300

Rodrigo Santoro Talks WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, LOVE ACTUALLY, the 300 Sequel, Possibly Playing Ayrton Senna in a Biopic, and a Lot More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 19th, 2012 at 2:01 pm

While not as well known in America as some of his counterparts in What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Rodrigo Santoro is absolutely the bigger star in places like Brazil.  That’s because while Santoro has acted in some Hollywood movies and TV shows like Love Actually, 300, I Love You Phillip Morris (which is severely underrated) and Lost (he played Paulo), in Brazil he’s acted in countless movies and he’s a big time movie star.

At the recent Los Angeles press day for What to Expect When You’re Expecting (he plays Jennifer Lopez‘s husband), I landed an extended interview with Santoro.  During our wide ranging conversation we talked about how he got into acting, his favorite movies, how he got cast in What to Expect, the success of Love Actually, and the 300 sequel/spin-off 300: Battle of Artemisia . In addition, Santoro addresses the rumor of him playing famed Brazilian Formula One racer, Ayrton Senna, in a feature film.  If the project comes together it sounds like it could be really cool, and he definitely looks the part.  Hit the jump to watch. 

Rodrigo Santoro Talks 300 Spin-off 300: BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA; Says Filming Begins in July

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 5th, 2012 at 1:46 pm

While attending the press junket for What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Steve got to sit down with actor Rodrigo Santoro, who talked about reprising his role as the God-King, Xerxes, in the upcoming 300 spin-off, 300: Battle of Artemisia. Originally based on the Frank Miller comic, “Xerxes,” the script has evolved to focus on an Athenian protagonist taking on the Persian king in a setting that parallels that of the original 300.  Santoro commented on the progress of the shoot, how it might be filming in Bulgaria, the overall story and the challenge of returning to play Xerxes again.  Check out our previous coverage of 300: Battle of Artemisia here.

Directed by Noam Murro (Smart People) and also starring Eva Green (Dark Shadows) and Sullivan Stapleton (Animal Kingdom), 300: Battle of Artemisia opens August 2nd, 2013.  Hit the jump to see what Santoro had to say.

Posters for HARRY POTTER, IRON MAN, 300, JURASSIC PARK and More Get the 8-Bit Treatment

by Perri Nemiroff    Posted: April 2nd, 2012 at 7:14 pm

Sure, the whole Google Maps 8-bit for NES thing might haven been an April Fool’s gag, but there’s something wonderfully timeless about the 8-bit era, when there was a limited color palette and characters moved around realms without bending their knees.  Not only is it still quite fun to pop in a Nintendo cartridge (in my case, with a Game Genie still attached), but 8-bit gaming has evolved into an art form and artist Eric Palmer is embracing it, using the 8-bit style to put a new spin on some iconic films.  Some examples are Jurassic Park, 300, Harry Potter, Office Space, Star Wars and The Matrix. Hit the jump to check them out.

Warner Bros. Sets Release Dates for THE HANGOVER PART III, 300: BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA, and PACIFIC RIM

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 22nd, 2012 at 1:27 pm

Warner Bros. has announced release dates for The Hangover Part III and 300: Battle of Artemisia, and rescheduled Pacific Rim.  Here’s the line-up:

• Todd Phillips‘ The Hangover Part III, starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis, is set for May 24, 2013
• Noam Murro‘s 300 sequel, 300: Battle of Artemisia opens August 2, 2013
• Guillermo del Toro‘s monster movie Pacific Rim has been moved from May 10, 2013 to July 12, 2013.  The film stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, and Willem Dafoe.

Hit the jump for more on each of these films and what they’ll be facing on their opening weekends.

Rodrigo Santoro in Talks to Reprise Xerxes in 300: BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA; Says Sequel Takes Place at the Same Time as the Original

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 14th, 2012 at 3:58 pm

During the international press tour for his new movie Heleno, actor Rodrigo Santoro sat down with out partner site Omelete, and he talked about possibly returning to play Xerxes in Noam Murro‘s upcoming 300 sequel, 300: Battle of Artemisia.  While the script was originally based on the prequel comic Xerxes, written by 300 author Frank Miller, the sequel has morphed into a story with an Athenian protagonist taking on the Persian king.  Santoro says he’s still in talks to return as Xerxes, and that the sequel will show a bit more of his character’s backstory.

Hit the jump for more.  300: Battle of Artemisia stars Sullivan Stapleton and Jamie Blackley.  Santoro will next be seen in What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

Dominic West Talks JOHN CARTER, THE WIRE, STAR WARS: EPISODE 1, His Favorite Movie, Director and Actor, and More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 6th, 2012 at 10:09 am

While Dominic West has been acting for two decades, I’ll admit that he only got on my radar when I started watching HBO’s amazing series, The Wire.  Over the course of the series, West did an amazing job portraying the complicated life of detective James ‘Jimmy’ McNulty.  While the show was never a ratings bonanza for HBO, it will go down as one of the best TV shows ever produced, and it provided a launching pad for its excellent cast to take bigger projects.  For West, that bigger project is John Carter.  In Andrew Stanton‘s film, West plays the leader of an alien race who is obsessed with taking over Barsoom (Mars).

