Angelina Jolie talks Wanted 2

Recently Timur Bekmambetov was talking about making Wanted 2 and how he would like Angelina Jolie to return. Spoilers ahead.

For those of you who know, Jolie's character bends a bullet at the end of the film that takes down all the bad guys including herself. The film, and the Mark Millar comic it was based on, was full of mad concepts and included a place where the characters where healed in super quick time. However, there was no mention of characters being brought back from the dead.
The comic did feature lots of parallel dimensions though so it could possibly bring back characters that way, but that still doesn't fit into the film version.

However, they could probably fit something into the universe they set up to do this and if that was the case could also mean a possible return for the other characters who died in the first one.

Now MTV have an interview with Jolie that seems to indicate in no uncertain terms that her character isn’t likely to return for a sequel, but that could just be movie talk while deals and money is being discussed.

Back in November 2008, MTV spoke to Jolie and she discussed her final scene in the film.

“In the original, she doesn’t kill herself,” said Jolie. “I actually changed the ending. I said, ‘If she was to find out she had killed people unjustly and was a part of something that wasn’t fair, then she should take her own life.’”

That means it was Jolie who wanted the character to die due to what she had done.

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Wanted 2 - Timur Bekmambetov says it is so....and Angelina is back?

The film based on Mark Millar's cool comic, Wanted, has spawned a sequel and looks as if there will be some surprises in it. Last I heard it was going to follow Wesley (James Mcavoy) travelling around the World hunting down more of the Assassin's Guild that recruited him. If you haven't seen the first one, beware spoilers ahead.

Evan Spiliotopoulos had been hired to write a script based off of a story by Wanted writer Chris Morgan

“In July we will start preparation for the film. I think in the late autumn or winter shooting will be performed” Bekmambetov said to Russia IC. “The shooting will take place in America, India and Russia”

The film director and producer promised that in the sequel he would bring back to life Angelina Jolie’s character, who perished at the end of the first movie. In addition to that, new characters will be introduced in the sequel.

“As for the character played by Kostya Khabenskiy (the bloke who ran the healing spa place), we’ll think about it. We might possibly resurrect him as well” the film director said.

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9 - Brilliant poster for rag doll post-apocalyptic film

Here is a great poster for Shane Acker's 9, the animated movie featuring the voices of Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, Christopher Plummer, and Martin Landau.

9 takes place in a world parallel to our own, in which our very humanity is threatened. A group of rag dolls living a post-apocalyptic existence find one of their own, 9, who may be the key to their survival.

The film is also rated PG-13 which means it will be able to match the darkness set up for this post-apocalyptic tale.

Be sure to check out Shane Acker's award winning animated short, More.

Source: Film School Rejects

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Black Lightning - Super car to the rescue

Finally a new teaser for Timur Belmanbetov's Black Lightning starring Georgy Dobrinin, courtesy of Quiet Earth.
"Everyone lives for himself, the rain of apathy holds us down. Someone needs to step up first. Black Lightning will rise to the skies above your city to make the world a better place."

Black Lightning from AO on Vimeo.

What do you think of that?

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Angelina Jolie to be Patricia Cornwell's Dr Kay Scarpetta

Fox 2000 is acquiring screen rights to Patricia Cornwell's bestselling book series on medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta, to develop as a vehicle for Angelina Jolie.

There are 16 Scarpetta novels, meaning a franchise is hoped for, but this film won't be tied to a specific Cornwell mystery title. Much the way that Jason Bourne morphed into an action hero in plots not rigidly locked into the Robert Ludlum book series, the opera-loving coroner Scarpetta will be the lead in a suspense thriller in the vein of "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Seven."

According to Variety the deal is a mega-marriage, with Jolie one of the most bankable female movie stars, and Cornwell one of the biggest selling female authors in the world. Cornwell, whose latest installment "Scarpetta" was published last December by Putnam, last year made a deal with Lifetime Television to adapt two non-Scarpetta novels, "At Risk" and "The Front."

