The Hitlist Movies Blog

Is a 'Toy Story 3' Screenwriter Going to Rewrite 'Catching Fire'?

Michael Arndt also won an Oscar for 'Little Miss Sunshine'

By Kate Erbland May 6, 2012 10:27PM

While the cast of the first sequel to "The Hunger Games" will stay the same, not much else will. Based on Suzanne Collins' second book in her series, we've known for weeks that "Catching Fire" will not be directed by Gary Ross, who helmed the first film, and now the script might be getting a re-write from someone previously unconnected to the series.

THR reports that Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt is in talks to come on board to rewrite the script for "Catching Fire." The first draft has been penned by Simon Beaufoy, who has most notably written "Slumdog Millionaire" and "127 Hours." For fans of the Collins' series, those credits don't quite recommend Beaufoy for the job, as his resume is seriously lacking action creds, which will prove essential to much of the film. But Arndt is a weird choice, too, having penned just two films - "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Toy Story 3." That's far from the gritty, atmospheric work that "Catching Fire" demands. While newly signed director Francis Lawrence has some action jobs to his name - including "Constantine" and "I Am Legend" - his attachment isn't yet something to get too excited about.

If Arndt does take the job, he'll need to churn out his work quickly - "Catching Fire" is reportedly shooting later this summer so that it can open in November of next year.

After the break, check out the official synopsis for the book, which could potentially hold spoilers for those who have not read "The Hunger Games" yet or seen Ross' film.

Laurence Fishburne and Bill Paxton star in this thrilling story of survival

By MSN Movies 49 minutes ago

Years ago, winter came and never went away. Beneath the surface of an ice-covered world, survivors in Colony Seven struggle to keep their fragile society from collapsing as food dwindles and temperatures drop. Already plagued by illness and internal conflict, the colonists suspect the worst when they lose contact with the only other known settlement. A small group decide to go on a dangerous expedition to discover what happened and what they find is worse than they could have ever imagined. Now the fight for survival really begins.

Bing: More on Laurence Fishburne

See these exclusive photos from "The Colony" opening in theaters August 23.

'Sin City 2' delayed until next year

But nobody has any idea why

By Corwin Neuse 11 hours ago

Here's some sad and/or indifferent news. According to Coming Soon, Robert Rodriguez's upcoming "Sin City" has been delayed from this fall until August of next year. Why? Well, probably because the movie's not finished yet, but maybe the glut of superhero movies this year also had something to do with it?

Bing: 'Sin City 2' | Robert Rodriguez

When (if?) "Sin City 2" finally comes out, fans will be able to catch up on the adventures of Dwight (?) or whomever. Stars Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, and Rosario Dawson will return, along with Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, and Ray Liota. So at least the sequel's got all that going for it. Thing is, the world at large wasn't exactly clamoring for a "Sin City" sequel as it was; this delay could, potentially, snuff out any remaining interest in the franchise.

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Check out the first trailer for 'The Lego Movie'

And... it's not heinously awful!

By Corwin Neuse 11 hours ago

When we first heard that they were making a "Lego" movie, we thought that it was some sort (very) poorly timed April Fool's joke. And/or a "Producers"-like scheme to bilk money out of unsuspecting investors, since a "Lego" movie is too obviously preposterous to actually be real. But lo, today brings us the film's first trailer, courtesy of ENTV. And—unlike certain other franchises based upon cheap plastic children's playthings, we're looking at you, "Transformers"—at least this one has a sense of humor.

Bing: 'The Lego Movie' | Chris Pratt

Not to mention a killer voice cast. The film will star Chris Pratt as the mysterious MasterBuilder, who has to save the world from an evil genius who intends to glue everything together, or something. Also featured in the cast? Morgan Freeman, apparently, plus Will Arnett as Batman (!), Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, and Liam Neeson. And we have no idea which one of them will be voicing the Ninja Turtles. Intrigued yet?

Check out the trailer, posted after the break, then let us know what you think in the comments, or tell us on MSN Movies Facebook and Twitter.

Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels still attached to long-awaited sequel

By Corwin Neuse 12 hours ago

According to Deadline, that long-awaited "Dumb and Dumber" sequel—recently put into turn-around by original studio Warner Brothers—has found a new home at Universal. Production is expected to proceed quickly, as stars Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey have other undoubtedly less-important but unfortunately unavoidable projects looming on their schedules. Like HBO's "The Newsroom" and some stupid bank heist movie with Owen Wilson.

Bing: 'Dumb and Dumber To' | Jeff Daniels

Of course, auteurs Peter and Bobby Farrelly will be back in their original capacities as well, directing from a script they rewrote. No word as yet as to who else might be co-starring in the comedy, or what the plot might be, outside of that it'll once again find Harry and Lloyd taking to the road. And will presumably involve peeing, farting, pooping, and other various bodily functions and/or annoying sounds.

