Jon Favreau

Jon Favreau to Direct NBC Pilot REVOLUTION; J.J. Abrams, Eric Kripke, and Bryan Burk Producing

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 8th, 2012 at 8:45 pm

Even prior to any casting or extensive plot details, the NBC pilot Revolution has major geek credentials.  J.J. Abrams and partner Bryan Burk—who together have brought us Star Trek, Alias, Lost, Fringe, etc.—are producing.  Supernatural creator Eric Kripke wrote the script.  Now Deadline reports Jon Favreau, he of Iron Man fame, will direct the pilot.  Favreau has directed a few TV comedies before, including an episode of Undeclared, but nothing of this scope.  Revolution is described as “a high-octane action drama following a group of characters struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.”  I don’t know what that means, but it sounds very cool, mostly because I trust the parties involved.

Favreau is also working on Tweaked this pilot season over at CBS.  He wrote the script, which chronicles life and dating among single parents in Santa Monica, and is attached to direct.

COWBOYS & ALIENS Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: December 8th, 2011 at 7:13 am

The premise of Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens is readily apparent from the title, and with a cast that includes leads Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, and genre figures like Clancy Brown, Walton Goggins and Keith Carradine it’s got the right stars for a modern western. And yet the film struggled at the box office and barely crossed the hundred million dollar mark. In the age of the super-expensive blockbuster, this was a misfire. Of course marketing can always be blamed, but after watching the film it easy to see why it struggled to make an impression. As a genre mash-up, it’s not enough of one or the other to be satisfying. Our review of Cowboys & Aliens on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

COWBOYS & ALIENS Team of Jon Favreau, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman Reunite for Government Sci-Fi Series EX-COMM

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: October 5th, 2011 at 10:17 am

Though Cowboys & Aliens didn’t really land with much pomp and circumstance, director Jon Favreau and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have plenty of great projects between them like Iron Man and Star Trek. Now Deadline reports the trio are teaming up again for a new pilot called Ex-Comm, a series described as a sci-fi drama with plenty of humor. Kurtzman is only executive producing the series with his collaborator Orci, but the latter will be writing the series with Favreau as well as Seth Green and Superman Returns and X2 writer Michael Dougherty, all of whom will also serve as executive producers.

It’s a strange assembly of writing talent, but the series sounds pretty cool as it’s said to follow a newly-elected President and his top secret Executive Committee (a.k.a. Ex-Comm), the government’s covert team of America’s most elite minds who investigate and protect our nation from the strangest occurrences and “conspiracy theory truths” out there. The series is described as a presidential procedural crossing the paranormal suspense of series like The X-Files and the politics of The West Wing, but with some fun and humor mixed in. Hopefully it turns out better than The Event, a series which seems to share some elements with this new series, but already I’m more confident in this new pilot than the canceled NBC series.

COWBOYS & ALIENS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 28th, 2011 at 3:21 pm

Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens is the equivalent of putting chocolate and peanut butter together and getting a rice cake.  Westerns can be great, sci-fi can be wonderful, and yet the attempt to bring them together has resulted in a bland, flavorless movie.  The script is a mess, all of the storylines are uninteresting, the action is flat, there’s not much room for lead actors Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford to do much beyond growl and grimace, and the usually inspired cinematography of Matthew Libatique is a grand disappointment.  Despite all of these problems, the movie does nothing outright offensive other than waste two hours of your time.

Comic-Con 2011: The Visionaries Panel Recap – Guillermo del Toro and Jon Favreau Talk MAGIC KINGDOM, HAUNTED MANSION, COWBOYS & ALIENS, AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS, and Much More

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: July 21st, 2011 at 7:21 pm

At last year’s Comic-Con, Entertainment Weekly’s “The Visionaries” panel featured Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams waxing poetic on everything nerd. This year, Guillermo del Toro and Jon Favreau were present to have an earnest conversation between two directors about filmmaking. The topics of conversation ranged from Magic Kindom and Haunted Mansion, to Cowboys & Aliens and At the Mountains of Madness. Favreau even revealed that he has a cameo as a Thark in Andrew Stanton’s John Carter, a project which he previously developed. Hit the jump for my recap of The Visionaries panel.

COWBOYS & ALIENS Video Roundup: 4 Clips, 7 Minutes of Behind the Scenes Footage and 2 Featurettes

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: July 15th, 2011 at 10:24 pm

With director Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens on the verge of hitting theaters, Universal has released the EPK (electronic press kit) which includes 4 movie clips, 2 featurettes (A Look Inside and Western Meets SciFi) and over seven minutes of behind the scenes footage from when they were making the movie (B-Roll).  If you’re trying to stay spoiler free, I’d advise you to avoid watching these videos.  However, if you want to see a lot of cool looking footage from a movie I can’t wait to see, hit the jump.

