James Gunn Talks Guardians Vol 2 & 3
Director James Gunn spoke to Red Carpet News TV on the blue carpet for the European Premiere of amazing Marvel sequel Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2. Here’s what he had to say about the challenges of following up the success of the first film and his commitment to making the third film to complete the trilogy…
Was Vol 2 harder or easier than the first Guardians film?
Definitely the first one was a bigger challenge. The first one nobody knew who the character where and I didn’t know if people were going to think that the story that we were telling was too weird or unusual. I didn’t know if it was going to be too off-putting, I didn’t know if putting music in the film was going to be very strange. This time I knew there was an audience out there who loved the first movie waiting to see these characters and waiting to see what we came up with. That makes things a lot easier and a lot less scary frankly.
We’re excited that you’re hopeful going to be back for the third movie did you have that in mind when making this one and were you crafting it based on where you ultimately want to take the franchise?
Well I’m definitely back for Vol 3, you don’t need to hope! You never know where you’re going to go though, so I tried to make the movie in a way that it could be just a story or that it could continue on. You Know I always kinda had an idea of what the three movies as a whole would be and that that would be the story of this group of the Guardians of the Galaxy. I think that telling the last part of that is going to be a whole lot of fun.
How did you settle on the character of Ego and how easy was it to cast Kurt Russell?
I didn’t think immediately of Kurt but I thought of him after a while. I knew what the story was behind Peter Quill and his father, I came up with that before I even started shooting the first movie and it was kinda going through which character in the Marvel universe really fit those attributes. Ego was the one I came up with.
Obviously young peter was at the heart of the first film, what the heart of the story this time and what are you most hoping fans take away form Vol 2?
Well I do think that the first film was about Peter Quill and this one is about the group as a whole, so I think that’s part of it, but I think it’s just about battered relationships and damaged souls, it’s about people who have never been loved and who are trying to love and it’s a very difficult thing for them. I think that’s true whether it’s Peter Quill or Rocket or Gamora or Nebula… we get to see all those relationships play out in this movie and see where they go.
Thanks for talking to us James and Thank you for Baby Groot!
BAFTA Television Craft Awards Winners
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced the winners of tonight’s British Academy Television Craft Awards, celebrating the very best behind-the-scenes talent in 2016. The ceremony was hosted by Stephen Mangan at The Brewery, City of London, where presenters included Adeel Akhtar, Ross Kemp, Naga Munchetty, Joel Dommett, Wunmi Mosaku and Joan Bakewell.
Four programmes won two BAFTAs each. Historical drama The Crown, starring Claire Foy and Matt Smith, was successful in Costume Design and Special, Visual & Graphic Effects. Espionage thriller The Night Manager, adapted from John le Carré’s novel, won in Editing: Fiction and Sound: Fiction. National Treasure won for Director: Fiction and Original Music. Planet Earth II (Cities) received the Photography: Factual and Sound Factual awards.
Further cementing her status as one of the UK’s foremost writers, Sally Wainwright won Writer: Drama for Happy Valley, her third BAFTA to date in this category and her fifth overall. In Writer: Comedy, Stefan Golaszewski took home the second BAFTA of his career, for Mum.
James Friend won the BAFTA for Photography & Lighting: Fiction for Rillington Place. Tanya Lodge won Make Up & Hair Design for San Junipero (Black Mirror) and Chris Roope fought off stiff competition in Production Design, winning for War & Peace.
BAFTA continues to shine a spotlight on the very best emerging talent in the industry with its Breakthrough Talent category, won this year by director Mahalia Belo for Ellen.
The award for Digital Creativity, which rewards excellence and innovation through a multi-platform television experience, was won by David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef Dive, while the BAFTA for Titles & Graphic Identity went to Paralympics 2016. The award for Entertainment Craft Team was presented to the BBC Studios team for Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance 2016, which paid tribute to victims of war and conflict.
First-time winners included Andy Worboys in Editing: Factual for Hillsborough, James Bluemel in Director: Factual for Exodus: Our Journey to Europe, and Chris Power in Director: Multi-Camera for Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, the show’s sixth BAFTA in four years.
Industry-renowned prop master Bobby Warans was presented with the BAFTA Special Award for his outstanding contribution to the industry. In a craft that is thoroughly integral to the success of a show, Warans has worked on nearly 100 of the best-loved British television programmes of the past 40 years, spanning a number of genres including live events, entertainment, talk shows, sitcoms and comedy sketch shows including Absolutely Fabulous, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Episodes, French and Saunders, Harry Hill’s TV Burp, The Morecambe and Wise Show, Noel’s House Party, Strictly Come Dancing and The Two Ronnies. The award was presented to him by Paul Merton.
