Introducing the Guardians of the Galaxy
James Gunn (Slither, Super) directs what looks to be a change of pace from recent comic book movies with this space adventure that follows Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) as he forms a truce with Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), the tree-like Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista) in order to fight the evil Ronan (Lee Pace). In this first trailer, John C. Reilly and Peter Serafinowicz introduce the eclectic crew, but Marvel has also posted 30 second looks at each character with comments from the actors. Guardians of the Galaxy hits theaters on August 1st.
A first look at Angelina Jolie's Unbroken
With the Olympics in full swing, Universal debuted a preview of Unbroken, the amazing true story of Louis Zamperini, who in 1936 became the youngest Olympian, at 19, to qualify for the 5000 meters. (And that is only the beginning of Zamperini's story.) Angelina Jolie directs from a script by William Nicholson, Richard LaGravenese, and the Coen Brothers, based on Laura Hillenbrand’s book, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Jack O’Connell stars as Zamperini, with supporting turns by Garrett Hedlund, Domhnall Gleeson, Jai Courtney, and Luke Treadaway. See Unbroken in theaters beginning December 25th.
Locke: Tom Hardy's long drive
According to early reviews, writer-director Steven Knight’s second directorial effort (following the disappointing Jason Statham vehicle Redemption) proves that all you need to make a riveting film is Tom Hardy, a BMW, and a phone connection. Hardy plays Ivan Locke, a construction foreman whose life becomes more complicated with each mile he drives between Birmingham and London. He’s the only actor seen on screen for the duration, though supporting voice turns via the telephone come from Ruth Wilson, Ben Daniels, and Olivia Colman. Locke arrives in theaters on April 25th.
22 Jump Street: more fun than 21?
Phil Lord and Chris Miller are on an incredible run. With each movie, (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street, The LEGO Movie), they’ve accomplished the rare feat of pleasing critics as well as audiences, and their Metascores have increased along with the domestic grosses for their films. Next up is 22 Jump Street with returning stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as Jenko and Schmidt. This time they’re going undercover in college, while supporting players Ice Cube, Nick Offerman, Rob Riggle, and Dave Franco all return. Look for 22 Jump Street in theaters beginning June 13th.
Your new Fantastic Four are ...
Based on reports from The Wrap and Variety, it looks like Fox and director Josh Trank (Chronicle) have found their new Fantastic Four. The previous iteration of Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis starred in two films directed by Tim Story, 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The reboot of the franchise, which will be based on the comic The Ultimate Fantastic Four, will focus on a younger team of superheroes including Miles Teller as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Teller’s That Awkward Moment castmate Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, Kate Mara as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, and Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm/The Thing. The Fantastic Four heads to theaters on June 19, 2015.
Ti West’s The Sacrament
In his new film, writer-director Ti West (The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers) combines the found footage horror genre with a riff on the Jonestown Massacre. Early reviews have been split, but this story of two journalists documenting their friend’s search for his missing sister definitely looks intense. The Sacrament will be available on VOD beginning May 1st and will come to theaters on June 6th. Watch the NSFW red-band trailer below.
Fighting’s In the Blood
John Stockwell (Blue Crush, Into the Blue, Turistas, Dark Tide) directs MMA star turned actress Gina Carano (Haywire, Fast & Furious 6) in this story of a woman’s search for her husband after he mysteriously goes missing during their Caribbean vacation. Cam Gigandet plays her husband, and the men either hindering or helping her include Luis Guzman, Danny Trejo, Amaury Nolasco, Treat Williams, and Avatar’s Stephen Lang. In the Blood hits select theaters on April 4th.
The National on the big screen
Over the last decade, indie rockers The National have become more famous with each album they’ve released. There’s good and bad that comes with success, but one result rarely examined, until now, is how fame impacts the siblings of rock stars. In Mistaken for Strangers, Tom Berninger, the brother of lead singer Matt Berninger, takes his camera on tour with the band, looking at his relationship with his brother, his brother’s relationship with fame, and his own reaction to his brother’s fame. Look for the documentary on VOD and in select theaters beginning March 28th.
