God strike you dead if you're one of the six people who thinks 3D isn't a cheesy enough gimmick for your moviegoing experience, because the masterminds at D-Box Technologies are upping the ante on extreme gimmickry. In 50 select theaters this summer, you can watch J.J. Abrams' new film Super 8 while sitting in the zaniest cineplex toy of all: a padded chair equipped with "motion effects." The "D-Box" (as it's awesomely called) undulates, shakes, vibrates, and recreates most of the formative puberty experiences you enjoyed at your local Brookstone. Yes, disturbing. Watch this video and clutch the arms of your sad old La-Z-Boy.
more »
Mamma Mia! The Hangover. The Karate Kid. Every summer, one film that looks like a modest studio role-player on paper -- something to do between tentpoles, if you will -- catches a box-office wave that carries it all the way to mega-hit. We know and love these unlikely blockbusters as sleepers -- but can we predict them?
more »
With the summer box office ready to heat up on Friday (as Universal's awesome marketing campaign for Fast Five reminds everyone, this year "summer starts early"), what better time to look back on the previous three months of the year to assess just which films hit their financial mark. So, what 2011 release has been the most profitable thus far? Hint: It isn't Hop, Rango, Battle: Los Angeles or Rio.
more »
Superman casting news: it's not just for Sundays. Deadline reports that relatively unknown German actress Antje Traue is the front-runner to play the female villain opposite Michael Shannon in Zack Snyder's super reboot. Traue -- who may play Ursa to Shannon's General Zod -- was previously in Pandorum and recently met about playing Brad Pitt's onscreen wife in World War Z, a role she lost to Mireille Enos. [Deadline]
· Another day, another still from Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The latest highlights what may be Cybertronian, a giant spaceship that factors heavily in the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons. Imagine how tiny Shia LaBeouf will look running away from this. Click through to see, then stick around for more Buzz Break.
more »
What makes Zorro the hero he is? The 19th century Spanish Californian roots, that mask, the swashbuckling. But many of those defining elements will be scrapped for Fox's planned reboot, Zorro Reborn, which sets the legendary hero on a quest for justice in the post-apocalyptic future, possibly without even his iconic sword. Is this heresy or a brilliant twist on the 90-year-old pulp mythology?
more »
Hall Pass may have stumbled at the box office, but the Jason Sudeikis train to fame rolls onward. In addition to starring in Horrible Bosses and the September release A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, Sudeikis will host the MTV Movie Awards on June 5. Get excited, but don't tell January Jones. [RyanSeacrest.com]
HBO has released the first image of Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin from the network's upcoming political film Game Change and it is every bit as disturbing as you might imagine. Check out the image ahead, and compare Moore's representation to the other Palin parodists already on the market: Tina Fey and Sarah Palin herself.
more »
While speaking to MTV about 30 Minutes Or Less, Aziz Ansari joked that he and his co-star Jesse Eisenberg are such accomplished stunt drivers that they deserve to star the Fast and Furious franchise. "Let's just go ahead and tell him. [Jesse]'s taking over the Paul Walker character, I'm taking over the Vin Diesel character. It's a reimagining, a reboot, whatever you want to call it. We're bringing the franchise back. It's gonna be in 3-D and all the movie seats are going to be changed into tiny cars and you can drive along with us." [MTV]
Fox's Ice Age franchise is getting some new voices for its fourth installment, next summer's Ice Age: Continental Drift. Among them: A hip-hop star, an American Idol judge, two comedians, and your future Bourne, who will mingle with the beloved returning heroes of the previous three Ice Age films in the July 2012 sequel. What adventures await in the fourth installment of the popular animated series?
more »
Also in this Wednesday edition of The Broadsheet: Chris Evans reveals a slight Captain America spoiler... Zac Efron's next film has a director... Demi Moore, super producer... and more ahead.
more »
It was bound to happen: Arnold Schwarzenegger is plotting his return to blockbuster glory in a package of new Terminator films currently being shopped around Hollywood by CAA. Fast Five helmer Justin Lin would reportedly direct, and a cluster of studios are in contention to make a deal.
more »
After tossing around a few casting ideas of our own for the juicy role of Haymitch in The Hunger Games, Vulture reported that John C. Reilly had been offered the part of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark's drunken mentor. The only problem (aside from Reilly's look -- which fans argue may not be right for Haymitch) is that according to Reilly's rep, the Oscar nominee was never offered the role.
more »
