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Netflix and Michael Bay to make an action movie starring Ryan Reynolds
If you thought Netflix's Bright was a big deal, you haven't seen anything yet. Netflix has reached a deal with Skydance Media to produce Six Underground, an action thriller directed by Michael Bay. The premise of the flick is still under wraps, but it'll borrow more than a little familiar talent: Deadpool's Ryan Reynolds will star in the film, while Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (conveniently, also from Deadpool) will both write and executive produce the story. Production starts in the summer with an expected release sometime in 2019.
RED reveals a smaller 8K sensor for its Weapon camera
RED has revealed a new sensor called the "Helium" for its ultra-high megapixel 8K Weapon cinema camera. The chip will be 29.9mm wide (slightly bigger than Super-35), considerably smaller than the company's 40mm VistaVision sized 8K Dragon sensor. It still has the same 8,192 x 4,320 pixel count, however, giving it a pixel pitch of a miniscule 3.65 microns. RED President Jarred Land says the sensor is "way ahead of schedule," and will be available to buyers of its $60,000 Weapon camera "in the coming months."
IMAX shows why its 4K camera could get you watching 3D movies again
Is 3D video on the decline, destined to return to the realm of novelty? Not if you ask IMAX. The company has just detailed a large-format 4K camera that could give 3D movies a (frankly needed) visual boost. The trick, the company says, is that the camera is fully integrated; since it doesn't need a beam splitter and separate lenses, it can stay compact while maintaining IMAX's dramatic 1.9:1 aspect ratio. That portability (less than half the weight of rivals) allows for fast-action shots that would otherwise be off-limits. The camera also saves video from just before the operator hits the record button, so documentary makers shouldn't miss unexpected moments.
Michael Bay's 'Black Sails' hits iTunes, Amazon and YouTube a week before TV premiere
It's no longer strange to see a TV series premiere online before it reaches traditional broadcasters, but Starz is planning a truly special internet debut for its latest project, Black Sails. The first episode of the Michael Bay-produced pirate drama will be available for free through a wide range of online portals on January 18th, a week before it reaches conventional TV. Starz will both host the free show itself as well as offer it through Amazon, iTunes, Machinima's YouTube channel (a first for Starz) and Xbox Video. Charter, Comcast, Cox, Dish and Time Warner Cable will let you watch through their platforms, too. There's no guarantee that the digital screening will help Black Sails build an audience, but Starz has a second season in the pipeline -- the show is already off to a promising start.
Michael Bay makes a brief, awkward appearance at Samsung's CES press conference (update: Bay follows up)
Michael Bay just came onstage during Samsung's big Ultra HD showcase here at CES 2014, but abruptly left the stage without announcing anything. Apparently tripped up by teleprompter issues, the director of the Transformer movies said he'd try to wing it before giving up in frustration. That left EVP Joe Stinziano alone to chuckle about the trickiness of producing live events before moving on to the business of introducing ever larger televisions. The best part? This isn't the first time Bay has pulled one of these -- back in '09 he nuked an LG CTIA press event by pulling out a Samsung cellphone on stage. Update: Bay has been quick to explain the abrupt exit -- he says he got "so excited" that he jumped his cue, explaining that he will be doing a special curved screen experience centered around Samsung and Transformers 4. Check out a video clip of the entire appearance after the break.
Transformers Blu-ray 3D comes home January 31st in Ultimate and Collector's editions
After a quickie Blu-ray dropped in the fall sans-extras, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is getting a full fledged release January 31st complete with 3D and four hours of bonus features. There's actually two versions coming, first up is the $39.99 four disc Ultimate Edition with a 2D copy on one disc, a Blu-ray full of extras, a Blu-ray 3D copy, and a DVD with the film in standard def plus iTunes / Windows Media Player compatible digital copies. Even though it's coming with that old school digital copy disc, this flick will also be Ultraviolet ready, so if you're packing the correct assortment of logins and software it can be downloaded or streamed on other devices. The other release is a $99 seven-disc Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray Trilogy set that dedicates two discs each to the first two movies, and three for DotM as well as a signed plaque from the director. We may have to wait to see Martin Scorsese's Hugo to see a Blu-ray 3D release to watch a good movie on the format, but the extensive work done in creating Transformer's visual effects should definitely hold over AV junkies until Avatar gets a wide release. Check out the press release with a full list of extras and a picture of the LCE after the break.
