Parallel Universe

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Director jumps from one iconic sci-fi franchise to another

By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse Jan 24, 2013 4:07PM
J.J. Abrams
LucasFilm and its owner Disney have reportedly decided on a director for the new "Star Wars" movie, and it's J.J. Abrams.

According to The Wrap, Abrams beat out Ben Affleck for the job, for which names like Brad Bird ("Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol"), Guillermo Del Toro ("Pacific Rim") and David Fincher ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo") have also been mentioned.


"Star Wars: Episode VII" will be the first new film in the franchise since 2005's "Revenge of the Sith," the last of three prequels directed by series creator George Lucas.

It will also be the first since Lucas sold his company last year to Disney in a surprise deal that stunned fans everywhere, who thought that the "Star Wars" saga was finished theatrically.

Related: J.J. Abrams grants 'Star Trek' fan's dying wish

If Abrams is confirmed as the director, that means he'll be jumping from one iconic sci-fi property to another: he's just finishing up "Star Trek Into Darkness," his second film in that rebooted franchise, for a May 17 release through Paramount.

Abrams and his Bad Robot company are also behind numerous genre properties on the big and small screens, including "Lost," the just-concluded "Fringe," "Revolution," "Super 8" and others.

It was just in November that Abrams was asked if he'd be interested in directing a new "Star Wars" film. Although admitting he'd been approached, he said that as a fan, the prospect was almost too intimidating for him to take on.

It's unclear if his involvement with "Star Wars" will hamper his ability to direct a third "Star Trek" film, which will presumably get underway if "Into Darkness" is as big a hit as 2009's "Star Trek."

No one at Disney or LucasFilm has officially commented on this report yet. "Star Wars - Episode VII" is tentatively scheduled to arrive in the summer of 2015.
 

'Scream 4' star signs on for more terror

By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse 2 hours ago
Emma Roberts
The third season of "American Horror Story" has added Emma Roberts to its ever-expanding cast. Roberts is set to play what TV Line called "a self-involved party girl by the name of Madison."


Roberts is no stranger to the horror genre, having appeared in "Scream 4" for director Wes Craven. That movie's lack of success didn't exactly lead to "Scream 5" getting off the ground, but Roberts must have a feel for the genre since she's joining creator Ryan Murphy's nightmarish FX program.

The actual title for season 3 is "American Horror Story: Coven" and the cast now includes series regulars Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe, Frances Conroy, Taissa Farmiga and Evan Peters (Roberts' real-life boyfriend), along with newcomers Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Patti LuPone and Gabourey Sidibe.

As you might guess from that title, the new season will almost certainly have something to do with witches, and reports say that the show will begin shooting in New Orleans this summer. 

"American Horror Story: Coven" premieres on FX in October.

What do you think of Emma Roberts joining the cast of "American Horror Story"? Tell us on our MSN TV Facebook page and on Twitter.


Follow Don Kaye on Twitter @donkaye.

 

Find out how human pilots drive those massive robots

By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse 6 hours ago
Warner Bros. Pictures
A new "Pacific Rim" featurette has been posted online in which director Guillermo Del Toro and members of the cast lay out the meaning of what the movie calls "The Drift."


Basically, the towering robots known as Jaegers, constructed to defend the Earth against the equally gigantic kaiju monsters from another dimension, are driven by human pilots whose minds and bodies are linked directly to the machines. But because the sheer size and power of the Jaegers can essentially burn out someone's brain, each robot requires two pilots.

Those two pilots, however, must also be mentally linked as well. The space in which their two minds meld -- where one cannot hide anything from the other, including memories -- is called "The Drift."

We'll let Del Toro and his cast elaborate further in the video below, which also contains plenty of epic footage from this jumbo-sized sci-fi epic. 

"Pacific Rim" is out in theaters Friday, July 12.

For more movie news, follow MSN Movies on Facebook and Twitter.