The other week, Disney held a big press junket in Arizona, and I landed an exclusive video interview with West.  During our extended conversation we talked about how he got involved in John Carter, the challenges of the production and working with green screen, his reaction to the finished film, the reshoots, how he might do an upcoming HBO series, and more.  In addition, as a huge fan of The Wire, I made sure to ask about his work on the show and how it opened the door to other things.  Finally, we talked about West’s little-known but crucial part in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.  Hit the jump to watch the interview.

Jamie Blackley Lands Co-Lead in 300: BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 16th, 2012 at 5:57 pm

Production on the 300 follow-up 300: Battle of Artemisia must be looming closer, as director Noam Murro has cast two leads in the pic. Last week we learned that Sullivan Stapleton had landed a lead in the film, and now Deadline reports that Jamie Blackley is set in another lead role. Blackley will play Calisto, “a teen whose desire to become the heroic man/soldier his father was leads the 16 year old to become a leader of a small band of soldiers.” Since the film centers around the Battle of Artemisia, it was assumed that the two leads would be Themistocles (who lead the Greeks) and Xerxes (who led the Persians). There was some confusion last week as to whether Stapleton would be playing Themistocles or Xerxes.

Given the news of Blackley’s casting, it appears a good portion of the film will center around some of the younger soldiers. Battle of Artemisia isn’t necessarily a sequel or prequel to 300, as the events in the film take place at the same time as the events in 300. Eva Green is also set to star. Blackley had a small role in London Boulevard opposite Colin Farrell and recently wrapped the lead in the Bryan Singer-produced uwantme2killhim?. Blackley will next be seen in Snow White and the Huntsman.

Eva Green in Talks to Star in 300: BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 16th, 2011 at 3:17 pm

While they’ve yet to cast their male lead, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have nabbed their female lead in the 300 prequel 300: Battle of Artemisia. The film takes place around the same time period of 300, but in a different location with different characters. It centers on the titular Battle of Artemisium, with Themistocles leading and strategizing for the Greeks opposite the Persian forces led by Xerxes. Joel Edgerton was offered the lead role of Themistocles, but he subsequently passed.

Now Heat Vision reports that Eva Green (Casino Royale) is in negotiations to play Artemisia, a “ruthless, gold-covered goddess who persuades Xerxes to amass his army and helps lead them into battle.” Noam Murro (Smart People) is directing the action pic, with 300 director Zack Snyder onboard as producer. The studio hopes to get production started in the first quarter of 2012, so they better get crackin’ on that male lead. Green will next be seen in Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows.

Joel Edgerton Passes on 300: BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 18th, 2011 at 10:48 am

Earlier this month, we reported that Joel Edgerton was in talks to star in the 300 sequel, 300: Battle of Artemisia.  Edgerton was up to play “Themosticles, the famed archon and general who led the Greeks to victory against the invading Persians in 480 BCE.”  But Variety’s Jeff Sneider has tweeted, “UPDATE: JOEL EDGERTON has passed on the 300 sequel.”

When Edgerton was replaced by Jason Clarke in Kathryn Bigelow‘s hunt for Bin Laden movie, I assumed that the problem was a scheduling conflict with 300.  However, it looks like he was never fully signed so I’ll have to keep puzzling over the mystery of why he dropped out of Bigelow’s movie.  Thankfully, Edgerton will most likely remain an in-demand actor who’s looking to break out big in the U.S., and he can do better than a sequel to 300.  Edgerton will next be seen in the family film The Odd Life of Timothy Green and Baz Luhrmann‘s adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

Weekend Box Office – IMMORTALS Stays On Top with $32 Million; JACK AND JILL Second with $26 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: November 13th, 2011 at 8:56 am

Jack and Jill gained some ground on Saturday, though not enough to slay the Immortals.  The 3D action/fantasy film finished first with an estimated $32 million from 3,112 locations. Considering that the film’s distributor was expecting a top opening of $26 million that has to be seen as a win.  And even if the film’s total does look somewhat anemic compared to past 3D hits, with the year we’ve had I’d prefer to focus on the positive.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Immortals	$32,000,000	$32
2	Jack and Jill	$26,000,000	$26
3	Puss In Boots	$25,500,000	$108.8
4	Tower Heist	$13,200,000	$43.9
5	J. Edgar	$11,470,000	$11.5
6	Harold and Kumar 3D	$5,900,000	$23.2
7	In Time	$4,150,000	$30.6
8	Paranormal Activity 3	$3,625,000	$100.8
9	Footloose	$2,735,000	$48.8
10	Real Steel	$2,000,000	$81.7

Joel Edgerton in Talks to Star in 300 Sequel, 300: BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 2nd, 2011 at 8:45 am

Joel Edgerton is entering talks with Warner Bros. to star in the 300 sequel, 300: Battle of Artemisia.  According to Vulture, Edgerton “would play Themosticles, the famed archon and general who led the Greeks to victory against the invading Persians in 480 BCE.”  Noam Murro, who previously directed the awful Smart People, is making a big leap from that indie to the tentpole action flick, but Zack Snyder is still on board to co-write the script based on Frank Miller‘s upcoming graphic-novel, Xerxes.

