Kenneth Branagh did NOT direct the post credit scene after Thor

Slashfilm posted something really interesting today.  By now this shouldn't be a spoiler to anyone.  But in case you haven't seen the movie, or stuck around for the post-credits... SPOILER ALERT!!!!

We know Kenneth Branagh directed Thor, and did a damn good job of it too.  But what we didn't know was Joss Whedon, director of the upcoming The Avengers directed the post credit scene.  One of the actors in the scene gave some insight into when it was filmed, just a few months ago.  It's nice to see Whedon getting so entrenched in the universe and helping out anyway he can with the films.  Can't wait to see his vision come to life with The Avengers. 

Tim Burton will not direct Maleficent, a Harry Potter director might though

Tim Burton was set to direct a live-action spin off of Disney's Sleeping Beauty titled, Maleficent.  That was announced back in January of 2010.  Here we are a year and a half later and it appears that Burton is dropping out, stated The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie would have been told through the evil witch's perspective.  Angelina Jolie has long been rumored to star in the film.

Not to fear, it appears as though a very capable director may replace Burton.  How about David Yates for ya?  THR says the man who directed four of eight Harry Potter films may take over the reigns.  I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter films, more specifically the three Yates films that have been released.  He also directed the next and final film, set to be released in July of this year.

This doesn't mean Burton will be leaving Disney, as if they'd let him leave after a billion dollar success that was Alice in Wonderland.  No, he's already started working on a stop-motion adaptation of Frankenweenie, due out next year.  That's all for now, I'll post any updates as they come up.

Deadpool lands a director... an unknown of sorts

Deadpool has a director, visual effects specialist, Tim Miller.  Yep, you read that perfectly, a visual effects specialist will direct his first feature film... the long awaited, long over-due, Ryan Reynolds starring, Deadpool!  This news is actually about a month old, but hey, I've been busy.  So here it is.

Miller has worked on a slew of action films such as: X-Men, Daredevil and Scott Pilgrim vs. World.  That's great that he can produce great visual effects, but can he direct?  I've had a month to mull this one over and let me tell you what I think.

At first I hated the idea.  Maybe it was my disappointment that Robert Rodriguez wouldn't be directing the film anymore (even if it was just a rumor).  I thought Rodriguez was the perfect fit for the R-rated action comedy that would be Deadpool.  I'm slowly coming around, and here's why; Miller has already directed in a way.

Granted Miller only worked on effects, but those require a tremendous amount of work.  He must set up the world (albeit in a computer), he has to translate the script, develop the tone and pacing of the scenes, choreograph, etc. etc.  You start to see that the effects process is just a slimmed down version of directing a feature.  Add to that that I loved the visual style of the three movies I listed above, and I'm feeling much better about the move.

I'm not defending Fox' decision to go with an unknown director, just trying to find the silver lining.  I'm sure Fox wanted to save a buck by hiring Miller, but the movie is not dead to me by this move.  Am I the minority?  What do you guys think?

Darren Aronofsky leaving The Wolverine

I remember it like yesterday.  First the director was just a rumor.  Then it was confirmed.  Then the title of the film was official... The Wolverine!  And now?  Well, now that same director is jumping ship.  Darren Aronofsky has left the sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  Here is the quote Aronofsky gave about leaving the project:

As I talked more about the film with my collaborators at Fox, it became clear that the production of ‘The Wolverine’ would keep me out of the country for almost a year. I was not comfortable being away from my family for that length of time. I am sad that I won't be able to see the project through, as it is a terrific script and I was very much looking forward to working with my friend, Hugh Jackman, again.

Click the jump for more...
I don't buy that ish for ONE minute!  He didn't know an action picture of this size and scope was going to take a year of his life?  Really?  He's a rookie director?  He must not know how these things work huh?  Get the uh out of uh.  C'mon.  Maybe the studio didn't like the direction he was heading with one of their tent pole films?  Wouldn't be the first Wolverine featured films that that happens with.  The studio fought director Gavin Hood repeatedly about the direction of the first 'Origins' film.  Maybe I'm upset at the news, but I don't think so.

