Roland Emmerich

Roland Emmerich Delays Start on SINGULARITY to Work on Script. Seriously.

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 10th, 2011 at 2:04 pm

Roland Emmerich‘s Anonymous was a departure for the director because it featured story and characters rather than explosions and more explosions.  It was assumed the story-and-characters thing would be put to the wayside with Emmerich returning to blockbusters and taking on the $175 million sci-fi flick Singularity. However, THR is reporting that the director is stopping pre-production to work on the script he co-wrote with Harald Kloser. The movie “focuses on a young man whose body is made up of a swarm of nanobots, giving him all sorts of powers at the same time as it brings unwanted attention from an evil corporation.”  Emmerich and Sony Pictures are reportedly bringing in “futurist and AI specialist” (fun business card) Ray Kurzweil to consult on the script.

Singularity was set to begin casting this week as it geared up for a March 2012 start and a May 17, 2013 release date, but obviously this delay throws those dates into question.  I enjoy having a little fun at the expense of the guy who made enjoyable-yet-vapid blockbusters like Independence Day and 2012, but if wants to work harder on the script, then I’m all for it.

Luke Grimes, Logan Marshall Green, Julian Morris and More Testing for Lead in Roland Emmerich’s Sci-Fi Flick SINGULARITY

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: November 6th, 2011 at 1:52 pm

Slated to start production in March, director Roland Emmerich (2012) is looking to cast the male lead for his next sci-fi project, Singularity. Set 40 years in the future, Singularity is not the disaster-fare we’ve come to expect from Emmerich, but something else entirely. He’s not saying much about the project, co-written with Harald Kloser, but it occurs at a time when our technology is so advanced, there is the potential that we lose control of it. The lead of the film will be Adam, a young man composed entirely of a swarm of nanobots which grant him amazing powers.

A number of relative unknowns will meet to read for the role this week, including TV stars Luke Grimes (Brothers and Sisters), Logan Marshall Green (Dark Blue) and Julian Morris (Pretty Little Liars). Hit the jump for more on Singularity.

TOP 5: PHANTOM MENACE 3D and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL Trailers, IN TIME, ANONYMOUS, THE RUM DIARY Interviews

by Jason Barr    Posted: October 29th, 2011 at 10:30 am

Today is a good day. The Cardinals are World Series champions, trick r’ treaters will soon be out in full force, and I’ve got a night of horror films to look forward to. Once a year, my fiancée agrees to watch a few pics of the scary variety (or at least Halloween themed ones, i.e. Ernest Scared Stupid) with me in the hopes that I won’t ask her to partake in them again until the following Halloween weekend. Last year’s highlights included Drag Me to Hell and Trick r’ Treat. This year is shaping up to be Tobe Hooper-heavy with Poltergeist and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre possibly making the cut. Like I said, today is a good day.

Before you dive into whatever Halloween festivities may await you, I hope you’ll take a few minutes and check out what this week’s “Top 5″ has to offer. In this installment you’ll find the first trailer for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 3D, a new trailer for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and interviews for this weekend’s openers In Time, Anonymous and The Rum Diary. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

Fox Planning Back-to-Back INDEPENDENCE DAY Sequels With or Without Will Smith

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 27th, 2011 at 11:30 am

Director Roland Emmerich’s relatively small drama Anonymous opens in theaters this weekend, but it appears that the 2012 director doesn’t plan to make small-scale films a habit as he may be returning to Independence Day sooner rather than later. Last March, we reported that back-to-back sequels to the 1996 alien invasion smash hit were in development, with both Emmerich and star Will Smith expected to return. However, disputes over budgets and salaries lead to everyone deciding to slow down a bit and take some time to actually write the scripts first. Now the sequels are written, and Fox is ready to move on Indepenence Day 2 and 3. The only question is, will Smith be returning? Hit the jump for all the details.

Director Roland Emmerich Talks ANONYMOUS, ASTEROIDS and SINGULARITY

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: October 24th, 2011 at 6:35 pm

With Roland Emmerich’s period drama Anonymous opening this weekend, I recently got to speak with the high profile director about making the film. Best known for his big-budget disaster movies like 2012 and Independence Day, Anonymous is quite a departure, as the story centers on a conspiracy to cover up the true author of William Shakespeare’s plays.  There are no monsters or aliens.  Instead, Emmerich has made a really entertaining political thriller wrapped in a conspiracy theory that stars Jamie Campbell Bower, Rhys Ifans, David Thewlis, Joely Richardson, Rafe Spall, Xavier Samuel and Vanessa Redgrave.

