Steven Spielberg

Oren Peli Talks THE RIVER; Premieres Tonight on ABC

by Christina Radish    Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 9:36 am

ABC’s intensely scary paranormal thriller The River follows the story of world famous wildlife expert and TV personality Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood), host of the beloved series “The Undiscovered Country.” After Cole goes missing deep in the Amazon, his wife, Tess (Leslie Hope), and estranged son, Lincoln (Joe Anderson), decide to lead a rescue mission deep into the unexplored reaches of the Amazon River, where nature is cruel, magic is real and nothing is what it seems.

While at the TCA Winter Press Tour, executive producer Oren Peli (creator of Paranormal Activity) talked about how he ended up developing an idea for a TV show, the extent of Steven Spielberg’s involvement, the challenges of telling a season’s worth of story in only eight episodes, doing the episodes with a scare-of-the-week while also advancing the overall mystery, trying to create moments where you don’t know what’s going to happen because it’s the unexpected that’s scary, and that even though no one is safe, characters won’t be killed off just for the sake of killing them off. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Steven Spielberg Near a Deal to Direct “Gritty” Moses Epic GODS AND KINGS in Spring 2013

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 25th, 2012 at 7:27 pm

Warner Bros. and producers Dan Lin and Matti Leshem are developing a Moses epic by the title of Gods and Kings.  They reached out to Steven Spielberg to direct last fall, but the odds seemed low since the man is already juggling so many projects.  Yet Spielberg entered into negotiations with the studio before year’s end.  Now word comes that Spielberg is very close to signing on the dotted line.  The director just wrapped on Lincoln, and is already at work on Robopocalypse, so he’s tied up for at least a year.  But Warner Bros. hopes they can get Gods and Kings in production with Spielberg in the director’s chair by March or April of 2013.

With the new report comes new details on what Spielberg has in mind for the massive project, which he reportedly sees as a “Braveheart-ish version of the Moses story.”  Hit the jump for more.

Fox to Co-Finance and Handle International Distribution for Steven Spielberg’s LINCOLN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 23rd, 2012 at 12:00 pm

20th Century Fox is now set to handle two very different Abraham Lincoln projects this year. The studio has come aboard Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln as a co-financier for the historical drama. Per THR, Fox will handle international distribution duties while Disney will distribute the DreamWorks production domestically. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as our nation’s 16th President alongside an incredible supporting cast that includes Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson, Lee Pace, and Jared Harris. The pic is slated to open sometime in the fourth quarter of this year, after the presidential election.

As Fox boards the project, it makes their second Lincoln-centered film of 2012. The studio is also behind the decidedly non-historical Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Directed by Timur Beckmambetov, the adaptation stars Benjamin Walker as the axe-wielding president and opens June 22nd in 3D.

Steven Spielberg Talks LINCOLN, the TINTIN Sequels, and ROBOPOCALYPSE; Says He Isn’t Directing JURASSIC PARK 4

by Talia Soghomonian    Posted: January 12th, 2012 at 6:35 pm

“You want me to speak French to you? That wouldn’t be a good career choice for me. I got a lot of fans here. I don’t want to lose them with one bad accent!” Steven Spielberg joked when the French media asked him to say a few words in their language at a press conference in Paris this week, where he was promoting War Horse.  All kidding aside however, the legendary director does not like to talk about uncompleted projects.  Yet he did offer some insight into four of his upcoming movies.

While he spent much of the 45 minutes answering questions about his new film, he also discussed Lincoln, Robopocalypse, the Adventures of Tintin sequels and Jurassic Park 4.  Hit the jump for more.

Steven Spielberg Talks ROBOPOCALYPSE; Film Will Be Set 15-20 Years in the Future

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 12th, 2012 at 1:31 pm

Steven Spielberg delivered a double-whammy to audiences last month with the release of The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse.  Neither film hit me like I had hoped, but I was in the minority.  The legendary director is now at work on his Abraham Lincoln movie, Lincoln, and then he’ll move on to an adaptation of Daniel H. Wilson‘s novel Robopocalypse.  Spielberg spoke about the movie with his War Horse star Tom Hiddleston.  He tells Hiddleston that Robopocalypse takes place about 15-20 years in the future because “it’s a future that is coming true faster than any of us thought it would.”

