David Heyman

HARRY POTTER Producer David Heyman to Bring PADDINGTON BEAR to the Big Screen

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 10th, 2012 at 8:04 am

Harry Potter producer David Heyman has found a new beloved literary character to bring to movie theaters.  According to THR, Paul King will direct a live-action/CGI-animated adaptation based on the children’s book character Paddington Bear.  For those unfamiliar with Paddington, Michael Bond’s best selling books center on “a brown bear from Peru who is found at Paddington station by the Brown family.”  Paddington also wears an adorable raincoat and hat.  I’m not sure why it can’t be a straight-up animated film, but I guess children will have seizures if they don’t see live-action humans interacting with a CGI creature in a family film.  Of course, I could be getting it wrong with this adaptation.  Perhaps Paddington will be live-action and the family will be CGI-animated, in which case this film would be brilliant.

Hit the jump for more on Paddington Bear, and click here for what Heyman told Steve about the project last year.

Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis Circling Pot Smuggling Comedy WE’RE THE MILLERS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 9th, 2012 at 3:48 pm

Horrible Bosses stars Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis may be reuniting for another comedy.  Deadline reports that Aniston is in talks to star in the comedy We’re the Millers, and Sudeikis is apparently eyeing a role.  The film centers on “a pot dealer who pulls together a fake wife and two kids to pose as an RV road-tripping family so that he can smuggle 1000 pounds of pot cross country.”  Aniston would play the wife, who’s actually a hooker, and Sudeikis is circling the pot smuggler role.  The pic was written by Wedding Crashers scribes Bob Fisher and Steve Faber, and Rawson Thurber (Dodgeball: A True Story) is set to direct.

Aniston is an incredibly gifted comedic actress when given the right material (see: Horrible Bosses) and Sudeikis has crackerjack charisma, so I’d love to see these two team up on this project.  The tone is described as a “warped Vacation”, and Harry Potter producer David Heyman is producing alongside Happy Walters, Vince Newman and Tucker Tooley.

Warner Bros. Pays Big for Seth Grahame-Smith’s Three Wise Men-themed UNHOLY NIGHT

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 1st, 2011 at 3:16 pm

Seth Grahame-Smith is quickly becoming a household name. His breakout came with the novels Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which were subsequently put into development as feature films (Vampire Hunter is already in post-production, whereas Zombies is stuck in a bit of a development hell). He wrote the initial scripts for both films, was subsequently drafted to pen Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows, and created the MTV series The Hard Times of RJ Berger. Now Warner Bros. is said to be paying in the vicinity of $2 million for Grahame-Smith’s next book, the biblical-themed action-adventure Unholy Night, which tells the story of the Three Wise Men. Hit the jump for more on this Hollywoodized iteration of the biblical tale.

Producer David Heyman Talks HARRY POTTER, 3D Re-Releases, PAGE EIGHT Sequels, PADDINGTON BEAR, GRAVITY, and More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 22nd, 2011 at 11:17 am

With the DVD/Blu-ray release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 last week, Warner Bros. Home Video invited a number of reporters from around the world to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida to help promote its release.  While there, I got to speak with the cast as well as some of the filmmakers behind one of my favorite films of the year.  Over the last week I posted video interviews with director David Yates, Rupert Grint, Warwick Davis, Jason Isaacs, Evanna Lynch and Mark Williams, and James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley).  And for the last interview, I’ve got an extended conversation with producer David Heyman.

During the interview, Heyman talks about being at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and what impressed him, what fans always want to talk about when they approach him, his thoughts on WB home video pulling the Potter movies at the end of the year, his memories of making the franchise, if there’s a mega box set with new extras coming in the future, and if he thinks WB might re-release the movies theatrically in 3D down the road.  In addition, Heyman talked about other projects like Paddington Bear, Alfonso Cuaron‘s Gravity, his Beatles animated project, Page Eight sequels, and more. Hit the jump to watch.

Warner Bros. and HARRY POTTER Producer David Heyman to Adapt Comic Book NONPLAYER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 4th, 2011 at 1:34 pm

Warner Bros. has picked up the rights to the new comic-book series Nonplayer with David Heyman (Harry Potter) and Roy Lee (The Roommate) set to produce.  Per Variety, “Nonplayer is a sci-fi/fantasy story about Dana Stevens, a brilliant young woman who retreats from the dismal workaday world of the future into the digital fantasy realm of Jarvath, where she’s a fearless warrior.”  The first of six issues came out in April and you can click here to read the first few pages.  Author Nate Simpson’s artwork is stunning (he previously worked as a videogame concept artist) but I’m a little confused as to why the preview would only show what takes place in Jarvath when the hook is that the heroine lives in the real world.

