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The 'After Earth' International Trailer Features Future Monkeys, Explosions, And 2 Smiths For The Price of One

The 'After Earth' International Trailer Features Future Monkeys, Explosions, And 2 Smiths For The Price of One

If, like me you're horribly old and ready to be sent by the farmer to the local dog food factory, you might remember a 1981 science fiction book called 'After Man: A Zoology of The Future,' by Dougal Dixon. Now sadly out of print (I still have a battered copy with a half-torn cover, because bragging rights), it featured fantastic naturalist illustrations of creatures extrapolated, evolutionarily, from modern fauna 50 million years after humanity had gone extinct. Wolf-like beasts descended from rats and ungulates descended from rabbits are the least weird creatures you'll see, and it's a crime no one has ever seen fit to make a half-decent movie based on concepts from the book.

We'll have to wait much longer for that, but based on the new international trailer, we can at least see something of the book's influence on M. Knight Shyamalan's next film, After Earth. The Will Smith and Jaden Smith-starring sci fi movie concerns the adventures of "legendary general" Cypher Raige* (Will) who, along with his young son Kitai (Jaden) crash land on planet Earth a thousand years after humanity abandoned it and moved out into the stars. Critically injured in the crash, the General is in desperate need of help; now Kitai must venture out alone into a completely re-forested home-world teeming with creatures, so we're told in the trailer, that have all evolved to kill human beings.

The glimpse of what looks like slightly evolved baboons is promising, and I'm actually shocked to admit this thing looks good. Shyamalan has not earned any benefit of the doubt, however, and I am confident that by film's end we'll be treated to some kind of clunky twist. Maybe it'll turn out that they're on the Planet of the Apes and that Jaden is actually Cypher's father.

Here's the trailer. Let us know what you think in comments.

* Dear science fiction filmmakers: please, dear god, please stop with
the ridiculous naming conventions.

Ross Lincoln is a LA-based freelance writer from Oklahoma with an unhealthy obsession with comics, movies, video games, ancient history, Gore Vidal, and wine. Follow him on twitter
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Newswire || ||

After Earth Teaser Heads into Viral Space

After Earth Teaser Heads into Viral Space

Maybe call it a trailer preamble. Tidbits of the backstory and a tease of M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming sci-fi pic After Earth spread around the internet after the film's official site launched a run-down of the backstory. The video gives an account of a 1908 spacecraft crash and the subsequent discovery of a technology called "Lightstream" that propelled humankind forward, before ultimately destroying it. Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith star in the project, which is slated for release next June.
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Biz Break || ||

Ice Age 4 Tracking $50M Opener, Studio Guesses Lower; Will Smith's Possible Directorial Debut: Biz Break

Ice Age 4 Tracking $50M Opener, Studio Guesses Lower; Will Smith's Possible Directorial Debut: Biz Break

Also in Friday morning's round-up of news briefs, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone woo a Comic-Con crowd revealing some possible projects on the horizon. David Letterman meanwhile let's out a possible Dark Knight Rises spoiler (proceed with caution when reading) and finally Miguel Arteta boards a comic crime novel.
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Newswire || ||

Independence Day Getting 3-D Re-Release in 2013

Independence Day Getting 3-D Re-Release in 2013

In 1996, it arrived. Within a few days, it struck box office gold. And on July 3, 2013, it comes back...in 3-D! 20th Century Fox has announced plans to re-release Roland Emmerich's original destructo-blockbuster Independence Day next year in an extra dimension, because America apparently can't get enough of seeing Will Smith battle aliens. (Bad Boys in 3-D? Now that I'd pay to see.) Plan your 2013 '90s sci-fi flashback movie nights accordingly. [Collider]

Weekend Receipts || ||

Men in Black 3 Dethrones Avengers; Chernobyl Diaries Melts Down

Men in Black 3 Dethrones Avengers; Chernobyl Diaries Melts Down

The Memorial Day frame wasn't one quite worth remembering for Will Smith, who walked away with the holiday's biggest opening almost by default as The Avengers waned — not a lot, but enough — in its fourth weekend. Meanwhile, the week's other wide release suffered a catastrophic B.O. meltdown en route to sixth place overall. Your special holiday-edition Weekend Receipts are here.
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Review || ||

