TM Movie News: Paranormal Activity, Heroes, Tarantino & more

- by Steve Garcia, 13 January 2014

What’s going on, Trash Muties?! Lots of interesting movie tidbits this week! Which big names are being eyed for the next Star Wars? Do we know the story for the Ant-Man movie? Can BatFleck smell what the Rock is cooking? What will Quentin Tarantino’s new movie be called? What’s Kevin Smith up to these days? So many questions, but fear not, ladies and gents! I got the answers! It’s Movie News time!

Ant Man:

• Now that we know that Paul Rudd is our Ant-Man, the question still remains: Which Ant-Man will he be? Based on an image posted by writer/director Edgar Wright on his official blog, it’s safe to say that he’ll be Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man:

• This picture is a screen cap from an episode of Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes entitled “To Steal an Ant-Man,” which in turn, is an adaptation of Scott Lang’s superhero origin. Years ago, Wright stated that his film will feature both Lang and the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym, so this should come across as a surprise to nobody!
  

Big Hero 6:

• According to The Hollywood Reporter, director Chris Williams (Bolt) is now officially attached to the upcoming animated Marvel movie, Big Hero 6. Slated for release this November, it seems that the ball has finally begun rolling. Better late than never!
  

DC Cinematic Universe:

• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson tweeted that he had a meeting with WB about an upcoming DC project. Could it be for the Man of Steel sequel? What about that supposed Lobo movie that was rumored earlier last year? Or could he finally be sporting the pointed ears of Black Adam after his longtime involvement with the Captain Marvel movie that never was? Your guess is as good as mine! Here’s the tweet:

The Hateful Eight:

• Quentin Tarantino’s newest film finally has a title: The Hateful Eight! Not much is known about this upcoming western, but it is known that there is a part specifically written for longtime Tarantino collaborator Christoph Waltz. Actor Bruce Dern (Nebraska, Django Unchaned) is also apparently up for a potential role as well. Filming is set to begin this summer according to insiders! Exciting stuff!
  

Helena Handbag:

• Director Kevin Smith will be having a very busy few years ahead of him, as he just announced that a new film titled Helena Handbag will be his next project following Clerks III (filming this May). The director promises that this film will be quite controversial, as it offers a unique take on the Rapture in which Christ will come down from Heaven, wreak havoc on humanity, and will force mankind to team up with Hell. Helena Handbag will be the second of Smith’s films to have been based on his SModcast podcast, the first of which is Tusk (which is now in post-production.) Smith’s official word on the new movie:
• “…I'm only ever gonna make a flick that only I would/could ever make. JERSEY GIRL, ZACK & MIRI, COP OUT - while I love them all, these are movies anybody could make. Like 'em or hate 'em, nobody else but me could've (or would've) ever made CLERKS. Or CHASING AMY. Or DOGMA. Or RED STATE. Or CLERKS II. Or MALLRATS. Or JAY & SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK. I let my view askew get standardized for awhile there - so much so that I was happy to walk away from it all for three years and do other shit. But after conceiving and shooting TUSK in less than 6 months (with the help of a shit ton of amazing professionals and a budget smaller than that of RED STATE), I realized that film isn't in my blood... MY films are in my blood. And some of 'em are still in there, so I better get 'em out!”

Paranormal Activity:

• With the films in the Paranormal Activity franchise being so cheap to produce, it’s no wonder why we get a new installment every year, especially since they essentially quadruple what they cost at the box office. The franchise could easily last forever if it wanted to, but writer/director Christopher Landon (who directed the most recent of the series, The Marked Ones) states that a proper ending to the story has been planned. His official word on the matter:
• "It started when we were making Paranormal 2. We started making this mythology and it worked as a think tank for us. It was really when we were making the third film that things started to crystallize. I had an endgame in mind which I had pitched to the group and they loved it.  We've been working toward getting to this finish line. But there is an endgame at play here.”
  
• Landon continued to talk about how the franchise lost its momentum with its fourth film:
  
• "I think the frustration is that we got a little lost in the fourth film. I think that was frustrating for the fans, and The Marked Ones was my opportunity to get it back on track. To answer some questions and ask some new ones. We have a lot more story left to cover; we're hoping the fans allow us to keep going there. We had an idea as to where we wanted this to go for some time now. Four was a tricky one... I think there are some fun moments and great scares and we got some stuff right, but where we really dropped the ball is we didn't advance the mythology and left the audience in a narrative wasteland."
  
• As a fan of the series, I wholeheartedly agree with Landon regarding the fourth film, despite reading the criticisms regarding The Marked Ones (which I regrettably haven’t seen yet). Still, it is commendable that the team surrounding the franchise cares enough about it to give it a proper sendoff when the time comes, rather than milking it for all it’s worth and bailing out on whatever fans it would have left. Hopefully the fifth will be a good one!
  