Here's what the studio, Fox, had to say about it:

While we are of course disappointed that Darren can’t do ‘The Wolverine’, we also understand and respect his reasons. Having done both ‘The Wrestler’ and ‘Black Swan’ with Darren, we know he is an extraordinary talent and we look forward to working with him on other projects in the future. Hugh Jackman and Fox both remain fully committed to making ‘The Wolverine’. We will regroup and move forward aggressively.

Interesting.  

I've always been a fan of Aronofsky's visual style... until Black Swan. I don't really want to get into that film because that's neither here nor there.  I don't care that Aronofsky is leaving even though his vision would have been an interesting one.  So who directs it now?  Your thoughts?

UPDATE: Sommers out, 3 finalist to direct G.I. Joe sequel

UPDATE: Chu has been chosen to direct.  I hate the notion that the same guy who directed a Justin Bieber documentary will be directing a G.I. Joe film.  Stupid.  That is all.

Wait a second.  Wasn't Stephen Sommers quoted as saying he began work on a sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra?  The answer is yes.  We all thought he was coming back despite all the documented tension between him and the studio, Paramount.  Well, forget allllllllllll that, he's out.  I wont even tell you the b.s. comments by both parties because there's no substance to any of it.  They're both trying to play nice.  I liked the movie, a lot.  It was the summer or a bunch of bad movies, but G.I. Joe was entertaining, despite all the negative reviews.  Click here to read my original review.

Love or hate the first film, here are the three directors up for the sequel:

Jaume Collet-Serra 

He's got Unknown coming out this week and has a short, yet nice resume under his belt.  He directed Orphan and Goal II: Living The Dream.  If anything, he has a knack for action.  Based solely on the trailers to Unknown, the man can shoot action sequences.  Then again we all know better than to trust a trailer.  We'll see about this young man.





F. Gary Gray

My pick to take on the franchise.  He is the veteran among this trio and should be a strong candidate.  With action thrillers under his belt like The Italian Job and Law Abiding Citizen, he knows what he's doing.  I'm a huge fan of those two films as well as some others that Gray has directed.  Again, he has my vote.





Jon Chu

The head scratcher in the trio is Chu.  Step Up 2 and Step Up 3D, the hell?  Justin Douche Bager: Never Say Never?  You wonder where these rumors come from sometimes.  I read it on /Slashfilm so you know there's at least a little validity to the story.  I don't want to give Chu directing much thought, so I'll stop. 

Let's all hope Gray gets the job!

Shane Black to direct Iron Man 3

This is pretty interesting news.  Marvel has chosen Jon Favreau's successor to the Iron Man franchise.  Shane Black will be in charge of the third installment of the Robert Downey Jr. starring franchise.  Black has only directed one film, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.  But here's where the information gets interesting, he may write the movie as well.  As far as writing credits, Black has a ton.  Those films include the Lethal Weapon films, The Last Boy Scout, and The Long Kiss Goodnight.  Funny thing about those films is, they're all action films.  This is work really well for Black when it comes to Iron Man. 

I think he's a good choice for the script, I don't think he's the man to direct.  I think it will be nearly impossible for anyone to fill Favreau's shoes.  This is his baby, as much as Marvel doesn't think so.  He created the world that Iron Man inhabits and he got the Avengers movement going.  We'll see how long Black works with Marvel before they too ruin that relationship. 

Guy Ritchie is rumored to direct Xerxes, the sequel to 300

Ok, so we know Guy Ritchie is busy filming Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, but there's an interesting rumor floating around.  Could Guy Ritchie take the reigns from Zack Snyder on a 300 sequel?  The internet says so, so it must be true. 

300 is really the defining film for Snyder.  His vision made the movie what it is.  It's no secret he and Frank Miller have been working on a sequel/prequel comic book following the Persian emperor, Xerxes.  Miller is of course the writer of the 300 graphic novel that inspired the film.  So why the Ritchie rumors?

I don't want to give internet rumors too much time, but here goes:  The third act to the new Superman script is weak and early reviews of Sucker Punch are bad so Warner Brothers doesn't trust Snyder with the tent pole film.  Bbbbbbbbbbbbbb.S.  I don't believe it for a minute. 