 

In honor of 'Fast & Furious 6,' horror/sci-fi on the road

By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse 6 hours ago
Warner Bros. Pictures
Somewhat improbably, "Fast & Furious 6" comes out later this week and is sure to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer, if not the year. But why is this improbable? Because after "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" in 2006, the street-racing franchise seemed to be veering off the road and into the ditch. But it began to reinvent itself with "Fast & Furious" in 2009 and "Fast Five" in 2011, evolving into a high-octane crime-action series with an escalating series of stunts involving speed, vehicles and explosions, not always in that order.


"Fast & Furious 6" promises to be the most spectacular and insane of the bunch, so we'd like to offer up a little tribute with this list of horror and sci-fi movies on wheels (and let's be honest, we'd like some of that "Fast and Furious" Web traffic, too). Hop on board and come with us for the ride ...

"Duel" (1971): This early Steven Spielberg thriller was made for television but was later expanded for theatrical release in Europe. Dennis Weaver plays a traveling salesman who is caught in a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a massive tanker and its unseen driver, who seems intent on running Weaver to his death. Based on a story by Richard Matheson, this gripping and lean shocker will keep you watching the rear view mirror the next time you're on a lonely road.

"Horror Express" (1972): We're going to jump briefly from cars and trucks to trains for this Spanish-British production that put Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Telly Savalas on the Trans-Siberian Express with an ancient frozen ape creature that is actually the hiding place of an alien entity from another galaxy. By the time it starts turning everyone on the speeding locomotive into zombies, you'll be hooked by this wild, over-the-top horror/sci-fi/runaway train mashup.

"Death Race 2000" (1975): Roger Corman produced this now-classic sci-fi satire, set in a future fascist America where the annual Transcontinental Road Race provides the ultimate in violent reality TV to keep the masses distracted. The more pedestrians you kill, the more points you acquire. Crashes and chases ensue -- and all of it seems eerily plausible these days.

"Race With the Devil" (1975): Two couples accidentally stumble upon a satanic ritual and are pursued in their RV across Texas by the cult. Peter Fonda and Warren Oates are the menfolk, Loretta Swit and Lara Parker are the ladies, and the movie builds a decent amount of tension while also delivering some knockout chase scenes.

"The Car" (1977):
Notice how a lot of these movies are from the '70s, when films based around autos were very popular? "The Car" is as simple as it gets: A black Lincoln Continental begins laying waste to the citizens of a small Utah town. Why? It's possessed by a demon, silly. James Brolin plays the lawman tasked with stopping the infernal machine. Look for future "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" sisters Kyle and Kim Richards as his daughters.

"Damnation Alley" (1977): This cheesy post-apocalyptic film was based loosely on a novel by sci-fi great Roger Zelazny and follows four men as they travel in 12-wheeled Landmasters across "Damnation Alley," the devastated heartland of what was once America that is now populated by freakish weather and giant mutated insects. The Landmasters almost outshine the actors -- Jan-Michael Vincent, George Peppard, Paul Winfield and others -- in one of two sci-fi films released in 1977 by 20th Century Fox. This one was supposed to be the hit. The other? "Star Wars."

"Mad Max" (1979) and "The Road Warrior" (1981): Australian director George Miller delivered some of the finest action sequences of their time in these brilliant first two entries in the "Mad Max" trilogy, starring a young Mel Gibson as a cop who lives through the collapse of society to become a near-mythic hero. The slamming automobile action in "Mad Max" paved the way for the climactic extended chase in the second film, surely one of the greatest in modern cinema.

"Maximum Overdrive" (1986): When the director -- who happened to be Stephen King -- calls his own picture a "moron movie," you know you're in for either a painful sit or an enjoyably bad time. Sadly, "Maximum Overdrive," which first-time (and only-time) director King based on his short story "Trucks," leans closer to the former. The idea of trucks, cars and other vehicles and machines coming to life and coming for us is a fun one, but King just sends it all into the ditch.

"Drive Angry" (2011):
Car-chase movies with a supernatural or sci-fi slant dropped off the pop culture radar for a long time, but director Patrick Lussier and star Nicolas Cage tried to bring them back with this 3-D exercise, which does feature some well-staged automobile action but an ultimately dull story. Cage does the same loony schtick he's been doing for the past decade, while William Fichtner races off with the picture as the demonic Accountant.