FULL NOMINATIONS AND WINNERS
SPECIAL AWARD
*Bobby Warans
BREAKTHROUGH TALENT sponsored by Sara Putt Associates
*MAHALIA BELO (Director) Ellen – Touchpaper Television/Channel 4
PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE (Writer and Creator) Crashing – Big Talk Productions/Channel 4 and Fleabag ¬– Two Brothers Pictures/BBC Three
SARAH QUINTRELL (Writer) Ellen – Touchpaper Television/Channel 4
VINAY PATEL (Writer) Murdered by My Father – BBC Studios/BBC Three
COSTUME DESIGN sponsored by CARAT*
CHARLOTTE HOLDICH The Durrells – Sid Gentle Films Ltd/Masterpiece/ITV
*MICHELE CLAPTON The Crown – Left Bank Pictures/Netflix
NIGEL EGERTON The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses – Richard III – Neal Street Productions/Carnival Films/NBC Universal/Thirteen/BBC Two
SUSIE COULTHARD San Junipero (Black Mirror) – House of Tomorrow/Netflix
DIGITAL CREATIVITY
*ALCHEMY VR, ATLANTIC DIGITAL David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef Dive – Atlantic Productions/BBC One
MATT WALKER, BEN GONSHAW, EWA HEADLEY, TRISTAN LEAVER Attenborough’s Story of Life App – BBC Worldwide/AKQA/BBC
PRODUCTION TEAM Humans – Channel 4/4creative/Facebook Creative Shop/PullString/Joi Polloi/Snapchat/Channel 4
SUNSET + VINE, DELTATRE, LIVE WIRE, GOLDEN EGG INNOVATION Paralympics 2016 – Sunset + Vine/DeltaTre/Live Wire/Golden Egg Innovation/Channel 4
DIRECTOR: FACTUAL
ANNA HALL Behind Closed Doors – True Vision Aire/BBC One
DANIEL GORDON Hillsborough – Very Much So Productions/BBC Two
*JAMES BLUEMEL Exodus: Our Journey to Europe – KEO Films/BBC Two
PETER BEARD Gender Clinic: Kids on the Edge – Century Films/Channel 4
DIRECTOR: FICTION sponsored by 3 Mills Studios
EUROS LYN Damilola, Our Loved Boy – Minnow Films/BBC One
*MARC MUNDEN National Treasure – The Forge/Channel 4
STEPHEN DALDRY The Crown (Episode Two) – Left Bank Pictures/Netflix
SUSANNE BIER The Night Manager – The Ink Factory/Demarest/Character Seven/BBC One
DIRECTOR: MULTI-CAMERA
*CHRIS POWER Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – ITV Studios/Mitre Television/ITV
NIKKI PARSONS The Centenary of the Battle of the Somme: Thiepval – BBC Studios/BBC One
NIKKI PARSONS Strictly Come Dancing – BBC Studios/BBC One
PETE ANDREWS Wimbledon 2016 – BBC Sport/NEP Visions Ltd/BBC One
EDITING: FACTUAL
*ANDY WORBOYS Hillsborough – Very Much So Productions/BBC Two
DAVE PEARCE Planet Earth II (Deserts) – BBC Studios/BBC Natural History Unit/BBC America/ZDF/France Television/BBC One
MATT MEECH Planet Earth II (Islands) – BBC Studios/BBC Natural History Unit/BBC America/ZDF/France Television/BBC One
SIMON SYKES, SUNSHINE JACKSON, NICK FENTON Exodus: Our Journey to Europe – KEO Films/BBC Two
EDITING: FICTION
ANDREW JOHN MCCLELLAND Sherlock: The Abominable Bride – Hartswood Films/BBC One
*BEN LESTER The Night Manager – The Ink Factory/Demarest/Character Seven/BBC One
GARY DOLLNER Fleabag – Two Brothers Pictures/BBC Three
LUKE DUNKLEY National Treasure – The Forge/Channel 4
ENTERTAINMENT CRAFT TEAM sponsored by Hotcam
*BERNIE DAVIS, DAVID COLE, KEVIN DUFF, PATRICK DOHERTY Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance 2016 – BBC Studios/BBC One
DAVID NEWTON, MARK KENYON, JASON GILKISON, VICKY GILL Strictly Come Dancing – BBC Studios/BBC One
KAREN BRUCE, PATRICK DOHERTY, MARK KENYON, MARK BUSK-COWLEY Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – ITV Studios/Mitre Television/ITV
KEVIN DUFF, HOWARD NOCK, TONY FREEMAN, NICK COLLIER The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration – ITV Studios/Spun Gold Television/ITV
MAKE UP & HAIR DESIGN sponsored by MAC and Make-up Artist Magazine
JACQUELINE FOWLER War & Peace – BBC Studios/BBC Wales/Lookout Point/TWC/BBC One
NIC COLLINS Victoria – Mammoth Screen/ITV
*TANYA LODGE San Junipero (Black Mirror) – House of Tomorrow/Netflix
VANESSA WHITE, FLORIS SCHULLER, NEILL GORTON Tracey Ullman’s Show – BBC Studios/Allan McKeown Presents/BBC One
ORIGINAL MUSIC
ANNE DUDLEY Poldark – Mammoth Screen/BBC One
*CRISTOBAL TAPIA DE VEER National Treasure – The Forge/Channel 4
HANS ZIMMER, JACOB SHEA, JASHA KLEBE Planet Earth II – BBC Studios/BBC Natural History Unit/BBC America/ZDF/France Television/BBC One
MARTIN PHIPPS War & Peace – BBC Studios/BBC Wales/Lookout Point/TWC/BBC One
PHOTOGRAPHY: FACTUAL sponsored by The Farm
*JOHN AITCHISON, ROB WHITWORTH, MARK MACEWEN Planet Earth II (Cities) – BBC Studios/BBC Natural History Unit/BBC America/ZDF/France Television/BBC One
JOHN SHIER, JONATHAN JONES, BARRIE BRITTON Planet Earth II (Deserts) – BBC Studios/BBC Natural History Unit/BBC America/ZDF/France Television/BBC One
JOHN SHIER, MATEO WILLIS, BARRIE BRITTON Planet Earth II (Mountains) – BBC Studios/BBC Natural History Unit/BBC America/ZDF/France Television/BBC One
TOM CROWLEY, MARK MACEWEN, JOHN BROWN Planet Earth II (Jungles) – BBC Studios/BBC Natural History Unit/BBC America/ZDF/France Television/BBC One
PHOTOGRAPHY & LIGHTING: FICTION
ADRIANO GOLDMAN The Crown (Episode Five) – Left Bank Pictures/Netflix
*JAMES FRIEND Rillington Place – BBC Studios/Bandit Television/BBC One
OLE BIRKELAND National Treasure – The Forge/Channel 4
SEAMUS MCGARVEY Nosedive (Black Mirror) – House of Tomorrow/Netflix
PRODUCTION DESIGN sponsored by Microsoft
*CHRIS ROOPE War & Peace – BBC Studios/BBC Wales/Lookout Point/TWC/BBC One
MARTIN CHILDS The Crown – Left Bank Pictures/Netflix
PAT CAMPBELL Rillington Place – BBC Studios/Bandit Television/BBC One
TOM BURTON, BARBARA HERMAN-SKELDING The Night Manager – The Ink Factory/Demarest/Character Seven/BBC One
SOUND: FACTUAL
*GRAHAM WILD, KATE HOPKINS, TIM OWENS Planet Earth II (Cities) – BBC Studios/BBC Natural History Unit/BBC America/ZDF/France Television/BBC One
JOHN ROGERSON, JAY PRICE, LAURIE GOODE, ANDY PADDON Forces of Nature with Brian Cox – BBC Studios/BBC One
KATE HOPKINS, GRAHAM WILD Planet Earth II (Jungles) – BBC Studios/BBC Natural History Unit/BBC America/ZDF/France Television/BBC One
SOUND TEAM Olympic Opening Ceremony 2016 – OBS/BBC One
SOUND: FICTION
*AITOR BERENGUER, HOWARD BARGROFF, ALEX SAWYER, ADAM ARMITAGE The Night Manager – The Ink Factory/Demarest/Character Seven/BBC One
CHRIS ASHWORTH, LEE WALPOLE, STUART HILLIKER, JEFF RICHARDSON War & Peace – BBC Studios/BBC Wales/Lookout Point/TWC/BBC One
JOHN MOONEY, DOUGLAS SINCLAIR, HOWARD BARGROFF, JON SALMON-JOYCE Sherlock: The Abominable Bride – Hartswood Films/BBC One
PAUL COTTERELL, IAN WILKINSON, LEE CRICHLOW, BEN NORRINGTON The Missing (Episode Eight) – New Pictures/Two Brothers Productions/BBC One
SPECIAL, VISUAL & GRAPHIC EFFECTS sponsored by Autodesk
BLUEBOLT, PAU COSTA MOELLER The Night Manager – The Ink Factory/Demarest/Character Seven/BBC One
BLUEBOLT, JENS DOELDISSEN, SIMONE GRATTAROLA War & Peace – BBC Studios/BBC Wales/Lookout Point/TWC/BBC One
JUSTIN HUTCHINSON-CHATBURN, FRAMESTORE, GLASSWORKS, BASEBLACK Playtest (Black Mirror) – House of Tomorrow/Netflix
MILK VFX, CHRIS REYNOLDS, ADAM MCINNES The Last Dragonslayer – Blueprint Pictures/Sky 1
*ONE OF US, MOLINARE The Crown – Left Bank Pictures/Netflix
REAL SFX, MILK VFX, KEVIN HORSEWOOD Sherlock: The Abominable Bride – Hartswood Films/BBC One
TITLES & GRAPHIC IDENTITY
ALEX MACLEAN The Durrells – Sid Gentle Films Ltd/Masterpiece/ITV
PATRICK CLAIR, RAOUL MARKS The Crown – Left Bank Pictures/Netflix
PATRICK CLAIR, RAOUL MARKS The Night Manager – The Ink Factory/Demarest/Character Seven/BBC One
*RICHARD NORLEY, LEE JACOBS, CALLUM O’REILLY Paralympics 2016 – Sunset + Vine/Channel 4
WRITER: COMEDY
JULIA DAVIS Camping – Baby Cow Productions/Sky Atlantic
PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE Fleabag – Two Brothers Pictures/BBC Three
