The Flickcast – Page 474 of 1030 – Stuff Nerds Love

Apple Announces New ‘Final Cut Pro X’ Editing Software

During the NAB show in Las Vegas yesterday Apple revealed the next generation of its Final Cut Pro editing software to the masses and while some may always fear change, in this case it looks like change is something to be embraced and celebrated.

According to Apple, the new FCP is “as revolutionary as the original Final Cut released back in ’99.” Sounds good, Take a look at some of the specs:

• Now 64-bit (about time)
• New UI
• Resolution independent playback system
• Handles up to 4K (good for you HD fans)
• Uses Grand Central Dispatch to utilize up to 8 cores (makes for fast workflow)
• Fully color-managed (ColorSync)
• Media ready for editing immediately (stabilization, audio and shutter correction, shot detection and preliminary color balancing automatically applied during ingest)
• Timecode-based keywording within clips
• iMovie-esque “smart collections” of clips, audio based on metadata, people in shot, etc.

Apple says Final Cut Pro X will be available in June for $299. That’s a really good price and we can’t wait to get our hands on it.

Things Get Nostalgic with 4 New ‘Scream 4′ Clips

Just when you thought it was safe to answer the phone again, Wes Craven and Kevin Williams (sort of) reunite to bring a whole new generation of teen victims some classic murders and rules to live by with Scream 4.

Just about everyone is back for this final scare, including Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette. Along with the legacy survivors, there are some great new additions this time, including Kristen Bell, Hayden Panettiere, Alison Brie, and Anna Paquin.

This time around you can expect more gore, more deaths, and more “teenage” girls running for their lives. We’ve got a taste of what you can expect in the film this weekend with four brand new clips.

Check out those clips after the jump, and be sure to race to theaters and support horror with Scream 4 in theaters this Friday.

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Mark Verheiden Co-Writing, Exec. Producing ‘Dark Tower’ Series for NBC

Writer, Producer Mark Verheiden is one of the nicest, most talented guys in the world. That’s why when we hear news concerning his accomplishments, we are happy to help spread the word.

This week it’s the announcement that Verheiden will co-write with Akiva Goldsman the NBC TV series The Dark Tower. The project, based on the best-selling series of novels by Stephen King, is being turned into a motion picture trilogy and TV series directed by Ron Howard.

Verheiden will also executive produce the The Dark Tower series, along with Goldsman, for Universal Media Studios. The series will serve as a bridge between the first and second movie in the trilogy. Also, actor Javier Bardem is reportedly negotiating to fill the main role of gunslinger Roland Deschain in both the films and the TV series.

Verheiden, of course, is no stranger to TV having worked on such series as Smallville, Heroes, Battlestar Galactica and the upcoming Falling Skies. He’s also written over 125 comic books including The American, Aliens, Predator, The Phantom and Superman as well as upcoming feature films Quatermain and Ark.

We wish him the best of luck with this new project and look forward to seeing the series once it arrives. With this kind of talent involved, we expect great things.

Bradley Cooper In Talks to Take On ‘The Crow’ Reboot

Bradley Cooper is a hot commodity right now. Whether he’s exploring his potential in Limitless, being eyed to play The Flash in David Goyer’s upcoming film for Warner Bros., or taking on yet another blackout in The Hangover Part II, everyone seems to want a piece of him.

Now the action/comedy star is being eyed for the lead role in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s upcoming remake of The Crow. A bit darker than his normal role, but we can still see it happening. THR has the lowdown.

In the adaptation of the gritty black-and-white indie comic by artist James O’Barr, Cooper will play a rock musician who is murdered while trying to save his fiancée from thugs. He is resurrected by supernatural forces and seeks revenge. The role was originally played by Brandon Lee, who was killed by a freak accident during production in 1993.

Relativity is flying fast with Crow, with Fresnadillo only officially boarding the project a week ago. The Spanish director of 28 Weeks Later is said to have met with Cooper in Spain recently, where the two hit it off and shared a vision for the character and the film. Relativity would not confirm the talks but sources say Cooper, currently in theaters in Relativity’s hit thriller Limitless, is keen to board the project.

