The first television outing for Skyfall duo Sam Mendes and John Logan has roped in even more prestige talent.  The Impossible director Juan Antonio Bayona has been tapped to direct the first two episodes of the new Showtime series Penny Dreadful, which was created, written, and executive produced by Skyfall scribe John Logan and has Sam Mendes onboard as an executive producer.  The incredibly promising “psychosexual horror series” takes place in Victorian London and weaves together the classic origin stories of horror icons like Dr. Frankenstein and his creature, Dorian Grey, and several characters from the novel Dracula.  Hit the jump for more. 

The Impossible is a tricky film to write about because there’s just something inherently tricky about the film itself. Maybe that’s because it’s based on a true story that often feels a little too impossible to believe. Or maybe it’s because that story has been so blatantly Hollywood-ized – with Spanish 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami survivors María Belón Alvárez and Tomás Belón recast as the impossibly blonde-haired and blue-eyed Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor. Or maybe it’s because the finished film falls into a Hollywood genre that typically encourages us to revel in the onscreen wreckage, only here it’s impossible to do so without feeling weird – I mean, over 200,000 people died as a result of that really cool-looking wave! Anyway, these were the issues I had when I first saw The Impossible and which resurfaced while watching it on Blu-ray.  Hit the jump for my review.

A new U.K. trailer for the disaster drama The Impossible has been released.  Based on a true story, the film stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as parents of a family caught in the tsunami that hit southeast Asia in 2004.  The tsunami scenes here look more terrifying than ever, but this trailer also has a strong focus on the human drama side of the story.  The pic premiered last month at the Toronto Film Festival to mostly positive reviews, with many noting director J.A. Bayona’s impressive work on the tsunami scenes.  The film also drew some criticism for being overly manipulative, but I’m a big fan of McGregor and Watts so I’m eager to see how this one plays out.

Hit the jump to watch the new trailer.  The film also stars Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, and Oaklee Pendergast.  The Impossible opens on December 21st.

A new trailer and two new images for director J.A. Bayona’s (The Orphanage) drama The Impossible have been released.  The film stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as parents of a family caught in the tsunami that hit southeast Asia in 2004.  The tsunami scenes look genuinely terrifying, but it appears as if the majority of the film will focus on the aftermath of the disaster, as Watts and McGregor are separated with different members of their family.  It’s refreshing a take that focuses on humanity’s selflessness in a time of need, and hopefully we’ll see Bayona explore this theme further when the full film hits theaters.  This trailer is damn effective (set to the musical stylings of Damien Rice), so hopefully we’ve got something special headed our way.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer and check out the new images.  The film will screen at the Toronto Film Festival next month and opens in theaters on December 21st.

We’ve got another batch of posters and synopses from the American Film Market, including promo posters and synopses for Tarzan 3D and The Impossible, as well as an official synopsis for the feature film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. The new adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic tale Tarzan comes in the form of a 3D animated adaptation. Reinhard Klooss (Animals United) is directing from a script that Klooss co-wrote with Jessica Postigo (The Mortal Instruments). Additionally, The Impossible comes from The Orphanage director J.A. Bayona and stars Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, and Tom Holland. The film tells the true story of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, as Watts races to find and save her family from the ensuing flood.

Finally, we’ve got the official synopsis for the feature film adaptation of the popular teen book series The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. The 3D film stars Lily Collins as a girl who is transported to another world when she meets a mysterious half-angel known as a Shadowhunter. Hit the jump to see the promo posters and synopses.