First Look at Peter Berg's Lone Survivor

After the horrid experience of BATTLESHIP, director Peter Berg, who has proven to be a formidable filmmaker in the past (see: THE RUNDOWN, THE KINGDOM, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) is ready to bounce back with LONE SURVIVOR, based on the real-life event of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, who was the sole survivor of a recon mission gone bad. Mark Wahlberg is playing Luttrell, with a solid supporting cast to back him up, including Eric Bana, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, Alexander Ludwig, and, judging from the pic below, Jerry Ferrara (Entourage, BATTLESHIP), who has yet to be listed.   

LONE SURVIVOR has been filming in New Mexico and a slew of set pics have rolled in, featuring shots of all the main cast in character, capturing the real-life look of the Navy SEALS they're portraying.  Overall, they look spot on, and it's great to see this film being made. 

HOW CAN THESE CLASSIC FILMS GET ANY BETTER? JUST ADD NICOLAS CAGE!

Nicolas Cage has become a joke, literally. It used to be that we laughed at the ridiculous movies he was acting in. But, after about a decade of garbage, it finally became apparent that Nicolas Cage is the only A-list actor who voluntarily makes only B-list movies.

So, since Cage is willing to take pretty much any job that comes his way, what would it have been like if he had appeared in classic movies like GONE WITH THE WIND, BACK TO THE FUTURE, or GOLDFINGER? This supercut answers those burning questions.

IRON MAN 3 New Images

Jason Gordon Levitt as .....PLEASE NO!

Can't be...let's cross our fingers!

Spielberg Denied...from directing Bond?

 

It's hard to believe we once lived in a world where people once said "No" to Steven Spielberg.

The director of such action adventure hits as "Minority Report," "Jurassic Park" and, of course, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" seems like he would be a shoo-in to call the shots on a James Bond movie. But back in the late 1970s -- before he had proven himself as the most bankable filmmaker of all time -- Spielberg couldn't score his dream gig.

"I went to [Bond producer] Cubby Broccoli and I asked if I could do one and he said 'No,'" said Spielberg in an interview with The Daily Mail. "I've never asked again. Instead, I made the Indiana Jones series."

At least bringing the adventures of the swashbuckling archaeologist to life makes for quite the formidable (and lucrative) consolation prize. In fact, according to "The Complete Making of Indiana Jones" by J.W. Rinzler, George Lucas pitched the character of Indiana Jones to Spielberg because of his interest in directing an old-fashioned kind of Bond film ... and while they were both on vacation in Hawaii, at that.

"We were on the beach building a sandcastle at the Mauna Kea hotel after we'd heard that every single seat of the 9:30 a.m. shows [for "Star Wars"] across the country -- the limited-release theaters -- was filled, so we just began talking about other movies, other ideas, other possibilities, and George asked me, 'What do you want to do next?' And I said, 'You know, I've always wanted to direct a Bond picture starring Sean Connery.'"

"But George said, 'I've got something you might like as much as Bond.' And while we continued to build the sandcastle -- which stood against thirty minutes of tide -- George told me the whole story of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark.'"

Fate came full circle, of course, when Connery was eventually cast as Indiana Jones' father in the third Indy adventure, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (1989).

Despite being rejected from Her Majesty's Secret Service back in the '70s, Steven Spielberg remains a big James Bond fan ... and is especially fond of the latest 007 adventure, "Skyfall."

"I've seen it once and I'll see it a second time," he said. Hey, us too!

Lenny Kravitz to Star as Motown Legend Marvin Gaye in a Biopic Read more: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00055824.html#ixzz2DSL0tEGQ

After playing fashion expert Chinna in "The Hunger Games", Lenny Kravitz is set to portray a real life figure in his next film. The rocker-turned-actor has officially been cast as Motown legend Marvin Gaye in a biopic to be directed by Julien Temple, Deadline reports. 

The film reportedly will be titled "Midnight Love", and it marks Lenny's first lead role as an actor. The movie is expected to kick off shooting in 2013. The story, meanwhile, will focus on Gaye as he spent his time in Europe in early 1980s. 

At the time, the soul singer attempted to get his addictions under control and career back on track with the help of British music promoter Freddy Cousaert. The Washington-born musician died on April 1, 1984 after getting shot by his own father in Los Angeles. 

Lenny Kravitz was seen tackling supporting characters in Lee Daniels' awards-winning "Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire" and Gary Ross' first "Hunger Games" film. He will reprise his role as Chinna in the sequel "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and will also reunite with Daniels in White House drama "The Butler". 

