Roberto Orci

ENDER’S GAME Updates from Producer Roberto Orci; Talks About Kubrick Influence, Favorite Scene, Zero G Battles and More

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 17th, 2012 at 8:38 pm

Harrison Ford reportedly called Ender’s Game, “one of the most emotional science fiction movies he has ever seen.”  If you’re a fan of Orson Scott Card’s award-winning novel, this article should let you breathe a little easier about the upcoming Gavin Hood adaptation.  While I was a bit leery about Hood’s attachment to my beloved property (see X-Men Origins: Wolverine), the Ender’s Game production blog has been shedding some interesting light on the filmmaker’s approach.  Hood and producer Roberto Orci (Star Trek) really seem to get the gist of the novel; that should elicit a sigh of relief followed quickly by a jolt of excitement from fans.  Orci recently participated in a Q&A on the blog in which he commented on the tone of the picture, the relationship between Colonel Hyrum Graff (Harrison Ford) and Ender (Asa Butterfield), as well as his favorite scenes.

Ender’s Game tells the story of Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, a young boy sent away to Battle School to hone his military skills and, hopefully, save the world from an impending alien invasion.  Also starring Abigail Breslin, Sir Ben Kingsley, Hailee Steinfeld, Nonso Anozie and Viola Davis, the picture opens November 1st, 2013.  We’ve also got some images from the production, so hit the jump to check it out!

STAR TREK 2 Stars Zachary Quinto and Simon Pegg Tweet Picture Wrap

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 8th, 2012 at 8:46 pm

If we can trust the Tweet, then Star Trek 2 and Zachary Quinto have officially wrapped.  Quinto sent out an image and a brief message over Twitter today that would suggest the follow up to J.J. Abrams‘ 2009 Star Trek has wrapped.  After these set photos and video initially leaked earlier this year, we haven’t see a whole lot out of the Starfleet camp (here’s a hat).  Quinto stays the course with this Tweet, as far as images go, but it’s good to know the production has wrapped up.  Maybe now we can get an official title.  The Untitled Star Trek Sequel, starring Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban, John Cho, Alice Eve, Peter Weller, Noel Clarke, and Benedict Cumberbatch. , opens May 17th, 2013.  Hit the jump to see the image along with a recap of what we know about the sequel.

New Featurette for PEOPLE LIKE US Starring Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks

by Matt Currie    Posted: May 7th, 2012 at 12:18 pm

A bit over a month after the first trailer for long-lost-sibling drama People Like Us debuted online, a sizzle reel (fancy industry talk for “featurette”) has followed. Basically, it’s a lot of the stuff we’ve seen before (plus some new bits), mixed with footage of first-time director Alex Kurtzman (co-writer of Star Trek and Transformers) and stars Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks discussing the film. Co-written by Kurtzman, frequent collaborator Roberto Orci and Jody Lambert, the film sees a debt-ridden salesman (Pine) who must split a sizeable inheritance with a sister (Banks) he didn’t know about; as he struggles with the “But it’s so much money!” quandary, he forges a relationship with his unsuspecting sis and her young son.

If you thought the first trailer betrayed a bit too much schmaltz, this one won’t do much to sway you. But, at the very least, it improves upon its predecessor by cutting the line “Sometimes the past is a present.” Shudder. Hit the jump to check it out. People Like Us (previously titled Welcome to the People) also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde, Jon Favreau, and Mark Duplass. It will hit theaters on June 29.

Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman to Produce Reboots of THE MUMMY and VAN HELSING; Tom Cruise to Star in VAN HELSING

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 1st, 2012 at 10:26 am

Star Trek screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman recently signed an exclusive two-year producing deal with Universal Pictures.  The studio has now sent out a press release announcing that the duo will take on reboots of The Mummy and Van Helsing with Tom Cruise attached to co-produce and star in the latter.  Last month, we reported that Prometheus co-writer Jon Spaihts has been tapped to write the reboot of The Mummy.  As for Van Helsing, Cruise has been involved with the property since 2010, but at the time, the product went into stasis after Guillermo Del Toro declined to direct.  At the time, Cruise and Del Toro were set to team for At the Mountains of Madness, but Universal pulled the plug because they wouldn’t give Del Toro the budget and R-rating he wanted.

