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The new 'Mortal Kombat' movie has been delayed one more week
The 'Mortal Kombat' movie premieres in theaters and on HBO Max on April 23rd.
'Space Invaders' movie is closer to becoming a reality
Warner Bros. bought the movie rights to Space Invaders years ago, and now it looks ready to do something with the classic alien-blasting franchise. Deadline reports that Warner's New Line Cinema is advancing production on the film, with Mortal Kombat reboot writer Greg Russo handling the script. There's no release window yet, although the lack of detail suggests you'll be waiting a while.
Gears of War movie making the rounds in Hollywood again
We haven't heard anything about the Gears of War movie since back in 2010, when it was said that production was being scaled back. Today it seems the project has new life and is being shopped around, thanks in part to the impending release of Gears of War: Judgment. Creative Artists Agency is currently looking for producers, Variety reports. The most recent version of the film's script was penned by Stuart Beattie, who also wrote Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. CAA represents both Beattie and Epic Games, the latter of which suffered two high-profile departures recently, both tied to the Gears of War franchise: Rod Fergusson and Cliff Bleszinski.
Report: Writer found for Rampage film adaptation
New Line Cinema has found someone to pen the script for its apparently still-forthcoming movie version of 1986's Midway arcade classic Rampage, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Described as a "relative newcomer" to script writing, Ryan Engle will be boiling the game down into a screenplay, while John Rickard of Nightmare on Elm Street and Final Destination 5 fame produces.Look, we're glad Mr. Engle is getting a paycheck out of this and everything, but we can't help but feel a little slighted. If you needed someone to write your Rampage movie, New Line, all you had to do was ask. Any one of us would have gladly done it for free.
New Line Cinema looking to turn Rampage into a movie
We can hardly think of a more gripping, dramatic story than people transformed into gigantic lizards, apes and wolves, who go about destroying skyscrapers, so we're happy to report that New Line has optioned Rampage for the silver screen. Just imagine it: a gigantic ape, palming a frightened blonde, descends a massive skyscraper -- oh, right, that already happened. Imagine a lizard then! Or a wolf! The Hollywood Reporter says John Rickard, who helped produce a plethora of New Line Cinema films, is currently shopping around for a writer to come up with a script. Frankly, there isn't a better ending we can come up with for this post than a person will be paid to write a Rampage movie.
New Mortal Kombat movie coming from MK Legacy director
Did you like Kevin Tancharoen's Mortal Kombat: Legacy web series? New Line Cinema evidently did, as it's hired Tancharoen to direct a new film based on the bloody franchise. So, to sum up, that one self-produced "Rebirth" short got Tancharoen a job first as a web series director, and now on a feature film. The movie will reportedly feature a more "realistic" version of the Mortal Kombat characters, like the dead ninja who controls fire and the monk with the razor-sharp hat. "The new game and the online shorts have prompted us to consider a reboot of a brand we hadn't been actively thinking about," New Line president Toby Emmerich told the LA Times. So, the rebooted game series gave him the idea to reboot the film series. The fate of this new film isn't entirely assured, however. The film rights to the series are still in question, following ongoing lawsuits between Warner and Lawrence Kasanoff, a producer on the previous MK movies. Not even Shao Kahn himself can defeat the lawyers of Earthrealm.
King of Kong remake has a new script, penned as a mockumentary
Director Seth Gordon launched his first major film back in 2007, King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, and has since gone on to a successful career in directing several feature films and major television shows. He's even pinned to the forthcoming remake of '80s hacking classic, WarGames. His next move, however, could be a return to the documentary that launched his career, with Gordon telling The Playlist that he's still hard at work on a New Line Cinema-backed remake. Bizarrely, said remake may actually take on a mockumentary feel. Gordon credits his recent television work as inspiration: "There's a few different avenues. I've done some work on 'Modern Family' and 'The Office' and have worked in this doc style, and so that inspired me to say, instead of doing a traditional narrative feature script, what if we did the remake in the doc style?" Black List contestant Melissa Stack penned the most recent draft of the script, which Gordon takes as confirmation that the project is still "quite real." We can't imagine Billy Mitchell being too responsive to direction in Gordon's remake, but then again that tumultuous interaction could turn out to be a hilarious documentary unto itself.
