Over the last several months, we’ve been getting glimpses of Bong Joon-ho‘s upcoming sci-fi film, Snowpiercer.  Today, the first footage has been released via an international behind-the-scenes featurette.  The story is set in a new ice age caused by a failed experiment to stop global warming that killed virtually all life on the planet.  The sole survivors live on a train called Snowpiercer—powered by a perpetual machine—who struggle with the class system implemented on the train.  The featurette is dubbed in Korean (or at least I assume it’s Korean since Joon-ho is South Korean), but you can still see that there’s going to be some action involved, especially on the part of an axe-wielding Chris Evans.

Hit the jump to check out the footage.  The film also stars John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, Ed Harris, Ewen Bremner, Octavia Spencer, Kang-ho Song, and Ko Asung.

Nine international character posters have been released for Snowpiercer, the English-language debut of Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host).  The story is set in a new ice age caused by a failed experiment to stop global warming that killed virtually all life on the planet.  The sole survivors live on a train called Snowpiercer—powered by a perpetual machine—who struggle with the class system implemented on the train.  The posters all provide the first hint of a release date by listing “Summer 2013″.  However, since these are international posters, we don’t know if that’s summer for the U.S., other countries, or both.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The film stars Chris Evans, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris, Ewen Bremner, Octavia Spencer, Kang-ho Song, and Ko Asung.

New images have been released from Snowpiercer, the English-language debut of Korean director Bong Joon-ho (The Host).  The story is set in a new ice age caused by a failed experiment to stop global warming that killed virtually all life on the planet.  The sole survivors live on a train called Snowpiercer—powered by a perpetual machine—who struggle with the class system implemented on the train.  Appropriately, these images are in the form of Korean passports for the cast and Joon-ho.

Hit the jump to check out the passport images.  The film stars Chris Evans, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Alison Pill, Ed Harris, Ewen Bremner, Octavia Spencer, Kang-ho Song, and Ko Asung.  Snowpiercer currently doesn’t have a release date, so it should really get on that.

Quite the celebration is being put together for the 50th anniversary of the immensely popular BBC show Doctor Who.  BBC America announced today that David Tennant and Billie Piper will return for the special alongside John Hurt, Jenna-Louise Coleman, and current Doctor Matt Smith.  Fan-favorite Tennant starred as the Doctor in three series beginning in 2005 before he was replaced by Smith.  The new special will be written by current showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Nick Hurran, with filming set to begin this week in the UK.  No word on when the special will air.

Hit the jump to read the full press release, and click here to read our interview with Moffat regarding all things Doctor Who and Sherlock.  An eight-episode run of new episodes of Doctor Who begins tonight on BBC America at 8pm ET/PT.

The cast is filling out for director Brett Ratner’s new take on Hercules.  Dwayne Johnson is set to star as the titular hero, and MGM announced today (per The Wrap) that Ian McShane, John Hurt, Joseph Fiennes, and Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen) will be rounding out the cast.  This film takes a grounded approach to the story, as Johnson’s titular character is portrayed as a mortal with a fearsome reputation rather than as the demigod son of Zeus.  In addition to the aforementioned actors, we learned yesterday that Rufus Sewell (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) is joining the cast as well, and Askel Hennie (Headhunters) signed on last month to play a warrior devoted to Hercules.  Production on Hercules is slated to begin this November, with a July 25, 2014 release date planned. [Update: Hit the jump to see who the new additions will be playing.]

Director Bong Joon-ho’s (The Host) English-language debut Snow Piercer has secured distribution.  Per Deadline, The Weinstein Company has acquired U.S. rights to Joon-ho’s sci-fi thriller.  The film boasts an excellent ensemble cast that includes Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, John Hurt, and Octavia Spencer and centers on a group of train passengers learning to co-exist in a new ice age.  The ice age is a result of a failed experiment to stop global warming that killed off all life on the planet except for the inhabitants of a train called Snow Piercer, which travels the globe and is powered by a sacred perpetual-motion engine” The conflict in the story comes from a revolution that brews as a result of the class system that forms on the train.

Though nothing has been set in stone, Deadline adds that a wide summer release in 2013 is likely.  It would be a smart move for TWC, and the intriguing concept, heady social issues, and stacked cast definitely make this one to look forward to.  Click here to see what Evans had to say about the film during his recent interview with Steve.

The first synopsis and official images have gone online for Ridley Scott and Tony Scott’s production Labyrinth, a four-hour mini-series adaptation of author Kate Mosse’s bestselling novel.  The story centers on two female protagonists separated by time but united by their shared destiny.  The mini-series stars Jessica Brown Findlay, Tom Felton, John Hurt, Sebastian Stan and Vanessa Kirby.  Hit the jump to check out the synopsis and images.

