Scott Stewart

THE KARATE KID Director Harold Zwart to Helm MORTAL INSTRUMENTS Starring Lily Collins

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 16th, 2012 at 10:17 am

Director Harold Zwart (The Karate Kid remake) has boarded Mortal Instruments starring Lily Collins.  The film is an adaptation of Cassandra Clare‘s young adult novel, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.  Collins will play Clary Fray, “a young woman who discovers she is the descendant of a line of secret cadre of half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect the world from demons.”  Zwart previously directed the cringe-worthy family fare Agent Cody Banks and The Pink Panther 2, but I rather enjoyed his remake of The Karate Kid.  He’s certainly a step up from the previous director Scott Stewart (Priest) who left to work on a TV series based on his film Legion.

According to THR, filming on Mortal Instruments is set to begin on August 15th in Toronto.  Hit the jump for the official synopsis.

Columbia Pictures Dumps THE BOYS While Screen Gems Ditches THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: February 10th, 2012 at 7:47 pm

Back in March of last year, director Adam McKay (The Other Guys) spoke about the difficulty of making a Hard R-rated anti-superhero movie. Turns out that McKay is prophetic. Columbia Pictures has put the adaptation of the Garth Ennis/Darick Robertson comic The Boys into turnaround. The Boys, an informal moniker for a CIA squad tasked with keeping tabs on (and occasionally putting down) superheroes, was apparently not to the studio’s liking. The reports don’t cite any specific reason for the drop, but McKay himself did mention the pic would be a hard sell and compared it to a “current day Watchmen.” Probably not what you want to tell a movie studio. In other news, Columbia Pictures’ sister slate Screen Gems has also backed out of the adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s YA fantasy series, Mortal Instruments. Hit the jump for more.

Syfy Turning LEGION Into TV Series

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: February 10th, 2012 at 12:26 pm

Well, if you weren’t disappointed enough in Scott Stewart‘s film Legion when it hit theaters back in 2010, maybe he can leave a bad taste in your mouth on TV this time. Deadline reports SyFy is developing a series adaptation of the film which followed the Archangel Michael (played in the film by Paul Bettany) as he disobeyed God’s orders and attempted to help the humans fight against a legion of angels sent to bring about the Apocalypse. I’ll give Stewart credit for knowing how to direct action, but the characters and story were weak sauce, and I can’t see how he can make things any better by directing and executive producing a TV adaptation of a film that just didn’t work. In addition, who will stand up to the sheer commanding presence of Paul Bettany? It’s going to be a tough sell.

Jamie Campbell Bower, Ed Speleers and Leebo Freeman Up for Role of Jace in THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 16th, 2011 at 6:59 pm

Now that the cast of The Hunger Games is just about set, it’s time to move on to the next teen fantasy/adventure book series film adaptation: The Mortal Instruments. Lily Collins (Priest) is locked as the lead in the Scott Stewart-directed flick. The Wrap reports that Jamie Campbell Bower, Ed Speleers and Leebo Freeman all tested opposite Collins on the Sony lot last week.

Bower is somewhat of a veteran of teen books-turned-films, having appeared in both Twilight (as Caius) and Harry Potter (as Gellert Grindelwald). Speleers is best known for 2006’s Eragon and Freeman is a newcomer. The book series centers on 15-year-old Clary Fray who witnesses a murder only to discover that she has encountered the “Shadowhunters”, a secret tribe of warriors who are on a mission to destroy demons. Hit the jump for a synopsis of the first novel in The Mortal Instruments series.

Director Scott Stewart Interview PRIEST

by Christina Radish    Posted: May 7th, 2011 at 7:30 pm

With the action-horror film Priest opening in theaters on May 13^th, Collider was invited, along with a handful of other outlets, to Sony Studios to preview a few scenes of the film and see the comparison between the 2D that it was shot in and the 3D conversion. The brief scenes gave a feel for the world that was created, the characters that inhabit it, the tone of the story, and one of the evil, snarling creatures. Getting to see the scenes first in 2D, and then again in 3D, really gave a sense of the conversion process and showed how time can really make a difference in the quality.

