Paramount and DreamWorks are holding the date of June 26, 2009, for “Transformers 2,” with Michael Bay expected to return to direct the sequel.
Despite the tensions between them, DreamWorks and Par have plenty of incentive to move forward with the next installment in the budding franchise. “Transformers,” starring Shia LaBeouf and based on the toy robot line, has grossed nearly $700 million worldwide, giving DreamWorks its first live-action franchise.
Even if Spielberg and Geffen exit their deal at Par, as they have threatened to do, the “Transformers” property stays at the Melrose lot, as do all other DreamWorks projects.
“Transformers” was a passion project for Spielberg, with DreamWorks developing the project and taking the creative lead after partnering with Paramount (that was before Par bought DreamWorks).
Spielberg, who took an exec producer credit on “Transformers,” was closely involved with the film, including bringing Bay aboard to direct and LaBeouf to star. He’s expected to be involved in the sequel.
Bay has not yet inked a deal to helm the follow-up but is in the final stages of negotiation. With Bay’s involvement, LaBeouf is expected to return as well.
LaBeouf stars alongside Harrison Ford in Spielberg’s upcoming “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which opens May 22.
DreamWorks and Par are hoping to at least begin production on the “Transformers” sequel before a possible strike even if they have to finish after it.
Fox Searchlight has decided to move up the upcoming release of “The Savages,” starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney, from Dec. 26 to Nov. 30. In its old date, the film would have gone up against Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood,” starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
In its new slot, “Savages” will open in its limited run against Woody Allen’s “Cassandra’s Dream,” among other titles.
Looking to 2008, 20th Century Fox has decided to make sci-fi actioner “The Day the Earth Stood Still” a Christmas release and open the Keanu Reeves starrer on Dec. 12 instead of during the summer. Fox had dated the pic for May 9, but the movie, which hasn’t yet begun lensing, wouldn’t have been ready. In addition, Fox has three other summer pics.
Paramount and DreamWorks are holding the date of June 26, 2009, for “Transformers 2,” with Michael Bay expected to return to direct the sequel. Despite the tensions between them, DreamWorks and Par have plenty of incentive to move forward with the next installment in the budding franchise. “Transformers,” starring Shia LaBeouf and based on the […]
Bourdos should see his atmospheric, well-acted period piece appeal to older, art-savvy moviegoers everywhere.
An arthritis-plagued father and his war-wounded son are both beguiled by beauty in “Renoir.” This lushly shot stroll through the twilight days of the impressionist painter Auguste and the early formative years of his filmmaking offspring, Jean, reps the strongest and most conventional feature to date from Gallic helmer Gilles Bourdos (“Afterwards”). Again teaming up with ace Taiwanese lenser Mark Lee Ping-bing and composer Alexandre Desplat, Bourdos should see his atmospheric, well-acted period piece appeal to older, art-savvy moviegoers everywhere. Samuel Goldwyn Films picked up U.S. rights in Cannes.
“A Sight for Sore Eyes,” Bourdos’ helming debut, was a French take on a Ruth Rendell mystery, while his sophomore effort, the English-language thriller “Afterwards,” was based on a French novel. Despite the stories’ literary origins, however, Bourdos’ freewheeling adaptations flirted with narrative illogic and featured standoffish protags that left more traditionally minded auds cold. All the more surprising then, that “Renoir,” again based on a literary work, is a traditional, old-fashioned, picture with a gentle, observational quality unlike anything Bourdos has attempted.
This change can be at least partly attributed to co-screenwriter Jerome Tonnerre, who helped pen mainstream hits such as “The Women on the 6th Floor” and “My Best Friend,” and who’s credited here alongside Bourdos and his regular scribe, Michel Spinosa. Their elegant script is drawn from a novelized biography by photog and d.p. Jacques Renoir, the great-grandson of Pierre-Auguste and the grandson of Jean’s actor brother, Pierre.
Pic is set on the French Riviera in 1915, where the verdant and paradisiacal Renoir estate offers shelter from the horrors of WWI. Auguste (Michel Bouquet, “The Last Mitterand”), already in his 70s, has just become a widower and is worried sick about his two sons at the front. Despite the deformation of his hands by rheumatoid arthritis, he still paints daily and looks after his youngest son, the mischievous Coco (Thomas Doret, “The Kid With a Bike”), though he’s aided by a large female staff at home.
Catalyst of the story is the arrival of Andree (Crista Theret), a sprightly girl with flaming red hair and porcelain skin who becomes Renoir’s new muse and who also catches the eye of Auguste’s second son, Jean (Vincent Rottiers), who has been sent home to convalesce after a serious injury. It is Andree who stimulates Jean’s interest in cinema (she would later marry him and star in his first silents as Catherine Hessling).
