Spock has died

From ew, Leonard Nimoy, who became one of the science fiction world’s most beloved icons for his portrayal of Spock in the Star Trek franchise, died Friday at his home in Los Angeles of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his wife Susan Nimoy confirmed to the New York Times. He was 83.

Though his career was rich—spanning six decades and including varied roles in television and film, as well as directing, poetry, and photography—Nimoy’s turn as the half-Vulcan, half-human First Officer of the starship Enterprise remained an indelible part of his identity to the very end.

From an early age, Nimoy possessed an innate understanding of an alien’s perspective. The son of Ukrainian immigrants—his father, Max, owned a barbershop, and his mother, Dora, was a homemaker—Nimoy was raised in a home in Boston where Yiddish was the dominant language. With his unconventional, vaguely exotic looks, the aspiring star spent much of his early acting career stuck in small parts in TV shows like Dragnet and B-movies like Them!

But when he was cast as Spock in Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek, he found the ideal vehicle for his distinctive screen presence. With his stoic adherence to reason, Spock proved a perfect foil for William Shatner’s emotionally explosive Capt. Kirk, and many of the Vulcan’s quirks—the splayed hand salute, the benediction “Live long and prosper,” the nerve pinch, the mind-meld—would become enduring touchstones for sci-fi fans.

While the original Trek series was cancelled in 1969 after just three seasons, it spawned a franchise that thrived through numerous TV spinoffs and films. Despite his initial ambivalence about being typecast as the pointy-eared Vulcan, Nimoy eventually came to embrace his screen alter ego, and reprised the role in the 2009 big-screen reboot Star Trek, passing the torch to a new Spock, Zachary Quinto. He reprised the role in his last film, 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness.

“I went through a definite identity crisis,” Nimoy reflected in his 1997 memoir, I Am Not Spock. “The question was whether to embrace Mr. Spock or to fight the onslaught of public interest. I realize now that I really had no choice in the matter.” As Spock himself would say, it was only logical.

Blade Runner 2 will star Harrison Ford

From slashfilm, Academy Award nominee Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Incendies) is in negotiations to direct the Blade Runner sequel for Alcon Entertainment.

Here are the main takeaways: 

Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Incendies) is in negotiations to direct (the production company sent out a press release which probably means this is 99% a done deal)

Blade Runner 2 is scheduled to start principle photography in summer 2016.

Hampton Fancher (who co-wrote the original Blade Runner) penned the sequel with Michael Green (Green Lantern, The River, Heroes) based on an idea by Fancher and Ridely Scott.

Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Rick Deckard.

The story for the sequel will take place “several decades after the conclusion of the 1982 original” film Blade Runner. Considering Ford is back as Deckard, you would expect this to take place approximately 30-40 years after the original due to the actor’s age, although who knows as we don’t know if he is a replicant.





DENIS VILLENEUVE IN NEGOTIATIONS TO DIRECT “BLADE RUNNER” SEQUEL

HARRISON FORD TO REPRISE ORIGINAL ROLE AS RICK DECKARD

RIDLEY SCOTT TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCE


LOS ANGELES, CA, FEBRUARY 26, 2015 — Harrison Ford will reprise his celebrated role of Rick Deckard in the sequel to Alcon Entertainment’s BLADE RUNNER and Academy Award nominee Denis Villeneuve to (Prisoners, Incendies) is in negotiations to direct, it was announced by Alcon co-founders and co-CEO’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson.


Film is scheduled to start principle photography in summer of 2016. Hampton Fancher (co-writer of the original) and Michael Green have written the original screenplay based on an idea by Fancher and Ridely Scott.


The story takes place several decades after the conclusion of the 1982 original.

State Johnson and Kosove: “We are honored that Harrison is joining us on this journey with Denis Villeneuve, who is a singular talent, as we experienced personally on Prisoners. Hampton and Michael, with Ridley Scott, have crafted a uniquely potent and faithful sequel to one of the most universally celebrated films of all time, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with this amazing, creative team.”

Ford will next be seen in The Age of Adaline for Lionsgate and the highly anticipated upcoming Star Wars for Walt Disney Pictures. Recent releases include the Warner Bros./Legendary box office hit 42.

Villeneuve most recently directed the crime thriller Sicario, staring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benecio Del Toro for Black Label Media and Lionsgate. He also directed Canada’s Oscar nominated French language film Incendies, and Alcon Entertainment’s critically acclaimed Prisoners, staring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.