Director Julien Temple, meanwhile, is best known as a video and documentary maker. He previously directed "Absolute Beginners" and recently helmed the documentary for London Olympics, "London: Modern Babylon". 

Snyder's Superman in Justice League Movie?

With WB setting their sights on releasing Justice League in the near future, it would be plausible to assume that Zack Snyder’s Man of Steelis a part of the superhero ensemble. The director has gone from denying that his Superman is a part of the Justice League to responding with diverting answers.

But in a recent interview, Snyder has said something very interesting that may lead us to believe that we will be seeing something that will lead up toJustice League in Man of Steel.

This is what Snyder told the NY Post (via The Playlist) when asked about Justice League:

“I don’t know how ‘Justice League’ is going to be handled. Honestly, I don’t. But ‘The Man of Steel’ exists, and Superman is in it. I don’t know how you’d move forward without acknowledging that.”

Seems subtle. Snyder isn’t confirming nor denying that his Superman is inJustice League. He does acknowledge that WB is working on a way to get there. Whether or not his version of Superman is in it remains to be seen.

He did answer a follow-up question with a more intriguing response:

“I can’t really say anything to that, because that’s a big spoiler. I will say, yeah, they trust me to keep them on course.”

 So what exactly is Snyder referring to when he says “to keep them on course?” We could speculate many things, but it wouldn’t make much sense to release Snyder’s iteration of Superman and release an iteration specifically for Justice League. But let’s leave that option on the table should Man of Steel flop. If it doesn’t then don’t be surprised to see some sort of Justice League acknowledgement in the film.

Wolverine Starring Russell Crowe?!?!

Hugh Jackman Claims He Got the Role After Crowe Turned it Down

From Yahoo:

Hugh Jackman has revealed that his "Les Miserables" co-star, Russell Crowe, was the original choice for the role of "X-Men" character Wolverine.

Crowe and Jackman

"Russell has given me advice several times at key moments in my life that helped with my career. I also owe him because two of the biggest roles I've ever had in my life, he turned down - and suggested me for them," the actor told Entertainment Weekly in a new interview with the mag, to promote "Les Miserbales."

"On 'X-Men,' he was Bryan Singer's first choice for Wolverine," Hugh continued. "And he mentioned me also for [Baz Luhrmann's] 'Australia.'"

The two Australian actors play rivals in "Les Miserables" - Hugh as Jean Valjean and Russell as Javert - but in real life, teaming up for the project brought them closer as friends and helped them create better performances.

More Here:
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/hugh-jackman-russell-crowe-helped-wolverine-turning-down-181817185.html

GANGSTER SQUAD- Emma Stone

Stone/ Gangster Squad

Peter Travers' Top 10 Actors Who Direct in the 21st Century

Great Article from Rolling Stone.com
 http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/peter-travers-top-10-actors-who-direct-in-the-21st-century-20121011#ixzz2DBPftZ1Z 


We're watching movies in a century with the bloom still on it. Tough sledding for actors who direct if they want to match or exceed the success record of their predecessors. Given the 20th-century triumphs of such icons as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurence Olivier and Citizen Kane auteur Orson Welles, plus directing Oscar wins for the starry likes of Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven), Robert Redford (Ordinary People), Warren Beatty (Reds), Mel Gibson (Braveheart), Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves), and — kill me now! — Roberto Benigni (Life Is Beautiful), the 21st century offers challenges galore. Here's a list of 10 actor-directors trying to stake their claim on both sides of the camera.

The Film Vault's Top 5 Gifts for Film Lovers

Anderson and Bryan chat with Tech Guru Rich DeMuro about some cool gifts for cinephiles

You also get a pretty good recap of some big films during flick-fessions

Listen or Download Here

A Zero Dark Thirty Prequel Is Possible, Also Based On A True Story

Zero Dark Thirty could be the most fascinating, or the most controversial, or the most kick-ass film of the holiday season-- given that it's about the Seal Team Six raid that killed Osama bin Laden, it could easily be all three of those things. But nobody really knows yet, since Zero Dark Thirty has yet to screen for any critics, and if anyone has seen it, they're not telling. That'll change soon, though. The review embargo for the new film from The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow ends on Sunday, and we'l have our review posted soon after.



So in these last few days before the Zero Dark Thirty mystery is revealed, why not speculate about what might come after it? Bigelow and her screenwriter collaborator Mark Boal were working on a different bin Laden-focused project, about the failed effort to kill him in Tora Bora in 2001, when history caught up with them and bin Laden was killed in April of 2011. As they told Entertainment Weekly, they scrapped the Tora Bora project to make Zero Dark Thirty after the news broke, but they haven't ruled out returning to it. Asked if a Zero Dark Thirty prequel could happen, Boal said "Yeah, I think so. Why not? But I think the last thing [either of us] wants to do right now is talk about making another movie.”



