Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four reboot to be re-written by Simon Kinberg
The most recent Fantastic Four films were terrible. No amount of sugarcoating, charismatic Chris Evans quips, or Jessica Alba’s Jessica Alba-ness are enough to hide the fact that Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer were some of the worst films to come out of the Marvel and Fox partnership. With the success of Marvel Studios’ own films, Fox may be doing their best to ensure the properties still under their ownership (Fantastic Four and X-Men) are treated with the utmost respect… for a better box office return, of course.
When Chronicle came out last year, it was a surprising hit. Finally, a moderately budgeted superhero film that didn’t rely on an existing property or big name stars to sell tickets. Instead, smart writing, amazing editing, and one hell of a directorial debut were enough for the film to make a $126.6m return on a $12m budget. Following Chronicle’s success, Fox hired director Josh Trank to helm a proposed reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise last summer. However, besides murmurs of Michael B. Jordan being cast as one of the four, no other details have come out since.
Yesterday, it was announced that Simon Kinberg has been hired to make substantial rewrites to the film. Kinberg is no stranger to Fox’s stable of Marvel films as he has written the screenplays for X-Men: The Last Stand and the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past. While there’s still time for the film to meet its tentative Spring 2015 release date, the likelihood of the film being delayed into the summer is a lot higher. However, having Kinberg on board to tighten the script should be exactly what Fox needs to ensure this second attempt with Marvel’s first family goes smoothly.
[via /Film]
The Weekly Swarm: 9/23 - 9/29
Welcome to the new Ruby Hornet. When Virgil brought me on board back in late April, our goal was to bring Ruby Hornet to new heights, to expand on the success that Alex and Sean spent years establishing. In the past five months, we've brought some key members to the team and added much, much more diversity to the website. It had been a long time coming, but we're happy to share the next major step in Ruby Hornet's evolution. There are bound to be a few missteps here and there, but don't be afraid to let us know about them. The new look is just the tip of the iceberg.
This week, the long relationship between Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer came to an end, Taylor Swift was cast in The Giver, Brynn interviewed Dave Davison from Maps & Atlases, we had an onslaught of music videos from Rick Ross, Z Money, Psalm One, Drake, Vic Mensa, Chief Keef, and more, Irina Shayk posed for VMAN, Grand Theft Auto V sold more than $1 billion, and Zane Lowe interviewed Kanye West which led to some amazing #NODISRESPECTTOBENAFFLECK tweets and the subject of Jake's weekly Sunday Coffee Sipper.
Check out everything Ruby Hornet covered this week below.
Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer part ways
Escape From Tomorrow escapes from a Disney lawsuit
First posters for Divergent released
Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg invite Sony to the Sausage Party
[Trailer] Need for Speed
The Wolf of Wall Street might slip into 2014, missing Oscars consideration in the process
[Video] Behind the scenes Oldboy featurette
Michael B. Jordan might be a slam dunk for Independence Day 2
Batman vs. Superman set to enter production next month
Star Wars Episode VII could be partially shot on IMAX cameras
[RH Review] Don Jon
Taylor Swift to co-star in film adaptation of The Giver
Joey Purp: "Monologue"
Chance the Rapper Announces North American Tour
Kami de Chukwu: "Droptop Vision"
[RH Feature] Lili K: Hard out here for a soul singer
[Video] Zane Lowe interviews Kanye West
[Album Stream] Lorde: "Pure Heroine"
King Krule announces North American Tour