Two Clips and Featurette from COWBOYS & ALIENS

by Jason Barr    Posted: July 13th, 2011 at 11:35 pm

Universal has released the first two clips and a new featurette for director Jon Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens. Starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, and Paul Dano, the film is set in 1873 Arizona Territory and tells the story of a man with no recollection of his past (Craig) as he helps the town he wandered into stave off an alien invasion. Within the first clips of the film, we get a look at Craig and Ford as they “discuss” their seemingly inevitable partnership. All signs seem to indicate that everyone on board is playing the tough western tone straight even amidst the sci-fi elements of the film. Combine this with the line “I don’t know what it is, but it’s bleeding,” and I think Favreau and company have a winner on their hands.

Hit the jump to check out the clips and featurette which showcases commentary from producer Ron Howard, Favreau, Craig, Ford, and Wilde amongst others. Cowboys & Aliens hits theaters on July 29th.

Jon Favreau Interviews Olivia Wilde for COWBOYS & ALIENS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: July 12th, 2011 at 6:13 pm

Director Jon Favreau continues his unconventional (and totally great) promotional campaign for Cowboys & Aliens with another interview with one of the people involved in the film. Favreau has been doing candid, intimate interviews for the past couple of weeks instead of the typical “behind-the-scenes” videos a studio puts out in anticipation of a film’s release. He began with Harrison Ford, and last week posted his interview with Steven Speilberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. If you missed either of those conversations, I highly suggest you check them out.

This week Favreau sits down with the lovely Olivia Wilde. They talk about horse-riding accidents on set, Tron: Legacy, her work in Haiti, The Change-Up, and Welcome to People. Cowboys & Aliens opens July 29th.

Comic-Con 2011: Schedules Announced for Preview Night and Thursday, July 21st; Includes BREAKING DAWN, DRIVE, and GAME OF THRONES

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 7th, 2011 at 11:01 am

Comic-Con has announced the schedule for Preview Night (Wednesday, July 20th) and the Thursday that officially opens the Con.  While Preview Night is usually a chance for attendees to roam the floor of the exhibitors and trample each other for swag, this year’s preview night will be hosting world premiere pilot screenings of Alcatraz, Person of Interest, The Secret Circle, and Supernatural: The Anime Series.  I don’t care about the last two, but since Alcatraz and Person of Interest both come form J.J. Abrams, I imagine they’ll be packed.

As for Thursday, Hall H belongs to (in chronological order): The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, Arthur Christmas, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Drive, an unannounced line-up from 20th Century Fox (expect Rise of the Planet of the Apes), a sneak peek at Robert Rodriguez’ upcoming films (yawn), and a discussion between Guillermo del Toro and Jon Favreau.  I would stand in line all day just for Drive and the conversation between del Toro and Favreau.  Hit the jump for the full schedule.  Expect the schedule for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday over the next several days.

Jon Favreau Interviews Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer for COWBOYS & ALIENS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: July 6th, 2011 at 3:44 pm

Director Jon Favreau is taking a slightly different approach to the marketing materials for Cowboys & Aliens. Eschewing the traditional EPK (electronic press kit) format of bland, quick cut behind-the-scenes interviews, the director sat down with the extremely talented members of the Cowboys & Aliens cast and crew for some extended, candid and wide-ranging interviews.

We brought you his interview with Harrison Ford last week, and this week Favreau sits down with C&A producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and executive producer Steven Spielberg. The conversations range from Spielberg’s Jaws, to Howard’s Far and Away, and sneaking onto studio lots as young men. Spielberg also tells a fantastic John Ford story. Hit the jump to check out the second installment of interviews. Cowboys & Aliens hits theaters July 29^th.

Jon Favreau Interviews Harrison Ford for COWBOYS & ALIENS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 28th, 2011 at 2:21 pm

Jon Favreau is trying to reinvent the publicity machine.  He’s seen how it’s been done in the past and is clearly trying to come up with new ways to market his movies to fans.  With Cowboys & Aliens, it looks like he’s getting some leeway to control that publicity. At WonderCon, he pledged that only the folks in the room would get a sneak peek at the aliens and further images of the creatures wouldn’t be spoiled in the trailers, TV spots, and other press materials.  He’s also planning to hold the film’s world premiere at this year’s Comic-Con.

