My Best Films

The first official image from the new James Bond adventure, Skyfall, has been released online.

It shows Daniel Craig looking grizzled, moody and on a mission. We like.

Even though he’s had a four year break from the role since appearing in Quantum Of Solace, the actor’s looking as badass as ever, with a grainy smattering of stubble that suggests he hasn’t had time for his usual grooming ritual.

And despite the fact that the 50th anniversary of the Dr No is inspiring all kinds of birthday celebrations for Bond, the new image suggest Skyfall is taking 007 in a pleasingly different direction.

The above image shows Bond in Shanghai, one of the many locations that director Sam Mendes is plonking him in.

Skyfall opens on 26 October 2012.

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Last month we brought you news that the forthcoming Expendables sequel would be working within the confines of a PG-13 certificate, after Chuck Norris refused to sign on unless the film was a swear-free zone. Disappointing news then, for fans of the kind of guts and glory actioners the film harks back to.

However, according to Norris’s co-star Terry Crews, the decision to open the film to a wider audience can only be a good thing.

“It’s PG-13,” begins Crews. “Do you really think only men 40 and over saw the first one? The kids bought tickets to Eat, Pray, Love and walked right into The Expendables.” Which kind of begs the question, why bother changing the certificate?

In any case, Crews is adamant that the lack of boobs, blood and sweariness won’t detract from the overall experience.

“I get [the concerns]. I really do," he says. "But boobs and blood do not a good movie make. You don’t want to go - don’t go. I respect it. But you will miss the greatest thing you’ve ever seen.”

To make sure you treat your eyeballs to the greatest thing they’ve ever seen (and you can take a Terry Crews promise to the bank – the blood bank! Sorry), be sure to buy yourself a ticket when The Expendables 2 opens in August 2012.

The trend for sequels, prequels and reboots seems to be spreading beyond the medium of cinema, with DC comics revealing the first official cover for Before Watchmen, a new strand of spin-off comics designed to fill in the gaps of the original Watchmen story.

“Essentially, we’re looking at old characters through new eyes,” creator Len Wein told Wired. “What we’re doing is filling in a lot of the blank spaces in a story that has already, to some degree, been told.”

“There were still a lot of gaps in the histories of Watchmen’s characters,” he continues, “and events only mentioned in passing or touched on briefly in the original story. We’re filling in those gaps in the most creative and inventive ways we can.”

Wein will write the Ozymandias series (one of several character-specific mini-series to be released), the cover of which can be seen below. However, original creator and comic-book legend Alan Moore will not be involved at all, having turned down DC’s overtures to write the prequel series. Moore confirmed that the series had been offered back to him if he “would agree to some dopey prequels and sequels.”

What this new development means is that we will almost certainly be treated to a Watchmen prequel movie, with DC likely having factored a film adaptation into their plans to reboot the franchise.

The new comics are set to arrive this summer… we wouldn’t be surprised to hear talk of a new movie by Christmas!

Whilst the 3D presentation of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 wasn’t to everyone’s taste, there can be little argument that Voldemort’s death scene benefitted from the technology, particularly when the confetti effect blew his smoking remains into the spellbound audience.

However, that great death scene could have been a little darker, at least according to a new set of production stills released by concept artist Andrei Riabotvitchev.

The new images show Voldemort suffering a Raiders Of The Lost Ark style face melt, in a scene that was presumably considered too gruesome for the younger members of the audience.
 

Another alternative ending shows Voldemort going the way of Cate Blanchett in Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. That’s what happens to people who reach for too much power, you see…

We were always fairly happy with the way David Yates elected to wrap up the franchise, but it’s interesting to note that more adult conclusions were considered. Old snake-features is dead though, which is of course the main thing.

Work on the forthcoming RoboCop reboot continues to move forward, with MGM announcing that Gran Torino screenwriter Nick Schenk has signed on to write the script.

One of a raft of classic properties that MGM is seeking to revive (see this week’s news story about Joe Carnahan’s Death Wish revamp), RoboCop will be directed by Jose Padilha, who has outlined his plan to delve deeper into how Alex Murphy became a cyborg.

“I have my take on it," Padilha told Superhero Hype, "And I can tell you this: In the first RoboCop, Alex Murphy is shot, gunned down, then you see some hospitals and stuff and then you cut to him as RoboCop. My movie is between those two cuts.”

“How do you make RoboCop?” he continues. “ How do you slowly bring a guy to be a robot? How do you actually take humanity out of someone and how do you program a brain, so to speak, and how does that affect an individual?"

No further casting news has been released as yet, but rumours linking Michael Fassbender to the project refuse to go away. We’re yet to be convinced by the need to reboot RoboCop, but if Fassbender were attached, we’d admit to having our interest piqued.

Production is set to begin later this year, with RoboCop is expected to open at some point in 2013.

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Tom Hardy, Chris Pine and Reese Witherspoon have been in London to promote the release of This Means War, and the trio, along with director McG, rocked up on the red carpet at last night’s London premiere.

