This news has the gaming world all a-flutter. Variety announced today that Gore Verbinski is taking the director's chair for the big screen adaptation of Bioshock. Universal has the rights to the video game adaptation, which Verbinski will direct and produce. John Logan will write the screenplay, and Verbinski plans to jump into pre-production as soon as it is finished and approved.
Bioshock was a hugely successful game, winning numerous awards and making a movie inevitable. And Take-Two Interactive, Bioshock's publisher, is so determined to see it onscreen that they structured the deal to make Halo like failure impossible.
Luckily somebody over at the production blog for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li has finally taken the hint and done away with the MySpace-style writing (I'm not sure how much more of that I could have taken). At least now it's way less annoying to catch up on the latest updates for the video game adaptation. First up is a picture of the newest addition to the story, Det. Maya Sunee, a half-Thai detective in Bangkok's Gangland Homicide division (played by Moon Bloodgood). For dedicated SF fans, the name is not going to ring any bells because Maya is a new character created just for the film. But that is not all; fans now have the chance to submit questions to be answered by cast and crew.
Legend focuses on the story of one of SF's favorite characters, Chun Li. It's the classic revenge tale about her search for her mentor's murderers. Smallville's Kristen Kreuk stars as Chun Li and Robin Shou plays her Tai-Chi master. Even though the story has been modernized slightly, some of Street Fighter's main baddies (including Bison, as played by Neil McDonough, Balrog, as played by Michael Clarke Duncan, and Vega still get to make an appearance. And as an added bonus, the site also gives a glimpse at the storyboard for a fight between Chun-Li and Vega.
Andrzej Bartkowiak is still shooting on location in Bangkok, so there is plenty of time for more updates in the coming weeks. Stay tuned. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li will arrive in theaters in 2009.
After the Justice League movie slowly (and quietly) fell apart, that cast of almost-superheroes had to look for different work. Now, Moviehole reports that Teresa Palmer (who was supposed to play Talia al Ghul in JLA) has landed a role in Transformers 2. This seems to be a pretty solid bit of news, seeing as our friend Clint knows the gal personally. As of now, we have no idea who she's playing and/or whether she gets to make out with a giant robot. Yuck! Totally weird!
We haven't seen much of this Australian beauty on the big screen; she did the creepy thing in films like Wolf Creek and The Grudge 2, but also lined up roles in Kids in America, Bedtime Stories (that Adam Sandler comedy) and, now, Transformers 2 (I wonder if Michael Bay will find a way to clone himself for this production?). Needless to say, get ready for a new pretty face around town, folks. Yesterday we learned that Jonah Hill might be in negotiations to star opposite Shia LaBeouf as his dorky college roommate (aka comic relief), which is a move I'm personally not crazy about. But, whatev ...
Teresa Palmer? Jonah Hill? What do you folks think about this new Transformers cast? And do the humans in the film even matter at all?
I'll admit that I'm not loving the writing style on the blog for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li . Believe me, it's not easy to wade through all those descriptions of 'sweet footage' and sign-offs like "I'm out like a sonic BOOM" to get to the news (and I'm not the only one who feels this way). But that is why I'm here; I go through it so you don't have to. The site has just posted the first photo of Robin Shou (who despite a long and illustrious film career in Asia is best known here as Liu Kang from Mortal Kombat) as Gen. Shou plays a Kung Fu master who is also the mentor to a scrappy little gal known as Chun-Li (played by Smallville's Kristen Kreuk).
Legend will be doing away with the story set up in the 1994 film, and instead, Chun-Li is getting her very own origin story. Early reports had the action revolving around Li out for revenge for the death of her master, and there was also talk that the script would be pitting her against Hong Kong gangsters. But don't worry, Bison and some of his cronies are still getting some screen time.
Whenever conversation turns to video game movies -- either by Uwe Boll or someone less offensive -- the inevitable punchline is that next they'll be making Tetris: The Movie. Ha ha! Well, the geniuses at the video website Black20 have taken the joke to heart and made an elaborate fake trailer for an imaginary Tetris movie.