Hit the jump for more.  Robopocalypse is slated to open July 3, 2013.

WAR HORSE Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 24th, 2011 at 5:05 pm

“A Boy and His Pet” stories can be immensely charming.  Pets are sweet and they look up to the boy (or girl, but usually it’s a boy in these stories) and the boy loves his faithful friend.  The genre started out as a “A Boy and His Dog”, but has expanded to “A Boy and His Robot” (The Iron Giant) and “A Boy and His Dragon” (How to Train Your Dragon).  Steven Spielberg‘s War Horse pulls it back to terrestrial creatures and starts out trying to tell the story of a boy and his horse.  But then the movie changes gears, separates the two and rather than show the struggle of both to get back to the other, the story uses the horse to try and tell a series of vignettes about life during World War I.  However, those vignettes lose their honesty when Spielberg refuses to show the devastating horror of war.

Steven Spielberg, Producer Kathleen Kennedy, and Screenwriter Richard Curtis WAR HORSE Interview

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: December 21st, 2011 at 3:02 pm

Opening on Christmas Day is director Steven Spielberg‘s fantastic new movie, War Horse.  Based on the Award winning play (which is based on Michael Morpurgo’s book) and set during World War I, War Horse tells the story of “the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert (Jeremy Irvine), who tames and trains him.”  And don’t just take my word for it, early screenings have been very positive and the drama is heading into Oscar season with very positive buzz, especially after the National Board of review named War Horse one of the best 10 films of the year.  The film also stars Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Toby Kebbell.  You can watch the trailer here and here’s seven clips.

Anyway, I was recently able to participate in a press conference in New York City with Steven Spielberg, producer Kathleen Kennedy, and screenwriter Richard Curtis.  During the extended interview they talked about how the film came together, the differences between the book and the film, the creative decisions to get a PG-13 rating, the distinct visual palettes for each story, and so much more.  Hit the jump for the interview.

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 20th, 2011 at 2:36 pm

The Indiana Jones franchise is and will always be one of the giants of the adventure genre.  We should accept that when it comes to adventure, Steven Spielberg will never top Raiders of the Lost Ark, but in his defense, neither will anyone else.  Sadly, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull felt cartoony and done out of obligation rather than any sense of desire to revive the character.  Spielberg picks up a fresh adventure franchise by adapting Hergé‘s internationally beloved Tintin comics, but The Adventures of Tintin manages to feel even more like a weightless cartoon.  All the beats are correct and there’s no need to compromise or carry the baggage of Dr. Jones’ previous efforts, but Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson (who was a de facto co-director on the film) fall into the traps of using motion capture and 3D without understanding how to best utilize either technology.  Tintin presumes to be a grand adventure but there’s no sense of danger and even if there were, there would be no reason to care about whether our heroes escape from it.

First Set Photo of Daniel Day-Lewis in Steven Spielberg’s LINCOLN

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 14th, 2011 at 7:42 am

We know that Daniel Day-Lewis looks like when he’s dining out while going method for his performance as Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg‘s Lincoln.  The first set photo has now gone online and it shows Day-Lewis going full stove-pipe hat.  He looks so good I want to put him on currency.  Spielberg and his beverage know what I’m talking about.

Hit the jump to check out the set photo.  The film also stars Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, John Hawkes, Michael Stuhlbarg, David Strathairn, Walton Goggins, David Oyelowo, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill, Jackie Earle Haley, Lee Pace, and Jared Harris. Lincoln opens in late 2012.

Over 10 New Images from THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 9th, 2011 at 11:42 am

Paramount has released a small batch of new images from Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin. While many Americans may be scratching their heads, Tintin is based on one of the most popular comic book series in Europe. The film has already opened overseas and has been doing fantastic business thus far. I’m very much looking forward to finally getting the chance to check it out, as it’s Spielberg’s first foray into motion-capture. Word on the street is that Tintin plays like the Indiana Jones sequel Spielberg never made, and plans are already very much in the works for producer Peter Jackson to direct the sequel.

Hit the jump to check out the images, which also include a couple of behind-the-scenes shots of Spielberg and Jackson. The film stars Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost. The Adventures of Tintin opens in 3D on December 21st.

