<<ComingSoon.net>> :: The armies of Cybertron invaded theaters with a juggernaut fury that shook the summer of 2007, but on October 16, 2007 fans of all ages will discover that there is far “More Than Meets The Eye” to the massive mechanical behemoths when Transformers arrives on Earth in spectacular DVD and HD DVD two-disc Special Edition sets as well as on a single disc from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures; distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment.
Earning over $650 million at the global box office to date, the massive production exploded onto screens from the creative minds of director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, in association with Hasbro, taking audiences by storm and becoming the biggest original film of the year. The first live-action film based on the enduringly popular “robots in disguise”, Transformers features the ultimate battle between good and evil, as the peace-loving Autobots seek to protect humanity from the evil forces of the Decepticons. The action-packed film stars a hot young cast of up-and-coming actors including Shia LaBeouf (Disturbia), Josh Duhamel (”Las Vegas”), Tyrese Gibson (Four Brothers) and Megan Fox (”Hope & Faith”), as well as seasoned performers such as Jon Voight (National Treasure) and John Turturro (The Good Shepherd). But the biggest stars are the Transformers robots themselves – including fan favorites Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Jazz and more – brought to life by revolutionary new VFX techniques developed by the innovative digital wizards at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). (more…)
Warner Bros. has tapped its top Thundercat.Vidgame vet Jerry O’Flaherty will helm the studio’s CG-animated “Thundercats” feature, based on the popular ’80s cartoon series, comicbook and toy line.
The project marks the first feature directing gig for O’Flaherty, who served as an art director on such bestselling games as “Gears of War” and “Unreal Tournament 3″ for Epic Games and the “Command and Conquer” series from Westwood Studios.
O’Flaherty had been looking to make the leap into movies and was considering several projects, even live action.
But the “Thundercats” story appealed to him, as well as the fact that vidgames are increasingly incorporating lavish animated sequences that mimic pics, making a toon a much easier transition.
“It feels like a natural thing for me to step into,” he said. “Games have come so far now. The last four years of my life have been about bringing the energy of filmmaking into the videogame experience.” (more…)
“Empire has just learned that JJ Abram’s secret project, generally known as either Cloverfield or 1-18-08, is to be released on February1 in the UK. Guess that means we can rule out 1-18-08 being the final title, unless Paramount really want to confuse people.
There are clues to be pieced together, which you can find here and here and at the official site here. If you have further pieces of the puzzle, please do share.”
“Even though VAN HELSING writer-director-apocalypse Stephen Sommers just recently enlisted to take command of G.I. JOE (which, in case you forgot, is now an acronym for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, an international co-ed force of operatives who use hi-tech equipment to battle Cobra), a script has apparently been surrendered to the Powers That Be.Prolific scribe Stuart Beattie has finished playing with the kung-fu-gripped toy line and handed in a draft, and IESB says that the story has the Joe team located in the United States instead of the previously announced neutral territory of Brussels (because, of course, USA is Number 1 greatest country in the universe! USA! USA!). The heroic organization will be clashing mainly with Destro, the Baroness and the forces of Cobra, plus the Dreadnoks and Zartan.
Cobra Commander will now reportedly be more a mysterious “Man with the Plan” kind of scheming villain, pulling the strings from the shadows. No signs of Serpentor. The story also apparently explores the history and animosity between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. Hooray for ninjas!…” (more…)
“It looks like those rumors about a 2009 release for Transformers 2 were on the money.According to a report posted at Variety yesterday, Paramount and DreamWorks have reserved June 26, 2009 for the sequel’s release — despite ongoing uncertainty surrounding the return of key behind-the-scenes personnel. Although Michael Bay is “expected to return to direct the sequel,” other members of the creative team may not. From the article:
The high-profile project isn’t guaranteed total immunity from the ongoing battle of wills between DreamWorks’ David Geffen and Steven Spielberg and leadership at Paramount conglom Viacom.
Even if Spielberg and Geffen exit their deal at Paramaount, as they have threatened to do, the “Transformers” property stays at the Melrose lot, as do all other DreamWorks projects.
The article goes on to note that the studios are hoping to “at least begin production” on the sequel, even if it’s interrupted by — you guessed it — next year’s expected strike.” –RottenTomatoes.com
Halo 3, the much-anticipated Xbox 360 game that launched Tuesday, set the all-time record for most revenue earned in a single day by any entertainment property, Microsoft said Wednesday.
The company said that Halo 3, the third and final episode in the hugely popular franchise, netted $170 million in sales in the U.S. in its first day. If true, that would top previous records set by the motion pictures Spider Man 3 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
There’s little doubt Microsoft has been pinning a great deal of hope on Halo 3 and was expecting it to be the must-have game for the Xbox 360, much as the original Halo was for the original Xbox when it came out in 2001. The theory is that many consumers will buy Xbox 360s to play the new game, though only time will tell if that is true. Microsoft did not release any new figures on immediate Xbox sales.
Judging by initial reviews, the game is being very well received critically, in addition to racking up the big bucks.
According to Microsoft, more than a million players have logged on to Xbox Live to play the multiplayer version of the new game, since it came out and all told, it has garnered more than 1.7 million preorders.
Jay-Z will come out of retirement to score Ridley Scott’s new flick.
American Gangster is a 2007 crime film written by Steve Zaillian and directed by Ridley Scott. The film stars Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Washington portrays Frank Lucas, a real-life heroin kingpin from Manhattan who smuggled the drug into the country in the coffins of American soldiers returning from the Vietnam War. Crowe portrays Richie Roberts, a detective who brings down Lucas’s drug empire. [2] Filming was done in New York, and American Gangster is slated for a November 2, 2007 release.