Chris Morgan

Universal in Talks to Acquire Mark Millar’s WAR HEROES

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 21st, 2011 at 3:10 pm

Universal is in negotiations to acquire War Heroes, based on the comic book by Mark Millar and Tony Harris. The book tells the story of a group of super soldiers who are created as part of an experimental program designed by the U.S. military to boost recruitment numbers and fight the war on terrorism. A group of the super soldiers goes rogue and forms a criminal enterprise, and one hero must rise to the occasion to prevent destruction. Heat Vision reports that Joshua Oppenheimer and Thomas Dean Donnelly, who are writing Marvel’s Doctor Strange, are in talks to handle script duties. Michael De Luca, Dana Brunetti (The Social Network) and Fast Five scribe Chris Morgan are producing. The project was originally set up at Columbia in 2008, but Universal has picked it up out of turnaround. Millar and Harris are onboard as executive producers.

Universal Acquires CRIME OF THE CENTURY for PORTAL Short Film Director Dan Trachtenberg

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 13th, 2011 at 7:05 pm

Universal has acquired a pitch entitled Crime of the Century for Fast Five scribe Chris Morgan to produce. Per Deadline, the original film “revolves around a high-octane heist with a science fiction twist.” Dan Trachtenberg, who directed the short film based on the Portal video game that had the web abuzz a few months ago. Trachtenberg will write the script alongside Daniel Kunka. Morgan is currently scripting the sixth film in the Fast and Furious franchise, with Justin Lin back at the helm after the surprisingly successful Fast Five. I thought Trachtenberg’s short film was really well made, and after seeing it figured he’d make a pretty cool sci-fi film if given the chance. It looks like he’s got his chance, and with Universal behind the pic he’s likely to have a hefty effects budget at his disposal. Hit the jump to watch his short film, in case you missed it.

Keanu Reeves Talks 47 RONIN; First Synopsis Revealed

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 24th, 2011 at 12:03 pm

Can director Carl Erik Rinsch balance a fantastic epic featuring giants and witches with one of Japan’s legendary tale of loyalty and sacrifice?  That’s the question circling 47 Ronin but star Keanu Reeves explains how the film plans to honor the Japanese people who have grown up hearing this tale while still creating a widely-accessible tentpole flick.  Says Reeves,

“Japanese kids grow up with this story told to them. They hear it from family and they learn it in school, it’s part of the culture.  It’s been made into movies many times and on television. It’s like our westerns, the story keeps being told.  It’s been reworked in some ways [for this new film] but with great care and respect.”

Hit the jump for more details on the project including a synopsis.  The film also features Japanese stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Kô Shibasaki, and Rinko Kikuchi.  47 Ronin is set to open in 3D on November 11, 2012.

The Onion News Network Interviews 5-Year-Old FAST FIVE Screenwriter

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 26th, 2011 at 11:46 am

If it seems like the script for Fast Five was written by someone who didn’t have an education level higher than kindergarten, there’s a reason for that.  As the Onion News Network shows on their morning news show, Today Now!, the screenwriter behind the series is 5-year-old Chris Morgan.  After the jump watch the adorable Chris talk about his process in crafting the rich and detailed story behind a Fast and Furious movie.  And the youngster is already at work on a sixth film which may ditch the racing and focus more on heists.  Adorable!

Fast Five stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, and cars going boom.  It opens this Friday.

Will the FAST AND FURIOUS Franchise Ditch the Street Racing for a Series of Heist Movies?

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 25th, 2011 at 8:23 pm

The Fast and the Furious series is one of the major gaps in my male cinematic knowledge.  I am too effeminate, too pretentious.  However, I have much respect for the continued success of the franchise after the 2009 surge to a series-best $353 million worldwide box office with Fast & Furious.  Fast Five opens this Friday, and the smart money is on “Major Hit.”  The producers wisely tapped into the core appeal of the films and secured virtually every major player in the series — including Vin Diesel, Paul Walker,  Jordana Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang — and upped the ante by casting potential action god Dwayne Johnson.

Pretend you’re a studio executive for a second.  At this point, you wouldn’t reinvent the market’s premier car movie brand to cater to someone like this silly writer, right?  And yet, Universal chairman Adam Fogelson is discussing just such a shift.

