Oliver Stone is a very capable director. His visual style makes almost anything he crafts watchable. Unfortunately, lately his choices in films have not really allowed him to embrace his more frenetic skill sets.

That is about to change when the gloriously chaotic Savages hits theaters. For those unfamiliar with Stone’s new film here is the synopsis:

Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben (Aaron Johnson), a peaceful and charitable Buddhist, and his closest friend Chon (Taylor Kitsch), a former Navy SEAL and ex-mercenary, run a lucrative, homegrown industry—raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with the extraordinary beauty Ophelia (Blake Lively).  Life is idyllic in their Southern California town…until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them.

Sounds like a ton of fun, and now thanks to MTV we get a chance to see the trailer deliver on that promise. The film looks like a cross between Domino and Traffic with all the best parts of each preserved. Of course we wont know if that for sure until the movie is actually released, but this trailer has put Savages high on our to-see list.

Check out the full trailer after the jump.

Continue Reading →

Writer Mark Millar, best known for the Kick-Ass and Wanted franchises, confirmed to the Daily Record that a slew of comic-to-film projects from his Millarworld production company will be going into production in this coming year.

Currently, Millar has a number of film projects being developed simultaneously, along with the monthly comics hitting the shelves. He stated that the fact his characters are being utilized for films is somewhat surprising, considering that the majority of comics-to-film adaptations that are being greenlit are based on characters that have been around for decades.

“We shoot Kick-Ass 2 and American Jesus this summer. Then Matthew (Vaughn) and I have Secret Service, which is a nerdy James Bond,” Mark said. Kick-Ass 2  is a follow up to the 2010 film which starred Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz.

Millar’s  American Jesus  will follow a kid who finds out he is the second coming of Jesus Christ. “If you are doing a movie about the return of Jesus as the Bible prophesied in the Book of Revelation, you have got to do it straight and treat it with dignity. I’m not taking the piss. It will be treated like a proper film,” said Millar of his post-apocolyptic thriller.

Continue Reading →

It’s no surprise that director Matthew Vaughn likes to work with people he’s established a relationship with. He used actor Jason Flemyng in Layer Cake, Stardust and even Kick-Ass. Vaughn brought writer Jane Goldman onto Kick-Ass and now X-Men: First Class after they worked together on Stardust. Now he’s doing it again as Kick-Ass star Aaron Johnson has just been cast to play Cyclops in First Class.

It’s really not much of a surprise, given Vaugn’s casting decisions with previous roles. According to a tip received by Aint it Cool, the part is pretty much 100% locked down for the Kick-Ass star.

This would be the second comic book role for Johnson, even though he put down critics who were asking him about doing another film in the genre, saying that “just because I’m doing one, doesn’t mean I’ll do others.” It seems that the right amount on a check made him eat those words.

Johnson will be joining an already star-studded cast of James McAvoy as Professor X, Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League) as Emma Frost, and Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds) as Magneto. Other rumored casting names Amber Heard as Mystique, and Benjamin Walker as Hank McCoy aka Beast.

With the film expected to hit theaters in less than a year — June 3, 2011 — you can be sure we’ll hear plenty of casting news in the days leading up to this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Of course, we’ll be sure to bring them to you.

By Shannon Hood

Reprinted from the SXSW Film Festival, 3/14/2010

Make no mistake about it, Chloe Moretz (500 Days of Summer) owns this movie. She may only be 11 years old, but her performance as Hit-Girl is spunky, sassy, and exciting. Hit-Girl is poised to become a new comic cult icon, and Kick-Ass is quite simply a rollicking good time.

At one of the panels I attended this weekend, someone likened Kick-Ass to a comic type Pulp Fiction, which I would say is a pretty accurate description. British Actor Aaron Johnson plays Dave Lizewski, a nerdy high school type whose only interaction with the popular kids is when he brushes up against one at his locker.