Alcon Entertainment acquired the film, television and ancillary franchise rights to BLADE RUNNER in 2011 from producer Bud Yorkin to produce prequels and sequels to the iconic science-fiction thriller. Yorkin will serve as a producer on the sequel along with Kosove and Johnson. Cynthia Sikes Yorkin will co-produce.

Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble, CEO’s of Thunderbird Films, will serve as executive producers.

Among its many distinctions, BLADE RUNNER has been singled out as one of the greatest movies of all time by innumerable polls and media outlets, and overwhelmingly as the greatest science-fiction film of all time by a majority of genre publications.

Released by Warner Bros., BLADE RUNNER was adapted by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples from Philip K. Dick’s novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and was directed by Ridley Scott following his landmark Alien.” The film was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction).

BLADE RUNNER was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1993 and is frequently taught in university courses. In 2007, it was named the 2nd most visually influential film of all time by the Visual Effects Society.

ABOUT ALCON ENTERTAINMENT


Co-founders and co-CEO’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson founded Alcon Entertainment in 1997 with partner Frederick W. Smith, the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FedEx. Warner Bros. distributes Alcon’s motion pictures via the companies’ long-term output distribution agreement.

Alcon has financed and produced, and/or co-financed/produced 29 films to date, including “My Dog Skip,” the Academy Award nominated Best Picture “The Blind Side,” which earned Sandra Bullock a Best Actress Oscar; “The Book of Eli,” starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman; “Insomnia,” starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank and directed by Chris Nolan; “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants;” “P.S. I Love You,” starring Hilary Swank; the critically acclaimed “Prisoners,” a dramatic thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo, Terrance Howard and Paul Dano, and the family hit “Dolphin Tale 2,” a sequel to its original starring Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson. Alcon is currently in production on “Point Break,” a reimagining of the classic action movie filming on four continents starring Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey, and Ray Winstone. The Company is also developing a sequel to “Blade Runner” with Ridley Scott.

Alcon Television Group is currently producing a four-hour mini-series documentary for HBO about the life and times of Frank Sinatra, directed Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney; and “The Expanse,” a space thriller for Syfy Network.

Jon Stewart mocks Fox News outrage over American Sniper 'snub'

The Daily Show
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Pee-wee Herman Returns for 'Big Holiday' on Netflix

From rollingstone, Pee-wee Herman's next feature-length adventure will be coming to a screen near you courtesy of Netflix, with the streaming service securing the rights to Paul Reubens and Judd Apatow's upcoming movie, Pee-wee's Big Holiday.

According to a press release, the new film centers around a fateful encounter that inspires Pee-wee to embark on his first holiday vacation. The movie will be directed by John Lee, a go-to director for shows like Broad City and Inside Amy Schumer who'll make his feature film debut with Big Holiday. Production is scheduled to begin in March.

Rumors about a new Pee-wee movie have been floating around since Apatow and Reubens began formulating the project several years ago. Both are set to serve as producers, while Reubens also wrote the script with comedian Paul Rust, whose credits include Comedy Bang! Bang! and Arrested Development.

"Judd and I dreamt up this movie four years ago," Reubens said in a statement. "The world was much different back then — Netflix was waiting by the mailbox for red envelopes to arrive. I've changed all that. The future is here. Get used to it. Bowtie is the new black."

Reubens began developing the Pee-wee Herman persona while studying improv comedy in Los Angeles in the 1970s. He adapted the eccentric character for the stage with The Pee-wee Herman Show, which garnered national attention after being filmed and released by HBO as a 1981 special. Following the success of the Tim Burton-directed movie Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Reubens launched the cult-classic TV series, Pee-wee's Playhouse. However, the characters next feature film, Big Top Pee-wee, missed the mark both critically and commercially.

In 1991, Reubens was arrested for masturbating in an adult theater in Sarasota, Florida and went on to retire the character. Reubens brought back the character in 2007 for Spike TV's Guy's Choice Awards; in 2010, he jumpstarted Pee-wee's big revival by mounting The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway. Last year, all five seasons of Pee-wee's Playhouse were remastered and released on Blu-ray via Shout! Factory.

"I felt like it was a mission and this was what I was supposed to do; I considered it important work," Reubens told Rolling Stone last year upon the release of a new Pee-wee's Playhouse box set. "I always sort of thought that this would have a positive effect on kids. And they picked up on that, I think. [Pause] I've spent a lot of time rewatching these episodes during the restoration process for this set, and I'm still really proud of what we all did."

