's Comic-Con you may have an opportunity to see James Cameron's and Robert Rodriguez's ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL!... if you successfully complete a scavenger hunt in time (only 100 tickets up for grabs) to win tickets to the event.
The hunt involves visiting 6 booths at Comic-Con (Loot Crate, Sideshow (Prime 1), Sideshow (Hot Toys), Weta Workshop, Titan Entertainment, Funko) to collect stickers. Note that the event will not be at the Con, but instead at the Regal Theater Horton Plaza (this Friday, July 20).
Ok, it's a sneak peek, but there will be questions and answers with some cast members (Rosa Salazar and Keean Johnson), Rodriguez and producer Jon Landau.
Says Landau:"What makes it special is that it has the trademarks of a typical James Cameron movie. It has a strong female protagonist with universal themes. Alita as a character goes on a journey of self-discovery. She thinks of herself as an insignificant girl. Through her journey, she comes to realize that within her is the ability to make a difference. I can think of no greater universal message today."
The QandA is worth the effort alone, but of course, the sneak peek is sure to blow the roof off of the theater. Wish I was going this year! If you are going and feel up to the challenge - good luck! ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL is slated for release on December 21, 2018.
I saw the trailer to Blockers months ago which is the reason why I wasn't anything good from it. Actually, I was expecting it to be pretty damn bad which is why I wasn't planning on watching it. Unfortunately for my brain, I read some positive reviews and I watched it.
Lisa (Leslie Mann), Hunter (Ike Barinholtz) and Mitchell (John Cena) are connected with each other because their teenage daughters, Julie (Kathryn Newton), Sam (Gideon Aldon) and Kayla (Geraldine Viswanathan), are friends since they were little. While snooping in Julie's room, they stumble upon their daughters' pact to lose their virginity on prom night so they make their mission to stop them from sealing the deal.
There's all you need to know about the plot as the film barely has a plot. And it's very clichéd too. The weird and great thing about it is that it is not as shallow as one would think after watching the trailer. There's some sort of coming-of-age plot going on with the adult characters as they realise that teens, their daughters included, need to make their own decision when it comes to sex, and it is quite charming.
The story also emphasizes how our society, people in general but especially parents, views losing virginity in a completely different way when it comes to girls. If a teen guy does it, it is something to be celebrated; if a teen girl does it, it is some horrific thing that destroyed her innocence forever. Unfortunately, this theme isn't as explored as it should have as it is mentioned only by a couple while arguing.
The characters are one-dimensional stereotypes, especially the adults, and yet they manage to be quite likeable, with the younger characters being the most interesting of the bunch. The performances, on the other hand, are just decent.
Universal Pictures
While the film is quite sweet and heartwarming, it is a bit disappointing when it comes to comedy. Though it's not as raunchy as I thought it'd be, and some of the jokes are funny, most of them didn't work for me and there wasn't really a laughing out loud moment in the film.
I saw JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM last night in AVX 3D and had a great time. Definitely a popcorn movie and certainly with horror elements to it, which any dinosaur movie worth any measure should be. I will say that I KNOW there will be some who hate the movie (50% Tomatometer) for reasons I can't into right now without spoilers - but I, for one, love popcorn movies sometimes. JWFK made $15.3m in Thursday preview showings and is expected to take a $140m bite oout of the box office this weekend. It has already made $450m overseas where it has already opened.
The 3D is good and certainly did not detract from the movie whatsoever. The production is a 3D conversion meaning it was shot with conventional 2D cameras and converted in post. The depth added immersion for me and I actually jumped a bit during one shot - which is rare for me. You'll love it!
Director J.A. Bayona pays significant homage to Steven Spielberg's original with this outing and loved every second of those scenes. You'll know it when you see them :-)
There are a couple of mindblowing twists in this movie toward the end so be prepared for shocks.
Here's the movie's storyline: Three years after the destruction of the Jurassic World theme park, Owen Grady, and Claire Dearing return to the island of Isla Nublar to save the remaining dinosaurs from a volcano that's about to erupt. They soon encounter terrifying new breeds of gigantic dinosaurs, while uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the entire planet.
Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, Ted Levine, B.D. Wong, Geraldine Chaplin, Jeff Goldblum, Robert Emms, Peter Jason, John Schwab, Sam Redford, Charlie Rawes, Patrick Crowley, Ronan Summers, Daryl Kwan, Eric Kofi Abrefa, Ben Peel, Mark Griffin, Gil Kolirin
Directors: J.A. Bayona
Producers: Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley, Belén Atienza, Thomas Hayslip, Colin Trevorrow, Steven Spielberg
Writers: Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly, Michael Crichton
I never cared much about Lara Croft. I never played the video game and I never even bothered with Angelina Jolie's movies. I do like Alicia Vikander though (and I'm tremendously jealous of her for marrying Fassbender) so I decided to check out this new Tomb Raider movie. Having read some brief reviews, I was expecting it to be bad but I wasn't expecting it to be as bad as it turned out to be.
Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) is a fierce and independent young woman whose father (Dominic West), an eccentric adventurer, vanished when she was barely a teen. When forced to handle her father's global empire, she decides to leave everything she knows behind in search of her father's last-known destination, a mythical island somewhere off the coast of Japan. Needless to say, her mission won't be an easy one.
And needless to say, the plot is tremendously weak, unappealing and boring. It is filled with holes as big as moon craters, a pretty much useless father and daughter subplot, and basically, all that happens before Lara reaches the island is completely useless. There's also an intriguing twist at the end, but it falls flat completely.
The main character is just as dreadful and uninteresting. Lara Croft comes out only as a rich and spoiled child who is looking for daddy. She doesn't learn anything, she doesn't grow. Basically, nothing happens to her. It feels like the writers didn't care at all about the character, as if trying to make Lara Croft interesting was too hard, required too much effort. In a scene, she has pretty intense eye contact with another woman --they are basically eye-fucking. Sure, there's a gay twist everywhere nowadays but it could have made the character more interesting. Instead, they drop it and we never see that woman again.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Vikander's performance is in line with the rest of the film. While her physical transformation is truly impressive as she gains a lot of muscle to fit the role, her performance is flat and wooden. She doesn't convey a single emotion. All she does is shout and groan, but she's terrible at those too. Frankly, I can't believe some "men" complained about her boobs being too small instead of complaining of all the above mentioned.
The supporting characters too are one-dimensional, their motivations aren't really explained and make no sense whatsoever, which, of course, results in dreadful performances from the rest of the cast. Nick Frost makes a brief slightly funny appearance though.
Tomb Raider doesn't work that well as a dumb action/adventure flick either. The action sequences aren't that exciting, the CGI is average --it is nice in the darker scenes but doesn't look very good in daylight--, and the sound isn't particularly good either --the volume was too loud in some scenes. The purpose was to add drama but it didn't happen.
I rewatched Pacific Rim (please don't go read the pathetic review I wrote years ago) about a month ago and two things I realised. First, it was not as good as I remembered, and second, it did not need a sequel. But we all know how Hollywood works, so Pacific Rim: Uprising happened.
Ten years after the Battle of the Breach, in which humanity defeated the Kaiju monsters by sealing the entrance into our world. Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), the son of Stacker (sadly Idris Elba does not appear in this), makes a living by stealing Jaeger parts. While on a job, he meets Amara (Cailee Spaeny), an orphan teenage girl, who gets both arrested by the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps, and Jake is tasked, with the help of his former co-pilot, Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood), to train a new crop of Jaeger cadets in case the Kaiju return.
And guess what? They do return and the whole movie is about them. It is so much about them that the writers didn't even bother developing the plot. Because who needs not a solid, but at least decent plot when you can have big robots fighting big monsters on the big screen? Okay, I'm not being fair, they did try to do something, like too many subplots --the rivalry between Jake and Nate, Jaeger drones making human pilots obsolete, the rivalry between Amara and another young cadet-- that do absolutely nothing for the film. There's a twist but I saw it coming miles ahead.
Another issue with Pacific Rim: Uprising is its characters. Every single one of them is one-dimensional. They have no depth, but what's worse is that they are uninteresting and unlikable. How do you even care for characters like these? You can't, that's how. Not to mention that some of these characters --Jake-- came out of nowhere.
Universal Pictures
With such a poor script, there's absolutely nothing the cast can do. John Boyega is very charismatic and charming, probably even more than Charlie Hunnam, and yet he does not manage to make his character likeable. All the forced jokes he has to deliver are a part of the problem. Scott Eastwood is nothing more than a pretty face who lacks the talent of his father. Cailee Spaeny isn't terrible but her chemistry with Boyega --he's basically Finn, she's basically Rey-- is non-existent. Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day and Burn Gorman reprise their role but they all are quite weak. The teen actors (considering how Hollywood works, they probably are 30 years old or something) are unwatchable.
