My Best Films

Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov is in talks to direct an adaptation of Peter Ackroyd’s The Casebook Of Victor Frankenstein.

The novel is a retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein, with the original author appearing as a character who argues with Victor Frankenstein about his atheistic beliefs.

As Dr Frankenstein experiments with attempting to resurrect dead bodies, he strikes a deal with the Doomsday men – known as the resurrectionists – who put his life in danger thanks to their grisly methods.

Screenwriter David Auburn, who won the Tony Award in 2001 for his play Proof (which became a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow), is pushing to transfer the story to the big screen.

Bekmambetov is reportedly being sought out by high-up exec types to helm the project, though he’s not signed anything yet. But considering his past with Night Watch, he seems a perfect fit for the off-the-wall film.

Frankly, do you want a new Frankenstein?

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If you hear the sound of thunderous footsteps in the coming months, don’t worry – it’s just Godzilla making his way back to the big screen.

Legendary Pictures, the company behind The Dark Knight and 300, have announced that they will be creating a new Godzilla flick, having reached a deal with rights owners Toho.

Warner Bros will be co-financing and co-producing the picture, with a planned 2012 release.

Fans of Roland Emmerich’s 1998 version (yes, all two of you) may be celebrating, but the rest of us are a little wary after that giant turd.

Naturally, Legendary Chairman Thomas Tull remains positive.

“Godzilla is one of the world’s most powerful pop culture icons, and we at Legendary are thrilled to be able to create a modern epic based on this long-loved Toho franchise,” he says.

“Our plans are to produce the Godzilla that we, as fans, would want to see. We intend to do justice to those essential elements that have allowed this character to remain as pop-culturally relevant for as long as it has.”

Which hopefully means that we’ll see a flick that sticks truer to the original formula than Emmerich’s epic fail.

How to spice it up? How about a shaky, hand-held approach in which we follow a group of unknown cast members in New York as the city is ripped up by a giant beast… Oh…

“We are anxious to find out where Godzilla’s new stomping will take us,” said Hideyuki Takai, President of Toho. Us, too, Takai.

Are you ready for a new Godzilla?

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Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov is in talks to direct an adaptation of Peter Ackroyd’s The Casebook Of Victor Frankenstein.

The novel is a retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein, with the original author appearing as a character who argues with Victor Frankenstein about his atheistic beliefs.

As Dr Frankenstein experiments with attempting to resurrect dead bodies, he strikes a deal with the Doomsday men – known as the resurrectionists – who put his life in danger thanks to their grisly methods.

Screenwriter David Auburn, who won the Tony Award in 2001 for his play Proof (which became a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow), is pushing to transfer the story to the big screen.

Bekmambetov is reportedly being sought out by high-up exec types to helm the project, though he’s not signed anything yet. But considering his past with Night Watch, he seems a perfect fit for the off-the-wall film.

Frankly, do you want a new Frankenstein?

Total Film on Facebook

If you hear the sound of thunderous footsteps in the coming months, don’t worry – it’s just Godzilla making his way back to the big screen.

Legendary Pictures, the company behind The Dark Knight and 300, have announced that they will be creating a new Godzilla flick, having reached a deal with rights owners Toho.

Warner Bros will be co-financing and co-producing the picture, with a planned 2012 release.

Fans of Roland Emmerich’s 1998 version (yes, all two of you) may be celebrating, but the rest of us are a little wary after that giant turd.

Naturally, Legendary Chairman Thomas Tull remains positive.

“Godzilla is one of the world’s most powerful pop culture icons, and we at Legendary are thrilled to be able to create a modern epic based on this long-loved Toho franchise,” he says.

“Our plans are to produce the Godzilla that we, as fans, would want to see. We intend to do justice to those essential elements that have allowed this character to remain as pop-culturally relevant for as long as it has.”

Which hopefully means that we’ll see a flick that sticks truer to the original formula than Emmerich’s epic fail.

How to spice it up? How about a shaky, hand-held approach in which we follow a group of unknown cast members in New York as the city is ripped up by a giant beast… Oh…

“We are anxious to find out where Godzilla’s new stomping will take us,” said Hideyuki Takai, President of Toho. Us, too, Takai.

Are you ready for a new Godzilla?

Total Film on Facebook

Hollywood movie writer David Hayter, scribbler of X-Men and Watchmen, has been attempting to get himself a spot in the director’s chair for a while.

Now, after deals to direct Watchmen and Black Widow fell through, Hayter is set to direct a werewolf flick simply entitled Wolves.

Deadline quote Hayter as calling the film “Twilight with a bit more bite to it, and without abstinence”.

The film is reported to use the werewolf concept as a metaphor for male sexual development. A bit like a blokey spin on Ginger Snaps.

