‘Gears Of War’ Movie Closer To Becoming A Reality

Posted on April 30, 2013 by VENOM

Gears Of War Movie Closer To Becoming A Reality

The hordes of “Gears of War” fans who have clamored for a big-screen adaptation have something to celebrate today, besides a really sweet head stomp. After years of uncertainty, the “Gears of War” movie is back on track with producer Scott Stuber.

Variety reports that after an intense bidding war for the rights to the mega-popular Xbox franchise, Stuber, who recently produced “Ted” and “Batteship,” walked away as the victor.

With a major studio producer backing the adaptation, “Gears of Wars” is closer to becoming a reality than any time since 2007.

‘Ratchet & Clank’ Movie Might Actually Please Gamers

Posted on April 23, 2013 by VENOM

Ratchet & Clank Movie Might Actually Please Gamers

You can add another title to the growing list of video game adaptations in the works. Variety is reporting that the producer of the animated movie “Escape from Planet Earth” is developing an animated “Ratchet & Clank” film based on the platformer from Insomniac Games for release in early 2015.

While news of yet another video game movie is not earth-shattering, the “Ratchet & Clank” film is falling more in-line with what we’ve seen from the recent wave of film adaptations. As Variety reported, TJ Fixman is writing the script for “Ratchet & Clank,” a fan-pleasing choice considering that he’s a senior writer at Insomniac. What made the series so popular in the first place was, obviously, the gameplay, but also the sense of humor that both characters had.

Two of the most high-profile video game adaptations come out of the game publisher, Ubisoft. Michael Fassbender is producing an “Assassin’s Creed” movie, while Tom Hardy is set to star in “Splinter Cell.” With “Assassin’s Creed” in particular, the studio has insisted on maintaining some creative control over the adaptation, in part to please fans who crave continuity and also to avoid the debacle that was “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.”

So for now it seems that fans of “Ratchet & Clank” can rest easy. Their favorite characters are in safe hands.

Are you excited for a “Ratchet & Clank” movie? What do you think about the writer choice? Is this something other video game movies should try? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

Bane Or Bond Baddie: Who’s Best Villain At MTV Movie Awards?

Posted on April 11, 2013 by VENOM

Tom Hardy and Javier Bardem face off against a rogues gallery of bad guys at Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards.

By Kevin P. Sullivan

Tom Hardy as Bane in “Dark Knight Rises”

Photo: Warner Bros/EW

‘Escape From New York’ Shortlist Includes Tom Hardy, Jason Statham

Posted on March 27, 2013 by VENOM

Escape From New York Shortlist Includes Tom Hardy, Jason Statham

We might not be too thrilled about producer Joel Silver and Studio Canal##Q##s upcoming remake of “Escape from New York,” but we can get behind the actors they##Q##re looking at for it.

The New York Daily News reports that Jason Statham and Tom Hardy are the top two choices for the upcoming movie. They have taken over those spots from former favorites Gerard Butler and Jeremy Renner now that the “Escape from New York” reboot has renewed life.

“Jason is the type of actor who has the physical attributes and screen presence to reprise Snake. He has a proven track record as a leading man and would do a great job,” a “Hollywood insider” told the Daily News. The source added, “Tom was immense in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and deserves to get a break in a top role. This could put him firmly in the A-list.”

According to this report, the plan is to get one of the two men locked down by the summer. Though there##Q##s no news of when production on this project could start, it assumedly would be after that point in time.

The plan for the “Escape from New York” movie would to have it be the first in an upcoming film trilogy. The first film would be an origin story that is allegedly going to be similar to “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” Yes, really.

Would you like to see either of these two men star in the “Escape from New York” reboot? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Batman And Bane To Climb ‘Everest’ In Dueling Projects

Posted on February 19, 2013 by VENOM

Batman And Bane To Climb Everest In Dueling Projects

By Tara Fowler

Were you disappointed by the ending of “The Dark Knight Rises”? Did the showdown between Batman and Bane fail to live up to your expectations? Well never fear because Christian Bale and Tom Hardy will face off again — only this time they’ll meet on the top of the world’s tallest mountain.

Deadline reports that the Caped Crusader himself is in negotiations to star in Universal’s “Everest.” The film centers on the real-life story of three failed May 1996 expeditions that resulted in the deaths of eight climbers after they were hit by a sudden blizzard. The Mount Everest disaster, as it is known, was documented in detail by Jon Krakauer, a journalist who was a member of one of the expeditions and who later published the bestseller “Into Thin Air.” The movie will be based in part on his book, as well as other source materials and interviews with the survivors.