It's a genuinely brilliant gag, not just because the concept of a Tetris movie is funny, but because these guys have nailed the precise approach Hollywood would take. From the portentous narration ("Life is just... blocks... trying to fit together to make lines... and that's... who we are."), to the cheesy futurism, to the hilarious reconceptualization of Tetris as an extreme sport, to the scene where an impressive new competitor takes off his helmet to reveal that he is a she, it's perfect, and totally familiar. Not to mention the fact that it gets the trailer format down pat: the text inexplicably appearing as Russian before turning into English (well, maybe not inexplicably, since the game originated in Russia), the generic rock soundtrack, the triumphant last Tetris drop followed by the title screen -- it's an almost transcendent parody.
There's some other funny stuff on the site -- including the Iron Man trailer redubbed into Iron Ma'am -- but I haven't found anything as good as this.
Surfing around yesterday, I kept seeing the words "New Street Fighter production blog!!" all over the place. So, this morning, I woke up, took a shower, scheduled a dentist appointment and made my way over to this new production blog for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. Now this guy Aaron Horwitz is providing the updates, and three sentences into his little b-ball shtick I wanted to slap him upside the head. Why does he have to write as if he's speaking to a group of 12-year-old males with plastic Nunchucks in their hands? Seriously dude. Lay off the cool, MTV-style hip hop flava-talk for a second and tell us about the film.
Anyway, in case you're interested in what this production blog will bring you, I'll let your new pal Aaron tell ya: "Basically, about once a week I'll be flyin' at ya with exclusive scoops, stories, cast & crew interviews, artwork, set photos, and a ton of other Street Fighter kickbacks that you'll find nowhere else on the planet. Maybe even some sweet video footage." Aaron then gives a quick rundown of the "uber-cool" cast, and a mini re-cap of week one before goin' "all American Idol on our asses" and teasing a never-before-announced cast member in the role of GEN. Oh no he didn't! Yes, he did. There's also a little wicked storyboardin' action at the end there. Boo-ya!
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li is due out in 2009.
Are you ready for Gamers Gone Wild? The opening minutes of Frag play like a scandal-mongering TV news program, featuring surveillance-cam footage of angry public arguments and wet bikini girls cavorting in a hot tub, complete with a stern-voiced narrator asking probing questions. Is this a cautionary morality tale?
No. After that attention-grabbing preamble, the documentary quickly settles down into a more serious groove, delving deeply into a subject that has been mostly ignored by the mainstream media -- but not by filmmakers. Seth Gordon found a deeply emotional human interest story among devoted video gamers in last year's superb The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. Lincoln Ruchti focused on a group of 80s gamers in Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Archive, also from last year. Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza chose to reinforce many of the worst stereotypes about gamers in his zippy, colorful doc Second Skin, which premiered at South by Southwest last month.
At the control of debut doc director Mike Pasley, Frag explores a wider spectrum of issues, digging into racism, corporate sponsorship, jealousy, competition and ambition. The investigative aspects are balanced by a healthy appreciation and respect for the people involved. There's no sense that the film is looking down its nose at an incomprehensible phenomenon, nor is there an excessive amount of hero worship, even though the best known gamers have their own devoted following.
I really dug Orlando Bloom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, then recoiled in horror at his work in Pirates. Okay, not horror, but I was completely disappointed and wished the entire time that Will Turner would get killed and Sparrow would get Swann. When you're rooting for the womanizer, even when he's played by Johnny Depp, you know something is off. So, I wasn't really into the idea of him as the Prince of Persia, and was relieved to hear that he was out of the picture. Who's the next big name to make waves?
Latino Review says that Jake Gyllenhaal has been offered the lead role in Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Now, if the site is to be believed, this will be the best film of all time. Well, the most visually appealing, that is. Okay, just something immensely appealing to my movie-fan heart. It's not just the Jake -- they say that lots of parkour is involved as well. (If David Belle got involved too...)
But seriously -- parkour is beautiful, and immensely great to watch on film -- unless it's being done by a bad guy who out-cools James Bond. And Gyllenhaal, he's got the acting chops and the body, and he'd also be a solid choice to make the film desirable to a larger audience. However, LR does note that Jake's messed up his ankle playing basketball, so he'd have to mend up first before taking on the role that starts this summer in Morocco. (Mend, please mend!)
I've said my piece, but what do you think?
UPDATE: Cinematical has talked with a Disney rep who would not deny nor confirm this rumor. Their "you'll see soon enough" stance leads us to believe there might be some truth here. Oh, and expect both leads to be announced at the same time.