The action too is a mess. Pacific Rim: Uprising being about monsters fighting robots, there's very little action in this. Also, the sequences aren't exciting and very forgettable. As for the special effects, they are good but nothing above average with today's standards.
Brad Bird's INCREDIBLES 2 looks to give FINDING DOREY (sorry DORY) a superhero punch to the box office chops. FINDING DORY has held the animated box office crown since 2016 with a take of $135m in its opening weekend, and now I2 is looking to land with an estimated $180m!
In fact, I2 more than doubled FINDING DORY's record Thursday night previews ($9.2m) with a staggering $18.5m.
With its A+ Cinema Score and a current 94% fresh on RottenTomatoes(audiences have it pegged at 90%), there really is nothing holding the sequel back from many, many more records. If you haven't seen it yet - it's definitely something to add to your things to see.
Though I haven't read Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, I was very excited about Love, Simon. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for LGBT movies or because I've heard so many good things about this film, but I just couldn't wait to see it.
The film is about Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), a teenage boy who leads a pretty normal life, apart from the fact that he is secretly gay. When an anonymous boy who goes by Blue writes on the high school Tumblr-like page that he is gay, Simon decides to email him under the name of Jacques and they eventually bond. Unfortunately, Martin (Logan Miller), a quite unpopular kid, accidentally stumbles across Simon's emails, screenshots them and uses them to blackmail Simon into helping him get Abby (Alexandra Shipp), one of Simon's friends. While trying to handle his blackmailer, Simon also attempts to discover the true identity of Blue and come to terms with his identity.
The plot itself is rather predictable and clichéd, not to mention how dumb it is --the whole "mess" happens because Simon does a, not know how to log off of a computer and b, not know better than using a school computer to write those secret emails-- and the ending is far from being realistic and way too cheesy for me and yet the story works. It is touching, moving and heartwarming, and it is relatable whether you're straight or gay.
The characters aren't that deep either. While Simon is a better-rounded character with some depth and development --the inner struggle could have and should have been explored better though--, the supporting characters are nothing but one-dimensional stereotypes, not to mention that the relationship between them isn't that deep either --the only reason Simon, Leah, Nick and Abby seem to be friends is because they like iced coffee or whatever they are drinking. And yet they serve their purpose in the story, and they are all quite likeable. Even Martin who is just an outcast who wants to fit in. Sure, he tries in the wrong way but he isn't a cruel person.
20th Century Fox
The main reason the characters still manage to be likeable is probably the cast as most of the actors do a pretty good job. Nick Robinson (Jurassic World) gives a vulnerable and touching performance as Simon, and he really allows you to understand the character better. Also worthy of a mention is Katherine Langford, (Hanna from 13 Reasons Why). She plays Simon's friend Leah, and though the character is very thin and she doesn't have a lot of screen time to shine, she steals the show as she delivers one of the most powerful lines in the film.
Speaking of which, Love, Simon has pretty awesome dialogue too. I think this is the first time I see a teen movie where the characters/actors aren't forced to say dumb things. Most of the dialogue in here is clever and so well written that not even Jennifer Garner, who plays Simon's mother, manages to ruin the speech toward the end.
Sure, the film has its problems but it's the kind of film that makes you feel good while delivering a powerful message of love and acceptance. It is pretty much the clichéd be-who-you-are message but it's delivered in such a way that it feels refreshing.
Hi everyone! It's been awhile and I'm looking forward to posting daily and often. I'm going to kick things off by asking your opinion on where you'd like to see MarketSaw go in the future.
It's a sad fact that 3D movies have a couple of black eyes from the lack of native 3D productions being shot and that 3D home entertainment is practically dead. Sure, there are plenty of converted 3D movies out there but that doesn't translate to an optimal movie-going experience in the theater. Has 3D conversion improved over the years? Absolutely. Is it equivalent to a natively shot 3D production? No.
And no major manufacturer is producing 3D televisions anymore. Such a shame - just when LG just about nailed it.
So where are? Well VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) are certainly in play but there must be valid business uses for them. Gaming? Sure. But I'm talking mainstream entertainment - how can VR and AR add to our movie-going experience? I've seen some interesting demos and videos on various company's products that are certainly cool, but I'm not seeing how the industry can make money in a substantial and sustained way.
