JARED   LETO   UP   FOR   DOCTOR   STRANGE?
The news of a Doctor Strange has been talked about for the last few years now but in this week the news has really started to surface with Sinister director, Scott Derrickson, reportedly moments away from signing on the dotted line. Now a rumour has broken, by Badass Digest, that Marvel are looking at Jared Leto to star as sorcerer supreme, Doctor Strange.   

If the rumour turns out to be false than Leto can join the likes of Johnny Depp and Matthew McConaughey who were rumoured to be up for the part. If Derrickson is the director then no doubt he will have power over who gets cast, so expect to see more names surfacing in the near future. 

JUPITER   ASCENDING   PUSHED   BACK   TO   FEBRUARY.
The Wachowskis really haven't had it easy since they made The Matrix in 1999. They went on to write and direct two pointless sequels which only diminished the quality of the original, then their was Speed Racer which should be locked in a vault and forgotten about and then last year's Cloud Atlas was a return to form of sorts but the film divided the few people who went to see it. So when they revealed their new film Jupiter Ascending it was met with trepidation by some and pure hatred by me. While the film looks good, the premise is laughable with Mila Kunis playing a caretaker who is unknowingly the heir to Earth, because apparently that's a thing and Channing Tatum wears some elf ears. I have to applaud The Wachowskis for coming up with a big, original science fiction film they could have come up with a far better story. 

The film was originally set for a release date this July but news broke this morning that Warner Bros and Village Roadshow are postponing the release until February due to visual effects delays. The date change could prove to be beneficial for the film after all it will be competing with the likes of Transformers: Age of Extinction and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, two big summer blockbusters that could have easily over shadowed Jupiter Ascending. With a February release date the film would only have to contest with films likes Seventh Son and Johnny Depp film, Mortdecai but it's new release date would pit the film against 50 Shades of Grey which could potentially out shine The Wachowskis latest effort. 

MARVEL EYEING UP DIRECTORS FOR DOCTOR STRANGE.

Ever since Doctor Strange's name was dropped in Captain America: The Winter Solider, the rumour mill has been in full swing with names like Matthew McConaughey and Johnny Depp being thrown in but we haven't recieved any solid news about the new Marvel Studios film. But it has surfaced in the last few hours that Marvel have their eye on Sinister director, Scott Derrickson and The Devil's Knot writer, Atom Egoyan, has landed the role of writer. 

While Derrickson may not be on the top of most people's lists of directors to helm the Strange film, Marvel have had a knack for plucking directors who manage to pull of great looking, well made films. Take for instance Thor: The Dark World director, Alan Taylor, who before the Thor sequel was pretty much unknown to most, having directed the likes of The Sopranos and Game of Thrones but never making it to the big screen. And now Taylor is directing the next instalment to the Terminator franchise, Terminator Genesis. No doubt Marvel have released the news in an attempt to mask any bad press they maybe receiving from the recent news of Edgar Wright leaving Ant-Man and their failure to gain a new director as quick as they would like. It will be interesting to see how Marvel incorporate the character into their Cineamtic Universe which is very grounded in science and the inclusion of a sorcerer should really spice things up a bit, just what the franchise needs in my opinion.

STAR   WARS   EPISODE   VII   PHOTO   LEAKED   ONLINE.
Another day, another Star Wars new story. Only yesterday I reported on the news of Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie joining J.J. Abrams' film and today more has been revealed from the set of the seventh instalment. The photo that was leaked online clearly shows the building of Hans Solo's infamous, Millennium Falcon. As soon as Harrison Ford was reported to star as Solo with Peter Mayhew coming wookie, Chewbecca, Star Wars fans had their fingers crossed that Abrams would bring back the Falcon and those fingers can safely be uncrossed with these leaked photos. Abrams has also said recently that he is attempting to us as little CGI as possible. I am waiting for the news that Abrams is going to use as little lens flare as possible, that will be a newsworthy story. 

FRIDAY   13TH   REBOOT   MOVED   BACK   8   MONTHS.
In November last year, Paramount announced that their reboot/remake of the retro horror flick, Friday the 13th was set for a March 13th 2015 release and literally no one was too fussed. We have already seen the film undergo a remake with Marcus Nipel's 2009 attempt and it was awful, no scary in the slightest. So news of another reboot of this franchise seemed to do nothing to get people interested and I don't blame you. While I am not against the idea of remaking films, especially when they are of films like the original Friday the 13th which is in no way a classic, this idea seems pointless. Horror remakes happen because the genre is incredibly cheap and immensely lucrative and people really do not expect that much from a horror film. But remakes should be of films that had a great conceit at the heart of them but failed to execute this idea and their isn't a idea at the heart of any of the Friday the 13th films. While they are enjoyable and tense as slasher films, a remake will add nothing more than some CGI because there isn't a way you can expand explore the world of Friday the 13th. Which made the news of a Friday the 13th television series, even more surprising for me. The plan for the television series is to explore the past of Jason Voorhees, a lot like Bates Motel the Psycho TV spin off series. 

News surrounding the reboot has been pretty quiet over the last few months but today Paramount revealed that the film is being pushed back eight months to November 13th. While Paramount have stayed silent on why they have shifted the release date, the reason they have set the date November 13th is because it is the next date after the initial March date that a Friday the 13th falls on. Hopefully Paramount are pushing the film back to give themselves more time to get this film perfect because I would love to be blown away by this film despite the fact history is on my side. But the new date seems like a daft move. Not only is Christopher Nolan's Interstellar coming out on the 7th of the same month but few horror films come out after Halloween. So we could see Paramount breaking out their calenders to see when the next friday happens to fall on the 13th.  

