Posts Tagged ‘Universal Studios’
Posted by Movies Unlimited in Featured Columns, Movies, Movies Unlimited on February 8th, 2010
Monsterfans everywhere are salivating over the upcoming release of The Wolfman, Universal’s big-budget remake of their 1941 classic. Can they live up to the malevolent mastery of the original? With all this excitement in the air, it’s only natural that Ghouly Irv would get all sentimental over the hairy horror gems he’s mooned over in the past. Join him in the crypt for a creepy celebration:
Posted by Jesse in Latest News, Movies on January 26th, 2010
Latino Review reported, and The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed, that Sam Worthington is in talks to play Dracula for Universal, in Alex Proyas’ upcoming Dracula: Year Zero.
The fate of Year Zero is in flux right along with every other tentpole the Big U is considering for 2011. According to the Latino Review’s source:
…Universal has been stagnant since they got sold to that Cable company Comcast. They haven’t been allowed to go to the toilet without a permission slip. And now they realize they need to make 8 big films for 2011. You see it takes at least a year to make a moving picture- and they don’t have enough for next year.
So there are 14 possible films with 8 needed. And they need to figure out what the freak they are doing quickly.
Each of the possible 14 are ready to go with scripts and directors. Some of them you know and some of them you don’t…
As Avatar cruises past Titanic’s box office milestones, Worthington’s casting would bump the project up considerably. Worthington will next be seen in Warner Brothers’ Clash of the Titans, opening March 26.
Posted by Jesse in Latest News, Movies on January 13th, 2010
Spoiler TV has gotten the scoop on character descriptions for Universal’s upcoming (should be shooting in March) prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 version of the The Thing.
The currently untitled film, to directed by Matthijs Van Heijningen, from a script by Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica) and Eric Heisserer (the upcoming A Nightmare on Elm Street remake), would follow the Norwegian expedition that first unearthed the space-borne shapeshifter in Carpenter’s version.
Both films are based on the original 1951 Howard Hawks/Christian Nyby classic The Thing From Another World, itself based on the 1938 novella Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, Jr.
Posted by Jesse in Latest News, Movies on December 15th, 2009
Variety is reporting that Carl Rinsch, director of February’s forthcoming remake of George Romero’s The Crazies, is in talks with Universal to direct the studios’ long gestating remake of the 1954 classic Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Recently Breck Eisner (Sahara) had been attached to helm the project, but left earlier this year.
Gary Ross (of Seabiscuit and Pleasantville) wrote previous drafts of the project. Fans will no doubt know that Gary Ross is in fact the son of Arthur Ross, one of the co-writers of the original Creature from the Black Lagoon (along with Maurice Zimm and Harry Essex).
Rinsch is currently next directing 47 Ronin, also for Universal, a samurai-adventure pic to star Keanu Reeves.
Universal is eager to continue resurrecting their classic monsters, the Black Lagoon remake would fall into place behind U’s The Wolfman, starring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving, out in theaters February 2010. The studio is also in talks with Guillermo Del Toro to spearhead a new Frankenstein project.
The original Creature, released in 3-D in 1954, told the story of a scientific expedition that journeys down the Amazon River and discovers the Gill Man, a missing link between marine and terrestrial life. As the group of scientists (led by genre stalwarts Richard Carlson and Richard Denning) tries to capture the beast, it falls for the beautiful Kay (Julie Adams), in classic Beauty and the Beast fashion.
Creature from the Black Lagoon was produced by Mercury Theatre veteran William Alland, who would become Universal’s resident sci-fi producer. It was directed by Jack Arnold, and was his second sci-fi picture (after he and Alland’s debut success It Came From Outer Space). Arnold would go on to helm some of the ’50’s most beloved genre titles, including Tarantula and The Incredible Shrinking Man.
The Gill Man became an instant pop-culture phenomenon, spawning two sequels (1955’s Revenge of the Creature and 1056’s The Creature Walks Among Us) and the character was even featured prominently in Billy Wilder’s classic sex comedy The Seven Year Itch, starring Marilyn Monroe.