"Fast and Furious 6" is out in theaters Friday, May 24.

For more on movies, follow MSN Movies on Facebook and Twitter.


Across the Universe is a weekly 5-part column written by Don Kaye. Follow him on Twitter @donkaye.

 

Be prepared for moments between Plutarch and President Snow

By Myriam Gabriel-Pollock 8 hours ago

During a Stella Artois-sponsored media event at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, "Catching Fire" director Francis Lawrence revealed that the film, while keeping very faithful to the book, will also feature some entirely new scenes:

"Lots of new stuff—new cast members, new action, a new arena and a fantastic story. There's very little that's been taken out—there's some additional scenes with some of the characters," says Lawrence, who specifically mentions new moments between Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and President Snow (Donald Sutherland).

Could the still image shown above be from one of the scenes?

Bing: More about 'Catching Fire' | More about Francis Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence has revealed, when asked about how "Catching Fire" compares to "The Hunger Games," that, "Visually, it's a lot bigger this time. We get a little deeper into The Capitol as Katniss is trying to get her life back together."

As the book is written from Katniss' perspective, we only see The Capitol as she does. We'd definitely be fascinated to see more of what goes on behind President Snow's closed doors.

"Catching Fire" is out in theaters Friday, November 22.

Check out MSN Movies on Facebook or Twitter.

For more "Hunger Games" news, like the The Hunger Games on Facebook.



 

Kryptonian fight comes to Earth in spectacular new footage

By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse 18 hours ago
Warner Bros. Pictures
There's a new "Man of Steel" trailer out, this time focusing on the quest by the villainous General Zod to find Superman.


Superman/Kal-El (Henry Cavill) wasn't the only survivor of the destruction of his home planet, Krypton. Zod (Michael Shannon) and others have also managed to live, and in this trailer the general lays down an ultimatum: Superman must turn himself over, or Earth will face the consequences.

As you can see from the 90 seconds of awesomeness below, Superman doesn't go down without a fight. While previous trailers have played up the emotional side of Superman's story -- and have done so quite effectively -- this new one gives us a taste of the kind of large-scale action Superman fans have been wanting for years. And heat vision!

Zack Snyder is behind the camera, while joining Cavill and Shannon in front of it are Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue and more. 23 days to go ... and we can't wait.

"Man of Steel" is out in theaters Friday, June 14.

What do you think of the new "Man of Steel" trailer?  Tell us on our MSN Movies Facebook page and on Twitter.


 

That's what series star Sam Neill says

By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse Tue 4:14 PM
Universal
New Zealand actor Sam Neill, who played Dr. Alan Grant in the original "Jurassic Park" and in "Jurassic Park 3," doesn't think he'll be appearing in "Jurassic Park 4." And his reason for saying so seems a little ... strange.


In an interview with New Zealand's Dominion Post (via Comic Book Movie), Neill was asked about whether he would show up in the fourth movie about dinosaurs in the modern world and responded that it wasn't likely, adding: "I'm told it's a big reboot, a total re-jig."

We think Neill might be mixing up his terms slightly. When we think of a "reboot" these days, we tend to see that as a relaunch of a series or storyline from scratch, with different casts and creative personnel, and perhaps even going back in time to events unexplored in previous films -- think "Batman Begins" or "X-Men: First Class."

We doubt that "Jurassic Park 4" will take us back to, say, how the dinosaurs were originally cloned and how John Hammond built his island theme park. Nor will it retell the events of the first movie. We suspect, however, that the movie will feature all-new characters and situations that no longer involve Grant or Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm or anyone else from the first three pictures.

Of course, all this is moot right now anyway, since production on "Jurassic Park 4," which was originally slated for release next summer, is on hold for the moment with no new release date confirmed.

Do you think "Jurassic Park 4" needs Sam Neill (or Jeff Goldblum or Laura Dern) in the cast? Or is time for new faces and perhaps an entirely different direction? Tell us what you think at MSN Movies on Facebook and Twitter.
 