Now he’s foregoing the standard EPK (electronic press kit) with its boring, talking-head interviews by taking on the role of the interviewer and speaking candidly with his cast.  The result is far more entertaining as you can see from his first interview series with Harrison Ford.  The conversations are reminiscent of Favreau’s short-lived Showtime series Dinner for Five and nowadays if you can see video of Ford not acting grumpy, that video is worth your time.  Hit the jump to check out the first series of interviews.  Cowboys & Aliens opens July 29th.

Michael Chabon to Write MAGIC KINGDOM

by Jason Barr    Posted: June 18th, 2011 at 9:46 am

It took a few months to cross all of the t’s and dot all of the i’s, but Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Chabon has finally closed the deal to write Disney’s upcoming family adventure pic, Magic Kingdom. Back in March, we reported that Chabon was in talks to pen the project for director Jon Favreau and now, three months later, Heat Vision is confirming the news. While there aren’t a ton of plot details available for Magic Kingdom, we do know that the film will take place in the Disney theme park. Per the report, it may also integrate other theme parks on a global scale (don’t get your hopes up, Six Flags…you’re probably not included). In addition to landing Magic Kingdom, Chabon was also in the headlines earlier this week when Darren Aronofsky signed on to direct the pilot for his HBO period drama, Hobgoblin.

COWBOYS & ALIENS Featurette

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 17th, 2011 at 10:10 am

A new featurette for the upcoming sci-fi/western Cowboys & Aliens has been released. The video includes a number of the creatives involved with the film, including producers Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard, and director Jon Favreau. If you’re trying to avoid spoilers, there’s no need to worry. The featurette doesn’t include any footage beyond what’s been shown in the trailers, and the filmmakers basically just talk about the general idea behind the film. A sci-fi property that’s not a sequel and blends genres with a Western is no easy sell, but the marketing campaign has been pretty spot-on so far.

Hit the jump to check out the featurette. Cowboys & Aliens stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Paul Dano, Clancy Brown, and Sam Rockwell.  The film opens (in 2D!) on July 29th.

COWBOYS & ALIENS to Make Its World Premiere at Comic-Con at the San Diego Civic Theatre [UPDATED]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 13th, 2011 at 12:43 pm

Yesterday, we speculated that Jon Favreau’s big Comic-Con stunt for Cowboys & Aliens would be a screening of the film.  Today, Hero Complex has confirmed that suspicion.  Favreau explained, “Not only are we going to premiere it there, we’re going to find a way to include as many of the fans as possible. I feel like they’ve come out for me, they’ve supported me.”  Favreau has certainly been the maestro of Comic-Con for the past several years and while big name stars like Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford will draw interest, at the convention Jon Favreau is a rock star.

Films have offered sneak peeks before in a grand fashion.  Last year, Edgar Wright gave fans in Hall H a big surprise when he informed that those who had received a certain pin would be seeing Scott Pilgrim vs. the World immeadeately.  Now Universal may be trying to top themselves and have possibly found a great location for the screening.  Hit the jump for more details.  The 2011 San Diego Comic-Con runs from July 21 – July 24th.  Cowboys & Aliens opens nationwide on July 29th. [Update: Universal has informed us that Petco Park will not be the location for the premiere.  No location is announced but we'll be sure to let you know once we have that information.  Our original reporting is after the jump.  You can now consider it a fun daydream of "What if...?"]

[Update 2: Universal has now announced that the premiere will take place at the San Diego Civic Center on Saturday July 23rd. Event begins at 7:00 pm, film starts at 8:00pm. Favreau tweeted that 2000 tickets will be released. The press release is now included below.]

Hero Complex 2011 Recap: Warren Beatty (DICK TRACY), Richard Donner (SUPERMAN), Jon Favreau & Robert Downey Jr. (IRON MAN), More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 12th, 2011 at 9:55 pm

For the past few days at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Geoff Boucher of The Los Angeles Times hosted the second annual Hero Complex Film Festival.  In attendance were Warren Beatty for Dick Tracy, director Nicholas Meyer for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, writers/producers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof for Star Trek (2009), Richard Donner for Superman and Superman II (with an appearance by Geoff Johns), Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. (who was a surprise guest) for Iron Man and Iron Man 2.  Of course they both talked a bit about Iron Man 3, The Avengers and Magic Kingdom.

In addition to the previously announced guests, Captain America: The First Avenger screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely premiered the new trailer and talked about the movie, and Mike Mignola talked about going back to Hellboy.  For more on the Festival, hit the jump.

Update: Added some video of Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr.

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