Seemingly without any narrative agenda aside from simply observing the characters, the film meanders through the daily lives of the reunited father and son and the stunning female newcomer who personifies their deep familial bonds and shared appreciation of beauty.
There is no major drama here save the encroaching end of one great artist and the birth of another, but Bourdos and his fellow screenwriters have translated something so monumental into a succession of such small domestic tableaux in which the Renoirs are seen as people first and artists second. Though the apparently calculating Andree remains something of an outline, this seems appropriate given that both Renoirs objectify her more than they actually engage with her. And Theret’s luminous perf, opposite those of vet Bouquet and the equally strong Rottiers, makes clear why the men take an immediate shine to her.
Technically, this is Bourdos’ most ambitious film yet. Regular d.p. Lee, shooting mostly outdoors, works with shifting flecks of sunlight and color, achieving the live-action equivalent of one of Renoir’s impressionist canvases while keeping things grounded in a believable reality. Alexandre Desplat’s string-driven score adds a dash of energy that keeps the occasionally lingering images from becoming too pastoral or the pacing too languid. Production and costume designs are also top-drawer.
An arthritis-plagued father and his war-wounded son are both beguiled by beauty in “Renoir.” This lushly shot stroll through the twilight days of the impressionist painter Auguste and the early formative years of his filmmaking offspring, Jean, reps the strongest and most conventional feature to date from Gallic helmer Gilles Bourdos (“Afterwards”). Again teaming up […]
Amy Schumer's critically-acclaimed "Inside Amy Schumer" got a fourth-season nod from Comedy Central ‘Inside Amy Schumer’: Comedy Central Renews Comedy for Fourth Season – Variety
Comedy Central is giving a fourth-season nod to “Inside Amy Schumer,” just as the third season of the much-lauded program gets underway and its creator is getting more publicity for her coming film “Trainwreck,” directed by Judd Apatow.
Schumer disclosed the pick up while making an appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS early Tuesday morning Eastern time. “I just found out” before coming out to speak with Letterman, she told the host.
The third season of “Inside Amy Schumer” premieres Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. Eastern and Pacific with the first of ten all-new episodes.
“Inside Amy Schumer” has gained noticed not only for its comedy but the ways in which Schumer, her writers and her cast offer telling comment on sex and relationships. The series has been nomimated for an Emmy and has won a Peabody Award. The show is made up of scripted vignettes, stand-up comedy, and man-on-the-street interviews. The series was created by Schumer and Daniel Powell. Both executive produce along with Jessi Klein, the head writer. Tony Hernandez and Steve Ast also serve as executive producers, while Kim Caramele and Kevin Kane are producers.
Comedy Central is giving a fourth-season nod to “Inside Amy Schumer,” just as the third season of the much-lauded program gets underway and its creator is getting more publicity for her coming film “Trainwreck,” directed by Judd Apatow. Schumer disclosed the pick up while making an appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” on […]
“Warcraft” racked up a massive $156 million over its first five days in China, setting a new record for the biggest debut for a foreign release in the country’s history.
It’s good news for Legendary and Universal, the backers of the $160 million video game adaptation. “Warcraft” bombed during its stateside premiere this weekend, eking out a $24.4 million debut.
“Warcraft’s” performance in China flew past the high-water mark set for a foreign release in 2015 with “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” Despite the tepid response from stateside crowds, “Warcraft” is shaping up to be a box office hit. It’s a sign of the importance of foreign audiences.
China is widely expected to pass the United States as the world’s largest market for film by 2017. Foreign crowds have helped rescue troubled pictures in the past, with Asian markets, in particular, reviving the fortunes of films such as “Terminator: Genisys” and “Pacific Rim” after they bombed domestically.
“At some point you’re going to have a hugely budgeted film from a North American company that forgoes a North American release,” predicted Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations. “There are going to be more films that appeal just to that part of the world, the same way there are U.S. films that do no business in the rest of the world.”
“Warcraft” had a lot of elements that accounted for its success in China. Not only is the game, “World of Warcraft,” hugely popular in the country, but Legendary, the film’s producer is owned by Dalian Wanda, one of the countries largest entertainment companies.
The film is doing well in other foreign territories. Its global total now stands at $286.1 million and there are 14 more territories left to open over the next two months. Next weekend, “Warcraft” will debut in Australia, Cyprus, Mexico, New Zealand and Venezuela.
“Warcraft” racked up a massive $156 million over its first five days in China, setting a new record for the biggest debut for a foreign release in the country’s history. It’s good news for Legendary and Universal, the backers of the $160 million video game adaptation. “Warcraft” bombed during its stateside premiere this weekend, eking […]
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