Hit the jump for the press release.  Orci and Kurtzman were recently hired to write the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man.  It’s important to note that the successful producing/screenwriting duo are currently not attached to write the scripts for either The Mummy or Van Helsing although they’ll obviously have major input.

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci Tapped to Rewrite THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Sequel

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 24th, 2012 at 12:02 pm

It’s commonplace nowadays for studios to get a jump on the sequel to big budget properties before the first film hits theaters, and Sony got a very good head start on the follow-up to The Amazing Spider-Man by setting James Vanderbilt to pen the sequel back in March of last year.  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is already dated for May of 2014, and now it appears that the studio would like another pass on the script.  So who do you get to pen a high priority, big-budget summer movie?  Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, of course.  Hit the jump for more.

New STAR TREK Video Game Trailer and Concept Art

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 17th, 2012 at 11:35 am

While I usually hate video game tie-ins, everything I’ve seen and learned about the upcoming Star Trek video game makes me believe it’s something special.  Not only does the game look cool, but executive producer and screenwriter Roberto Orci says it will function as canon.  Orci says, “It’s going to be a story that fits into our movies, and fits into between the first two movies.  We would not allow a game to go out if it was not somehow a part of the continuity.”  I’m assuming “we” means co-writers Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof, and director J.J. Abrams.

While news about the Star Trek video game has been quiet the past year, last week Paramount Pictures showed off a new trailer at Namco’s Gamer’s Day and they’ve now sent it over so everyone can check it out.  They’ve also sent over a few new pieces of concept art.  If you’re a Star Trek fan and dig video games, after watching the trailer you’ll be sold.

Producer Roberto Orci Talks ENDER’S GAME, Plus a New Photo from the Set

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 3rd, 2012 at 6:48 pm

At the newly up-and-running production blog for Ender’s Game, the producers have teased a glimpse of Ender’s world at the Battle School and have promised us more to come in the weeks ahead. If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, producer Roberto Orci also dropped a few comments in response to fans’ fears about how the filmmakers were treating the source material and questions about potential sequels as well as author Orson Scott Card’s involvement in the project. Ender’s Game, based on the award-winning novel by Card, follows a young student training in military school who may be the last hope for humanity in a futuristic war against a hostile alien race. The movie, directed by Gavin Hood, stars Asa Butterfield, Abigail Breslin, Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis and Hailee Steinfeld. Fans will definitely want to hit the jump to check out the new photo and to see what Orci had to say.

Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions to Remake 1980s Comedy SUMMER SCHOOL

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 2nd, 2012 at 4:09 pm

Adam Sandler’s production company Happy Madison is looking to remake Carl Reiner’s 1987 classic comedy, Summer School.  The original starred Mark Harmon (NCIS) as a gym teacher forced to give up his summer vacation in order to teach an English class to a group of remedial students.  The Paramount picture also starred Kirstie Alley (Look Who’s Talking), Robin Thomas (The Banger Sisters), Courtney Thorne-Smith (Melrose Place) and Reiner himself.  Happy Madison’s Sandler and Jack Giaraputo are currently in negotiations with the studio to get the remake off the ground, something Paramount has been trying to do since 2005.  Hit the jump for more on Summer School including Sandler’s involvement and a look at the original trailer and movie poster. 

ENDER’S GAME Production Blog Launched

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 21st, 2012 at 11:17 am

After years of starts and stops, a feature film adaptation of Ender’s Game is finally on the way. X-Men Origins: Wolverine director Gavin Hood is at the helm, and Hugo‘s Asa Butterfield plays the titular boy who’s recruited to develop military strategies in an attempt to prepare for an intergalactic battle. A production blog for the film has just been launched, with an inaugural entry highlighting the big shoes Butterfield has to fill for the long-awaited adaptation. The blog will be run by producer Roberto Orci (Star Trek) and will feature guest updates from the cast and crew.

I’m only a few chapters into Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, but I’m enjoying the sci-fi story so far. Hood’s involvement gave me pause, but he’s assembled a top-notch cast that includes Harrison Ford, Viola Davis, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin and Ben Kingsley. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of the book, and head over to the official production blog to check out the first entry. Ender’s Game opens on March 15th, 2013.