ROBERT   PATTINSON   FOR   INDIANA   JONES?
When Lucasfilm were acquired by Disney last year, the internet went mental with the prospect of new Star Wars films. But while this hysteria was causing the internet to crash many forgot the fact that with Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm they also inherited another believed franchise, Indiana Jones. With Harrison Ford reprising his role as Hans Solo in JJ Abrams' seventh instalment to the Star Wars franchise, it led many to question whether Ford would done his, now famous, whip and fedora to reprise his role. Yet at the ripe old age of 72, it is highly unlikely the greying actor would take on a job that would demand a psychical role. 

So who would take over the role? Not Shia LaBeouf after the mess that was The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and even if he was under consideration for the role he is too busy wearing bags on his head and sitting in rooms to do the film. The news broke today, with The Daily Star and many other publications reporting the news that Twilight Star Robert Pattinson is being eyed up by Disney for the role. An insider has been quoted saying "Disney is looking at its long-term options for the Indiana Jones franchise. They feel that the series has huge potential on many levels, starting with the films leading to other spin-offs like games which can generate more money than movies. Rob is top of the initial list because he has showed his acting stripes away from Twilight. But the competition is stiff." While this is just speculation and cannot be treated as the truth, it is an intriguing casting choice. Many will know doubt take to the internet to berate the actor who made a name for himself as a sparkly vampire in Twilight. But since leaving the franchise Pattinson has taken some interesting career choices such as Cronenberg's Cosmopolis and Map to the Stars and David Michod's The Rover. Although the young actor has talent, we have yet to see him in an action role. It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds. 

HAMM   OR   HARDY   AS   CABLE?
With the recent release of Fox's X-Men: Days of Future Past and it's massive success at the box office, many have speculated that Fox are going to greenlight an X-Force spin off. The X-Force is a popular spin off of the X-Men comics and was conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefield in 1991. The team has included some of the most famous mutants such as Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Cyclops but it also features a myriad of mutants that the X-Men films haven't even touch upon such as Doctor Nemesis and Marrow. But the most famous member of the team is Cable, a mutant with telepathic and telekinetic abilities who also has techno-organic body parts which aid him with enhanced strength. The character has been a long standing fan favourite and many are eagerly awaiting his big screen debut. No doubt then original creator, Rob Liefield, has ignited the fans's excitement with a recent tweet, in which the writer stated:

Tom Hardy or Jon Hamm RT @Brendan42: @robertliefeld Fill in the blank: X-FORCE starring "_________" as Cable ?

- robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) June 2, 2014

Obviously this is not casting news or even possible casting but it is interesting to see who Liefield wants to play the mutant. The suggestion of Tom Hardy is as interesting as it is obvious. The actor is one of the few working today who actually looks like a mutant, just look at his physicality in Bronson. But the actor's roster is pretty busy with filming for Mad Max finishing soon and his inclusion in Doug Liman's Splinter Cell. Also the character has already been involved in one superhero film and whether Hardy would want to attach himself to such a demanding and possibly, long-standing role, is questionable. The suggestion of Jon Hamm is also interesting but not as obvious. The actor has yet to establish himself as a strong film actor but thanks to the role of Don Draper in the successful television series, Mad Men, Hamm has become something of a desirable talent. It is not the first time Hamm's name has been specualted for a superhero part, his name was at the forefront of fan's decision to play Batman in Zak Synder's Batman V Superman. Whether the actor was considered for the part at all is unknown. Hamm certainly looks the part, with the aid of some grey hair dye and a few months in the gym. Yet this is just speculation for the moment seeing as Fox haven't even announced an X-Force film or the character's involvement in the forthcoming, X-Men: Apocalypse.

SHOULD  SPIDER-MAN/ X-MEN/FANTASTIC  FOUR  revert   back  TO  MARVEL?

No genre of films dominates modern cinema as much as the Superhero genre and no company dominates the superhero genre like Marvel Studios does. They are the studios that brought you the likes of Iron Man, Thor and Captain America but do not get them mixed up with their comic counterparts, Marvel comics. While the comics have the freedom to use any characters they have created over the decades they have been at the forefront of the comic world. But the Studios lack this liberty after selling the rights to some of their most famous characters, such as Spider-man, the X-Men and Fantastic Four. In the past they have also sold off rights to the likes of Daredevil and Ghost Rider but after Fox and Coloumbia's failed attempt at bringing them to the big screen, the rights reverted back to Marvel Studios. But they have failed to acquire the rights to their biggest heroes. But what if they could? What if we lived in a perfect world where every hero could play nicely together without the hassle or boring discussion of who owns who?

yes: 

They could do some brilliant story lines. Some of the best Marvel story arcs include everyone from the Marvel comic universe such as Avengers VS X-Men, which sees Captain America lead his Avengers against Cyclops' X-Men over mutant Hope Summers and the Dark Phoenix. They could tackle The House of M which sees mutant and Avenger, Scarlett Witch suffer a nervous breakdown resulting in her altering the fabric of reality. But the one everyone wants to see is Civil War. Civil War is one of the greatest story arcs Marvel has produced in recent memory and it sees the superhero world divided as the Government crack down hard on masked vigilantes with a new law, called the Registration Act, that would mean all superheroes have to sign up and give up their secret identity in order to carry on their jobs as crime fighters for the Government. This splits the superhero community into two, with Iron Man and the likes of Mr Fantastic, supporting the bill and Captain America and the likes of Wolverine and Daredevil fighting for their freedom. While the mammoth task of adapting these crossovers would be difficult, the comics do give each character their own time to shine which would work if adapted correctly. Who wouldn't want to see our favourite superheroes fighting it out on the big screen?

Imagine the chemistry. I am going to confess that I have never been a big fan of Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark and Iron Man. Downey's take on the character is just downright annoying and it is made even worse when you consider the amount of acting talent the man possesses. But I also have to confess I would love to see Downey's Iron Man quip off with Andrew Garfield's Spider-man, I would love to see Hugh Jackman's Wolverine and Chris Hemsworth's Thor go toe to toe. Each franchise has strong personalities, personalities that would work wonders together if they were done right. If you managed to get all the writers together they could bring the magic they put into their characters in their solo film into this ensemble cast. While many disliked The Amazing Spider-man 2, the best thing about it was Garfield's Spider-man because the actor perfectly translates the character from the comic book page to the screen.

For some, Marvel have yet to drop the ball. Now this entry isn't coming from my opinion but instead it is based on the general consensus. While Marvel's early films were a mess, their recent films have been massively successful, financially and critically. Once they started to organise everything with phases and plans Marvel Studios have really come into their own when it comes to building a cinematic universe. While Spider-man is attempting to replicate this in The Amazing Spider-man 2, for a lot of people it just didn't work. Despite X-Men laying the ground work for Marvel's Cinematic Universe, Fox's mutant universe has yet to produce anything that can rival The Avengers. And concerning the new Fantastic Four, it is uncertain what director Josh Trank will do with that franchise but their is real possibility of a crossover with the X-Men, something that not only the fans want but also an event that would give The Avengers a run for their money. So with Marvel knocking it out of the park with every film that comes out, if they managed to get their hands on all the rights again this film could be a real knock out. This film could continue the trend of popular Marvel Studios films.

Also Marvel Studio's films are the superior when it comes to the Box Office. While the recent Spider-man films and the latest X-Men, Days of Future Past, which is hoovering up money at the ticket stands, cannot contest with the Box Office of the likes of Iron Man 3, which made well over a billion. Marvel Studios can claim to have produced two of the highest grossing films ever with a real chance of getting a third film in their next year with Avengers: Age of Ultron. So with this financial backing Marvel Studios would have the best chance of financing this mammoth task.  

no:

If it went wrong it would be a catastrophe. In pretty much all my arguments for why the franchises should revert back to Marvel Studios have included the words "if adapted correctly". And this is a big problem for whoever would take on the monumental task of writing the script for the film(s). Undoubtedly, most people would look to Joss Whedon to take on the script and directing roles due to his success with the Avengers but even this seems out of Whedon's reach. The studio could bring in the different writers from the different studios to work on one script together but this seems unlikely and difficult. Imagine the likes of Joss Whedon, James Gunn, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Simon Kinberg sat around a table attempting to write one film that is to all their tastes, that just wouldn't work due to differing styles and jarring tones. These writers would need to be attached to the film in some fashion because they all know how to write for their respected characters but it seems unfeasable that they would be able to set on issues such as how much screen time each of their character gets and what comic story arc they want to adapt.

If the film(s) did fail it would most certainly be the death of the modern Superhero genre. If you don't enjoy the new Spider-man you always have the Guardians of the Galaxy to look forward to, if you didn't like Days of Future Past you can always go back and watch Captain America: The Winter Solider but if all these superheroes are in one film and it is a complete failure you have nowhere to turn for reassurance, don't you dare say Batman V Superman.

Less diversity. If you had told a comic book fan back in the 70's or 80's that in a few decades time films such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man were going to be released within a few years of each other, and the likes of Black Panther, Namor and Doctor Strange possibly getting adapted, they would probably have been sent to a hospital suffering from a severe heart attack. The likes of Spider-man and X-Men are possibly Marvel's most famous creations but because the rights for these characters are with other studios, Marvel Studios have had to look at other comic creations to adapt. Who would have thought Iron Man would be become such a hit? And Loki would win the hearts of so many fans? And it is because of this risk taking and believing in these lesser-known characters that has led to Marvel's success. This success has led them to adapt fan favourites such as Ant-Man, a character that when you mention him most people will laugh but no Marvel have confidence that they can bring this small time character to big screen and make people fall in love with him. The best example is Rocket Racoon, from the Guardians of the Galaxy. Rocket is an alien Raccoon that carries a gun and has some serious swagger and Marvel have used this character in their summer blockbuster, that takes a lot of balls. Marvel are the studio that managed to get a sharp shooting Raccoon on screen before DC have managed to get Wonder Woman in a film, can this Studio really do any wrong?

Furthermore, with Marvel not getting involved it gifts the allows the other franchises to expand into their own universes. With the recent success of the X-Men films a lot of people, including the producers of the lucrative franchise, have been expecting Fox to announce an X-Force film sometime in the future. X-Force are a bit like the X-Men just more R-rated. By Fox opening their universe with an X-Force film would do wonders for the franchise, allowing for so many new and interesting mutants to find their way onto the big screen for the first time ever. Sony are also getting in on the universe building business with The Amazing Spider-man 2 laying the ground work for future Spider-man films including a Sinister Six film and a Venom film. If Marvel Studios had Spider-man and X-Men in their ranks then they couldn't enjoy this freedom. Instead Xavier and his mutant friends, along with Spidey and the Fantastic Four, would have to fit into their plans.

