Michael Myers Mask from Rob Zombie's H2

The photo comes from Zombie's own MySpace blog, where he mentions that make-up artist Wayne Toth is "back on the case working the greatest Michael ever." The photo at the top is from Zombie's original Halloween to reference any changes. It doesn't look like that much of a modification, but then again, I'm not a big Halloween fan so I'm not able to pick out all the minor differences.

Note: While it doesn't officially say that this is only a maquette, I'm guessing that this is just an early sculpt of the mask and that it obviously won't be orange and it will have hair in the end. Thoughts?

Rob Zombie is both writing and directing H2: Halloween 2 which is already slated for release on August 28th later this year. Are there enough fans of Rob Zombie's reboot to keep this franchise going? And those of you that are hardcore Halloween fans — what do you think of this new mask? Good or bad?

Cameron talks Avatar on CBC

James Cameron made an appearance on the Canadian talk show "The Hour" for a brief interview (you can watch the video below) and obviously talks about how challenging the post-production work is on the film. By the time we get to the December 18th release date next year, he'll have been working in post-production for over two years on Avatar. Not only is that an impressive feat on its own, but Cameron compares it to "trench warfare."

"We finished with the actors…. We're just in this kind of CG hell - trying to create a world from scratch," Cameron explains. "It's like trench warfare. We're working with computer-generated characters that we want to be photorealistic. Its been tough. We've set the bar high. We're just now getting the confidence that it's really going to work." Like Kevin Smith, I really love hearing Cameron talk about almost anything, because he's an absolute genius. Not only is he a great filmmaker, but he's brilliant with cinematic technology, too. While this is obviously grueling work that has "consumed all [his] life," Cameron admits that "its been simultaneously the hardest and the most rewarding film project" he's even worked on.

For the sake of comparison, Cameron throws out this statistic. In Terminator 2, there were 42 CG shots with characters, while in Avatar there are over 1700. They're "of creatures, and characters, and this whole world, an entire alien rainforest and ecosystem." I'm personally very excited for Avatar. But I'm also worried that those who aren't necessarily die-hard James Cameron fans are getting a bit tired of hearing about all this CG content in Avatar over and over. Not only are they concerned that this much CGI might hurt the film, but it's hard to get excited without actually seeing any photos or imagery at all.

Watch the complete interview with James Cameron on "The Hour" below. It's great to watch if you're a Cameron fan, otherwise stick with the quotes we've provided above.

So They Are Making a Live-Action Smurfs Movie!

Earlier this year we posted what were supposedly the first shots of early CGI designs for a Smurfs movie. After some nasty e-mails from people involved, it turns out that the photos had nothing to do with any movies. Alas, here we are four months later confirming news that there is actually a Smurfs movie now officially in the works at Sony. J. David Stem and David Weiss, who wrote the last two Shrek films, are in negotiations to write the screenplay. Producer Jordan Kerner actually secured the rights in 2002 and has been developing it at Paramount, however Sony has separately decided to get it into production as a hybrid live-action feature. I wonder if that post earlier this year had anything to do with it?

This will mark Sony Pictures Animation's first hybrid film, which is a live-action blend of CGI characters and real actors, as was seen with Alvin and the Chipmunks last year. Given the success of that film (an enormous $217 million at the box office), Sony decided that there was definite potential to turn the Smurfs into a similar kind of family film. "The Smurfs are one of the best-known franchises, and among the most beloved collection of characters in the world," Columbia co-president Doug Belgrad said. "We're very excited to introduce a new generation to Papa Smurf, Smurfette and the other smurftastic Smurfs in all of their 'three-apple-tall' glory."

The Smurfs, or Les Schtroumpfs as they were originally called in French, first appeared in October 1958 in the Belgian comic magazine Spirou. They were created by the Brussels-born cartoonist Pierre Culliford - better known as Peyo - and were originally mere supporting cast in his medieval Johan and Pirlouit series. (via Time) Hanna-Barbera later produced a very successful animated TV show featuring the Smurfs that aired from 1981 to 1989 for around 256 episodes.

Initially I was open to the idea of a Smurfs movie, primariy because I am very curious to see how it would turn out and I once enjoyed the TV show. However, now that I know this is being made like Alvin and the Chipmunks, I'm really no longer excited. I admit that I never even saw Alvin and the Chipmunks, but that's because I was turned off at the animation to begin with and thought it was way too childish. I would have much preferred a normal CGI version of the Smurfs. We'll see how this eventually turns out, but right now all the signs point to this being awful. I know it'll be a huge hit at the box office with the kids, but I'll pass. Does a live-action Smurfs sounds exciting to you?