In related werewolf news, Hot Tub Time Machine director Steve Pink has signed a deal to direct Werewolves Of Reseda, an R-rated ensemble comedy horror.

The script, by Hesher story writer Brian Frank, details the transformation of a group of guys into werewolves, which somehow benefits their family. A bit like an adult spin on Teen Wolf…

Do we really need more werewolf films, especially spins on familiar tales?

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After yesterday’s Angelina Jolie/Maleficent rumours, today we’re hearing whispers of another actress looking to go bad – seriously bad – in another big franchise.

Rumours abound that Rachel Weisz is being lined up to play the villain in Bond 23.

Cinema Blend are the instigators of said rumour, reporting that the 007 filmmakers want her to play the head of shadowy evil organisation Quantum.

Blend’s argument for Weisz comes mostly from the fact that she is friends with Daniel Craig. It’s an argument that, while shaking at best, does at least acknowledge how a lot of Hollywood deals are brokered.

Peter Morgan is reportedly still working on the script for Bond 23 despite MGM’s monetary woes. Which means that there is probably a female role kicking around looking to be cast.

And if the studio can bag Weisz, that would no doubt bolster interest – read: money – in the project.

Would Weisz make a good Bond villain? Just imagine her in a designer suit and killer heels, with some suitably severe glasses, and we think we’re on to a winner…

Weisz for villain?

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Fans of creepy-cool puppet flick The Dark Crystal rejoice!

Talk of sequel The Power Of The Dark Crystal has been circulating for some time now, but we’ve not heard a thing for a couple of years.

According to artists/designers Brian and Wendy Froud, though, the project is alive and well, albeit taking its time to come to fruition.

While out promoting their new fortune-telling card set, The Heart Of Faerie Oracle, the husband-wife team spoke a little bit about the sequel. They were both involved with the first Dark Crystal as well as Labyrinth, designing the sets, props and puppets used in both those films, as well as Yoda in Star Wars.

Said Brian:

“I don’t know how many years they’ve been trying to do a Dark Crystal 2, but we are involved. I have done some designs and I’ve been talking to the director, we’ve been involved in the script. We don’t know quite when it’s gonna go.”

Meanwhile, Wendy confirmed that “it’s inching its way closer”, before going on to confirm that the sequel will stay true to its roots in puppetry despite all the new fancy technology currently kicking around.

“The backgrounds will be CGI, but the main characters will be puppets,” she said. “They decided that was really the only way they wanted to do it to keep the integrity.”

Last we heard, The Power Of The Dark Crystal had been written by Craig Pearce (Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!), and was heading for release in 2011 with director Michael Gracey at the helm.

It seems that even if we unfortunately won’t be seeing the film next year, it’s at least still on the cards. And with the Frouds providing the creative genius behind the film’s look, we should be in for a treat.

For those of you who can’t wait, a series of Manga-style Dark Crystal graphic novels will be out this Summer.

Wish they’d hurry up and just get this made?

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Oscar-nominated actress Angela Bassett has joined the cast of the currently-shooting Green Lantern.

The star of Malcolm X and Boyz n The Hood will play Dr Amanda Waller, who appears in the original DC Comic. Waller is a former congressional aide who oversees the Suicide Squad, a shadowy government group of ex-supervillains.

Also signing up late to the cast is nine-year-old Gattlin Griffith (Changeling, Couple’s Retreat), who is reportedly shooting just 12 days on the film as a character called Robert.

No word who this Robert is, though various sites have speculated that he could be a codename for a young Hal Jordan – especially considering a younger version of beau Carol Ferris has been cast in the form of Jenna Craig.

These two join Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Mark Strong, Tim Robbins and Peter Sarsgaard, with the film currently shooting in New Orleans under director Martin Campbell.

Big star in supporting role? Do we smell a Suicide Squad spin-off franchise?

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Oscar-nominated actress Angela Bassett has joined the cast of the currently-shooting Green Lantern.

The star of Malcolm X and Boyz n The Hood will play Dr Amanda Waller, who appears in the original DC Comic. Waller is a former congressional aide who oversees the Suicide Squad, a shadowy government group of ex-supervillains.

Also signing up late to the cast is nine-year-old Gattlin Griffith (Changeling, Couple’s Retreat), who is reportedly shooting just 12 days on the film as a character called Robert.

No word who this Robert is, though various sites have speculated that he could be a codename for a young Hal Jordan – especially considering a younger version of beau Carol Ferris has been cast in the form of Jenna Craig.

These two join Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Mark Strong, Tim Robbins and Peter Sarsgaard, with the film currently shooting in New Orleans under director Martin Campbell.

Big star in supporting role? Do we smell a Suicide Squad spin-off franchise?

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