During the interview, Emmerich talked about where the idea for Anonymous came from, how much is fact and how much was “Hollywoodized,” editing, deleted scenes, extended cuts on home video, and he gave me updates on Asteroids and Singularity - which he’s working on now and will be his next movie.  Hit the jump to watch.

Dante Harper to Pen Roland Emmerich’s Adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s FOUNDATION

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 30th, 2011 at 2:05 pm

Roland Emmerich’s adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi trilogy Foundation just got some fresh blood. Deadline reports that Dante Harper has come aboard to write the latest draft of the screenplay, after Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) penned the first draft. Asimov’s series takes place at a time when humans are scattered on planets all over the universe, living under the rule of the galactic empire. When a psycho-historian who has the power to see the future foretells that the empire will come under collapse very soon, he sets out to ensure that the knowledge of mankind isn’t wiped out. Emmerich previously talked about the challenge of adapting such a sprawling mythology back in 2009, and at the time said he was waiting on Rodat’s script. Apparently he now feels the material needs another go.

Though he hasn’t yet seen the release of one of his projects, Harper is a bit of a hot commodity at the moment. His calling card was the Timothy McVeigh biopic Dreamland for Brad Pitt’s Plan B. He also wrote the script for Black Hole, which David Fincher was going to direct, and did a rewrite on the fairy tale update Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters which opens next March. His next film likely to go into production is Doug Liman’s super cool-sounding All You Need is Kill, which is currently casting. Emmerich’s next directorial effort after the release of Anonymous will be the sci-fi flick Singularity, which he told Steve will probably start filming in March.

TIFF 2011: ANONYMOUS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 15th, 2011 at 7:34 pm

In Anonymous, Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) tells young playwright Ben Jonson (Sebastian Armesto), “All artists have something to say because otherwise they’d just make shoes.”  It’s a funny quote when you consider that director Roland Emmerich’s previous filmography is mainly comprised of brainless blockbusters like Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012.  Anonymous, a political thriller wrapped in a conspiracy theory, could not be further from those movies and Emmerich sets out like a man with something to prove.  There are no monsters, aliens, cataclysms, and the only explosion is the destruction of the Globe Theatre, which actually did burn to the ground in 1613.  The film plays fast and loose with most historical facts (including why the Globe burned down), but it manages to craft an intriguing period piece before getting bogged down in political intrigue and tearing down historical figures.

5 Clips from Roland Emmerich’s ANONYMOUS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 15th, 2011 at 8:57 am

We’ve been provided with 5 clips from director Roland Emmerich’s period drama Anonymous to share with our readers.  Best known for big-budget films like 2012 and Independence Day, the film marks quite a departure for the director.  The story centers on a conspiracy to cover up the true authors of William Shakespeare’s plays, as the works were used to criticize the monarchy.  The cast includes Jamie Campbell Bower, Rhys Ifans, David Thewlis, Joely Richardson, and Vanessa Redgrave.  Hit the jump to watch the clips. Anonymous opens October 28th.

Exclusive: Roland Emmerich Talks SINGULARITY, Says He’s Not Doing ASTEROIDS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 12th, 2011 at 10:31 am

Steve and Matt are currently basking in the awesomeness of the Toronto Film Festival, and earlier today Steve got the chance to sit down with director Roland Emmerich to talk about his new drama Anonymous.  We’ll have the full interview up for you soon, but Emmerich also spoke a bit about his rumored involvement with Asteroids and his next film Singularity.  During the interview, Emmerich stated why he turned down the chance to direct Asteroids and spoke about his sci-fi flick Singularity, which he said should start filming in March.  Hit the jump to see what he had to say.

New Trailer for Roland Emmerich’s ANONYMOUS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 5th, 2011 at 9:42 am

A new trailer for Roland Emmerich’s Anonymous has gone online.  Like the previous trailer, there’s the poor decision to use Radiohead’s “Everything in Its Right Place”, but we also get a better explanation of the plot.  The movie isn’t simply about the controversial theory that William Shakespeare didn’t write his own plays.  The controversy is wrapped up in a much larger period drama involving political intrigue and how the plays were used to criticize the monarchy while protecting the identities of the true authors.  The larger question isn’t whether or not Shakespeare wrote his plays and poems, but if a big-budget director like Emmerich can go through an entire movie without destroying a revered building or monument.

Hit the jump to check out the new trailer.  The film stars Jamie Campbell Bower, Rhys Ifans, David Thewlis, Joely Richardson, and Vanessa Redgrave.  Anonymous will play at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival and hit theaters on October 28th.