Neill Blomkamp’s ‘Alien’ Will Disregard Half the Franchise to Finish Ripley’s Story

Fox is making Neill Blomkamp‘s new Alien movie, and Sigourney Weaver is definitely on board to reprise her Ellen Ripley role. And while we still don’t know the story, despite the teasing glimpses provided in concept art such as the pieces above, we do know something new: Blomkamp’s Alien will basically disregard Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection as the director says he’s designing the film to sit in sequence after Aliens.

Sky Movies talked to the pair while they were promoting Chappie.

There’s reason to be interested here. Blomkamp is clearly a guy with a vision (see: District 9) even if that vision doesn’t always work out (see: Elysium). And Weaver isn’t quick to sign on to sequels like this, so clearly she sees some reason to give the go-ahead nod.

But I’m also slightly irritated with this development, specifically the idea of disregarding the third and fourth films. Alien 3and Resurrection don’t need me to defend them, as they can stand or fall on their own. But the implication here is that those two films blew it with respect to Ripley’s story, and now this is a chance to pretend they didn’t happen so as to give her, as Weaver says, “a proper finish.”

But Weaver is a big part of the reason Ripley didn’t get a proper finish in the past. Her ideas, and the “no guns” mandate, were very influential in the development of Alien 3. (Which is, I would argue, a pretty great end for Ripley’s story.) Weaver’s ideas and restrictions were also part of the DNA of Alien: Resurrection. This isn’t the time where she’s going to get candid about the past films and say “hey, I shoulder some of that responsibility.” But it would be nice to hear eventually, and also respectful to the people who worked hard on those movies.

Meanwhile, speaking to EW, Blomkamp says,

Over the years, I came up with a story for a film in that universe that I wanted to make. And then when I talked to her about her experience making those films and what she thought about Ripley and everything else, it informed and changed the film I wanted to make into something different. It just sort of stuck with me. A year later, when post-production was winding down on ‘Chappie,’ I started fleshing out the idea for a film that would contain Sigourney. Fox never knew. I just worked on it when I could. Before I knew it, I had this really awesome film with a lot of artwork and a lot of backstory. And then I didn’t know whether I was going to make it or not. So I just kind of sat on it for a while.

There’s no release date for Blomkamp’s Alien film at this point.

(What I do find amusing here is that it is possible that Blomkamp came up with this idea when he was developing Halo at Fox, where he had big run-ins with Tom Rothman, then the head of that studio. Blomkamp said he’d never work for Fox again, thanks in large part to Rothman. Now Rothman is out of Fox and installed at Sony, which released Elysium and will release Chappie — just in time for Blomkamp to go back to Fox for Alien.)

[via slashfilm]

Re: AC's post

RE: AC's post - I'm pretty sure no one else out there has a personalized autograph from the "Time to Make the Donuts" guy. I met him at his retirement party and he is every bit as charismatic as his 80's-80's commercials implied.

Movie Theaters May Bounce Back In A Really Big Way In 2015

From cinemablend, Despite dwindling movie ticket sales last year in light of more eclectic streaming options and illegal downloads, it looks like theaters will be able to bounce back from this. Jack Black can throw all the shade he wants at the Oscars about "the screens in our jeans," but 2015 is projected to be a major year for movie theaters. In fact, if predictions deliver truth, then it could be as big of a year as 2013 when the likes ofFrozen and Catching Fire hit the big screen.

According to The Washington Post, analysts are expecting box-office revenue to break the record set in 2013, which was $10.9 billion. Why? If you think about it, 2015 is packed with blockbusters.

Star Wars: Episode 7 is all but guaranteed to make some major dough for theaters. It’s the first installment of the brand new trilogy, is directed by Star Trek movie vet J.J. Abrams, and features a bevy of new and returning faces of the Star Warsuniverse. 2015 also a major year for superhero movies. Though we have to wait until 2016 for Batman v Superman, we’ll get to see the highly anticipated Avengerssequel, Paul Rudd suited up as Ant-Man in his standalone movie, and the Josh Trank-directed Fantastic Four reboot, the trailer for which is already pretty badass. In addition, we also have the return of the Terminator and Mad Max franchises, thefinale to the Hunger Games series, new installments of Mission: Impossible and Fast and Furious, and the return of Jurassic Park.

