Richard Linklater‘s 1995 film Before Sunrise is a love story.  His 2004 follow-up, Before Sunset, is a life story.  His latest film, Before Midnight, is a lived-in love story.  The relationship of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) resumes at its most complicated point where we see what happens nine years after true love.  Once again, Linklater and his co-writers (also Hawke and Delpy) have delivered an honest and thoughtful romance that truly taps into the maturity of its lead characters.  Although the story falters when the focus pulls back from its protagonists, Before Midnight firmly establishes the trilogy as a unique and remarkable accomplishment that manages to always find the humor, tragedy, frustration, and desire in a brutally honest love story.

Three weeks ago, production wrapped on Before Midnight, the third entry in the incredibly well regarded Before Sunrise/Sunset series directed by Richard Linklater. The fascinating thing: nobody even knew the picture had been written or was in production. The films, for those unfamiliar, follow Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) as they meet, talk and fall in love all in a day and night.

At the press junket for Sinister earlier today, I had the opportunity to speak with star Ethan Hawke about the recently shot and wrapped Before Midnight. Hawke was more than willing to open up about the newest entry in the series, the writing process behind the films and whether or not Before Midnight will be the last in the series. For Hawke’s thought on the film, hit the jump.

Fans of Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy’s Before Sunrise and Before Sunset will be happy to know that we weren’t too far off when we reported that Hawke and director Richard Linklater were currently filming a third film in the series in Greece.  It’s been confirmed that the duo are in Greece working on the Before Sunset sequel, but no shooting has taken place yet.  As the first two installments saw Hawke and Delpy’s characters romancing in Vienna and Paris, perhaps Greece will be the backdrop to the next next chapter, tentatively titled Before Midnight.  Hit the jump to see what Hawke had to say.

A sequel to follow up on Before Sunrise and Before Sunset has been rumored for years now, pretty much since Sunset premiered in 2004.  In June, Ethan Hawke suggested the sequel—rumored to be titled Before Midnight—was supposed to shoot this summer (although co-star Julie Delpy believed they were at least a year away).  As you may have noticed, we are running out of summer.  Is it possible that Hawke and Delpy already started shooting Before Midnight with director Richard Linklater?  A bit of detective work places Hawke and Delpy in Greece right now, working on a project that very well may be the sequel of interest.  It’s best to pass along the info in bullet form after the jump.

Despite admitting that he had “gotten into trouble” and was now “sworn to secrecy,” Ethan Hawke confirmed that he and his longtime collaborator Richard Linklater would be shooting a follow-up to their critically acclaimed films Before Sunrise and Before Sunset this summer.

Almost ten years passed between the first two films, and we are quickly approaching almost a decade since the last. Though not much else is known about the next installment to this now-trilogy, Linklater and Hawke’s interest in the passage of time is without question.  The two have also been working on The 12-Year Project, literally filming a mere one vignette a year. For more on that project, the Sunset sequel and Hawke’s other recent projects, hit the jump.

Opening this weekend, in limited release, is director Richard Linklater’s (Dazed and Confused, School of Rock, Before Sunrise) new film Bernie.  The dark comedy is based on a true story and stars Jack Black as an assistant funeral director of a small Texas town who wooed and then murdered a cantankerous, affluent widow.  Black is surrounded by a terrific supporting cast that includes Shirley MacLaine as said widow and Matthew McConaughey as the one person in town who suspects Bernie of wrongdoing.  While I’ve been less than impressed with Black’s recent film choices, I thought his work in Bernie was incredible and it’ll remind you that when he has the right material, he’s a great actor.  For more on the film, here’s seven clips.

Last week I got to sit down with Richard Linklater for an extended video interview.  We talked about putting Bernie together, how the industry has changed over the past decade, casting, his favorite movies, Woody Allen, how the script changes in rehearsal but not as much on set, what’s the status of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset on Blu-ray, and if we’ll see another chapter in the series.  Hit the jump to watch.

We’ve got a couple of tidbits regarding sequel news to share today: one sensible and one slightly insane. We’ll start with the sensible sequel. Actress Julie Delpy recently told a Sundance audience (per Deadline) that she’s done with acting and wishes to focus on writing and directing. However, she’s still keeping her options open for a third film in the Before Sunrise/Before Sunset series with Ethan Hawke and director Richard Linklater. She told EW (via The Playlist):

“We’re thinking about [a third film], but the second one we only did because we had a good setup, and ideas. I don’t think we would do it if we find the right thing to say. If the third one’s not good, it’s not good for the two before. We’re careful. We’re thinking about it, but it’s not official.”

The first two films each take place during one day and center on the romantic relationship between Delpy and Hawke. Hit the jump for news regarding a sequel to The Wicker Man remake in which Nicolas Cage would play a ghost. Seriously.

While I think director Richard Linklater‘s fascination with the art of conversation tends to weaken his movies, sometimes it creates their entire soul and works beautifully.  That’s the case with Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, which follow two people (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) and the emotional bond they form in their short time together.  Hawke and Delpy collaborated with Linklater on the script for Sunset (and did uncredited work on Sunrise), and now Hawke says the trio have been heavily discussing a sequel over the last six months and will try to write the screenplay next year.

Hit the jump for more on the third Sunrise film plus an update on Linklater and Hawke’s long-in-production film, Boyhood.

Opening tomorrow is The Spierig Brothers new film Daybreakers.  The film stars Ethan Hawke as a brilliant vampire hematologist (blood expert) and he lives in a world where most humans have been turned into vampires due to a plague. Unfortunately, with a vampire society so large, they’ve killed most of the remaining human population and they’re relying on Hawke to provide a blood substitute. The film also stars Sam Neill, Isabel Lucas, and Willem Dafoe.

While vampire movies and TV shows are everywhere, Daybreakers has a great concept and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the film.  It’s definitely no Twilight.

So to help promote the film, I recently participated in a roundtable interview with Ethan Hawke.  He talked about why he got involved in the project, making the film, and a whole lot more.  It’s a great interview worth checking out.

At this morning’s press junket for Daybreakers, I was able to ask Ethan Hawke his thoughts on doing a third film in the Before Sunrise/Before Sunset universe.  If you’re a fan (like me) of these two amazing movies and are hoping they’d do a third film, it sounds like they aren’t against it, but don’t expect to see it anytime soon.  That’s because even though people constantly give Hawke ideas for the film, he says, “My thought is we will make one as soon as everybody has forgotten about it.”

He also revealed, “We had a version of that movie that happened two years later.  But once it took us five years and we can’t get the money to make that movie we have to rethink it. So elements or lines from that script stayed.  When we first finished Before Sunset there was an idea that we would do.  Julie and I wanted to do a short film the next year that we thought would be really fun to do like a five minute short and then put it in the vault so to speak and then fifteen years later make another film.”

Much more after the jump:

Two of my favorite movies are Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.  The two films star Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy and if you’ve ever seen these two great movies, you know how special they are.  The first film takes place over one night in Vienna, and the second film takes place in Paris.  Since I don’t want to spoil the adventure for those who haven’t seen them, all I want to say is…if you have a chance, watch the first movie.  Then, wait a few months and watch the second film.  You’ve got to wait for the full effect.  Trust me on this.

But for those who have seen the films and love them as much as I do, you’re going to love my five minute conversation with director Richard Linklater about the films and does he think they’ll make a third one.  The only thing to know is…you’ll have to sit through me telling him how the Before Sunrise literally changed my life.  After I get that out of my system, we have a great back and forth on the films and the future.  This interview is aimed at fans of the films.  Don’t spoil the experience by watching this till you have seen them….