Neal Moritz

D.J. Caruso to Direct Sci-Fi Disaster Film INVERTIGO; Release Date Set for March 7, 2014

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 29th, 2012 at 2:53 pm

Coming off the failed franchise-starter I Am Number Four, director D.J. Caruso is looking to take another stab at sci-fi. The director is now in final negotiations to direct the sci-fi disaster film Invertigo. The story concerns a long-lost NASA space probe under the influence of “dark energy” that mysteriously crashes on earth and proceeds to disrupt and reverse the pull of gravity. Skyscrapers and bridges are ripped from the ground and rivers “rain from the sky” as a team mounts a mission into upside-down Manhattan to avert the planet’s destruction. Hit the jump for more on this ludicrous premise.

TOP 5: GHOST RIDER SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE, 21 JUMP STREET Set Visit, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER Trailers, TRANSFORMERS 4, 2012 Toy Fair

by Jason Barr    Posted: February 18th, 2012 at 1:33 pm

I generally don’t like to check out extended clips of footage from films ahead of their release. Call me old fashioned but, similar to how I try and avoid cherry picking music singles before listening to the entire album, I like to think of records and movies as complete bodies of work. Of course, I say all of this only to preface breaking my own general rule. I implore you to watch the first 12 minutes of writer/director/actress Brit Marling’s Sound of My Voice. I did, I don’t regret a single moment of it, and now I can’t wait to check out the entire film as soon as possible.

All self-contradiction aside, in this week’s “Top 5″ installment you’ll find Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance interviews with talent like Nicolas Cage, Idris Elba, Johnny Whitworth, and directors Neveldine/Taylor, a recap of our 21 Jump Street set visit, trailers and a featurette for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Transformers 4 news, and Avengers, Star Wars, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation toy images from the 2012 Toy Fair. Check out a brief recap and link to each after the jump.

Producer Neal Moritz 21 JUMP STREET Set Visit Interview

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 15th, 2012 at 9:00 am

Neal Moritz is the go-to producer for action movies these days. In just the first half of 2011, he released The Green Hornet, Battle: Los Angeles, and Fast Five, which together grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. In remaking the 1980s TV show 21 Jump Street, Moritz lends so much credibility to the action side of this action-comedy.

A group of us movie bloggers had the chance to interview Moritz on set in New Orleans near the end of the shoot. He talked about the approach to adapting the show, the promise he saw in directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (this is their first live-action feature), how he got “25% more on the screen” by shooting in New Orleans, plus what Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill brought to the project as actor/producers. Read what he had to say after the jump.

Nick Schenk to Write ROBOCOP Remake; MORTAL KOMBAT Writer Oren Uziel Sells Action-Comedy

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 31st, 2012 at 7:43 pm

Director José Padilha said that when he signed on to remake RoboCop, he didn’t read any drafts left over from the Darren Aronofsky era because he “wanted to focus on my own thing and do my take.”  To create that vision, Padilha has turned to Gran Torino writer Nick Schenk.  Heat Vision makes no mention of Josh Zetumer’s reported involvement with the script, but MGM was initially looking at a February or March start date, so I don’t imagine Schenk will have to start over from page one.  Yet despite the hubbub over Michael Fassbender‘s candidacy to play the cyborg police officer, no cast is locked in.  So Schenk should have some time to craft a solid shooting script in time for a production later in the year.

Hit the jump for details on the pitch Oren Uziel (Mortal Kombat: Rebirth) sold to Neal Moritz (Fast Five).

FAST FIVE Producer Remaking STARSHIP TROOPERS; THOR Screenwriters Penning the Script

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 2nd, 2011 at 8:48 am

In 1997, Robert A. Heinlein‘s arguably-fascist novel Starship Troopers was adapted into a brilliant satire by director Paul Verhoeven.  The movie has amassed a die-hard cult over the years.  It’s also amassed two direct-to-DVD sequels nobody saw.  But now it looks like the Bugs will be headed back to the big screen as Vulture reports that Fast Five producer Neal Moritz and Thor screenwriters Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz are working on a remake.  All I’ll say is that they have their work cut out for them.  Hopefully that work doesn’t turn out to be a brain-dead action movie where soldiers fight CGI but all the subtext has been removed.

Verhoeven’s RoboCop and Total Recall are also getting remakes.  I have faith in RoboCop since director Jose Padilha A) directed the celebrated Elite Squad movies; and B) he seems to understand the original material.  Total Recall seems like it will be polished down to the point where it will lose the mind-bending first half and the delightful lunacy of the second half.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer for Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers.

Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace to Star in Swedish DRAGON TATTOO Director’s DEAD MAN DOWN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 1st, 2011 at 12:32 pm

Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace are set to star in the mob drama Dead Man Down. Director Niels Arden Oplev, who helmed the Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo films, is onboard to direct the project (per THR) which centers on a mobster’s hitman (Farrell) who falls for a disfigured former beauty (Rapace). Bent on revenge, the two subsequently go on a violent killing spree. The script was written by J.H. Wyman (Fringe), who is also producing alongside Neal Moritz (Fast Five).

The pic will reunite Oplev with his Dragon Tattoo star Rapace. The actress turned heads with her bold performance in the Swedish films, landing roles in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows as a result. Farrell recently wrapped the Total Recall reboot, and is set to reteam with his In Bruges director Martin McDonagh for Seven Psychopaths. Production on Dead Man Down is poised to begin in early 2012.

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK Remake Not Happening at New Line

by Jason Barr    Posted: July 20th, 2011 at 3:34 pm

Those of you concerned about the amount of remakes currently circling Hollywood now have one less project to worry about. The long-gestating remake of John Carpenter’s 1981 Escape from New York has been dropped by New Line. Over the course of its development, the remake had names such as Gerard Butler and Jeremy Renner reportedly interested in taking on the role of Snake Plissken made famous by Kurt Russell. From a directorial perspective, Breck Eisner (The Crazies) was most recently attached to the project with a script co-written by Allan Loeb (The Switch) and set up at producer Neal Moritz’s Original Films banner.

For those unfamiliar with the film, Escape from New York is set in a post-apocalyptic New York City that has been downgraded (or upgraded depending on how you feel about NYC) to a maximum-security prison. As the story goes, the eyepatch-wielding/convicted felon Plissken takes on the challenging task of rescuing the President (Donald Pleasence) from the prison kingpin (Isaac Hayes). The stakes? If he succeeds, he is pardoned of his crimes. If he fails, a device he’s wearing will kill him. While those hoping to live in an Escape from New York remake-free world can breathe a sigh of relief for now, Deadline does well to point out that New Line’s dropping of the property also means that the film is back up for grabs. In other words, we aren’t out of the woods just yet.

Neal Moritz Attached to Produce Comic Adaptation THE RED STAR for Warner Bros.

by Bill Graham    Posted: July 19th, 2011 at 7:03 pm

Comics are a hot property these days, and while Universal may be weary of jumping into bed with unknown commodities and developing them into large-scale projects, Warner Bros. seems to have no such qualms. Proof of this dynamic can be found in the fact that Warner’s is currently eyeing an alternate reality comic book series titled The Red Star: a project currently in turnaround at Universal. Created by Christian Gossett in 1999, the comic series takes place in a world where the USSR still exists with elements of magic and futuristic technology intertwined.

For more on The Red Star, including those previously involved, hit the jump.

21 JUMP STREET Set Visit Preview

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: July 7th, 2011 at 9:00 am

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to visit Riverdale High School in Jefferson, Louisiana.  At the time, Sony happened to be shooting a movie there, a remake of the 1980s television staple 21 Jump Street.  Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star as two twentysomething cops who look young enough to join “Jump Street,” a unit that goes undercover at a local high school.  The cast, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), also features Ice Cube, Dave Franco, Brie Larsen, and Rob Riggle.

While on set, several other online colleagues and I spoke to Hill, Tatum, Larsen, Franco, producer Neal Moritz, and Lord and Miller.  The full interviews will come at a later date, but today the studio is allowing me to run a preview piece.  Hit the jump for a glimpse into the set visit, plus the first official image from the movie.

FAST & FURIOUS 6 Release Date is May 24, 2013

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 24th, 2011 at 4:31 pm

Universal has just announced the next Fast and the Furious movie will hit theaters May 24, 2013 (which is Memorial Day weekend). You might remember that Universal showed a Fast and Furious 6 promo poster at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas last week, so the 2013 release date was already known.  What we didn’t know was the date.

According to the studio, Neal H. Moritz and Vin Diesel return to produce, and director Justin Lin is again helming the franchise.  According to Variety, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson will all be back and we already knew Fast Five screenwriter Chris Morgan was writing the 6th installment.  With Fast Five set to cross $600 million at the worldwide box office in the next few days, it’s no surprise Universal wants the next installment in less than two years.  Since Fast Five did a great job at reinventing the franchise, I’m ready for the next installment.  What about you?

Jason Bateman Eyes Role Opposite Vince Vaughn in the Comedy INSANE LAWS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 9th, 2011 at 3:30 pm

Jason Bateman is a very busy man. He’s got two comedies opening this summer, The Change-Up and Horrible Bosses, plus he has to keep everyone updated on the Arrested Development movie. Well now he’s in early negotiations to join Vince Vaughn in the comedy Insane Laws. Marking the feature directorial debut of screenwriter Jeremy Garelick (The Break-Up), the film focuses on two best friends whose lives are impacted when their kids begin dating. The situation is exacerbated when when Vaughn’s character’s daughter becomes pregnant.

