Cinematical

• Alex Proyas Has Plans for 'Dracula Year Zero'
  

  Filed under: Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Universal, Movie Marketing

  There is no denying that 'origin tales' are all the rage, and it's not just for superheroes anymore. In an interview with MTV Movie Blog, director Alex Proyas gave a few updates about what he has planned for Dracula Year Zero, and the word of the day is 'realism'. Proyas told MTV, the film will be, "sort of the origin tale that mixes [the historical] Prince Vlad of Transylvania with sort of [fictionalized] Bram Stoker [take]" -- I guess if it helps, just think of it as 'Portrait of a Bloodsucker as a Young Man'



• Review: Babylon A.D.
  

  Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Theatrical Reviews, 20th Century Fox

  

  Just going by the poster and the trailer, you could probably recognize Babylon A.D. as a bloated big-budget science fiction film. But after viewing the film, and with a few facts to put the film in context -- like the fact 20th Century Fox didn't screen Babylon A.D. for critics, like the fact director Mathieu Kassovitz has already disavowed the film, like the numb dumb clang of every line of dialogue in it -- you realize that Babylon A.D. is a bad, bloated big-budget science fiction film that doesn't even have the distinction of being...
  




• Why Won't Alex Proyas Direct 'Silver Surfer'?
  

  Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, 20th Century Fox, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

  You have to feel bad for the Silver Surfer. Everyone else is getting their own spin-off and franchise, and he can't even get the green-light. J. Michael Straczynski already said that his script was dead, but rumors continued to swirl that Alex Proyas was attached to direct.
  
  But as reported by Slashfilm, Proyas shot that down at ComicCon. He didn't even know where the rumor originated. And while he's very fond of...
  



• No 'Preacher' for HBO -- Who Will Keep the Faith?
  

  Filed under: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Celebrities and Controversy, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Religious, Western

  It really seemed like we were finally going to get Garth Ennis' Preacher this time -- the dark, funny, and controversial comic book series seemed perfect for HBO. Isn't that what they do, after all?
  
  Apparently not. Mark Steven Johnson told Comics Continuum that they've passed on the series. "We were budgeting and everything and it was getting really close to going. But the new head of HBO felt it was just too dark and too violent and too controversial. Which, of course,...
  



• Well, That's That: 'Outlander' Going Direct-to-DVD
  

  Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New Releases, Distribution, Home Entertainment

  I think this'll be my last Outlander post for a while; you're probably sick of hearingaboutit by now. But I think I owe you this one as a matter of follow-through. You see, the buzz on the internets is that, as feared, the Weinstein Company is sending the nearly $50 million dollar Vikings-fight-aliens adventure film to direct-to-DVD oblivion.
  
  The source of this semi-substantiated rumor is that a couple of online DVD retailers, such as Movies Unlimited and Amazon have listed a November 18th, 2008 release date for the movie, with Movies Unlimited...
  



• Screenwriter Dishes Some Early Tidbits on 'Transformers 2'
  

  Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Scripts, Dreamworks, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

  I'm not one of those waiting for Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen with a whole lot of anticipation. I feel bad about saying that, but let's face it, Transformers passed me right by as I was playing with Strawberry Shortcake. Many have tried to re-educate me on the awesomeness of Optimus Prime, and failed.
  
  Nevertheless, even I have to admit it's pretty cool when a screenwriter drops in among their fans for a good sequel chat. That's what Robert Orci, one of the scriptwriters...
  



• Box Office: Traitorous Babylon
  

  Filed under: Action, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Box Office Predictions

  Tropic Thunder held onto the top spot for two weeks in a row, followed by The House Bunny and Death Race. Last week's two other newbies The Longshots and The Rocker took the number 10 and 13th spots respectively. Here's what the top five looked like:
  
  1. Tropic Thunder: $16.2 million
  2. The House Bunny: $14.5 million
  3. Death Race: $12.6 million
  4. The Dark Knight: $10.5 million
  5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars: $5.6 million
  
  Babylon A.D.
  What's It All About:...
  



• Vin Diesel Will Press On With 'Riddick' Sequels
  

  Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Scripts, Newsstand

  Fans of the Riddick franchise -- all six of us -- thought for sure that, despite occasional rumblings to the contrary, the series was dead. The expansive, expensive Chronicles of Riddick was trashed upon release, after all, and flopped at the box office (at least domestically). Another sequel seemed foolhardy, sure to be met with gales of laughter from the same peanut gallery that so readily dismissed Chronicles.
  
  I still think that's probably true, but I won't tell Vin Diesel, who is determined to make two more sequels happen. In an interview with MTV, he said that...
  



• 'Babylon A.D.' Director Joins Critics of 'Babylon A.D.'
  

  Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Distribution, 20th Century Fox

  It comes as little surprise whenever a studio decides to kindly remove a film from a director's hands -- the situation with Lionsgate's treatment of Punisher: War Zone still smells fishy from this end -- but while most filmmakers would proceed to bite their tongues and salvage their careers, Mathieu Kassovitz begs to differ on his own film, the Vin Diesel vehicle Babylon A.D., which opens this Friday in an all-too-familiar August dump situation (joining it on the marquee: alleged comedies Disaster Movie and College).

  In an exclusive interview with AMC's...
  




• New Calendar Images from 'Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince'
  

  Filed under: Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Warner Brothers, Fandom, Family Films, Movie Marketing, Harry Potter, Remakes and Sequels, Images

  
  

  
  Alejandro Martínez over at BlogHogwarts has sent us a bunch of images from the just-released Harry Potter and the Half BloodPrince calender. I know, it's hard to get excited about anything associated with a movie we won't see until July, but a calender can help alleviate your pain by giving you a little dose of Harry Potter all through 2009. Right? Ok, maybe not. You have to hand it to Warner Bros -- of all the...