Uma Thurman to Guest Star on NBC’s SMASH

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: December 8th, 2011 at 6:34 pm

NBC is looking to siphon off the success of FOX’s hit, Glee, by including some famous guest stars in their new musical drama, Smash. Having recently released a promising trailer, the series from executive producer Steven Spielberg will follow Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee) along her journey from Iowa to Broadway. Though the show already supports a strong cast in Debra Messing, Christian Borle and Anjelica Huston, Smash is going to need some star power: that’s where Uma Thurman comes in. Thurman will be featured in a five-episode arc as a famous, but pretentious, movie star who competes for the starring role in “Marilyn,” the featured musical of Smash’s plot. Hit the jump for the press release.

Kathleen Kennedy Talks Daniel Day-Lewis in LINCOLN; Says ROBOPOCALYPSE Starts Filming End of Summer/Beginning of Fall Next Year

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 8th, 2011 at 12:02 pm

Just a few days ago we brought you a portion of Steve’s conversation with producer Kathleen Kennedy, whom he spoke to as part of the junket for Steven Spielberg‘s World War I drama War Horse. One of Spielberg’s most prolific producing partners, Kennedy provided updates on Jurassic Park 4 and a Tintin sequel, and even talked about a 3D re-release of the original Jurassic Park.  Today we’ve got more of Steve’s interview with Kennedy and she talks about Spielberg’s next two projects: Lincoln and Robopocalypse. The producer talked about working with the phenomenal Daniel Day-Lewis on the now-filming Lincoln and revealed exactly when/where/if Day-Lewis breaks character.

In addition, Kennedy talked briefly about Spielberg’s next project after Lincoln, Robopocalypse. Based the novel by Daniel H. Wilson, the film tells the story of a sentient artificial intelligence that takes over our global technology and begins a systemic attack on mankind. Hit the jump to see what Kennedy had to say about both projects.

Producer Kathleen Kennedy Talks JURASSIC PARK 4, a 3D Re-Release for JURASSIC PARK, and the TINTIN Sequel

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 4th, 2011 at 1:35 pm

If you’re unfamiliar with the name Kathleen Kennedy, I assure you you’re very familiar with her work. Kennedy has been one of Steven Spielberg‘s producing partners since Raiders of the Lost Ark, and is responsible for producing films like Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, The Sixth Sense, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and many many more. Most recently she worked with Spielberg on the director’s two December releases War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin. Steve is currently in New York for the War Horse junket and he got the chance to speak with Kennedy, who gave updates on a number of high profile projects.

While we’ll have the full interview up shortly (as well as updates on other upcoming projects), we wanted to share with you what she had to say about a Tintin sequel, Jurassic Park 4 and the possiblity of a 3D re-release for Jurassic Park today. Kennedy confirmed that they’re working on another entry in the Jurassic Park franchise, revealed that Universal has approached them about a 3D re-release of the original Jurassic Park, and said they’ve already set things in motion for a sequel to Tintin, which could feasibly be released by Christmas 2014 or summer 2015. Hit the jump to see what she had to say.

7 Clips from Steven Spielberg’s WAR HORSE

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 3rd, 2011 at 4:55 pm

We have 7 clips from War Horse, one of two Steven Spielberg films that will see release this holiday season.  Set during World War I, War Horse tells the story of “the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert (Jeremy Irvine), who tames and trains him.”  Based on early screenings, the drama is heading into Oscar season with very positive buzz, especially after the National Board of review named War Horse one of the best 10 films of the year.

Tom Hiddleston, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Toby Kebbell also star.  War Horse opens on December 25.  Watch the clips after the jump.

Steven Spielberg Talks Michael Bay Returning for TRANSFORMERS 4; Plus an Update on INDIANA JONES 5

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 2nd, 2011 at 3:56 pm

Director Steven Spielberg has two very different movies coming out this holiday season. One is a fun, animated action-adventure (The Adventures of Tintin), while the other is a very serious drama about World War I (War Horse). In anticipation of the release of those films, The Beard recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly. His full interview will run in the latest issue, but the director made some comments regarding Michael Bay returning for a fourth Transformers pic and gave an update on Indiana Jones 5, both of which are now available. In addition, he addressed recent discouraging comments he made about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Hit the jump to see what he had to say. 

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