Also in Thursday morning’s round-up of news briefs, DreamWorks Animation will lend its characters to a new theme park; director Joe Cornish is set to adapt a robot comic-book; James Cameron takes his mini 3-D camera to L.A.’s X Games and China cracks down even harder on internet movie and video content.
Darren Aronofsky Tweets a Noah Teaser
The Black Swan director tweeted what presumably looks like construction of the ark that carried all life forms to safety from the earthly flood. He said: I dreamt about this since I was 13. And now it’s a reality. Genesis 6:14 #noah: http://t.co/QLaIuqXh. The film is slated for release in Spring 2014.
Around the ‘net…
DreamWorks Animation Theme Park Heads to New Jersey
DreamWorks Animation will bring its movie characters to a planned in-door amusement park in the New Jersey Meadowlands, ten miles west of New York City, Deadline reports.
Fangirls Fuel Comic-Con Growth
Long lines of women camped out to get into the Twilight panel. The movie has increased attendance to around 40%, which has resulted in Hollywood sending over more femme-friendly fare, Variety reports.
Joe Cornish to Direct Graphic Novel Rust
Attack the Block director Joe Cornish is set to adapt Royden Lepp’s comic-book robot on the prairies story Rust for 20th Century Fox. Fox’s synopsis reads: “”Life on the Taylor family farm was difficult enough before Jet Jones crashes into the barn, chased by a giant decommissioned war robot!” The Guardian reports.
James Cameron Debuts Ultra-Mini 3-D Camera at X Games
Cameron used the camera in March when he explored the Mariana Trench and is now taking the device to ESPN’s X Games in Los Angeles, THR reports.
Internet Content Faces More…
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No one should be surprised anymore at these announcements, but: DreamWorks and Working Title Films are remaking Alfred Hitchcock’s Oscar-winning noir Rebecca, because nothing is sacred. At least they’ve got people at the wheel with respectable creds; veteran producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are onboard while Eastern Promises screenwriter Steven Knight is scripting based on Daphne du Maurier’s original 1938 novel, which saw a few deviations when Hitch made his version (which, incidentally, went on to be the only Best Picture Oscar-winner of his career).
The 1940 film, produced by David O. Selznick, starred Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier in the tale of a woman who finds her new husband and his servants still obsessed with his dead wife, whose memory haunts their home. It went on to garner 11 Oscar nominations.
A lofty bar, to be sure, but “Rebecca from the makers of Eastern Promises and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (not to mention just about every Coen brothers movie)” already sounds way more promising than “To Catch a Thief by the guys who made xXx,” no?
• DreamWorks to remake Hitchcock’s ‘Rebecca’ [Variety]
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Madonna may have set female directors back a few decades with W.E., her Venice Film Festival premiere that has been deemed “comically bad,” “silly” and pretty much all-around awful. Fear not though, ladies: There is another female filmmaker who is making giant strides for her gender at the box office. In fact, her film crossed the $650 million mark worldwide recently, making her the director with the highest-grossing film among female helmers. Can you guess the new record holder?
If you guessed Kung Fu Panda 2’s first-time director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, you are correct. In honor of this achievement, DreamWorks Animation circulated a press release today.
“On behalf of everyone at the studio, it is my pleasure to congratulate Jen on having reached this awesome milestone on Kung Fu Panda 2 — a particularly notable achievement given that this was her directorial debut,” said DreamWorks Animation’s Chief Creative Officer, Bill Damaschke.
“I am humbled and happy that audiences around the world continue to respond to the story and characters in Kung Fu Panda 2. No animated movie gets made without a huge team of people so I want to offer my sincere thanks and shared congratulations to all of the talented and inspiring artists who worked with me on the movie,” added Nelson.
This means that Nelson is now ranked above Phyllida Lloyd (whose Mamma Mia grossed $609.8 million worldwide), Vicky Jenson (whose Shrek grossed $484.4 million) and Catherine Hardwicke (whose Twilight grossed $392.6 million worldwide). Congratulations!