Teenage JPX ready to rip your ticket!

Before any of this even happens, the box office is already performing above average. In January and February alone, Oscar-nominated American Sniper and the BDSM love story Fifty Shades of Grey broke major records. These beginner months are considered graveyards that are littered with the bones of failed films, but these titles emerged from the muck to make gold. Both were highly controversial films. The former, about the gunned down Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, caused some controversy. And the latter caused quite the stir as well, both domestically and internationally, for its graphic sexual content and spotlight on the secretive world of dominant-submissive relationships. As The Post notes, Sniper and Fifty Shades fed off of this chatter, which was bolstered by social media, to drive even more interest.

According to the report, these early projections for the year’s box-office results have prompted shareholders to invest in the country’s major theater chains, including AMC Entertainment (it’s stock is up 24%), Carmike Cinemas (up 18%), Cinemark (up 17%) and Regal Entertainment Group (up 11%). Though these are still early projections, there’s a lot to look forward to this year, so start saving your money.

Kirk Cameron sweeps the Razzies for 'Saving Christmas'

(CNN)Kirk Cameron swept the 2015 Razzie Awards on Saturday, picking up the dubious honors of worst picture and actor for "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas."

The "family film" about putting "Christ back in Christmas" edged out "Transformers 4," the frontrunner going into the annual pre-Oscar event. The fourth installment of Michael Bay's explosion-fest led the pack in Golden Raspberry Award nominations, which go out to the worst films and performances of the year. The franchise also has a legacy to uphold with a previous win for the worst film of 2009.

Bay beat out the directors of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas," "The Legend of Hercules" and "A Million Ways to Die in the West" for the distinction of worst director.

Is this the worst movie of all time?02:00
PLAY VIDEO

Otherwise, "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas" hit the bottom of the cinematic barrel with four wins in the categories of worst picture, screenplay, actor and screen combo, which went to Cameron "and his ego."

Other best of the worst honorees included Megan Fox for her role in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

In a two-for-one worst actress award, Cameron Diaz was recognized for her roles in "Sex Tape" and "The Other Women."

Actor Kelsey Grammer also received the worst actor award for multiple roles: "Expendables 3," "Legends of Oz," "Think Like a Man Too" and "Transformers 4: Age of Extinction."

The Razzies are chosen by 757 members of the Golden Raspberry Awards Foundation. However, the Razzie Redeemer Award was open to public voting through RottenTomatoes.com. That award went to Ben Affleck for going from Razzie winner for "Gigli" to Oscar darling for "Argo" and "Gone Girl," proving there's nowhere to go but up from the Razzies.

Box Office

LOS ANGELES (AP) - "Fifty Shades of Grey" didn't relinquish control of the box office.

Universal's erotic drama earned $22.2 million at No. 1 in its second weekend at the box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The spy film "Kingsman: The Secret Service" and the family friendly "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" similarly maintained the No. 2 and No. 3 spots at the box office in their second weekend.

Fox's "Kingsman" nabbed $17.5 million, while Paramount's "SpongeBob" soaked up another $15.5 million.

A trio of newcomers failed to crack the top three.

Disney's "McFarland, USA" opened at No. 4 with $11.3 million. Lionsgate's "The DUFF" debuted at No. 5 with $11 million. Paramount's "Hot Tube Time Machine 2" flopped at No. 7 with $5.8 million.

Celebrity Sightings Contest

Yeah, we never heard of this AC beyotch.

No one is more star-struck than me, so imagine my delight when I found out yesterday that one of my friends has partied with Jason Sudeikis and Kenan Thompson. The windy, 10-degree day melted away as my friend’s tale of celebrity escapades cast a generous, warming glow over his enthralled listeners.

I grabbed her boob, heh heh.

So what better way could there be to survive the remainder of February than by amassing further accounts of celebrity sightings and interactions?  And better yet, get a little friendly competition going.  Best story (quality of celeb x directness of interaction x amusingness of interaction) wins.   Even if we’ve heard it before, tell it again; provide as much or as little detail as you wish.  Usual Horrorthon prize: the satisfaction of entertaining your blogmates, aka nada.

Just once, I wish I could have had a decent meal in peace.