The Dragonball Scans Continue

DBtheMovie has posted more magazine scans of characters from 20th Century Fox's upcoming Dragonball movie, opening in theaters on April 10, 2009. Included are photos of Justin Chatwin as Goku, Emmy Rossum as Bulma, Chow Yun-Fat as Master Roshi, Joon Park as Yamcha and Jamie Chung as Chi-Chi. They come from the July 7th issue of Japan's Roadshow magazine.

You can view the scans here!

Will Smith's Hancock Doing Late Reshoots UPDATED

Apparently Hancock was doing very late reshoots in New York City yesterday, most likely as a result of the ratings troubles they've encountered that were detailed in this chat with director Peter Berg. Good news? Bad news? Neither really, but definitely interesting and worth noting. I think my interest in Hancock is definitely starting to increase the more I hear about it.

The photo below, taken yesterday, shows Will Smith in his leather superhero outfit that appears at the end of the most recent trailer. The report sent to Peter says that Times Square was packed with extras wearing 1980's-style brightly colored clothes. They shot for 12 hours total in order to get the updated footage that they needed. Principal photography actually finished last November and Peter Berg has been working on editing and the visual effects since then.

In a article by FirstShowing published last week, Peter Berg had mentioned that the film "remained surprisingly sexual, violent and true in spirit to an original script," which had caused it to receive an R-rating twice from the MPAA. My guess is they hit a wall with the ratings board and had to go back and do reshoots in order to fix the issues. They can only edit, trim, and resubmit so many times before they realize the footage they have is R-rated no matter what.

If anything, this could be looked upon as a good thing. Instead of using the Fox method of crafty editing and audio dubbing, they just opted to reshoot it all from scratch. But then again, I could be missing the entire boat with my speculation and it could be a very bad thing. To be honest, I'm going to hold out and still hope for the best with Hancock. Although I hated it initially, I've flip-flopped entirely and now I'm hoping its great - especially with the more darker, violent side that Berg mentioned included.

UPDATES:

Somebody on YouTube uploaded a video with part of the shooting on New York and our friend Varekai from IMDB sent us the link:

Hancock is directed by Peter Berg, of The Rundown, Friday Night Lights, and The KingdomHancock arrives in theaters on July 2nd previously. The film's script was written by over five different writers, including John August, Vince Gilligan, Akiva Goldsman, Vincent Ngo, and Peter Berg. this summer - Will Smith's own 4th of July weekend spot.

Source: SlashFilm

Common Joins Terminator Salvation

Rapper/actor Common (upcoming Wanted) has signed on to co-star in Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins for Halcyon Pictures, reports Variety.

Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin and Moon Bloodgood have already boarded the project, which will be distributed by Warner Bros. domestically on May 22, 2009. Sony will release the film in most international markets.

The story centers on John Connor (Bale), now in his 30s, who leads what is left of the human race in a battle against the machines. Common will play a freedom fighter and member of Connor's inner circle.

McG directs from a script by John D. Brancato & Michael Ferris and Paul Haggis.

Dan Lin, Mortiz Borman, Victor Kubicek, Jeff Silver, Derek Anderson and Jeanne Allgood are producing the film.

Source: Variety

Airmen Wanted Again for Transformers 2

Want to have a role in the next “Transformers” movie? The Air Force is looking for airmen to appear as extras this summer in the sequel to 2007’s “Transformers.

The production company wants to use service members as much as possible and is forming two teams.

Projected dates for the Shanghai Team are June 2-4 and July 22-25. Projected dates for the Forrest Team are June 16-17, June 23, Aug. 22 and Sept. 15-16. Volunteers must be available for all the dates the team is scheduled to shoot.

Military volunteers must take leave, fill out an off-duty employment form and provide two head-and-shoulders photos of front and side views, according to Senior Master Sgt. Vincent Aragona, an Air Force liaison for the movie. Additionally, volunteers need to be familiar with weapons and ground combat operations.

While airmen anywhere can apply, Aragona said airmen who live outside the Los Angeles area will have to provide their own transportation to Southern California and lodging there. Once filming starts, lodging, meals and transportation to movie sites outside of Los Angeles will be provided by the production company.

E-mail contact information, photos and team preference to: Vincent.aragona@afnews.af.mil and Vincent.aragona@losangeles.af.mil. For more information, call Senior Master Sgt Vincent Aragona at (310) 235-7532.

Portions of the first “Transformers” were filmed at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The movie featured real and computer-generated F-22A Raptors, MH-53 Pave Lows and CV-22 Ospreys.

Source: IESB

Walpaper By: Stuart (Thankx Stu ;))

First Look: Alejandro Amenábar's Agora Set

Agora is an English language film described as a historical drama set in early Egypt concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hopes of pursuing freedom while also falling in love with his master, a female philosophy professor and atheist. The TimesofMalta.com website adds a bit more detail to the story: Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz plays astrologer-philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria who fights to save the collected wisdom of the ancient world. Her slave Davus (Max Minghella of Syriana) is torn between his love for his mistress and the possibility of gaining his freedom by joining the rising tide of Christianity. In addition to Weisz and Minghella, Agora also stars Rupert Evans, Michael Lonsdale, and Homayoun Ershadi.

Agora is written and directed by Oscar winning filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar (The Others ,The Sea Inside).

The film doesn't even have a US distributor yet, but is shooting for 15 weeks and should wrap by June. Local Maltese workers are being employed in roles and crew positions, which is rare for Malta, and the production is giving new life to the city. It's great to see a small project like this slowly building buzz because it sounds like something special that the Maltese are supporting. In actuality, it sounds like a movie that definitely captures my interest but I can't say I'm sold until I really get a feel for the atmosphere Alejandro Amenábar is creating and more details about the story.

In fact, this reminds me a lot of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. That movie featured a phenomenal recreation of an eighteenth century Paris yet was highly underrated. I'm hoping Agora gains some more traction than Perfume at the least. We'll be following this project as it develops and let you know once we hear more or get any more new photos.

First Look: Hugo Weaving in The Wolfman

Though not as awesome or as polished as the previous photos we brought of Benicio Del Toro as the Wolfman, the latest snaps from the Gazette and Herald are still pretty exciting. We at least get a first glimpse of the wickedly talented Hugo Weaving sporting period attire and a rare, relaxed grin; Weaving plays stern and serious like no other and is an actor I can wait to see on screen again.

The photos come from the quaint village of Lacock in Wilshire, England where filming of the 1941-remake is currently taking place. The upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince actually filmed in this location as well earlier this year, given the village's attractive, historically intact appearance.

Apparently a lot of the filming took place inside the 14th Century Tithe Barn. That scene is definitely one I would want a sneak peak at, being described as containing "huge blocks of ice and models of dead bodies were strewn across the floor and hanging by metal hooks." Hints of grisly scenes like this and the fearful trio of Anthony Hopkins, Del Toro and Weaving clearly makes this film a list-topper for sure.

Del Toro plays Lawrence Talbot, who is bitten by a werewolf and turns into one. His human love interest is played by Emily Blunt (Devil Wears Prada), while Hopkins plays his father, Sir John Talbot. Weaving is Detective Aberline who investigates the Wolfman's murders. That top hat has detective written all over it.

The Wolfman is currently scheduled to hit theaters on April 3rd, 2009.

Source: FirstShowing

Confirmed : Adkins is Weapon 11 in Wolverine

MovieHole Confirmed today that Scott Adkins has jettisoned down under to join the cast of “Wolverine”.

Adkins, who played the Russian jailbird who pummels Michael Jai White in the “Undisputed” sequel, will take on a similar role in this (um, someone who fights). He’ll play Weapon 11, one of the many mutants of the X-world, whose main objective is to rip the claws from Wolverine. He no doubt doesn’t succeed in his mission – Wolvie’s the hero, after all! – but I’m sure we can expect a good scuffle anyway. The bulk of his scenes will appear in the last reel of the film.

“X-Men Origins : Wolverine” is currently filming in Sydney – and the reason a few of you, in transit to the home palace, will be sitting in your car an hour longer tonight.

Source: MovieHole

Who's Who in Transformers 2?

IESB has just been given the following human character/casting breakdowns

[CHUCK] 19-25 yrs., Sam's roommate at Princeton. He runs a conspiracy theory website. Funny in an irreverent, edgy way, he is shocked to see his conspiracy theories come to life. (2nd Lead)

[U.S. MILITARY LEADER] Late 20s/early 30s, African American with a great sense of humor and a tough military presence. (Supporting lead)

[UK SPECIAL FORCES LEADER] British, in his early to mid 30s, smart and capable. Can be Caucasian, Black, East Indian. (Supporting lead)

[GALLOWAY] Early 40s-early 50s, male, National Security Advisor and presidential liaison. A curt man who is tightly wound. (Supporting Lead)

