The STARSTORE Blog...

DUNE: New movie version gets writer?

Josh Zetumer is in talks to take on the mantle of screenwriter for a new movie adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic Dune novel. Paramount are putting together an interesting team to recreate the legendary science fiction epic for the big screen. Of course, David Lynch already did so in 1984 with mixed results. Nevertheless, the 80s version of Dune has stood the test of time as a cult movie, and then there came the Sci Fi channel miniseries version in 2000, and its follow on, Children of Dune. All of these have been met with a rather lukewarm response from audiences, which begs the question- Why remake it again? Surely there are more recent science fiction properties to bring to life? What about the military novels of Elizabeth Moon, or Robert Reed’s MARROW? Hell, whatever happened to the movie of Larry Niven’s RINGWORLD for that matter? There’s so much good stuff out there that it makes me seethe when yet another remake comes to light. That said, there really isn’t a ‘definitive’ screen version of DUNE out there, and hopefully this new movie will see the rest of the series get made too.

Due to be directed by Peter Berg, this new Dune film will have Brian Herbert (son of Frank) and Kevin J Anderson serving as producers. Those two, of course, are responsible for the continuing series of novels set in the Dune universe, which never seem to stop coming. Hopefully the emphasis will remain on getting a definitive version of that first, classic novel on the screen and the film doesn’t end up chock full of references to the countless prequels and whatnot the pair have written since Frank Herbert passed away.

Paramount are indeed looking to turn this new film into the start of a franchise, which, done right, could be very lucrative for them and very cool for the fans of the 1965 novel and its subsequent series. I guess the makers are taking a few lessons from the disastrously unpopular (at the time) 1984 movie and are staying the hell away from David Lynch. See kids? Don’t let Lynch near Science Fiction. Really. Actually, don’t let him near a movie again. Have you ever seen Lost Highway? Gah.

Outside of the Dune movie, Zetumer recently did some production work on the next Bond movie, ‘Quantum of Solace’. Interesting. He hasn’t really been proven as a genre specialist with his other work, and that is something that concerns me about this new Dune project. Dune is such a rich and multilayered piece of science fiction that you really need someone who is familiar with the genre, its motivations and ideas before you can produce something that doesn’t just come across as a bunch of people in fancy dress saying silly lines in front of a greenscreened set. Please Paramount, don’t let it suck. Oh, and while you're at it, how about something original soon please?

NEWS ON SPIDER-MAN'S RETURN TO THE BIG SCREEN

It looks like the machines are warming up to set the next two Spider-man films in motion. Sony are apparently to film the fourth and fifth films in the web slinging Marvel Comics franchise back to back, and the shocker is that, as rumoured, there’ll be nobody returning from the first three. Tobey MacGuire, Kirtsen Dunst, Sam Raimi and pretty much everyone else is going to be replaced by a whole new team, which is going to be interesting to see the results of. I must admit I'€™m wary of it all though, as Raimi and co did such a great job with the past three films (despite Spider man 3'€™s problems), and audiences are so used to seeing Tobey as Peter Parker/Spidey now. That said, I do remember him saying he wasn't really interested in a fourth outing as Spider-Man, which I can understand as it has taken over so much of his life and career for so long.

Where these two new films are starting to sound interesting is with the actors the team are looking at to take over. At the top of their list as Spider-man/Peter Parker is Patrick Fugit, who certainly looks like a Peter Parker to me, but it does raise the question as to whether this new pair of films is going to be the start of a reboot? Are the studio aiming for an Ultimate Spider-Man feel to these films, or are they a continuation of the series that has been such a hit already? I sincerely hope it is going to be the latter, as the last thing we need is yet another origin story. Something set a few years into Spidey'€™s career would be much better, and allow for more of a story to be told, as well as some decent signs of character development.

The new Incredible Hulk film would be a good reference point, actually. That isn'€™t a complete reboot, more a continuation of the franchise from a different angle. Don'€™t restart the whole Spidey universe from scratch- just use those first three films as a starting point and come up with something new and vibrant that still rings true with the events and the characters of that trilogy and the comics. I'€™m not sure how these new Spider-Man films are going to pan out, but it is something we'€™ll watch with interest. Here'€™s hoping Venom gets to return for a proper outing. And Hobgoblin. And Carnage. And and and and... Mmmm, Spidey.