What’s especially interesting about this project, however, is that this is not the only movie about Mount Everest in development. In fact, it’s not even the only movie titled “Everest.” Sony Pictures is currently working on another “Everest,” this one an adaptation of Jeffrey Archer’s “Paths of Glory: Everest.” The book tells the story of George Mallory, the English climber who attempted to scale the mountain three separate times, only to disappear on his third try. His fate remained a mystery until his body was found 75 years later by another expedition. But most interesting of all? Hardy is attached to star in this project as Mallory.

Hmm, two Batman rivals for two “Everest” movies — What’s on that mountain that’s so important? We’re betting the League of Shadows.

Which film are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

‘Harry Potter’ Director Reportedly Swinging To ‘Tarzan’ Next

Posted on November 7, 2012 by VENOM

Warner Bros.’ upcoming remake of “Tarzan” earned a lot of exciting attention when it was announced back in June. At the time, both “Harry Potter” helmer David Yates and “The Hunger Games” director Gary Ross were considering tackling the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs story, and it seems like one of them has finally emerged victorious.

Vulture is reporting that Yates committed to direct “Tarzan” on Monday, and that he’s already looking for his leading man. This will be Yates’ first non-”Harry Potter” movie since he directed “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” back in 2007.

It seems as though Warner Bros. and Yates have gone through the list of eligible leading men in Hollywood who aren’t currently attached to other major projects right now to try to find their Tarzan. Vulture writes that Henry Cavill, Charlie Hunnam, Alexander Skarsgard and Tom Hardy are all being courted for the role. Of them, we’d have to say that Cavill most perfectly fits the look, but his involvement here would likely mean that Warner Bros. isn’t planning a “Man of Steel” sequel any time soon.

The last time Tarzan took to the screen in a big way was in the 1999 animated Disney movie of the same name. This live-action project has been something that’s in the works for a while, and we’re interested to see the tone it ends up taking. Also, how can we not be interested when an array of actors like that could be involved?

Do you think Yates will do a good job tackling “Tarzan”? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Tags david yates, tarzan

‘Jack Ryan’ Starts Production: Our Hopes, Dreams, And Fears

Posted on September 19, 2012 by VENOM

“Jack Ryan,” the newest adventure of Tom Clancy‘s signature hero, officially started production, and while we have high hopes for star Chris Pine and director/villain Kenneth Branaugh, there are also a few nagging fears that have us wondering how this will all play out.

These are our Hopes, Dreams, and Fears for “Jack Ryan.”

Hopes
It wasn’t that long ago that Tom Clancy was responsible for some of Hollywood’s best and most popular thrillers, but in the decade since “The Sum of All Fears,” the author’s movie presence has been sorely missed. If handedly intelligently (and this is where we thank our lucky stars for Kenneth Branaugh), “Jack Ryan” could help set off a string of strong Clancy adaptations. We’ve had to sit through too many bland thrillers in recent years to stomach anything short of Clancy’s best.

Dreams
Rumors have already begun to make the rounds on the web that “Jack Ryan” will kick off a series of interconnected Clancy adaptations, with “Without Remorse” coming next, which supposedly has Tom Hardy circling the role of John Clark. It’s not hard to notice that this plan is not unlike how Marvel handled their heroes. By that model, Tom Hardy should lock up his “Without Remorse” role while “Jack Ryan” is still filming and make a cameo, but that’s just us letting our imaginations run wild.

Fears
In short: “This Means War.”

This summer has shown studios that you can’t get the same mileage out of a bland action movie the way you used to, and there are few established action heroes that potentially lend themselves to generic reshaping like Jack Ryan. I mean, just look at his name. Tom Clancy‘s heroes have always had the edge and the complex psyche most big budget films stay away from, so here’s a chance to break the mold and give us a Chris Pine CIA movie that we deserve.

What are you hoping for from “Jack Ryan”? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

Tags chris pine, Jack Ryan, Tom Hardy

‘Possession’ Scares Off ‘Lawless,’ ‘Expendables 2′ At Weekend Box Office

Posted on September 3, 2012 by VENOM

“The Possession” fended off “Lawless” and two-time champion “The Expendables 2″ to become the #1 movie in America, but the story most likely to go down in box office lore surrounds the weekend’s biggest loser.

Earlier this year, “The Avengers” set the all-time opening-weekend record at the box office. And now, as Marvel’s superhero team-up passed the $1.5 billion mark worldwide, 2012 saw a new record for lowest opening weekend for a wide release, courtesy of “The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure.” Labor Day weekend is generally soft, but the $448,000 collected by the children’s movie from 2,160 theaters was exceptionally bad. “Oogieloves” averaged just $207 per theater. Previous “worst debut in wide release” record-holder, “Diego,” made $511,920 four years ago.