If the rumors are true and Ritchie is to take over the sequel, there has to be other reasons.  Say perhaps, SCHEDULING!  Shocking, scheduling difficulties is too boring a reason for a director to take over a film from another director; so we all make stuff up to compensate. 

My honest opinion is that Warner Brothers wants to get this project moving and so they're probably shopping around, nothing more.  With Snyder starting up Superman and Ritchie wrapping up Holmes... it makes sense.  I would be happy with Ritchie, but am going to hope for a back to back homerun with Snyder. 

UPDATE: Darren Aronofsky Confirmed to Direct "Wolverine 2"

Yes it was only a rumor at first, but now Hugh Jackman has confirmed. Via various websites, here's a quote from Jackman himself:

This is Wolverine. This is not Popeye. He’s kind of dark… But, you know, this is a change of pace. Chris McQuarrie, who wrote The Usual Suspects, has written the script, so that’ll give you a good clue. [Aronofsky’s] going to make it fantastic. There’s going to be some meat on the bones. There will be something to think about as you leave the theater, for sure.

Could it be Darren Aronofsky is directing Wolverine 2? Ok, so he directed Hugh Jackman in The Fountain. Like 6 people saw the damn thing. Well, maybe it's because Zack Snyder got the Superman job and Darren Aronofsky didn't. Even though he was rumored to be in the running? I don't know, that's speculation on my part. /Slashfilm via Vulture are reporting the news.

I couldn't see Aronofsky making Superman and I don't see him doing Wolverine 2 either. Don't get me wring, I think he's a great director. Maybe Fox sees something in him that will improve upon the awful X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Improving the first film wont be very difficult. Director Gavin Hood butchered that film. There was so much wrong with the movie, it's not even funny. Check out my original review here.

Aronofsky is a dramatic director, but so was Gavin Hood. I believe that directors with a dramatic background are going to continue having difficulties in a genre such as superhero films. I wouldn't mind seeing an Aronofsky-directed Wolverine, but he wouldn't be my first pick. What do you think?

"Superman" Rumors: Natalie Portman as Lois Lane and Darren Aronofsky Directing?

Tony Scott (Man on Fire), Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), Duncan Jones (Moon), Zack Snyder (300) and Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles). What do they all have in common? They were all announced last week as being in the running to direct the new Superman film! Not a bad list to be on, huh? Especially when it's Christopher Nolan who's considering you to direct a film about one of the most recognizable characters in the history of man. Then the LA Times added another name into the hat, Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler).

Now six names, and who should it be? Zack,"I can make amazing super-hero movies" Snyder, that's who! I am a huge fan of the man's work. 300 is a classic, as well as Watchmen. He knows how to direct big-budget action films that still care about character development. He would be perfect for the job.

I've never kept my hatred for Superman Returns a secret. I love director Bryan Singer, but the movie was awful. Just awful! So we need a director who will care more about the action than paying homage to Richard Donner's 1978 Superman film. I think Snyder is the man for the job.

The next rumor is about Natalie Portman playing Lois Lane. Not to bash on Superman Returns again, but Kate Bosworth was awful and terribly miscast in the film. So I guess I'm OK with Portman playing the famous reporter. But I think this rumor only came about because of the Aronofsky rumor. Aronofsky just worked with Portman on Black Swan, so the two have experience together.

I doubt Portman will do it though. She's working in the superhero realm in the upcoming Thor. I don't really care about the Lois Lane casting before a director is brought on board. And hopefully that director is Snyder!

Jonathan Nolan May Direct Superman Film?

Time to come out from his brother's shadow? Jonathan Nolan, 'Dark Knight' director Christopher Nolan's brother, may direct the next 'Superman' film. Jonathan is a hell of a writer, he co-wrote The Dark Knight, The Prestige, and Memento with brother Christopher; but he has never directed a film.

This actually makes a lot more sense than you think. We knew Chris was brought in by Warner Brothers to Godfather the project and play producer as well. Well he may have been brought in to help his brother direct the movie as well. I don't think it's necessarily a co-director scenario, as much as it is an overlooking the process arraignment.

I didn't want to post this yesterday because it sounded like a far fetched rumor, but now it's becoming more news than rumor. I really don't have much of a personal opinion about this. I wish Chris Nolan had a clone and he was making 'Superman', but that's not possible. So for now, I'll take his brother. If it's confirmed, I'll let you know. But for now, I'm OK with it.