Deadline reports that the actors recently did a read-through of the script, and that production could begin as soon as the fall. Garelick co-wrote The Break-Up with Vaughn, and performed extensive rewrites on The Hangover (director Todd Phillips claims Garelick was responsible for the lion’s share of the finished script). I think the comedic stylings of Bateman and Vaughn could make for some fantastic on-screen chemistry, so I’m hoping everything comes together on this project. Horrible Bosses opens July 8th, while The Change-Up hits theaters August 5th.

Confirmed: Jeff Bridges to Co-Star with Ryan Reynolds in R.I.P.D.; Filming in Boston This September

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 25th, 2011 at 2:35 pm

Last month, we reported that Jeff Bridges was in talks to co-star with Ryan Reynolds in the adaptation of the Dark Horse comic series R.I.P.D. The comics are about a group of dead lawmen in the “Rest in Peace Department” who try to keep other dead folks in line.  The Wrap now confirms that Bridges is on board to play Roy Powell, whom producer Neal Moritz described as “a gunslinger who’s been dead for hundreds of years.”  Reynolds plays Powell’s partner, Nick Cruz, a recently murdered cop who’s out for revenge.  Powell was originally set to be played by Zach Galifianakis, but he dropped out over concerns that the project would be delayed if Warner Bros. exercised Reynolds’ option on Green Lantern 2.  However, we have now confirmed that filming is set for mid-September in Boston.

My main concern over this project rests with director Robert Schwentke.  While the action scenes in Red were competent enough, he had a tough time finding the comedy and R.I.P.D. is being billed as a “supernatural comedy”.  In the meantime, we’ll wait and see if Reynolds will move to this film or if he’ll be headed back to Oa.

New Financier Comes on to HIGHLANDER Reboot; Justin Lin Still Attached; New Screenwriters Announced

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 16th, 2011 at 8:19 am

RCR Media Group has sent out a press release announcing they’re co-financing the Highlander reboot with Summit Entertainment and Neal Moritz Productions.  For those unfamiliar with the premise, it’s about immortal guys called Highlanders who cut off each other’s heads until only one Highlander remains.  Then he gets a special prize and a Queen song plays.  The press release reports that Fast Five director Justin Lin is still attached, but keep in mind that his plate is filling up with other projects due to the success of Fast Five.  Not only does Universal want to hit the gas on Fast and Furious 6, but Lin is also attached to Terminator 5.  Does he want to make the first great Highlander movie (the original is campy fun, but not a great movie) or does he want to go to a film that’s likelier to succeed like Fast 6 or T5?

The press release also announces that Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (Iron Man) wrote the screenplay, but back in February we reported that Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg had been hired to rewrite the script that was originally penned by The Wibberleys (National Treasure) .  Neither Rosenberg nor The Wibberleys are mentioned in the press release, which you can read after the jump.

Confirmed: Phillip Noyce to Direct HUNTER KILLER

by Jason Barr    Posted: February 17th, 2011 at 3:06 pm

Earlier this week, we reported that director Phillip Noyce (Salt) was in talks with Relativity Media to helm the international action-thriller/submarine flick (yep, it’s a real genre) Hunter Killer. Today, we have confirmation on that report as Noyce has officially signed on to the project. Per THR, Noyce is looking to begin shooting the picture later this year.

In case you missed it last time, Hunter Killer is based on the upcoming novel Firing Point by George Wallace and Don Keith. The film, penned by Jamie Moss (X-Men: First Class), Arne Schmidt (Chain Reaction), and John Kolvenbach (Coney Island), conjoins an American submarine commander and a Navy SEAL in an attempt to rescue the Russian president from a renegade admiral. Neal Moritz and Toby Jaffe of Original Films will team-up with Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh and Tucker Tooley to produce Hunter Killer.

TWILIGHT Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg to Tackle HIGHLANDER Remake Script

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 9th, 2011 at 6:44 pm

Well that was unexpected. Melissa Rosenberg, who has written the screenplays for all of the Twilight films, is in negotiations to come on board the Highlander reboot to work on that script. Justin Lin (Fast Five) is on board to direct the film, which will be a remake of the 1986 Christopher Lambert cheese-fest classic (and winner of the Academy Award for Best Movie Ever, according to Ricky Bobby). Neal Mortiz is producing the film, and when he recently sat down with Steve he said that the film will “stay true to the core of what we believe Highlander is,” but they also want to make it “for people who are new to the franchise.”

The most recent draft of the script was written by The Wibberley’s (National Treasure). Heat Vision’s report doesn’t state if Rosenberg is coming in to do “touch-ups” or to completely re-tool the script. There’s no release date set for the film yet, but it’s presumed to be Lin’s next film.

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