One day out of the blue he decides he is going to become a vigilante superhero. He concocts a hideous green costume that resembles a wet suit, sets up a social media homepage for his alter ego, and starts “training.” When someone asks his name, he proudly proclaims, “I’m Kick-Ass!”

Completely inept and not blessed with any actual powers, Dave gets the living crap beat out of him by a few thugs mere moments after his official debut as Kick-Ass. This results in a multitude of injuries requiring steel plates and rods being placed throughout his body, which makes him a little more impervious to injury, but still not in possession of actual powers.

Continue Reading →

Many months ago, I was strolling past the movie theater on one particularly beautiful morning in downtown Burbank when I happened upon one of those annoying movie ticket barkers.  I was about to ignore him when I saw the following letters in big, black type: KICK-ASS. Exuberant, I ran over and as he started to explain what the movie was about, I told him I’d take 6 flyers.

That night at the plushy and sometimes snooty Hollywood Arclight I sat with a few of my very geeky friends in the front row and watched a test print of the most Kick-Ass film of the year.  Below is my review….from a gal’s pov of course.

TO ANYONE WHO HASN’T READ THE COMIC, SPOILERS FOLLOW:

The film begins with a shot of who you think is the lead character.  He is dressed in superhero tights and leaps from a tall building to his death.  The voice-over then aptly tells the audience that this is the real world and crazy men in tights don’t have super powers.

The next opening scenes are extremely reminiscent of the very first Spider-man film. Here’s the thing. I get how in any new comic book movie there is usually a very long and very slow opening arc where some normal guy has something horrible or great happen and he gets turned into a superhero– but it’s been done.  I hear it’s even going to be re-done again in a new Spider-man flick.

I know how Spider-man gets his powers, my mom even knows how Spidey gets his powers, his name implies that maybe a spider was involved.  I don’t need an hour of exposition to get to the good part.

Continue Reading →

While those lucky film goers in the UK (and at SXSW) have already gotten the chance to see Lionsgate’s Kick-Ass in theaters since March 26th, we still have two weeks before the US gets a wide release. In that time, you can still set your sights on some great new clips from the film, which we’re happy to share.

For those unfamiliar with the source material, Kick-Ass is based on a Marvel comic by Mark Millar (Wanted) about a regular teen who decides to take a stand against crime and become a super hero. What he doesn’t know is that it’s not all that easy. He encounters a few other heroes along the way, all who have an interesting perception of morals.

The film is directed by Stardust’s Matthew Vaughn and has a pretty deep cast, from Nicolas Cage to Mark Strong and Superbad’s Christopher Mintz-Plasse. We’ve got three new clips from the flick for you to check out. Aaron Johnson stars in the first, as the titular character.

We get a ridealong in the Red Mist Mobile in the second clip, and in the third, Nic Cage’s “Big Daddy” takes out some bad guys.

Check out the clips after the jump, and be ready for Kick-Ass when it hits theaters stateside on April 12th.

Continue Reading →

For those not in the know when it comes to British pop musicians (we won’t blame you), Mika is a pretty big name in the world of UK Pop. He’s basically what Justin Timberlake is the US, but “across the pond.” He’s been on such shows as So You Think You Can Dance and Jimmy Kimmel Live, and now he’s even branching out into the world of comic book films, as his recent single is dedicated to the upcoming film Kick-Ass.

The song, appropriately titled “Kick Ass”, is a sort of anthem for the film, in which a teen wallflower decides to do something with his life and become a superhero. Other critics have referred to the song as “an updated version of the Highlander theme by Queen”, which makes complete sense. We can definitely see Mika becoming the modern day Queen, if only we could get an updated pop version of the Flash Gordon theme. Then we’d be in business.

Until then, check out Mika’s newest music video for the single, starring some of the cast of the film including Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Be sure to catch Kick-Ass in theaters on April 16th of this year (or April 2nd if you’re in the UK.)