Once Jolie sparked to the series, months of negotiations followed between ICM and Fox 2000's Elizabeth Gabler and Carla Hacken, because Cornwell was so protective of her literary property. The deal finally came together after Jolie and Kosinski met with the author and found common ground on the creative direction of the feature adaptation.

Jolie is starring in the Phillip Noyce-directed "Salt" for Columbia Pictures. She will reprise the voice for her Tigress character in "Kung Fu Panda" sequel and she awaits a script for a "Wanted" sequel that would potentially re-team her with director Timur Bekmambetov and James McAvoy at Universal. It will be interesting to see how they bring back her character in that sequel.

I've never read any Patricia Cornwell. If you have would they make a good film? Could it work as a new franchise?

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Black Lightning - Amazing concept art for Timur Bekmambetov's flying car film

Quiet Earth did it again by coming up with this gorgeous concept art for Black Lightning. I posted the teaser trailer a few days ago and now this art just makes me want to see more and more of it.
A usual student of Moscow VUZ (Institute of Higher Education) who is randomly becomes the possessor of a used domestic vehicle, which, as it is explained, can fly! Our main hero is converted from a simple person, into the super-hero, the defender of city, mysterious fighter against evil.
Apparently Timur, who is co-producing this, said that it is the "Russian response [to] Transformers and Batman," which means it's more about superheroes and robots than it is the science of a flying car. For those interested, the car is a Volga, which has a rich history in Russian culture, and is kind of like a Russian Mercedes. Alexander Voytinskiy, who is a friend of Timur's, will be making his directorial debut,


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Black Lightning (Chornaya Molniya) - Timur's flying car film

Russian director Timur Bekmambetov, as well as making Night Watch, Day Watch and Wanted has also made a film about a magic car! It's due out in December 2009 and the teaser trailer is below. Very much a teaser, but it does look cool.

The film is directed by Alexander Voytinskiy and Dmitry Kiselev. I assume Timur is producing.

This is being touted as the "Russian response for Transformers and Batman" by Timur himself who is co-producing behind his own company, Bazelevs with Universal Pictures. In the 8 million dollar range, the film seems to be an ode to the every day heros, those that live for others and not themselves. The car is a Volga which has a rich history and connotations in Russian culture, kind of like a Russian Mercedes. It was considered a luxury car for middle to high management and political figures, but it's not the most luxurious car for top leaders.

Black Lightning is the story of a Russian college student who buys a second hand car which turns out to have magical powers, yes it can fly, and it turns him into the superhero who has to protect the city.

Black Lightning from AO on Vimeo.

Source: Quiet Earth

What did you think of that?

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The Days Before - All your yesterdays are belong to us

Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch, Day Watch, Wanted) is apparently in negotiations to direct The Days Before. It's written by Chad St. John who doesn't appear to have written much else. However, he has come up with a doozy of an idea for this one.

The story is as follows - Aliens are invading Earth, with a plan to wipe out humans. Their grand plan involves time travelling back through time, one day after another, wiping us humans out. One man tries to stay just ahead of them, and has to convince everyone of the impending danger after every jump.

How cool is that. Time travelling aliens wiping out mankind! Sure they've nicked Magog's idea of travelling back a day at a time and killing people (in his case it was Superman), but what a cool concept to see on the big screen.

Robert Downey Jr and Reese Witherspoon are rumoured to be in it according to Filmstalker.

Just imagine Timur's cool visual style attached to that plot...keep imagining....keep imagining...and relax. Pretty cool isn't it.

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You don't know Dick! Timur Bekmambetov to direct Moby Dick reimagining?

Universal Pictures has picked up Moby Dick, and plans to reimagine the Herman Melville whale tale with Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) attached to direct.

According to Variety, Adam Cooper and Bill Collage (both of New York Minute and Accepted) will script the screenplay.The writers revere Melville’s original text, but their graphic novel-style version will change the structure. Gone is the first-person narration by the young seaman Ishmael, who observes how Ahab’s obsession with killing the great white whale overwhelms his good judgment as captain.This change will allow them to depict the whale’s decimation of other ships prior to its encounter with Ahab’s Pequod, and Ahab will be depicted more as a charismatic leader than a brooding obsessive.