Posted by dominie in Movies on July 9th, 2009
We have another exciting announcement. In September 2009 comes the release of Universal Studio Monsters: A Legacy of Horror by Michael Mallory and foreword by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Van Helsing). The beautiful hardcover features 252 pages of insight into the creation of some of Universal Studios’ most coveted horror filims such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, The Wolfman and many more. This lavish photographic volume is the most concise and complete record of the horror films produced by Universal Studios and the ultimate resource for cinephiles and horror fans. Don’t miss your chance to reserve a copy today! Full press release below.
Photo courtesy of Universal Studios: Monsters by Michael Mallory, Universe, 2009.
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Posted by Danielle in Events, Movies on June 8th, 2009
When it comes to Universal Studios in Hollywood, it’s never too early to discuss plans for Halloween. With this year’s September/October Horror Nights, there’s good news and bad news.
Unfortunately, Universal didn’t renew their New Line license. This means no Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th mazes this year. However, according to Bloody-disgusting, Horror Nights will be welcoming Jigsaw and Michael Myers as they’ve signed licensing agreements for Saw and Halloween mazes. Stay with FM for details and updates on the annual event’s top-secret third maze!
Curious about Universal’s Horror Nights? Take a look here.
Posted by dominie in Latest News, Movies on November 20th, 2008
Tremors: The Thunder From Down Under, the 5th installment of the Tremors franchise looks to be happening soon reports Cinemablend. The movie will likely follow in the route of its previous installments, debuting as a direct-to-DVD title from Universal Home Entertainment. The news is still awaiting confirmation and no names have been attached just yet.
Fans may cry up a storm if this news proves true. Universal is under rumors to be moving Joe Johnston’s The Wolfman starring Benicio del Toro from its April 2009 date to some time in the fall. At the San Diego Comic-Con, fans celebrated the studio’s option to take the piece back to the old fashion gothic horror approach with make-up artist extraordinaire Rick Baker. Stayed tuned for updates as they come in.
Posted by dominie in Latest News, Movies on November 8th, 2008
DreamWorks is in the process of acquiring the English language remake rights to Chan Wook-Park’s 2003 Korean Film Oldboy reports Variety. Universal Studios will distribute under this deal with Steven Spielberg to direct and Will Smith in early talks to star as the kidnapped man.
The original movie is hands down incredible. The story tells of “a man [who] gets kidnapped and held in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. Suddenly, he’s released and given money, a cell phone and clothes and is set on a path to discover who destroyed his life so he can take revenge.”
I don’t feel a remake is necessary, but Hollywood’s already got their mind on it. Spielberg is currently in search of a screenwriter to begin developing Oldboy while he finishes directing Tintin. At the very least, this will open more folks to the original movie.
Posted by dominie in Latest News, Movies on September 12th, 2008
Variety reported that Universal Studios has sealed the deal to mount their next Sid and Marty Krofft feature. The studio has acquired writer-producer Dana Gould of The Simpsons to pen the live-action film based on the Krofft brothers’1970’s kidshow Sigmund and the Sea Monsters.
Sigmund will be the studio’s third movie treatment for the Krofft brothers. The first being Land of the Lost (budgeted at $100 million) which stars Will Ferrell now delayed for release until June 2009, and the second is a live-action H.R. Pufnstuff currently in pre-production with director Conrad Vernon (Shrek 2) in talks to helm the film. Similar to the first two features, the Krofft brothers will produce the project alongside Jimmy Miller under his Mosaic banner.
For those unfamiliar with Sigmund, the original kidshow ran Saturday mornings on NBC from 1973-1975 about a timid sea monster whose nasty brothers disowned him for not wanting to scare humans. Forced to leave his home, Sigmund (Billy Barty) is befriended by two boys Johnny and Scott Stuart (Family Affair’s Johnny Whitaker and Scott Kolden) who hide him in their clubhouse. Their friendship grows in this on-going tale that spanned 29 episodes in two seasons and became a hit rerun choice on local TV stations for the remainder of the decade.