Hit the jump for the comic’s official synopsis.  Heyman is also adapting the Vertigo comic The Northlanders.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Featurette: “The Story of Snape”

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 13th, 2011 at 1:35 pm

For the majority of the Harry Potter series, Severus Snape is simply a bully.  There are brief hints as to why he particularly hates Harry, but nothing so revelatory as to change your perception of the character until the final book in the series.  While Alan Rickman has always played the role with great relish, the final movie finally provides him with a new side to play for Snape and he does it brilliantly.  Rickman and director David Yates basically have five minutes to make you reevaluate your opinion of Snape and they pull it off.  There’s a lot to love about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, and Alan Rickman’s performance is near the top of the list.

Warner Bros. has release a new featurette about Snape and it shows plenty of footage that’s not in the trailer.  Watch at your own caution.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opens in 3D this Friday.  Look for my full review tomorrow.

Exclusive: Producer David Heyman Talks HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2, GRAVITY, DOGS OF BABEL, and a Lot More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: July 12th, 2011 at 10:15 pm

With Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 getting released this weekend, Warner Bros. held a press junket in New York City over the weekend and I was able to sit down with producer David Heyman for an extended interview. Before going any further, if you were nervous the final Harry Potter movie would somehow disappoint, I’m happy to say they nailed the landing and the finale is everything I’d hoped it’d be and more.  Trust me, you’re going to love it.  And get ready to cry in the theater.

During the interview, Heyman talked about making the final movie, has JK Rowling ever told him any secrets about the Potter universe that the public doesn’t know, what props does he have, the ending of the film and why they made certain choices, deleted scenes, Warner Bros., and future projects like The Adventures of Oscar Pill, his Beatles animated movie, Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, Dogs of Babel with Steve Carell, and The Northlanders (which is a Vertigo comic).  Hit the jump to watch.

Two New Featurettes for HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 29th, 2011 at 2:31 pm

Two new featurettes for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 have been released.  One featurette takes a look at the goblins and the heist at Gringotts bank while the other examines the hunt to find the final horcruxes (if you don’t know what a horcrux is, then why do you even care about this movie?).  Be warned: watching these featurettes may cause you physical pain as you realize the film doesn’t come out for another two weeks.

Hit the jump to check out the featurettes.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 opens in 3D on July 15th.

Exclusive: Producer David Heyman Talks HARRY POTTER and Reveals He’s Doing an Animated Movie Using 10 Beatles Songs – UPDATED

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 13th, 2011 at 5:33 pm

At this year’s CinemaCon (formerly ShoWest) I got to speak to producer David Heyman twice.  The first time was right before the Warner Bros. presentation where Heyman and Harry Potter producer David Barron showed some awesome looking footage from the final Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.  You can watch the red carpet interview here and here’s my recap of the footage.

A short time later, I was backstage with Heyman and we continued our conversation.  During the ten or so minutes, we talked about the footage they decided to show from Harry Potter, will there be an “Ultimate Box Set” on DVD/Blu-ray, what props he took home from set (he has some of the horcruxes!!), and he revealed that he had just “closed the deal on some Beatles songs, and we’re gonna do an animated film, a musical animated film using Beatles songs, with a love story between a dung beetle and a lady bug.”  Hit the jump for more.

UPDATE: Apple Corps Ltd. (the group that represents The Beatles) have contacted me to clarify The Beatles involvement in the animated movie. Here’s what they sent me:

Contrary to recent reports, no original Beatles master recordings will be featured in the forthcoming David Heyman (Harry Potter) produced animated film. The as-yet-unnamed film will feature cover versions of 10 songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

So while the music will be used, it’s cover songs. However, with the right artists, the soundtrack could be awesome.  Original story after the jump

HARRY POTTER Producer David Heyman Adapting French Novels for THE ADVENTURES OF OSCAR PILL

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 5th, 2011 at 7:54 pm

Warner Bros. has acquired the feature film rights to the series of French youth novels centered around Oscar Pill, a teenage boy who can travel through the human body and other living beings.  Physician and author Eli Anderson wrote five novels in all.

TheWrap reports The Adventures of Oscar Pill is set up at Heyday Films, the banner of David Heyman, producer on all eight Harry Potter films.  Heyman will produce with Jeff Clifford (No Strings Attached).  Find more on the Oscar Pill mythology and a plea to the French after the break.

