Now that Ewan McGregor has voiced his enthusiasm for playing Obi-Wan Kenobi again, Disney should make it so. The actor, who's out promoting Jack The Giant Slayer told MTV News that he thought reprising his role as the Jedi Master was "a good idea" and had clearly done some thinking about where an Obi-Wan standalone movie could fit into the about-to-be-rebooted Star Wars franchise — the gap between Episode III and IV "before Alec Guinness, there's that period where he's in the desert....That might be my window there, to tell that story." McGregor said that he didn't know what Obi-Wan actually did in the desert, but added: "We could make up some stuff." more »
Personally, I'd rather see a Monsters, Inc.sequel rather than a prequel. I even have a story in mind: The up-to-no-good WolfsBain Capital does a leveraged buyout of Monsters, Inc., Sulley is fired as CEO, and the new management enlists Mike Wazowski and the rest of the employees to kidnap children and bring them back to Monstropolis so they can be used as cheap labor. Instead, Disney and Pixar have put together a much lighter Monsters-Inc.-meets-Animal-House precursor tale , called Monsters University, that, unlike my idea, might actually sell some tickets. more »
Is Disney still suffering from Shrek envy? Over the last two days the blogosphere has generated unconfirmed reports that the House of Mouse is developing a Yoda movie, as part of its Star Wars franchise reboot, and that Marvel Studios, which is owned by Disney, is planning a standaloneHulk movie that would tie together The Avengers 2 and 3 movies. more »
From yester-year - in this case, 1952 - to tomorrow, Disney is so far only offering a glimpse into Brad Bird's live-action feature in the form of a new title. more »
J.J. Abrams appears to have cornered the universe. Both The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter are reporting that the filmmaker behind the rebooted Star Trek franchise is close to sealing a deal to direct Disney's Star Wars Episode 7, which means he will boldly go to a galaxy far far away very shortly. more »
We're all waiting with baited (and force-assisted) breath until 2015 to see if the cinematic return to the Star Wars galaxy will make the taste of midi-chlorians go away, but could it be that we might first see our first post-George Lucas lightsabers on the smallscreen? Comments from ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee indicate that yes, maybe, possibly, this may be the case. more »
Warner Bros. won its lawsuit against mock-buster Age of the Hobbits. Also in Tuesday's news round-up, Amy Adams will be feted for The Master; Tim Buckley feature is heading to U.S. theaters; Disney will adapt Dolphin pic for a feature; and Gus Van Sant is lending his name for the U.S. release of acclaimed Laurence Anyways.
Warner Bros. Triumphs in Hobbit Mock-buster Case
A federal judge granted Warner Bros., MGM and others a restraining order against mock-buster Age of The Hobbits, saying the victory over Global Asylum's "cynical business model." Global had planned a to release a parallel pic, Age of the Hobbit against Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Deadline reports.
Amy Adams to Receive Santa Barbara International Film Festival's Cinema Vanguard Award
The three-time Oscar-nominated actress will be presented the events's prize January 31st. Adams is a contender for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the wife of a cult leader in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, THR reports.
Greetings From Tim Buckley Heads to U.S. Theaters
Directed by Dan Algrant, the Toronto Film Festival feature explores two generations of musicians, Tim and Jeff Buckley. Penn Badgley plays Jeff Buckley as a young musician who rehearses his public singing debut at a Brooklyn tribute to his father and struggling to come to terms with his legacy with the help of an unlikely woman at the show. While they discover each other and New York City, the film also explores Tim’s (Mr. Rosenfield) 1960s heyday, as he drives cross-country with a girlfriend and finds himself on the verge of stardom. Tribeca Film will distribute the pic with Focus World, a subsidiary of Focus Features.
Disney to Adapt Dolphin Boy Feature
The studio secured rights to the Israeli documentary, which revolves around a teenager from an Arab village in northern Israel who is traumatized from a violent attack and slowly recovers with the help of dolphins. The Bucket List writer Justin Zackham will write the script for Disney, Variety reports.
Gus Van Sant Joins Xavier Dolan's Laurence Anyways in U.S. Release
Van Sant's Promised Land is gathering some Oscar buzz, but he'll lend his name as executive producer to acclaimed young Quebecois filmmaker Xavier Dolan's third Cannes title, Laurence Anyways as it heads out to U.S. screens in 2013. Set in the '90s, Laurence Anyways is the tale of a young couple and the difficult decisions they must face after the man decides to start living his life as a woman.
Whether you love or hate the idea of Disney acquiring and expanding the Star Wars franchise, you can't say the House of Mouse isn't treating Episode VII like the prestige project is deserves to be. Vulture reports that screenwriter Michael Arndt, who won an Oscar for his Little Miss Sunshine script, and was nominated for another with Toy Story 3, is the leading candidate to write the new Star Wars script more »
May the farce be with you! In the wake of news that Disney will be producing more Star Wars movies as a result of its acquisition of George Lucas' LucasFilm on Tuesday, the geniuses at Conan O'Brien's Team Coco have posted some very funny parody posters of what the interstellar franchise will look like under the influence of the House of Mouse. more »
Get ready for more Star Wars, and possibly further incarnations of your favorite George Lucas properties: The Walt Disney Company is buying LucasFilm for $4.05 billion, with plans to release Star Wars: Episode 7 in 2015. Great idea, or "Nooooooo!" worthy? Weigh in, Movieliners! [UPDATE: Disney head Bob Iger says Disney's planning Star Wars 8 and 9 to follow.] more »
I suppose it makes sense: According to Vulture rumor-slinger Claude Brodesser-Akner, Disney's new regime under Alan Horn is developing a remake of 1991's The Rocketeer — a box office disappointment that nevertheless built a cult following owing to its retro-futuristic vibe, Billy Campbell's irresistible hair, and Jennifer Connelly's Jennifer Connelly-ness. more »
No one really doubted that Steven Spielberg's long-gestating, class-AA historical biopic Lincolnwouldn't land a release date in the middle of Oscar season. But with Disney announcing today that it will release the Daniel Day-Lewis-starring, Tony Kushner-written film in limited release on Nov. 9 — three days after Election Day — the studio has situated Lincoln in a zone ripe for hype. more »
Also in Monday afternoon's round-up of news briefs, Drafthouse Films picks up a lauded film festival circuit doc for U.S. release. James Franco has tapped an Outfest filmmaker to make a 'Homo-Sex-Art-Film.' And rounding things out, casting news for a pair of projects. more »
They say it is good to get a child a pet because its mortality will acclimate the youngster to the concept of death. Clearly Tim Burton never saw it that way. more »
Also in Tuesday's round up of news, the Academy taps a new Communications Managing Director, Phase 4 Films nabs a Billy Bob Thornton and Eva Longoria starrer. Former rocker turned filmmaker plans a film on a Philadelphia hockey team and some very early Disney sketches get animated. more »