Planet of the Apes 3:

• In a quick green-light on Fox’s part, director Matt Reeves will officially be directing the next installment of the Planet of the Apes franchise following this summer’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. That can only mean that the studio is confident that Dawn of the Apes will do well, and Fox’s confidence is good enough for me. Bring on the Apes!
  

Star Wars: Episode VII:

• We may have found the son of Luke Skywalker, ladies and gents! According to The Wrap, actor Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad) is apparently “a favorite” for a part in the film. Now I might have jumped the gun to assume he’ll be the son of Luke, but look at him! There’s too much of a resemblance there for it to not be that! Then again, his most recent part in Breaking Bad might leave him as an inspired choice as a Sith. Either way, he’s a great actor who will apparently be meeting with J. J. Abrams himself, so join me in hoping he got whatever role he’s up for! 
  
• In other casting rumors, The Hollywood Reporter claims that big name actors Michael Fassbender and Hugo Weaving are also up for possible roles in Episode VII, as they apparently already met with Abrams. While Fassbender’s role is unspecified, Weaving could potentially play “an Imperial commander.” 2015 is just getting closer and closer, folks! 
  

X-Men: Apocalypse:

• In a recent interview, director Bryan Singer revealed a few tidbits regarding the upcoming X-Men epic including his role in the film, the bridge between Days of Future Past, and the potential exploration of mutant history:
  
• “I’m co-writing the story and I’m producing it. I’m negotiating to direct. We’re in the process. We’re trying to figure it out, schedules. My desire would be to direct it. Something that happens in [Days of Future Past] causes what’s going to happen in that movie. It will also address historical mutant-cy, meaning the deep past, mutant origins and things like that. It’s something that’s always intrigued me when we think about our Gods and our history and miracles and powers.”
  

X-Men: Days of Future Past

• In other X-news, actor Evan Jonigkeit let it known to the world that he will be playing a young Toad, a longtime member of Magneto’s Brotherhood. The last time we saw the character was in the original X-Men film over ten years ago, and he was played by Ray Park. While Jonigkeit couldn’t reveal too much, here’s his word:
  
• “X-Men fans will know that Ray Park played him in the first movie, so it's a generation story of how he came to be. It's really cool. The aesthetics of the character are much different, and I'm not really allowed to say a whole lot more than that it's darker. I would say it's a darker tone."
  
• Speaking of new “aesthetics,” take a look at what Quicksilver (played by Evan Peters) will look like in the photo below!
  

Fun fact: Quicksilver's awful jacket was part of the inspiration for his name (not really).

STUFF YOU SHOULD LOOK AT:


The Amazing Spider-Man 2:

• Sony released some new footage just in time for New Year’s! And some sweet new posters! Electro! LOOK AT THEM!
  

Captain America: The Winter Soldier:

• Take a look at some new official stills! Cap! Sexy Scarlett! Classic costumes! Other stuff! LOOK AT THEM!
  

Guardians of the Galaxy:

• Marvel has released the first official still from the space Avengers! Rocket Raccoon is adorable! We got a synopsis, too! LOOK AT IT!

• "From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchise of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team--the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits -Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Peter discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand--with the galaxy's fate in the balance."
  

Kite:

• Here’s a trailer for Samuel L. Jackson’s new movie that is a remake of an old movie (an anime that Kazekun reviewed on this website)! LOOK AT IT!
  

The Lego Movie:

• Superman and Batman got their own posters for The Lego Movie! LOOK AT THEM!
  

A Million Ways To Die In The West:

• Family Guy and American Dad aren’t enough for Seth MacFarlane! He’s making a western, and here’s the first image! LOOK AT IT!

Iron Man 3:

• You know how Marvel likes to add those little shorts to their Blu-Rays? Ben Kingsley’s character from Iron Man 3 is getting one and we got pictures! Also, see how that guy’s shirt says “SEAGATE?” That’s the prison Luke Cage broke out of in his origin story! Cameos galore! LOOK AT IT!
  

The Raid 2:

• A new trailer’s out! So many asses to kick and in only two minutes to do it! LOOK AT IT!
  

Veronica Mars:

• Remember when those Veronica Mars people started a Kickstarter to fund that Veronica Mars movie? It’s happening! LOOK AT IT!
  

And that’s that! What did you think of those Cap photos? Is that Guardians of the Galaxy synopsis enough to get you in the theater? Which western is where it’s at: Tarantino’s or MacFarlane’s? Which DC character should Dwayne Johnson play, and why do you think he should be Black Adam? Which cast will be bigger: X-Men’s or Episode VII’s? Let us know, Muties! As always, be good to one another!

Tagged: TM Movie News.

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