Entertainment

Sony Offers ABC’s ‘Pan Am’ for Free in HD on iTunes

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 22, 2011 | 11 comments

Sony Pictures Television, the company producing the ABC show, ‘Pan Am’ is helping promote the show by offering the current 9 episodes for free via Apple’s iTunes. Those who choose to download will get their choice of SD or HD which can then be transferred and played back on a Mac/PC, AppleTV, and iPhone/iPod/iPad device. ‘Pan Am’ which stars Christina Ricci and Margot Robbie is centered around four stewardesses who travel the world and experience “encountering romance, intrigue and adventure every time their cutting-edge 707 hits the tarmac.”

The show debuted on ABC in the Sunday 10 p.m. slot with high ratings (yours truly is an avid watcher) though ratings have fallen since. Sony is hoping that, by offering the show’s current 9 episodes for free, new and old fans can experience the show’s adventures and tune in when the show returns on January 8th to finish its 5 leftover episodes. After that, Sony Pictures and ABC will decide the shows fait.

“We’re confident that this promotion will generate enthusiasm for the show’s return,” Sony Pictures Television Senior Vice President of Marketing Chris Van Amburg said.

‎The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 8-minute Extend Trailer

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 21, 2011 | 3 comments

Sony Pictures and the award winning director, David Fincher, have had a long history of working together. Fincher who’se no stranger to dark material, having directed such memorable (yes, I’m a big Fincher fan) films like Fight Club, Se7en, and the Zodiac was then asked by Sony to oversee and direct the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara and is based on the international best selling book. Finchers collaborations with Sony which includes Panic Room and last years hit, The Social Network is seen as part of a larger deal which could have Fincher coming back and directing the 2nd and 3rd party of this trilogy. Though the material and Fincher seem like a perfect fit, the determining factor of the series will surely be based on the films box office results which hits theaters tonight.

After the jump, an 8-minute extended trailer awaits you dives deeper into the films premise.

Aziz Ansari Hates Sony’s GoogleTV

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 8, 2011 | 24 comments

Aziz Ansari and Jesse Eisenberg recently starred in Sony Pictures 30 Minutes or Less, a film about two fledgling criminals who kidnap a pizza delivery guy, strap a bomb to his chest, and inform him that he has mere hours to rob a bank—or else. The movie, which came out in mid-August, is now available on Blu-ray and Aziz Ansari recently sat down to promote the film. However, it seems that the host was more interested in Sony’s Network Blu-ray Player with Google TV and Aziz Ansari than the topic at hand.

Click the above picture to be taken to the video.

Sony Pictures Releases Teaser ‘Men in Black 3’ Posters

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 1, 2011 | 116 comments

Are you ready for Men in Black 3? The sequel which will once again unite agent J (Will Smith) and agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) is scheduled for release on May 25, 2012. With the date slowly beginning to creep up, Sony Pictures is beginning to oil their advertising machine and remind audiences with some fun new teaser posters which highlight the two agents with nothing but the movies titles.

If you pay close attention, you will also see a hidden URL (TheMenInBlackSuitsAreReal.com) in the midst of all all the writing. The URL currently takes you to a Facebook page that we can only assume will serve to further promote the film and interact with fans. After the jump, both posters in high resolution.

Sony Pictures to Make a Movie About Steve Jobs, Based on His Biography

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 10, 2011 | 11 comments

Business fans, Apple geeks, and journalists are all eagerly awaiting the arrival of Steve Jobs’ biography by Walter Isaacson, which is skipping its mid-November arrival for an earlier, October 24th release. The biography, a one-of -a-kind on Apple’s former CEO and founder is based on dozens of interviews conducted over a span of many years with Steve Jobs. Sony Pictures who is no stranger on making hit movies about icons like Michael Jacksons This Is It, a documentary which captured the mega super star assembling a comeback tour and Oscar winning The Social Network, based on Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO is said to have purchased the rights to the to book for $1 million.

As always with such purchases, it does not guarantee an actual project coming to fruition. However, with Steve Jobs held in such high status in the public, it’s hard to see Sony Pictures not bring Steve’s life onto the silver screen. Steve Jobs passed away on October 5th.

Sony Pictures Will Stop Paying for 3D Glasses in May 2012. Who Will Now Fork Over the Cost?

