Timur Bekmambetov

Red-Band Trailer for ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER Is the Best One Yet

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 24th, 2012 at 8:11 am

I’ve been running cold on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but Fox has now released a new red-band trailer for the film, and I’m starting to warm up to the flick.  While it looks like half of the movie will be speed-ramped, I can now make out the action on screen, and characters are actually talking to each other.  I’m also surprised at how bloody this looks, and I’m starting to wonder if Fox will release two R-rated blockbusters this summer (the other is Ridley Scott‘s Prometheus).  Keep in mind that director Timur Bekmambetov‘s previous film, Wanted, went out in the summer of 2008 with an R-rating and raked in $341 million worldwide, although having Angelina Jolie in your movie doesn’t hurt.

Hit the jump to check out the “Red-Band” (unrated would be a more accurate description) trailer.  The film stars Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Rufus Sewell, Anthony Mackie, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter opens in 3D on June 22nd.

Chloe Grace Moretz in Talks for Zombie Film MAGGIE

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 10th, 2012 at 4:37 pm

After starring in this weekend’s Dark Shadows, Chloe Grace Moretz may return as one of the undead in the father-daughter zombie film, Maggie.  Originally picked up by producer Timur Bekmambetov as a Black List spec script by John Scott 3, Maggie deals with a zombie apocalypse in which the titular 16-year-old becomes infected.  The story further deals with the unconditional love of a father for his daughter, as Maggie remains with the family over the six-month course of her transformation.  Fittingly, The Walking Dead title/credits designer Henry Hobson will make his directorial debut on this feature.  Moretz is in negotiations to play the title role while Paddy Considine (The Bourne Ultimatum) is in talks to play the father.  Maggie plans to start production this September.  Hit the jump for more on Moretz.

WANTED Director Timur Bekmambetov to Helm Thomas Edison Film THE CURRENT WAR

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 3rd, 2012 at 12:03 pm

While director Timbur Bekmambetov’s next film, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, pits our nation’s 16th president as an axe-wielding superhero with distaste for the undead, he’s set to go a tad more traditional with his next period pic.  Deadline reports that Bekmambetov ‘s Bazelevs production company has acquired The Current War for Bekmambetov to direct.  The film, written by Michael Mitnick, “chronicles the true-life public battle fought between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse for domination of the early power industry.”  The script ranked fairly high on the 2011 Black List, which ranks the “most liked” unproduced screenplays circulating Hollywood.

Given the over-the-top nature of Wanted and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, I can only assume that Bekmambetov’s version of the “War of Currents” will envision Edison and Westinghouse as wizards wielding unworldly power of a dark and gritty nature.  I’m not the biggest fan of Bekmambetov’s style, but there seems to be plenty that are.  It’ll be interesting to see if he does The Current War with an action bent or if he’ll try a more understated, dramatic approach.

Director Timur Bekmambetov Talks ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, MAGGIE, and Future Projects at WonderCon

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 21st, 2012 at 6:18 pm

At this past weekend’s WonderCon, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter director Timur Bekmambetov, star Ben Walker and writer Seth Grahame-Smith showed off a new trailer and an extended section of a big action set piece that featured all the principal cast.  If you missed Dave’s recap of the panel, click here.  You can also watch the new trailer here.  For those just hearing about the project, the film re-imagines our 16th President as a statesman by day and a vampire slayer by night.

Shortly before the panel, I got to sit down with Bekmambetov for an extended interview.  He talked about collaborating with Tim Burton and 20^th Century Fox, the challenges of editing the film because of the 3D, and the runtime, tone and music.  In addition, Bekmambetov talked about the status of Maggie and reveals he plans on stepping back for his next project to do something out of character because he feels he’s done “too many genre movies.”  Hit the jump to watch.