NASA building a harpoon to fire at comets, suddenly renders plot of 'Armageddon' plausible (video)
Whatever Michael Bay uses to propel that "high-concept" imagination of his, he's obviously passed some of it to the boys at NASA's Goddard Space Flight center. A team there is developing a hollow-bodied harpoon that can be fired from a cannon toward comets too dangerous to land on. Once landed, it fills up with sub-surface samples before winched back aboard the waiting space craft. It's currently being tested by firing the harpoon (using a six foot ballista) into a bucket of dirt -- if they fired it horizontally it'd travel about a mile. After the break we've got video explaining this madness in some detail -- which we promise is Aerosmith-ballad free.
Transformers Blu-ray 3D release coming to Japan in January, still no release date for US
The United States got a quickie Blu-ray release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon a couple of weeks ago sans-extras and 3D, with only a promise they would be delivered "in the coming months" but that is not the case across the Pacific. In Japan Paramount has announced the Blu-ray 3D version is coming January 20th complete with English and Japanese soundtracks. There's still no date for a full-fledged release around these parts, so if you're an early adopter (if you have a 3D TV, it's a pretty safe bet) your first chance to bring the billion dollar blockbuster home as Michael Bay intended may come with some extra kanji on it.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon Blu-ray due September 30th, 3D version later
Besides being a lightning rod for the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD wars, the Transformers series also racked up some of the biggest HD sales ever, and now we'll see if the latest entry, Dark of the Moon, keeps up that trend. Paramount has announced it will be released September 30th in Blu-ray/DVD combo form for $29.99, with a "deluxe" release including Blu-ray 3D expected in "the coming months." There's no specifics on any extras included in this release, but it looks like PHE is going the Avatar route and saving those for later. For those anticipating the 3D release, hopefully this doesn't equal a similar exclusivity period, but until the disc is actually announced we won't assume anything. If 154 minutes of Michael Bay exploding things sounds like a good idea to you, check after the break for a press release and schedule that Friday off -- you have somewhere to be.
Michael Bay and James Cameron chat about shooting movies in 3D (video)
Two of the biggest action movie directors going right now, James Cameron and Michael Bay, took some time out to talk about shooting movies in 3D ahead of the release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon this summer. You can check out the entire conversation, put on by Paramount and The Hollywood Reporter, in the video above, where Bay talks about some of the challenges faced in shooting the movie and how the technology pioneered by James Cameron for Avatar has continued to progress. Making Transformers in 3D caused the movie to cost about $30 million extra, but it didn't cause any shooting delays. We'll find out if it was worth it, or if audiences have started to turn against wearing the glasses when the movie comes out June 29th.
Michael Bay's The Island is finally coming to Blu-ray in the U.S. June 21st
More than five years after we suggested the upscaled DVD (ah, the old days) for your HDTV viewing pleasure Paramount has finally seen fit to schedule The Island for release on Blu-ray in the United States on June 21st. The treatment of this release is basic at best, with 1080p video with 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack and extras ported over from the DVD in standard definition. However, after being released in Europe and sitting in limbo for years we're just glad this action thriller starring Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi and Djimon Hounsou is coming out at all. Plus, it's directed by Michael Bay so for those who haven't seen it there is at least some assurance things will blow up real good. The original trailer and more details are after the break.
Chinese make Optimus Prime out of junk; Garbage Pail Megan Fox still nowhere to be found
Some Chinese dudes decided they couldn't wait a year for Michael Bay to drop his next 3D Transformabomb, so they went troweling around the local junkyards until they came up with the 10,108 car parts needed to erect this 33-foot Optimus Prime. We heard that 10 minutes after this picture was taken, OP tried to do a mating dance for the Olympic Stadium, but she didn't bite. Better luck next time!
Transformers 3 is using the Arri Alexa Pace cameras from Avatar to go 3D
After a bit of back and forth, Transformers 3 has been confirmed as yet another action flick jumping on the 3D train. The good news (unless you were really happy to hear that Megan Fox would no longer be a part of the franchise) is that they're filming in 3D as opposed to converting it in post production (like Clash of the Titans, Alice in Wonderland and The Last Airbender) as revealed by master of the 3D camera himself, Vince Pace. Apparently nothing would do for Michael Bay but Jimmy C's best, requiring the cameras used in Avatar and the upcoming Resident Evil flick. Just in case you were wondering, our friends at Cinematical have put together an impromptu list of recent/upcoming 3D movies that will be using a 2D to 3D conversion process (Harry Potter, Narnia, Piranha 3D) and those originally shot in 3D (Tron Legacy, Saw VII 3D) -- so you know what to expect before you put your cash down for a ticket.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Blu-ray debuts October 20, check out one of the special features now (Video)
You'll have to wait until October 20 to get a good look at Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen's IMAX sequences, but you can see an exclusive clip of one of the behind the scenes segments featured on the disc right now. Check the behind the scene pre-vis breakdown after the break along with a list of Blu-ray exclusive specs for this 2 disc set, with Blu-ray fanboy Michael Bay at the helm we have high expectations to this followup to a movie that blazed trails on two different high definition disc formats. even that case at the right is getting in on the augmented reality packaging trend, letting webcam owning users access a special website with even more adventures involving, surprisingly enough, ridiculously large transforming robots from outer space. Check the Transformers ROTF official website for more info.
