Entertainment

Spider-Man Reboot Will Be “Peter Parker Told Differently”

by Sohrab Osati | May 6, 2010 | 6 comments

“peter-parker-told-differently”/” target=”_self”>

In a THR article, Columbia Pictures president Matt Tolmach talked about Marc Webb’s upcoming 3D Spider-Man reboot. Here is what he had to say about it:

[Tolmach] also cautioned that moviemakers are in “a golden moment of technology,” with 3D and various other digital techniques at their disposal. “With great power comes great responsibility, and we have to always fall back on great storytelling,” he said. Tolmach also said he’s excited but nervous about his company’s upcoming Spider-man reboot, which he described as “Peter Parker told differently.” He promised it will look, feel and smell different from the three films starring Tobey Maguire. “We’re humbled by it,” he said.

I’ve said it before, so please, A. Sony, don’t mess up Spider-man. I loved Spider-man 1-3, and B. Please don’t go the high school emo route. PLEASE don’t follow the Twilight lead. Now for my little rant: The reason Spider-man 4 fell apart wasn’t due to budgets, which is the reason a lot of movies fall apart. It had to do with the fact that Sony and Sam Raimi couldn’t come together on an agreement. As many know, Sam Raimi did not want to have Venom in the 3rd Spider-man film, but Sony is the one who pushed/forced him. Now there is news of the new reboot for the Spider-man series. My problem with origin stories is this: WE KNOW. I know how Superman came to Earth, I know how Batman’s parents were killed, and I certainly know that Spider-man was bitten by a radioactive spider. People want to go on with the stories and the myths; they do not want to see the same part of the story repeat over a decade and then be rebooted again. Hell, Spider-man still feels fresh in everybody’s mind. Also, Marc Webb did (500) Days of Summer. That, to me, does not scream Spider-man…

[Via Slashfilm]

Sony Pictures iPad App

by Sohrab Osati | May 3, 2010 | 31 comments

Hey, did you know I can write short reviews? Yikes. I couldn’t get term papers out like that when I wanted to. So, I just received my iPad 3G in the mail today, and while I was browsing the App Store, I found that Sony Pictures has an iPad app. It’s a very simple and clean app. You see a reel of posters from upcoming Sony movies (Columbia Pictures) and you click on them and it plays it in the top right. You can also go full screen if you would like. On the top left, there is info about the movie and you can Tweet, Facebook or email that page to other people. My only recommendation is an update that would make the app a little smoother. When you scroll through it, it tends to be a tad slow. Also another annoying thing is that any poster you do scroll on, it auto starts the trailer, which might even be fine if there was a 10 second pause. However, when you’re scrolling around and every time you land on something, it wants to play itself, it can also be a tad annoying; but I’m nitpicking now. Other than that, I like the app.

[Via iTunes]

Sony Television Grabs Smallville Creators

by Sohrab Osati | May 3, 2010 | 9 comments

More good news for Sony on the production side of movies and shows. First, we had news of Men in Black 3 and then the possibility of Bad Boys 3 with Will Smith reprising his star roles in both. Now it seems that Miles Millar and Al Gough have both signed a two-year deal with Sony Pictures TV, where they will develop a series for the studio. In terms of the TV world, the duo are best known for their work creating Smallville. In the feature films world, both are credited with Shanghai Noon, Spider-Man 2, and the upcoming Steven Spielberg-Michael Bay production I Am Number Four.

“We plan to hit the ground running with a broad range of projects aimed at both network and cable,” Millar said.

Added Gough, “We are excited by the opportunity to broaden our TV horizons and think the team at Sony Television is the perfect creative fit.”

[Via THR]

Sony Pictures Reunites With Kevin James

by Jenni Petot | Apr 30, 2010 | 28 comments

Kevin James is hilarious. I remember watching his Comedy Central special “Sweat the Small Stuff” back in 2002 and loving every minute of it. With starring in King of Queens (Sony Television Pictures), 50 First Dates (Sony Pictures) Hitch (Sony Pictures), I Now Pronounce you Chuck and Larry, and Sony’s Paul Blart: Mall Cop (earning $146 million last year), I think Kevin James is becoming the next big comedy actor.

Kevin James now has two more upcoming films being released by Sony. With their fine history together, I believe it’s a great match. The first is The Zookeeper, which was recently pushed from October of this year to a prime summer spot, July 8, 2011. This move was due to strong screening results and a great release date strategy. In The Zookeeper, Kevin plays well a zookeeper that doesn’t really ‘fit in’ to society. Once he decides to leave his job to pursue a normal life and get the girl of his dreams, the zoo animals that adore him reveal they can talk and teach him nature’s mating ways.

The second film announced from Sony starring Kevin will be called Here Comes the Boom. Details are under wraps for the film but it’s said to be an action-comedy. James will produce Boom along with Adam Sandler through Happy Madison Productions. No release date is set for Here Comes the Boom but production could start as early as January. I have yet to dislike a film that Kevin James has done; I’m definitely a fan of the Sony/Kevin James movie match-ups.

Sony Does Bad Boys 3?