That's pretty standard talk from someone who just wrapped up a film, and you can't blame them for wanting to focus on what they've just accomplished rather than moving on to what's next. But given that Bigelow and Boal last collaborated on The Hurt Locker, which seems to have a similar tough-guy military theme to Zero Dark Thirty, it wouldn't be totally beyond reason for them to tell another, very different story about Osama bin Laden. But would we rather see the two of them try something new instead? Sounds like both Bigelow and Boal would rather we see Zero Dark Thirty before applying the pressure about what happens next, so let's do them that favor for now. 

How Sam Mendes Remade The Dark Knight And Called It Skyfall

Hi Film Junkeez,

Here's a great review of SkyFall from moviepilot.com; I agree with each and every point of the review.  Feel free to email us your thoughts!

Will Wharton

I just got back from seeing Skyfall a third time. No seriously I did. It rocks. I highly recommend you see it if you haven’t, and if you are one of those people, I additionally recommend not going ANYWHERE near the contents of this article. It’s filled with MASSIVE spoilers for both Skyfall, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises.

SPOILERS BELOW!

On all three trips to see Skyfall I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d seen it all before. In a good way. It took me a while to realize exactly where my feelings of narrative déjà vu were coming from, but eventually, the idea floated out of the aether and into clarity.

Skyfall Is The Dark Knight Rises…and both trilogies in general kinda match up. It’s true.

That’s why I enjoyed it so much; those fantastic thematical elements that permeatedChristopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight trilogy were the foundation of the latest Bond series, in many ways. I don’t think this is an overt ripoff, by the way, but rather an occurrence that happened via cinematic osmosis.

If you’re still a little unsure of my conclusion (and some Moviepilot employees would agree with you), allow me to take a bit of your time with an explanation as to why I feel this is true. The evidence is there, you just need a smarmy journalist to stick it on a plate for you.

I am that journalist guy, and here is your steaming hot plate o’ TRUTH nuggets!

Reason 1 - A Broken Hero

In the first act of both Skyfall & The Dark Knight Rises, our protagonist puts his life in harms way and finds himself with a severe case of movie-death. That special kind of death where you either spend your time in a prison pit, or in a bar drinking scorpion shots. We’ve all been there. In both cases our hero triumphantly returns bigger, badder, faster, and stronger. Sometimes it take being brought low to rise to the top, and both Bond and Batman are taken to the starkest of dark places before they man up, and come back fighting.

Reason 2 - A Killer Opening

As is tradition with both Bond and Batman movies, we’re greeted with a fantastic opening sequence. It serves to introduce us to our against-the-ropes hero in an exciting way. Bond leaves 00s to die in order to retrieve a stolen hard drive, and the Joker manages to ditch his cohorts in a violent attempt to make his mark on Gotham. High stakes… killer opening.

Reason 3 - A Mad Dog Chasing Cars

Here are where the HUGE parallels begin. Choose your villain, Joker or Silva. Whichever you like. Both are out of their mind psychopaths with a ridiculously complicated plan that defies belief when it’s finally executed. Both like to get caught in order to pull off the final phase of their master plan, and both reflect the dark side of our hero’s light. Joker is a product of Bruce Wayne’s decision to put on a mask. No Batman? No Joker. Silva is an ex member of M’s secret agent force who, after one betrayal too many, went a little sour. Fine super sour. Bond is one failed cyanide pill away from becoming Silva. Both antagonists are caricatures of real people, hold a deep fascination with the hero, and have a single, clear goal: eliminate the protagonist and the people he cares about. Why so Silva?

Reason 4 - Q Is Lucius Fox

Simple enough. Need a reliable character to supply you with the most awesome gadgets this side of Little Nellie? Then you have two options; you can call the brainiac, Q, or you can call slick Lucius Fox. The choice is yours, the outcome is the same.

Reason 5 - M Is Alfred… And Gordon

Bond and Batman form close emotional attachments to the few close people in their lives; probably because they’re both orphans who find little purpose in the world other than their occupations. These are the people that interact with them most; they are anchors. For Batman, it’s Jim Gordon and Alfred. For Bond, it’s his troubled, but stoic boss, M. Both act as a concerned parent and moral compass for our off the chain heroes, nowhere more so than in The Dark Knight and Skyfall. It’s in these movies that M and Alfred are able to provide the key pieces of advice that help take down the villain.