Speaking of per-screen averages and box-office records, “2016: Obama’s America” expanded from 1,091 to 1,747 theaters over the weekend but saw its per-theater average drop 51 percent. The conservative documentary has made $18.2 million and should soon become the second-biggest political documentary ever, right behind Michael Moore‘s 2004 election-year anti-George W. Bush polemic, “Fahrenheit 9/11.” Despite an expected bump from the Republican National Convention, the $5.1 million weekend total was only enough to place “2016″ at #9.

Some box-office experts had rightly predicted a win for “The Possession,” the low-budget horror flick from producer Sam Raimi and his Ghost House Productions team, whose credits include “The Grudge.” The supernatural scare picture collected an estimated $17.7 million during its first three days in theaters. Lionsgate spent just $14 million on the picture. The studio had the #1 movie for two weeks in a row with “The Expendables 2″ (now #3 with $8.8 million toward a $66.1 million total) and reigned for four weeks with “The Hunger Games.”

“Lawless” did better than some prognosticators expected, bringing in $9.6 million in its 2,888-theater debut. The Prohibition-era drama stars Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain and Shia LaBeouf, who recently told MTV News that moonshine is “the quickest drunk.”

Jeremy Renner‘s first turn heading up the “Bourne” franchise, “The Bourne Legacy,” came in fourth with $7.2 million. “Legacy” should cross the $100 million mark later this week. That still trails the series’ lowest-grossing entry, “The Bourne Identity,” which made $121 million.

“ParaNorman” was the #5 movie over the weekend, dropping 24 percent in its second weekend with $6.55 million for a $38 million gross.

‘Lawless’ Star Shia LaBeouf Calls Moonshine ‘The Quickest Drunk’

Posted on August 31, 2012 by VENOM

In addition to being all about blood and violence, John Hillcoat’s Prohibition-era drama “Lawless” is also all about the booze and three brothers’ bootlegging of said booze — moonshine, to be specific.

When MTV News caught up with stars Shia LaBeouf and Jessica Chastain recently, they revealed whether they become fans of the potent spirit.

“No, not a fan of moonshine,” LaBeouf said, hinting that he’d had some experience with it, but that those days are behind him. “Listen, there was a time I was full bore. Now, it’s not my thing. I wouldn’t go to moonshine … It’s rough, man, really rough,” he emphasized. “Rough in that it’s the quickest drunk you’ve ever experienced — 10 seconds and you’re gone.”

Speaking of rough, LaBeouf and his co-star Tom Hardy were so into the spirit of playing up the familiar, teasing aspects of actually being siblings, that the two got into a little on-set scuffle during filming.

“That wasn’t moonshine-related at all,” LaBeouf said about the incident. “That was just straight love. There was a lot of love on set in general, there was a lot of aggression in me and a lot of aggression on [Hardy's] side. We were playing brothers, there was a constant finger-in-the-ear [teasing] thing going on for a while, for a while. [My character] Jack is dealing with that.

“I didn’t have to conjure anything on this set, I just had to look around. This was part of that,” he explained. “My thing with him, my girlfriend happened to be on the set that day which creates a vulnerability, and it was just the wrong day. [But] it was all love. I love the dude like a brother, straight up.”

Check out everything we’ve got on “Lawless.”

Shia LaBeouf’s ‘Lawless’ Set Scuffle With Tom Hardy Was ‘All Love’

Posted on August 30, 2012 by VENOM

From the first casting announcements to its release, there has been a lot of buzz about “Lawless,” John Hillcoat‘s boozy and bloody Prohibition-era drama starring Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jessica Chastain and Gary Oldman. The film is based on Matt Bondurant‘s 2008 book “The Wettest County in the World” and tells the real-life story of three Moonshine bootlegger brothers played by Hardy, LaBeouf and Jason Clarke.

And despite LaBeouf’s recent admission that he felt a little left out from the fun being had by Hardy and Chastain, the cast genuinely seems to have forged a realistic familial bond, which included a brief on-set scuffle between LaBeouf and his onscreen brother Hardy.

“That wasn’t moonshine-related at all,” LaBeouf said when asked to clear up the rumors about the two actors coming to blows on set. “That was straight love. There was a lot of love on that set in general. There was a lot of aggression in me and a lot of aggression on [Hardy's] side. We were playing brothers. There was a constant finger-in-the-ear [teasing] thing going on for a while.”

So their scuffle was a brotherly love-type scuffle?

“Oh, it was all love. I love the dude like a brother, straight up,” LaBeouf said. “I think the man’s a genius. I think he’s incredible. He’s fun to work around — he was almost a mascot on the set. He and Guy Pearce were playing these [outlandish characters]. Sometimes you would question how tangible what they were doing was and then you’d see six scenes and you’d go, ‘Yes,’ but it takes six [scenes]. When I first saw Guy come to set I thought, ‘Woah. What are we doing here, what is going on?’ And then you see six scenes and it makes sense.”