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 28, 2010 | 16 comments

Bad Boys 1 was a big hit for Sony, Michael Bay and Will Smith in 1995. It took 8 years for the follow up, but the 3 were back in 2003 for Bad Boys 2. Now, we’re nearing 8 years again and talks of Bad Boys 3 are beginning to surface. For a while it’s been public knowledge that Sony hired Peter Craig to write the 3rd script. Michael Bay himself has also been pushing for the movie, though he insists that both his and Will’s price tags are a tad high. This is because Will Smith is ensured $20 million each film he does after having box office earnings of $2,520,925,686 (and thats only US gross!). Michael Bay himself was already a big director with Bad Boys, but next he turned out Transformers and that made $709,709,780. He followed up with Transformers 2 which topped that with $836,297,228. This means that Bad Boys 3 will cost a lot of money to make.

But the hope is there, fellow Bad Boys fan. During an interview for Death at a Funeral, Martin Lawrence said that “It’s real realistic,” He went on to say:

Any time you can get Big Willie to come out and talk about doing a third installment of a hot movie like ‘Bad Boys,’ you have to take notice. I met with Michael Bay, and he said he’s onboard too — so it’s real…We’re just waiting on Jerry Bruckheimer to let us know when it’s really real.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Sony needs some more hits at the box office, and Will Smith can do it for Sony again. Now, lets hope they dont mess up Spider-man. I personally love Spider-man and the first three movies. If Sony ruins the new series, I’ll be one pissed Sony and Spidy fan. By the way, dont expect this to be in 3D. Michael Bay doesn’t believe 3D cameras can keep up with the pace of his style of shooting.

Sony Signs Will Smith For Men In Black 3D

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 26, 2010 | 47 comments

There’s good news for Sony on the film front. Director Barry Sonnenfeld has said in a recent interview that Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are set to return for a third Men in Black film that will be (of course!) in 3D. The news indicated that although only Will Smith has so far signed on, both actors will reprise their earlier roles. Other casting rumors suggest that Sasha Baron Cohen and Jemaine Clement will also be joining the cast.

I really hope that Sony pushes Barry Sonnefeld to, or that Barry will by choice film Men in Black 3 in 3D and stay away from post conversion and avert from the mess that was Clash of the Titans in 3D. Also, its nice for Sony to lock in Will Smith again. Will Smith and Sony have a long history of movies together (MIB, Bad Boys, Pursuit of Happyness, Hitch, Hancock). Now Will Smith is one of the last true big stars who has a sure audience. With Spider-man 4 soon to be released as a reboot of the series, Sony hasn’t recently had any big movies in the box office and Will Smith can help them to get back in the game.

Sony To Also Distribute Spielberg’s Tintin

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 9, 2009 | 5 comments

Sony Pictures and Paramount Studios will both be handling Steven Spielberg’s 3D movie, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. The movie is slated for a 2011 release. Sony Pictures will internationally release the movie during the months of October and November, followed by November 23 by Paramount in the United States. Here is a synopsis of the film:

Jamie Bell stars as the title character, Tintin, an intrepid young reporter whose relentless pursuit of a good story thrusts him into a world of high adventure, and Daniel Craig as the nefarious Red Rackham. From a screenplay by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, and featuring a supporting cast of Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook.

The film is the first of a planned series of 3D performance capture movies based on the character. Peter Jackson is scheduled to direct the second film, and a third film has been announced, but no director is yet attached.

As SlashFilms puts it, “The early international release makes sense as the property is a lot more popular overseas. The reception from European audiences and critics will be a nice transition for American audiences who aren’t as familiar with the character.”

Quantum of Solace Nears $500 Million

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 2, 2008 | 39 comments

Quantum of Solace, the most recent James Bond entry from Sony continues to drive solid business. After its 2nd week in theaters, the movie is currently sitting at $483 Million world wide and continues to be the #1 movie in the UK for the 3rd week in a row (Quantum was released a week prior in the UK). Sony currently is working away at Spider-man 4 and 5 for their 2010 schedule but in the mean time, has bought the rights as is making Terminator 4 aka Terminator Salvation. Staring Christian Bale, the tale of the war with Skynet in the future. Sony needs to be aggressive with its movies and more so, blockbusters as they are good push for Blu-ray, but also fantastic money makers for the money pinched electronic giant.

[Via Boxofficemojo]
[Image curtsy of Gizmodo]

Hancock In Theaters Starting Tonight

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 1, 2008 | 3 comments

Just a little reminder, the new Sony Pictures/ Will Smith blockbuster is out a night earlier for those looking to see it before others, starting on July 1st while the actual launch will be July 2nd, marking for a huge 4th of July weekend at the movies. Be sure to check out the one of a kind Superhero film. For those living in LA, join the midnight launch with SonyRumors at the Arclight Dome in Hollywood (at actually 11:10).

Director Chosen for MGS Movie?

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 26, 2008 | 7 comments

Anybody catch Equilibrium? I sure did and loved it. Anybody else catch Ultraviolet? I sure did…(those dots speak words about the movie) So I have mixed feelings when rumors have come on the interweb that Kurt Wimmer might be penning and directing the movie. Now, to his more positive credit, he has also penned Sphere and The Thomas Crown Affair so more positive points for him but I cant help but think, why not Kojima son himself? One of the reasons why the MGS series has been so well received is that its as smart and twisted and action packed as any Hollywood film could ever be and the dialogue is smart and packed with many layers of the current state of the world. Plus, the MGS series have equally been known for how cinematic they feel and play. So with that in mind, wouldn’t it just make sense to have the man who made all of this happen be the writer/director and hell, actor? (Stunts and Gaffer work not included)