I'd like to include VR and AR with the 3D pedigree of this site because, well, 3D is a key component of VR. They're intricately related.
What kind of VR/AR/3D news, reviews and interviews would you like to see on MarketSaw? You can send me an email (it's in the contact me area at the bottom of every page), comment on this post, or call me on my cell if you have the number.
THANKS! I appreciate your reading loyalty over the years and I'm really looking forward to launching a new focus!
The fact that I haven't seen any promotion whatsoever for Terminal should have kept me away from the film. The fact that that it stars Margot Robbie and Simon Pegg who I both very much like, especially the latter, did not allow it. And here I am, struggling to write the storyline for Terminal as it barely has one.
Basically, the film follows two assassins (Dexter Fletcher and Max Irons) who agreed to take on a high-risk mission for a mysterious employer, a fatally ill teacher (Simon Pegg) who wants to kill himself but does not have the guts to do it, a curious and crazy waitress (Margot Robbie) and a weird and creepy janitor (Mike Meyers).
The lives of these people eventually intertwine and the outcome is a very, very predictable plot that feels dragged on and on forever. My wild guess is that writer and director Vaughn Stein has no idea what a proper noir/mystery story should be like. While there are some twists --actually, there's way too many of them--, their execution is terrible. They are delivered and explained to us through some dreadful dialogue lines.
The characters didn't help with the effectiveness of the twists either. Having only five characters that are relevant to the story makes it pretty easy for us to guess who's who and how did they met in the past. Also worth mentioning is that every single character is as flat as a board. They are just a bunch of characters with dubious morals. They also are incredibly dull, and it's hard to care for any of them.
The acting, however, is the aspect of Terminal that disappointed me the most. While she still is the best thing about this film, Margot Robbie overacts from start to finish in this and she is a little obnoxious as well. Not even Simon Pegg, who is criminally underused, nor Mike Meyers can save this.
RLJE Films, Arrow Films
Then there's this thing about Terminal that drove me insane. It's like the filmmakers couldn't decide whether they wanted to make a serious film, a dark comedy or one of those pathetic parody movies. Frankly, I don't know.
It is visually stunning though, I'll give the film that. It's the futuristic neon, Blade Runner-esque cinematography many films have nowadays but it's beautiful nevertheless.
Wow. So the big question is who dies in this thing. There are a few hints dropped in this trailer but actually I'm not convinced that anyone dies in the first of these two Infinity Wars movies. I think that will certainly happen in the second though. We'll see.
Loving the interaction between the Guardians and Tony Stark! That's perfect Peter Quill if you ask me. With all these characters butting heads in this thing, who are you most looking forward to seeing interacting?
So check out this trailer! After all these years it all comes down to this. Seriously, Marvel already has an amazing stable of outstanding movies - well written and played out. They have had all this time to nail down exactly what needs to happen and to add the meat to the bones - this is all the marbles. These movies are going to blow us away I'm sure!
Marvel's AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR opens on April 27.
Hey guys, here's some cool new marketing material for SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY - first up, some colorful posters to whet your appetite! I think Chewie is frozen in time :-) And nice that Emilia Clarke got to keep her accent - good call.
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Here's the movie's storyline: Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo befriends his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and meets the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.
SOLO stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Paul Bettany. Directed by Ron Howard.
SOLO is slated for release on May 25. Cannot wait!
While it's true James Cameron is sadly not directing ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL due to the AVATAR sequel commitments, he DID write the screenplay along with Laeta Kalogridis and Robert Rodriguez, the latter of which is also directing. Of course the whole thing is based on the graphic novel manga series GUNNM by Yukito Kishiro.
And this project has been percolating in Cameron's head for some time now as he did intend to direct this at one point. Only good things come from that. Hopefully, much of what he had dreamed up for the movie has been adopted by Rodriguez. They have got an interesting take in the trailer, because you want to create lifelike beings, but at the same time reflect their artificial nature. I think they've succeeded. So far. Got. To. See. More.
The cast includes: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley and Keean Johnson. I think Salazar looks great in this - so far so good with casting, though it's a very small sample size.
Want the good news or the bad news? Bad news? Ok. The first sequel to the record-breaking James Cameron opus AVATAR will not be released in 2018.