WonderCon 2012: ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER Panel Recap; Timur Bekmambetov and Benjamin Walker Screen Special Footage

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

In addition to showing off their footage (and a new trailer!) for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, 20th Century Fox also premiered some new footage for producer Tim Burton and director Timur Bekmambetov’s (Wanted) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Part of the new footage was this recently released trailer (Mr. Lincoln, you had me at “gun-axe”). But they also showed an extended section of a big action set piece that featured all the principal cast, Bekmambetov’s signature action style and a helluva good fight. Unfortunately, Burton could not be present because he was gravely ill, but did check-in via satellite in a delightfully Burtonesque clip. Details after the jump.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, starring Benjamin Walker, Rufus Sewell, and Anthony Mackie opens in 3D on June 22nd. Hit the jump for more from the presentation.

New Trailer for ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 17th, 2012 at 3:43 pm

A new trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has gone online. The film posits that one of our nation’s greatest Presidents spent his spare time slicing and dicing vampires. I was a bit surprised by the first trailer in that the whole “Abraham Lincoln kills vampires” thing is played super serious, so I went into this new trailer with a different mindset. We get a better sense of the story, but I’m still not entirely enthused by the film. The trailer excels when it shows off the scenes that highlight the epic scope, but the rest of the time it’s basically Lincoln spinning his axe around all fancy-like. Timur Bekmambatov directed the film, and I’m assuming that if you were a fan of his action pic Wanted, the style of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will be right up your alley.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer, and check back for our full report on the film’s WonderCon panel later today. The film stars Benjamin Walker, Rufus Sewell, and Anthony Mackie. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter opens in 3D on June 22nd.

Director Timur Bekmambetov and Benjamin Walker Talk ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: February 20th, 2012 at 7:59 pm

For Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’s trailer launch, 20^th Century Fox brought out director Timur Bekmambetov and star Benjamin Walker to talk about the movie. But not just anywhere, they brought them to Springfield, Illinois – the home of Lincoln’s tomb and his library and museum. We got a chance to talk to the two about the film and about Lincoln in the museum, after having been shown the film’s teaser and a couple of clips.  Check out our exclusive interview with the two after the jump.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter opens June 22.

New Poster and Behind-the-Scenes Video for ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER [Updated with 3 New Images]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 16th, 2012 at 10:11 am

A new poster and behind-the-scenes video have gone online for Timur Bekmambetov‘s adaptation of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  The film re-imagines the 16th president (played by Benjamin Walker) as a slayer of vamps after one of them killed his mother when he was a boy.  In the movie, Anthony Mackie plays Lincoln’s lifelong pal, William.  Mackie jokingly tells MTV his character’s relationship with Walker’s is like 48 Hours with Walker as the Nick Nolte character.  If he had been serious, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter would have shot to the top of my must-see list instead of languishing near the bottom of my “I’ll See It because It’s My Job to Do So”-list.  Bekmambetov also said, “I like it when my characters are likable.”  He then offered no explanation regarding any of the characters in Wanted.

After seeing the set video, I’m at least curious to see how Walker will play Lincoln, because right now he just looks like a guy who wants to sell some used cars over Presidents Day weekend.  Hit the jump to check out the set video along with a new poster.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter opens in 3D on June 22nd.  [Update: We’ve added 3 new images after the jump.

Warner Bros. to Reboot BEETLEJUICE; Seth Grahame-Smith to Possibly Write Script; Updates on His Other Projects with David Katzenberg

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 6th, 2011 at 11:01 am

David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith and their KatzSmith production company have signed a two-year first-look deal with Warner Brothers.  One of the first projects under that deal is a Beetlejuice reboot because of course it is.  For those who haven’t seen the original: stop making me feel old.  Tim Burton’s 1988 comedy starred Michael Keaton as the eponymous character, a mischievous ghoul who teams with a young woman (Winona Ryder) to get her parents out of their new home so it can be restored to its dead owners (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin).  Deadline reports that the deal grew out of Grahame-Smith’s screenwriting work on Tim Burton’s next film, Dark Shadows, an adaptation of the 1960s horror TV series.  Grahame-Smith, who came to popularity out of his gimmick novels Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (film adaptations are in the works for both), is contracted to write two scripts under the deal and Beetlejuice could be one of them.

Hit the jump for other projects KatzSmith has in the works.

