All the worthwhile movie news from the week.
New Guidelines for Movie Trailers
Among several other new guidelines including when marketing materials can be displayed in theaters, the only NATO we'll cover on this site (National Association of Theatre Owners) released new rules about trailers. In a move that completely misjudges their audience (OK, maybe just me), they're limiting trailers to 2 minutes (down from 2.5), with only 2 exceptions allowed per year per studio, and they cannot be shown until the movie is within 5 months of its release. If Hollywood is smart, watch for them to start pushing the websites of the movies in these new, shorter trailers, to be able to wow you with extended clips online.
Read: Theater Owners Enact New Guidelines Calling for Shorter Movie Trailers
Among several other new guidelines including when marketing materials can be displayed in theaters, the only NATO we'll cover on this site (National Association of Theatre Owners) released new rules about trailers. In a move that completely misjudges their audience (OK, maybe just me), they're limiting trailers to 2 minutes (down from 2.5), with only 2 exceptions allowed per year per studio, and they cannot be shown until the movie is within 5 months of its release. If Hollywood is smart, watch for them to start pushing the websites of the movies in these new, shorter trailers, to be able to wow you with extended clips online.
Read: Theater Owners Enact New Guidelines Calling for Shorter Movie Trailers
The Hateful Eight
Forget what I told you 3 weeks ago: The Hateful Eight will not be Tarantino's next project. The script has leaked online and now you'll be treated with a vicious legal between Tarantino and one of the leaking sites. Considering he only gave this first draft to 6 people, and no theft is alleged in the leak, perhaps Tarantino should focus on choosing his friends more wisely instead of blaming a website that just recirculated a script that already known to have been available online.
Read: Quentin Tarantino Suing Gawker Over Leaked Hateful Eight Script
Forget what I told you 3 weeks ago: The Hateful Eight will not be Tarantino's next project. The script has leaked online and now you'll be treated with a vicious legal between Tarantino and one of the leaking sites. Considering he only gave this first draft to 6 people, and no theft is alleged in the leak, perhaps Tarantino should focus on choosing his friends more wisely instead of blaming a website that just recirculated a script that already known to have been available online.
Read: Quentin Tarantino Suing Gawker Over Leaked Hateful Eight Script
The Expendables
It appears The Expendables franchise may not be the brilliant, original work of creative genius Sylvester Stallone after all. He's losing lawsuits left and right over where the "inspiration" came from (I guess multiple scripts feature "and then guys with really big muscles shoot each other and stuff blows up"; who knew?). More importantly though, the resolution of several of these lawsuits could significantly weaken the position of writers whose ideas have drastically rewritten before they hit the screen, potentially leaving them unpaid.
Read: Sylvester Stallone's Expendables Launches Nasty Writer's Battle
It appears The Expendables franchise may not be the brilliant, original work of creative genius Sylvester Stallone after all. He's losing lawsuits left and right over where the "inspiration" came from (I guess multiple scripts feature "and then guys with really big muscles shoot each other and stuff blows up"; who knew?). More importantly though, the resolution of several of these lawsuits could significantly weaken the position of writers whose ideas have drastically rewritten before they hit the screen, potentially leaving them unpaid.
Read: Sylvester Stallone's Expendables Launches Nasty Writer's Battle
Release Dates
Release dates for plenty of notable movies like Crimson Peak (10/16/15) and Pitch Perfect 2 (5/15/15) have been released. We'll get one of the most gender-divided weekends in recent memory in May of 2015, with Pitch Perfect 2 going up against the Tom Hardy-starring Mad Max: Fury Road. I could see both movies pulling an audience split north of 65% towards each of their targeted demographics. Unfortunately, a release date for Ouija (10/24/14) has also been announced. Ostensibly based on the board game, I guess I just missed the deep and rich story that comes with the decreasingly-relevant way to "commune with the dead".
Read: Pitch Perfect 2, Crimson Peak, Everest Get Release Dates
Release dates for plenty of notable movies like Crimson Peak (10/16/15) and Pitch Perfect 2 (5/15/15) have been released. We'll get one of the most gender-divided weekends in recent memory in May of 2015, with Pitch Perfect 2 going up against the Tom Hardy-starring Mad Max: Fury Road. I could see both movies pulling an audience split north of 65% towards each of their targeted demographics. Unfortunately, a release date for Ouija (10/24/14) has also been announced. Ostensibly based on the board game, I guess I just missed the deep and rich story that comes with the decreasingly-relevant way to "commune with the dead".
Read: Pitch Perfect 2, Crimson Peak, Everest Get Release Dates
Untitled Batman vs. Superman Movie
It's tough to even feel sorry for this movie anymore, as it just keeps going down its self-destructive path. Its latest casting news features a push and a loss, in gambling terms. Jeremy Irons has been cast as Alfred, a fine, if uninspired choice, but in news that would anger plenty of people if we didn't already have Affleck as Batman in this crapfest, Jesse Eisenberg has been cast Lex Luthor. Zombieland's protagonist must have screen-tested quite well. Perhaps we can get Michael Cera as The Penguin before it's all over.
Read: Jesse Eisenberg cast as Lex Luthor in 'Superman-Batman'
It's tough to even feel sorry for this movie anymore, as it just keeps going down its self-destructive path. Its latest casting news features a push and a loss, in gambling terms. Jeremy Irons has been cast as Alfred, a fine, if uninspired choice, but in news that would anger plenty of people if we didn't already have Affleck as Batman in this crapfest, Jesse Eisenberg has been cast Lex Luthor. Zombieland's protagonist must have screen-tested quite well. Perhaps we can get Michael Cera as The Penguin before it's all over.
Read: Jesse Eisenberg cast as Lex Luthor in 'Superman-Batman'
Enemy
A trailer is out for a movie I'd admittedly not heard of before now, but suffice it to say, I'm in. It looks like a high-risk, high-reward thriller that will either deliver at amazing heights, or meander aimlessly for two hours. Enemy stars Jake Gyllenhaal as "A man [seeking] out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie." The IMDb synopsis definitely do it justice, and I highly recommend checking out the trailer.
Watch: Enemy Trailer
A trailer is out for a movie I'd admittedly not heard of before now, but suffice it to say, I'm in. It looks like a high-risk, high-reward thriller that will either deliver at amazing heights, or meander aimlessly for two hours. Enemy stars Jake Gyllenhaal as "A man [seeking] out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie." The IMDb synopsis definitely do it justice, and I highly recommend checking out the trailer.
Watch: Enemy Trailer
Agent 47
A reboot of 2007's good-but-not-great Hitman, Agent 47 has added Zachary Quinto. Originally planned to star Paul Walker, the movie has recast the titular hitman with Rupert Friend. The news doesn't say what role Quinto will be playing, but let's just assume the villain. I'd actually be more interested in Quinto as 47 than Friend...
Read: Zachary Quinto Joining Agent 47
A reboot of 2007's good-but-not-great Hitman, Agent 47 has added Zachary Quinto. Originally planned to star Paul Walker, the movie has recast the titular hitman with Rupert Friend. The news doesn't say what role Quinto will be playing, but let's just assume the villain. I'd actually be more interested in Quinto as 47 than Friend...
Read: Zachary Quinto Joining Agent 47