Something creepy seems to be Happening

Rich takes a look at the latest from the man who brought us The Sixth Sense…

The cinematic trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film, The Happening, has had audiences scratching their heads for a few months now, with the original trailer ramping up a palpable sense of danger yet withholding any clear indication of what the film was about, save for hints at some kind of pandemic spreading across America. Now, the Red Band trailer has been released (Red Band being a trailer with no content restrictions) and having watched it, I must say that this is looking seriously creepy. Gone are the ums and ahs of the original trailer, replaced with graphic scenes taken from the movie. The pandemic previously mentioned appears to be a suicide virus, with victims seemingly sub-consciously committing suicide in a variety of creepy and graphic ways. Although, we all know the director is famous for the twists in his tales, so don’t quote me on anything right now!

This movie looks to be a return to form for Shyamalan, reverting back to his darker movies after the damp squib that was The Lady in the Water. Now I’m a massive, massive fan of the director, but the auteur just went a bit too far with his previous film, to an extent that it lacked any recognisable form and made sense to few people other than himself. It was film making at its most self-indulgent. The Happening will hopefully rectify this and echo the director’s otherwise highly impressive line up. By the look of this trailer the film promises to be extremely eerie and, in a first for Shyamalan, quite gory. So through my unbreakable belief in the director, and the signs of things to come in the trailer, my sixth sense tells me this will be one awesome movie.

Now, um, I’m off back to the village. 10 points to anyone who can see what I did there.

Rich

(We’d post the red band trailer for you to check out, but it’s a bit unnerving for such a family oriented site… ;P)

SAW V: CAST AND PLOT DETAILS REVEALED

Lionsgate have released some info on the next instalment in the relentlessly violent SAW movie series. The cast of SAW V is now set to include Julie Benz, Carlo Rota, Greg Bryk, Mark Rolston, Meagan Good, and of course, Costas Mandylor as Hoffman. Following the last person to carry on the legacy of the Jigsaw killer, all the loose ends must be done away with when his work is threatened. Once again, Scott Peterson and Betsy Russell are also back in their familiar roles of Agent Straum and Jill. Directed by David Hackl, the film has been given a provisional release date of October 24th. This is bringing up some questions. Firstly, is this just going to be a bridging movie to set up the sixth (and apparently last) SAW film? Secondly, why is everything being set up as a damn franchise these days? Some standalone horror films wouldn’t go amiss every now and again. That said, I guess a sequel isn’t a remake, which fans are also tiring of. With remakes of Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Hellraiser and loads more in the works, it really is looking like Hollywood is losing all of its faith in creating original horror. For want of a better phrase, horror is becoming much too safe, and that is a much more terrifying prospect than even Jigsaw could come up with…

ALIENS Vs PREDATOR 3: Dear Hollywood…

Thoughts on AVP3

The two AVP movies (Alien Vs Predator and Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem) have proven to be successful, but only commercially. I know that’s really the point of the exercise, but think of the original Alien movies: Successful at the time of release, and constantly popular for decades afterwards. Now look at the first two AVP movies. The first film is now languishing in every DVD shop’s bargain bin for a fraction of its original price. The second will go the same way after an initial rush of interest. The films are fun and please a section of fandom, but they seem to be lacking that spark that has given the originals such longevity.

It is known that a third AVP movie is on the way, and I’d like you to consider letting some fans of the originals have a go at writing it. We have the basics- it needs to be set in space, and needs both the Predator(s) and an Alien or two.

What it doesn’t need is another cast of characters without depth or motivation. The previous two films have had some decent characters, but for the most part they have come across as cannon fodder. What I’d love to do is offer up some more characters along the lines of the crazies in Alien 3. Not many of them. Just two or three human characters, a derelict spacecraft, a pair of Aliens and a Predator loose on board. Back to the very basics of the genre that these creatures created.

Some fans are also of the opinion that a third AVP movie would work really well with less dialogue and more tension. A bit more art house. The seats will be filled on the reputation of the series alone, so there’s no need to worry about that. The trick would be to add an extra dimension of creativity and tension, like the first Alien film, to ensure that the film would have a life beyond the first year, and also help the series attract back those fans that the more popcorn styled films have alienated (pun very much intended). So I put it to you, Hollywood types, let us, the fans, write the next movie. See what happens. Oh, and this time, try not to give the whole movie away in the trailer, eh? Cheers.