*STEFAN GOLASZEWSKI Mum – Big Talk Productions/BBC Two
STEVE COOGAN, NEIL GIBBONS, ROB GIBBONS Alan Partridge’s Scissored Isle – Baby Cow Productions/Sky Atlantic
WRITER: DRAMA
LEVI DAVID ADDAI Damilola, Our Loved Boy – Minnow Films/BBC One
PETER MORGAN The Crown – Left Bank Pictures/Netflix
*SALLY WAINWRIGHT Happy Valley – Red Production Company/BBC One
SIMON NYE The Durrells – Sid Gentle Films Ltd/Masterpiece/ITV
Avatar Sequel Release Dates Set
James Cameron’s four planned Avatar sequels are now not only officially starting production but also have release dates confirmed for 18 December 2020, 17 December 2021, 20 December 2014 and 19 December 2025.
Cameron has been working on scripts for the ever growing franchise with co-writers Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friendman and Shane Salerno. Little is know about the plot or why exactly it will now take a further three films to conclude, though Cameron had previously hinted that the series would continue to explore Pandora and possibly it’s oceans. Given Cameron’s well known obsession with aquatic adventures it would not be a surprise to see him pushing the special effects laden adventure in an underwater direction.
The big question remains how much audience enthusiasm there will be for the franchise given the lengthy delay since the first film shattered box office records, thanks mostly to the inflated price of 3D tickets and the novelty value of groundbreaking special effects at the time. Cameron as always remains unashamedly confident and time will tell how well the four film gamble pays off.
Joss Whedon Talks Batgirl Movie
At the LA World Premiere for Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2 director Joss Whedon spoke about the recent news that he would be moving on from duties curating the Marvel universe to tackle a Batgirl solo movie for Warner Bros.
“She came up, and I started getting obsessed with how a young woman could get hardcore enough to need to put on the cowl. Like, what’s her damage? She didn’t have her parents killed in an alley. Who is this person, who decides — rather than being forced to by their childhood trauma — decides to pick up this life? How intense and driven that person is… I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
As for what version of the character he might use for the movie, that he says he hasn’t decided yet. And he doesn’t yet know who will be bringing her to life, but he knows he doesn’t really want a big name star.
“I doubt it’ll be a name, I think this is somewhere where you go and find Batgirl and then you cast her, I mean, I’m not against movie stars, they’re great, but you need somebody who is just right. And a situation with this, the name carries a lot of weight so it’s not as critical. Definitely Vin Diesel.”
Fast & Furious Spin-Off Planned
Following the latest box office haul for Fast & Furious 8 aka The Fate of The Furious it’s little surprise that despite two sequels already planned to take the franchise to an even 10 films, there’s already talks of a new spin-off movie as well.
The studio is said to be considering teaming up Jason Statham Deckard Shaw and Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs. With the most recent film working very hard to turn their angry rivalry into something a bit more bromantc it certainly seems like the studio may see a lot of appeal in building another film around two of the bigger names in the ever growing franchise cast.
Though the spin off is only in the very early stages of development and it’s also unclear exactly how production would be fit in around the two currently planned sequels, it’s believed the studio has at least reached out to regular writer Chris Morgan to explore potential script ideas.