[PROFESSOR COLAN] 40s, Sam's physics professor at Princeton. He's a self-satisfied intellectual who compares himself to Einstein, and is arrogant enough to wear leather pants to look cool. (1 Scene)

[THERESA] Early 30s; she's Sgt. Epps' wife, has 4 kids, sassy and sexy, good with comedy. Submit African American actresses only

[MOMMA SIMMONS] This NY Momma is in her late 60s / early 70s. She runs a deli/ butcher shop with her son in Brooklyn. Tough and sarcastic. (1 Scene)

[MASSIVE DYNAMICS CEO] 50s, male, this Corporate CEO appears in front of congress to testify. (1 speech/scene)

[TEXAS CONGRESSMAN] 55-65 yrs., on a Congressional Committee investigating the purpose of the "Automated Defensive Initiative" developed by Massive Dynamics.

[FBI DIRECTOR] Mid 50s, male, giving a press release assuring the public they will be safe against attacks. (1 speech/scene)

[CNN REPORTER] Reporting on missile strikes and bombings in various cities. Submit male / female, all ethnicities (1 speech)

New X-Files Photos

Three new photos from Fox's Untitled X-Files Motion Picture have turned up online featuring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in the anticipated July 25 release.

The film takes the complicated relationship between Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) in unexpected directions. Mulder continues his unshakable quest for the truth, and Scully, the passionate, ferociously intelligent physician, remains inextricably tied to Mulder's pursuits.

O’Donnell Feeling the Payne

One-time TV veterinarian Chris O’Donnell (TVs "Grey's Anatomy") is stepping back into the shadowy world of big-screen blockbusters – terrain he’s only too familiar with, having starred in two “Batman” movies (the sucky ones). The Boy Wonder has joined the cast of “Max Payne”, the latest in a long line of unnecessary films based on video games.

Payne is the story of a cop (Mark Wahlberg), haunted by the death of his family, who's hot on the heels of a series of new murders. O'Donell will play executive Jason Colvin, says EW.

For you first look at Wahlberg at this Max Payne character click here.

Source:Moviehole

New The Bangkok Dangerous Poster!

In the Lionsgate release, opening August 22, the life of an anonymous assassin takes an unexpected turn when he travels to Thailand to complete a series of contract killings. Joe (Cage), a remorseless hitman, is in Bangkok to execute four enemies of a ruthless crime boss named Surat. He hires Kong (Shahkrit Yamnarm), a street punk and pickpocket, to run errands for him with the intention of covering his tracks by killing him at the end of the assignment. Strangely, Joe, the ultimate lone wolf, instead finds himself mentoring the young man while simultaneously being drawn into a tentative romance with a local shop girl. As he falls further under the sway of Bangkok's intoxicating beauty, Joe begins to question his isolated existence and let down his guard... just as Surat decides it's time to clean house.

Click the poster for a bigger version!
Source: ComingSoon

Leaked X files 2 trailer

At Wednesday evening's "X Files" panel at the Paleyfest in Hollywood, director Chris Carter gave attendees a first glimpse at the new trailer for 20th Century Fox's The X Files 2, opening in theaters on July 25. You can watch a bootleg version of the trailer below, but the completed trailer is expected to hit theaters with Iron Man on May 2.

New Indiana Jones OfficialWidget

Paramount has just unveiled the brand-new Indiana Jones widget, reminding us all this thing is hitting in under two months and if you're not already set, it's high time you got excited.

The widget includes access to Indiana Jones news, trailers for the film and for the DVD reissues and images to keep you entertained the next 57 days or so.

Spread the word and spread the widget! The grand prize is a trip to Indiana Jones premiere!

Dragonball Movie Wraps Filming

On her official MySpace page, Emmy Rossum confirmed on Saturday that filming wrapped on Friday for 20th Century Fox's Dragonball movie, written and directed by James Wong. Rossum, who plays Bulma, said...

I've been so busy in Mexico finishing up Dragonball but we just wrapped yesterday so I JUST got home and this is my first opportunity in front of my computer to write to you. It's been nuts for about a month and a half working nights (on a schedule of about 5pm-8am) outside, but our spirits have been high and it was such a blast. I've missed writing to you but I've been exhausted after coming home from work early in the morning. I'm finally home (at least for a few weeks) and it's a mixture of happy and sad. Wrapping a movie is kind of like the end of school, you miss all your friends that you've bonded with so much but you are eager for a little rest and a break from all the hard work. I'll be starting work on something else in 3 weeks so I wont have much time to rest...

