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?

Director Simon West, Amber Heard, Red Sonja? No thanks.

First it was Rose McGowan dawning the bikini in a Robert Rodriguez remake of Red Sonja.  Then that picture was delayed due to drama in Rodriguez's personal life.  Then there was the God awful story that Megan Fox might play the comic book hero who Brigitte Nielsen made so popular.  Now now this?!

I dislike Megan Fox and her acting very much.  So today the rumor is Amber Heard is taking the reigns with Simon West directing.  I don't like Heard's acting AT ALL.  I think she's just like Fox, another pretty face that became famous and can't act.  Worst part is, she's actually getting a lot of roles, unlike Fox who can't land a movie if she paid for it.  West is an interesting choice.  He directed Con Air and the first Tomb Raider, but nothing else is really standing out on his resume.  I would have rather Rodriguez's vision, especially considering the poster below.  Rose McGowan looking bad ass!  Oh well, we'll see if this rumor is verified in the next week or so.  Your thoughts?

Robert Rodriguez Inching Closer to Directing "Deadpool"

The rumors are not new by any means, but it's still an interesting one. About two months ago I posted something about this. Robert Rodriguez is reportedly really close to signing on to direct Deadpool. He is just about to start filming Spy Kids 89 and is in post-production on Machete, so I'm not sure what the time frame is on this movie anymore.

Deadpool is set to star Ryan Reynolds, reprising his role from X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Reynolds is wrapping up his other comic-book gig, Green Lantern. Sooo when is this movie ever supposed to be made? Next year? 2012? I don't know if the studio wants to wait that long before Reynolds jumps ship.

I like Rodiguez, and hope he does the movie. It will make fanboys across the country go goo-goo over it. Some are hoping for a "cult" feel and tone to the movie. I say, make it an R-Rated Kick-Ass style action-comedy. It would really work for the character and Reynolds could easily pull it off. Either way, we have to wait and see.

Big name director for the Deadpool movie, guess who?

There's news today about a Deadpool director? Who may you ask? Robert Rodriguez! Director of some awesome stuff, like Desperado and Sin City. The movie was on the fast track after X-Men Origins: Wolverine featured the Deadpool character. Ryan Reynolds signed on to reprise his role as a spin-off feature. Then a road bump... he got cast as another superhero! Reynolds signed on to Warner Brothers' Green Lantern.

There was talk that Reynolds may have backed out of the Deadpool project, but that hasn't happened. It was reported by the guys at /slashfilm that Reynolds is indeed involved and the offer is out to Rodriguez to direct.


As long as Rodriguez takes a comedy-action approach to the movie, I'm totally OK with this decision by Fox. But if he tries to pull a Gavin Hood, and make the movie too serious for its own good, "somebody gonna get a hurt real bad". Hood made 'Wolverine' way too damn serious for its own good. And the fact that the Deadpool character is in fact a comedic one, let's hope Rodriguez takes a lighter approach. Till then, we'll keep ya posted.

The image at the top of the post is by DeviantArt contributor Will, screen name deusxmachina.

Megan Fox for Red Sonja, all of a sudden I don't care for this movie anymore

Gosh darn you, Robert Rodriguez! You couldn't stay together with Rose McGowan long enough to make this film right?! Well, apparently not. The two were an item (Rodriguez even left his wife for her, yikes). They were both set to make the Red Sonja remake, and they even released the two posters above to whet our appetites.

Rose McGowan is even set to co-star in the Conan remake, so it was obvious that her spin-off would go as planned (Red Sonja, is indeed a spin off of the older Conan films). Not the case.

Today its rumored that the title role is being offered to my favorite actress in the world, Megan Fox; for any idiot that can't read sarcasm, that was it. As soon as I read the headlines, I felt the need to rant... WHYYYY?! WHYYYY?!

She is the epitome of the pretty, overachiever. My God, the girl does NOT know how to act. Watch the Transformers' special features on DVD and hear how she got the part. Michael Bay says it clear as day. He asked for someone hot, "who could run and had a flat stomach." C'MON PEOPLE! Why is she getting this movie?!

Anywho, if this becomes official, we'll let you know... and if this rumor is shot down, we'll let you know FOR SURE!

(I'm mad that I spent 5 minutes making the picture above, lol).

Red Sonja is delayed for now

Remember when we told you that a teaser trailer was coming soon for Red Sonja, the Robert Rodriguez/Rose McGowan feature film? Well, McGowan has Twittered her way into the headlines with these heart-breaking words:

"To clarify press reports: Red Sonja is delayed. I pulled out of doing it in '09. Not permanently. Hopefully will follow Conan."

Well, she's referring to the Brett Ratner directed Conan movie that's set for release later next year. Here's what else she had to say:

"I am still contracted to do it, Red Sonja. Hopefully filming in '10 not '09."