The growing interest on these current properties leaves high hopes for owners Sid and Marty who told Variety they would love to see their remaining properties (Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, Lidsville, The Bugaloos, Dr. Shrinker, Bigfoot and Wildboy, and Wonderbug) originated as well.
Posted by dominie in Events, Latest News, Movies on September 12th, 2008
When Warners Bros. shifted Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from its November release date to July next summer, other competing studios didn’t hesitate to realign their current outlooks, steering clear of the wizard’s wand.
Among the shifters is (THR reports) Universal Studios, who’s bumped their $100 million budget Will Ferrell action fantasy Land of the Lost (set in a land of dinosaurs and myriad other magical creatures) up from July 17 to now June 5, and bounced its Fast and Furious (the fourth installment to The Fast and the Furious franchise) release back from June 5 to June 12.
The studio is confident that Land of the Lost has found a safe haven for a summer 2009 release. At present there is no other competition slated for a June release, and studio execs are not concerned that a back-to-back release of their two features would inhibit sales as the target audiences for the two films are sufficiently distinct.
Land of the Lost is based on one of many classic children’s TV series created by Sid and Marty Krofft (currently producing features H.R. Pufnstuff and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters), about a family trapped in a world inhabited by dinosaurs, cavemen and other bizarre insectoid/humanoid reptilian creatures. As they focus on surviving and finding a way home, their exploration of the exotic land is the force behind the kidshow hit. Director Brad Silberling (Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events) directed the feature film, which just wrapped production this summer. Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies), Danny R. McBride (Tropic Thunder), and Jorma Taccone (TV’s Saturday Night Live) also star.
Posted by dominie in Movies on August 28th, 2008
In July 2007, Variety announced Universal’s new origins tale about Vlad the Impaler titled Dracula: Year Zero with Alex Proyas (Dark City, I, Robot, The Crow) to direct and Michael De Luca producing. The film will be a new take on the legend of Dracula, showing Vlad when he was still vital. Scribes Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless are hoping to downplay the monster depicted in the classic Bram Stoker novel, and instead play on sympathy for Vlade’s character, who was actually considered a hero in Romania when he sold his soul to the Devil to save his kingdom and family. In this story of tragedy and love, can Dracula really be considered the hero?
Production is taking place at Universal Studios, rightfully, as it is the home of the monsters and MTV caught up with Proyas for the details. We now bring you the highlights:
Without revealing too much, Proyas tells MTV that the new take on Dracula: Year Zero is “a sort of the origin tale that mixes [the historical] Prince Vlad of Transylvania with sort of [fictionalized] Bram Stoker [take].”
Regarding vampire mythos, he ensures us there will be stakes, teeth, and blood. “Oh, you’ve got to have teeth… I mean, the teeth are really important. I think Frank Langella in the Dracula movie that was made in the 70s, I think he didn’t want to have teeth in the movie. But, no, I like the teeth. I want to see girls with a lot of teeth.” Regarding garlic, he said “I think the garlic thing is kind of weird,” but would not disclose on any transformations into a bat.
Posted by dominie in Movies on August 25th, 2008
Direct from Universal, Ain’t It Cool News has just received information that Oscar nominated and Grammy and Emmy award winner songwriter Danny Elfman will join The Wolfman crew to produce scores for the remake of the1941 classic horror, coming to theaters April 3rd 2009.
Elfman’s impressive filmography includes scores from many of Tim Burton’s films such as The Corpse Bride (2005), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) where he played the voice of Jack Skellington, and Burton’s 1989 Batman, for which he won an Academy Award. Other works include The Simpsons, Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Sleepy Hollow (1999), the Spider-Man series, Ang Lee’s Hulk (2003), and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008).
As discussed previously, The Wolfman remake, directed by Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, Jumanji, Jurassic Park III), will star Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving. Again, the new production is hugely reminiscent of the original film’s intention, opting for a vintage horror rather than splurging on purely gore and CGI like the common horror/slasher flicks we have become so accustomed to.
With this in mind, Elfman’s artistic ability to play on our emotions coupled with Rick Baker’s special makeup effects, seems to be the perfect combination that will surely bring forth the heartrending truth behind the apparent blood-lusting beast.
