Sam Rami Explains The Possession

Producer Sam Rami has been talking to promote his latest horror collaboration The Possession, directed by Ole Bronedal and starring Natasha Calis, Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffery Dean Morgan.

Here’s the official synopsis for the creepy tale: A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl’s father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child.

Here’s what Sam Rami had to say about what inspired his involvement in the project:

“My partner, Nathan Kahane, had brought in to the office an article fromThe L.A. Times, written by Leslie Gornstein, and it was called Jinx in a Box. It was about this terrible Dibbuk box, and the article told the story of all these different people that had come in contact with it and the awful things that had befallen them, and it was really freaky and scary.”

Possession has been a big part of Rami’s past work, starting obviously with his cult classic Evil Dead Trilogy and even creeping its way into Spider-Man 3 when Peter Parker found himself turned tragically emo by evil black alien goo. Here’s how Rami explained the continued fascination with the phenomena:

“It’s so easy, in three different ways, to see how possession exists, in our world,” he says. “The first is just when you see a very domineering person who has somebody that they’re with, obviously under their psychological control. We know that that exists, in that form. The domination of one’s spirit and mind is not a pretty thing, but I think it happens.”

“The second type of possession we see is a computer possession. You’re able to go into and hack somebody’s computer and take over its brain. It’s not a living thing, but it’s a purely mathematical position. You’re able to tell their computer to do anything you want it to do. So, it exists in that form, in our world.”

“And then, finally, there’s a virus that’s a little piece of floating RNA that splices itself into our DNA and tells your body, ‘Replicate me until the red hour, and then we’ll go berserk and take control.’ Really, it’s controlling your body. It’s secretly there, until one day it becomes known. That’s the physical kind of possession that takes place. So, because there are so many types of possession already in our world, it’s actually just a small step for me to believe that this type of possession could actually be real.”

The Possession takes hold of UK cinemas from Friday 31st August

Jerry Bruckheimer Talks Lone Ranger Movie

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has been updating fans via his blog on how things are going on the set of The Lone Ranger, due for release next summer

“Almost done with filming of The Lone Ranger. 125 days of shooting seemed to fly by. We dealt with winds up to 70 mph, rain, snow, and even wildfires but nothing has stopped us from filming this incredible movie.”

“The cast has been absolutely amazing and we could not have asked for a better crew. Everyone has been extremely dedicated in making this film a major success. We have a few more filming days back in California and then post-production goes into high gear. Before we know it, it will be 3 July  2013 and we can’t wait to share this incredible film with everyone.”

The film directed by Gore Verbinski, stars Armie Hammer as the iconic Cowboy hero and Johnny Depp as his Indian companion Tonto. We recently spoke to young British actor Harry Treadaway who plays one of the evil desperados in the film; he spoke about how the film’s tribal themes would be relevant for a modern audience.

Video clip below:

Sony Making Metal Gear Solid Movie

Spider-Man producer Avi Arad has confirmed that Sony Pictures is making a film version of best-selling computer game Metal Gear Solid. The first person shooter features super-spy mercenary Solid Snake, tasked with destroying a mysterious mecha armed with nuclear weapons.

Solid Snake may be one of the most ludicrous names imaginable but the combination of badass unstoppable hero and blistering action had long left fans speculating that it was prime material for a big screen treatment.

Speaking about the project during a short speech at an event in Japan to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the game Avid Arad said:

“For many years I fought to bring comics to theaters and videogames are the comics of today.”

Given the recent prolifically lucrative success of comicbook adaptations like Avengers and Dark Knight Rises it seems clear that studios are very enthusiastic about tapping into existing franchise fanbases to guarantee box office success.

Recent video game adaptations like Prince of Persia Sands of Time have failed to translate record breaking game sales into critical and commercial success with film versions. But Sony will hope that with the right leading man Metal Gear Solid could avoid similar disappointments.

There’s no actor in place yet for Solid Snake, but expect the like of Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hardy and Christian Bale to all be linked to it in coming weeks

Summit hopes Rob & Kristen Reconcile

Summit Entertainment are allegedly putting off organising promotions for the final Twilight Saga movie Breaking Dawn Part 2 as they wait to see whether or not Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are able to salvage their off screen relationship despite their recent highly publicised troubles.

The New York Post published these comments from an alleged studio insider:

“The Studio’s holding out to see if they get back together. But I don’t think anyone is banking on that happening. At this point, the press strategy would have been mapped out. It’s usually very organised, but at this time it’s undecided.”

But Summit has continued to issue positive statement through a spokesperson

“We’re moving full steam ahead. We are confident the film delivers amazing entertainment for our passionate fans and general audience alike.”

The trailer below for the final installment of the Twilight Saga, which will arrive in cinemas November 16th:

Joss Whedon Writing New S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Series

ABC have officially greenlit a pilot for a new live-action Avengers spin-off series based on Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D. with Joss Whedon co-writing the script with his brother Jed and sister –in-law Maurissa Tancharoen.

It remains to be seen if Avengers director and fan favourite Joss Whedon will also take over directing responsibilities for the new series, for the pilot or beyond. But production is due to start immediately. It marks Whedon’s return to the small screen following in the proud footsteps of Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse.

It’s also unclear which of the many Marvel superhero characters would feature in the series and exactly how it would integrate with the existing movie franchise.