This diversity would not be possible if Marvel Studios had the rights to their most famous properties back. Rocket wouldn't get a look in if Marvel are making a new Spider-man and Ant-Man would be invisible to the studio if they were working on a X: Men film. So by other studios having ownership of these other characters, it leaves Marvel Studios to delve into their back catalogue and give fan favourites the chance to shine.

Imagine the cost. To make most big blockbuster films nowadays you are looking at having a budget anywhere between £180 million to £250 million. Avengers cost Marvel £220 million, X: Men cost Fox £200 million and The Amazing Spiderman 2 cost Sony between £220-£255 million and that is not including Sony's expensive marketing that cost pretty much the same amount as the film. So with these figures in mind, the concept of a Marvel film with all or at least, a lot of characters in, would warrant a budget about the same amount as small country's GDP. If they were to tackle story arcs such as The House of M or Civil War it would be impossible to adapt without the budget that would do an adaptation of these crossovers justice. The film(s) would have to take place over a number of locations, with a massive amount CGI and that is not to mention the amount you would have to pay some of the actors and actresses.

No doubt that the film would hoover up money, jumping up the highest-grossing film list quicker than Quicksilver but it seems unfeasable for Marvel to keep producing more money for possible sequels. If Marvel were to don the same structure they have used in their recent phases, then it would only be crossovers but Marvel Studios would also have to produce stand alone films, which would further rinse the bank of Marvel. While Disney own Marvel and Disney have a momentous net worth of $42.6 billion, it seems out of reach even for them.

Casting would be an issue. This point really depends on when and how Marvel would do things. If they were to do it within a year or so there wouldn't be such an issue but if it took place in three or four years Marvel would have a problem on their hands. Chris Evans has already said he only wants to do two more Capt films before he gives up acting and opts to go behind the camera. Robert Downey Jr has also said he only sees it as a matter of time before his age catches up with him and Hugh Jackman cannot play the psychically demanding role of Wolverine forever. This brings up Marvel's problem of their need to either recast roles or get rid of certain characters, both of these solutions have big problems. Recasting roles seems a difficult task for Marvel seeing as they would need to recast Iron Man yet Downey's charisma is a massive reason the films were so popular in the first place. Finding someone to replace Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine seems like an impossible task due to Jackman's absolute domination of the role. Whoever Marvel recast in these films, it is difficult to imagine anyone else taking on these characters.

It is not only these two who would prove a pain for Marvel but also Andrew Garfield as Spider-man. For me, no other actor represents a superhero more than Garfield represents Spider-man. Over the short amount of time he has played the web head he has made the role his and added a massive amount to the character. While the actor doesn't go under the same extreme muscle gain Jackman does or suffer the same age problem as Downey, it seems unlikely, not matter how much he enjoys the character, that Garfield would want to stay in the role for much longer than he is already contractually obliged to. While there is an abundance of young actors who could play Peter Parker/Spider-man, none of them have the ability to make the character so likeable and authentic.  However, there are characters, in my opinion at least, that you could recast and most people wouldn't mind, Thor for instance. While many enjoy Loki, few people comment on the brilliance of Chris Hemsworth's acting, rather more the girth of the actor's biceps and the rigid structure of his six pack. The recasting of Captain America is another that really wouldn't phase me due to the fact I have never been a big fan of Chris Evans as the super solider and the film's portrayal of the character is a little stale and Evans doesn't bring the same to the character as Garfield or Jackman bring to their superheroes.

Ultimately, it would confusing for most cinema-goers. Again, this point all depends on how Marvel studios would go about creating this film or collection of films. If they chose to include all the characters from the already exisiting universe than that may confuse the average cinema-goer but if they chose to reboot the franchise than that would undoubtedly annoy the average cinema-goer. If Marvel Studios were to include all the characters from the already exisiting univereses than it would confuse the average cinema-goer because many would question where was Spider-man when Loki opened a portal above Manhattan, where were the Fantastic Four when the President was attacked in Iron Man 3. There is an obvious answer to this and it is the one we have been told when asking the same questions about the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe, just accept it. We have to just accept that Iron Man isn't going to pop up to save Captain America but no matter how often we are told to accept it, we still ask the question and so would the average cinema-goer who pays no attention to what the directors or writers are telling us. If the average cinema-goer was to sit down and watch these crossover films it would confuse them why all these characters were suddenly intruding in each other's universes.

Yet, if Marvel Studios wanted to reboot the franchise it would conjure up a whole host of new issues for the production company. As mentioned before recasting would be an issue, many fans would have felt like the phases were a complete waste of time and beloved characters would fall by the way side. Not to the mention the fact that reboots that have followed on from beloved films have not proved as successful as they may have wish, I'm looking at you Amazing Spider-man.

VERDICT?

The answer to the question of whether Spider-man, the X-Men and Fantastic Four should revert back to Marvel Studios is probably clear from the amount of points I have for and against. While I understand that The Amazing Spider-man films are not as popular as Sony may have hoped when they rebooted the franchise but I love the films. It is as if Marc Webb has taken the characters from the comics and directly porjected them onto the screen, espeically in the characters of Peter Parker/Spider-man and Gwen Stacy. Also the Fantastic Four film has some serious potential. The cast is made up of some of the most interesting actors around at the moment and with Chronicle director, Josh Trank, behind the camera do you honestly think it will be as bad as the last attempts?

