David Koepp couldn't envision a Snow White and the Huntsman sequel without Kristen Stewart — which is one reason he says he's no longer involved in the project.
Koepp — who scripted Jurassic Park, the original 2002 Spider-Man movie and co-wrote and directed this weekend's new bike-messenger thriller Premium Rush — told Movieline that he departed the project because he had worked on a script idea "that I really liked" involving Stewart's character. "And their situation, I hear, changed a little, so they weren't interested in pursuing that idea anymore." more »
With Deadline reporting that Universal Pictures is denying a Hollywood Reporter story that Kristen Stewart has been deep-sixed from the sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman, and the Twitter-verse buzzing over the news, we here at Movieline figure it's a good time to ask our readers to weigh in on this debate. more »
Moviegoers in the U.K. continued to send Prometheus, Men in Black 3, and Snow White and the Huntsman into the top three spots of the box office, while '80s hair metal pic Rock of Ages, which landed at number four though its numbers actually suggested a softer opening than its U.S. equivalent, according to figures from The Guardian. Red Lights, which will not open in the U.S. until mid-July and starring Sigourney Weaver, Cillian Murphy and Robert De Niro, performed "landed limply."
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Prometheus held the box office throne in the United Kingdom last weekend. Madagascar 3 won't have its British theatrical roll out until the fall of all things, so Prometheus had no big newcomers to contend with in the United Kingdom last weekend. The Ridley Scott directed feature took in £3.14M ($4.87M) in its second weekend, a 50 per cent drop. Still, its ten day total is £15.47M ($23.99M), just behind the complete cumulative for Ridley Scott's Robin Hood which totaled £15.65M, according to figures by The Guardian.
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Those wild animals in Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted showed their box office heft, beating out Prometheus to land atop the overall box office for the weekend. The opener for the third installment of the animated feature figured bigger than anticipated for the pic which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last month and is clearly flexing its franchise prowess. The film had an 8% increase Saturday, bringing out families. But Prometheus is certainly not a disappointment. The feature also had better than expected numbers. Internationally, the pic stood at $91.5 million over the weekend after nearly two weeks in release in some territories and its IMAX $9.1 million total is a June record.
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Also happening Friday morning in news, Warner Bros. is going for a new action-adventure project using Chinese mythology and Hugh Jackman takes a short leave at Les Miserables for Tony. RIP J. Michael Riva and Pinochet doc sparks protests in Chile.
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Brava to the dewy-cheeked Kristen Stewart, who opened Snow White and the Huntsman, the weekend's number one movie, by swinging a sword and championing girl power without having to kiss a single vampire! (Those two hunky human suitors and the riveting fabulosity that was Charlize Theron didn't hurt either.) Nice to see girls ruling while boys drooled over the box office -- well, their male-driven movies (Men in Black 3, Avengers, Battleship), anyway. Tell us what you saw this weekend as we go to the receipts!
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You might guess most folks flocking to theaters this weekend for Snow White and the Huntsman are the legions of diehard fans of Twilight's Kristen Stewart, who stars in the fantasy adventure as the sword-swinging Snow White. Maybe, even, they'll come for co-star Chris Hemsworth — he of Thor and Avengers fame. But surprise, surprise — who'd have thought the big draw, at least for folks who hit opening day today, would be neither of SWATH's up-and-coming talent?
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Why can’t heroines just be heroines anymore, instead of micromanaged personalities who may as well have the words “Role Model” tattooed across their foreheads? That’s the fate suffered by poor Kristen Stewart as the warrior princess athlete orphan Christ figure Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman. She’s not just Joan of Arc — she’s Joan of Archetypes.
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This weekend welcomes Snow White and the Huntsman to theaters, mere months after Relativity's Mirror, Mirror preceded Universal's Kristen Stewart film in the race to produce live-action versions of the fairy tale that Disney animators arguably perfected decades ago. And odd as it is to behold this practice of two serpents eating the other’s tail, stranger still is the thought of a studio executive ensconced in a corner office, slamming his fist down on the old-growth polished conference table, and bellowing to the suits, "Dammit! Where in the hell is OUR Snow White script!?!?!"
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Mirror Mirror is about as postmodern as a postmodern version of a fairytale gets these days – “It’s been focus-grouped!,” the prince protests, as the princess defies tradition and sets out to save him. So why is it so very white? It’s especially jarring when Indian director Tarsem Singh ends the movie with a Bollywood-inspired dance number – it’s a Technicolor celebration of cultural diversity by a cast that doesn’t seem to have any, save a dwarf or two who barely stand out from their pack.
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He's painted cinematic landscapes of psychosexual kink (The Cell), childhood fantasy (The Fall), and ancient Greek 3-D abs (Immortals), but in this week's Mirror Mirror director Tarsem takes a turn into uncharted territory: The family-friendly fairytale. Turning his attentions to the story of Snow White, Tarsem creates another visually rich fantasyland of imagination -- and gives the fabled princess a post-modern streak to boot -- with the help of the late Oscar-winning costume designer and longtime collaborator Eiko Ishioka (Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark), who passed away in January at the age of 73. In an exclusive chat, Tarsem takes Movieline through his work with Ishioka and the whimsical, inventive, and utterly imaginative designs of Mirror Mirror that comprise their final collaboration on film.
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We'd already caught a glimpse of Snow White and the Huntsman's Crayola-dappled Middle Earth before director Rupert Sanders let on about his darker vision for the fairy tale. But now, with a latest trailer making the rounds, it can be confirmed: SWATH! Pretty dark!
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It may be indicative of Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders’ fearlessness – or his newness, this being his feature debut – that, after presenting much-anticipated footage to fans yesterday at WonderCon, he nonchalantly dropped the vivid phrase “dwarf gangbangs” into a discussion about his dark (and yes, likely PG-13) allegorical fairytale actioner. (Now that’s how you get the attention of a certain demographic.) For the record, there are no such scenarios in June's action-packed SWATH, but there were many more revelations and key insights to be had into Sanders’ take on the age-old tale, which stars Twilight’s Kristen Stewart and debuts two months after that other Snow White movie dances into theaters.
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In the decade or so since Nick Frost first made a name for himself on the BBC comedy series Spaced, much has happened. For starters, he's not waiting tables at that Mexican restaurant. He's moved with ease from television to film, most famously in genre riffs Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (with Spaced comrades Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg), and in the alien geek ode Paul (which he co-wrote and stars in with Pegg). Also notably, Frost has ventured out from the fold in films like Pirate Radio and the forthcoming Snow White and the Huntsman. And, with this week's The Adventures of Tintin, he notches another milestone: Working with his hero, Steven. Steven Spielberg.
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