Pacific Rim Sequel Already In Production
Legendary Pictures has already begun production on a sequel to Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim, hiring original screenwriter Travis Beacham to produce a new script. The first film doesn’t even arrive in cinemas till next summer, but the studio is already confident that Del Toro’s take on Giant Monsters fighting Giant Robots will prove to be a bit hit with audiences and the box office.
Del Toro will supervise the writing process but it seems unclear whether or not he’ll have any time to direct a second Pacifc Rim film given the fact he’s already supposed to be directing an endless list of films and TV shows.
It’s perhaps more likely he’d executive produce and hand the giant monster baton over to someone else. Gareth Edwards would seem a likely choice given his previous work on Monsters, but he’s already supposed to be directing Legendary Pictures long delayed Godzilla film, allegedly due out in 2014.
Del Toro Directing New Ghost Film Crimson Peak
Director Guillermo Del Toro is currently busy promoting giant monster movie Pacific Rim and a television pilot based on his vampire book trilogy The Strain, but apparently he also has a new film project on the horizon called Crimson Peak.
The director has described the new project as both a classical and modern take on ghost stories. Making a welcome departure from the current trend of ultra-low budget found footage horror; Del Toro has ambitions of emulating the “grand dames” of the genre, alluding to classic such as The Shining and The Haunting.
Del Toro is much in demand as always and has a seemingly endless list of projects in various stages of development or production. Recent reports and announcements have him directing a remake of The Haunted Mansion, a stop-motion animated Pinocchio, a new Incredible Hulk TV series, a possible third Hellboy film and an expensive adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft classic At The Mountains of Madness. He’s also long planned to do a version of Frankenstein and Beauty & The Beast . Most recently he’s even spoken about taking on a DC Comics superhero movie
Whatever he actually does go onto make next, at least we’ll soon be able to enjoy Pacific Rim…
Johnny Depp Finally Making Don Quixote
Johnny Depp and his production company Infinitum Nihil have reached a deal with Disney to produce a modern re-imagining of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. The latest attempt to bring Don Quixote to life on the big screen will be co-written by Jeff Morris and Steve Pink.
Steve Pink previously adapted the screenplay for Nick Hornby’s classic High Fidelity and most recently directed lacklustre comedy effort Hot Tub Time Machine. It’s unclear if he will be taking on directing duties of Don Quixote and whether or not Johnny Depp will take a starring role.
Depp may be slightly put off by the infamously disastrous time he had with Director Terry Gilliam trying to make a version of Don Quixote twelve years ago. A series of onset calamities including a flash flood meant that project was ultimately abandoned. In 2002, those misfortunes ultimately formed the bases of a documentary called Lost In La Mancha, assembled from set footage of the never to be released film.
We wish Johnny Depp the very best of luck this time…
Spider-Man Sequel Casts Harry Osborn
The Amazing Spider-Man sequel officially has its Harry Osborn. Director Marc Webb has confirmed that Chronicle and Lincoln star Dane DeHaan has landed the part of Norman Osborn’s son and Peter Parker’s best friend in the Spider-Man sequel.
Beating out competition from a host of handsome Hollywood rising stars, it’s likely that Dane’s performance in Chronicle as a troubled young man driven to super powered villainy by jealousy, family bereavement and an unloving father gave him a slight edge.
As previously reported it looks like Jamie Foxx will be playing Electro the lighting wielding bad guy in the next Spider-Man adventure. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone will also both reprise their roles as Spider-Man and love interest Gwen Stacey.
Life Of Pi Review
The Plot:
A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor … a fearsome Bengal tiger.
The Good:
If you had ever had any doubts about the use of 3D, cast them aside now. Life of Pi provides one hell of a journey, appreciated ten times more through the amazing depth that 3D can provide. Move over Avatar and James Cameron, Ang Lee may truly be the master here as he combines glorious colour with exceptional innovation in this area. Life of Pi has to be up there as one of the major contenders for Best Picture at next years Oscars.
If you’ve read the book, hopefully you wont be disappointed, and if you haven’t read the book, after watching this film you may just want to pick it up and give it a whirl. Life of Pi is a heart-warming tale of religion, belief, tragedy and determination. It is anchored by the exceptionally talented newcomer Suraj Sharma who plays Pi, and it’s his one man show that will keep audiences captivated for just over two hours. There are brilliant levels of humour, surprise and emotion throughout the whole of this film which will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout and as emotionally and physically drained as the lead actor by the end.
Ang Lee, takes something which was once deemed unfilmable and uses his incredible skill as a director to strike a balance within his visual storytelling to allow the audience to be completely captivated with the story that is told and to fully believe that this really could happen. One of the clever things Lee also manages to do, is cast relative unknowns.
At one stage Tobey Maguire was attached to the film, but replacing him with Rafe Spall was a good strategic move as it does not distract the audience because of who he is, and allows the character of “writer” to remain ambiguous to some extent as a secondary character to the story. The real focus must be the teenage Pi. Even Irrfan Patel as the adult Pi is secondary character for two thirds of the film, but comes into his own in the last part of the film to really tug on the heart strings of the audience – be prepared to shed a tear or two!
The Bad:
Some may be dubious about the use of CGI in this film, but fear not, this issue becomes a mere flicker in your mind at the beginning and you quickly fall into the trance of the action taking place in front of you, and the CGI becomes nothing but a fully working and authentic zebra, chimpanzee or Bengal tiger. Every detail on each animal is so precise that it’s hard to separate what is real or fake, if any. What you also remember here is that Suraj Sharma is essentially acting with a tennis ball on a stick for the majority of this film, and you begin to really appreciate the clever choice that Ang Lee has made in casting him.
How he feels that level of emotion and connection to these animals who were never really there must take years of acting training to even come close, yet Sharma manages it effortlessly and is utterly captivating. Another testament to this brilliant casting is in the final few scenes, where Pi recollects his experience, and in one medium close-up shot you watch him tell the story once more and the emotion radiates from him brilliantly.
The Ugly Truth:
This film is a must see at the cinema. Whether you are a fan of the book or not, Life of Pi is truly a spectacle of cinematic brilliance. It brings the captivation and intrigue of films like Slumdog Millionaire, tugs on your heart strings like Bambi, and is probably one of Ang Lee’s most ambitious and strongest films to date.
Life of Pi opens in cinemas on the 20th December. Check out Interviews below with Ang Lee, Rafe Spall and Suraj Sharma from the red carpet at the London Premiere: