So Chris Weitz is taking over the job director at the helm of New Moon, the upcoming sequel to Twilight that should be released in November 2009. Doing so, he is replacing Catherine Hardwicke:

Fans may have felt she did a hell of a job with first movie adaptation of Twilight. But Summit Entertainment definitely wants to switch to Director Chris Weitz for New Moon. Why such a change?

New Moon Movie Director Chris Weitz Replaces Catherine Hardwicke

Officially, Catherine Hardwicke is leaving because of timing:

But well, I believe that Summit, who wants to make a real blockbuster, does not think that Hardwicke fits the job anymore. She’s got no experience with fantasy movies and a blockbuster budget may be overwhelming for her.

So Summit Entertainment prefers to hire Chris Weitz to direct the movie New Moon, aka Twilight 2. That’s a bold move that may backlash: Chris Weitz may be expert in doing fantasy, but Catherine Hardwicke is expert in understanding feelings and emotions. Love and characters is what drove throngs of Twilight fans to theaters. Let’s hope that Weitz will be able to mix the best of the two sides!

At least Chris Weitz shows some humility regarding his new job as director of the New Moon movie:

As long as Stephenie Meyer is controlling what’s done on the set of New Moon, Catherine Hardwicke being replaced by Chris Weitz shouldn’t matter that much. The real guardian of the Twilight saga is Stephenie Meyer herself after all!

Here a short New Moon clip by Reelz that’s dwelling on the controversy (it’s also hinting at the replacement of Taylor Lautner):

:)

The latest issue of Empire Magazine, the February 2009 issue, is featuring an article about Transformer 2, aka Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, and Optimus Prime is making Empire’s cover:

Transformers 2 Optimus Prime

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Transformers 2 on the cover of Empire Magazine

February 2009 issue

Transformers 2 the World’s First Look

USA Today gives us a better glimpse of Optimus Prime:

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Below a Transformers 2 clip showing Optimus Prime in its alternate mode as a truck:

Some additional pictures of Optimus Prime:

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Optimus Prime must be the dream truck for many!

Update:
New photos at: –> Shia Labeouf and Megan Fox Transformers 2

Don’t miss the trailer of Transformers 2 in February!
:)

G-Force
Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Directed by Hoyt Yeatman
Starring Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Penelope Cruz, Steve Buscemi, Tracy Morgan
Release Date: July, 24, 2009

More information at: G-Force Trailer

Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas are teaming up in The Code, aka Thick as Thieves, an upcoming heist movie directed by Mimi Leder. Below an official movie poster of The Code:

The Code poster

(Click on the poste to enlarge it.)

Can you believe that Antonio Banderas is playing the role of the ‘young’ thief the Code movie… I mean, he is younger than Morgan Freeman, but well, Banderas is over 40 years old… Is there a curious case of Antonio Banderas similar toBenjamin Button‘s?
;-P

Director Kevin Macdonald has tackled the movie adaptation of British TV series State of Play. The plot of the six hour mini-series has been condensed to fit two hours, and the location changed to Washington, D.C. In the lead cast: Ben Affleck and Russel Crowe, respectively as a young politician and an investigative journalist. The movie State of Play is scheduled to be released on April 17, 2009.

Here below the first official movie trailer of State of Play:

Plot:
“Handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is the future of his political party: an honorable appointee who serves as the chairman of a committee overseeing defense spending. All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party’s contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant/mistress is brutally murdered and buried secrets come tumbling out.

McCaffrey (Russel Crowe), has the dubious fortune of both an old friendship with Collins and a ruthless editor, Cameron (Helen Mirren), who has assigned him to investigate. As he and partner Della (Rachel McAdams) try to uncover the killer’s identity, McCaffrey steps into a cover-up that threatens to shake the nation’s power structures. And in a town of spin-doctors and wealthy politicos, he will discover one truth: when billions are at stake, no one’s integrity, love or life is ever safe.” (Source: Coming Soon)

Director Macdonald said that State of Play explores the topical subjects of journalistic independence and the relationship between politicians and the press. Well, judging from this State of Play movie trailer I’d say that the film just plays with the usual prejudices of Hollywood against politicians…

In the role of the young politician they should have chosen a black actor: Ben Affleck is a great actor besides being handsome, but with an Afro-American actor State of Play would have been more in touch with the new paradigm of America’s political world!

Hope to get some preview clips of State of Play soon.
:)

Two weeks ago a new banner of Star Trek, the new movie based on the famous franchise, has shown up. This Star Trek movie banner features the new crew:

(Click on the banner poster to enlarge it.)

Star Trek Crew
From Left to right: Scott, McCoy , Uhura, Kirk, Spock, Sulu, Checkov

Just to refresh your memory, here below the cast of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movie:

Chris Pine as James T. Kirk (William Shatner)

Zachary Quinto as Spock (Leonard Nimoy)

Karl Urban as Leonard H. McCoy (DeForest Kelley)

Simon Pegg as Montgomery Scott (James Doohan)

John Cho as Hikaru Sulu (George Takei)

Anton Yelchin as Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig)

Zoe Saldana as Uhura (Nichelle Nichols)

We’ll get to see Uhura’s bras in this new Star Trek movi. God knows I do appreciate this new take on Star Trek!
;-)

State of Play
Thriller/Drama/Crime
Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels, Helen Mirren
Release Date: April 17, 2009

More information at: State of Play Movie Trailer

We’ve got a picture of British actress Claire Foy in the movie Season of the Witch, in which she is co-starring with Nicolas Cage and Ron Ron Perlman:

Season of the Witch Trailer

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The movie Season of the Witch, set in a medieval Europe, is about a knight (Nicolas Cage) escorting a girl (Claire Foy) accused of being the witch behind a plague that’s spreading all over the continent.