Third Trailer for APOLLO 18

by Jason Barr    Posted: August 29th, 2011 at 5:45 pm

Yet another trailer for director Gonzalo López-Gallego’s found-footage horror film Apollo 18 has hit the interwebs. As you may know by now, Apollo 18 makes use of “archived footage” to prove not only that the United States returned to the moon after its last official launch in 1972, but also that the unofficial Apollo 18 mission is the reason we never went back.

Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) produced the film and even though I’m currently suffering from “found-footage fatigue,” I’ll admit that this third trailer makes things look a touch more insidious and interesting as a result. Check out the new trailer after the jump. Click here for the previous trailer and click here for the teaser trailer. Apollo 18 opens on September 2nd.

TOP 5: THE DARKEST HOUR, Simon Pegg and Greg Mottola Interview, Original FRIGHT NIGHT Screening, Bryan Cranston, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

by Jason Barr    Posted: August 13th, 2011 at 9:17 pm

I hope you’ll pardon the “Top 5′s” lack of punctuality this week. I just returned from a set visit in Louisiana and WiFi was at a premium throughout most of my travels. Although I can say almost nothing about the visit as of now, just know that I arrived there just a touch on the cynical douche side and left really looking forward to the next entry in an iconic horror franchise.

With that out of the way, let’s get to the reason we’re all here: the stories. In this week’s installment, you’ll find fifteen things to know about Summit Entertainment’s upcoming alien invasion pic The Darkest Hour, a dinner/interview with Paul‘s Simon Pegg and Greg Mottola, a recap of the Alamo Drafthouse’s screening of the original Fright Night featuring a Q&A with director Tom Holland, Bryan Cranston talking Breaking Bad, Drive, his near appearance in X-Men: First Class among other things, and the latest iteration of our video/audio podcast For Your Consideration. You’ll find brief recaps and links to all of the above after the jump.

15 Things To Know About THE DARKEST HOUR; Plus a Full Interview With Producers Timur Bekmambetov & Tom Jacobson From Moscow

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: August 9th, 2011 at 6:44 am

Last September, straight from the Toronto International Film Festival, I got to do something very cool: I went to Moscow and visited the set of Summit Entertainment’s The Darkest Hour.  Normally when I say I got to visit the set, it involves going to a huge soundstage and sitting around conducting interviews.  However, The Darkest Hour was a bit different: the production was filming on the streets of the city and in and around some of the most famous landmarks on the planet.   It was a set visit unlike any I’ve ever been on, and over the next few months, I’ll be posting video blogs from Moscow, on set interviews, and some really cool content.  It really was an amazing trip that I can’t wait to share.

One of the highlights of the trip was actually the first thing we did: we interviewed producers  Timur Bekmambetov & Tom Jacobson on the top of the of the Hotel Ukraina, a newly remodeled hotel in one of the historical Seven Sisters, seven buildings that were commissioned and built during the time the Soviets designed in the Stalinist style.  It was easily the most unique location I’ve ever conducted an interview and the view was breathtaking.  During the 45 minute interview I learned a lot about The Darkest Hour.  Hit the jump for the highlights, the first trailer, along with the full transcript and audio.

First Details on Gareth Edwards’ Untitled Sci-Fi Project; Pitched as “A Robot STAR WARS”

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 5th, 2011 at 10:23 am

Monsters director Gareth Edwards is attached to Legendary Pictures’ upcoming Godzilla reboot, but he’s also got a cool-sounding sci-fi flick brewing.  Sources tell /Film that Edwards that project “is about a young human child (probably around 5 years old) and a robot who travel across the galaxy in search of mankind’s origin in a world void of humanity and filled with robots.”  Edwards is pitching the movie as “a robot Star Wars“.  Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov is producing.

Hit the jump for more details on the project.

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.

New Set Photo from ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER plus Hi-Res Version of Previously Released Image

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 12:09 pm

Filming on Timur Bekmambetov’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is underway. Fox has released a hi-res version of the image released earlier this week.  There’s also a set photo that shows Bekmambetov directing star Benjamin Walker as Abraham Lincoln sans beard and sans vampire hunting.

Hit the jump to check out both images.  The film also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anthony Mackie, Dominic Cooper, Alan Tudyk, Jimmi Simpson, and Refus Sewell.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter opens in 3D on June 22, 2012.

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