The film is set to start in the Fall, and could have a completely different take on the classic tale that gave teens an excuse to wear black leather and nail polish back in the 90s. Let’s hope Fresnadillo can still get Ernie Hudson to reprise his role.

‘World War Z’ Nabs a Director of Photography, Moves Closer To Production

World War Z, by Max Brooks, has been gestating in Hollywood pre-production limbo for years now. It is a tough nut to crack with most of it’s narrative being told in one-on-one interviews between Brooks and his fictional characters. Despite the academic structure, Brooks still managed to craft an apocalyptic world that is engrossing and terrifying in it’s realism.

According to Bleeding Cool, production on the feature film version is finally making serious forward momentum as Director of Photography has begun preparations for the shoot, and it is a good one:

Robert Richardson, who recently wrapped Martin Scorsese’s Hugo Cabret down at Shepperton. This time he will be working out of another one of our big production bases, over at Elstree. Amongst Richardson’s other credits are Kill BillNatural Born Killers and Eight Men Out.

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David Hyde Pierce Goes Crazy in a Trailer For ‘The Perfect Host’

The concept of the insane upper-class citizens is one that has gone to the wayside over the past few years. There are some great films that incorporate the plot twist, such as Swimming with Sharks, but most insane antagonists in film tend to be members of the unwashed and broke.

That’s where Nick Tomnay’s The Perfect Host comes in. Based on his original 2001 short, The Host, the film takes the classic hostage tale and spins it around. Here’s the official synopsis.

Warwick Wilson is the consummate host. He carefully prepares for a dinner party, the table impeccably set and the duck perfectly timed for 8:30 p.m. John Taylor is a career criminal. He’s just robbed a bank and needs to get off the streets.

He finds himself on Warwick’s doorstep posing as a friend of a friend, new to Los Angeles, who’s been mugged and lost his luggage. As the wine flows and the evening progresses, we become deeply intertwined in the lives of these two men and discover just how deceiving appearances can be.

David Hyde Pierce takes on the role of Warwick, which is great seeing as how Pierce has been stuck with the fumbling, British comic relief for so many years. It will be nice to see him try out “nut case” for size.

Check out the trailer after the jump, and catch The Perfect Host on demand on May 27th and in theaters on July 1.

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Trailer: New Showtime Series ‘Homeland’

Recently, we told you about Showtime’s pickup of two new series. One of those series was Homeland and now the network has released the first advance look at the show, which is set to begin production this Summer.

The thriller, based on Gideon Raff’s Israeli series Prisoners of War, was written by former 24 showrunner Howard Gordon, Raff and Alex Gansa. It tells the story of Carrie Anderson (Claire Danes), a CIA officer battling her own demons who becomes convinced that the intelligence that led to the rescue of Scott Brody (Damian Lewis), a U.S. soldier who had been missing and presumed deal for nine years, was a setup and may be connected to an Al-Qaeda plot to be carried out on American soil.

Mandy Patinkin plays Saul, a veteran CIA Division Chief who is Carrie’s boss and mentor. As I said before, sounds interesting. I guess we’ll get a look at the other new Showtime series House of Lies soon enough as well.

Until then, check out the teaser for Homeland after the jump. Homeland comes to Showtime later this year.

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Trailer: ‘Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers’ Episode 3

Marvel Knights Animation has been responsible for taking motion comics and pushing their boundaries by blending the lines between motion comics and traditional animation. The latest in their string of ever-improving motion comics is Thor/Loki: Blood Brothers which is currently being released as episodes.

Episode 3 is on the way and things are getting tense for our hero. Marvel has released their trailer for the newest installment:

Get your first look at the third episode of the critically acclaimed Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers animated mini-series, on sale this Wednesday! Adapted from the acclaimed story by superstar creators Robert Rodi and Esad Ribic, Loki finally has a chance to tell tale of his brother’s crimes…and inflict the punishment he has craved for eons.

It’s the series that has everyone talking so don’t miss out on this Marvel classic. Download the third episode of Marvel Knights Animation’s Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers, a best seller on iTunes (Animation, Animation Season Pass and Television categories), Xbox LIVE, and PlayStation®Network, this Wednesday!

Check out the all new trailer after the jump!

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