#567. Movie Buzz
1. Trek's regained fame is not pie in the sky
At least according to a nifty pie chart published on Sci Fi Wire (check out the link below).In a recent item, the sci-fi-themed news service cites several reasons why Star Trek is hot again - not the least of which is the fact that it's 2009's highest-grossing movie Stateside to date (at least until Transformers: ROTF opens).Among the reasons: It was featured in the MTV Movie Awards opening sketch (2%), it made it to the satirical "news" website The Onion (12%), President Obama loves it (15%) and most of all, because it's actually good (50%).Check it out ....
Surfing: http://scifiwire.com/2009/06/9-reasons-star-trek-is-no.php#more
2. Coming - a movie about online gambling
Paramount has picked up an untitled pitch from Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Rounders, Ocean's Thirteen) that takes place in the world of Costa Rica-based online casinos.Comingsoon.net says the film is reportedly to star Leonardo DiCaprio with his Appian Way partner Jennifer Davisson Killoran as producer
3. Australia scribe to make directorial debut
Stuart Beattie, co-writer of Australia, will make his directorial debut with an adaptation of the young-adult SF novel Tomorrow, When the War Began, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Beattie also wrote the screenplay.Tomorrow is the first novel in a popular series of seven written by Australian John Marsden and published from 1994-1999.The Tomorrow Series, as it is known, details the insurgency efforts of a band of Aussie teenagers fighting off an enemy invasion and occupation of their homeland.The filmmakers plan to make a trilogy of features from the first three books and then, if they're successful, spin the next four off into a TV series.
4. Portman to headline Aronofsky's Black Swan
Natalie Portman is attached to play the lead in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, according to Comingsoon.net. It's a supernatural thriller set in the world of New York City ballet.Black Swan centres on a veteran ballerina (Portman) who finds herself locked in a competitive situation with a rival dancer, with the stakes and twists increasing as the dancers approach a big performance.However it is unclear whether the rival is a supernatural apparition or if the protagonist is simply having delusions.
5. Jason Voorhees to romp in the snow?
Slaybells are ringing in Sequeltown. It'll be a Winter Slaughterland for Jason Voorhees with the Friday the 13th (remake) sequel if the producers have their way.Producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form told Movieweb they would like to have fun with the sequel and show audiences something never seen before, like Jason in the snow.
If things go well, they said, the sequel would be made in time for release on Aug 13, 2010 ... yes, it's a Friday.Still, if Jason doesn't throw at least ONE hard-packed snowball with razor blades, nails and barbed wire in it, we'll be asking for a refund.