"Wicked" Film Coming Soon! Who Should Direct?

You really had to have seen the musical to appreciate this post. My wife and I saw Wicked last year in Los Angeles and fell in love. Wicked is "the untold story of the witches of Oz". The musical is so good, so clever, such a spectacle, I walked out thinking to myself, "this is going to make an amazing movie". And here we are a little over a year later, and the news has been announced of such a film.

Deadline broke the story, reporting that Universal will be distributing the film and that the studio has met with various directors. The list includes: J.J. Abrams (Star Trek), James Mangold (Knight and Day), Ryan Murphy (Eat Pray Love), and Rob Marshall (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Chicago).

Check out the Deadline article for details of how the movie came to be. I'm going to instead look at what each of these rumored directors brings to the table:

J.J. Abrams

The man can direct an event film. I have never seen a single episode in the 60+ years of Star Trek. One trailer later, I was hooked. I loved Abram's take on the series. The movie was a major success and that's entire because of Abrams.








James Mangold

Mangold has a hell of a resume. His movies are highlighted with inspired performances by numerous actors/actresses. 3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line, Girl Interrupted, and Copland are all great stories involving human emotion. This will be necessary as Wicked is not all about song and dance. The characters have real problems, and how those problems and emotions are portrayed on film is vital to the movie's success.





Ryan Murphy

I feel like I've been living under a rock or something because I've never seen an episode of "Glee" before. The musical comedy sitcom was just nominated for 19 EMMYS! Holy wow. Murphy is one of the creators/writers/directors of the show. So this makes sense. His writing talents could help with the movie. But to be honest with you, I wouldn't change a darn thing, the writing of the play is too good to toy with. But Murphy will obviously know how to use a camera to capture the choreography involved in a musical, interesting choice.



Rob Marshall

Rob Marshall is right now directing Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth entry in the 'Pirates' franchise. That shows the man can handle a massive production, which Wicked will be. There's sets, costumers, locations, special effects, etc. All of which will need Marshall's expertise. The man was nominated for an Oscar, for a MUSICAL (Chicago) for God's sake. Chicago went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture, but Marshall lost in the Best Director category.



OK this post has gone on long enough. Who should direct the amazing musical turned film, Wicked?

Peter Jackson to Direct "The Hobbit?"

Last month I told you that Guillermo del Toro had stepped down from directing The Hobbit.
Well, The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision is now reporting that negotiations to bring Peter Jackson to the helm have been already going on for about a week or two.

Warner Bros./New Line seem to be having trouble with third partner MGM though, which owns the rights to The Hobbit, and are in a shaky financial situation, which could delay production.
Jackson still hopes to push up the production dates for the 2 films to 2012 and 2013, respectively.

We'll keep you updated as more news comes out.

Nicolas Cage is back and these guys are going to direct Ghost Rider 2?

Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the directors of Crank and it's sequel Crank: High Voltage are tapped to direct the sequel to Ghost Rider. This really worries me. I'm OK with movies like Crank: mindless, numb inducing action, really I am. But I don't think you can take that approach to Ghost Rider. What made the first film so bad was... well EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. GR has to be dark, demonic, similar to how Constantine was portrayed on screen. That battle between good and evil is how GR 2 should be done.


I already posted that the script was being written by superhero genius David S. Goyer. And I trust ANY approach he takes to this movie, because no matter what it's an improvement on the first film. Mark Steven Johnson wrote, directed, and obliterated the first movie.

Now, I guess the even bigger news is that Nicolas Cage will be back. It's in the "rumor" stage at this point, but it's reassuring nonetheless. One positive note to the first film was Cage's performance. He did what he could, but the movie was still really bad. If anything comes up, I'll post it. But for now: Neveldine and Taylor directing, Goyer writting and Cage is starring.

Sam Raimi directing Robert Downey Jr. as the Wizard of Oz

The origin story of the Wizard of Oz will be told through the eyes of Sam Raimi. Robert Downey Jr. will play the lead, the Wizard. The movie will be called Oz, the Great and Powerful which was written by Mitchell Kapner (The Whole Nine Yards).

