Psycho Killer - My favourite Talking Heads song and now a slasher film by Fred Durst

STYD have the news that Fred Durst (frontman of Limp Bizkit) is going to have a go at making a horror film. He'll sit in the director's chair for a film entitled Psycho Killer written by Andrew Kevin Walker.

"It's not a throwaway slasher genre film," he says. "It's a very smart, really compelling story about a serial killer on a mission for Satan. It's really interesting and the way it's written - it's so unique. Andy is an incredible writer. It looks like we're going to go into pre-production around August."

Durst is currently out promoting the release of The Education of Charlie Banks, a drama starring Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Ritter and Chris Marquette. It opens in limited release via Anchor Bay Entertainment this Friday. Andrew Kevin Walker penned Se7e, Sleepy Hollow and this November's The Wolfman.

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The Wolfman - Review from a Test Screening

Check out the LFF review of the final cut of the film.

AICN had a few reviews of The Wolfman starring Benicio del Toro, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving and Anthony Hopkins. I'm looking forward to this film as I love all the old black and white creature features. Here is one of the reviews (lots of spoilers so if you don't want to know, don't read it)

A WOLFMAN preview screening review...

I was able to get into a screening of THE WOLFMAN tonight in Albequerque. Going in, I expected this to be another in the ‘reimagining’ of famous monster movies into more action-y popcorn fare like DRACULA, THE MUMMY or SLEEPY HOLLOW and indeed it is but I felt like this one was a cut above because the movie had a real sense of respect for it’s story: no camp, no clever one liners. Just good old fashioned suspense and sense of dread as to what’s around that foggy corner. And P.S…scary as hell!!!

So yes, I was a fan of this. To start, its cast is great – Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving. All serious actors here who actually ‘act’ and not simply ‘react’ to effects (ah, Dracula anyone?)

After a fun, gory (this is a deliciously hard ‘R’ for gore) hunting scene where a man gets his in a gloomy forest via wolf, we are introduced to Del Toro’s Lawrence Tuthill – an actor in the midst of playing HAMLET ( a role he doesn’t realize he is to play throughout the movie ). He is on his way home for his brother’s funeral (the man who was murdered in the opening). The amount of gravitas and detail that Del Toro and the other actors bring to their role is definitely worth mentioning. This is a thinking man’s monster movie. Really, truly one for the diehards and I really appreciated the way this standard was maintained throughout the entire piece. Will 16 yard olds who dig Mark Wahlberg movies like it? Who knows but its suspenseful as hell and had this unnerving sense of dread that reminded me of the miniseries based on King’s SALEM’S LOT back in the ‘80’s.

Anyway, once Del Toro gets home he meets his dead brother’s fiancée EMILY BLUNT who (big surprise) becomes attracted to him and his estranged father ANTHONY HOPKINS. From here the movie becomes a bit of a whodunit as to who killed his brother.

Unfortunately, Del Toro goes to the nearby gypsy colony himself to uncover the murder and gets involved in an attack by the Wolfman himself. This sequence by the way is fantastic – a bloody cat and mouse around the camp that results in Del Toro himself being attacked (but not fatally) by the monster. Well, once bitten and you know the rest…or do you? The plot actually starts to delve into this GASLIGHT kind of uncertainty where Del Toro can’t be sure if he’s a wolfman or dreaming it. And Johnson actually does a credible job of arguing that whether or not you actually become a werewolf on a full moon, if you THINK you will you are just as dangerous.

No surprise that the 3rd act becomes this fast paced wolf hunt with torches but I really loved this Beauty and the Beast sequence where the wolfman enters a costume ball (with several animal masks ) and makes it all the way to the stage where a blind soprano sings to him face to face without realizing he’s a monster (another fun aspect: visual references aplenty)

Obviously, I quite liked this film. Perhaps they could tighten it here and there (I think it ran like 1 hour 50 mins) but I was surprised at its ‘brain over braun’ approach and really hope that it finds its deserved audience this coming Summer.

I regard great old films as just important pieces of art as great novels or paintings so it is with great pleasure that I send this review of what I thought was a high minded, tremendous and incredibly SCARY work to you tonight. (seriously, people were shrieking during the last scene!)

Regards,

WOLFIE

There are a couple more reviews over at AICN if your want to check them out, but all in all it is sounding rather good. Are you looking forward to seeing it?

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USA Network and Universal in 9-Figure Film Deal

USA Network inked a nine-figure deal for the basic cable and broadcast premiere rights to two dozen of Universal Pictures' films, including Will Ferrell-led Land of the Lost and Borat sequel Bruno.

The deal, which covers mostly pre-buys of theatricals to be released throughout 2009, could be worth north of $200 million, depending on how the titles perform at the box office. If the slate were to underperform in theaters, the package would cost USA about half that.