The jaw-dropping lineup for the upcoming Toronto Film Festival was announced this morning, and a number of images and synopses have been released for films that will be screening at the prestigious fest.  Briefly, here’s a batch of new images:

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Directed by Stephen Chbosky) Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Nina Dobrev, Melanie Lynskey, Paul Rudd, and Dylan McDermott.
• Jayne Mansfield’s Car (Directed by Billy Bob Thornton) Starring Thornton, Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon, and John Hurt.
• The Impossible (Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona) Starring Naomi Watts, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, and Ewan McGregor.
• Byzantium (Directed by Neil Jordan) Starring Gemma Arterton, Saoirse Ronan, Sam Riley, and Jonny Lee Miller.

Hit the jump to check out the images and synopses.

The first trailer for Billy Bob Thornton’s latest directorial effort, Jayne Mansfield’s Car, has landed online by way of an international trailer.  The story revolves around a man whose wife leaves him for an Englishman and moves away to England. 20 or 30 years later, in 1969, the wife dies but wishes to be returned to Alabama where she grew up, so the English family meets—and clashes with—the original family that she abandoned.  The film is still awaiting a U.S. distribution deal despite a seriously stacked cast that includes Thornton, Robert Duvall, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon, Frances O’Connor, Robert Patrick, and Ray Stevenson.

There are laughs to be found in the first half of the trailer which centers on the culture clash between the two families, but the second half hints at some genuinely touching drama that comes out of the situation.  I’m eager to see how the full feature plays out, especially since Thornton hasn’t directed since 2001’s Daddy and Them.  Hit the jump to watch the trailer.

I’m really hoping for some surprises on Oscar night if only to make things interesting, but it’s looking less likely every day. Last night The Artist nearly swept the British Academy Film Awards (essentially the British Oscars), taking home the prizes for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Music, Best Cinematography, and Best Costume Design. Meryl Streep was named Best Actress for The Iron Lady, while Octavia Spencer and Christopher Plummer won Best Supporting Actress and Actor. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy wasn’t sent home empty-handed, as the spy thriller won Best British Film and Best Adapted Screenplay. I was happy to see Senna get some well-deserved recognition, as the Formula 1 doc chronicling the life of driver Ayrton Senna was named Best Documentary.

While George Clooney seemed the favorite in the Best Actor Oscar race for his magnificent turn in The Descendants, The Artist’s Jean Dujardin could easily prove the spoiler. With the SAG Award in hand and now the BAFTA, the French comedian may very well step up to the podium come Oscar night. Hit the jump to see the full list of BAFTA winners. The Academy Awards will be handed out on February 26th.

Gary Oldman wrapped up his 3-day, 7-film retrospective at New York’s Landmark Sunshine Cinema with a fun, extended Q&A after Wednesday night’s screening of his Oscar-nominated performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

The first time Academy Award nominee fielded questions from a theater filled with hundreds of his fans with nearly an hour.  Oldman also hung around for autographs, pictures and additional questions.  Hit the jump for stories from the set of The Dark Knight Rises, his paralyzing doubt on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and what he thought while watching Heath Ledger as The Joker.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share with you this afternoon. First up, the cast for Bong Joon-ho’s (The Host) thriller Snow Piercer has gained yet another stellar actor. In an interview with The Telegraph (via The Playlist), John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) revealed that he has joined the cast of the apocalyptic pic. Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, and Jamie Bell are set to star in the film as a group of train travelers learning to co-exist in a new ice age. Production is scheduled to get underway in March, and Snow Piercer is already shaping up to be one of my most anticipated projects of 2013.

Hit the jump for casting news concerning the indie dubstep thriller (that’s right) Snap.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a crackling, intense, complex, old-fashioned spy-thriller…but you need to wait over an hour to get there.  Director Tomas Alfredson does a fantastic job of painting a rich 1970s setting that swings between London, France, Istanbul, and Budapest, but we have trouble getting our bearings as we jump across timelines and struggle to understand the wide cast of characters.  Terrific performances begin to peek out and try to surface but are smothered in an overdone attempt to obfuscate rather than intrigue.  Alfredson wants to put us inside the web of confusion of trying to uncover the truth, but he strings us along for too long.  At some point, the spy game must begin.

Just a few weeks out from the US debut of Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Focus Features has released a host of new images. The spy thriller that features Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy and Colin Firth, just to name a few, is set during the Cold War era and follows former spy George Smiley (Oldman) through his investigation of a possible double agent within MI-6. Based off of the 1974 British novel by John le Carre, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is the first novel of the “Karla Trilogy” and the first film installment may spawn a franchise.

Since the UK saw a September release for the film, we have a host of clips, images and trailers that you can find here. But with the US release coming up, we’ll also have new interviews with the cast coming soon. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy also stars Mark Strong, Toby Jones, John Hurt and Benedict Cumberbatch and opens December 9^th. Hit the jump to check out the new images.

“The director is God.”  It’s a saying that has been applied to directors of both stage and screen.  Directors (theoretically) control every aspect of a production and they marshal armies of various departments to bring forth a vision.  Director Tarsem Singh took the saying as the subtext for his new movie, Immortals.  Singh has always been an indulgent visual stylist, but with Immortals, he has bent a script to create a shining tribute to his own genius.  On the page, the movie is a standard “Hero from humble beginnings”, but in the hands of Singh, it becomes lush, outlandish, baffling, and above all, vainglorious.