On this all mailbag episode of Collider Movie Talk, John Campea, Jon Schnepp, and Hal Rudnick (Screen Junkies) discuss the following:
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer
- The Force Awakens ticket sales crashes sites
- Doug Liman may direct Gambit
- Underworld 5 shoot begins
- The Big Short poster
- The Zookeeper’s Wife in production
- Opening this week (brought to you by AMC theaters)
- Rogue One rating
- ...and a few things more!
Last night during Monday Night Football on ESPN, Disney and Lucasfilm dropped the 3rd and final trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In the trailer we get our best looks yet at Han, Leia, Kylo Ren, Rey, Finn and many others. Star Wars: The Force Awakens officially opens on December 18th.
Along with Disney debuting the newest trailer for Star Wars, the studio also put the pre-order ticket sales online as well. The results were not so glorious. According to CNN, AMC Theatres, Fandango, MovieTickets.Com and other major movie ticket sales site all either crashed or were slowed down to a virtual crawl throughout the night due to overwhelming traffic. It’s also expected that ratings for last night’s NFL Monday Night Football were the highest of the year so far.
BUY OR SELL
As we previously reported, Doug Liman is being eyed to direct the upcoming Channing Tatum film Gambit based on the popular X-Men character. Liman has previously directed such films as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Edge Of Tomorrow and The Bourne Identity. As some of you may remember Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes director Rupert Wyatt was attached to direct the film but departed the project last month.
Lakeshore Entertainment and Screen Gems have begun principal photography on the upcoming Underworld 5 in Prague. The franchise will once again see Kate Beckinsale return as the main character in series, the death dealer Selene. The previous 4 installments of the Underworld series have grossed nearly $500 million dollars worldwide. The new film is being directed by veteran television director Anna Foerster who is also reportedly going to be directing a sequel to the 2011 Jake Gyllenhaal film Source Code.
The first official poster for the upcoming film The Big Short has hit the web. The film stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling. When four outsiders saw what the big banks, media and government refused to, the global collapse of the economy, they had an idea: The Big Short. Their bold investment leads them into the dark underbelly of modern banking where they must question everyone and everything.
Production has begun in the Czech Republic on the new Jessica Chastain film The Zookeeper’s Wife. The film is an adaptation of Diane Ackerman’s nonfiction book of the same name which was based on the diaries of Antonina Żabiński. The time is 1939. The place is Poland, homeland of Antonina Żabiński and her husband, Dr. Jan Żabiński. The Warsaw Zoo flourishes under Jan’s stewardship and Antonina’s care. When their country is invaded by the Nazis, Jan and Antonina are forced to report to the Reich’s newly appointed chief zoologist, Lutz Heck (played by Daniel Brühl). The Żabińskis covertly begin working with the Resistance – and put into action plans to save the lives of hundreds from what has become the Warsaw Ghetto, with Antonina putting herself and her children at great risk.
OPENING THIS WEEK (brought to you by AMC Theatres)
First up is Jem and the Holograms. Teenager Jerrica is an extremely shy but talented singer-songwriter whose dreams of stardom come true when she forms the group Jem and the Holograms. Other members include her younger sister Kimber on keyboards, drummer Shana and bassist Aja. With help from Rio, the son of the CEO of Starlight Music, the four young band members find their own voice while taking the world by storm.
Next is the new Vin Diesel film The Last Witch Hunter. The modern world holds many secrets, the most astounding being that witches still live among us. Centuries ago, Kaulder managed to slay the all-powerful Queen Witch, decimating her followers in the process. Before her death, she cursed the valiant warrior with her own immortality, separating him from his beloved wife and daughter in the afterlife. Her resurrection now threatens the survival of the human race as Kaulder, the only one of his kind remaining, faces her vengeful wrath.
MAIL BAG
Dallas Ludlum writes: Hey Collider Crew! I have been watching for the past 3 years and you are always a part of my day! Do you think that Rogue One can be a gritty and violent enough war film with a PG-13 rating? Thanks, and bring on the filthy!