As for X-Men, while the likes of X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine were complete duds, Days of Future Past and First Class are two of my favourite superhero films ever and they are the franchise that will give Marvel Studios' a run for their money. So while it would be nice to see all the heroes in the same place at once, fighting alongside one another, maybe the world just isn't ready for that yet.

BEN   FOSTER   TALKS   WARCRAFT.
With all the news about the new Star Wars instalment and Marvel films that have been hitting the internet lately, it has become easy to forget that in two years Duncan Jones is going to release a World of Warcraft film, Warcraft. It is understandable why some people lack the enthusiasm for Jones' films after all it is based on a computer game that has an extremely devoted following from the players but if you don't play, like me, you probably have no idea what any of its about, like me. But I have am really looking forward to what Jones can do with this film. This is a director who made the amazing Moon and the even better, for me at least, Source Code, so the film is in safe hands. So I was pleasantly surprised to see Ben Foster, who is set to star in the film, has revealed who he will be playing.  "He's a mage, which is essentially a sorcerer," said the actor. "He came up in a time protecting an area, and the way he protected this area was through magic. As peace returned to this land he took a break. He hung up his staff, so to speak, or let his guns get dusty. We meet him as his friends are returning asking for his help in a battle.

The actor also told the fans they would be instore for one hell of a 3D event, stating: "The way that they're pushing motion-capture - I just saw some of the test footage - it's unlike anything I've ever seen. It's performance-capture. It pushes it to the next level," said the actor, whose own Warcraft alter-ego isn't a performance-capture character." While I am not a fan of 3D, I am intrigued to see what Jones can do with the format, especially in a post-Gravity world. While the film may not be attracting as much coverage as the likes of Star Wars, it does have real potential to be amazing, even if you have never played the game. Jones has picked out a really stand out cast consisting of Ben Foster, Toby Kebbell and Dominic Cooper, an actor for me who has been waiting for the right role to really make him the star he can be. So Jones has got me interested, I just hope the first trailer offers enough to get enough people interested as well.

LUPITA   NYONG'O   AND   GWENDOLINE   CHRISTIE   JOIN   STAR   WARS.

When news first broke about the Star Wars Episode VII cast some people online complained about a lack of female characters in the seventh instalment. Well today news has broken which should please the nay sayers with 12 Years a Slave actress, Lupita Nyong'o set to join the cast along with Game of Thrones actress, Gwendoline Christie. Lucas Film released this statement: Lupita Nyong'o joins the recently announced cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. This year, her breakthrough performance in 12 Years a Slave earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Gwendoline Christie, currently starring in the hit television series Game of Thrones as Brienne of Tarth, has also been cast in the production. She can next be seen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2. "I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII," says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. "It's thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape." 

The thirty one year old Nyong'o graduated from Yale's drama school and went straight into Steve McQueen's Oscar winning 12 Years a Slave. The actress went onto to win the best supporting Oscar for her role as Patsy, a fearsome field slave who is trapped in the brutal world of slavery. Many speculated that Hollywood might fall to utilise the talent of the young actress but those rumours can be put to bed now the actress will be propelled into the stratosphere in the biggest film this decade. Nyongo's performance was one of the best things about McQueen's film and while it is uncertain who she will play, her inclusion in the cast adds more talent to an already strong cast. Also joining the cast is Game of Thrones actress, Gwendoline Christie. Her performance as female knight, Brienne of Tarth, in George R.R. Martin's HBO series has gained the actress a strong following. A lot of news has been coming out of JJ Abrams' seventh instalment to the world's biggest franchise with set pictures making their way online in the last few weeks.    

ROLAND   EMMERICH   TO   DIRECT   STARGATE.

We all new it was only a matter of time, so it comes as now surprise that the 90's science-fiction film, Stargate, is getting a remake. The original film released in 1994  centred around a circular device known as Stargate, which allowed people to be transported light years to different worlds. 

The 1994 film starred the likes of James Spader and Kurt Russell and was directed by Independence Day director, Roland Emmerich. Now news has surfaced that Emmerich is ready to go back to Stargate's universe and reboot the franchise. In a recent press release MGM and Warner Bros released the news with MGM's chairman and CEO, Gary Barber stated: "We couldn’t be more excited to once again partner with Roland and Dean, the world-class creators of the originalStargate, to bring their reinvigorated vision of this wildly popular property to audiences of multiple generations.” He added, “Stargate is one of the biggest titles in MGM’s vast library, and we look forward to adding this great franchise to our slate.”

Despite the modern film goers dislike of remakes, this is good news. I remember watching the film as a kid, and the subsequent television series, and thinking Emmerich had a brilliant and interesting idea but the film failed to be as good as it's conceit. So second time around Emmerich could learn from his mistakes and create something really interesting. After all the best remakes should be remakes of film's that harboured interesting ideas but didn't quite manage to pull it off first time around and Stargate is a perfect example of that.

HAVE   MARVEL   CAST   THANOS?

Throw a stone in Hollywood and you are bound to hit a handful of actors or actresses who have somehow been involved in a superhero film. Now, according to Latino Review, Josh Brolin can be added to the list with the website reporting that the actor has been cast as the big bad, Thanos. Ever since the infamous villain made a tiny appearance at the end if the credits in The Avengers, many people have been speculating as to when Thanos will make an appearance in Marvel's Cinematic Universe.    