As the smoke cools on the Fanboys drama, the boys behind it are managing to find work elsewhere. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Ernie Cline, co-writer of the never-to-be-seen film, has just sold his comedy spec Thundercade to Lakeshore Entertainment. (And yes, that's Cline to the right. I think writers should get pictures too.)
Thundercade is the story of a video game junkie facing a midlife crisis who learns that a young punk had broken a record he set as a teen. He and his two best friends embark on a journey to reclaim his place in video game history and win the world's ultimate gaming championship, Thundercade.
Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it? A bit like a journey of some geeks to Skywalker Ranch. But it also sounds a little like an adult version of The Wizard, which I have fond memories of. Anyway, at least Lakeshore will not actually cut out the midlife crisis bit because it strikes them as a bit sad.
Though this news hasn't officially hit the trades, Hollywood.com is reporting this morning that Orlando Bloom has landed the lead role in Jerry Bruckheimer's next giant adventure trilogy, The Prince of Persia. The deal is reportedly worth $40 million, and Bloom beat out Zac Efron (no way could I see him in that role) for the part. Bloom, as we all know, helped Bruckheimer's previous Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy become one of the most lucrative ever. So if Bloom is in, and a Princess still needs to be cast, does that mean we could be hearing Keira Knightley's name pop up in the near future?
Last we heard from Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, shooting was to begin in Morocco this summer, with a release date of June 16, 2009 already in place (check out some concept art here). Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) will direct off a script from Jordan Mechner. Prince of Persia, of course, is based on the very popular series of video games. The story will revolve around a Prince (Bloom) who teams with a rival princess (Knightley???) to stop an evil ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world.
So, what do you fans of the game think about Orlando Bloom in the lead role?
UPDATE: Disney has gone on record with several sources (including Cinematical) claiming this story is absolutely not true. Of course, we will let you know whenever the real casting announcement has been made.
Seems like Dr. Uwe Boll has been navigating the globe for about seven months with his Postal / Seed double feature tucked under his arm. He pops up at various festivals and conventions, shows off his new masterworks, and then hops a plane to another continent. And he does lots of interviews, most of which are pretty damn amusing. The latest Q&A with the king of krapola appears on FEARnet, and it's there you'll find some solid questions about animal abuse, Nazi humor, and all those crazy German tax shelters.
But the best part of the interview comes near the end. It goes a little lot something like this:
"FEARnet: Are you aware that there is a petition online, signed by 18,000 people, requesting that you stop making movies? Boll: Yeah, I know that. 18,000 is not enough to convince me. FN: How many would it take? Boll: One million. Now we have a new goal."
So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Uwe Boll has thrown down the gauntlet. If we can get another 980,000 signatures on THIS PETITION, then we will have done our part for the advancement of global cinematic culture. No more BloodRaynes or Houses of the Dead or Dungeon Sieges. If this isn't a worthy cause, I really don't know what is. Maybe if we get two million signatures we can get the guy's retirement to include the "producer" title. Don't wait to sign the thing: Boll already has Tunnel Rats, Far Cry, Zombie Massacre and BloodRayne 3 in production.
Postal hits limited release in late May, and (according to Dread Central) Vivendi Home Entertainment will unleash the Seed DVD in September.
No, unfortunately, they didn't decide to write in a role for Robin at the last minute, Dark Knight fans. But according to Entertainment Weekly, our old friend Chris O'Donnell looks to be returning to the big screen in a pretty big way. Apparently the dude has landed a role in Max Payne, that video game adaptation starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis (strange on-screen coupling, but I dig it). Folks who aren't too familiar with Kunis, or simply remember her from those days on That 70's Show, will need to check out this gal in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Not only is she about to become the next HOT thing, but she's definitely a better actress than, say, Jessica Alba.
But back to my man O'Donnell. At one point, this guy was the go-to, guy-next-door actor. Then ... nada. Now, however, O'Donnell has taken a page from the Patrick Dempsey playbook by starring in several episodes of Grey's Anatomy. (Not only do they revive patients on that show, but they also revive entire careers!) EW says O'Donnell will play executive Jason Colvin in the film, which is based on Rockstar Games' shoot-'em-up game. Wahlberg will play a cop whose family was slain, while Kunis is an assassin out to avenge her sister's death. Together ... well, I'm sure a lot of "sparks" will fly.
