World War Z may be looking for a new director

First there were delays then there was the news that J Michael Straczynski's script was being rewritten by script hot shot Matthew Michael Carnahan.

Now a rumour that came from the San Diego Comic Con that Paramount Pictures is currently looking for a new director.

Currently attached is Marc Forster who directed Quantum of Solace. To me Quantum was a huge disappointment after the excellent Casino Royale. The action scenes in Quantum just didn't work. Therefore, the news that Forster may not be doing World War Z is actually pretty cool to me. I just really want to see Max Brooks excellent book on the big screen - The Battle of Yonkers, lobos, the astronauts on the space station watching the swarms of the undead, underwater zombies and more.

This is a rumour at the moment, but who would be a good director for this adaption? Zack Snyder, Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Sam Raimi, Lloyd Kaufman? Who could it be?

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Ester's Weekly Wrap

Ester gives her own outrageous take on the week on TheWrap. This week: "Star Trek" and Paramount (and that poor Brad Grey!), fancy schmancy premieres (not!) and lots more.

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Thanks to Pam for sending me the link

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Augmented Reality Star Trek Experience

To promote the international release of STAR TREK on May 8th, Paramount Pictures International (PPI) is today launching ‘Experience The Enterprise’; a groundbreaking augmented reality (AR) application placing a 3D interactive version of the Starship Enterprise in the palm of your hand.

Visitors to http://www.experience-the-enterprise.com/ will be given the opportunity to take an extensive five minute tour of the Enterprise, including testing the ship’s weapons systems, impulse engines and warp drive. ‘

Experience The Enterprise is built using augmented reality (AR) technology, which combines real world and computer-generated data to bring a 3D interactive version of the Starship Enterprise to life, on your desktop or in the palm of your hand.

Anybody with a webcam can take a tour of the Enterprise using the kind of futuristic technology that sits at the heart of perhaps the most popular science-fiction franchise of all time. Once underway, you are given a ‘cadet holo-simulation’ by Starfleet, the Academy in which new recruits Kirk, Spock and McCoy are enrolled at the start of the new film.

This is the first time AR has been used to bring a major film release to life in this way. The application itself was constructed using the original 3D model of the Enterprise appearing in the film, as well as featuring an array of special effects direct from the production. It was developed for PPI by creative marketing agency Picture Production Company (PPC), working in conjunction with augmented reality specialists Total Immersion.

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Hi is that Paramount? Michael Bay would ike a word.

Yesterday Paramount announced that Transformers 3 would be out in 2011. Looks like they got it wrong according to Michael Bay over on his forum.

I said I was taking off a year from Transformers. Paramount made a mistake in dating Transformers 3 - they asked me on the phone - I said yes to July 4 - but for 2012 - whoops! Not 2011!!! That would mean I would have to start prep in September. No way. My brain needs a break from fighting robots.

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The Paramount Picture Show

This is an animated based 5 minute thing that includes clips of Watchmen, Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter, Eagle Eye, Ghost Town, I Love You, Man, and interviews with Zack Snyder

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Learn how Star Trek: The Next Generation leads into the J J Abrams Star Trek prequel?!?

IDW Publishing has joined forces with Paramount Pictures, Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, Kurtzman/Orci Productions and CBS Consumer Products to publish a four-issue miniseries entitled “Star Trek: Countdown.” Illustrated by David Messina, the comic book bridges the gap between “Star Trek: Nemesis” – which featured the Picard-led Next Generation crew -- and the paradoxically latest/earliest voyage of the Starship Enterprise.

The creators of the comic, writers Mike Johnson and Tim Jones, and the film’s executive producer and co-writer Roberto Orci, have revealed to CBR News that the primary function of the series is delivering a back-story for the lead villain of “Star Trek,” Nero, a Romulan played by Eric Bana. Captain Picard plays a significant role, as well

Comic Book Resources have an interview with the creators of the comic and here is a little snippet. Be sure to check out the rest of it.

What can you share about the story both in “Star Trek: Countdown” #1 and moving forward?

TJ: It’s a very poignant character piece tracing the steps of Nero, who descends from a proud Romulan patriot to a murderous arch villain.
MJ: I think fans are going to be pleasantly surprised by the story that starts in #1 and how we introduce Nero. “Star Trek: Countdown” #1 is the issue that sets the stage, and after that the action and drama will steadily increase throughout the series, culminating in a cliffhanger that can only be resolved by a big fat summer blockbuster movie.

Who are the players? Do we get everybody: Kirk, Spock, Bones, Sulu, Chekov, Uhura and Scotty? Old Spock?

TJ: Spoiler alert here. Old Spock is the only character out of your list that appears in the comic.
MJ: Although “appears” is a word with multiple meanings.

Bob Orci also said in the announcement, “It's our way of passing the baton from the Next Generation characters and their movies to the new film.” Is he talking thematically, or do the TNG characters literally play into the story?

TJ: TNG characters literally play into the story.
MJ: Both thematically and literally. Well, not literally that there’s actually a little baton that Picard hands over to the new guys – a little silver baton with the Starfleet logo, although that would be awesome. I want one. But literally, it is in the sense that the comic is the missing part of the story between the end of “Star Trek: Nemesis” and the new film.

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Robert Downey Jr may be up for Best Supporting Actor in Tropic Thunder.

Because of problems with the forthcoming The Soloist (it's not meant to be very good) Paramount will now officially be backing an Academy campaign for Robert Downey Jr.'s supporting role in Topic Thunder.