Matt Smith, Steven Moffat also set to return

By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse Tue 3:13 PM
BBC America
Following this past Saturday's (May 18) Season 7 finale, the BBC has announced -- to no one's great surprise -- that the modern incarnation of "Doctor Who" will be back for an eighth set of shows in 2014.


Although the British press loves to speculate endlessly over whether the current season is the last for whoever is playing the Doctor at the moment, Matt Smith will be back for Season 8 as the Doctor, with showrunner and head writer Steven Moffat also returning as well.

Of course, the current season isn't truly over, especially since the finale, "The Name of the Doctor," raised some potentially universe-rattling questions. November 23rd will see the premiere of the "Doctor Who" 50th anniversary special, which will bring Smith's Doctor and current companion Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) together with previous Doctor David Tennant and his first, beloved companion Rose (Billie Piper). John Hurt as a much-theorized-about mystery guest and Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart (from the episode "The Power of Three") are also on board for the special.

Airing around the same period will be "An Adventure in Space and Time," an original BBC movie about the launch of "Doctor Who" back in 1963, and then in December we'll get the usual Christmas special.

So if you're already jonesing for more of the Doctor after this season came to its close, don't worry -- there's more on the way six months from now, and then a whole new set of Smith/Moffat shows next year. 


Tell us what you thought about this season of "Doctor Who" on our MSN TV Facebook page and on Twitter.


Follow Don Kaye on Twitter @donkaye.

 

Odds favor 'Doctor Strange' and 'Hulk' movies

By DonKaye_ParallelUniverse Tue 2:59 PM
Marvel
Well, Marvel Studios' Phase Two is off to a gargantuan start: "Iron Man 3" has just passed the $1 billion mark in worldwide ticket sales after less than a month in theaters, and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Coming off the $1.5 billion haul for last year's "The Avengers," that's one hell of an impressive start for the next round of movies set in the universe created by the comic book juggernaut.

Bing: More on Marvel Studios | Bing: More on 'Iron Man 3'

We already know what lies ahead for the rest of Phase Two: "Thor: The Dark World" arrives in November, followed next April by "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and in August 2014 by the weirdest, most cosmic new addition, "Guardians of the Galaxy." Those, of course, will all lead up to "The Avengers 2" in May 2015, for which writer-director Joss Whedon has already confirmed the addition of mutant brother-sister act Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch to the roster. But what happens after that presumably takes in its billion-plus box-office earnings?

Next comes Phase Three, and plans for that have been, until now, mostly murky. But Marvel president Kevin Feige, the public face of the studio, just gave an extensive interview to EW.com in which he discussed a number of potential candidates for Phase Three movies and gave some better chances of making the schedule than others. So let's take a look at the possibilities and lay our own odds on which heroes, villains and otherworldly beings could be blasting onto movie screens in 2015, 2016 and 2017:

Marvel
Ant-Man: Not only is this a done deal, but it's even got a release date of Nov. 6, 2015. Good thing too, since an "Ant-Man" movie has been in the works for seven years. Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead") will direct and has been revising the script, which centers on a scientist who can shrink himself down to the size of the titular insect. In comics canon, Ant-Man was Dr. Hank Pym, who along with wife Janet (aka The Wasp) was a founding member of the Avengers. Is it possible we'll meet Pym first in "The Avengers 2"? Neither Feige nor Whedon has said anything to that effect, but we bet the option is there. Odds: none. The movie's on.
Marvel
Doctor Strange: This fan favorite (and on our personal wish list as well) also seems to be a high priority for Feige, who told EW that he "would love Strange" to be part of Phase Three. A recent script does sit in Marvel's vault, but there's no word yet on whether that screenplay will be used or who, if anyone, the studio has in mind to either star or direct. For the uninitiated, Dr. Stephen Strange -- created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1963 -- is a former neurosurgeon who becomes the Sorcerer Supreme, protector of Earth from all threats of a magical or mystical nature. The Ditko-drawn comics at their peak were truly psychedelic and surreal, a characteristic we'd love to see in a movie that could be one of Marvel's trippiest. Odds: 2 to 1
Marvel
The Hulk: With Mark Ruffalo nearly stealing the show as Bruce Banner/the Hulk in "The Avengers" -- no mean feat when you're sharing the screen with Robert Downey Jr. -- a third standalone Hulk movie seems like a given. But does the Hulk really work best in a team situation? Or could Ruffalo's interpretation be the one that can finally carry its own movie? If Banner is as popular in "The Avengers 2" as he was in the first one, you could probably win a few bucks by betting on a "Hulk 3" to show up in 2017. Odds: 5 to 1
Marvel
Black Panther: Introduced in 1966, the leader of the African nation of Wakanda (and no relation to the militant group of the same name) was the world's first black superhero -- yet T'Challa has been unable to find his way to the big screen. There have been persistent rumors that we'll either see him in his own movie at some point, or perhaps introduced in "The Avengers 2" (the "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." TV series is also a possibility), but the character has such a loyal following that we're fairly certain he'll show up sooner or later. And he should: All the black characters we've seen so far in the Marvel Studios movies -- Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Don Cheadle and Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes and Idris Elba as Heimdall -- have been supporting ones. The time is right for a superhero of color to step up front and center. Odds: 7 to 1
Marvel
The Inhumans: As EW points out, this family of space-faring heroes was at one point competing with the Guardians of the Galaxy for a Phase Two slot. We know how that turned out, but there's still a chance that the Inhumans could find their place in Phase Three, especially since Feige is apparently a huge fan. Who are they? Created in 1965 by Lee and the legendary Jack Kirby, the Inhuman Royal Family (their best-known iteration) actually started life eons ago as primitive humans -- until alien experimentation changed them dramatically and exposure to the mutating Terrigen Mists altered them even further, bestowing many of them with superpowers. Led by Black Bolt, who can level cities with his voice, they've interacted with many Earthbound and galactic heroes and villains -- including, not coincidentally, the Avengers. Odds: 12 to 1
Marvel
Namor the Sub-Mariner: OK, Feige didn't actually talk with EW about this character, one of Marvel's oldest (he debuted in 1939, before the company actually existed) and most complex anti-heroes. Namor is the son of a human seaman and an Atlantean princess, and he eventually becomes king of the underwater kingdom, alternately finding himself opposing or aligned with the human race on the surface at various points in his long history. Namor has been part of the Avengers, the Defenders, the Invaders and even the X-Men at one time or another -- and has often fought against all of them as well. A movie was once underway through Universal in 2006, but the rights have since reverted to Marvel and nothing else has been heard. Odds: 40 to 1

And then there are the wayward children who have recently come home: the rights to "Daredevil," "Ghost Rider," "Punisher" and "Blade" have all reverted to Marvel from the studios that owned them previously. But don't expect to see any of them -- even Blade, the vampire hunter whose hit 1997 movie arguably launched the current wave of comic book movies -- back on the big screen in the near future.

Why? Because with the exception of Blade, none of these characters have truly caught on with the public. The first "Ghost Rider" and "Daredevil" were modest hits despite being widely regarded as lousy movies, while the second "Ghost Rider" and the "Punisher" films have been almost complete write-offs in both quality and commercial success. No one's asking for a new movie about Ghost Rider, and we suspect it will be a long time before anyone is.

Plus, there's only so much room in Phase Three, unless Marvel expands beyond its current pace of two films a year. With "Ant-Man" locked in and, say, "Doctor Strange" or "The Inhumans" making their debut, Feige and company still have to figure out where to put a "Thor 3" or a "Captain America 3" or, depending on how current negotiations go with Robert Downey Jr., an "Iron Man 4." This is a quality problem, one that will keep the Marvel brain trust up nights and the rest of us speculating madly until Phase Three is officially unveiled at Comic-Con 2015.

Which characters would you like to see Marvel tackle in Phase Three? Tell us on our MSN Movies Facebook page and on Twitter.

Across the Universe is a weekly 5-part column written by Don Kaye. Follow him on Twitter @donkaye.
 
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