Many fans hoped that Thanos would pop up in this summer's Guardians of the Galaxy, working as a link between Earth's mightiest heroes and the Guardians. It would please the fans than that the villain is set to make an appearance in James Gunn's blockbuster, although we don't know exactly what he will be doing yet. Don't be too disappointed though, Thanos is set to have a major role in Joss Whedon's sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron. While during his cameo in the post-credit scenes of Avengers the character was played by Damon Poitier, Latino Review are convinced that No Country for Old Men actor, Josh Brolin, is on board as Thanos. Marvel and Brolin's representatives have not confirmed this news yet it is believed that rumours have been circulating since Friday with reliable insiders confirming the casting choice.

Whether Brolin will psychically star or just provide a voice for the villain is also yet to be confirmed, Brolin isn't the worst choice Marvel could make. I have never been that enthralled by the actor having made the likes of Men in Black 3 which ruined the excellent first instalment for me. As well as starring in lack lustre films such as Jonah Hex and the remake of Old Boy. So it has been a while since the actor has experienced a success so becoming part of the Marvel family could be exactly what the actor needs. For now, we have to assume the news is nothing but rumours.  

WILL   SMITH   WALKS   OUT   ON   BRILLIANCE. 

It has been revealed today that the once Fresh Prince, Will Smith, has walked out on the production of Julius Onah's Brilliance. The film is an adaptation of Marcus Sakey's novel of the same name which sees 1% of the population being gifted with superpower abilities such as a girl who can find out your secrets just by the way you fold your arms and a guy who can sense patterns in the stock exchange. Soon enough these people gain the nickname 'The Brilliants'. One of these Brilliants, Nick Cooper, utilises his ability and becomes an expert at hunting terrorists. Jurassic Park screenwriter has writing duties and Legendary and Universal Pictures are releasing the film which is hoping to go into production this summer.

Although production may be halted with today's news of Will Smith walking out on the production. Smith's recent history with science fiction has been less than successful. Last year's After Earth was universally panned by every poor soul that forked out money to see it. Hancock, while being half of a good film, lacked something special and I Am Legend was a poor adaptation of an excellent novel. Without Brilliance Smith's got his hands full with the possibility of sequels to Bad Boys and Hancock, as well as starring alongside Margot Robbie in the Glenn Ficarra/John Requa directed film, Focus. 

COLIN   TREVORROW   TALKS   JURASSIC   WORLD.

Recently rather bizarre plot details about the new Jurassic Park film, Jurassic World were circling the internet. Many believed that they were too ludicrious to be taken seriously. The plot details revealed that the fourth installment was possibly going to involve a brand new dinosaur that was the result of the splicing together of different dinosaur and animal DNA. Sounds bizarre right? But it is all true. Director Colin Trevorrow has spoken out about the leak stating: "Last week was discouraging for everyone on our crew-not because we want to hide things from the fans, but because we're working so hard to create something full of surprises. When I was a kid, you got to discover everything at once, it washed over you and blew your mind. Now it only takes a person to spoil it for everyone else. I hope whoever leaked it is actively trying to undermine what we're doing. Because if they're trying to help, they're doing it wrong." Although I agree surprise is important in cinema, no more so than in modern cinema with everything being revealed and I understand Trevorrow must be annoyed with whoever leaked the plot details but it seems everything about this film is being leaked with endless photos of sets and locations being plastered up all over Twitter.

The director also revealed more about what the film has in-store, "This film picks up twenty-two years after Jurassic Park. When Derek [Connolly] and I sat down to find the movie, we looked at the past two decades and talked about what we've seen. Two things came to the surface.

One was that money has been the gasoline in the engine of our biggest mistakes. If there are billions to be made, no one can resist them, even if they know things could end horribly.

The other was that our relationship with technology has become so woven into our daily lives, we've become numb to the scientific miracles around us. We take so much for granted. 

Those two ideas felt they could work together. What if, despite previous disasters, they built a new biological preserve where you could see dinosaurs walk the earth...and what if people were already kind of over it? We imagined a teenager texting his girlfriend with his back to a T-Rex behind protective glass. For us that image capture the way much of the audience feels about the movies themselves. 'We've seen CG dinosaurs. What else you got?' Next year, you'll see our answer."

I love the idea of this numbness to science because it reflects perfectly with the real world because we do live in a world where technology gets created at such a fast pace that today's latest gadget becomes yesterday's old toy. And it seems very realistic that people would feel the same way about dinosaurs. This leads on perfectly with the creation of a new dinosaur because it would bring back the audience to the park but there is just something about the idea of a brand new, man-made dinosaur that I just cannot get on board with for now. This could prove to be the lynch pin for Trevorrow's film. If they fail to pull this new dinosaur off it will look tacky but if they manage to pull it off they could be onto a winner. The jury is out till we see a trailer and the complete film which means we are going to have to wait till next year to see what Trevorrow has in store for us. 

ANT-MAN   FINDS   A   NEW   DIRECTOR.

Ever since the news of Edgar Wright leaving the production of his take on Marvel's Ant-Man, the internet has gone crazy with speculations of who could take over from the British director. Names such as Zombieland director, Reuben Fischer and surprisingly the director of We're the Millers, Rawson Marshall Taylor's name was thrown into the mix. But after much anticipation the studios revealed this morning that Step Brothers and Anchorman director, Adam McKay, would be stepping up and director the film.