I saw Tropic Thunder a while ago (I enjoyed it but not as much as I thought I would) and Robert Downey Jr was amazing in it. He totally owned the role and you forget that it is Downey Jr under the make-up. His retard speach to Ben Stiller was one of the highlights of the movie.

I totally agree with Robert Downey Jr being nominated for this role and, if Heath Ledger is also nominated, it will make for an interesting Oscar ceremony.

Do you agree with Downey Jr being nominated for the role? Who else do you think should be nominated for Best Supporting Actor? in Tropic Thunder."

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Star Trek - New Trailer due next month

Today TrekMovie confirmed with sources that the new Star Trek trailer will be out in November, but that a specific film for it to be attached to has not yet been chosen. In addition, sources say that November will mark the beginning of Paramount’s marketing push for the film.

Apparantly this new trailer “is not a teaser, but a real trailer with footage from the film.” Edits are still being made, but it is expected to show the Enterprise exterior and the Enterprise bridge as well as dialogue from the movie.

It is not clear when in November it will be released or what movie it will be attached to. Some of the films due out next month are Madagascar 2, The Soloist starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, Quantum of Solace, Bolt, Twilight, Australia and Transporter 3. I imagine they will try and get it attached to the new Bond movie as that may well have the biggest opening out of all of them.

November is said to be “just the beginning” of an extended coordinated marketing campaign to build buzz for the May 2009 release.

What do you reckon? Are you looking forward to seeing a bit more of J J Abrams Star Trek vision?

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Steven Spielberg has quit Paramount Pictures

Director Steven Spielberg has formally quit Paramount Pictures and will now launch a brand new film venture.

The legendary moviemaker will reportedly produce 35 movies in the next five years as part of the forthcoming multi-billion deal with India's Reliance Ada Group.

Spielberg will stay at the helm of the Transformers franchise for Paramount, and will collaborate on three other movies for the Hollywood giant, including the science-fiction remake of When Worlds Collide - slated for a 2010 release.

Both parties say the split is amicable.

Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey says, "We have had a great run with the DreamWorks team both creatively and financially.
"In particular, it has been a true honour working closely with a storyteller of Steven's talent and stature."

Spielberg says he had "enjoyed a productive creative and business collaboration" with Paramount and spoke of "extending the relationship for many years to come."

Source: IMDb

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Scorsese and De Niro working together again.

Paramount Pictures have got screenwriter Steve Zaillian (Schindler's List, Hannibal, Gangs of New York, American Gangster) to adapt Charles Brandt's book "I Heard You Paint Houses" for the great Martin Scorsese to direct.

It gets better. Robert De Niro has already signed on to play Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran, a reputed criminal who has carried out more than 25 mob murders. The story follows the mob assassin who many believe was involved in the death of Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa.

I Heard You Paint Houses refers to the mob slang for contract killings, and the resulting blood splatter on walls and floors.

Now Scorsese has been making good films lately and De Niro has not. Hopefully, having the two of them together making another gangster movie should mean we get some cinematic gold.

What do you think? Excited?

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Paramount to distribute Marvel's movies

Paramount has signed a deal with Marvel Entertainment to distribute the studio’s next five film projects:

Iron Man 2 (May 7, 2010)
Thor (July 16, 2010)
The First Avenger: Captain America (May 6, 2011)
The Avengers (July 15, 2011)
Iron Man 3 (Date Not Yet Announced)

Note your diaries true believers. Excelsior!

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Iron Man 2 news - War Machine, Mandarin,

Paramount pulled out no stops for the Iron Man DVD launch this week with Jon Favreau sitting down with a major contingent of online press to talk about plans for the sequel and beyond. Amongst the facts gleaned:

- Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard are all set to reprise their roles.

- The "Demon in a Bottle" (Stark battles his alcohol addiction) storyline, if included, will form the basis of the third film and not the immediate sequel.

- Rhodey (Terrence Howard) may become 'War Machine' in the next one with the armor being developed for the character. (the picture above is some fan made version of the War Maching armour)

- Iron Man's armor may also be updated for the next film.

- There's hope to include IMAX 3D sequences in the sequel depending upon budgeting concerns.

- Favreau sees 'The Mandarin', the Asian crimelord arch-nemesis from the comics, as this film series equivalent of the Emperor from the original "Star Wars" trilogy. He'll likely be in the background more visibly in the first sequel but won't show up in full until a third or fourth film.

- The reason for the delay is that Favreau is trying to avoid over-exposing the character, and figuring out how to fit his mystical elements into a real world context.

- Favreau does intend to include background links to the likes of Hulk and Captain America in the sequel, but finds Thor a little difficult to do so.

- Justin Theroux and Favreau are at work developing the story right now.

- Favreau's Happy Hogan character will be involved more extensively.

A full-on transcript of the interview can be found at Superhero Hype.

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Ghost Town - The new film starring Ricky Gervais

Here's the trailer for Ricky's new movie. He plays a dentist who dies for a few minutes while undergoing minor surgery. When he wakes up he finds out that he can see ghosts...with hilarious consequences. Sounds a bit like The Sixth Sense to be honest and could be absolutely dreadful. Too early to tell. It also stars Greg Kinnear.

Written and directed by David Koepp (Stir of Echoes, Secret Window). Paramount will release this one on 19th September 2008.