Sony Pictures has released a new trailer for District 9 director Neill Blomkamp‘s sci-fi film Elysium.  The story takes place in 2159, and two classes of people are divided: the wealthy live on a man-made space station called Elysium, while the rest of the humans inhabit an overpopulated and ruined Earth.  Matt Damon plays a desperate man who must reach Elysium in order to find a cure that will save his life.  Running at over three minutes long, this trailer does an excellent job of clearly setting up the film’s premise while also teasing a fantastic-looking sci-fi film in the process.  It’s great to see Damon playing a character with a bit of an edge to him, and Blomkamp’s world-building and visual effects are as exciting as ever.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer.  The film also stars Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, Wagner Moura, Diego Luna and William Fichtner.  Elysium opens on August 9th.

Following on the heels of the debut trailer and poster, Sony Pictures has released eight new images from Neill Blomkamp‘s Elysium.  The movie is set in 2159, and two classes of people are divided: the wealthy live on a man-made space station called Elysium, while the rest of the humans inhabit an overpopulated and ruined Earth.  Matt Damon plays a desperate man who must reach Elysium in order to find a cure that will save his life.  I’m digging everything I’m seeing from this film, and with four months until the release date, this is only the tip of the political-sci-fi iceberg.

Hit the jump to check out the images, and click here for Steve’s thoughts on the footage he saw yesterday.  The film also stars Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, Wagner Moura, Diego Luna, and William Fichtner.  Elysium opens August 9th.

The first trailer for District 9 director Neill Blomkamp’s highly anticipated sci-fi film Elysium has been released.  The story takes place in 2159 where two classes of people are roughly divided: the wealthy live on a man-made space station called Elysium, while the rest of the humans inhabit an overpopulated and ruined Earth.  The trailer begins by showing us the luxurious world of Elysium before revealing the grungy, desert-like Earth.  Blomkamp looks to have crafted an incredibly detailed and vast sci-fi world here, and the visuals are absolutely stunning.  The action sequences look excellent as well and Damon appears to be kicking all kinds of ass, but most importantly Blomkamp has crafted yet another timely, socially-conscious story that speaks volumes to the current issues facing our world.  A wholly original sci-fi property that asks audiences to think while also providing entertainment value in spades?  Count me wholeheartedly in.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer, and click here for Steve’s video blog recap after seeing 10 minutes of footage and interviewing Blomkamp.  The film stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, William Fichtner and Diego Luna.  Elysium opens on August 9th.

One of our most anticipated films of this year is District 9 director Neill Blomkamp’s follow-up sci-fi film Elysium.  Though the film’s August release date means it will probably be this summer before we see an official trailer, we’ve already seen a couple of tantalizing images of stars Matt Damon and Sharlto Copley, and now a first look at Jodie Foster’s character has landed online.  The story takes place in the year 2159 where people are divided into two classes: the wealthy live on a man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest of the humans inhabit an overpopulated and ruined Earth.  Foster’s character runs Elysium, and these images give us a peek at her very corporate look.  I caught a glimpse of Foster in action when we saw footage from the film at Comic-Con last year, and it looks to be quite the meaty role.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  Elysium opens on August 9th.

Jodie Foster looks to have settled on her directorial follow-up to 2011’s The Beaver.  Variety reports that Foster is now attached to helm the indie drama Money Monster.  The story centers on Lee Gates, “a TV personality whose insider trading tips have made him the money guru of Wall Street. When Kyle, a viewer who lost all of his family’s money on a bad tip from Lee, decides to hold Lee hostage on air, ratings soar as the entire country tunes in to this media frenzy to find out just how much a man’s life is worth.”  Alan DiFiore (Grimm) and Jim Koufe (National Treasure) wrote the script.

Foster is no stranger behind the camera, as she previously helmed Home for the Holidays and Little Man Tate in addition to last year’s The Beaver.  She’ll next be seen onscreen in director Neil Blomkamp’s sci-fi film Elysium opposite Matt Damon, but it’s nice to see that she’ll be getting back into the director’s chair soon.  If you missed it, be sure to watch Steve’s interview with Foster from this year’s Comic-Con in which she discusses how she approaches her directing projects.  Casting for Money Monster will begin immediately with an eye towards starting production early next year.

Over the last few weeks, Sony has finally started to reveal details about director Neill Blomkamp’s (District 9) sci-fi pic Elysium.  Just as District 9 tackled issues of segregation and xenophobia, the first synopsis for Elysium reveals that the sci-fi, future-set story will be delving into the immigration debate.  Set in 2159, two classes of people are roughly divided: the wealthy live on a man-made space station called Elysium, while the rest of the humans inhabit an overpopulated and ruined Earth.  For more on the film, here’s Matt’s recap of the Comic-Con panel, the viral campaign, and Comic-Con interviews with Blomkamp, producer Simon Kinberg, and Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley.

Shortly after the panel, I got to speak with Jodie Foster.  We talked about being at Comic-Con for the first time, what she collects, how she got involved in Elysium, who she plays, the relationship between Blomkamp and the studio during production, how she prepares for a role, future plans, her thoughts on doing a TV series, Contact, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

While at Comic-Con to do a big Hall H presentation, Elysium co-stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley spoke to press about the highly anticipated but very mysterious sci-fi film, from writer/director Neill Blomkamp. The filmmaker described it as being “about an orbital space station that has the rich living on it, while Earth is diseased and has been left behind.”