Max Payne currently has an October 17th release date.
So it looks like all is not lost for the big-screen Gears of War. Coming Soon recently spoke with Twilight producer Wyck Godfrey about the feature film version of the best- selling video game. According to Godfrey, "We've got our script on and a director we're about to attach. We'll hopefully make that early next year for the summer of 2010." New Line had purchased the rights back in 2007, but it's not exactly a secret that they had a bit of a rough year. As a result, the future of the big-budget video game flick had a big question mark hanging over its head.
Gears was the story of your usual rag-tag group of soldiers known as the Delta Squad. When the planet Sera (a stand-in for Earth) is attacked by an alien force called the Locust Horde, Delta Squad is forced to defend the planet from this unstoppable enemy. Most of the story focused on Marcus Fenix and the rest of the Delta Squad, so I would imagine that the film would take their cue from the game and do the same.
Time really does fly. It has been thirteen years since Kevin Kline wooed Meg Ryan in French Kiss, where he got to play a theiving French man who could teach someone to pull out the complex flavors in wine in seconds. It's not Shakespeare, or storms of ice, but it has its moments. And now, he gets to play a French man for real -- in French! The Hollywood Reporter posts that Kline has signed on for his first French speaking role in Caroline Bottaro's drama Queen to Play (Joueuse).
This is the chess film I blogged about back in November, which focuses on "a hotel chambermaid who develops an obsession for chess." Bruno Ganz was attached, but now it looks like he is out. Instead, Klein will be rejoined by his Anniversary Party co-star Jennifer Beals, plus Sandrine Bonnaire and Francis Renaud. Bonnaire will play the chambermaid who is "captivated by a romantic couple (Beals and Renaud) playing chess while staying at the Mediterranean island hotel where she works. The doctor (Kline) whose house she cleans reluctantly becomes her mentor in the game, leading her to a chess tournament and initiating major transformations in her life."
Everything is coming up parties and games this week. I've been busy making a kickass birthday cake for a friend, planning for the party, and finally picking up a belated gift of Scrabble for another friend. Top that off with news stories about Kevin Kline and chess, and getting sent pictures of really cool Blue Velvet cakes, and, well, I've got games and parties on the brain.
Picking this week's films was a bit of a challenge, but it all depended on the angle. Did I just want movies with games in them? Did they have to be performed at parties? Would I consider the likes of Bobby Fischer or Jumanji? Nah. Instead, we've got two films that boast insanely great ensemble casts, have some pretty fierce competition, and yet are wonderful for completely different reasons: The Anniversary Party and Clue.
This news has the gaming world all a-flutter. Variety announced today that Gore Verbinski is taking the director's chair for the big screen adaptation of Bioshock. Universal has the rights to the video game adaptation, which Verbinski will direct and produce. John Logan will write the screenplay, and Verbinski plans to jump into pre-production as soon as it is finished and approved.
Luckily somebody over at the production blog for 
After the Justice League movie 
I'll admit that I'm 
Whenever conversation turns to video game movies -- either by Uwe Boll or someone less offensive -- the inevitable punchline is that next they'll be making Tetris: The Movie. Ha ha! Well, the geniuses at the video website Black20 have taken the joke to heart and made an 
I really dug Orlando Bloom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, then recoiled in horror at his work in Pirates. Okay, not horror, but I was completely disappointed and wished the entire time that Will Turner would get killed and Sparrow would get Swann. When you're rooting for the womanizer, even when he's played by Johnny Depp, you know something is off. So, I wasn't really into 
As the smoke cools on the Fanboys drama, the boys behind it are managing to find work elsewhere. 
Though this news hasn't officially hit the trades, 
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No, unfortunately, they didn't decide to write in a role for Robin at the last minute, Dark Knight fans. But according to 
So it looks like all is not lost for the big-screen Gears of War. Coming Soon recently 
Time really does fly. It has been thirteen years since 
Everything is coming up parties and games this week. I've been busy making a kickass birthday cake for a friend, planning for the party, and finally picking up a belated gift of Scrabble for another friend. Top that off with news stories about Kevin Kline and chess, and getting sent pictures of really cool Blue Velvet cakes, and, well, I've got games and parties on the brain.
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