Chris Pine’s WELCOME TO PEOPLE Now Titled PEOPLE LIKE US

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: March 15th, 2012 at 8:12 pm

Previously known as Welcome to People, the familial drama from debut director Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek) is now titled, People Like Us. Written by Kurtzman, Roberto Orci (Star Trek) and relative newcomer Jody Lambert, People Like Us stars Chris Pine (Star Trek) as a man who inherits $150,000 upon his father’s death, but must deliver the money to a sister he has never met. Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games) stars as the sister in question, an alcoholic with a 12-year-old son, who Pine’s character befriends. Olivia Wilde (Cowboys and Aliens) also stars in People Like Us as Pine’s girlfriend, Hannah. Pine spoke on the project during a previous interview,  as did Mark Duplass (The League) in a more recent interview that you can read here. Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns) also stars as Pine’s widowed mother. The DreamWorks picture, partially set up by Steven Spielberg himself, will open June 29th of this year.

Imagine Entertainment, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci Developing Adaptation of Anne Rice’s THE TALE OF THE BODY THIEF

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 2:39 pm

Ten years after 2002′s abysmal Queen of the Damned, tales from Anne Rice‘s Vampire Chronicles may be returning to the big screen.  THR reports that Ron Howard and Brian Grazer‘s Imagine Entertainment have optioned the fourth book in the saga of the vampire Lestat, The Tale of the Body Thief.  Star Trek screenwriter Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are co-producing and screenwriter Lee Patterson is currently at work on the script.

Hit the jump for more details on the project.

Roberto Orci Talks STAR TREK Sequel; Updates on Budget, Scope, and the Ship’s Engine Room

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 21st, 2012 at 12:53 pm

As production is finally underway on the sequel to J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, fans are speculating away as to what the sci-fi follow-up will entail. We know that pretty much every major cast member from the first film is returning, and Benedict Cumberbatch is onboard as the film’s villain (which may or may not be Khan). Plot details are firmly under wraps in Abrams’ super secret, high-security mystery box, but writer/producer Roberto Orci recently spoke a bit about how the sequel will differ from the 2009 film.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

Filming Officially Underway on J.J. Abrams’ STAR TREK Sequel

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 17th, 2012 at 11:24 am

Ladies and Gentlemen, Star Trek 2 is on officially on the way. Paramount Pictures has announced that production has commenced on director J.J. Abrams’ follow-up to the fantastically awesome 2009 sci-fi pic Star Trek. We’ve got John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, and Anton Yelchin all reprising their roles from the first film, and in an inspired bit of casting, Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is onboard as the film’s villain. Joining Cumberbatch in the Star Trek newbie circle are Alice Eve and Peter Weller.

Development on the sequel hasn’t been without its fair share of drama (Benicio Del Toro dropped out of the villain role weeks before filming began), but it’s reassuring to know that production has finally begun. The script was written by Star Trek writers Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Damon Lindelof, and composer Michael Giacchino will indeed return to score the pic (huzzah!). The currently untitled sequel will be post-converted to 3D and is set for release on May 17th, 2013. Hit the jump to read the full press release.

Is Benicio Del Toro Playing Khan in STAR TREK 2? [Updated]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 2nd, 2011 at 7:40 pm

Last month, we reported that Benicio Del Toro would be playing the villain in Star Trek 2.  Even before Del Toro’s casting, there has been non-stop speculation on who director J.J. Abrams and screenwriters Damon Lindelof, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman would choose as the baddie.  The name that kept popping up in fanboy circles was Khan Noonien Singh, the memorable antagonist from arguably the best Star Trek movie, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.  I thought this was a terrible idea, but unfortunately, it may have won the day.

Latino Review is reporting that Del Toro will play Khan in the upcoming sequel.  Hit the jump for more on Khan and why I hope this news is wrong.  [Update:  Abrams has commented on this rumor.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.]

STAR TREK 2 Begins Filming January 15th; Orci, Kurtzman, and Lindelof on 3rd Draft of the Scripts; New Details on Pre-Production

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 16th, 2011 at 8:07 am

Production on Star Trek 2 (unofficial title) is finally about to get underway.  We knew that it would start-up sometime in early 2012, but TrekMovie reports that filming on the sequel will officially begin on January 15, 2012.  Unless Paramount is willing to throw a lot more money at the sequel and everyone is willing to rush, don’t expect the sequel to hit theaters until summer 2013 at the earliest.

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