Raimi created 3 of the biggest movies in the history of film with the Spider-Man trilogy. I really wasn't a fan. Yes, I paid to see all three in theaters and I own all three on DVD, but I didn't like the campy approach Saimi chose for the movies. Not every superhero movie needs to be The Dark Knight, but still, give me something a bit darker than Tobey Maguire skipping down the streets of New York. With no concept art, no other casting, no plot points, I'll stay skeptical of this project for now.

Judge Dredd remake a reality?

Maybe I'm just nostalgic. But I really enjoyed the 1995 Judge Dredd. Sylvester Stallone starred as the comic book hero who was judge, jury and executioner. Pretty cool concept for a futuristic comic book hero. The movie didn't do well, and I think a lot of that had to do with studio involvement. They took a "buddy" comedy approach that just didn't feel right considering the source material. So yesterday came news of a remake! That exclamation mark is on purpose.

Deadline first reported that financing and a script are ready. The financing doesn't come from a major studio, but rather an Indian entertainment corporation with a budget around 50 million dollars. The script has been turned in by Alex Garland, writer of The Beach, 28 Days Later and the upcoming Halo. A director is rumored as well; Pete Travis, director of Vantage Point. Another rumor is that it will be brought to life in 3D (booooo).

That's all there is for now, if anything comes up, I'll be sure to let ya know, cause this sounds like it could be good.

Guy Ritchie leaving Lobo for Sherlock Holmes 2

"Thisssss sucks!" As my favorite, Chris Farley so eloquently put it in Tommy Boy. It looks like the comic book adaptation, Lobo, took a hit today. Guy Ritchie was slated to direct the film, but has opted out in order to start on the sequel to Sherlock Holmes. 'Sherlock' did so well at the theaters, and continues to, that the studio, producers and Ritchie himself are eager to get started on the sequel.

A few weeks ago we mentioned that Robert Downey Jr. was leaving another comic book adaptation, Cowboys & Aliens, in order to get started on 'Sherlock' 2. So the news of Ritchie following suite, is not a HUGE surprise. Does it make me sad? Yes. Will I still see Lobo with another director? Yes. The comic book is great and has so much potential on the big screen. We'll have to wait and see who the studio elects to direct the picture. But we'll let you know when it happens.

Chuck Russell to direct Arabian Nights... in 3D

Variety is reporting that Chuck Russell has been tapped to direct Arabian Nights in 3D. The movie has a 70 million dollar budget and will start shooting in April of next year. I thought this was interesting, the paper reveals a plot:

In a new spin on the classic, the story follows a young commander who, after his king is killed in a palace coup, joins forces with Sinbad, Aladdin and his genie to rescue Scheherazade and her kingdom from dark powers.

That may be interesting; seeing Sinbad AND Aladdin working with the Genie. Again, it could be great or really fall on its face. We'll have to wait and see. We'll keep you posted.

Steve Carr, Paul Blart: Mall Cop director to reboot Short Circuit

Variety reported that Steve Carr is set to direct the reboot of Short Circuit, the lovable robot from the mid to late 80's. Carr directed the surprise hit Paul Blart: Mall Cop last year.

The news kind of cements what I had thought; they're going for the foo-foo family stuff with this reboot. Which is okay I suppose, I would have liked to have seen something a little different from the original, hence it being called a reboot, not a sequel. Oh well, it is what it is, and we'll give you more news as it comes up.

Producers: Stephen Sommers is IN for G.I. Joe, not fired.

So just hours after Latino Review reported that Stephen Sommers was fired off of G.I. Joe, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura came to his rescue. Check out what the producer said of his director:

"We had three test screenings, three different times and tested it and each time it just got better and better," he said. "We started off in a good place and we ended up in even in a better place, which is what you hope on a film from testing it."

To me, this is just damage control. I've seen the trailer and believe me, it's more than enough reason to fire a director. Di Bonaventura continues:

"It's very unfair to Steve; It's completely untrue - he was never asked to leave or been fired or any of that. That's ridiculous. The movie tested very well."

Wow... seems like Matt and I are not the only ones that agree to disagree ;-)