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 30, 2011 | 27 comments

You cannot imagine the level of frustration I had when I first read this story and continue to have as I cover it in this article. Because Sony hasn’t had a rough PR year, let alone few years, their movie division, Sony Pictures, has decided that, as of May 2012, they will no longer provide movie theaters with free 3D glasses. As current contracts go, Sony and other movie studios like Warner Brothers, Disney, Paramount, Fox, and Universal provide each movie theater with a stock pile of 3D glasses when they release a 3D film. Between giving them more than the number required and many theaters having a recycling program, this deal worked out fairly well.

This deal originally came into fruition when Disney, in order to promote the 3D format and transition to digital and modern projection systems decided to cover the cost of 3D glasses if theater owners would make the transition. Soon, other movie studios like Sony Pictures followed suit. It is believed that, for smaller 3D films, glasses costs range from $1.5 million to $2 million which roughly translates to 50 cents per ticket. This loss is even greater when you consider larger films like Sony Pictures upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man and Men in Black 3 which are being shot in native 3D.

“This is an issue that has to be resolved between us and our exhibition partners. We are trying to give them a very lengthy lead time in regards to the change in policy,” Sony worldwide president of distribution Rory Bruer said.

With Sony Pictures deciding to back out of payment, this gives other major studios a way out as well, something that they’ve all be looking for. Reportedly, Fox also tried such a tactic but was forced to reconsider when they were met with heavy resistance from theater chains.

Men In Black 3 to Play in IMAX 3D

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 15, 2011 | 11 comments

Sony Pictures, along with with Will Smith have long been in production of Men in Black 3. The 3rd installed in the franchise is slated to hit theaters worldwide on May 25 and will see the return of Will Smith as agent J and Tommy Lee Jones as agent K. Josh Brolin is also part of the films time travel plot which has agent J going back in time to save agent K which will than be played by Josh Brolin. The two films so far have grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office against an approximate combined budget of $230 million. To this affect, Sony Pictures is sparring no expense and wants to make sure that the films 3D will be shown properly. Part of this includes having the MIB 3 filmed in native 3D, instead of post conversation though that practice has come a long way in the last two years. To ensure an optimal viewing experience, Men in Black 3 will also open in IMAX 3D, a first for the franchise, even without the 3D aspect of it. Rory Bruer, VP of Sony Pictures went to say:

“Releasing a film in IMAX 3D signals an event release, and Men in Black III on Memorial Day weekend certainly qualifies in a big way. We couldn’t be more excited about how MIB III will look and sound in IMAX theatres.”

[Via Collider]

Killzone Extraction; A Live Action Film

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 28, 2011 | 39 comments

With the rise of digital camcorders, affordable computing power, and powerful consumer friendly editing software, the holy grail of filmmaking has been taken out of the hands of the elite with a lot of financial power and given into the hands of those who are creative or passionate about a particular subject matter. Year after year, we continue to see a small group of passionate filmmakers and fans get together to produce great mini content. Only a few years back, Microsoft gained a lot of attention with their professionally-created shorts based in the Halo universe to help promote their then-current Halo game. Now a few years later, a group of filmmakers who happen to be PlayStation fans, not backed by Sony or any form of financial channel, have put together a short film based in the Killzone universe.

Killzone Extraction is a prime example of what filmmaking can be when there is real passion behind it. With a fantastic production level that will wow your eyes with ISA and Helghan uniforms, as well as weapons, sound effects and music. Sure, it might not be to the same quality as the Halo shorts, but when you consider the circumstances between the two, you will walk away more impressed with the recreated Killzone universe then the Halo counterpart. Directed by Clinton Jones, Killzone: Extraction tells the story of a team of ISA soldiers trying to escape while the Helghast close in on them.

Hit the jump for a behind the scenes look at Killzone: Extraction.

Exclusive: Naughty Dog in Talks with Neil Burger and Sony Pictures Over ‘Uncharted’ Movie

by Allegra Osati | Jul 28, 2011 | 9 comments

By now, you should be aware that David O. Russell, the original director who was attached to the ‘Uncharted’ movie, has stepped down. In his place, Sony Pictures has brought on Limitless director Neil Burger to head the project. Much to the fans’ dismay, David Russell had decided to incorporate a family thief adventure story as the plot, throwing out many of the staples of the PlayStation 3 exclusive game made by Naughty Dog. During the year-long period when Mr. Russell was attached to the project, there was a lot of back-and-forth information whether Naughty Dog was actually involved with the project in any capacity. Despite Naughty Dog claiming to be in the loop, it soon seemed that their information never matched with the reality of the project.

