In what is surely great news for fans of director Neil Marshall and those who love movies where armored gladiators kick lots of ass (I count myself in that group, btw), Magnet Releasing has acquired the U.S. rights to Marshall’s latest film Centurion. The film, which features Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds, 300), Dominic West (300, The Wire), David Morrissey (Red Riding Trilogy), and super hot Bond-girl Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) tells the story of Roman soldiers and Pict teribesmen who battle for control of Britain.
Fassbender stars as Quintus Dias, a fearsome gladiator who leads a group of soldiers on a raid to rescue a captured general (West). The son of the Pict leader is killed during the raid, and the Romans find themselves hunted by a seemingly unstoppable group of the Pict’s most vicious and skilled warriors. The group, led by a beautiful and deadly tracker (Kurylenko), are hell bent on revenge and will stop at nothing to see it done.
And yes, along the way a lot of blood is spilled and there are fight scenes galore. Sound awesome. As someone who’s a huge fan of Marshall’s work, particularly Dog Soldiers, I couldn’t be more interested in this film.
Magnet is launching Centurion as the 6th entry in the second “Six Shooter Film Series,” a collection of six worldwide action films which also includes Bronson, Red Cliff, Ong Bak 2, District 13: Ultimatum and The Warlords. A summer theatrical release for Centurion is planned. Rest assured, I’ll be there.
300, one of the biggest hits of 2007, directed by Zack Snyder and based off the comic book mini-series by Frank Miller (The Spirit,Sin City the movie and comic series), is now supposedly getting a prequel. For the prequel, the story is set in time to see the battle of Marathon – which took place ten years before the events of 300.
During the battle, Xerxes’ father, Darius I, battled the Athenians. I believe this is passingly mentioned in a mocking tone in 300, when Leonidas denies acquiescing to Xerxes’ messengers, before kicking them down a giant hole in the middle of town.
Miller, who will again be writing and drawing the comic series before it’s taken to the big screen, has said to the LA Times, “It’s the Battle of Marathon through my lens” and that he’s just about ready to begin. Of course, the interesting thing about 300, and some might say the frightening thing about this new story; is the level of fact and stylization Miller had put into his original story.
Well, I’m humbled and a little embarrassed to admit how much I enjoyed this movie. You see, before I actually started reviewing movies, this is exactly the type of film that would cause me to turn up my nose. I’ve made an earnest attempt to go outside my comfort zone, and damned if I am not pleasantly surprised every once and a while. All I knew about this film was that it starred Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler. I’m not exactly a big fan of either.
Law Abiding Citizen is a bloody, sick, and twisted tale of revenge. What if you crossed a gruesome revenge movie like I Spit on Your Grave with a implausible, tech-savy caper like Mission Impossible? Why, you would get something like this film. Suspend your logic and enjoy the ride. Wholly original, Law Abiding Citizen had me on pins and needles, and there are enough twists and turns to make even the most jaded movie-goer giddy.
Let’s get my disclaimer out of the way so we can get down to the business of reviewing the movie:
As a big fan of Warren Ellis and his writing, I’m particularly happy to report that one of my favorite comics of his, Gravel, has now been optioned by Legendary Pictures for development as a feature film. This latest acquisition by Legendary makes a lot of sense considering they have several genre projects already going including Inception, Sucker Punch, Jonah Hex and Clash of the Titans.
In case you’re not as familiar with Gravel as you should be, it was created by Ellis in 1999 and is published by Avatar Press in its most current form. It centers on William Gravel, a soldier in the British S.A.S. who uses his skills in dark magic to moonlight and battle supernatural beings for clients in order to make extra cash. Along the way he encounters all manner of nastiness but still manages to not only survive, but to flourish.
According to the trade, Ellis will do the first draft of the screenplay and will also serve as an Executive Producer on the project, with Rick Alexander Producing. Given my fondness for Ellis’ work, I hope this continues the trend of his projects being adapted for the big screen.
No word on a director on any casting for Gravel, but for my money I would like to see Zack Snyder make this his next project after Sucker Punch. And, while we’re at it, how about Gerard Butler as Gravel? I think that combo, when combined with Ellis’ story, would make one hell of a movie.
I’m still on the fence about the whole “3-D Renaissance” that seems to be captivating Hollywood at the moment, but if I ever wanted to know some compelling reasons why everything seems to be coming up 3-D these days, this would be the guy to ask. I’m talking about, of course, mega-producer Jeffrey Silver, whose credits include Training Day, 300, Terminator Salvation and the upcoming Tron Legacy — which is in, you guessed it, 3-D.