For all my star-struckness I have woefully few contributions myself. I met Jacques Pepin at a book signing; boorishly yelled at Matt Damon while he was filming The Departed; had my boob grabbed by Tommy Wiseau at a midnight screening of The Room; got cut in line by Allen Dershowitz at the agricultural fair on Martha’s Vineyard; saw Parker Posey in the gift shop at Kripalu; and was (to my own mortification) with a group that sent a glass of 7-up to Geoffrey Holder at Pastis in Manhattan.  Clearly, the only way I win is if no one else enters the contest, making me the perfect, unbiased judge.  Submit your celeb stories in the comments section by Saturday the 28^th and I’ll announce the winner on Sunday March 1^st.

I'm a nice guy, but I'll get a restraining order if I have to.

Jesus is my Friend

'Big Birdman'

'Going Clear' trailer (anti-Scientology documentary)

I just want to smash this "Richie Rich" kid...

Neill Blomkamp’s Next Film Is His ‘Alien’ Reimagining

From slashfilm, We’re going to see that Neill Blomkamp Alienmovie after all.

Details are scarce but Wednesday afternoon, theDistrict 9 and Chappie director tweeted that his radical reimagining of the Alien universe – which was first revealed via concept art – will “officially” be his next film. Variety then confirmed the fact with 20th Century Fox and found out Ridley Scott is producing. Read more below.

UPDATE Feb. 18: Here’s the tweet in question. Variety confirmed with 20th Century Fox that a deal has been closed for Blomkamp to make an Alien movie and it’s not Prometheus.

Here’s the original story from February 10 where Blomkamp suggested the movie was all but read to get made. A fact we now know is happening:

February 10: This year kicked off with a bang when District 9and Chappie writer/director Neill Blomkamp posted Alienconcept images to Instagram. The pics featured renderings ofSigourney Weaver‘s character Ellen Ripley, the Hicks character originally played by Michael Biehn, and images of the engineers’ ship from Alien housed in a giant hangar.

There wasn’t much explanation of the images: were they for a film, or maybe a game? Had Blomkamp created them on his own, or as part of a quiet deal that hadn’t leaked outside Fox? Now the director reveals the truth about his Alien ideas — and he says that he could actually make the Alien movie heralded by the concept art. He just has to decide to do it.

Blomkamp talked to Uproxx, and the interview is surprisingly candid. The director explained that the art came out of a long-simmering desire to make an Alien movie.


Basically, what happened was, when Chappie got heavily into post-production, I could take my foot off the gas a bit. I was thinking about what I wanted to do next and I’ve been wanting to make an Alien film for like years and years.

The art came into being as the director was working on the post-process of Chappie, and he says we’ve only seen the beginning of it, teasing “I produced way more art than I put out.”

This all came about thanks to working with Sigourney Weaver on Chappie, which comes as a surprise to no one.


Speaking to Sigourney Weaver, when we were doing Chappie, she set off a bunch of thoughts in my head — I had come up with an idea that didn’t have Sigourney, it was a different idea. But I spent all of the shooting time with her, it was like, holy shit, that could actually be really interesting. When I came back to Vancouver, I had an entire year to work on Chappie. And when I wasn’t needed in the edit, I could think about Alien. So, I basically developed an entire movie and I did all of this artwork as well.

Blomkamp says he’s not giving up on the idea, and that Fox isn’t the roadblock to making it happen. According to him, it’s his own attitude about doing a franchise movie that keeps things at the theoretical stage. (“Sometimes Hollywood just sort of gets to me.”) If he gets his head around making it, Blomkamp says it’s a go.

Seriously, he’s certain about this:


Me. I’m the problem. Fox, they would make it. Like, tomorrow. They would make it.

As a refresher, here’s the art.

WTF Was That?!: A Real Snake With A Fake Spider For A Tail It Uses To Attract Prey

Box Office

From ew, Fifty Shades of Grey already took the crown for biggest Valentine’s Day debut ever, and now the erotic drama can add biggest Presidents Day debut ever to its list of honors: The book adaptation ended the four-day weekend with $94.4 million—over $30 million more than the previous record-holder, 2010’s Valentine’s Day.

In other milestones, American Sniper reached a big one this weekend: The Clint Eastwood-directed war movie crossed $300 million at the domestic box office after just a month in theaters. The Oscar-nominated film is now one of just 50 movies to cross the $300 million mark, and is on its way to climbing further up the list: So far, Sniper’s grossed an estimated $307.2 million domestically.Kingsman: The Secret Service didn’t make as much as Fifty Shades, but it still had an impressive weekend. The Matthew Vaughn-directed action flick brought in $42 million over the four days and $36.2 over the three days—considerably more than Vaughn’s Kick-Ass, a film also based on a relatively obscure comic that opened with $19.8 million in 2010.

