I'm personally very supportive of the idea of a prequel, because I loved I Am Legend and with the same creative people leading the team this time (Smith and Lawrence), I'm expecting to see something just as good. I agree with Collider in that this sounds like a great idea. "Imagine a big road movie with a few characters having to fight their way somewhere and then returning and having to protect the last city." It's kind of a twisted way of telling the story of Robert Neville - we've already seen how it all ends and how he dies, but now we get to see the story about him becoming the last man alive. And if that's what we're going to see, then I'm definitely excited. Hopefully it doesn't take too long to get into production. Thoughts?
Columbia Pictures is back in the dojo with a new version of the 1984 hit "The Karate Kid", which has been refashioned as a star vehicle for Jaden Smith.The film will be produced by Jerry Weintraub (who launched the original franchise) and Overbrook Entertainment's James Lassiter, Will Smith and Ken Stovitz. Will Smith, who is the 10-year-old actor's father, co-starred alongside Jaden in his feature debut, "The Pursuit of Happyness," which Overbrook and Escape Artists produced for Columbia.
The script is being written by Chris Murphy, and the film will shoot next year in Beijing and other cities. While the new film will be set in that exotic locale, it will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor.
China Film Group Corp. will co-produce in China.
The younger Smith, who next stars in "The Day the Earth Stood Still," is a martial arts practitioner.
Columbia presidents Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach said they had been trying to find a way to bring back the series, which began with three films that featured Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. A subsequent film launched the career of Hilary Swank.
Watch the new trailer for :
Academy Award nominee Will Smith reunites with the directors and producers of The Pursuit of Happyness for the emotional drama Seven Pounds. In the film, Smith plays Ben Thomas, an IRS agent with a fateful secret who embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.
Seven Pounds is directed by Italian filmmaker Gabriele Muccino, of One Last Kiss, Remember Me My Love, and The Pursuit of Happyness previously. The original screenplay was penned by newcomer Grant Nieporte. Sony is releasing Seven Pounds in theaters on December 19th this holiday season.
In my mind, this is some pretty cool news. I definitely count Legend among the better movies in my collection, due equally to the storyline and Smith's performance. The abandoned shots of New York City and the genre-bending monsters is simply some kickass subject matter. If Lawrence can take us back a bit and color in the events and virus that led up the 2007 film, that will be fantastic. He feels pretty confident that Smith will return as Dr. Robert Neville, as well, which pretty much completes the financial equation. Smith seems assured box office gold, evidenced recently by the $380+ million worldwide earned on Hancock already, despite a lacking 38% on Rotten Tomatoes.It seems Lawrence and crew might even have a head start on particular aspects of the prequel, given their build-up to the first movie. "In the prequel, it's slightly different because it's earlier. We were three years later so we did a lot of research into the way nature would have sort of overtaken the city, with the cracks in the streets and the weeds." And even though the director brushes off the concern, I'd still be crazy worried about shutting down parts of one of the busiest cities in the world; that feat, after all, is big part of what makes Legend so compelling. "The first time you got out there and shut down 6th Avenue, it's like, 'How are we going to do this day after day after day?' but by the end, it's just like you know how to do it. You got the P.A.'s who know how to shut it down, how to let the traffic through in between set-ups and you just sort of get the routine down, so that's not the issue."
We'll definitely keep an eye on this project and bring you the latest developments. However, as with my circle of friends, I've encountered really mixed opinions of I Am Legend. Are you interested in a prequel?
Source:Shock Till You Drop, FirstShowing.net
Universal's "Hellboy II: The Golden Army", directed by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, grossed an estimated $13.8 million from 3,204 runs on Friday to win the day on the strength of males and an aggressive marketing campaign.
The critically acclaimed “Golden Army,” which should win the weekend and open north of $30 million, outpaced the $8.6 million earned by del Toro’s 2004 “Hellboy” on its first Friday.
At the other end of the spectrum, Eddie Murphy’s family comedy “Meet Dave” couldn’t rally much interest at all, grossing an estimated $1.7 million from 3,011 runs for New Regency and 20th Century Fox. It’s the worst debut for a Murphy pic since the ill-fated “Adventures of Pluto Nash,” which grossed $727,870 on its opening day in 2002. “Meet Dave” placed No. 7 on Friday.
The weekend’s third new wide release, New Line and Walden Media’s family action-adventure “Journey to the Center of the Earth” in 3-D did a pleasant $6.7 million from 2,390 screens, of which 854 are digital 3-D screens. “Journey,” released by Warner Bros.,placed No. 3 for the day behind “Hellboy” and Sony holdover “Hancock.”
Interestingly, both “Hellboy” and “Meet Dave” received the same CinemaScore—a B. “Journey” did better, earning an A-.
Will Smith tentpole “Hancock” declined just 44% in its second Friday to an estimated $10.4 million from 3,965 runs for a cume of roughly $142.4 million.
Disney-Pixar’s “Wall-E” continued to play well, grossing an estimated $5.6 million on Friday for a cume of nearly $150 million, or $149.9 million.
Columbia Pictures has revealed the full new trailer for Will Smith's superhero action-comedy Hancock, opening in theaters on July 2. Directed by Peter Berg, the film co-stars Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman.