Unique Features acquiring Heavy Rain movie rights
Heavy Rain continues its slow progression from "like a movie with lots of button inputs" to "just a movie." Deadline reports that Unique Features is in the process of acquiring the film rights to Quantic Dream's game. Unique Features is a production company started by Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, who used to be with New Line, the studio that had optioned the rights to the game in 2006. Shaye and Lynne are apparently so interested in the project that they bought the rights with their own money. Maybe the game was too hard for them and they just wanted to see how it ends. [Via Dread Central]
Buy the Lord of the Rings HD trilogy on PSN, get a free dynamic theme
We're constantly looking for reasons to re-purchase the Lord of the Rings film trilogy -- a fact clearly evidenced by our ownership of the theatrical versions of the films, the extended director's cut of each movie, the Blu-ray version of the trilogy, and another set of each of those, so we can keep one in mint condition, and watch the other on a bi-weekly basis. A recent PlayStation.Blog post has informed us that we'll need to shell out for yet another version of the films: The HD, downloadable trilogy on the PlayStation Store. Not only does it curtail our need to purchase two versions of the bundle, but it also comes with a free, LoTR-based dynamic PS3 theme. We've already collected a number of background skins for Sony's home gaming console, but we have a feeling this one has a pretty good shot at ruling them all.
New Line Cinema options rights for film adaptation of Heavy Rain
What if Heavy Rain, which is so often heralded by creator David Cage as "interactive fiction," was just a bit less interactive? Is the game's story and cast of vaguely-French-sounding characters strong enough to carry a feature-length film? We might just find out, some day -- internet super-sleuth superannuation recently uncovered copyright documents which reveal that New Line Productions optioned the rights to turn Heavy Rain into a movie on May 15, 2006 -- just a few days after "The Casting" trailer (NSFW) was revealed at E3. This doesn't ensure the development of a Heavy Rain movie, of course; it only means if any film studio makes the film, it's going to be New Line Cinema. We think the rights are in good hands -- New Line did some great work on the film adaptations of those Lord of the Rings games.
Rumor: New writer takes on Halo movie script
Word on the internets (news that was published yesterday and is promised not to be an April Fools' joke) is that a new writer has taken on the Halo movie screenplay in hopes of cutting production costs and getting the project back on track.According to the Latino Review, screenwriter Stuart Beattie (who penned the script for the upcoming G.I. Joe movie) took it upon himself to write a screenplay for the Halo movie, without Microsoft's knowledge and in his spare time because he's a huge fan of the franchise. The screenplay is said to be called Halo: The Fall of Reach and is based on Eric Nylund's novel of the same name. And unlike the official movie script that Microsoft had written with Master Chief playing a supporting role, Beattie's focuses on Master Chief's life and past. A script that only introduces the Covenant midway through, which would help cut down on the use of CGI and production costs thus making it more attractive to studios. If this turns out to be the real deal, hopefully Microsoft will at least take a look at the screenplay, maybe shop it around and make this darn Halo movie thing a reality. A more Master Chief focused movie that stays true to the novels and games is more up our alley anyway.[Thanks, Dobbs]
Gears of War film shoots for Summer 2010 release
Gears of War film producer Wyck Godfrey has told Coming Soon that the production company is shooting for a Summer 2010 release of the video game adaptation. Said Godfrey: "We've got our script on and a director we're about to attach. We'll hopefully make that early next year for the summer of 2010."The script was written by Stuart Beattie (Collateral, Pirates of the Caribbean), who recently said in an interview that the production will likely be heavy on green screen usage, à la 300. The Gears of War film will be released by New Line Cinema, with CliffyB as executive producer. You should probably get in line now, you've only got 24 to 27 months before this Romantic Comedy of 2010 marches into theaters.
New Line being absorbed by Warner Bros.