[RH Interview] Islands
[EP] Isaiah Toothtaker X Jacob Safari: "?OTHING"
Carl: "Crystals" (Feat. Taylor Bennett)
[Video] Netherfriends: "Sex Beat" (feat. Chandler London)
[Video] Z Money: "Let You Know"
[Video] Psalm One: "Need Love Too"
[Video] Video Diary: Grimes & Default Genders' James Brooks
[Video] Autre Ne Veut: “Ego Free Sex Free" + Tour
Freddie Gibbs + Madlib: "Harold's"
[Video] Wteve Baker: "Tree Haus"
[Video] Drake: "Hold On We're Going Home"
[Video] A$AP Ferg On Pitchfork's Over/Under
M.I.A. speaks on NFL's $1.5 Million Fine
[RH First Glance] Ducky: "U Turn Me Up"
[Video] theWHOevers Live at Schuba's
[Video] A$AP Rocky: "Fashion Killa"
Lupe Fiasco: "Pound of Flesh/Paris Tokyo 2"
Arjaye Jeter: "Ice Cream Bike Pedals"
[Video] Sky Ferreira: "You're Not The One"
[RH Contest] Win a pair of tickets to see Phaeleh, Supreme Cuts, and Different Sleep b2b Soleman on 9/26
Sasha Go Hard: "Gimme Mo" (Feat. BJ The Chicago Kid)
Calez: "A Mill", "Free Ya Mind"
[Mixtape] Cam Meekins: "PEACE"
Nick Astro & Murph Watkins: "Pick A Side" (Prod. by IKON)
[Video] Rick Ross: "No Games" (feat. Future)
[Video] The Making of Innanetape
[Video] Ultrademon: "Automatic" (Feat. ShowYouSuck)
[Video] Radkey: "Romance Dawn"
Durkin: "Let You Know"
[Video] Atoms for Peace on The Daily Show
[Video] Savages: "Husbands"
SchoolBoy Q: "Banger"
[Video] KSRA Live at The Beat Kitchen
[RH First Glance] Thee Ramone: "Find Me"
Thundercat: "Bowzer's Ballad" + North American Tour
Afeni Shakur Sues Entertainment One
[Video] Machine Gun Kelly: "Home Soon"
[Video] Chief Keef: "Ight Doe"
[Video] Vic Mensa: "Lovely Day"
Fun Fun Fun Fest's food offerings
[Video] Jimmy Kimmel Responds to Kanye
Phantogram: "Celebrating Nothing"
[RH Interview] Dave Davison (Maps & Atlases)
Evan Holt: "In The City" (Prod. By Thelonious Martin)
[Album] Matt & Kim: "Lightning Remixes"
[Video] Hot Sugar: "Erica" (Feat. The GTW)
[Video] Pusha T: "King Push" ( Prod. By Kanye West + Joaquin Phoenix)
[Video] Charli XCX: "SuperLove"
[Video] Lil Reese: "Supa Savage Intro"
[Sunday Coffee Sipper] Kanye West: "Everything I Am Made Me Everything I'm Not"
Nicholas Maggio’s “Wild Hearts, Blue Jeans, and White T-shirts” Project NSFW
Mass Appeal Presents “WATCHxWITNESS” with Jason Goldwatch & 13thWitness: Detroit
Mohawk General Store 2013 Fall Editorial featuring Adrianne Ho
[NSFW] Irina Shayk For VMAN Fall/Winter 2013
IG Weekly: Grizp
Grand Theft Auto V’s first three days made $1 billion in revenue
Apple sells more than nine million iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c models in first three days
Amazon Introduces The Kindle Fire HDX
NBA Jam lead designer admits to collusion against the Chicago Bulls
Smart Guns Aren't So Smart
Rockstar is interested in making a Bully sequel
Top 10 Best #NODISRESPECTTOBENAFFLECK Tweets
[Video] Jimmy Kimmel Responds to Kanye
So this has to be one of the more memorable rap beefs I've come across. Kanye West, because no one can make fun of Kanye West, decided to go on a Twitter rant against Jimmy Kimmel after Kimmel spoofed an interview 'Ye did with BBC's Zane Lowe. In the spoof video, a kid simply plays Kanye and repeats the same things he did. In any event, West isn't happy. Like, Pusha T listening party agravated. Regardless, it looks like the hiatus we had since the last weird Kanye meltdown is coming to an end. For his part, Kimmel does a great job at actually addressing all of the Tweets in real time last night on his show. "I saw the video"
NBA Jam lead designer admits to collusion against the Chicago Bulls
NBA Jam was a huge hit when it hit arcades and home consoles back in 1993. The NBA-licensed arcade basketball game featured 2-on-2 teams pushing, shoving, and dunking on one another in intense, high-energy games. Some of the best memories from the game included backboard-shattering slam dunks, players going on fire after making three consecutive shots, and game announcer Tim Kitzrow's catch phrases ("Boomshakalaka!").