It is admirable for Marvel to go on with their original shooting date pencilled in for this July, in my opinion the film should have had the plugged pulled on it. The film's major selling point was it's director. Very few modern film directors can boast the same volume and devotion of fans as Wright. The man is a self confessed nerd and lover of comic books, the guy was basically born to direct comic book films. Despite his first attempt at bringing a beloved comic book character to life, Scott Pilgrim, didn't quite work as well as hoped at the box office, it was still loved and adored by fans. Wright could have brought a legion of people to the cinema on his name alone to see a film about a man who can shrink himself. McKay just doesn't have this ability. While I find Step Brothers hilarious and Anchorman has a loyal following, it isn't because of McKay. Marvel may have chosen the director due to his relationship with Paul Rudd, who is set to star, and that the director fits in better with the vision the studios are looking for. But however the film turns out, fans will still crave to see what Wright could have brought to film and what his vision would look like.

WRIGHT  LEFT  ANT-MAN   DUE  TO  SCRIPT  REWRITES.

It was revealed last week that Shaun of the Dead director, Edgar Wright, had walked out of Marvel's Ant-Man film, a project the director had been working on for nearly a decade, shocking and disappointing many. The news led to many fans of Wright and of the comics to speculate exactly what led to Wright's departure. The news has been released that Wright left the project due to Marvel boss, Kevin Feige, who wasn't happy with the film's script and demanded re-writes. The original script was penned by buddies Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish but what the two writers put together doesn't seem to work with Feige's vision of the future for Marvel and it is not surprising. Wright has been working on the film since 2006, a long time before Marvel started their phases plan with each film building up to an Avengers film. So no doubt Wright and Cornish's script did not fit in with Feige's plans to connect the superheroes. While directors such as Kenneth Branagh and Joe Johnston only stuck around for one Marvel film, Wright is the first one to leave a production before it has even started.

But despite this set back Marvel are still looking to start filming on July 28th this year with their eyes set on their original release date in 2015. Brave for the film company to attempt to get matters back on track after loosing their director. Many have speculated that co-writer, Joe Cornish, will take the helm but no news has been revealed yet. It is disappointing to see Wright, a director with a clear and strong style to leave the production but it is clear the director was not going to back down and alter his vision in anyway. 

JOHNNY  DEPP  AS  HARRY  HOUDINI?

It has surfaced recently that actor Johnny Depp could be up for a role in Lionsgate's The Secret Life of Harry Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero, now that is a mouthful. The film already has a director and a writer in the form of Red 2's Dean Parisot and and The Maze Runner writer, Noah Oppenheim, who has adapted the script from a 2007 biography by William Kalush and Larry Sloman. To me, Parisot seems like an odd choice to direct what would be a rather serious film and the director has only helmed comedies in the past having done episodes of Modern Family and Curb Your Enthusiasm, as well as Fun with Dick and Jane. Even weirder is that the film is being described as a 'Indiana Jones style' film in which Houdini is an investigator of the Occult, so a straight biography clearly isn't what Parisot and Oppenheim are going for.

But the real news is that Johnny Depp could possibly be taking on the role as the world's most famous escape artist. It doesn't come as much of a surprise that Depp is in talks for the role seeing as he is one of the most popular actors in Hollywood. His most famous role as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films have a touch of the Indiana Jones about them with their family friendly sense of adventure. Also both franchises had the inability to stop while they were ahead. Although Depp seems to no longer be enjoying the success he once had with the Pirates films after his science fiction thriller, Transcendence, flopped spectacularly at the box office. Along with The Lone Ranger and Dark Shadows, which both failed to attract the audience. Maybe the once great actor has lost his grip on the Box Office or maybe the audience are finally coming to the realisation that Depp is a above average character actor who just happened to be good in one role in one film. Could Houdini be the role that gets Depp back in the game or will it be just another Lone Ranger? What do you think? Comment below and let me know.

NETFLIX  FINDS  IT'S  DAREDEVIL.

Superheroes are big money now and everyone knows it. From DC's attempt to claw back some credibility to Marvel's complete monopoly of the genre. But once in a while interesting news surfaces and for me, the news of Netflix taking on a Daredevil series is very interesting. Now when I say Daredevil, expel every thought in your mind concerning Ben Affleck and that shambles of a film from way back in 2003. In a press release last July, Marvel and Netflix announced: 

"Led by a series focused on Dardevil, followed by Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage, the epic will unfold over multiple years of original programming, taking Netflix members deep into the gritty world of heroes and villains of Hell's kitchen, New York. Netflix has committed t a minim of four, thirteen episodes series and a culminating Marvel's The Defenders mini-series event that reimagines a dream team of self-sacrificing heroic characters." 

And after a year of waiting, Netflix have finally announced who is set to the play the Man without Fear and he comes in the form of Charlie Cox. While his name and face may not be familiar Cox has starred in the likes of Broadwalk Empire and Stardust. I cannot make much comment on Cox' acting ability as I have never seen Broadwalk Empire and can't remember much of his performance in Stardust but the actor does look the part, resembling the comic book character. While he would not have been my first choice, it is nice to see Netflix looking at lesser known actors for their television series rather than looking at Hollywood actors to don the costumes. No doubt in the next few weeks we will hear news about who will play Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist but my first thoughts are positive going by this casting decision and it will be nice to see what Charlie Cox brings to the character. While this is good news, Netflix and Marvel may have felt the need to release the casting decision due to the news from earlier this week about showrunner, Drew Goddard, leaving the programme in order to concentrate on The Amazing Spider-man series' spin-off The Sinister Six. Goddard's place has been filled by Spartacus writer, Steven DeKnight. Many fans were excited about the news of Goddard helming the series after the writer and director's success with the likes of World War Z, Cloverfield and his directorial debut, The Cabin in the Woods. While DeKnight's credentials may not be as strong as Goddard, it will interesting to see what the writer can do. 

