Natalie Portman!, Natalie Portman!, Natalie Portman!

Source: CinemaBlend.com

I don't know if any of you can guess by my title or not, but Natalie Portman is one of my favorite females...(cough)...actresses, ever!  According to CinemaBlend.com, she is set to play Lady Macbeth in "See Saw Films' adaptation of Macbeth."  She will be opposite Michael Fassbender, as well as, his lady.  CinemaBlend.com also writes:

Macbeth's cast is already remarkable. Making this project even more enticing is that its buzzed about script will be directed by Justin Kurzel, who won notice with his true-crime drama Snowtown, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011.

 So, we have two incredible cast members, along with an incredible cast and director.  This sounds like it will be an incredible film.  Natalie Portman just makes me want to see this film even more too!  Also, Macbeth should be going into production sometime later this year.  This one is way too far off, I wish it was being released this summer!

Gears of Hollywood?

Source: CinemaBlend.com

CinemaBlend.com is reporting that a Gears of War movie is in the works.  As an adaptation of the video game Gears of War, this film could be big.  As a tie-in with our Movie History: A Survey text, Universal is in a first-look deal with Scott Stuber, the guy handling production duties for the Gears of War film.  Stuber has worked on Ted and Safe House.  However, it is important to note that no studio has committed to making this film.  

Video game movies don't always have the best success rate, so it's interesting to see which studio picks this project up.  I can see Universal making this movie, as they have had some incredibly visually stunning films in the past.  We'll just have to wait and see.  In the meantime, I should start playing Gears of War.

Things Aren't Always Dandy in the Film World

In an interesting case, filmmaker, Michael Costanza, is suing Paramount Pictures, as well as, producers of the Paranormal Activity franchise.  Big surprise.  Michael Costanza is the writer and director of the no-budget 2002 independent horror film, The Collingswood Story.

Michael Costanza's claim tells, according to CinemaBlend.com, "...he presented sections Collingswood to the studio in 2010 for a pitch meeting that ended with his material being turned away, and that portions of the fourth entry of the found footage horror series are almost exactly the same as the ideas he brought to them."

Costanza is suing for unspecified damages.  Part of the suit includes Paramount destroying all material based on any of his concepts.  Michael Costanza can be best described in the immortal words of George Costanza,"I'm like a weed Jerry." I find this law suit credible and quite humorous.  I'll have to see both films and see for myself, whether or not, Paramount Pictures used his ideas.

J.J. Abrams and Star Wars: Episode VII?

CinemaBlend.com features an article on their websites which discusses an interview with J.J. Abrams.  Katey Rich, from CinemaBlend.com, writes, "...While responding with simply a smile when asked about details for Star Wars Episode VII, and insisting over and over again that there's no way he can share details about a movie that doesn't exist yet, he did talk about the relief of having George Lucas around as a consultant-- especially after making Star Trek years after creator Gene Roddenberry's death..."  This could be a really incredible Episode 7 if J.J. Abrams is at the helms.  It would be weird to not have George Lucas direct the movie, but I want a new Star Wars film; it's been too long since the last installment.  J. J. Abrams states in the interview:

I meant if I viewed this from a fan’s point of view—and no one’s a bigger Star Wars fan than I am—or from a legacy standpoint, it would scare the hell out of me. But instead of trying to climb this mountain in one giant leap, I’m just enjoying the opportunity and looking to the people I’m working with. I’ve known Kathy for years. I’ve worked with the screenwriter, Michael Arndt, for a long time. I’ve known George for a number of years and he’s now a friend. Even if this wasn’t Star Wars, I’d be enormously fortunate to work with them.

I'm excited to read follow up details in the future about Star Wars: Episode VII.

Zombieland: The Series

Zombieland is one of my favorite movies of all time, so when I saw that they made a series out of it, I was pumped!  The film is a guide on how to survive a zombie invasion, while it stands as one of the most creative recent movies.  I had a bit of fear when I found out it was being made into a series.  I was hoping that the show wasn't completely awful compared to the movie.  After watching the trailer, it looks like this series is going to be awesome.  Amazon is hosting the show on their website with the Prime Instant Video service.  You can watch for free over at Amazon right now.  Eli Craig is directing this series adaptation.  Now, I should warn everyone, they changed the cast.  Woody Harelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, and Jesse Eisenberg are now out; Kirk Ward (Tallahassee), Maiara Walsh (Wichita), Izabela Vidovic (Little Rock), and Tyler Ross (Columbus) are now in.  The film has such incredible script writing and directing, along with editing; I'm glad they're keeping this series going.

The Lone Ranger

Well, in the long line of remakes, this one seems to be one of the more interesting ones.  The Lone Ranger, directed by Gore Verbinski, is set to be released on July 3rd.  The first thing I noticed about the movie poster: Disney.  I don't know how I feel about Disney making this film, mainly because it could be a total disaster with them putting the film out, or it could be a success.  Some Disney films are great, while some are just sub-par.  Now the big news: Johnny Depp is playing Tonto in this adapation.  I think him playing this role will save this film.  Armie Hammer will be playing John Reid / The Lone Ranger.  This film could be a hit, but we will just have to see.

Not for a While

Since we've studied crime films of the past, I wanted to talk about somebody making a film of the Boston Marathon attacks.  I do believe someone will make a film about the terror, but I really hope it isn't for a long time.  Dennis Lehane was interviewed by CNN, and he said that he will not be writing a story about this event.  Movies based on a true story can be quite popular and entertaining.  I have yet to see Zero Dark Thirty and I know that some things in the film can be fictionalized.  If they ever do make a film about Boston, I hope they don't fictionalize it.  If they end up making a film, it shouldn't be for years.  Also, I think movies can help us heal in this tough time.  I don't think I'll be watching any violent films for a while.  I just can't do it.  Comedy films are therapeutic, though.

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