We knew good and well New Line was following Warner out of Purpleville, but apparently, it plans on walking right into Warner Bros.' head office and calling it a career. Yep, New Line as we all know it is officially done, as a company memo has announced that it will soon "become a unit of Warner Bros." Reportedly, New Line will "maintain its own identity and will continue to produce, market, and distribute movies," but it will obviously do so under the Warner Bros. umbrella. The master plan is to enable what's left of New Line to "focus on the creative side of movie-making, while reducing costs and taking advantage of Warner Bros.' distribution systems." So long New Line -- it'll be a little weird without you (fully) around. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Perry]
New Line Cinema also moves to Blu-ray exclusivity
In the wake of the big Warner Bros. announcement to exclusively support Blu-ray, some people may not have noticed New Line Cinema's transition into Blu-ray as well. (Both New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. are owned by Time Warner. PS3 Fanboy is also owned by AOL/Time Warner.) Formerly a supporter of both formats (kind of), New Line has decided to phase out its HD DVD support and go blu. Their only film released on HD DVD was Pan's Labyrinth. So it's not exactly a big deal, since they were basically all about Blu-ray from the start, but it's just another studio to stick in the already feathered cap of Sony.Some examples of New Line films include The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. We welcome New Line's decision and so should you.
Joystiq review: The King of Kong (film)
Truth is stranger than fiction. And while it needs to be threaded by a capable hand, even Donkey Kong can be woven into a compelling canvas that examines the comically-profound idiosyncrasies that drive human competition. The King of Kong, director Seth Gordon's first feature, is a remarkable film that documents the little-seen niche of competitive gaming, as waged on '80s-era, coin-op arcade machines. "That ape is very, very cunning, and he will do what he needs to, to stop you," warns a Funspot regular, squeezed into a t-shirt emblazoned with a geeky kung fu joke. The same could be said of Billy Mitchell, the film's antagonist, a blown-dry Machismo americanus and heir to the Rickey's World Famous [Hot] Sauce empire. Mitchell (above), whose 3-letter high score handle (typically one's initials) is U-S-A (notice the Liberty tie?), is stiff and threatening, at least to the mild-mannered circle he maintains a firm grip on. He regards his "Video Game Player of the [20th] Century" title as a symbol of patriotic heroism. Speaking of symbols, Mitchell's wife's cleavage is paraded on screen like a tangible manifestation of his ballooned ego, which is predictably deflated by Gordon's touching narrative of the first true challenger of the Donkey Kong high score; a score set by Mitchell more than two decades ago.
Gears of War movie rights purchased
Look what we have here, another big video game intellectual property destined for the big screen. Variety is reporting that the Gears of War movie rights have been purchased by New Line Cinema with Stuart Beattie writing the screenplay and Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey producing. We figured Gears of War was destined for the movies, you know, since it has sold a crapload of games and is uber popular. Let's just hope the movie does the game justice and doesn't end up like our beloved Halo movie ... which we will be seeing someday (hopefully). Good job Epic Games and feel free to send us pictures of your entire development team rolling around in stacks of your newly earned greenbacks.[Via Gamespot]
Gears of War still buggy, complain 'Chainsaw' event attendees
Microsoft and New Line Cinema teamed up last night to show off their upcoming projects, which both feature chainsaws forced upon the human (or humanoid) figure. A "Match Made in Hell" provided the first opportunity for the public to get hands-on time with Gears of War multiplayer, but attendees had to sit through a screening of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning first.Two reports of the event (2old2play & Siliconera) have cited control issues, which affect the flow of gameplay. When asked if he thought Gears of War would be a hit, one attendee answered, "No not in this state. Not in its present form." With 'Emergence Day' just over a month away, should Microsoft be concerned? Our guess is that the event generated more than enough good PR to negate any complaints. The hype wave is gathering momentum. You gonna get swept up?
Watch Chainsaw, play Gears of War
Microsoft is launching their Match Made in Hell promotion for Gears of War this week, and what better way to show off the game's chainsaw bayonet than at an advance screening of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning? On Wednesday (Oct. 4), AMC theaters in New York, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco will be treating select attendees to a bloody big screen demo of Gears. There are only a limited number of tickets available at the official site, but Microsoft is planning additional events before the game arrives Nov. 7.