Michael Bay plans The Dark Knight-style IMAX sequences for Transformers 2 Blu-ray
Hope you liked The Dark Knight's treatment of its shot-for-IMAX scenes, as it may be a trend. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen director (and Blu-ray fan for life) Michael Bay has stated that among other unspecified extras, the disc release will see similar frame filling transfers that let viewers see top to bottom. This is your chance to be heard, are you a fan, or just want everything in one aspect ratio?
'Asteroids' heading towards the big screen?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has won an all-out "bidding war" over the film rights to Atari's classic Asteroids video game. We're not entirely sure who all was involved in this "war," but the conflict couldn't possibly be prompted over the universal themes tackled by the story of the plucky little triangular spaceship and the asteroid field it inhabits. As the Reporter, um, reports: "As opposed to today's games, there is no story line or fancy world-building mythology." Michael Bay is rumored to be very interested in directing.[Via George Ruiz]
Michael Bay strikes again, pulls out Samsung cellphone at LG promo event
We're not sure what LG expected when it invited Micheal Bay to speak about the company's promotional support of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen at CTIA, but let's be honest -- they probably should have known dude was going to blow something up. Unfortunately for the gathered LG employees, this time Mike-Mike delivered a figurative explosion, telling the crowd "I don't know anything about mobile phones. In fact, look at my phone -- it's a thirty-nine dollar Samsung." Ouch -- that's roughly the equivalent of throwing a Ford in with the rest of the Autobots. Making matters worse, LG president of mobile products Juno Cho tried to salvage the moment by offering Bay his personal phone, but was rebuffed because "all my contacts are in the other one." Yeah, that's probably not the best way to play it -- although we're guessing Samsung's already angling for TouchWiz to feature prominently in Transformers 3.[Via Gartenblog]
First Transformers featurette available via BD-Live
Since the year between HD DVD & Blu-ray releases wasn't enough time to get all the features on-disc, BD-Live connected owners of the Transformers Blu-ray disc can download "Robot Ninjas" starting today. Promised to be the first of many downloadable add-ons, this one gives a look behind the scenes of the fights in the movie, specifically Bumblebee vs. Barricade. High-Def Digest mentions that next up is a "What Effing Happened to Mason City" feature, as these fill in the gap until the sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters. Wondering what in the name of Michael Bay's righteous indignation you're missing? Check out a clip from the feature after the break.
Transformers Blu-ray edition gets detailed, confirmed for September launch
Check it, Blu-ray fans. That totally believable rumor about Transformers finally fitting into a BD sleeve was indeed accurate, and now we're starting to see the nitty-gritty details about what we can expect come September 2nd. For starters, the Blu-ray edition will feature a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track as well as a 5.1 PCM uncompressed track to complement the obligatory 1080p transfer. We're also told to expect a trailer for the BD release of Iron Man, BD-Live content and a lengthy list of supplemental material -- all of which is expected to be in beautiful high-def. Tap the read link for the full list of extras, and start saving that $39.99 (or so) right now.[Thanks, Wii60Warrior]
Transformers 2-disc Blu-ray edition coming September 2?
The day Michael Bay and fans of Blu-ray and big robots have all been waiting for is September 2, according to advanced, inside information obtained by TVShowsonDVD.com. Last year's HD DVD blockbuster Transformers is finally coming to Blu-ray after last fall's exclusivity agreement fell by the wayside, in a 2-disc release described as "similar" to the previous version. Hopefully that means all HDi and internet connectivity features intact, with new bits added courtesy of 50GBs of storage space and BD-Live. We expect there should be, and with a majority of Blu-ray owners using PlayStation 3s, they may even surpass the HD DVD edition's 30% internet-connected rate.[Via Seibertron.com]
