20th Century Fox

Fox to Co-Finance and Handle International Distribution for Steven Spielberg’s LINCOLN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 23rd, 2012 at 12:00 pm

20th Century Fox is now set to handle two very different Abraham Lincoln projects this year. The studio has come aboard Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln as a co-financier for the historical drama. Per THR, Fox will handle international distribution duties while Disney will distribute the DreamWorks production domestically. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as our nation’s 16th President alongside an incredible supporting cast that includes Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson, Lee Pace, and Jared Harris. The pic is slated to open sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, after the presidential election.

As Fox boards the project, it makes their second Lincoln-centered film of 2012. The studio is also behind the decidedly non-historical Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Directed by Timur Beckmambetov, the adaptation stars Benjamin Walker as the axe-wielding president and opens June 22nd in 3D.

Fox Moves THIS MEANS WAR Starring Chris Pine and Tom Hardy Up to Valentine’s Day

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 18th, 2012 at 4:02 pm

If action-packed love triangles are your thing, Fox may have just switched up your Valentine’s Day plans. The studio announced today that they’re moving up the release of McG’s action-comedy This Means War. The film stars Chris Pine and Tom Hardy as two CIA operatives who find out they’re dating the same woman (Reese Witherspoon). They then proceed to utilize their super secret CIA skills (explosions and dart guns) to battle for Witherspoon’s affection. The trailer looked pretty ridiculous, but I’m still holding out hope that the full film delivers. The cast is enticing and the premise could be a lot of fun if executed right, so we’ll see if McG has a winner. The film’s biggest Valentine’s Day competition is The Vow starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams, which opens on February 10th. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and bet that most guys will be partial to the one with explosions.

Fox Wants CHRONICLE Director for FANTASTIC FOUR Reboot

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 13th, 2012 at 7:53 pm

As the superhero franchise boom shows no signs of slowing down, 20th Century Fox is looking to get moving on their Fantastic Four reboot. We knew the reboot was coming, as Fox is in danger of losing the property if they don’t produce a Fantastic Four film every few years. Now the studio has apparently honed in on their choice for the film’s director: Josh Trank. The director is set to make his feature debut with the found footage superhero movie Chronicle, which has been generating a good deal of buzz ever since the first trailer debuted online. The studio won’t make a final decision on Trank until after seeing how Chronicle fares once it hits theaters, but Variety says insiders at Fox are very keen on the young director. Hit the jump for more.

Has Fox Shot 8 Minutes of R-rated DEADPOOL Test Footage?

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 13th, 2012 at 3:03 pm

While it seems like we’re hit with an ever-increasing barrage of superhero movies each year, Deadpool is surely one of the most anticipated that’s yet to see the light of day. The film has been in the works for years now, and finally got some movement when visual effects guru Tim Miller was set as director last April. It’s a hard sell, as star Ryan Reynolds and those creatively involved are adamant that the feature be true to the comic and therefore rated R. Word on the project has been quiet for some time, but comic writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld recently let slip that he may or may not have seen eight minutes of test footage from the film. Details after the jump.

KICK ASS Scribe Jane Goldman in Talks to Pen MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 2nd, 2011 at 2:16 pm

Screenwriter Jane Goldman is close to landing a fairly high profile writing gig sans partner Matthew Vaughn. While Goldman’s past collaborations with Vaughn have included such excellent fare as Kick Ass, X-Men: First Class, and Stardust, Deadline reports that the scribe is in talks with 20th Century Fox to tackle the adaptation of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Written by Ransom Riggs, the novel centers on a 16-year-old who visits an orphanage that his grandfather told him stories about, only to discover that the residents may not be as harmless as he was led to believe. Inhabitants include a child whose feet never touched the ground, and another who could hold fire in her hands. Tim Burton is circling the project to direct, and I think Goldman is a fine choice to handle the script.

This won’t be the scribe’s first outing without Vaughn, as she also wrote the upcoming horror film The Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe. Goldman and Vaughn are expected to return to pen a First Class sequel, but it appears she may crank out Miss Peregrine’s first. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of the novel.

