Timur Bekmambetov

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.

First Look at ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 9th, 2011 at 9:26 am

The first image from Timur Bekmambetov’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has gone online.  In case you couldn’t get the plot from the title, the movie is about America’s 16th President secret life as a vampire slayer.  Based off the book by Seth Grahame-Smith, the story re-imagines that Lincoln’s mother and grandfather were killed by a vampire and that the president’s resolve to end slavery was due in part to the “fact” that vampires were involved with the slave trade.  However, he also learns that there are good vampires and bad vampires and that he can’t simply just kill them all willy-nilly.

Hit the jump for the image and to learn how the production is devoted to historical accuracy in this incredibly silly story.  The film stars Benjamin Walker, 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.

Rufus Sewell to Play Villain in ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 12th, 2011 at 2:12 pm

Rufus Sewell will be the vampire hunted in Timur Bekmambetov’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  Variety reports that Sewell will play “Adam, the lead vampire villain” in the 3D action-horror flick.  The film stars Benjamin Walker as our re-imagined 16th President, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd Lincoln, Anthony Mackie as Abe’s friend Will, Alan Tudyk as Stephen A. Douglas, Jimmi Simpson as Lincoln’s right hand man, and Dominic Cooper as Lincoln’s vampire-slaying mentor, Henry.

Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter opens in 3D on June 22, 2012.

Timur Bekmambetov Buys Zombie Spec Script MAGGIE

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: March 31st, 2011 at 9:28 pm

Producer/director Timur Bekmambetov beat out five competitors to acquire the rights to the John Scott 3 spec script Maggie in a mid six-figure deal.  The story revolves a 16-year-old girl stricken with the zombie infection.  The twist: it takes six months for young Maggie to fully transform into a zombie, during which time she remains with her family.  Title/credits designer Henry Hobson (The Walking Dead) will make his directorial debut.  Bekmambetov will produce with Trevor Kaufman.

Deadline suggests Maggie will require a low $4-8 million budget and enter production within the year.  As a producer, Bekmambetov has The Darkest Hour scheduled for August 5 followed by Apollo 18 on January 6, 2012.  Bekmambetov recently returned to the director’s chair to for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Oh, and Rod Stewart?  Expect a call any day now about inquiring about rights to your music:

Alan Tudyk to Play Stephen A. Douglas in ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 17th, 2011 at 1:07 pm

Alan Tudyk (Firefly) will play Stephen A. Douglas in Timur Bekmambetov’s 3D adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  The book imagines our 16th President had a secret life fighting vampires and that was the real reason for the Civil War.  In the history books, Douglas was opposite Lincoln on the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 which helped to raise Lincoln’s national profile.  In the Vampire Hunter, Douglas is recast as an “ally of the Southern vampires,” because the only thing that’s worse than vampires, are pro-slavery vampires.

Tudyk joins a cast that includes Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anthony Mackie, Dominic Cooper, Jimmi Simpson, and Robin McLeavy.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the novel.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is due out June 22, 2012.

Breck Eisner in Talks to Direct THE LAST WITCH HUNTER; Timur Bekmambetov Will Produce

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: March 16th, 2011 at 9:07 pm

Breck Eisner (The Crazies) is in early talks to direct The Last Witch Hunter for Summit Entertainment.  (Not to be confused with Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.)  The Last Witch Hunter centers on one of the last remaining witch hunters charged with the population control of witches and warlocks.  The magical breed is about to proliferate in “a major way” unless our protagonist can stop them.

According to Deadline, Cory Goodman (Priest) wrote the screenplay; Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) will produce.  Eisner was mentioned in connection with the Ouija movie before McG landed the gig, and dropped out of the remake of The Brood late last year.  However, Eisner is still attached to remakes of Flash Gordon and Escape from New York, so The Last Witch Hunter has some competition on the way to becoming the director’s next film.

Trent Reznor NOT Scoring or Acting in ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 10th, 2011 at 5:54 pm

After his fantastic (and Oscar-winning) stab at feature film composing with The Social Network, it’s understandable that Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor has been fielding a few offers to score more feature films. He’s currently working on David Fincher’s next film, the American adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and was recently rumored to be scoring and possibly acting in Timur Bekmambetov’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Well, now it turns out that Reznor won’t be scoring the Civil War-set vampire flick after all. He explains on the official NIN message boards (via Cinema Blend) that when news broke that he’d be working on the score for the film, he still hadn’t made up his mind as to whether or not he’d be taking the job. No word on why he turned it down, but he states that there’s “no juicy story here,” so presumably he just decided he’d rather focus his talents elsewhere for the time-being. Hit the jump to read what he had to say.

Trent Reznor to Score and Co-Star in ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER?

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 3rd, 2011 at 1:11 pm

Trent Reznor picked up an Oscar for his terrific score to The Social Network and he’s set to score David Fincher’s follow-up, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. So what comes after an Oscar and providing the music to an adaptation of a best-selling novel?  Apparently for Mr. Reznor, it’s doing the music and co-starring in a 3D vampire movie.

Badass Digest reports that Reznor will not only provide the score for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, he’ll also play the bloodsucker that offs Lincoln’s mother and sets the 16th president on his path of vampire destruction.  The film is based off the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, who previously wrote the mash-up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of Grahame-Smith’s novel.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter stars Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anthony Mackie, and Dominic Cooper.  It opens in 3D on June 22, 2012.

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