And now, it looks like I’m going to get the chance. Or, at the very least, have a chance to hear him speak on the subject because Silver is going to Keynote the upcoming HD Expo event in beautiful Burbank, CA. Silver is, as you might have guessed (and according to the official info from the event) “is one of the industry’s most respected and prolific producers (and) will Keynote HD EXPO – Createasphere on November 5th, 2009.”
“Mr. Silver has been involved with groundbreaking technology on a number of productions including 300 and Tron Legacy, a sequel to the 1982 game changer Tron.”
I’m actually looking forward to checking this out and if you happen to be in Burbank on November 5th and are curious about the whole 3-D thing like I am, you should probably join me there. Who knows, maybe 3-D really is the way to go?
Now that all the dust has settled, and San Diego Comic-Con is slowly becoming a fading memory, we wanted to bring our readers a look at some of the things we saw, people we talked to, and stuff we did during what we like to call NerdiGras.
We put together this little video to show you what we all went through last week, so check it out, and be sure to stay tuned for all of the interviews, specials, and news we have to offer you from The Flickcast team!
Not many directors will go down in history being considered a faithful comic book film adaptor, and not many even want the title. Zack Snyder not only earns that moniker, but makes it his own. With his first major adaptation being Frank Miller’s 300 back in 2006, he was immediately up for the idea of taking on another project, one that many called “Unfilmable”.
Last year, he took on Alan Moore’s Watchmen, which was, as the trailer stated, the most celebrated graphic novel in history. Last week, his director’s cut of the film, which had an extra half hour of footage, hit DVD stores, and select theaters, across the country.
We were able to speak with the “legendary visionary” himself at Comic-Con in San Diego. In the interview, Snyder discussed what had to get cut from the original film and why, where the franchise could go from here, and what he and Frank Miller have planned for a sequel to 2006’s 300.
Check out the full video after the jump. Watchmen: The Director’s Cut is now in stores everywhere.
Here’s a list of some of the new DVD and Blu-ray releases this week we’re particularly interested in. Plus, some old favorites (and not so favorites) coming out this week for the first time on Blu-Ray.
Movies:
• Watchmen (Director’s Cut) ~ Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Malin Ackerman, Jackie Earle Hailey (DVD and Blu-ray)
• Coraline ~ Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman, and Jennifer Saunders (DVD and Blu-ray)
• 300: The Complete Experience ~ Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West (Blu-ray)
• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow ~ Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie, and Giovanni Ribisi (DVD and Blu-ray)
Although it seems most every element of this film is “borrowed” from other films, it doesn’t make Gamer look any less cool. And now, there’s a new international trailer for the film to further confirm that fact. In case you’re not familiar with the film, Gamer is an action/thriller set in the near future where humans control other humans in a massive multiplayer online game.
Billionaire Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall) has created the controversial form of entertainment called “Slayers,” a hugely popular game that allows millions to act out their secret desires and fantasies online. At the center is Kable (Gerard Butler), who is taken from his family, imprisoned and forced to fight against his will. Now, he must survive long enough to escape the game, free his family, regain his identity and save mankind. Doesn’t sound that tough, right?
Like I said, lots of familiar elements but still cool. Plus, Butler does know his way around action, so that can’t hurt either. Can’t wait to see this one.
Gamer, directed by Neveldine/Taylor and featuring Gerard Butler, Michael C. Hall, Kyra Sedgwick, Alison Lohman and Milo Ventimiglia, hits theaters on September 4.
In what is surely great news for fans of director Neil Marshall and those who love movies where armored gladiators kick lots of ass (I count myself in that group, btw), Magnet Releasing has acquired the U.S. rights to Marshall’s latest film Centurion. The film, which features Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds, 300), Dominic West (300, The Wire), David Morrissey (Red Riding Trilogy), and super hot Bond-girl Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) tells the story of Roman soldiers and Pict teribesmen who battle for control of Britain.
300, one of the biggest hits of 2007, directed by Zack Snyder and based off the comic book mini-series by Frank Miller (The Spirit, Sin City the movie and comic series), is now supposedly getting a prequel. For the prequel, the story is set in time to see the battle of Marathon – which took place ten years before the events of 300. 
As a big fan of Warren Ellis and his writing, I’m particularly happy to report that one of my favorite comics of his, Gravel, 
I’m still on the fence about the whole “
Not many directors will go down in history being considered a faithful comic book film adaptor, and not many even want the title. Zack Snyder not only earns that moniker, but makes it his own. With his first major adaptation being Frank Miller’s 300 back in 2006, he was immediately up for the idea of taking on another project, one that many called “Unfilmable”.
Although it seems most every element of this film is “borrowed” from other films, it doesn’t make Gamer look any less cool. And now, there’s a new international trailer for the film to further confirm that fact. In case you’re not familiar with the film, Gamer is an action/thriller set in the near future where humans control other humans in a massive multiplayer online game.
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