6 Directors Who Could Take Over the TRANSFORMERS Franchise

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 4th, 2011 at 10:59 am

Now that Michael Bay has wrapped his trilogy of Transformers films, it looks like he’s ready to move on to other exploding pastures. Since Paramount and Hasbro want to keep the fire burning on one of their biggest moneymakers, two major decisions lay ahead: when to release the next movie and who should direct it. Bay has been able to crank out Transformers film every two years since 2007, but his infrastructure, crew, and designs have remained in place as opposed to a new director who will, to some extent, have to start from scratch so as not to simply imitate Bay. Transformers 4 could come as early as summer 2013, but I would bet a summer 2014 date is more likely.

But who will direct it? Who can fill Bay’s expensive, nonsensical shoes? It needs to be someone who can manage a big budget and even bigger special effects. It’s not enough to make stuff blow up. You need to understand how to do it properly. After the jump you can check out my suggestions for six directors who could handle Optimus Prime and Friends.

Roland Emmerich’s SINGULARITY Winds up at Sony; Will Be Released May 2013 [Updated]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 29th, 2011 at 1:42 pm

Sony Pictures previously distributed Roland Emmerich’s 2012, they’re planning to release his new film Anonymous this fall, and now it’s looking like they’ll be working with him again.  Details on the film’s story are scant (as if there will be much story to begin with) but THR reports that Emmerich will be writing the script.  THR also says that the movie is untitled, but Deadline reports that the picture is called Singularity, a title that implies a sci-fi bent (a “singularity” is a term used in astrophysics to describe “A point in space-time at which gravitational forces cause matter to have infinite density and infinitesimal volume, and space and time to become infinitely distorted.”)

However, Singularity may not be Emmerich’s next film.  He’s also attached to direct an adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy as well as a movie based off the classic arcade game Asteroids.  Anonymous, which is a historical thriller that presumes Shakespeare didn’t write his plays, is set to open on October 28th. [Update: Deadline confirms that Sony has picked up Singularity.  The studio plans to release it on May 17, 2013, which implies that this will be Emmerich's next flick.  The only other film currently set for that date is Ron Howard's adaptation of Steven King's The Dark Tower]

Roland Emmerich Offered Director’s Chair for ASTEROIDS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 8th, 2011 at 8:00 am

Roland Emmerich has a period drama set for this fall with Anonymous and that’s a welcome change of pace from his usual fare which tends to involve destroying everything.  I predict that eventually he will make a movie simply called Explosions and Tearful Goodbyes.  But until that film comes, we’ll have to settle for him finding new ways to destroy our planet.  He’s done it with aliens and cataclysm and now he may be doing it with giant rocks from outer space.

Vulture reports that Emmerich has been offered the chair for Universal’s adaptation of the classic arcade game Asteroids.  And technically, Matt Lopez’ (who previously wrote the remake of The Race to Witch Mountain) script doesn’t involve destroying the Earth because Vulture’s sources say that the film is set after the Earth has already been destroyed.  Loophole! Hit the jump for more details on the plot.  We’ll see how many explosions Anonymous has when it opens on September 30th.

New Posters for ANONYMOUS and X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 4th, 2011 at 12:21 pm

New posters have been released for Roland Emmerich’s Anonymous and Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class.  I’m having trouble deciding which is worse.  The poster for Anonymous makes it look like a person is exploding in a mess of ink and bird crap, but X-Men: First Class is continuing the proud tradition of having awful posters (but I seriously doubt anyone is going to top these).

Hit the jump to check out the posters and decide for yourself which one you’d least want on your wall.  Anonymous opens September 30th while X-Men: First Class is due out June 3rd.

James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, Kathryn Bigelow, and Other Directors and Producers Write Open Letter Protesting Premium VOD

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 20th, 2011 at 9:58 am

Home Premiere, a Premium VOD service backed by four major studios, is set to launch tomorrow on DirecTV.  The service would charge consumers $30 to watch movies only sixty days after they first hit theaters.  Theaters, fearing that their revenues will be drastically cut, have responded with threats that range from believable to ridiculous.  Now 23 directors and producers, including James Cameron, Michael Bay, Kathryn Bigelow, Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson, Michael Mann, and Gore Verbinski have released an open letter siding with the theaters.

In the letter, the signers make the point that just because Premium VOD launches at $30, it doesn’t mean it will stay there and it could conceivably drop to $10 within a few year.  Hit the jump for the full letter.

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