During the interview, director Scott Stewart talked about what he enjoys about working with Paul Bettany, how he determined the look for the Priests, deciding on the color scheme of the film, creating the look of the vampires, the process of converting to 3D, his plans for the DVD/Blu-ray, and whether he’s thought about a possible sequel for the film. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

4 Clips from PRIEST

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 1st, 2011 at 9:58 am

With Screen Gems Priest opening May 13, the studio has sent over four clips from director Scott Stewart’s film that stars Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Lily Collins, Brad Dourif, Stephen Moyer, and Christopher Plummer.  Here’s the synopsis:

Priest is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi ride, set in an alternate world – one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. The story revolves around a legendary Warrior Priest from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church. When his niece is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on a quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend, a trigger-fingered young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess who possesses otherworldly fighting skills.

Hit the jump to watch the clips.

New PRIEST Trailer Sells the Action

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 12th, 2011 at 2:12 pm

While some trailers try and sell you on the story, the new trailer for Screen Gems Priest is selling just one thing: action.  From the moment the trailer starts, we watch as Paul Bettany and Cam Gigandet have to fight off some ugly looking vampires and they use some cool weaponry to try and survive.  I got to see the full sequence in 3D at WonderCon and thought it looked really good even though it had been post converted.  With this sequence being the main thing they’re selling in the new trailer, I am a bit nervous that this is the only big money shot in the movie.  However, I really like the cast, and I’m hoping the movie has a few other kick ass action set pieces.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer.  You can click here for all our previous Priest coverage.   Finally, here’s my recent video interviews with Paul Bettany, Lily Collins and director Scott Stewart.

Director Scott Stewart Talks PRIEST and MORTAL INSTRUMENTS at WonderCon

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 5th, 2011 at 8:33 pm

Arriving on May 13 is director Scott Stewart’s Priest.  Based on the graphic novel of the same name, the film stars Paul Bettany as a renegade warrior priest who goes on the hunt for his niece who’s been kidnapped by vampires. The 3D film also stars Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Karl Urban, and Lily Collins. At WonderCon, Screen Gems premiered a few scenes and I thought it looked like a pretty cool vampire movie.  In addition, while the film has been post converted, the 3D looked really well done and it just shows when you spend the time, post conversion works.  It took them 6 months to do it.

The day after the panel, I sat down with Stewart for an extended interview.  We discussed the footage he brought to WonderCon, did his previous experience in visual effects help him on Priest, the release date shift and how that helped the film, and he discussed his next project: Mortal Instruments (which is set to star Lily Collins).  While Priest was post converted, Stewart tells me he’s shooting Instruments in 3D and “we’re in the midst of doing a bunch of designs for the vehicles, the weapons, the creatures and the world.”  Hit the jump to watch.

WonderCon 2011: PRIEST Recap

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 1st, 2011 at 10:09 pm

Tonight I was able to see some footage from Scott Stewart’s Priest as Screen Gems premiered a few scenes to a number of WonderCon attendees. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, the film stars Paul Bettany as a renegade warrior priest who goes on the hunt for his niece who’s been kidnapped by vampires. The 3D film also stars Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Karl Urban, and Lily Collins. Hit the jump for my reaction to the footage.

Alex Pettyfer Addresses the MORTAL INSTRUMENTS Rumors

by Christina Radish    Posted: January 23rd, 2011 at 6:35 pm

A few days ago, Vulture reported that an offer went out to 20-year-old British actor Alex Pettyfer, star of the upcoming I Am Number Four and Beastly, for the role of Jace Wayland, the male lead in the film adaptation of the Mortal Instruments book series. Screen Gems President Clint Culpepper apparently even said that he feels so strongly about the actor that he only wants to greenlight the film, if he signs on.

At this weekend’s press day for I Am Number Four, we got the opportunity to ask the actor (who was paired with director D.J. Caruso for the interview) if he is, indeed, interested in signing on for the fantasy film, based on the best-selling novel City of Bones (the first book in the series) by author Cassandra Clare. For what he had to say, hit the jump:

Three Directorial Candidates for OUIJA; Thanksgiving 2012 Release Planned

by Kevin Panasiewicz    Posted: October 27th, 2010 at 6:17 pm

According to Deadline, Ouija, the film based on the Hasbro game popular among youth and cult worshipers alike, has three chief candidates vying for the director’s chair: The Losers director Sylvain White, Taken director Pierre Morel (which we reported on here), and Priest helmer Scott Stewart. A winner is suspected to emerge within the next couple weeks.