Reason 6 - A Death In The Family

As viewers of the latest Bond flick know, M dies in Skyfall. It’s painful and sad, but also perfect in a way. Bond finally rips himself wide open when he shows the most important woman in his life his true soul. M leaves this world truly knowing the agent she commanded for years, and with the realization that she did her job well. Bond is more than an agent, he’s a son to her. Not managing quite the emotional heft that Skyfall did,The Dark Knight kills off someone of equal importance, Bruce Wayne’s escape plan, Rachel Dawes. With Rachel dead, Batman loses the only romantic attachment he had in this world, and is spurred on to the events of the final movie. These slightly different cataclysmic deaths have the same outcome…

Reason 7 - The Hero Skyfall Deserves

At the end of these movies we find our hero EXACTLY where he belongs. For Bond it’s in the stately new offices of MI6, a stuffy male M behind the desk, and a sexy Moneypenny in the reception room. Ready to serve Queen and country again, Bond ends up where he was meant to be. Batman has a similar fate, but it’s not quite so pleasant. Taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s murder, Batman heads off into the night to become the hero we all know him as. The hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs…right now. On the wrong side of the law but protecting the citizen’s safety. Exactly where he belongs.

I want to reiterate again how much of a fan I am of both of these movies. I think it’s awesome that Mendes took huge amounts of inspiration from my favorite superhero film, and it’s awesome that both movies have different window dressing, but provide us with the same framework underneath. Go dark, go bigger, go badder, and you won’t be sorry you did!

Salman Khan - Gangnam Styling!

The whole world is dancing to its beats right now, and Salman Khan is not too far behind. Korean Singer Psy, who has conquered the world music charts with his addictive song 'Gangnam style' has caught the attention of Salman.

Recently, when someone played the song for the actor, he was excited and immediately asked his manager to figure out a way to use the tune in one of his upcoming films.

Getting the rights to 'Gangnam style' will be tough, so Sallu plans to use the tune as a sample or in the background and create his own individual signature dance step to go with it.

Apparently producer Sajid Nadiadwala who is making 'Kick' with the actor is trying to work towards getting the tune for his film.

What Bane Almost Liked Like...

‘The Dark Knight Rises‘ hits DVD and Blu-ray on December 4th (just in time for the holidays!) and a few early copies have leaked in advance of the official release. One of the behind-the-scenes documentaries included on the discs shows off some behind-the-scenes photos of Tom Hardy as Bane plus some concept art on what Bane almost looked like.
Because of his trademark mask, Bane was always going to be a difficult character to adapt into Christopher Nolan’s universe. (Remember how he looked like a Mexican wrestler in ‘Batman and Robin?’) But with all the options they had, it looks like Nolan and crew made the best choice.
None of the options below look like they would translate well and both of the “hood” designs look downright silly. You can also see the early sketch for the design they did use in the film to see how it evolved over development.
Another interesting photo is the shot of Tom Hardy as Bane before they digitally removed all of Hardy’s tattoos. It might not have made sense with the character, but the tattoos actually make him look even more menacing.
Take a look at the photos below (each of which you can click to enlarge) and let us know in the comments what you think.

Gangster Squad Poster - Sean Penn

Michael Hutchence Movie? Who Should Play Michael?

Fifteen years ago today the music world lost celebrated musician Michael Hutchence, frontman for legendary rock band INXS.

While it would’ve been the terrific time to release a biopic on the Aussie rocker now, filmmaker Robert Gallinsky tells Encore one isn’t too far away.

“Two Worlds Collide”, based on the book Just a Man – The Real Michael Hutchence by Tina Hutchence and Patricia Glassop (Hutchence’s sister and mother, respectively), is headed towards the cameras courtesy Trevor Ray Field, Suzy Marovski and the aforesaid Gallinsky, writer and executive producer.

“I chased the idea 12 years ago but there was so much litigation and family issues, it looked too harsh”, said Gallinsky. “But recently I was made aware of Trevor Ray Field who was good friends of Tina Hutchence and he brought me the book. Over the course of the last month we negotiated the rights with Tina and we hit the mark. I like music biopics to be about the person, not just sex, drugs and rock n roll. It’s going to be a heartfelt, interesting project about a complex life, like Ray or Walk the Line.”

The film will begin casting and secure a director sometime next year.

We at Film Junkeez think the following actors would have / would be great choices to play Hutchence:

1. Gavin Rosdale:

                       

2. Johnny Depp



3. Colin Farrel 

 

4. Russel Crowe
  

5. Sam Worthington

   

6. River Phoenix

            
7.