Season of the Witch is the first major role for Claire Foy. She started her career in local Brittish TV series like Being Human and Little Dorit.
She looks cute: we will probably hear from her again in the future.
:)

Director Shawn Levy talks about Night at the Museum 2, aka Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian:

Night at Museum Battle of the Smithsonian Featurette

Wish you a merry Christmas 2008, and many gifts from Santa Claus!
;-)

Will Ferrell is starring in the movie Land of the Lost, an upcoming feature film combining adventure, comedy and science fiction, which is based on the 1974 TV series of the same name. Land of the Lost is directed by Brad Silberling. It should be released on June 5, 2009.

Land of the Lost Trailer

Here below the first official Land of the Lost movie poster:

(Click on the poster to enlarge it.)

LAND OF THE LOST

Will Ferrell

Right place, wrong time.

In theaters June 5

Plot:
“Will Ferrell stars as has-been scientist Dr. Rick Marshall, sucked into one and spat back through time. Way back. Now, Marshall has no weapons, few skills and questionable smarts to survive in an alternate universe full of marauding dinosaurs and fantastic creatures from beyond our world – a place of spectacular sights and super-scaled comedy known as the Land of the Lost.

Sucked alongside him for the adventure are crack-smart research assistant Holly (Anna Fariel) and a redneck survivalist (Danny McBride) named Will. Chased by T-Rex and stalked by painfully slow reptiles known as Sleestaks, Marshall, Will and Holly must rely on their only ally – a primate called Chaka (Jorma Taccone) to navigate out of the hybrid dimension. Escape from this routine expedition gone awry and they’re heroes. Get stuck, and they’ll be permanent refugees in the Land of the Lost.” (Source: Coming Soon)

The official poster of Land of the Lost looks quite faithful to the spirit of the original series. Just compare with the original opening of Land of the Lost:

I think that Land of the Lost will help Will Ferrell’s waning career: he was really needing such a movie to move out of the rut he was slowly getting into!
:)

Producer Luc Besson and Director Pierre Morel, who previously worked together on Taken, team up again on a new action movie From Paris With Love, which is based on a script co-written by Besson. The film is starring John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. I’d like to give a green card to Besson and Morel right away: they make movies the American way! And they hire great talents from Hollywood for their movies.

The movie From Paris With Love should be released in 2009.

Here below a first look at the official movie trailer of ‘From Paris With Love’:

From Paris With Love Movie Trailer

Plot:
“A young embassy employee (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) hooks up with an American spy (John Travolta) in Paris. The spy is insane but damn effective!”

At first sight the plot of From Paris With Love may not stand out from the crowd for its originality, even if the plot takes place in Paris, France. Still, I believe that Besson and Morel will deliver a great action movie.

I hope John Travolta will stay bald: he looks great! Not sure about that, but maybe, they get inspired by French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez’ hairstyle:

Or maybe John Travolta was envious of Tom Cruise’s baldness in Tropic Thunder:

If you’re bald yourself you have a moral duty to support From Paris With Love! I will!
:)

Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov are co-producing the movie 9, an upcoming CGI animated science-fiction movie created and directed by Shane Acker. 9 is animated by Attitude Studio (in Luxembourg) and by Starz Animation (in Toronto), with a few sequences done by Duncan Studios in LA and will be released by Focus Features. The film should be released on September 9, 2009, yeap that’s 9.9.9!

The lead voice actors are Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly and Crispin Glover.

Here below the first official 9 movie trailer:

9 Movie Official Trailer

Plot:
“When 9 (Elijah Wood) first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. All humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good. They must take the offensive if they are to survive, and they must discover why the machines want to destroy them in the first place. As they’ll soon come to learn, the very future of civilization may depend on them.”

Those doll-like creatures evolving in a post-apocalyptic background look really strange and appealing. I’d say that 9 is a Coraline movie for grown ups.

If you’re wondering about the explosive soundtrack of this 9 trailer it’s the song ‘Welcome Home’ by Coheed and Cambria.
:)

We just learned via Coming Soon that Bruce Boxleitner who played the role of as Alan Bradley, aka Tron, in the first movie is set to return in Tron 2!

Tron 2.0 Movie Bruce Boxleitner back as Tron

With both Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner reprising their roles it is clear that Disney is counting on fans’ nostalgia!

I supposed they checked the negative buzz following the title change to TRZ and are now rolling back to a more friendly TRON 2.0 (the plot has no relation with the game of the same name as far I know). But I’d suggest to leave the .0 part (unless Disney wants to get a featured post on Michael Arrington’s Techcrunch…) and just go with the streamlined title of TRON 2!
:)

In Public Enemies, upcoming period movie directed by Michael Mann, Johnny Depp plays the role of John Dillinger the gangster and French actress Marion Cotillard (she once played the role of Edith Piaf) got the role of Dilinger’s partner in love and in crime:

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The original criminals (below) were not as photogenic as Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard…

But that’s a distortion of History that Hollywood is used to!
:)