The Final Member
Last year gave us UnHung Hero, the story of one young man’s humorous personal search to answer the question: Does size matter? This year’s penis documentary is of a different sort. Directors Jonah Bekhor & Zach Math chart the race to donate the first human penis to Iceland’s Phallological Museum. Will it be the elderly Icelandic Casanova or the American who calls his penis Elmo? Learn the answer when The Final Member comes to select theaters on April 18th.
It Felt Like Love
Writer-director Eliza Hittman's feature debut tells the story of Lila (Gina Piersanti), a fourteen-year-old determined to emulate the sexual exploits of her more experienced best friend. She fixates on Sammy (Ronen Rubinstein), but when she tries to insert herself into Sammy's world, she puts herself into a dangerous situation. It Felt Like Love opens in select theaters on March 21st.
Frankie & Alice
In 2010, Frankie & Alice got a brief Oscar-qualifying run to promote Halle Berry’s performance. She didn’t get an Oscar nomination, but she did earn a Golden Globe nomination. Now the film will get a second life when it’s released on April 4th by Codeblack Entertainment. Based on a true story, Berry stars as a woman with multiple personality disorder in early 1970’s Los Angeles. The film features Stellan Skarsgård as her doctor, Phylicia Rashad as her mother, and Chandra Wilson as her sister. Geoffrey Sax (White Noise) directs.
Quick notes: Rumors, release dates, casting news and more
- Featuring 763 new jokes, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues: Super Sized R Rated Version comes to 1,000 theaters on February 28th, for one week only. - The N.Y. Times
- Guy Ritchie’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. starring Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer will be released on January 16, 2015.
- Jai Courtney will play Kyle Reese alongside Jason Clarke as John Connor and Emilia Clarke as Sarah Connor in Alan Taylor’s Terminator: Genesis. - Variety
- Ron Howard is in talks to direct a live-action version of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book based on a script by Callie Kloves. - THR
- Phil Joanou will direct Jessica Alba and Thomas Jane in The Veil, a horror film written by Robert Ben Garant. - Heat Vision
- Kevin Hart and Ice Cube will return along with director Tim Story for Ride Along 2. - Deadline
- Lucas Till and Jane Levy are the favorites to star in Monster Trucks. - The Wrap
- Brie Larson (Short Term 12) is in talks to join Amy Schumer and Bill Hader in Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck. - Variety
- Kid Cudi will play Jeremy Piven’s assistant, and Haley Joel Osment will have a supporting role, in the Entourage movie.- Deadline
- Meryl Streep will play political activist Emmeline Pankhurst alongside Carey Mulligan in Sarah Gavron’s Suffragette, written by Abi Morgan. - Screen Daily
- Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan, the stars of the new Fantastic Four, will re-team with their That Awkward Moment director, Tom Gormican, for an untitled heist movie. - The Wrap
- James Badge Dale is in talks to star in the supernatural thriller Spectral for director Nic Mathieu. - Heat Vision
- Jennifer Aniston is in talks to star in Mean Moms based on Rosalind Wiseman’s advice book Queen Bee Moms and King Pin Dads: Dealing With the Parents, Teachers, Coaches, and Counselors Who Can Make—or Break—Your Child’s Future. - The Wrap
- Viggo Mortensen is in talks to star in Captain Fantastic for writer-director Matt Ross (28 Hotel Rooms). - Deadline
- Will Smith is in early talks to star in an adaptation of Marcus Sakey’s sci-fi novel Brilliance (the first of three planned books), for director Julius Onah and writer David Koepp. - The Wrap
- Edward Norton will write, direct and star in an adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s novel Motherless Brooklyn. - Deadline
- Tina Fey will produce and star in an adaptation of journalist Kim Barker’s memoir The Taliban Shuffle. - The Wrap
- Marvel’s looking for directors for Doctor Strange. Mark Andrews (Brave), Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair), Dean Israelite (the upcoming Welcome to Yesterday) and Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies) are all in the running. - Heat Vision
- Patrick Hughes will direct the English-language remake of The Raid. - The Wrap
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