"Our vision isn't your grandfather's Moby Dick," screenwriter Adam Cooper explained. "This is an opportunity to take a timeless classic and capitalize on the advances in visual effects to tell what at its core is an action-adventure revenge story."

Source: Movieweb

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Wanted, 2008 - Review

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman
Running Time: 110 minutes

Score: 9/10
Another great review from Steven.

A flawed, but beautifully orchestrated assault on the senses. A fantastic summer action flick, and nothing less of what I'd expect from Timur.

Wanted, based off of a graphic novel along the lines of Sin City and V for Vendetta, is the tale of Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), and his introduction to the mythical, secretive and ancient assassins' guild, The Fraternity. Wesley is hilariously introduced as a nobody, with an out of body, auto-narrator guiding the story, somewhat akin to the show Scrubs. From there the film picks up running and doesn't let up until the final bullet finds its resting place.

Wanted is directed by the masterful Timur Bekmambetov, the Kazakh filmmaker behind the Neo-Vampire Russian language films Night Watch, and Day Watch. People will at once compare this to Fight Club and The Matrix films. However Wanted is much more akin to Bekmambetov's previous work that expands and borrows from the aforementioned films. Think of Wanted not as a blatant rip-off of these films, but an evolution. Bullets curve, wax heals all wounds, and the ultimate weapon is a vat of peanut butter mixed with gasoline. Wanted uses every trick in the action film checklist, and turns these elements up to 11. Sex Appeal, check, Car Chases, check, Extremely High body count, check, Double Crosses, check, gallons of blood, check, an unlikely "hero", check.

Wanted is ripe with all of these and more, the story is nothing what it seems, and you simply need to wait till the end to the satisfying conclusion which contains, an infamous line, to see how it all goes down. It's a bloody, adrenaline pumping, sickly funny, and blood curdling romp down a lane less treaded in cinema today, and frankly its the most fun I've had at the cinema since Hot Fuzz last year.

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Wanted to The Red Star

Timur Bekmambetov has got something in the works now that Wanted has been done and out the way. His new project is The Red Star, based on a comic book set in a mythic / sci-fi Russia.

"I have in development a... very interesting script called THE RED STAR based on
the comic book. It's my dream project. It's something between STAR WARS and DR. ZHIVAGO." - Timur Bekmambetov, June 25, 2008, ComicsToFilm.com

Now I don't know too much about the comic book (although I'm sure there was a computer game out a while ago based on it). Wikipedia has this to say and it all sounds suitably epic. Possible spoilers so be careful.

The first four issues of The Red Star tell the story of the war of the state and the Red Fleet / Army against Al'Istaan, told in a retrospective by Maya Antares, who remembers her husband's death in that war. Having penetrated deeply into Al'Nistaani, the fleet of Red Star skyfurnaces, gigantic flying warships up to three kilometres long, seem to destroy their enemies when the volcanic fury of their engines is directed on the massed enemies below.

However, the ancient protector of the Nistaani, Kar Dathra the Immortal, appears, and powered by the mystical energies of his thousands of dying followers - manages to destroy almost the whole of the Red Fleet.

The further three of the first four issues deal mainly with the panicked attempt of
Maya to reach her husband, fighting a grim and hopeless infantry battle on the
ground where suddenly, the might of the Red Fleet crashes down and burns,
turning certain victory into history-changing defeat. The deaths and the spiritual energies released by the dying soldiers waken other mystical beings, whose goals and allegiances are still not fully known in the first issues. Their apparent warring over the dead souls, especially that of Marcus Antares, become a major plot of the later issues.

Marcus himself is saved by the appearance of a mysterious ghost known only as the Red Woman. She saves his soul from becoming a captive of the evil sorcerer Troika - servant of the evil Imbohl.

Defeating Troika in a duel, the Red Woman spirits Marcus away into the Spiritrealm, informing him that "It was not our people who were defeated here, but our past-- and the path to our future begins with you."