Adapted from the manga created by Akira Toriyama, the pic also stars Justin Chatwin, James Marsters, Jamie Chung, Eriko Tamura, Joon Park, Chow Yun-Fat, Texas Battle, Randall Duk Kim and Ernie Hudson. The studio is planning to release the film on April 3, 2009.

Source:ComingSoon

'Crank 2' Characters and Plot Details Leaked

POSSIBLE SPOILER

Some details have leaked out on the interwebs about the sequel to the over-the-top Jason Statham movie that doesn’t involve Transporting something, Crank 2: High Voltage. The original found Jason’s character Chev injected with a poison that required him to be pumped full of adrenaline in order to survive and track down his killer.

We’re about to spoil the first movie for you, but Chev falls out of a helicopter and makes a long, touching phone call to his girlfriend. Which is where Spoiler TV picks up.

STORY: In spite of having fallen a mile from a helicopter at the end of CRANK, Chev Chelios faces a Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.

Not only that, but the Chinese mobster that steals Chev’s heart has another interesting little twist about him on the casting sheet:

Hu Dong: Chinese Male, 100 years old, this aged gangster is the leader of the Triad gang in Southern California. Rejuvenated after getting Chev’s high-powered heart transplanted into his sunken chest, and horny as a 16 year old, he is lured into Doc Miles’ clutches by the seductive Vanilla

We don’t know who or what “Vanilla” is, but it looks like she’s already been cast.

More importantly than any of this: Nudity!

Pepper: 20s, any ethnicity. This stripper is in the back seat of a patrol car when Chev and Eve steal the car. She’s aroused by Eve’s presence and gives Chev a tip about Johnny Vang’s probable whereabouts. MUST BE OKAY WITH NUDITY

Shine your nipples girls, there’s a part in Crank 2 open for business!

Source: TheBadandUgly.com

Quantum of Solace to Feature Complex FX Shot

DALSA Digital Cinema today announced that the next James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, will feature a complex visual effects shot captured with eight DALSA 4K Origin cameras.The details surrounding the cameras' use are being kept a secret for the time being. However, the company revealed that the technically ambitious visual effects shot featured Craig and actress Olga Kurylenko, and involved simultaneously shooting with eight shutter-synchronized DALSA Origin 4K cameras. Quantum of Solace, the 22nd James Bond film and the second to star Daniel Craig, is scheduled for release on October 31st, 2008 in the UK, and November 7th in the US and internationally.

The decision to go with DALSA was made by Visual Effects Designer, Kevin Tod Haug. Kevin remarked, "The DALSA Origin was the only uncompressed, high-resolution, low-noise camera system we could count on to do what we needed to do. The folks at DALSA were completely supportive of all our complex needs. We could not have done this sequence without them."

DALSA shipped all the camera packages from Los Angeles to Movietech Camera Rentals at Pinewood Studios. Working closely with Movietech, the cameras were all prepped for the complex shoot. The eight DALSA cameras recorded their data to eight CODEX® digital disc recorders. Then, after the successful shoot, the CODEX disc packs were delivered to sohonet® in London for backup, after which the RAW 4K files were delivered to Double Negative in Soho for rendering and final compositing.

David Stump, ASC, the consulting VFX cinematographer, collaborated with Director of Photography Roberto Schaefer, ASC on the shoot. Stump observed, "Working with uncompressed 4K gave us the ability to mine the maximum amount of detail from the scene. The low noise floor of the DALSA enabled us see every nuance of detail from the dark blacks of the clothing."

"We were incredibly excited to be chosen for this complex part of the movie," commented Rob Hummel, President of DALSA Digital Cinema. "It was amazing as we watched all eight cameras shooting and pouring data into the CODEX disc units. In total, we recorded over 3.8 gigabytes of image data every second. After a year of fine tuning the DALSA camera system, we felt we were ready to put the camera to the test. Of course, passing this particularly tough test, with eight cameras synchronized together, was the best outcome I could imagine!"

Visit DALSA's Digital Cinema website for more info.

Source: ComingSoon

Alonso is one of Fast & The Furious

Actor Laz Alonso, best known for his roles in “Stomp the Yard” and “This Christmas”, has had his tyres pumped up to do a lap in the new “Fast and the Furious” sequel. He’ll play the pivotal role of ‘Fenix’ in the pic.

Fenix is one of the main chaps transporting goods for the villain, Antonio Braga. Naturally, he also drives a pretty hot car – a Red Daytona.

The sequel, now shooting in L.A, reunites stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker – the lads responsible for burning a few engines in the original “Fast and the Furious”. Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Wilmer Calderon (TVs “The Shield”) and former Miss Israeli Gal Gadot co-star.