Tony Scott to Direct Narcotics-Thriller NARCO SUB for 20th Century Fox

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: November 28th, 2011 at 5:13 pm

While most of us were busy stuffing our faces over the holiday weekend, Tony Scott and 20^th Century Fox discussed illegal drug trafficking. The Unstoppable producer/director is now lined up to direct Narco Sub, a drug-centric action thriller based on a spec script by David Guggenheim (Safe House). As of now, the plot details are being kept quiet, but the title indicates it will have something to do with submersible crafts used by South American drug cartels to smuggle product into the states. Although Denzel Washington has been a staple in many of Scott’s films, there is no news on his involvement at the moment. Hit the jump for more on Narco Sub.

Fox Passes on David Cronenberg’s THE FLY Sequel; Viggo Mortensen Still Attached to EASTERN PROMISES 2

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 18th, 2011 at 8:59 am

Last month, we received confirmation that David Cronenberg had written a sequel to his 1986 classic horror film, The Fly.  At the time, Cronenberg explained “The Fly is not exactly a remake, it’s sort of a sequel, kinda. Yeah, that was a thing. I’ve written a script of that, and I don’t know if that’s going to really happen, but that has to do with Fox.”  According to The Playlist, Fox has made their decision and that decision is to pass on the movie.  This doesn’t mean Fox won’t remake The Fly at some point, but if they do, it probably won’t be with Cronenberg.  On the one hand, it frees him up to visit new territory, but it also opens the door that some hacky director could come in and deliver a pointless new version (e.g. The Thing).

However, Cronenberg isn’t moving on to completely new material.  Hit the jump for an update on Eastern Promises 2.

Sneak Previews of Cameron Crowe’s WE BOUGHT A ZOO to Run over Thanksgiving Weekend

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 16th, 2011 at 12:52 pm

20th Century Fox will be giving sneak previews Cameron Crowe‘s family film We Bought a Zoo in over 800 theaters on November 26th to take advantage of Thanksgiving weekend.  The previews are well in advance of the film’s December 23rd release date, but Fox has a lot of confidence in the movie following reactions from test screenings in both major cities and the heartland.  The sneaks will give the movie a chance to build up buzz and possibly be a stronger contender during awards season, especially since it has to share its December 23rd weekend with The Adventures of Tintin, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, War Horse, The Darkest Hour, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

We Bought a Zoo stars Matt Damon as “a single dad who wants to give his family a new start and moves to a home that’s smack in the middle of a down-and-out zoo. Together, he and his two children try to restore the zoo to its former glory.”  The movie also stars Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Elle Fanning, and Patrick Fugit.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer. [Update: We've been sent the full press release, which is now included after the jump.]

Tim Burton May Direct MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 15th, 2011 at 10:18 am

Tim Burton is circling an adaptation of Ransom Riggs‘ novel Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.  According to Deadline, Burton is in talks with 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertaniment to develop the book into a directing vehicle, and he would set the screenwriter.  The story involves a teenager who finds the old orphanage his grandfather used to tell him about, but discovers that its unusual residents may have been more dangerous than he was led to believe.  It’s a story that sounds a little like Big Fish until you thrown in the “dangerous kids” aspect.  At that point, you have Burton doing another horror movie (unless the kids are just “misunderstood”, in which case, booo).

Hit the jump for a synopsis of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children as well as a recap of Burton’s other potential projects.  Burton’s next movie, an adaptation of the 60s cult horror TV series Dark Shadows, opens May 11, 2012.  He also has a stop-motion feature-length adaptation of his short film Frankenweenie due out on October 5, 2012.

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Getting Multiple Sequels, Andy Serkis and Rupert Wyatt to Return; Studio Fighting to Get Serkis an Oscar Nomination

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 3rd, 2011 at 11:51 am

The film that surprised me the most this year was undoubtedly Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Going into the movie, I saw it as an unnecessary cash-in on the Planet of the Apes franchise that inexplicably starred James Franco. Much to my surprise, director Rupert Wyatt delivered one of the most emotional films of the year with a powerhouse performance by Andy Serkis in some of the best motion-capture these eyes have ever seen. With that, I’m happy to report that Fox is now officially moving forward with a sequel to the film as they’ve just closed a very hefty deal for Serkis to return and reprise his role as Caesar. Hit the jump for more, including who else is returning for the follow-up and news on Fox’s push for awards consideration for Serkis’ performance.

