Archive: June 2011 (21-30 of 177)

Jun 29 2011 01:12 PM ET

Allison Janney joins Chris Colfer comedy 'Struck by Lightning'

Categories: Deals, Movie Casting
allison_janney

Image Credit: AP Images

Juno vet Allison Janney has been cast as Chris Colfer’s mother in Struck by Lightning, the teen comedy written by Colfer that will mark the Glee star’s feature acting debut. Last April, Colfer told EW, “It’s about all the kids in high school who are overachieving in their own right and underappreciated for it just like I was. I think it’s very sarcastic and very real. I hope it goes to show that there still lots and lots of smart kids out in the world. It’s about smart kids and not about stupid kids who wanna get laid and that’s their biggest goal in life. We’ve been having tons and tons of meetings with actors and people who wanna be part of it. It’s so crazy because I’ve had meetings with actors [who] I literally wrote the role for, that want to be in it and want to be part of it. It’s a trip!”

Colfer wrote Janney’s role with her in mind. She plays Sheryl Phillips, who is searching for a way to reconnect with her son as he prepares to head off to college.

Read more:
‘Glee’ star Chris Colfer discusses his new pilot for Disney and Kurt’s return to McKinley — EXCLUSIVE

Jun 29 2011 12:22 PM ET

'The Three Musketeers' trailer: A time-defying clash of swords, airships, and mustaches

Categories: 3-D, Movie Trailers

Alexandre Dumas’ famous novel The Three Musketeers takes place in 17th century France, and from the looks of the new trailer for Paul W.S. Anderson’s action-fueled adaptation, so does the movie. Well, maybe. The feature trailer showcases a couple of lavish French castles, some clanging scimitars, and whole slew of voluminous, ruffed, feathered hats, which suggests we’re headed for an adventure in the 1600s. But then, there are of glimpses fantastical airships, explosions, and strange metal contraptions that shoot out deadly spiked balls, and suddenly, we’re in a gonzo 1900. Check out the trailer below: READ FULL STORY »

Jun 29 2011 12:00 PM ET

'Harry Potter': Sneak peek at Harry's Gringotts Bank break-in -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

harry-potter-gringotts

Image Credit: Jaap Buitendijk

Are you one of the many Muggles who can’t wait to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2, the final installment in the series that apparates into theaters July 15? Well, you can get a sneak peek of the new movie right now in this exclusive clip — a behind-the-scenes look at a key scene from early in the film in which Harry, Ron, and Hermione sneak into Gringotts Bank in search of one of the final Horcruxes containing a piece of Voldemort’s soul. (Warning: For those who want to see the film spoiler-free, this clip is not for you.) READ FULL STORY »

Jun 29 2011 09:22 AM ET

'War Horse' trailer: Steven Spielberg uses beauty to explore ugliness of war

If there’s a way to navigate out of hell, maybe it’s through grace.

By that logic, Steven Spielberg’s tactic in adapting the play and novel War Horse would make perfect sense: we’re all aware (though maybe never enough) of the horrors and ugliness of war, but rarely is it contrasted through the lens of beauty and innocence that at once surrounds and is engulfed by it.

The first impression of Spielberg’s teaser trailer for the movie (out Dec. 28) is simply: God, that’s gorgeous — which is jarring since the opening shot is of a vast landscape reduced to a cinder as the title character, a farm horse named Joey, frantically gallops for its life, just inches ahead of the mortars.

See below for a look at the trailer: READ FULL STORY »

Jun 28 2011 09:48 PM ET

Box office preview: Just how much money will 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' make on opening day?

Yup, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is going to have a huge opening day, but determining exactly how huge is no easy feat. The $195 million action threequel was initially going to be released this Friday. But Paramount chose to move it up to Wednesday, only then to decide to sneak preview it Tuesday night at 2,700 3-D theaters (including 146 IMAX screens). This makes things a bit trickier for your box-office prognosticator, as there’s not much precedent for movies opening at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday. And should Dark of the Moon‘s Tuesday evening gross count toward its Wednesday opening-day figure? For the purposes of this post, I think so. READ FULL STORY »

Jun 28 2011 09:33 PM ET

'Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol' trailer: Tom Cruise is once again a wanted man

It appears things have come full circle for Ethan Hunt, the hero of the Mission: Impossible movies, a.k.a. Tom Cruise’s one and only movie franchise. In the first film — released 15 years ago, just to blow your mind for a moment — Hunt was “disavowed” as an IMF agent after a mission gone horribly wrong. Well, now it’s 2011, and the stakes appear much, much higher: In the new trailer for Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (out Dec. 16), we learn that no less than the Kremlin has gone kablooey. The fallout? As a grim-faced Tom Wilkinson explains, “The president has initiated ‘ghost protocol,’” meaning every single IMF agent everywhere has been disavowed. Burn.