Cable deals for theatricals are generally paid on a 10%-13% sliding scale of box office returns, depending on performance. This deal is constructed that way, sources say.

Despite massive job losses nationwide in January 2009, the U.S. box office tally was the best ever for a January: $1.030 billion, according to Media by Numbers. The returns marked a 19% year-to-year increase over 2008.

What's more, basic cable networks across the board rely heavily on theatricals during the daytime and on weekends, and use them as a platform to lead viewers into original programming, the only genre that tends to outperform theatricals in cable ratings.

“We knew we would have to go in aggressively and pay what it takes to get [the films], and we knew what they wanted to make from it,” says Jane Blaney, executive VP of programming, acquisitions and scheduling for USA.

FX bought the rights to much of Universal's 2008 slate last year in what the studio claimed was a “groundbreaking deal.” That agreement covered 15 films, and was estimated to be worth about $100 million when it was signed.

In addition to Land of the Lost and Bruno, the USA agreement includes State of Play, with Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe; Duplicity, starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen; Fast & Furious, with Vin Diesel; Public Enemies, with Johnny Depp; Funny People, with Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen; The Wolfman, starring Benicio Del Toro; and already released titles such as Milk and Frost/Nixon. Other movies in the package star Philip Seymour Hoffman, Matt Damon and Jennifer Aniston.

“This is one of the biggest slate deals that you would see, across the board in term of volume,” says Frances Manfredi, executive VP and general sales manager for cable and non-theatrical sales at NBC Universal Television Distribution. “USA put a killer deal on the table, they were very aggressive, and very wisely aggressive. We think this will serve them very well.”

USA will get to air some of the movies starting in 2010, with most heading to the network in 2011, following a premium cable window on HBO.

Source: B&C
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The Wolf Man is Han Solo? Who's in the what now?

I saw this on io9 and had to share. It is the action figure for The Wolf Man as portrayed by Benicio del Toro and directed by Joe Johnston. They are obviously commenting on his extraordinary likeness to a certain scruffy looking nerf herder. It just made me chuckle.

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The Random - Saw VI, Luc Besson, Narnia, Australia, Che, The Wolfman. The Goonies, War Monkeys, The Fockers

First photos of Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman on the Austrian set of Season of the Witch.

New photos of the action figure based on Universal's The Wolfman gives us an idea of what Benicio Del Toro will look like in monster form in the film. There's also a look at the replica medallion worn by lead character Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro).

Steven Soderbergh's "Che" is set to hit the UK in two parts. The first opening January 1st 2009, the second on February 20th 2009. Promo materials indicate the titles 'The Argentine' and 'Guerilla' will not be used in the release - a pattern that may be adopted in other markets.

Baz Luhrmann's 'Australia' clocks in at a final running time of 165 minutes despite some reports pegging it at 155 minutes. The film kicks off its publicity blitz tomorrow with Sydney press interviews and the Australian premieres. Media screenings take place in Oz and the US starting from Wednesday...(full details)

In a press release published on Friday, Walden Media revealed that they have yet to give a green light to begin production on the third installment in "The Chronicles of Narnia" franchise – "Voyage of the Dawn Treader". The film is still scheduled for a May 7th 2010 release at present...(full details)

Luc Besson says that he's beginning work on an epic sci-fi feature next year - big enough that it could be broken up into a trilogy but he hasn't decided yet as it's still too early. He's also completed filming two sequels to "Arthur and the Minimoys" and is working out the 3D elements right now...(full details)

Lionsgate recently announced that they'll continue making "Saw" sequels annually for the foreseeable future thanks to the low-budget franchise's continued profitability despite increasingly dour reviews. "Saw VI" is now set for a October 23rd 2009... (full details)

"Dante's Peak" scribe Les Bohem is penning the futuristic boxing movie "Real Steel" for Dreamworks Pictures. Bohem created and wrote the Spielberg-executive produced Sci Fi Channel show "Taken"..." (full details)

French directors Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo ("inside") have officially left Dimension's planned sequel to Rob Zombie's "Halloween" which they had been writing over the past few months with the intention of directing. No replacements have been mentioned though Zombie will return as a producer. The pairs plan to direct a remake of "Hellraiser" for Dimension Films also fell through earlier this year... (full details)

Kerri Green of The Goonies fame (she played Andy) is to return to the big screen in a film called Complacent, a “gripping drama” that “centers on two close sisters whose already tumultuous lives are rocked by tragedy.”

Ben Stiller is going to make a third movie featuring The Fockers.