Fox Acquires Action Pitch RIDERS ON THE STORM

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 28th, 2011 at 12:26 pm

20th Century Fox has acquired the pitch for an action-weather film (new genre!) Riders on the Storm. Deadline reports that the film will be written by screenwriter Sean O’Keefe (the video game Lair), and the story centers on a heist crew that pulls off major robberies during severe weather events. Apparently tornadoes make the general public turn a blind eye to thievery. The project actually originated as a video game concept by Richard Wickcliffe, but then Union Entertainment morphed the property into a feature film because why not? I actually think the idea could work as a fairly entertaining video game (dodge the flying debris from the hurricane to get to the money!), but the concept as a feature film just sounds downright moronic. Do we really need another string of weather/disaster-related pics like the Twister/Dante’s Peak/Volcano boom from the 90′s?

Fox Sets January 18 Release Date for BROKEN CITY Starring Russell Crowe, Mark Wahlberg, and Catherine Zeta-Jones

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 27th, 2011 at 1:41 pm

20th Century Fox has dated Allen Hughes’ noir drama Broken City for a January 18th, 2013 release date (per THR). The film stars Russell Crowe, Mark Wahlberg, and Catherine Zeta-Jones and centers on a private detective (Wahlberg) who is hired by the mayor of New York (Crowe) to find out the identity of the mayor’s wife’s lover. The lover turns up dead, and the detective finds himself deep into a much wider conspiracy. Zeta-Jones plays the mayor’s wife. The film will square off in January against a trio of big films: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s comeback The Last Stand, the magician heist film Now You See Me starring Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, and Woody Harrelson, and the 3D re-release of Monsters Inc. Production on Broken City begins in November in New York.

Fox Announces Release Dates for PERCY JACKSON 2, TAKEN 2, and More

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 12th, 2011 at 12:08 pm

In addition to announcing that Die Hard 5 (or as it’s now officially called, “A Good Day to Die Hard“) will be released on February 14, 2013, 20th Century Fox has revealed the release dates for some of their other upcoming films.  According to THR, the Percy Jackson sequel, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Sea of Monsters will hit on Wednesday, March 26, 2013.  The Billy Crystal and Bette Midler comedy Parental Guidance (previously titled Us & Them) is set for November 21, 2012 so it can try to draw in families over the Thanksgiving weekend.  Other dates include Taken 2 on October 5, 2012, Curtis Hanson’s surfing drama Men & Mavericks on October 26, 2012, and the 3D family film Walking with Dinosaurs has been pushed up to October 11, 2013.

Hit the jump to find out what films are sharing these weekends.

DIE HARD 5 to Be Titled A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD; Plus More Details on the Upcoming Sequel

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 12th, 2011 at 11:13 am

Fox Filmed Entertainment Co-Chairman and CEO Tom Rothman went on Jim Rome this morning and since Rome is a big fan of the Die Hard franchise, Rothman answered some questions about the upcoming sequel.  Rothman told Rome [via /Film] that the official title is A Good Day to Die Hard, because I guess John McClane (Bruce Willis) is now a Klingon.  Shooting is set to begin in January 2012 for a February 14, 2013 release (President’s Day weekend, but it may also be a nice date flick).  The story will have McClane traveling to Russia to save his son John McClane, Jr., “but nothing is what it seems.” (Russia’s been dead the whole time!)  They’re still casting for John McClane Jr. and they’re not sure if the film will be PG-13 or R.

Hit the jump for more details on the sequel.

Original Ending to RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Revealed

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 3rd, 2011 at 2:20 pm

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a damn fine film and the only note that rang hollow was forcing in the “Damn dirty apes!” line.  While that line sadly made it into the final cut, the film’s original ending did not.  I know there are plenty of folks who missed the movie while it was in theaters, and since I have to talk about the current ending to compare it to the original one, I’m going to put this story after the jump because I don’t want to spoil the movie for folks.

Hit the jump to find out how Rise of the Planet of the Apes originally ended.

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