1. Fifty Shades of Grey — $94.4 million
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service — $42 million
3. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water — $40 million
4. American Sniper — $19.5 million
5. Jupiter Ascending — $10.7 million

Happy Valentine's Day, Horrorthonners!

Happy Friday the 13th!

Ash vs Evil Dead

From EW, Ray Santiago and Dana DeLorenzo have been cast in the new Starz original series Ash vs Evil Dead.

Santiago (Meet the Fockers) will be playing Pablo Simon Bolivar, while DeLorenzo (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) will portray Kelly Maxwell in this follow-up series to The Evil Dead franchise.

Bruce Campbell (Burn Notice) will be reprising his role as Ash, now an aged lothario who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility and the terrors of the Evil Dead, but when a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons – personal and literal.

Pablo is an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s sidekick, “a Sancho Panza to Ash’s Don Quixote,” who believes in Ash’s heroism. Kelly is a moody wild child who is trying to outrun her past, but gets dragged into the fight against Evil with Ash and Pablo.

The series is set to begin filming in New Zealand this spring and premiere on Starz in late 2015.

"Saw" Scribes Pen "Halloween" Recalibration

From cinemablend, Dimension Films has brought on frequent "Saw" series scribes Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan to pen a new chapter in the "Halloween" franchise according to Heat Vision.

What's interesting here is that the project is being called a "re-calibration" and is decidedly NOT a reboot, remake or re-imagining. This likely means something akin to 2005's "Doctor Who" reboot - a refresh/revival of the franchise, but one that keeps the previous continuity intact.

This would match reports from last year that the new film will follow the same continuity from Rob Zombie's two "Halloween" films but Zombie himself is not directing.

No director is attached at this time, and no details were given for the new story beyond it still likely following white-masked serial killer Michael Myers. Matt Stein and Malek Akkad are producing.

Spider-Man will join the Marvel cinematic universe

From slashfilm, Sony Pictures and Disney have officially announced that Marvel Studios will produce the next Spider-Man movie. Feel that? Marvel fans around the world are jumping up and down with excitement as they will finally get to see Peter Parker join the Marvel Cinematic Universe and possibly share the screen with Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man and Chris Evans’ Captain America. Read more about the Spiderman Marvel Studios announcement after the jump.


Spiderman Marvel Studios Announcement

Here are the facts that have been officially announced:
“Under the deal, the new Spider-Man will first appear in a Marvel film from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.”
Sony Pictures will thereafter release the next installment of the Spider-Man franchise on July 28, 2017, in a film that will be co-produced by Kevin Feige and his team at Marvel and Amy Pascal.
Marvel and Sony Pictures are also “exploring opportunities to integrate characters from the MCU into future Spider-Man films.”
Sony Pictures will continue to finance, distribute, own and have final creative control of the Spider-Man films.

***



Is This a Spider-Man reboot?
Calling the character “the new Spider-man” makes it sound like a reboot of the franchise. The press release does not mention Andrew Garfield or the creative team behind The Amazing Spider-Man series. Marc Webb is almost certainly out at this point. Reportedly, long-time Spider-Man film producer Avi Arad will exec produce the film with Matt Tolmach. That hopefully means they’re basically getting that credit and a check as a nod for past efforts, but might not have much to do with the actual film.

In fact, there seems to be confirmation that Andrew Garfield is out, and Peter Parker/Spider-Man will be recast.


CONFIRMED: Andrew Garfield is NO LONGER Spider-Man. Someone new will be cast. First appearance in MCU, then solo film.

— Linda Ge (@lindazge) February 10, 2015



***



Is the MCU Spider-Man Solo movie really going to go head to head with Thor 3?
The release date of the next installment of the Spider-Man franchise is the same date Marvel was scheduled to release Thor: Ragnarok, which has now been pushed to November 3rd, 2017. In fact, the rest of Marvel’s release calendar has been shuffled backward to make room for Spider-Man. (And a reminder: the next solo Spidey film is still technically a Sony effort, but Marvel is clearly running with the opportunity to play with the character.)

***



What About the Other Spider-Man Movies Sony Planned, Such as Sinister Six and Venom?