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Videodrone New Release: 'Stoker'

An eerie American thriller from the Korean director of 'Oldboy'

By SeanAx 21 hours ago

"Stoker" (Fox) - Hollywood is always drafting new talent from abroad, especially from thriving cinema cultures. From Mexico, we received an injection of new blood thanks to Guillermo Del Toro, Alfonso Cauron, and Alejandro González Iñárritu. Back in the nineties, it was the Hong Kong action stars on both sides of the camera, from Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat to John Woo and Corey Yuen.

For the past few years, South Korea has been leading the Asian wave of hit action movies, horror films, and thrillers and Hollywood has once again taken notice. 2013 marks the respective American debuts of three top South Korean directors: Kim Jee-woon ("The Good, the Bad, the Weird," "I Saw the Devil"), who made the Arnold Schwarzenegger come-back film "The Last Stand" (released earlier this year on disc and reviewed here); Bong Joon-ho ("The Host"), whose end-of-the-world thriller "Snowpiercer" is due for release later this year; and Park Chan-wook ("Oldboy," "Thirst"), director of "Stoker," a film that doesn't fit within the usual genre parameters.

I like to think of "Stoker" as a vampire movie without a vampire. At least not in the mythic sense of the term. Mia Wasikowska is dreamy and uneasy as India Stoker, a teenage girl who is preternaturally attuned to the world and disconnected from the kids around her. Matthew Goode is creepily calm and seductive as the uncle she never even knew existed until he arrives for a funeral and stays on in the family manor (he is her Uncle Charlie, in fact, an offhanded reference to Hitchcock's take on another dark uncle-niece relationship). Nicole Kidman is dizzy and disconnected as her weak and ineffectual mother. She seems to want to be there for her daughter, but she hardly seems present in the world at all.

Continue reading at Videodrone

Two more 'Amazing Spider-Man' sequels coming

'Spidey 3' and '4' expected in 2016 and 2018, respectively

By Corwin Neuse Mon 8:46 PM

This is not completely unexpected, but call it a mixed bag anyway. While "The Amazing Spider-Man" certainly has its legions of fans, just as many people seemed put-off by the film's quick turnaround; rebooting such a successful franchise so soon after its last film reeked of crass, cynical calculation. Others just want the "Spidey" franchise to fail, so that its rights revert back to Marvel, so that we might see Spider-Man in "The Avengers 3." However, that potentially is looking increasingly unlikely after today's news, courtesy of Deadline, that Sony is prepping two further "Spider-Man" sequels, currently scheduled or 2016 and 2018.

The fractured nature of Marvel's cinematic universe still leaves somewhat to be desired. "X-Men," "Spider-Man," and "The Avengers"—and, to a lesser extent, "Fantastic 4"—all belong to rival studios, meaning... Well, meaning that, outside of video games, we'll probably never see Marvel's entire roster together on-screen. On the other hand, given "Man Of Steel's" recent success, the likelihood of us seeing Batman and Superman on-screen together sometime near future has skyrocketed. Not that Marvel fanboys and -girls want to hear that.

Loki out of 'Avengers 2?'

'Thor: The Dark World' may be the villain's swan song

By Corwin Neuse Mon 8:30 PM

In an interview with Empire magazine, 'Avengers' auteur Joss Whedon let slip that Loki, at least, will not be appearing in "The Avengers 2." Which means Tom Hiddleston's deliciously villainous character is only guaranteed to pop up again in this fall's "Thor: The Dark World." And that he might be the only Marvel character not scheduled to appear in the next superhero team-up movie, especially considering the pace that the film is adding new characters. Recent examples: Scarlett Witch and the X-Man Quicksilver.

Bing: Joss Whedon | Quicksilver

So, yes, while audiences won't have another Loki-Hulk showdown (throw-down?) to look forward to, we're sure Whedon has similar unexpected treats in store for the sequel. What do you think, Hitlisters? What battle would you like to see in the sequel? We've already seen pretty much every variation of hero vs. hero... Could the Hulk wind up fighting corrupt politicians? Corporate greed? Outsourcing? Global warming? Or maybe just Thanos, the world-destroyer? As always, let us know in the comments, or tell us on MSN Movies Facebook and Twitter.

'Kung Fu Panda 3' nears production start

Cartoon comedy aims for a December 2015 release

By Corwin Neuse Mon 8:13 PM

Good news, Jack Black fans! And/or fans of enjoyably dumb action films, cartoon violence, and cuddly panda bears. According to The Hollywood Reporter, DreamWorks Animation will aim to start production on "Kung Fu Panda 3" sometime late this summer, with the intention of having the 3D flick out in time for the holidays in 2015. The hotly? indifferently? anticipated sequel had previously been scheduled for a 2016 release.

Bing: 'Kung Fu Panda 3' | Jack Black

Like many other recent releases, "Kung Fu Panda 3" will be co-produced in China, allowing DreamWorks to circumvent the Chinese government's otherwise rather tight restrictions on imported films appearing in their cinemas. (See also: "Iron Man 3.") With the Chinese film market expected to surpass that of the United States as the world's largest sometime in the next decade, it seems safe to expect more and more films to follow such patterns in the future. At least for the "Panda" franchise, such a move doesn't seem completely mercenary, given its subject matter. Unlike, say, "Iron Man 3," which didn't really have anything to do with China.

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