BATMAN: ARTFX VINYL DARK KNIGHT FIGURE COMING!

DC Direct and Kotobukiya have teamed up once more to brings fans something incredible. Based on the brand new Batman DARK KNIGHT movie, starring Christian Bale as Batman and the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, this high quality vinyl figure is set to become one of the finest batman themed pieces of memorabilia to be released in years. Everyone here has let out some form of unprintable exclamation upon seeing the images of this awesome piece of work. Click on the picture for a larger version!

Depicting the Dark Knight in a dramatic pose stood atop the Bat signal, this high quality vinyl figure is set to stand approximately 12 inches tall. The costume has been modelled closely on the version that appears in the new feature film, and captures the character at his most iconic. He will come supplied in a Dark Knight movie themed window-display box, which, judging by Kotobukiya’s track record, is going to be sturdy and look great.

Unfortunately the piece is going to be strictly limited to 1,000 units, so keep an eye out for their arrival! I love the fact that there’s going to be some fantastic high-end merchandise available around the new Batman movie. I’d worried for a while that the range would be largely limited to kiddie-friendly action figures, as with Batman Begins, which, aside from a few nice items was limited to figures that didn’t have much, if anything,  to do with the movie. There are still going to be a slew of scarily unrelated figures available, but it’s great to see the serious stuff is going to be available too. The Dark Knight has never looked better. How about a Joker one too please?

SOLOMON KANE: The return of real adventure?

One project that I am keen to learn more about is the forthcoming SOLOMON KANE movie, to be directed by DEATHWATCH helmer Michael Basset. I’m excited that such a giant of classic adventure literature is making his way to the big screen at last for a no-holds-barred fantasy/SF action fest, but I do have my concerns. Are we in for another Van Helsing, or is this going to turn out to be a genre-defining moment for this media-swamped generation? I have a firm belief in the material and the director, I just pray that it comes off as something wonderful. There have been some terrible crimes in genre movies over the past few years, with aberrations like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie (LXG? Pah!), but I think this one really has a chance of coming out as something that will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Its pedigree is undeniable- Robert E Howard created the character, and we all know what else he created! The books are classics of their time, and also classics of adventure/genre fiction, and they have enough of a loyal, generation-spanning audience that I think there is going to be a hell of a lot of people wanting to check this out when it hits the screens.

Michael Bassett has put up a cool page on his site with some thoughts on the movie, which bode well as there’s blatantly a love for the source material there. Plus, that teaser poster looks superb- kinda somewhere between Van Helsing and Vampire Hunter D.  I guess I’m just into the idea of classic literary icons coming into the current consciousness via the medium of film. I’d love to see a John Carter of Mars film done with today’s technology, but I fear that probably won’t happen unless they can make the stories a bit more politically correct for this age, which is a shame as those stories are great in their original form. There is a void in modern cinema where adventurers used to be. Sure, we have a new INDIANA JONES movie coming out this summer, but what then? We geeks need our fix of dashing heroes doing daring things! Anyway, one way or another, Solomon kane is going to prove to be a very interesting movie indeed.

IRON MAN FIGURES ON THE WAY!

I've just seen the protoypes and packaging for the action figures from the forthcoming IRON MAN movie, and am eager to get these babies in. Where some movie toy lines seem intent on ignoring the actual content of the movie (remember the ridiculous Batman Begins figures?), Hasbro have gone for the real thing. Depicting the various stages of Iron Man's development throughout the movie, the figures look like they're going to be of a very high standard, and even the packaging looks cool (THANK YOU HASBRO for putting out something that will actually go on a hook properly!). The Iron Man figures themselves are looking pretty sturdy, but the level of detail is high and the likeness to the various suits from the movie is rather excellent.

From the information I can gather, the initial Iron Man action figure assortment is going to contain the following;

Iron Man Mk3 with launching Repulsor blast
Iron Man Mk2 with firing missile
Iron man Mk1 with launching flamethrower blast
Iron Monger with Super Fist Smash
Iron Man prototype with snap-on-armour

With the Iron Man trailers, TV spots and merchandise on the way, excitement is certainly growing and everyone at Starstore HQ is getting sweaty palms. That does happen of its own accord, but this time there's a reason for it. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and check out that Superbowl Tv spot for the movie again. I want an Iron Man costume!