REVIEW: Josh Brolin Makes Men in Black 3 Matter — Almost

REVIEW: Josh Brolin Makes Men in Black 3 Matter — Almost

It would be very easy to show up here and report that Men in Black 3 has no reason to exist, that it’s just another threequel that didn’t have to be made. The truth is a little more complicated: Men in Black 3 — which was, like its two predecessors, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld — is neither as much fun as the first picture in the series nor as totally useless as the second. It has an actual story line, one that’s quite moving in places. And it features a bit of casting that’s pure genius. Men in Black 3 is almost good enough to make you care about its existence. And yet not quite.
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Interviews || ||

What Will Smith Learned From Star Wars, Rap Music, and Watching Dallas

Men in Black 3 - Will Smith (Getty Images)

This week marks the big screen return of Will Smith — Hollywood’s most bankable star — after a four year absence from acting, during which time the erstwhile Fresh Prince refocused his personal pursuit of happiness: namely, producing the burgeoning entertainment careers of kids Jaden and Willow Smith, while fine-tuning his own career. So where do you go when you’re already on top — or were, a few films ago? Back to the blockbuster well, if you’re Smith, whose Men in Black 3 headlines the latest step in a lifetime career plan that, he describes, began when he was just a kid himself.
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Watch This || ||

Hmm, Where Have We Seen Will Smith's Men in Black 3 Monocycle Before?

Men In Black III - monocycle

Sony has debuted a new chase scene from their upcoming sci-fi sequel Men in Black III, in which Will Smith and Josh Brolin (playing the young Tommy Lee Jones) hop onto a pair of newfangled high-tech monocycles to chase some alien perps. But where have we seen these super-speedy circular vehicles before? Mr. Garrison, take "It" away...
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Adventures in Marketing || ||

The 9 Most Offensively Stupid Parts of Pitbull’s Men in Black 3 Theme Song

Pitbull - Men in Black 3 (Getty Images)

As if you didn't already have enough reason to be afraid of the coming megabudgeted cash-in that is Men in Black 3, here comes the sequel's poppy theme song, courtesy of rapper Pitbull and not franchise star/Fresh Prince Will Smith. Oh, it gets worse: "My 19-year-old daughter turned me on to Pitbull," explained director Barry Sonnenfeld (via NME). "I'm thrilled that he wrote such a great song for our movie that totally gets it." If this monstrosity "totally gets it," we're all screwed. Hit the jump to listen and find out why.
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Newswire || ||

Here Comes the New Men in Black 3 Trailer (To Underwhelm You)

Here Comes the New Men in Black 3 Trailer (To Underwhelm You)

Sony's got quite the job ahead of them selling the mega-budgeted sequel Men in Black III, due in May, if the new trailer is any indication: See Will Smith drop lines like "I don't have no problem pimp-slapping the shiznit outta Andy Warhol" and be transported to a futuristic time-traveling retro '60s that looks and sounds a lot like the one Austin Powers came from. I guess the '90s are the new '80s, but this is just lazy.
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Deals || ||

Warner Bros. Somehow Planning Another I Am Legend for Will Smith

I Am Legend

At one point following the critical and commercial success of his 2007 post-apocalyptic blockbuster I Am Legend, director Francis Lawrence entertained the notion of coming back with star Will Smith for prequel, but eventually that possibility trailed off and Lawrence casted doubt onto his involvement with the potential project. But today Warner Bros. announced a deal with Akiva Goldsman and Overbrook Entertainment, who have tapped screenwriter Arash Amel to write a follow-up to the $584M hit. Whether or not it'll be a prequel or some sort of direct sequel is unknown, though it's reportedly being created for Smith. Let's speculate away: Just how WB can possibly pull off another installment?
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Lists || ||

From Brangelina to Bombs: STV's 10 Favorite Stories of 2011

From Brangelina to Bombs: STV's 10 Favorite Stories of 2011

I honestly have no idea where 2011 went. I vaguely remember what follows here. There might have been more. You tell me.

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Newswire || ||

Tarantino Wants Will Smith for Spaghetti Western Django Unchained

Tarantino Wants Will Smith for Spaghetti Western Django Unchained

Some might argue that one trip to the wild, wild West was enough for Will Smith. Quentin Tarantino is, it seems, not one of those people. According to a report which you should take with a generous heaping of salt, QT wants Smith for the lead in Django Unchained, his buzzed-about next film which may co-star Christoph Waltz and Sam Jackson. Cue the Stevie Wonder riff!

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