James Cameron:"Well, 2018 is not happening. We haven’t announced a firm release date. What people have to understand is that this is a cadence of releases. So we’re not making Avatar 2. We’re making Avatar 2, 3, 4 and 5. It’s an epic undertaking. It’s not unlike building the Three Gorges dam. (Laughs) So I know where I’m going to be for the next eight years of my life. It’s not an unreasonable time frame if you think about it. It took us four-and-a-half years to make one movie and now we’re making four. We’re full tilt boogie right now. This is my day job and pretty soon we’ll be 24-7. We’re pretty well designed on all our creatures and sets. It’s pretty exciting stuff. I wish I could share with the world. But we have to preserve a certain amount of showmanship and we’re going to draw that curtain when the time is right."
The good news is Cameron and his team are going full bore now. It takes a tremendous amount of work to get even one movie of this scope made, let alone four of them concurrently. Cameron is now keyed in. Once they hit 24-7 as he says, we'll see some amazing progress.
The delay doesn't surprise me, but now that the wheels are in motion and barring any technological problems we should see their next date stick. Sure it's disappointing to hear of further delays but we all want amazing movies. I'm sure we'll get that. Stay tuned.
Ok I feel much more confident about these estimates. I was never good with the seemingly rushed schedules that were announced with finished scripts in hand, but now things are progressing as I had originally envisaged. James Cameron has announced at Cinemacon that the AVATAR universe will have four sequels, not 3 and that the releases are slated for 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023.
Says Cameron: "We have decided to embark on a truly massive cinematic project, making four epic films, each of which stands alone but together forms a complete saga."
Further Cameron states: "I’ve been working with the top four screenwriters and designers in the world to design the world of Avatar going forward. The environments, new cultures - whatever it takes to bring it to life. From what I’m seeing of the art on the wall, in pure imagination, is just beyond the first film. I’m speechless."
Man I miss Cinemacon! I've got to get back next year. To personally miss announcements like this hurt me on a physical level! Happy to hear there are 4 sequels now. It explains a lot about why things got delayed and the mindset of the creatives and the studio. Can't wait to start hearing more about the projects. Remember, Cameron already had a massive budget in place for 3 sequels already - add on a fourth and wow! That's a sizable commitment from 20th Century Fox.And commitment from Cameron - he will be one busy man for the next 7-8 years.
Some pulling up going on too. WONDER WOMAN is being pulled up to a slated release date 3 weeks earlier to June 2, 2017. Showing us some confidence?I hope so. I really enjoyed Gal Gadot's performance in the role in BATMAN v SUPERMAN - one of the few aspects of that movie that I didn't have any issues.
Meanwhile, Andy Serkis' JUNGLE BOOK: ORIGINS has been pushed out a full year from October 6, 2017 to October 19, 2018. I also view this as a positive with not only giving Serkis more time to deliver on his performance capture promises but also allowing audiences some breathing room from Jon Favreau's THE JUNGLE BOOK offering (which looks amazing) opening next week on April 15. It will feature the voices of Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett among others.
Said Serkis: "I’ve got to say that personally I’m absolutely thrilled that Warner Brothers have changed the delivery date of our movie. The ambition for this project is huge. What we are attempting is an unprecedented level of psychological and emotional nuance in morphing the phenomenal performances of our cast into the facial expressions of our animals."
Further to Warner Bros announcement of these changes, they added dates for a couple of untitled DC Comics launches: October 5, 2018 and November 1, 2019.
Batman? Nolan's not directing. Superman? I like Cavill in the role but I'm not completely sold on Snyder's directing him. DC universe? I still haven't seen how they're bringing it all together and I'm worried.
I'll tell you one movie I'm NOT worried about - AQUAMAN. I think DC has swung for the fences and landed a perfect team and the cornerstone is James freakin' Wan. Warner Bros just confirmed that Wan is directing and supervising the script (being written by 300's Kurt Johnstad - another strong move) and I couldn't be more thrilled.
So we have Wan who is arguably the hottest director in Hollywood right now (Furious 7 will soon be 3rd all time behind Cameron's 1-2 punch of AVATAR and TITANIC) and he's prolific - something Cameron does not do (NO, I'm not saying he's better than Cameron. C'mon).
Add in the writing of the militaristic Johnstad (300, 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE, ACT OF VALOR) and you've got the solid backbone of a major hit already.
But now, add in the SOLID casting of Jason Momoa as AQUAMAN himself and the picture is complete. So while I'm standoffish regarding the DC cinematic universe, I'm all in for this movie. I think it will cornerstone the expansion of DC's plans much more so many think and may surprise even the top brass at Warners.