You can watch the video, which features interviews with the whole gang, above.

Hardy sports an impressive scruff of a beard, and he reckons that “the whole film was good fun… I tend to take myself incredibly seriously so it was to not, for once.”

Witherspoon meanwhile compares choosing between her hunksome co-stars to “Sophie’s Choice” and McG explains: “I was always curious about what would happen if Jason Bourne and James Bond took on each other in the spirit of chasing a woman…”

This Means War opens on 2 March 2012.

Read Total Film’s This Means War review.

Joe Carnahan has clearly got a thing for grizzled, take-no-shit leading men in rugged, testosterone-soaked thrillers. With The Grey currently scoring very decent reviews across the board, word is that Carnahan will follow that film up with a reboot of the Charles Bronson actioner Death Wish.

Directed by Michael Winner and released back in 1974, Death Wish is a down and dirty revenge drama, in which Bronson plays an average joe who turns into a gun-wielding vigilante when his wife is murdered by a gang of street punks.

New York’s resident muggers are suddenly in a world of trouble, as Bronson sets about slaying every ne’er do well who crosses his path.

The film would go on to spawn four sequels, and MGM and Paramount clearly feel the time is right for a reboot, with Carnahan having reportedly signed on to occupy the director’s chair.

It’s a move that makes sense, with Carnahan’s Narc a good example of the director’s familiarity with grimy, uncompromising material. No word as yet concerning when the film is expected to open, but who would bet against Liam Neeson snagging the leading role? If he can take a pack of timber wolves, we fancy him against a bunch of street thugs…

The press drive for The Amazing Spider-Man has finally started to click into gear with Andrew Garfield recently discussing the web-slinging reboot with The Times Of India, and the British star had some interesting things to say about the way he prepared for the role…

“There is the first kiss between Peter and his love interest, Gwen Stacy,” said Garfield when asked whether there were any iconic moments to look forward to. “I got to practise for that - although on my own, I must add! I practised kissing on my hand, arms and in the mirror. I was just hoping I’ll remember how to kiss when the moment comes and not fumble.”

Nice to see the man has been putting the hours in. As for his efforts to understand the character, Garfield highlighted Spidey’s orphan status as one of the key components of his persona.
 
“I have tried to explore Peter Parker as an orphan,” says Garfield. "Orphans, I feel, are the strongest human beings on the planet. The amount of things they have to deal with in their lives is amazing.”

“I have tried to capture how Peter copes with the feelings of being an underdog, his confusions and his self-doubt ,” continues Garfield. “This, I hope, has brought a certain empathy and sensitivity to his character that helps him become the hero that he eventually turns out to be.”

So how will his Spidey compare to Tobey Maguire’s incarnation? "I love the work that Toby did," says Garfield. "I’ve watched him in the earlier three movies as a fan and I feel that what he did was perfect. I would never even begin to compare myself with him, and I feel it’s not the point either. This film is another chapter in the legacy of Spider-Man and my responsibility was to remain true to the core of the character . I’ve tried to do it as best as I could."

Big talk Andrew, but you did still admit to snogging your own arm. The Amazing Spider-Man opens in the UK on 4 July 2012. 

The first image from Welcome To The Punch has been revealed over at Screen Daily.

It shows James McAvoy, who play a London detective, looking pretty slick in a neon-hued London. Here’s the official synopsis:

"Ex-criminal Jacob Sternwood (Mark Strong) is forced to return to London from his Icelandic hideaway when his son is involved in a heist gone wrong. This gives detective Max Lewinsky (McAvoy) one last chance to catch the man he’s always been after. As they face off, they start to uncover a deeper conspiracy they both need to solve in order to survive."

The one thing that really stands out from this image though is the leap that director Eran Creevy has taken since his low budget breakout, Shifty.

Worlds away from the council estates where he lensed that earlier effort, here he showcases a totally different side of London, bathing everything in a Michael Mann-esque blue glow.

We’re hoping those Hollywood comparisons aren’t just going to be superficial, seeing as Ridley Scott has been dispensing advice in the editing suite.

Welcome To The Punch, which also stars Andrea Riseborough, Peter Mullan and Shifty’s Daniel Mays, opens in the UK on 7 September 2012.

And, while you’re here, why not check out the first look at James McAvoy in Filth? He’s clearly striving for diversity…

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Marvel has thrown a bone to all those Avengers obsessives counting down the days until the film’s April release by unveiling a handful of new images.

The new shots include a closer look at Samuel L Jackson’s Nick Fury than we’ve previously been privy to, and what looks like a fairly intimate encounter between Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).

Check out the images in full below:

The Avengers aren’t showing any signs of going away soon, as this week Captain America actor Neal McDonough stated that Thor 2 will be immediately followed by Captain America 2 and a Nick Fury movie.

The Avengers opens on 27 April 2012.