Exclusive: Producers David Heyman and David Barron talk HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 at CinemaCon

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 1st, 2011 at 12:14 am

Before Warner Bros. took the stage at CinemaCon, I got to speak with Harry Potter producers David Heyman and David Barron on the red carpet.  With the final installment set to hit theaters in July, this was the final time they would be promoting Harry Potter to theater owners.  Thankfully, the pair brought some incredible footage from the final installment (read about it here) and after watching, I think the last chapter will be the best.

During the interview, Heyman and Barron talked about how they decided what footage to show, they confirmed the final installment would be in 3D, revealed that Part I is heading to Blu-ray in 3D and some of the previous films might as well, confirmed Part II is loaded with action, and Heyman said that the last chapter “will be the shortest film.”  After the interview ended, he told me it would be over two hours, but I don’t think much longer than that.  Hit the jump to either read or watch the interview.

Steve Carell to Star in DOGS OF BABEL

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 22nd, 2011 at 1:06 pm

Steve Carell has signed on to star in the drama Dogs of Babel.  Screenwriter Jamie Linden (Dear John) adapted the script from the novel by Carolyn Parkhurst.  Here’s the plot synopsis per the press release:

The story follows Paul Iverson, a linguistics professor, who returns home one day to find his wife dead in their backyard. Police rule her death an accident, but Paul is not quite sure. The only witness to her death is their dog Lorelei. In Paul’s grief-stricken search for answers, he endeavors to teach Lorelei to talk in the hopes that he can uncover what happened the day his wife died.

While Carell has done films with dramatic elements (Little Miss Sunshine and Dan in Real Life), this sounds like a big departure for him.  However, he also has tons of comedies on his plate, and it’s unknown when Dogs of Babel will go in front of cameras.  The project is currently searching for a director.  Hit the jump for press release.

Fox to Adapt Children’s Series MR. MEN for Animated Feature; Shawn Levy and David Heyman to Produce

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 7th, 2011 at 6:45 pm

Shockingly, a book that’s not about vampires/werewolves/witches/magic is being adapted for the big screen. In what’s sure to be a future stoner-staple, 20^th Century Fox is working on an animated feature film adaptation of Roger Hargreaves’ Mr. Men books. Mr. Men is a series of illustrated children’s books that features characters with names like “Mr. Funny”, “Mr. Nosey”, and, my personal favorite, “Mr. Sneeze”. Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, the recently announced Fantastic Voyage 3D) and David Heyman (the Harry Potter series) will produce. THR reports that no director or screenwriter is currently attached to the project.

British author Hargresves first started the Mr. Men series in 1971, writing a total of 48 books and eventually spinning off a separate series called Little Miss. Four separate television series adaptations were produced, with Mr. Men airing in 1975, Little Miss airing in 1983,  a combined series called Mr. Men and Little Miss airing from 1995-1997, and The Mr. Men Show which aired on Cartoon Network in 2008 and 2009. Fox Animation will next release their tropical bird-themed Rio on April 15^th.

HARRY POTTER Films to Receive Honorary BAFTA

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 3rd, 2011 at 6:48 am

The Harry Potter franchise will receive a BAFTA for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema at this year’s Orange British Academy Film Awards.  While the series still has one more film to go (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2), the BAFTAs recognize that the series is already a remarkable filmmaking achievement.  While the films started slow, every new movie has been better than the previous one and the series eventually managed to match the magic that author J.K. Rowling conjured in her beloved books.

Hit the jump for the full press release.  Rowling and producer David Heyman will receive the award on behalf of the franchise on February 13th.

Tom Felton Interview HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1; Plus an Update on RISE OF THE APES

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 22nd, 2010 at 10:31 am

As most of you know, a little over a week ago I got to fly across the pond, as I was invited to the big press junket for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 in London.  While I’ve already posted my interviews with Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, producers David Heyman and David Barron, and director David Yates, I’ve got one more and it’s with Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy).

While Felton doesn’t have a lot of screen time in Part 1 of The Deathly Hallows, he was still a great interview, as he talked about his feelings on the series ending, what it was like to see the movie the night before, and he told us some great behind the scenes stories. In addition, Felton has a part in 20th Century Fox’s Rise of the Ripes, and he talked to us about who he plays, his thoughts on the work Andy Serkis is doing, and how the movie is pushing forward motion capture technology.  Hit the jump to either watch the video or read the transcript:

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