The original plan was for Sony to release Sinister 6 in 2016, following up with the female Spider-man in 2017 before The Amazing Spider-Man 3 in 2018. It seems like all of that is at the very least up in the air. There’s one report that Sinister Six is at least delayed, and given the possibility that MCU characters will show up in Spider-Man films, we’re guessing that Sony is now re-thinking the entire plan it had laid out for other Spider-Man spin-off films and sequels. Given that the main character is being recast, they might have to build casts from the ground up.


Update: Sony will NOT release "Sinister Six" in Nov 2016, source says. Sony delaying, rethinking, but still developing in light of new deal

Bad Idea: "Martyrs" Remake is Officially in the Works

From slashfilm, We've been hearing about a remake of the French horrorfilm"Martyrs" since it was first released in 2009. At one point Kristen Stewart (Twilight) was rumored to star in an English-language version, but that has never been confirmed.

Now comes word that Blumhouse, the company behind "Paranormal Activity," "Insidious" and "The Conjuring," ismovingforward with the remake and has signed Kevin and Michael Goetz (Scenic Route) to direct.

Check out thephotobelow to seethe posterBlumhouse is using to pre-sell the "Martyrs" remake at theBerlin Film Festival.

In the original "Martyrs," a young woman'squestfor revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.

It's a wrap! Nien Numb has died

From slashfilm, You may not know the name Richard Bonehill, but you know some of his most iconic roles. He played not only a Stormtrooper, Rebel Soldier, TIE Pilot, a Tauntaun wrangler and more in the Star Wars films; he co-starred as Nien Nunb, co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon during the attack on the second Death Star.

Beyond that, the actor had roles or performed stunts in other films such as Flash Gordon, Highlander, Rob Roy and Doctor Who, among others. Bonehill was a master fencer, and it connections from that community announced the sad newsThursday that Richard Bonehill had passed away at the age of 67.

Though Bonehill was usually behind the scenes or behind a mask on film, his characters will never be forgotten. [THR]

I didn't know this was happening...

Man modifies face to look like the Red Skull

From geekology, Meet 37-year old Venezuelan man Henry Damon. Henry has had face implants, tattoos, and the end of his nose cut off to look more like Captain America's arch-nemesis, Red Skull. Obviously, he is really going for it. I like a person who isn't afraid to commit. Like, you could half-ass it and just buy a Red Skull mask to wear on Halloween, but Henry here has decided to MAKE THAT MASK PERMANENT. That is dedication. Next Henry plans on getting silicon implants in his cheekbones, chin and cheeks and have his entire face dyed red. Then his transformation will be complete. Henry is married with a young son, and says his family respects his decision, although I have the sneaking suspicion his son may have stopped asking daddy to tuck him in at night.

The music behind the worst album covers of all time

Jimmy Fallon Went to Bayside High with "Saved By The Bell" Cast

Watch Jon Stewart Go Off On People Who Don't Vaccinate Their Kids

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Randy Quaid's sad descent into mental illness continues...

From EW, Oscar-nominated actor Randy Quaid is mad at Rupert Murdoch, so he expressed his anger by commanding his wife, Evi, to wear a mask with Murdoch’s face on it and then humped her from behind. Unfortunately, it was all filmed for the masses to see.

Quaid begins the video by speaking directly to the camera, claiming he made Warner Bros. and News Corp millions by starring in Christmas Vacation and Independence Day—and that they repaid him by stealing money and damaging his reputation.

He goes on to say that he and Evi have been put through “a living hell of biblical proportion” before addressing Murdoch directly: “So Rupert, you wanna f–k me, I’m going to f–k you.” And that’s when he gets behind his wife, clad in sunglasses and a bikini, to hump her while grunting grunts that are very, very difficult to unhear.

With that warning in mind, see the video here. (The NSFW part kicks off at about 1:28.)

Jimmy Fallon's "Fresh Prince" Cold Open

'Holidays'

From slashfilm, The holidays and horror go together like peanut butter and jelly. They seem totally opposite, but end up fitting just right. A day like Halloween makes clear sense but several holidays have been given the horror treatment over the years. Now, all of them will come together in one massive movie.

XYZ Films and Distant Corners Entertainment are teaming up to make Holidays, a horror anthology film that’ll feature segments based on holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Mother’s Day. Among the directors participating are Kevin Smith (Clerks), Gary Shore (Dracula Untold), Scott Stewart (Legion, Priest), Matt Johnson(The Dirties), Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch (Starry Eyes), Nicholas McCarthy (At The Devil’s Door), Sarah Smith (The Midnight Swim) and Anthony Scott Burns with more on the way. Below, read more about the Holidayshorror anthology.