A  LONG  WAY  DOWN  REVIEW

A Long Way Down is director Pascal Chaumeil's screen adaptation of Nick Hornby's 2005 novel of the same name. The film tells the story of Martin Sharp, played by Pierce Brosnan, an ex-morning show host whose life falls apart after sleeping with a sixteen year old girl who told him she was twenty-five. After losing his family and doing a stint in prison, Martin is driven to commit suicide, deciding to jump off Toppers' House on New Years Eve. But his suicide attempt is interrupted when he runs into Toni Collette's Maureen, Aaron Paul's J.J. and Imogen Poots' Jess. After Jess 'mistakenly' over doses they all sign a pact to promise they won't kill themselves till February fourteenth.

Since he hung up his dinner jacket as James Bond, Pierce Brosnan has been coasting on pretty much the same performance. And A Long Way Down is no different. The film's first failure is asking us to find an arrogant, fame obsessed, adulterous paedophile likeable and charming. The character of Martin Sharp is painfully insufferable and difficult to relate to in anyway.

Imogen Poots' Jess is the over privileged daughter of Sam Neill's MP, Chris Chricton. Jess is driven to suicide after her sister disappears and her mental, drug taking boyfriend breaks things off. The character of Jess is, even when she is an emotional wreck driven to tears by the thought of her missing sister, unbearably annoying. You struggle to harbour any feelings other than annoyance for the girl. Toni Collette has the film's most emotional story to deal with; driven to the roof of Topper's House by loneliness and no social life, partly due to a mentally challenged son who requires 24 hour care. Maureen is the closest the film gets to a likeable character. Aaron Paul stars as J.J., a guitarist-cum pizza delivery boy, whose bands never quite managed to make it. At first he confesses to suffer from brain cancer but once this is found out to be a lie, the character's true reason to want to commit suicide is unclear. Aaron Paul's career defining role as junkie Jesse Pinkman displayed the young actor's brilliant talent. So it is a shame that his film career has been tainted by the likes of this and his recently released, Need for Speed. Although Paul's character is not as annoying as Poots' or as unlikeable as Brosnan's, he is given so little to play with that he never manage to be as likeable or relatable as Collette's.

A Long Way Down is a long way from being a good film. Chaumeil's film fails to find the right balance between drama and comedy, attempting to find the humour in suicide but failing miserably. The only thing the film manages to do is a find an awkward middle ground between the two genres. The ending can be seen coming from a mile off and concludes a story that is uninteresting and incredibly dull.

1.5/5

CALVARY  REVIEW

Calvary is the second feature film from Irish writer and director, John Michael McDonagh. McDonagh's debut effort, The Guard, was a sharp, funny dark comedy that proved John had as much panache as his brother, the In Bruges writer/director, Martin McDonagh. The writer/director's second feature sees him re-team with Brendan Gleeson for a dark comedy that manages to find humour in the darkest recesses of humanity. The story centres around Gleeson's Father James, a respected and kind man who finds himself in a small country town in Ireland surrounded by wife beaters, cocaine taking doctors and violent barmen. Yet when during a confession an anonymous voice threatens to kill him due to an abusive catholic priest in the past, Father James is given a week to get his house in order. Despite knowing who the voice belongs to, Father James decides to keep the speaker's voice a secret. This creates a whodunit element which is altogether interesting. While it is fun, quizzing over who it may be is not a necessary exercise.

Calvary has been seen as the flip-side to The Guard, in which Gleeson played bent, lazy local policeman Sergeant Gerry Boyle. This time around Father James is the complete opposite. This is a character who has to carry the whole of the Catholic Church's past and present on his shoulders and it is evident in Gleeson's expertly crafted performance.

The first twenty minutes of the film feels a little like a meet and greet of the supporting cast which is made up of some of the finest talent available in Ireland. Dylan Moran plays an ex banker who made it rich on the financial pitfalls of others, Chris O' Dowd as a butcher who has little interest in who his wife is sleeping with. Aidan Gillan makes an appearance as an atheist doctor who enjoys baiting Father James daily and Kelly Reilly stars as Gleeson's estranged daughter who attempts to reconnect with her father. The inclusion of Father James' daughter does little to distract the film, aiding Gleeson's clergyman with a back story. Everyone plays their role perfectly fine, Reilly giving the best performance. Although Killian Scott's sexually frustrated, Milo, seems a little like a rejected character from a Wes Anderson film. Gleeson's own son, Domhnall, makes an excellent cameo as Freddie, a cannibalistic serial killer.

McDonagh's script manages to piece together the serious and the intellectual along with also managing to add black comedy. The writer/director managed this in his debut but it is surprising just how funny he has managed to make the film which concerns itself with such subject matters as drug use and paedophilia.There is one scene that seems a little out of place, Father James attempts to converse with a girl on a walk but their conversation is cut short when her father furiously picks her up and threatens the man of the cloth. Clearly McDonagh is touching upon certain aspects of the Catholic Church but this scene feels a little added in for the sake of it. It is the only time the film puts a foot wrong in its 101 minute running time.

The film doesn't suffer from the same pitfalls as Martin's sophmore effort, Seven Psychopaths which attempted an over complex story, resulting in a film that felt over stretched. Calvary's simplicity allows McDonagh to concentrate his efforts on Father James. John may now have two for two, so Martin's got his work cut out then.


4.5/5