Matt Damon’s Directorial Debut

Following the footsteps of his Oscar winning (Best Original Screenplay, 1998) buddy, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon will soon try his chops with directing. He will be joining the league of actor-turned-directors with names like Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford and Mel Gibson, just to name a few.  The first project was suppose to be The Trade, starring himself and Ben Affleck in the lead roles, but that project has been shelved over legal matters. So, to start of his new career, he will direct Father Daughter Time: A Tale of Armed Robbery and Eskimo Kisses. Principal photography starts early next year, with John Krasinski (The Office) attached to the lead role.

In a interview with Vulture he says, “I am coming closer to a directorial thing, yes. I’ve got a few things that I really want to direct, and one I’m actually going to start at the first quarter of next year.” He then added “John Krasinski’s in it.” As for now, there is no studio attached to the project, but it is not hard for Matt Damon to convince any one. He still hold a lot of star power.

There is no official synopsis of the movie yet, but it is said to be a story of a father who goes on a cross-country crime spree with his daughter as his parter in crime. Seems to be a light hearted movie of sorts, filled with some family drama. If I could have a say, Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) would be fit for the role of the daughter. We will have more official news, once the details are confirmed.

Eminem back to silver screen?

First things first. Antonie Fuqua has officially left the Tupac Shakur biopic. The movie is stuck in development hell and there are no sign of any leads, as for now. But, the better news is that he is in talks to helm a boxing drama with Eminem in the lead role. Tentatively titled Southpaw the film centers on a left-handed welterweight (Eminem) whose rise to the title is riddled with numerous trials/tribulations. The movie is scripted by Kurt Sutter (Creator, Sons of Anarchy) and produced by Dreamworks. This would be Eminem’s first movie after 8 Mile (2002).

Exclusive treatment for Breaking Dawn: Part 1

This is one series people love to hate. But then again, it has a pretty big fan following. Most of them, girls. The ‘Team Edward’ versus ‘Team Jacob’ is one of the biggest highlights of the franchise and Summit Entertainment is cashing that cow with official merchandise and apparel.

The series is getting the Harry Potter treatment, that is, the last book of the franchise is split into two movies. Breaking Dawn: Part 1 is scheduled to release on November 18 2011 and Part 2 a year later on November 16., directed by Bill Condon.

On the eve of the MTV Movie Awards 2011 where The Twilight Sage:Eclipse swept the floor with five awards; Best Movie, Best Male Performance (Robert Pattison), Best Female Performance (Kristen Stewart), Best fight and lastly Best Kiss, the debut trailer for breaking Dawn Part 1 was revealed.

The trailer promised a lot when it was announced, and it delivers. Bella and Edward and tying the holy knot of matrimony, and Jacob is not happy about it, as always. There are a few intimate scenes between Bella and Edward that ends with a reveal proportionate to a cliffhanger. Jacob fans are treated with some sweets as well. The trailer is exclusively available for viewing on IMDB.

Do post your comments. We would love to know what you think. Epic or a dip!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes full length trailer

After the ill-fated Tim Burton remake of the classic franchise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a fresh reboot for the series . With the tagline ‘Evolution becomes revolution’ the movie acts as the origin story for the new franchise.

Rise of the Apes is a completely new take on one of 20th Century Fox’s most beloved and successful franchises. Oscar®-winning visual effects house Weta Digital – employing certain of the groundbreaking technologies developed for Avatar – will render, for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors.

Rise of the Apes is an origin story in the truest sense of the term. Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

The trailer is a mixed bag of sorts, but sets the right tone for the movie. It starts of with James Franco’s character, Dr. Will Rodman, finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and testing it on Apes. He explains how the cure could help millions as it allows the brain to heal itself. But, the drug has more potential than it seems. It increases brain activity, and the test chimp; Ceasar (convincingly played by Andy Serkis, Gollum), becomes more intelligent than the human subject. The big pharma shuts down the trail and cages Ceaser with other chimps. This is when the revolution starts. The second half of the trailer focus on the ‘Apes versus Humans’ as they start to take over the city. The action seems very focused and I would love to see how it pans out.

Set for release this August, the movie is directed by Rupart Wyatt (The Escapist). It stars James Fanco, Freida Pinto, Brain Cox and Andy Serkis.

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Bond 23 gets official release date

Empire confirms that Sony has set the release date for Bond 23 (working title), in UK, for October 26 2012. This is 2 weeks before the movie hits theatres State-side.

Oscar winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) will take the helm for the latest Bond outing, while Daniel Craig will portray James Bond and Judi Dench will reprise her role as M. Javier Bardem is reportedly linked for the role of the villain.

After a rough time with the money, the MGM produced flick will go on floor later this year. The trilogy, that started with Casino Royale, will come to its conclusion. There is still no news about the ‘Bond Girls’. Daniel Craig is contracted to star in two more movies after this installment.

A goodbye from Severus Snape

Goodbyes are never easy, especially when you have been playing a character on screen for a decade. Yes, it has been 10 years since the release of release of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. This summer sees the end of one of Hollywood’s biggest movie franchise with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.

For Alan Rickman, who portrays the elusive Severus Snape (Note: J.K. Rowling’s very first choice to play Snape), it has been a wonderful experience. He has seen his young cast members; Daniel Raddcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, nurture in front of his very eyes. For this, he transcribed an emotional letter to J.K. Rowling bidding farewell to the franchise and the character he so lovingly played.

Due for release on the 15th of July, the end is going to bring tears to millions of fans worldwide. Pre-book you tickets now!

Indie George

From Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning SIDEWAYS, set in Hawaii, THE DESCENDANTS is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki.  The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family’s land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.

Another Oscar buzz for George Clooney and for director Alexander Payne. The trailer sets up the emotional aspects of the movie and does not shy away from its dark humor. Co-starring are Beau Bridges (Stargate SG-1), Shailene Woodley (The Secret life of the American Teenager) and Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo). Read more

Debut trailer for David Fincher’s ‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’

David Fincher is back to his old ways. This movie is for ‘Se7en’ and ‘Fight Club’ fans; dark and cruel. The Swedish original was critically and commercially acclaimed, and made Noomi Repace an overnight star.

The teaser has no dialogue, just a montage of scenes, brilliant music (c0ver of Led Zeppelin’s The Immigrant Song) ; composed by the Oscar winning duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and a tagline that gives us the chills. The redband trailer has been circling the internet since Saturday, but this seems to be the first official trailer. The script was rewritten for the American remake, even though I don’t know what difference it makes. It borrows from the same book.

This is the first of the trilogy and there has been no news about the sequels. The film stars Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander and Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist. It is due for release this December.

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The Hobbit gets titles and confirmed release dates