James Wan Rumored to Produce Mortal Kombat Film Reboot
My roommate and I have been obsessed with Mortal Kombat X since its release this past April, and while we've been taking breaks recently to play Rocket League, our hearts lie in the hands of Sub Zero and the rest of the MK squad. Apparently, we're not the only ones obsessed with disemboweling our opponents as Mortal Kombat X is currently the best-selling game of the year.
However, as a 25-year-old franchise, we've been down the road of Mortal Kombat propaganda, including the animated series, the films, and the online series to middling success. Yet, we're in a new age of Hollywood reboots and adaptations that can actually treat the source material with enough reverence and a decent budget to carry the name along. We've seen Mortal Kombat on the big screen already, but imagine a new vision with modern technology...
New Line Cinema is reportedly in talks with Furious 7 director James Wan to produce a new Mortal Kombat reboot with "darker, brutally real martial arts" with a story that departs from the confusing plot that's plagued the games in recent installments. Instantly, The Raid comes to mind, and my expectations might be set way too high to have Iko Uwais star in the film (or at the very least, set the choreography).
Whatever the case may be, I'm excited to see how this new Mortal Kombat film will play out.
[via IGN]
New Scream TV Series Trailer Reveals New Killer
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Everything under the sun is getting remade, revamped, re-imagined, and rebooted these days, whether it be a new Mega Man cartoon, Bruce Campbell returning to the Evil Dead world in Ash vs. Evil Dead, ReBoot getting its own live-action/CG hybrid reboot, and the Powerpuff Girls are getting a makeover. I know I only focused on TV shows, but really - is nothing sacred?!
I say that with my tongue firmly in my cheek, as we all know the Hollywood cycle by now, as it has also found its next target: Scream. In case you haven't heard, the popular metafictional film series that ruled the mid-'90s through the early '00s. This time around, however, MTV is adapting the franchise for a new generation and a new format as Scream will be premiering as an MTV series on June 30th.
This first trailer for the series introduces us to the new generation of potential Ghostface victims, complete with a modernized version of the popular "Scream" mask that, quite frankly, is a lot more frightening. The premise, which revolves around a YouTube video gone viral that resulted in the death of a high school student, is similar to this year's Unfriended, albeit without the angle of utilizing a computer screen to depict the film.
Watch the trailer above and let us know what you think!
ReBoot Returning to TV as Live-Action/CG Series
As 80s nostalgia gives way to '90s nostalgia, it's been a great time to be a 90s kid like myself. Shows from our childhood are getting big screen adaptations, Full House is coming back for a sequel for some reason, and now one of the more asked for shows on the Internet is coming back in a big way. The semi popular computer animated series ReBoot (which ran from 1994 to 2001 on ABC very early in the morning, and that's why few folks remember it), is now getting a reboot itself as a live-action/CG hybrid show according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While the original series was a fully computer animated series (notably the first of its kind) that followed its main character Bob as he fought a being known as "The User" in the Mainframe, the sequel/reboot series titled Reboot: The Guardian Code will focus on four teens (Austin, Grey, Parker, and Tamra) who find out that they're next generations Guardians and have to travel into cyberspace to fight an evil hacker's (named "The Sorcerer") viruses.
The new series, produced Corus Entertainment, Rainmaker Entertainment, and TWC/Dimension Television, will intially run for 26 episodes, and apparently won't even look like the show we remember because kids these days use new technology. As series creator Michael Hefferson puts it:
Technology is ever-changing and Reboot: The Guardian Code will utilize the very technology inherent in the concept of the show—and prevalent in kids’ everyday lives—to drive a new type of relationship across multiple platforms...[ReBoot] will deliver mass appeal with a technology focus, empowering kids with the tools and confidence to chart their own course in a world that is increasingly dependent on and powered by technological knowledge.
Well, here's hoping the actual show isn't as bad as this sounds.
[via THR]
[Trailer] Leprechaun: Origins
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Now that the WWE is trying its hand at producing legitimate movies like Oculus (rather than their standard schlock like Knucklehead and Inside Out) as an attempt to recreate Dave Bautista and Dwanye Johnson's breakouts in Hollywood, we should expect more effort from the company. Those efforts bring us a reboot of the once loved (for some reason) Leprechaun series, Leprechaun: Origins.
Leprechaun: Origins stars Dylan "Hornswoggle" Postl as the titular leprechaun who terrorizes a few folks vacationing in Ireland. Although it seems like this film is heading in the wrong direction with how seriously it aims to take the material (I remember Leprechaun in the Hood being far more popular for its goofiness), I guess we shouldn't invest too much time in it given it's headed straight to home video. Usually straight to video horror films are bad anyway, and like five people are going to see this, so let's not dwell on it.
Leprechaun: Origins releases on Video On Demand August 26th with a home video release slated for September 30th.
New Terminator film will be a reboot, scheduled for June 2015 release
When word spread that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be returning to the Terminator franchise with the series' next installment, a revitalizing light was cast on the future of Terminator films now that its main star was back to reclaim what is rightfully his. However, confusion arose when Schwarzenegger claimed to be returning as one of the titular Terminators, a role that might be a bit far-fetched, considering his advanced age.
Then, it turned out that the producers were drafting a script meant to attract the Hollywood phoenix himself, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, to the film. With the rumor came a few unconfirmed reports about the film taking place in the past, serving as a sequel of sorts. However, the next Terminator film has been confirmed for a June 26, 2015 release date and will serve as a reboot for the franchise.
With screenplay writers Laeta Kalogridis (Night Watch) and Patrick Lussier (Drive Angry) already attached to the film, all that's needed is a reliable director to step into the chair and guide the once de facto action/sci-fi franchise into the future for a new generation of Skynet rebels.
[via Collider]
William Fichtner confirmed to play Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot
Michael Bay is definitely taking some liberties with the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action film reboot. While no roles have been confirmed, other than the voices of Leonardo (Pete Ploszek), Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), Raphael (Alan Ritchson), and Splinter (Danny Woodburn) , both Will Arnett (Arrested Development) and Megan Fox (Transformers) have been attached to the film. Earlier this week, it was reported that William Fichtner will be portraying the turtles' arch-nemesis, Shredder (Prison Break).
This is an interesting development as Shredder has traditionally been portrayed as a former Japanese samurai... ninja... bad guy. I'm all for changing up various elements when it comes to adaptations, especially when it comes to reboots for new generations. However, this casting choice might be a bit off. Michael Bay's name already carries a level of apprehension, the least of which involving the rumored script for the film that I may or may not have read through. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is at least a year away, so we can only hope that the final product will do the franchise justice.
[via Collider]