A full decade has passed, and while the franchise isn't as popular as it once was, gamers and basketball fans of age all have fond memories of the Midway game. In an interview with ESPN, NBA Jam lead designer Mark Turmell addressed one such memory. When asked about whether Scottie Pippen's ratings dropped unexpectedly, Turmell offered an interesting explanation:
It's true, but only when the Bulls played the Pistons. If there was a close game and anyone on the Bulls took a last second shot, we wrote special code in the game so that they would average out to be bricks. There was the big competition back in the day between the Pistons and the Bulls, and since I was always a big Pistons fan, that was my opportunity to level the playing field.
Collusion! Then again, over the past year, the Chicago Bulls attained three more championships, Derrick Rose, and one of the league's highest attendance; the Pistons, on the other hand, are still in Detroit... enough said. It's the little battles that matter, right?
[via ESPN]
First posters for Divergent released
You've seen the first trailer for Divergent last month; now, the first official posters for the YA film adaptation have been released. The posters, which you can see in the gallery below, showcase the lead actors Shailene Woodley and Theo James surrounded by strong shadows. Very foreboding and dark, no? The focal points of the two posters are in the characters' tattoos characterizing their divergency from the established factions in the futuristic Chicago they live in.
Are we ready for yet another Young Adult, dystopian film focused on class structures a la The Hunger Games (and Battle Royale before that)? With Shailene Woodley making Jennifer Lawrence-esque waves in Hollywood, I'd be willing to look past these formulaic YA fad just to see her showcase her range.
New Poster, Stills for Machete Kills
When I heard that Machete Kills was going to be made, I knew I would have to catch the film opening day. The first film was awesome with over-the-top action and entertainment that I've come to expect from Robert Rodriguez. I got even more hyped after seeing both trailer 1 and trailer 2 that I am basically counting down the minutes until the October 11th release date. A new movie poster has been released which ends up being a mash-up of all previously released posters, but it's still cool nonetheless. Judging be the stills that have been released, I can tell Machete Kills will probably live up to my expectations, but hey I'm no film guy, so check out them out and judge for yourself.
[Via Flixist]
Kodak overcomes bankruptcy, announces plans to continue film stock production
With the film industry embracing digital more and more, the prospects of film's continued use began to dwindle, especially following Kodak's bankruptcy in January 2012. However, the company has announced that they have come out of bankruptcy and plan to continue their production of film stock. This should come as good news champions of film in the industry, such as Star Wars Episode VII cinematographer Dan Mindel who confirmed shooting the Star Wars sequel on film two weeks ago.
Both film and digital have their benefits, but it's good to see that directors and cinematographers aren't going to be forced to shoot on digital-only for the near future. Nothing beats the natural noise and graininess that comes with the film media.
[via Collider]
Kurt Russell will be Fast and Furious
With every casting announcement for Fast and Furious 7, the upcoming James Wan-directed sequel feels more in line with an Expendables film than one involving racing and heists. Nevertheless, each announcement just further legitimizes the IP and hopes following the departure of the series' savior, Justin Lin. Last week, it was announced that Ong-Bak star Tony Jaa would join the Fast and Furious 7 cast. This week, it's being reported that elusive action star Kurt Russell (Escape from New York) will be the next in line to be fast and/or furious.
Russell will play the role that was offered to (and declined by) Denzel Washington, although no details of what the role will entail have been revealed. Considering that Russell was a huge action star in his prime and hasn't been seen in anything notable since Quentin Tarantino's 2007 Death Proof, he must have felt very strongly about the offer. Let's do a cast check once more: Vin Diesel, The Rock, Tony Jaa, and now Kurt Russell. It's only a matter of time before the Fast and Furious and The Expendables franchises either do a crossover or merge into one enormous money printer.
[via Variety]