· DreamWorks Animation’s Jennifer Yuh Nelson Becomes the Highest-Grossing Female Director of a Film [MarketWatch.com]
Full Story »While we patiently wait out the remaining month and a half until Craig Gillespie’s 3-D Fright Night hits theaters, DreamWorks has graciously delivered an apéritif of the horror comedy in the form of four blood-stained international character posters. The most entertaining of which is Colin Farrell’s, who playfully nibbles on a cross while offering his sexiest vampire come-hither look to passersby.
For the rest of the character posters, click through to Coming Soon. Fright Night swoops into theaters on Aug. 12.
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Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in the wake of Kung Fu Panda 2’s disappointing box office performance, DreamWorks Animation head Jeffrey Katzenberg had some choice words for those other studios that have dropped the ball on 3-D theatrical releases. “We’re not the problem,” he said, pointing non-specifically to competing 3-D releases that have turned audiences off the 3-D viewing experience, ruining it for everyone. So, who is?
Every studio who’s been forcing 3-D upon their films to turn a profit, apparently. See, moviegoers aren’t the only ones complaining about the sub-par 3-D experience; Katzenberg, like his fellow forward-thinking compatriots, still believes in the future of 3-D — good 3-D.
But poorly executed post-converted 3-D movies — like, say, everyone’s favorite post-conversion punching bag, Clash of the Titans — have taught audiences the hard way that paying extra for 3-D isn’t worth the dim, sub-par picture quality.
“I think 3D is right smack in the middle of its terrible twos. We have disappointed our audience multiple times now, and because of that I think there is genuine distrust — whereas a year and a half ago, there was genuine excitement, enthusiasm and reward for the first group of 3D films that actually delivered a quality experience. Now that’s been seriously undermined.”
Not that DreamWorks is doing any undermining. “We have made five films now in 3D and have built this amazing reservoir of knowledge and tools. Nobody else has made five 3D movies back to back. You can see the quality of the experience increasing with every film.”
Also, higher ticket prices aren’t to blame. If every 3-D movie delivered a worthy viewing experience, Katzenberg says, more people would shell…
Full Story »Viola Davis (the Tony winner and Oscar nominee) and Bryce Dallas Howard (the gorgeous redhead who dares to have three boy names) look like they’re concealing a silent grudge match in new stills from the upcoming Dreamworks adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling book, The Help. The trailer goes up later this afternoon, but in the meantime, let’s stare at socioeconomically provocative pics of these two stars, along with Emma Stone and Octavia Spencer.
The Help hits theaters on Aug. 12th.
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Earlier today, Steven Spielberg announced that Sally Field will star opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, the DreamWorks biopic of the 16th president of the United States. This is exciting news for everyone including Spielberg, who remarked, “[Field] has always been my first choice to portray all the fragility and complexity that was Mary Todd Lincoln.” Lest anyone doubt that Spielberg’s “Team Field” sentiment is authentic, let’s rewind the clock to four years ago, when the director was first championing the Oscar winner for the juicy role.
Back in 2007, THR made the very same announcement — except instead of Field joining Daniel Day-Lewis, she was set to co-star opposite Liam Neeson:
Sally Field, who raised the flag on behalf of wartime mothers in her bleeped-out Emmy acceptance speech, could just be warming up.
The recent best actress Emmy winner (ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters) is attached to play Mary Todd Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s long-gestating biopic “Lincoln.” The troubled Mrs. Lincoln bore the president four sons, only two of which survived into adulthood.
So yeah, years after she was originally cast in Spielberg’s “long-gestating biopic,” Field is still miraculously attached to Spielberg’s now extraordinarily long-gestating biopic. (Maybe original co-star Neeson was a deal-breaker until an equally satisfying actor was found to fill Lincoln’s beard?) Anyways. Congratulations! Again!
· Sally Field Joins Steven Spielberg’s Abraham Lincoln Film [Deadline]
· Sally Field is Spielberg’s new first lady [THR]