After that, the trailer is a whirlwind of international action and intrigue, including appearances by Mission: Impossible III alum Simon Pegg, and M:I newbies Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him Josh Holloway. It all ends with an extended look at what is sure to be a climactic stunt on the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world — which is to say, no, that building is not CGI. Check out the trailer for the film, produced by J.J. Abrams and directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles), below:  READ FULL STORY »

Jun 28 2011 08:31 PM ET

Harrison Ford and Jon Favreau talk 'Cowboys & Aliens,' leather chaps, and busting balls

Anyone who watched Jon Favreau’s old IFC show Dinner For Five knows that the actor-turned-screenwriter-turned-blockbuster-director is also a deft interviewer of his famous colleagues and friends. That is certainly the case when Favreau sat down to talk with one of the stars of his latest film, Cowboys & Aliens, Harrison Ford. The Star Wars and Indiana Jones legend is a notoriously tricky interview, but Favreau coaxes some choice moments from his star, including why Ford was not initially keen to sign on for the western sci-fi, what kind of movie might have happened if Ford and costar Daniel Craig had both wore leather chaps in the film, and which Oscar-winning actor almost played Han Solo. Also a bonus: Favreau gives one of the most thoughtful arguments for not shooting an action movie in 3-D I’ve ever heard.

Check out clips from the interview below:  READ FULL STORY »

Jun 28 2011 06:52 PM ET

Kevin Smith's 'Red State' gets distributor -- for digital rights

red-state-kevin-smith

Image Credit: Albert L. Ortega/PR Photos

Looks like Kevin Smith’s Red State will have a distributor after all — at least for on demand and and television. Lionsgate announced today that the studio had picked up video-on-demand, subscription video-on-demand, electronic sell-through, and television rights for the horror film, which premiered at Sundance earlier this year and became the subject of headlines after director Smith announced he would distribute the film himself after buying Red State for $20. Said Smith after the premiere of the film at the festival: “What we want to do is, like, ‘Yes, anybody can make a movie.’ We know that now. We know that because I’ve made ten, you know what I’m saying? That means anybody can make a f—ing movie. What we aim to prove is that anybody can release a movie now as well. It’s not enough to make it and sell it now, I’m sorry.”

Red State, which stars Melissa Leo and John Goodman, follows a group of teens who find themselves facing off against sinister fundamentalists. In a press release, Lionsgate said the film has nabbed $1 million from just 15 single show engagements. Smith said in the release: READ FULL STORY »

Jun 28 2011 06:32 PM ET

Confirmed: No big panel for 'The Hunger Games' at Comic-Con

Jennifer-Lawrence

Image Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.com

Throw another big film in the pile of high-profile franchises that won’t be making a major splash Comic-Con this year: Lionsgate has confirmed to EW that next year’s highly-anticipated adaptation of The Hunger Games will not be holding a big Hall H presentation. (The Los Angeles Times first reported the story.) Games had seemed like a shoo-in for a big Comic-Con appearance: Based on a beloved book series, starring a cast of all-stars (like Woody Harrelson and Donald Sutherland) and up-and-comers (like Jennifer Lawrence as the central heroine Katniss Everdeen), with extremely geek-friendly subject matter. But the film’s intense North Carolina shooting schedule simply made a legitimate presentation impossible. The studio is, however, planning a major presence on the Comic-Con show floor, including exclusive Hunger Games giveaways and a contest for a fan to visit the set.

Follow Darren on Twitter: @EWDarrenFranich

Read more:
Lionsgate may make four movies out of ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy
‘Hunger Games’ Central
‘Hunger Games’: Meet the Cast!

Jun 28 2011 05:34 PM ET

'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' vid shows chimps outsmarting humans. Warning: We're doomed.

Categories: Summer Movies

If you guffawed at the concept of the upcoming Rise of the Planet of the Apes (in theaters Aug. 5), you may want to think twice about the intelligence of chimps and what they’re capable of. At least, that’s what the folks at 20th Century Fox behind the upcoming sci-fi action flick want you to do with a viral video that’s just hit the web. The clip, which chronicles a study of chimp behavior at the Kyoto University Primate Reseach Insitute in 2009, informs us that monkeys consistently aced a short-term memory test, while the humans in their conducted experiment average a measly six out of ten. As the narrator tells/warns us, “This skill would prove invaluable in combat situations.” Hey, at least we’ve got the Yale-educated James Franco on our side! Watch the chimp video below:  READ FULL STORY »

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