Now with Neil Burger on the helm, and a return to the writing room with a new script for the film, it seems that the creative team at Naughty Dog is one step closer to the production team at Sony Pictures. After the Naughty Dog Comic-Con panel, which the game’s stars Nolan North, Emily Rose, and Richard McGonagle attended, we had a quick chat with the game’s creative director, Amy Henning. During that chat, we learned that Amy soon had to be off to a meeting with film executives and when pressed for more information, she revealed to us that she was headed to meet with Neil Burger. Beyond that, we don’t have details of the meeting itself, but for game fans, this should be a good sign that the team behind the Uncharted game is meeting with the creative team and head during the movie’s infancy stage, which has promised to be closer to the game’s source material. Now we can only hope that the two teams from Sony’s different divisions continue to be communicating long into the film’s production.

Neil Burger Discusses ‘Uncharted’ Movie. Will Lean Towards Video Game Elements

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 18, 2011 | 24 comments

Fans had something to be happy about when Sony Pictures announced that David O. Russell would be leaving the Uncharted movie adaptation and that Limitless director Neil Burger would be taking his place instead. Though David O. Russell is a talented director, it seems that his take on the game would leave no correlation between the two, outside of the same title and a witty character named Nathan Drake. Now with Neil Burger onboard, the director has started to speak about his vision of the movie.

We’re re-writing the script from scratch, and I’m just jumping into that literally right now, about to close the deal and leap off. Until the screenplay is written you never know who’s going to be acting in it or not. But there are a lot of good actors out there who even look like Nathan Drake and who could do it.

This means that Neil and the folks at Sony Pictures are back to square one with the project and throwing away the family plot elements that Mr. Russell wanted to introduce. Chances are that Mark Walhberg, who was previously attached to star as the film hero Nathan Drake, will probably be out as well. Many rumors are indicating towards Limitless, A-Team, and Hangover actor Bradley Cooper as the new leading man, though there is no real substance to go off of.

Mainly we’re beginning from scratch and going back to the videogame… It’s really one of the most cinematic videogames, and one that has really developed characters. So, you know, there’s a lot of cool, really intense things that, if they work for the film’s story, I want to use them.

[Via SlashFilm]

Neil Burger to Direct Sony’s Game Adaptation ‘Uncharted’. Bradley Cooper to Star?

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 7, 2011 | 24 comments

Over a year ago, Sony Pictures announced their intentions of turning the popular and exclusive PlayStation 3 game, Uncharted, into a movie. The game, which itself played like a modern day Indiana Jones movie, has been well received by fans and critics, earning countless awards and Game of the Year honors. Though movies based on games have had a hit or miss at the box office, with many being completely different from the source material, with lower budgets and B-class directors, there have been bright spots as well, for instance with Disney’s Prince of Persia adaptation, as well as the continued success of the Resident Evil franchise (again Sony Pictures). Naturally, fans were pleased when they originally heard that Academy Award Nominated director David O. Russell was on board to write and direct the Uncharted movie.

Shortly after Mr. Russell came on board, the director’s long time friend and partner, actor Mark Wahlberg, came onboard to play the hero, Nathan Drake, which was met with mixed results from fans. As if that wasn’t enough, it was then reported that Mr. Russell’s script included a family heist story, which was then to take place over the mythology of the game series by having Nathan Drake and Sully related. It seemed like after all the changes, the only resemblance to the game might be the title and the fans grew tired quickly of Mr. Russell’s lack of respect for the source material. With many vocal fans and petitions online, David O. Russell finally left the project in late May. With a 3rd Uncharted game on the way and a series that continues to better the previous title, it came as no surprise that Sony Pictures had no intentions of letting the project die.

Now Sony Pictures has announced a new director and writer for the project. Neil Burger, writer and director the The Illusionist and Limitless, has officially come on board to write and direct the Uncharted movie. With a new director onboard, Sony Pictures is set to throw out the old script, involving the family heist angle in favor of something new, potentially something closer to the source material, which is already so rich. Mark Wahlberg’s involvement remains to be seen.

Mark Wahlberg‘s future with the project is uncertain; the actor was brought on by David O. Russell when he was still writing and directing the film. That casting did not much please fans of the property, and when Mr. Russell walked, there was a vocal fan contingent hoping for a recasting of the lead role, too.

The only question now remains is if in fact, Mark Wahlberg leaves the project, who will take the lead role of Nathan Drake. Some speculation points towards Bradley Cooper (Hangover, A-Team) who worked with Neil Burger on Limitless though there is hardly anything to prove anything is set in stone and we doubt there would be since the project is in such early stages. However, with a fresh take on the game, this could also prove to be a good time for fan favorite Nathan Fillion to make a return and potentially star as our hero, Nathan Drake

Discuss:

How do you feel about Neil Burger as a replacement for David O. Russell? Would you also like to see Bradley Cooper star as Nathan Drake?

