Fox Planning Extended ‘Avatar’ Re-release Later This Year

Even though ‘Avatar’ made a gazillion dollars worldwide, looks like Fox is not content and wants some more.

THR reports that Fox is considering bringing back ‘Avatar’ to theaters in the fall with an extended release that will incorporate some scenes that had to be cut in order to make its release date. Another reason is that theater owners are convinced that ‘Avatar’ had the potential to make considerable more bucks if it hadn’t been pushed out of cinemas to make way for ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

For some respective, ‘Avatar’ has made $2.6 billion globally to date. And they still need more.

Will you watch ‘Avatar’ in a possible re-release?

Quentin Tarantino Will Be Voicing A Character In ‘Smurfs’?

I’ll be the first to say that if one movie got insultingly subbed at the Oscars, it was ‘Inglourious Basterds’. More specifically, it was Quentin Tarantino who deserved all the glory but was denied of it. Well, looks like he’s moving on to something no one would have expected.

MTV News reports that actor Alan Cummings himself says that Tarantino has been cast in the big screen adaptation of ‘The Smurfs’. He will be playing Brainy Smurf in the film.

There’s no official confirmation but we tend to see the character as suited to Tarantino and it would be very fun to see him voice an animated character.

Hugo Weaving Cast As ‘Captain America’ Villain

While the drama is still on about who will play Captain America, looks like the upcoming Marvel project already has a nemesis.

HeatVision reports that Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, The Wolfman, LOTR) is in final negotiations to join the film as the villain Red Skull. Actually named Johann Shmidt, he is appointed by Adolf Hitler himself for dirty deeds. From Marvel itself:

“Hitler gave Schmidt an unique uniform with a grotesque red skull mask, and he emerged as the Red Skull. His role was the embodiment of Nazi intimidation, while Hitler could remain the popular leader of Germany. … He was spectacularly successful, wreaking havoc throughout Europe in the early stages of World War II. The propaganda effect was so great that the United States government decided to counter it by creating their own equivalent using the recipient of the lost Project Rebirth, Steve Rogers, Captain America. The two counterparts soon clashed in what would be a series of engagements throughout the war, ending with a final battle that left the Skull buried under the rubble of a bombed building. Because he was immediately exposed to an experimental gas there, he remained in suspended animation for decades. Johann was eventually rescued in modern times by the terrorist organization, HYDRA. The Skull quickly subverted a cell to his own ambitions of world conquest and the death of Captain America. “

No word as to who can play Captain America. Will it be John Krasinski (The Office)? Or Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy)? Or someone totally out of the blue? Keanu Reeves, maybe? (A stretch, I know).

Elizabeth Banks & Brett Ratner Join An Ensemble Cast For Untitled Sketch Comedy Film

‘Valentine’s Day’ proved that bringing together an ensemble cast for a movie can be a successful (at least commercially) endeavor. Now, looks like sketch comedy will follow.

Relativity Media announces that director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour), Peter Farrelly (There’s Something about Mary) and actress Elizabeth Banks (Role Models) has joined the cast of an untitled comedy film which will comprise of a number of sketches stringed together by a united storyline.

Want to know the rest of the cast? Here you go – Gerard Butler, Kieran Culkin, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Knoxville, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz, Liev Schreiber, Sean William Scott, Tony Shalhoub, Emma Stone, Matt Walsh, Patrick Warburton, Naomi Watts, and Kate Winslet.  More directors and actors are to be announced soon. Sketches have a larger chance of working than romantic cliches disguised in a romantic cliche of a movie. So let’s see how this one goes.

Full press release after the jump.

Read more

Final ‘Robin Hood’ Trailer Is So Much Better

One movie that had no kind of hype and looked as generic as possible was the upcoming Ridley Scott epic starring Russel Crowe – ‘Robin Hood’. The problem? It looked like a ‘Gladiator 2′. The solution by Universal? Releasing a trailer that highlights the story and what makes it so epic and unique. Here it is.

Oscar® winner Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as “Robin Hood,” whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.

Finally we get to see what it’s all about and Scott’s brilliant direction is highlight here. My only quip? The movie is rated PG-13. Gladiator was R Rated and so was Kingdom of Heaven and both were Scott’s best work. How violent and epic can your film be in the bounds of a PG-13? I’m really hoping the answer is ‘Lord of the Rings’ than ‘King Arthur’.

Full trailer below.

Read more