Kevin Munro is making a comic based movie called War Monkeys. The story follows two guys who work low-level jobs in an Area 51-like underground research facility that end up getting locked in over Christmas with an army of military-trained research monkeys.
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The Random

Sci-Fi have a cracking video that shows the effects people turning Billy Crudup into the all knowing Dr Manhatten for the Watchmen movie. The video is called Blue Monday and shows Rorschach talking to a giant Dr Manhatten. Looks amazing but could be a bit spoilerish if you've not read the comic.

Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter have been cast in Tim Burton's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. They will be the White Queen and the Red Queen.

The Steve Carrell comedy, Get Smart, made $226 Million worldwide so no surprise that there is going to be a sequel.

Screenwriter Travis Wright (Eagle Eye) talks about the rumours he was writing Blade Runner 2.

AICN spoke to TR2N director Joseph Kosinski who revealed that, not only was the Comic Con test footage filmed in steroscopic 3D, the final film will also be filmed and released using the latest in 3D technology. It's due out in 2010.

The first photo of Jensen Ackles in the My Bloody Valentine 3D remake.

Some early billboards for Universal's remake of the horror classic The Wolfman.

"Talking about their upcoming 'Star Trek' film, scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci say the story is 'about how the original crew came together, which was never covered in its entirety by either the show or any of the movies'. They also say that they will not 'break one rule of anything's that's gone before'..." (full details)

"Favreau admits that a 'Swingers' sequel might happen - "Maybe a Swingers sequel in another 10 years. Like the Sunshine Boys"..." (full details)

Kevin Spacey will return as Lex Luthor in the next Superman film according to a recent interview with the actor..." (full details).

io9 spoke Ridley Scott about Brave New World and delved into some details about the story and casting. "I didn't choose to do it, someone came to me with it. In fact it was [Leonardo DiCaprio's] production company that came to me with that." In addition to confirming that he's attached, he mentions that "the hardest single thing is getting it on paper" because it's "a very hard adaptation."
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The Random

Vanity Fair photo of all the actors in character as Bush's cabinet in Oliver Stone's "W.".

Michael Douglas will star as a former car salesman/sex addict whose life and marriage falls apart in "Solitary Man" from writing team David Levien and Brian Koppelman (Rounders, Ocean’s 13). The duo will also helm the project

Some behind-the-scenes video from the set of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" here

Al Pacino mentioned, on a radio show, an idea floating around that would re-team him and Robert DeNiro for a drag comedy. The legends would pretend to be sisters. DeNiro chimed in with, “That could happen, who knows?”

Photos of Ben Barnes and Colin Firth on the set of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" here.- Brett Ratner talks about his "Superman" project that never eventuated.

Latino Review have slapped an early draft of the "Green Lantern" script with an enthusiastic, spoiler-filled B+. Along with the buzzing script for "Green Arrow" (formerly Supermax), they profess that Warner Bros. will once again be a worthy competitor of Marvel Studios. And the site confidently deadens those David Boreanaz-as-Hal Jordan rumors.

Viggo Mortensen says that he hasn't heard anything about returning to the 'Rings' franchise for the upcoming "The Hobbit", but would he want to return to the Aragorn role? "Obviously. I would rather have the chance to play that role myself since I originated it on film than have someone else do it" More

Bruce Willis will make his debut as a director on "Three Stories About Joan".CHUD says the film “interweaves the three phases of a young womans struggle to retain her faith in a love borne out of need, destroyed by a madness, and restored by a ghost.”

Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley in the "Harry Potter" films) says she's lining up playing the lead role of Gemma Doyle in Icon Productions "A Great and Terrible Beauty". Charles Sturridge will write and direct the adaptation..." More

A first look at Universal Pictures "The Wolfman" will debut at Universal Studios Hollywood's "Halloween Horror Nights" as part of the theme park's unique Terror Tram. "Halloween Horror Nights" begins on Friday, October 3rd and will extend over an expanded 13-night run concluding Saturday, November 1st..." More

David Hasselhoff will star in "Beverly Hills Ninja 2", the sequel to Chris Farley’s 1997 contribution to the fat joke. Apparently the sequel will be a theatrical release from Sony.

Nicole Kidman to star in “Indiana Jones-like Adventure” called "The 8th Wonder"

Check out some action figures for Frank Miller's "The Spirit"

“Airman,” a children’s book by Eoin Colfer (“Artemis Fowl”), will be the next motion-capture movie for “Monster House” masterminds Gil Kenan and Robert Zemeckis. The swashbuckling scientific story centers on Conor Broekhart, a young man born in a hot air balloon to a family close to the king who has a penchant for looking to the skies for inspiration. After his tutor and king are murdered, Broekhart spends two years in prison, escapes and must decide whether to should turn his back on those who abandoned him or fight those who plot to overthrow the government.

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