While I’m not exactly sure we need 300: The Same Amount of Greased-Up Ripped Guys Fighting the Brown People, Edgerton is undoubtedly a strong lead.  Unfortunately, American audiences probably don’t know that yet since no one saw Warrior and he’s barely in The Thing.  However, they’ll get more chances to see him in 2012 since he’s leading Kathryn Bigelow’s Kill Bin Laden, and he’s co-starring in the family flick The Odd Life of Timothy Green and Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

Producer Mark Canton Talks 300: BATTLE OF ARTEMISIA, PIRANHA 3DD, and an Epic Julius Caesar Film (EMPEROR) to Be Directed by Burr Steers

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 31st, 2011 at 4:58 pm

Fans have been itching to see a follow-up to Zack Snyder’s 2006 battle epic 300 for quite some time now. After years of wondering if and when we’d ever see a return to the blood-soaked, slow-motion infused world of 300, things are finally coming together for 300: Battle for Artemisia.  Noam Murro (Smart People) is set to direct, and the film is poised to tell the story of Xerxes’ rise to power, punctuated by the epic naval Battle of Artemisium.

Steve recently got the chance to speak with producer Mark Canton for Tarsem Singh’s upcoming Immortals, and Canton gave an update on the 300 follow-up. He commented on the screenplay, the story, and revealed the chances of seeing some of the characters from the original 300 pop up in Battle of Artemisia. Additionally, Canton talked about some of his upcoming projects, including an epic potential franchise-starter project called Emperor that tells the story of young Caesar.  Burr Steers (Charlie St. Cloud) is onboard to direct. Hit the jump for all the details.

Producer Mark Canton Talks IMMORTALS, PIRANHA 3DD, 300, FREELANCERS, Tarsem, More at WonderCon

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 3rd, 2011 at 10:51 pm

At WonderCon this weekend, Relativity Media premiered an awesome looking teaser trailer for Tarsem Singh’s Immortals.  In the film, Henry Cavill plays Theseus, a mortal chosen by Zeus (Luke Evans) to bring down the power-hungry King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke). The film also stars Isabel Lucas, Frida Pinto, Kellan Lutz, Stephen Dorff, and John Hurt.  You can read more about the WonderCon presentation here.

Earlier in the day, before the panel, I got to speak with producer Mark Canton (300) about the genesis of the project, how they got the film made and the casting process, how wide was his smile when Cavill was cast as Superman, does Tarsem’s visual style add time to the production schedule, what’s up with sequels/prequels to Zack Snyder’s 300, and other projects like Freelancers and Piranha 3DD.  Hit the jump to watch.

Mondo Launches a New Director’s Series with Zack Snyder’s SUCKER PUNCH

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 24th, 2011 at 2:42 pm

Mondo recently launched a new “Director’s Series” line of posters where almost every film in a director’s body of work would get its own specially-designed, gorgeous Mondo poster.  The series kicked off with posters for Guillermo del Toro (and we’re still waiting to see what Mondo has in store for Pan’s Labyrinth, Cronos, and The Devil’s Backbone) and followed up with Olly Moss posters for Duncan Jones’ Moon and Source Code.  Now director Zack Snyder is getting the business and the series begins with his newest film, Sucker Punch.  The poster was designed by Ken Taylor and comes in a regular edition and a variant.  The regular edition is limited to 285 prints and costs $45 while the orange variant is limited to 105 prints and costs $70.  Both posters measure 24″x36″ and are hand-numbered.  The posters go on sale tomorrow at a random time so be sure you’re following @MondoNews for the announcement.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  Mondo will also be producing posters for Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen, and Legend of the Guardians.  I wish them the best of luck in selling the Guardians posters.

Warner Bros. Offers 300 Sequel XERXES to Director Guy Ritchie – UPDATED: Ritchie Passes

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 15th, 2011 at 4:16 pm

In a bit of a twist, it appears that Warner Bros. has offered the sequel to Zack Snyder’s 300 to director Guy Ritchie, instead of having Snyder helm the flick himself. Snyder, of course, is busy prepping his Superman film The Man of Steel right now, so it’s understandable that he’s busy. Still, most assumed that he would be taking on Xerxes after Man of Steel, or at least sometime in the future.

Vulture reports that Warner Bros. wants Snyder’s attention focused squarely on Man of Steel at the moment, as sources tell them that the story is suffering some “major third act problems” and the studio wants to get the film out as soon as possible. In addition, Vulture hears that Snyder’s upcoming Sucker Punch has not exactly been testing great. Snyder wrote the script to Xerxes, and one assumes that he would at least stay on to produce the film. Ritchie hasn’t agreed to direct the film yet, but the offer’s out to him, and WB seems to think he’s their guy, so now the ball’s in his court. Nevertheless, it does appear that Snyder won’t be directing the flick. Hit the jump for more on the project.

[Update -- The Playlist reports that while Ritchie may have considered the project, he will not direct Xerxes.  The report confirms Snyder likely is too busy for Xerxes, which leaves the high profile gig open to any number of directors in the coming months.]

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