Well, we can forget about the trailer we were looking forward to.

The 'Basterds' win the weekend box office

Quentin Tarantino has done it again... won the weekend box office. Inglourious Basterds took in 37.6 million dollars Friday to Sunday. The industry experts predicted 25 million. The film marks Tarantino's biggest opening ever, beating out Kill Bill Vol. 2 back in 2004; that movie took in 25 million its first weekend. The movie had great reviews from both fans and critics. AtD reviews coming soon.

District 9 was the surprise hit last week, and continued to do well this week. The film took in a great 18.9 million dollars in its second week. G.I. Joe fell to third, but is doing well at 120+ million so far.

Tarantino's long time friend and collaborator, Robert Rodriguez had Shorts, a family film, hit the top ten this week. The movie took in 6.6 million and is expected to have a long run through September as kids are going back to school. Here's the rest of the top ten:


1. "Inglourious Basterds," $37.6 million.

2. "District 9," $18.9 million.

3. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," $12.5 million.

4. "The Time Traveler's Wife," $10 million.

5. "Julie & Julia," $9 million.

6. "Shorts," $6.6 million.

7. "G-Force," $4.2 million.

8. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," $3.5 million.

9. "The Ugly Truth," $2.9 million.

10. "Post Grad," $2.8 million.

Quickie: Predator gets a release date

The Hollywood Reporter has stated the new Predator's release date. 20th Century Fox will release Predators, July 7th, 2010. Fox must be very confident in its director/producer team of Nimrod Antal and Robert Rodriguez respectively. Releasing the movie in the dead of summer. We'll see what happens and we'll keep you updated as we go along.

Quickie: "Machete" Casting News

2007's "Grindhouse," which had two separate features films directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino respectively, had faux movie trailers in between the real two features. One of the trailers was for an action picture called "Machete," starring Danny Trejo (Con Air) as a machete-wielding Mexican ex-Federale bent on revenge after being double-crossed by a corrupt state senator named McLaughlin.

Well Robert Rodriguez is now bringing this entertaining little trailer to life in the form of a full-length feature.

Bloody Disgusting has posted some very interesting casting news recently.
Aside from the obvious Danny Trejo being cast as "Machete," they are reporting that Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious) is set to play the character "Luz," Jonah Hill (Superbad) will play "Julio," and the Robert DeNiro will play "Senator McLaughlin."

Hmmm... I can see Michelle Rodriguez cast in this movie. That makes sense.
And Robert DeNiro being cast, while totally awesome, isn't much of a shocker either. Tarantino and DeNiro have strong ties leading back to "Jackie Brown," and seeing how Tarantino and Rodriguez are very close friends, this one is very possible.

The surprise here is Jonah Hill. This news, if true, leads me to believe that the film will probably have the same underlying comedy cheesiness of the original trailer.

Any thoughts?

Nimrod Antal (Vacancy) tapped to direct Predators

You probably don't know who Nimrod Antal is. But he is a very up and coming director in the states. He directed the movie Vacancy in 2007 starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale. And he directed Armored, an action heist movie set for release later this year. Robert Rodriguez confirmed to AICN that Nimrod Antal will in fact take over the director's chair, here's what he had to say:

I know he'll be able to get the most out of what we want to be an outstanding cast. We really want to go with a character driven action movie, because that's what we all remember about the original Predator, and we want to take it even further with this.

I loved the first Predator. I really hope they follow through with their promise to go back to the original's look and feel.

Robert Rodriguez' Red Sonja Trailer Coming Soon.

Hey, remember our Governor before he was in office? Bet you don't remember a small movie he made called Red Sonja? Well it was a box office flop but has gained an incredible cult following on VHS and DVD. It is one of the very first comic book characters to come to life in a movie, in 1985. It starred Bridgette Nielsen as the title character and co-stared Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Red Sonja is a heroine who uses a sword and sorcery against evil in a fantasy land far away. The comics presented a visual land rarely seen in comics. That is what Robert Rodriguez wants to bring to the silver screen. His version promises a new vision on this classic comic. The trailer is going to be released very shortly, and based on just the promotional poster, it looks fascinating. Rose McGowan is the star of the new movie, set to be released later this year. After what he's done with Sin City, it's going to be interesting to see what he does with this source material. Keep it here at ATD.

Quickie: Arnold In New Predator Franchise?

Moviehole reported today that Robert Rodriguez is rebooting the Predator franchise and is going after the Governor himself. He wrote Schwarzenegger into the script and wants him to do it badly. Schwarzenegger turned down the Predator 2 movie, but apparently he's interested in the reboot because the script is supposed to be amazing. It's untra-violent and stays true to the original. I personally don't care if Arnold is in the reboot or not. To be honest, I have a problem with 70 year olds attempting action movies. But, I'm sure he'll be in it in some way, shape or form and it will make millions. Stay tuned.