Continue Reading →

Just when we thought things were slowing down on the side of marketing for the upcoming Lionsgate adaptation of Kick-Ass, they come up with even more eye candy for us to peruse over. With that in mind, come three new posters for the upcoming flick, which all have a neat retro theme.

The film, which is based on the indie Marvel comic by Mark Millar (Wanted), already takes on the attributes of a zany ultraviolent film of yesteryear, so it only makes sense that they would put together some quirky posters that showed that off.

The film stars Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Mark Strong, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Nicolas Cage. Check out the new posters after the jump, and be sure to catch Kick-Ass in theaters on April 16th.

Continue Reading →

Make no mistake about it, Chloe Moretz (500 Days of Summer) owns this movie. She may only be 11 years old, but her performance as Hit-Girl is spunky, sassy, and exciting. Hit-Girl is poised to become a new comic cult icon, and Kick-Ass is quite simply a rollicking good time.

At one of the panels I attended this weekend, someone likened Kick-Ass to a comic type Pulp Fiction, which I would say is a pretty accurate description. British Actor Aaron Johnson plays Dave Lizewski, a nerdy high school type whose only interaction with the popular kids is when he brushes up against one at his locker.

One day out of the blue he decides he is going to become a vigilante superhero. He concocts a hideous green costume that resembles a wet suit, sets up a social media homepage for his alter ego, and starts “training.” When someone asks his name, he proudly proclaims, “I’m Kick-Ass!”

Completely inept and not blessed with any actual powers, Dave gets the living crap beat out of him by a few thugs mere moments after his official debut as Kick-Ass. This results in a multitude of injuries requiring steel plates and rods being placed throughout his body, which makes him a little more impervious to injury, but still not in possession of actual powers.

Continue Reading →

Yesterday, we brought you a cool behind-the-scenes feature going backstage on the set of Liongsgate’s newest upcoming comic film, Kick-Ass. With that, we got to see a bit more of Mark Strong as the main baddie in the film, some more of Chloe Moret’z “Hit Girl”, and lots of Matthew Vaughn going hands-on on the set.

Today, we’re getting even more, as a brand new red band trailer has hit the web. The trailer has got pretty much everything you would want in a red band: swearing, nudity, and outrageous violence. Obviously, it should be filed under NSFW.

Unfortunately, Cage’s “Ass-Kick” line still makes the trailer. Let’s hope it doesn’t make the final cut of the film.

Check out the new trailer after the jump, from our pals at Trailer Addict, and be sure to catch Kick-Ass, starring Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz, Mark Strong, and Nic Cage, on April 16th.

Continue Reading →

With Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass coming to theaters this April, Lionsgate has been stepping up their marketing in spades over the past month. They put out a few cool new trailers, some great character posters, and now they’re rolling out a neat new mini documentary of life on the set.

Empire was lucky enough to film the antics backstage with just about everyone from the cast, including Aaron Johnson, Mark Strong, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and even Matthew Vaughn himself.

Now that Mark Millar’s first run has ended in the comics, we all know what we’re in store for with the film, and it should be a fun ride, including the possible on-screen death of a very unlikeable A-list actor.

Check out Empire’s mini documentary after the jump, and be sure to catch Lionsgate’s Kick-Ass in theaters on April 16th.

Continue Reading →

Big week for international trailers, with the first one for Clash of the Titans hitting yesterday. Now the first red band international trailer for Lionsgate’s Kick-Ass is here, and it looks, well, kick ass.

We first got a glimpse at the film by Matthew Vaughn when the San Diego Comic-Con footage leaked in July of last year, then Lionsgate picked up distribution for the film and started rolling out tons and tons of promotion for the project.

With that comes the newest red band trailer for the film, giving us all of the f-bombs and headshots that we loved to see in the book. The adaptation of the Mark Millar comic stars Aaron Johnson as the titular Kick-Ass, along with Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Nic Cage, and  Sinestro frontrunner Mark Strong.

Check out the new NSFW trailer after the jump, and catch Kick-Ass in theaters on April 16.

Continue Reading →