Deadline broke the news of the Holidays horror anthology movie. They also got this quote from financier/producer John Hegeman:


Holidays is a great opportunity for some of the most creative and twisted minds in the genre space today to really let loose and have fun. This is the first project going into production for Distant Corners, which aims to launch four-six genre franchise properties annually.

Smith revealed on his Twitter that his segment in Holidays is called “Hollow Ian.” However, it wasn’t 100% clear if this film was taking the place of his Krampus anthology. Most likely not though XYZ if looking to launch “four-six genre franchise properties annually.”

If there are more directors to be announced, and already eight signed on, these aren’t going to be terribly long segments. But the idea of tying them into the holidays is a novel one with lots of possibilities.

What do you think of this line up? Do you think this will be fast and fun like The ABC’s of Death, or slower and scarier like the V/H/S films?

Harper Lee to publish new book, sequel to 'Mockingbird'

(CNN)Fifty-five years after "To Kill a Mockingbird," Harper Lee is publishing a second book, her publisher said Tuesday.

"Go Set a Watchman," which Lee completed in the 1950s and then set aside in favor of "Mockingbird," will be published July 14. It follows Scout, the little girl of "Mockingbird," as an adult.

The manuscript was rediscovered last year, Lee, 88, said in a statement from her publisher, Harper.

"In the mid-1950s, I completed a novel called 'Go Set a Watchman,' " she said. "It features the character known as Scout as an adult woman, and I thought it a pretty decent effort. My editor, who was taken by the flashbacks to Scout's childhood, persuaded me to write a novel (what became 'To Kill a Mockingbird') from the point of view of the young Scout.

"I was a first-time writer, so I did as I was told. I hadn't realized it (the original book) had survived, so was surprised and delighted when my dear friend and lawyer Tonja Carter discovered it. After much thought and hesitation, I shared it with a handful of people I trust and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication. I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years."

"Watchman" is set in the 1950s and is about Scout -- Jean Louise Finch -- returning to her hometown of Maycomb, Alabama (a fictional version of Lee's hometown of Monroeville), to see her father, the upright lawyer Atticus Finch.

"She is forced to grapple with issues both personal and political as she tries to understand her father's attitude toward society, and her own feelings about the place where she was born and spent her childhood," the press release said.

"To Kill a Mockingbird," which Lee wrote after she moved to New York, made her name. The book, published in 1960, won the Pulitzer Prize and was made into a beloved 1962 film. Gregory Peck won the Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of Atticus Finch.

It's a mainstay of high school reading lists and, as of 2006, had sold more than 30 million copies.

Lee, who returned to Monroeville several years ago, remembers being caught off-guard by its overwhelming success.

"I can't say that (my reaction) was one of surprise. It was one of sheer numbness. It was like being hit over the head and knocked cold," she said in 1964.

Until now, it had been her only published novel.

Jonathan Burnham, Harper's senior vice president and publisher, called "Go Set a Watchman" "a remarkable literary event."

"The existence of 'Go Set a Watchman' was unknown until recently, and its discovery is an extraordinary gift to the many readers and fans of 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' " he said in the statement. "Reading in many ways like a sequel to Harper Lee's classic novel, it is a compelling and ultimately moving narrative about a father and a daughter's relationship, and the life of a small Alabama town living through the racial tensions of the 1950s."

Daily Spider-Bomb! Quite a bit of chatter about heads and girders.

Head!  Girder!  Head!  Seriously, this one's had me stuck for days.

The AMAZING Spider-Man invites someone to risk a concussion on his behalf.

"Wait, if you were me, you'd know what you're thinking, but you're me, so I'm you and I'm thinking what... I'm, uh... that you should... hello?

Spider wins another argument by putting the word "spider" in front of an ordinary word, making his own special spider-word.

It's an inadequate superhero team-up!

Sigh.  Remember the last time Spidey squared off against a girder?

This was sooo much better.

OMIGOD YES HIS HEAD AND THE GODDAMN GIRDER WE KNOW WE KNOW WE FREAKING KNOW

Once again Doc Ock shows off some fabulous real estate and makes me wonder why he's bothering with supervillainy at all.  Meanwhile, Spidey swaps sixty year old song references with the NEXT box.