Chris Morgan — screenwriter on Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, and Fast Five — was previously hired to start work on a sixth film.  Deadline reports the sequel is set up to revolve around a robbery: “Universal’s intent is to transform this street racing franchise into a series of heist films.”  More after the jump.

Official Synopsis for FAST FIVE

by Jason Barr    Posted: September 14th, 2010 at 10:08 am

For the first time, the official synopsis for Fast Five is available for our viewing pleasure.  While you may be thinking to yourself, “What’s there to know?  Buff dudes drive amazingly sweet cars in cool locations,” the truth is that this synopsis is important for a couple of reasons:

• It features what is (to the best of my knowledge) the first “official” full confirmed cast list for the film.
• It seems to sure up any debate as to where Fast Five would fall in the time-line with regards to its predecessors.  It clearly tells us it takes place after the last film.

Officially, Fast Five stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.  To check out the synopsis, hit the jump.  Fast Five is currently aiming for a June 10th, 2011 release.

GEARS OF WAR Adaptation Missing A Few Cogs, Being Scaled Back

by Bill Graham    Posted: April 6th, 2010 at 12:47 pm

Video game film adaptations have a knack for spinning their wheels. Even sprawling and successful adventures like Bioshock and Halo, which seem ripe for a cinematic retelling, get bogged down in production hell despite having enormous talent attached. The latest large-scale video game adaptation to stall is New Line’s Gears of War, which, according to the LA Times, may be in search for a new director and writer, while also dropping off a hefty budget and its lofty scale.

Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard, Underworld franchise), who is still attached to direct the project, has been attached to another film called Nocturne, which is set up at Fox. That film, penned by Red Dawn writers Andre Fabrizio and Jeremy Passmore, is described as an apocalyptic thriller and will be garnering Wiseman’s attention, leaving his role in Gears up in the air. Additionally, New Line is looking for a new writer as they are scaling back the epic nature of the film that screenwriter Chris Morgan (Wanted) had provided, with character touches by Billy Ray (State of Play).

For what all of this news means, and what the future holds for Gears of War, hit the jump.

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker Reunite for FAST FIVE, the 5th Installment in the FAST AND THE FURIOUS Franchise

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 3rd, 2010 at 9:27 pm

The world offered by the Fast and the Furious movies is so rich and layered that it demands sequels to allow audiences to further explore the complexities of testosterone-laden relationships and expensive, tricked-out cars they’ll never own.  Oh, and the latest entry, Fast & Furious, was Universal’s highest grossing film of last year, so that may also be why they’re making a sequel. Variety reports that lead actors Vin Diesel and Paul Walker will re-team for the fifth installment in the series, entitled Fast Five.  I have no idea if that has an alternate meaning or if they decided they just couldn’t get away with a title like F & F.

Chris Morgan and Justin Lin will return to write and direct, respectively.  This time around, Dom (Diesel) and Brian (Walker) are fugitives being pursued by “legendary lawmen.”  So does that mean the ghost of Elliot Ness is going to team up with Lefors from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and they’ll ride modified Nissan Altimas to hunt down the fugitive duo?  Or will it be attractive people in fast cars chasing other attractive people in fast cars?  I’m gonna choose to think positive and say it’s the former.

Filming is scheduled to begin later this year for a 2011 release.

Would-Be ALIEN 5 Director Carl Rinsch to Instead Count 47 RONIN with Keanu Reeves

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 17th, 2009 at 5:40 pm

The saga of Carl Rinsch is an interesting one.  Last May, it was reported that Rinsch, a director with no feature films to his name, would be helming the fifth Alien movie, which would be a prequel.  There was some skepticism due to Rinsch’s lack of experience and the responsibility involved in handling such a major franchise, but original director Ridley Scott and brother Tony had Rinsch’s back.  Then Fox played hardball and got Ridley to return to directing the series he launched in 1979.  With that, Mr. Rinsch dropped out of sight…until now.

Rinsch has resurfaced to direct 47 Ronin with Keanu Reeves possibly set to star.  Hit the jump for details and to work with former samurai rather than former chest embryos.

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