Friday 25 January 2008

Marvel, WGA Now Super Friends

From:

Comic book pics spared from ongoing strike.
by IGN Staff
January 25, 2008 - Marvel Studios, a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc., and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced Thursday that they have reached an interim comprehensive agreement that will put writers immediately back to work on the Marvel Studios development slate. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"We're very excited about our summer releases, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, and look forward to resuming work with writers on our future projects including Captain America, Thor, Ant-Man, and The Avengers," said Marvel Studios Chairman David Maisel.
"Marvel Studios' signing of an interim agreement with the Writers Guild is more good news for our membership," said WGAE President Michael Winship and WGAW President Patric M. Verrone. "Marvel is committed to fairly compensating their writers and now they can move forward with their planned production schedule."
Marvel Studios recently launched its independent live-action film studio to develop, produce, and fully finance Marvel movies, which will include two of this summer's most anticipated releases -- Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. Directed by Jon Favreau, Iron Man will be released by Paramount Pictures on May 2, 2008, and stars Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The Incredible Hulk, which will be released by Universal Pictures on June 13, 2008, is directed by Louis Leterrier and stars Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, and William Hurt. In cooperation with other studios, Marvel previously produced a long succession of hits, including the Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four franchises, Ghost Rider, and Daredevil.
The WGA recently entered into interim agreements with The Weinstein Company, United Artists, Lionsgate, Worldwide Pants, Spyglass Entertainment, MRC, Jackson Bites, Mandate Films, and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment.

'Wolverine' explosives raise concerns at Queenstown Fun Centre

From: Comics2Film.com.

Radio New Zealand says the 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' crew has been approved to store large amounts of explosives in Queenstown Gardens and that doesn't sit well with all residents.
Fox Studios, which is filming the latest movie in the X-Men series, obtained legal permission from the Labour Department to store the explosives in the Queenstown Fun Centre.
However, that violated the lease the company signed with the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
The council's chief executive, Duncan Field, says he is disappointed the film company chose to ignore its instructions.
Fox Studios says its production team has ensured all items are stored correctly, but when concern was raised, some items were relocated.
Read the full story...

The Hottest 100 People In Hollywood Right Now!

From:

57 HUGH JACKMAN - ACTOR: The abracadabra yin/yang twinning of The Prestige and The Fountain showcased Jackman as more than just that bloke with the claws... though of course we’re still pretty excited about his stint in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
What’s next? Wooing Nicole Kidman in Australia, destroying Ewan McGregor in The List...

35 BRYAN SINGER - DIRECTOR: Too long the geek champion, Singer managed to bring a meticulous intelligence and storytelling panache to his X-Men and Superman comic-book blockbusters. But none of them have managed to top his noir masterpiece The Usual Suspects. Which is fine, because...
What’s next? ...Singer has reteamed with The Usual Suspects scripter Chris McQuarrie on a couple of projects. First up is Tom- Cruise-as-good-Nazi thriller Valkyrie, closely followed by gay rights biopic The Mayor Of Castro Street. Superman 2 is also due in 2009, with Singer still (just about) attached.

28 ELLEN PAGE - ACTRESS: Sensational and chilling as the 14-year-old avenging angel in paedogeddon revenge-fantasy Hard Candy, Page wasted no time elbowing her way into X-Men: The Last Stand. Clever girl? No kidding. Her turn in adoption indie Juno rubber-stamped that fact: ultra-smart, ultra-smart-mouthed and totally buzzing with star wattage. And she’s only 20 years old. Precocious would be the watch word for this little miss.
What’s next? Oh, the usual. A rom-com (Smart People); a strong female drama (The Stone Angel) – and, umm, a lesbian werewolf horror. Oh yes, we’ll be keeping you posted on Jack And Diane…

Wednesday 23 January 2008

Little let-up for Hugh

From: Christine Sams.

Hugh Jackman is sharpening his claws for his next action flick, with the actor shifting to New Zealand to film Wolverine.
Jackman, who enjoyed three weeks' holiday with his wife Deborra-lee Furness and kids Oscar and Ava, will reprise his role as the hairy action hero from the X-Men films.
The spin-off film, which is officially tagged X-Men Origins: Wolverine, is in pre-production in New Zealand. Jackman, who had only a brief break between the end of filming Australia and the start of Wolverine, said he didn't mind having a short holiday.
"Most people get four weeks in a year so I don't think anybody will be crying for me," Jackman says. "I'm compartmentalising it in a different way - I'll just work on that [Wolverine] and then I'll take a bit of time off after that."
The involvement of actor Liev Schreiber in the film has prompted rumours Naomi Watts might return to the southern hemisphere with her young son Alexander to accompany Schreiber on set.
Speculation is also rife young Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee (who appeared opposite Eric Bana in Romulus, My Father) has scored a key role in the film, which will be a major Hollywood breakthrough for the child star.
Wolverine will be on location in New Zealand for at least four months. The film is due for release next year.

First Wolverine Set Photos Online

From:

The first photos of sets for 20th Century Fox's "X-Men" spin-off X-Men Origins: Wolverine have turned up online. Directed by Gavin Hood, the action-thriller stars Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber. It opens on May 1, 2009.
The first Queenstown photo was taken by 'Oliver' while the second photo comes from this article in The Southland Times where they say that "construction is under way on the set at Deer Park Heights, where crew can be seen creating what looks to be a log cabin looking out over Lake Wakatipu. A site office, security hut and portaloos have also been installed in advance of the crew's arrival."

Sunday 20 January 2008

Michelle Monaghan Talks Wolverine

From:
Last week, it was rumored that Michelle Monaghan was up for the role of Silver Fox in 20th Century Fox's "X-Men" spin-off, X-Men Origins: Wolverin, to be directed by Gavin Hood and starring Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
On Friday, we got a chance to talk to Monaghan on the set of her upcoming thriller, Eagle Eye, and she confirmed that she is up for the role.
"They've asked me to do it," she said. I really like Hugh Jackman and it's areally, really great franchise and stuff. I think we're going to have to work on dates and see if it conflicts. We'll see."
Don't know much about Silver Fox? Click here for a full rundown of the character. The studio is targeting a May 1, 2009 release date for "Wolverine."


From:

A few weeks ago online reports indicated that Michelle Monaghan was one of the top contenders to play Silver Fox in the upcoming X-Men spin off movie Wolverine. Is that still the case?
IESB's Silas Lesnick is in Riverside, California this afternoon visiting the set of Eagle Eye and had the chance to talk to Michelle about the role of Silver Fox. She confirmed the reports that she is indeed in the running. She admits that she would love to work with Hugh but that she has not signed on just yet. She added that they are trying find a schedule that will allow her to join the X-Men Mutants down in Australia.
Silver Fox is the love interest of Wolverine who first appeared in Wolverine vol.2 #10, where she is apparently killed by Sabretooth. She is later revealed to be alive and a member of "Team X," the best covert ops team the CIA had to offer, and is one of a few female victims of the Weapon X project. Fox betrays Team X and becomes a member of Hydra, a subversive terrorist organization. She is later, finally, killed by Sabretooth under the control of the telepathic Psi-Borg, and Wolverine buries her body outside the cabin they once lived in together. Read more about Silver Fox on Wikipedia.