During the interview, the actors were clearly guarded in their responses, so as not to reveal too much, but they talked about who their characters are, the key to finding their performances, the themes that they’re addressing with the rich versus the poor, and what they think the world might really be like so far into the future. Check out what they had to say after the jump. Also, check out our recap of the Comic-Con panel.

Neill Blomkamp‘s District 9 was an amazing feature film debut, and whatever he chose to do next would demand the attention of all the fans he amassed in 2009, myself included.  His new film, Elysium, had been cloaked in mystery until a synopsis recently appeared online.  I was even more intrigued after reading the synopsis, and Elysium was easily one of my most-anticipated movies of Comic-Con 2012.  And the presentation didn’t disappoint.

Hit the jump to check out the recap, and click here for all of our Comic-Con coverage.

With Chloe Moretz set to star in MGM/Screen Gem’s “more faithful” remake of Brian De Palma’s 1976 film adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Carrie (phew!), attention now turns to when the film will be released. According to Box Office Mojo, the targeted release date is set for March 15, 2013, placing the Kimberly Pierce (Boys Don’t Cry) directed film in-between Sam Raimi’s Oz the Great and Powerful and Bryan Singer’s Jack the Giant Killer, according to their site. No word yet on who will play Carrie’s evil mother, although both Jodie Foster and Julianne Moore had been approached. Hit the jump for the synopsis.

Now that Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) is set in the director’s chair, producers are working to cast the lead in the MGM/Screen Gems remake of Carrie. Vulture reports that a number of actresses have been shortlisted for the part (including Dakota Fanning and Lily Collins) but Chloe Moretz and Haley Bennett (Marley and Me) are apparently the top two candidates. The remake is said to be more faithful to Stephen King’s source material than Brian De Palma’s 1976 film adaptation, and apparently The Descendants star Shailene Woodley has already passed on the lead role. Hit the jump for more on the new Carrie.

With Rooney Mara (Youth in Revolt) set to star as rebellious hacker Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo next week, we thought we’d take a look back at past female badasses in cinematic history. Noomi Rapace nailed the role in the original Swedish version, so Mara will have a lot to live up to. Not only will she be compared to the performance of her predecessor, but also to the relatively few female heroines that came before her. Will Mara equal or surpass Rapace? Can she hang with the baddest ladies in movie history? Will she impress us enough to fight her way to the top? Hit the jump to check out our selection of the five most badass female leads of all time.

We’ve got a few new posters to share with you today. First up is a truly terrible one sheet for Roman Polanski’s comedy Carnage. The film itself doesn’t look bad at all—with a stellar cast made up of Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz, and John C. Reilly—but this poster makes the film look like Hallmark’s Movie of the Week. We’ve also got a warm and fuzzy holiday-themed poster for the alien invasion pic The Darkest Hour. The film stars Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Mighella, and Joel Kinnaman, and features aliens that are “creatures of electricity and electromagnetism” rather than scaly, insect-looking things like every other sci-fi movie these days.

Last but not least is a nostalgia-inducing poster for the 3D re-release of the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast. As we previously reported, Disney is re-releasing a number of animated films theatrically in 3D after the smashing success of The Lion King. Carnage opens December 16th, The Darkest Hour arrives December 25th, and Beauty and the Beast 3D returns January 13th. Hit the jump for the posters.

A new clip from Roman Polanski’s comedy Carnage has been released. Based on the play God of Carnage, the film tells the story of two sets of parents who meet to settle a dispute between their children. The cast is spectacular—Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster, and John C. Reilly—and this is Polanski’s first foray into comedy. This clip centers on the parents getting to the crux of their meeting, as they’re hashing out why their children were fighting in the first place. Reilly is great here as he keeps getting sidetracked by bragging about a fight he had when he was a kid, and Foster keeps trying to reign him back in. I’m really looking forward to seeing the interplay between the quartet of actors when the film hits theaters.

Hit the jump to watch the clip. Carnage opens on December 16th.

A new trailer for Roman Polanski’s Carnage has gone online. Based on Yasmina Reza’s play God of Carnage, the story takes place entirely in one house and revolves around two sets of parents who sit down to discuss a dispute between their children. The phenomenal cast is comprised of Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, Jodie Foster, and Christoph Waltz. This trailer gives us a sense of the slow-building tension that no doubt drives the film. None of the jokes really stand out, and Waltz seems a bit one-note, but I’m assuming it’s hard to get a sense of the comedy from a trailer for a film that plays out in real-time. However, Reilly certainly seems like a stand-out amongst the immensely talented cast. Given the outstanding ensemble and Polanski’s involvement, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the finished film.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Carnage opens on December 16th

While Roman Polanski’s Carnage received mixed-to-positive reviews after its premiere in Venice, it’s still a Polanski film that stars Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly, and Kate Winslet, so we’re all going to see it, especially because it’s Polanski doing a comedy.  The story revolves around two sets of parents who come together to discuss a schoolyard fight between their kids.  The first clip from the film has landed online and I don’t see what’s so bad about the movie.  In the scene, Reilly is tremendously proud that his kid is the leader of a gang and then he and Waltz bond over being gang-leaders back in their day while Foster seems bewildered and unimpressed with Reilly’s celebration of his schoolyard victories of yesteryear.  Of course, this is one scene of many and I’m curious to find out how the whole film comes together

Hit the jump to check out the clip.  Carnage will play at this year’s New York Film Festival and hit theaters on December 16th.