Peter Berg’s ‘Lone Survivor’ Set For January 2014 – Starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch & Eric Bana
May 11th
Universal Pictures has pencilled in a January 10th, 2014 release date for director Peter Berg’s ‘Lone Survivor.’ Starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch and Eric Bana, the film tells the story of four Navy SEALs on an ill-fated covert mission to neutralize a high-level Taliban operative when they are ambushed by enemy forces in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan. ’Lone Survivor’ is based on The New York Times bestseller ‘Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10.’ Expect more news soon.
Seth MacFarlane’s ‘A Million Ways To Die In The West’ Set For May 2014 – Starring Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson & Amanda Seyfried
May 10th
Universal Pictures has formalized a deal to co-finance with Media Rights Capital and distribute worldwide Seth MacFarlane’s western comedy, ‘A Million Ways To Die In The West.’ Furthermore, the studio has set a May 30th, 2014 release date for the film. MacFarlane directs, produces and co-wrote ‘A Million Ways To Die In The West’ and he plays sheep farmer Albert alongside a cast that includes Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Sarah Silverman, Giovanni Ribisi and Neil Patrick Harris.
The film is described as a Blazing Saddles-style comedy that follows a cowardly sheep farmer (Seth MacFarlane) who chickens out of a gunfight and sees his girlfriend (Amanda Seyfried) leave him for another man. When a mysterious woman (Charlize Theron) rides into town, she helps him find his courage. But when her outlaw husband (Liam Neeson) arrives seeking revenge, the farmer must put his newfound courage to the test. A May production start is being eyed for ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West.’
Andrea Arnold, Paddy Considine, Shane Meadows & Michael Fassbender Lead Film4′s Development Slate
May 10th
Film4 today unveiled the companies development slate at their annual pre-Cannes event in London. Film4’s current development slate includes the new films from Andrea Arnold, Paddy Considine and Shane Meadows as well as collaborations with ‘Shame’ and ‘The King’s Speech’ producers See Saw; Debbie Tucker Green’s debut ‘Second Coming,’ starring Idris Elba; and the next Film4.0 film, a documentary about Nick Cave.
The broadcaster’s impressive slate highlights its ongoing commitment to a range of UK talent, from fledgling directors to established auteurs. “The idea is that we’re developing authorship in the film world,” said Film4 head Tessa Ross, of the company’s diverse slate.
Awesome New Footage Highlighted In New UK TV Spot For ‘Man Of Steel’
May 10th
Showcasing a number of new shots from the Zack Snyder-helmed film, Yahoo! Movies has unleashed this UK TV spot for the eagerly-awaited Superman reboot, ‘Man of Steel.’ Alongside Henry Cavill in the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent, the key cast for ‘Man of Steel’ includes Oscar nominee Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Oscar nominee Michael Shannon as General Zod, Academy Award winner Kevin Costner as Superman/Clarke’s adoptive father Jonathan Kent, Oscar nominee Diane Lane as Superman/Clarke’s adoptive mother Martha Kent, Oscar nominee Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Antje Traue as Faora, Ayelet Zurer as Superman’s Kryptonian mother Lara Lor-Van, Christopher Meloni as Colonel Hardy, Harry Lennix as General Swanwick, Michael Kelly as Steve Lombard, Richard Shiff as Dr. Emil Hamilton, and Academy Award winner Russell Crowe as Jor-El; Superman’s Kryptonian father.
Arriving in cinemas on June 14th, ‘Man of Steel’ is from director Zack Snyder and producers Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder. The screenplay was written by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy) from a story by Goyer and Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and published by DC Comics. The official synopsis and production notes for ‘Man of Steel’ can be read below the TV spot.
First Official Set Image From ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ – Starring Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke & Gary Oldman
May 10th
Matt Reeves has unveiled this first official image from the set of the upcoming ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ sequel, ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.’ The pic showcases Andy Serkis in his motion capture suit, as Caeser on a horse, stumbling upon some humans. ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ also stars Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Enrique Murciano, Kirk Acevedo and Judy Greer. Twentieth Century Fox will release ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ worldwide on May 23rd, 2014. ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ opened theatrically during the summer of 2011, grossing nearly half a billion dollars worldwide.
‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ is directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In). Oscar-winning visual effects house WETA Digital – employing a new generation of the cutting edge performance capture technologies developed for ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ and ‘Avatar’ – will again render photo-realistic, emotionally-engaging apes. The brief synopsis for the film is as follows: “A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.”
First ‘August: Osage County’ Trailer – Starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor & Benedict Cumberbatch
May 10th
The Weinstein Company has set loose, via Good Morning America, this first trailer for ‘August: Osage County,’ the upcoming screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play by Tracy Letts. Starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Margo Martindale, Sam Shepard, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ewan McGregor, Juliette Lewis, Abigail Breslin, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholson and Misty Upham, the film is slated to be released on November 8th. John Wells directs from Letts’ screen adaptation.
‘August: Osage County’ tells the dark, hilarious and deeply touching story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose lives have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. Letts’ play made its Broadway debut in December 2007 after premiering at Chicago’s legendary Steppenwolf Theatre earlier that year. It continued with a successful international run.