[Via Slashfilm]

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Promotional Teaser Poster Leaked

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 14, 2011 | 13 comments

Just over a year ago, Marc Webb took over the Spider-Man franchise for Sony Pictures in order to bring a new tone and more budget-friendly ($80-$120 million) series to the screen, seeing how the last film cost nearly $260 million to make, though it also brought in nearly $900 million as well. Equipped with 3D cameras and new star power from Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) and Emma Stone (Easy A), ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is currently aiming for a Summer 2012 release. After several photo leaks from the set., like Spider-Man swinging from a truck and the reveal of the Oscorp logo, we have our first leaked promotional teaser poster from Sony Pictures. Though not in great quality, which usually goes with the territory of leaked content, we can at least get a feel for the logo design of the film.

[Via SlashFilm]

Only 37,500 Affected from SonyPictures.com Attack, Not 1 Million

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 8, 2011 | 72 comments

Shortly after the reports of SonyPicturs.com being illegally hacked, the film company released a statement that they were looking into the allegations, along with the help of the FBI. Now the company has a new statement to make and it seems that the attack was previously a tad exaggerated. Sony Pictures instead claims that only 37,500 user information was accessed. However, from those accounts, no credit card information, social security numbers or driver license numbers were taken which is a sight of relief for those who might be affected by this recent event.

Hit the jump for an official press release from Sony Pictures.

SonyPictures.com Hacked, Supposedly 1 Million Passwords Are Stolen

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 2, 2011 | 9 comments

And here we go again! The hacker organization known as Lulz Security has now set their eyes on Sony and according to them, earlier today, they were able to steal the information of 1 million Sony Pictures customers. The attack was supposedly carried out by SQL injection which is deemed to be a very low level, lower security operation. The attackers since then, released a .RAR file online which is set to contain over 50,000 users email and password to SonyPictures.com accounts. According to Engadget:

We’ve downloaded this file (at our own risk, mind you) and can verify these sensitive bits are now in the wild, though it remains unclear if what’s published matches reality.

The illegal hackers have also released over 20,000 Sony music coupons to the wild. To add further insult to injury, they’ve also released the admin database (including email addresses and passwords) for BMG Belgium employees. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s hard for Sony to patch things up over a month, seeing how vast of a company they are with web services and sites in all contents, languages and product categories and offerings. However, seeing how the PlayStation Network attack took place well over a month ago, it’s a surprise to see that low level hacks are being executed on what seems to be high profile segments of the company like Sony Pictures.

Hit the jump for a statement from LulzSec and while your there, share your thoughts with us on this matter. Specifically, do you feel less secure and more hesitant to sign up for a Sony services in the future or do you believe like some security analysts, that after all this is said and done, Sony will be one of the most secure companies on the internet.

David O. Russell Leaves ‘Uncharted’ Movie

by Sohrab Osati | May 26, 2011 | 5 comments

Fans of the PlayStation 3 exclusive series ‘Uncharted’ will breath a sigh of relief as David O. Russell, the acclaimed director has left the project, leaving Sony Pictures to look else place if they want to continue with the project. It was just under a year ago that the director and Sony announced their collaboration to bring the Uncharted franchise to the silver screen. Though it’s not everyday when a highly praised director like Russell will come onto a video game adaption, fans soon soured as they found that long time partner of Russell, Mark Wahlberg would be set to play the games hero, Nathan Drake.

Furthermore, it seemed that Russell did not want to play to the source material and instead had an idea about a family of thieves who would go on a great adventure together. Later on, it was reported that the director also wanted to bring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci onto the project. Though never confirmed, it was believed that Robert De Niro would play Sully while Joe Pesci was either to be an uncle or the villain.

Despite being a respected director who was willing to bring big time actors to the film, many fans were understandably upset by the directors choice to throw out the nature of the story and not cast the fan favorite, Nathan Fillion. Now with David O. Russell out, many expect that Mark Wahlberg will also leave the project which begs the question, will the film continue at Sony Pictures or will the process start all over again? Regardless of that outcome, it seems like fans will be happy to hear that the video game adaption will be going a different route in the future.

What about you guys and gals? Are you happy that David O. Russell is off the project? And who would be your dream director for an Uncharted movie?

[Via Deadline]