Ouija is one of three upcoming tentpole films with its origins stemming from a Hasbro product, with Peter Berg’s Battleship – which recently scored Liam Neeson as a Navy admiral – set for a May 18^th, 2012 release and Rob Letterman’s Stretch Armstrong – with Taylor Lautner attached to star - likely to go before lenses sometime in 2013. Ouija is penciled in for a Thanksgiving 2012 release. Hasbro and Platinum Dunes will be co-financing the picture with Universal.  Info on the Ouija Board and my thoughts on the candidates after the jump.

Karl Urban Talks PRIEST and STAR TREK 2

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 19th, 2010 at 9:00 am

As Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy in director J.J. Abrams Star Trek, Karl Urban delivered a fantastic and memorable performance and it’s one even diehard Trek fans loved.  And since before the film got released, fans have wondered what’s the status of the sequel.

As a result, when Paramount announced a June 29, 2012 release date for Star Trek 2 (or whatever it’s called), people have wondered when the film would go into production.   According to Karl Urban, who I recently got to speak with, the film “will start to shoot at the beginning of next year.”  He also talked about director Scott Stewart’s vampire movie Priest.  Hit the jump for what he said on both films:

Tyrese Gibson Video Interview LEGION

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 21st, 2010 at 11:06 am

Opening tomorrow is writer/director Scott Stewart‘s Legion. The movie stars Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Charles S. Dutton, Jon Tenney, Kevin Durand, Willa Holland, Kate Walsh and Dennis Quaid.  Here’s the synopsis:

Legion find a dusty diner in the Mojave Desert becomes ground zero for earth’s final showdown, in this startlingly original and terrifying vision of the Apocalypse. As mankind destroys itself in a savage fury, a small group of people trapped on the edge of nowhere prepare to make a last stand with the help of a mysterious and powerful stranger.

To help promote the film, I recently got to speak to one of the kings of Twitter…Tyrese Gibson.  During the interview, we talked about what got him involved in Legion, how many tweets is too many in one day, the Gladis scene, his thoughts on the Transformers Revenge of the Fallen reviews, and I tried to find out what’s up with Transformers 3.  It’s a great interview so take a look:

Katie Walsh Video Interview LEGION

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 20th, 2010 at 12:17 pm

Opening this weeeknd is writer/director Scott Stewart’s Legion. The movie stars Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Charles S. Dutton, Jon Tenney, Kevin Durand, Willa Holland, Kate Walsh and Dennis Quaid.  Here’s the official synopsis:

Legion find a dusty diner in the Mojave Desert becomes ground zero for earth’s final showdown, in this startlingly original and terrifying vision of the Apocalypse. As mankind destroys itself in a savage fury, a small group of people trapped on the edge of nowhere prepare to make a last stand with the help of a mysterious and powerful stranger.

To help promote the film, I got to speak with the entire cast and today’s interview is with Katie Walsh.  During the interview we talked about Brazil, why she wanted to be in Legion, trying to do both movies and TV as she’s on Private Practice, and what else she’s working on.  Check the interview out after the jump:

Adrianne Palacki Video Interview LEGION

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 19th, 2010 at 4:46 pm

Opening this weeeknd is writer/director Scott Stewart’s Legion. The movie stars Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Charles S. Dutton, Jon Tenney, Kevin Durand, Willa Holland, Kate Walsh and Dennis Quaid.  Here’s the official synopsis:

Legion find a dusty diner in the Mojave Desert becomes ground zero for earth’s final showdown, in this startlingly original and terrifying vision of the Apocalypse. As mankind destroys itself in a savage fury, a small group of people trapped on the edge of nowhere prepare to make a last stand with the help of a mysterious and powerful stranger.

To help promote the film, I got to speak with the entire cast and each day I’m posting one of them.  Today it’s with Adrianne Palacki.  During the interview we talked about the promotional process, social networking like Twitter and Facebook, making the movie, and her next film, Red Dawn.  Check out what she had to say after the jump:

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