Written by Steve ‘Frosty’ Weintraub

Universal and Rogue Pictures have just released their 2009 preview and since they’ve provided so many new images and synopsis’, I’ve decided to break it up by company. Moments ago I posted the Rogue preview…and now it’s time for Universal’s.

While every studio has a few must see movies that get released during the summer, Universal has three films coming between June and August that I can’t wait to see…. “Funny People”, “Land of the Lost” and “Public Enemies”. Not only do we get a new Judd Apatow directed movie…we get Johnny Depp in a Michael Mann film! Seriously….I cannot wait to check these out.

Of course those aren’t the only films getting released this year, so take a look below at all the movies that are coming. They have some impressive stuff. As you scroll down you’ll see a lot of brand new images.

Duplicity

March 20, 2009

Synopsis:

Oscar winner Julia Roberts and Clive Owen reunite for Duplicity, from writer/director Tony Gilroy (seven-time Oscar®-nominated Michael Clayton).

In the film, they star as spies-turned-corporate operatives in the midst of a clandestine love affair. When they find themselves embroiled in a high-stakes espionage game, they discover the toughest part of the job is deciding how much to trust the one you love.

CIA officer Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and MI6 agent Ray Koval (Owen) have

left the world of government intelligence to cash in on the highly profitable cold war raging between two rival multinational corporations. Their mission? Secure the formula for a product that will bring a fortune to the company that patents it first.

For their employers—industry titan Howard Tully (Tom Wilkinson) and buccaneer CEO Dick Garsik (Paul Giamatti)—nothing is out of bounds. But as the stakes rise, the mystery deepens and the tactics get dirtier, the trickiest secret for Claire and Ray is their growing attraction. And as they each try to stay one double-cross ahead, two career loners find their schemes endangered by the only thing they can’t cheat their way out of: love.

Genre: Caper

Cast: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti

Written and Directed by: Tony Gilroy

Produced by: Jennifer Fox, Kerry Orent, Laura Bickford

Executive Producer: Ryan Kavanaugh

Fast & Furious

April 3, 2009

Synopsis:

Vin Diesel and Paul Walkerreteam for the ultimate chapterof the franchise built on speed—Fast & Furious. Heading back to the streets where it all began, they rejoin Michelle Rodriguezand Jordana Brewster to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across

Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert in the new high-octane action-thriller.

When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian O’Conner (Walker). But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmaneuver him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what’s possible behind the wheel.

Genre: Action-Thriller

Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, John Ortiz, Laz Alonso

Directed by: Justin Lin

Written by: Chris Morgan

Based on Characters Created by: Gary Scott Thompson

Producers: Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Michael Fottrell

Executive Producer: Amanda Lewis

State of Play

April 17, 2009

Synopsis:

Oscar winner Russell Crowe leads an all-star cast in a blistering thriller about a rising congressman and an investigative journalist embroiled in an case of seemingly unrelated, brutal murders. Crowe plays D.C. reporter Cal McCaffrey, whose street smarts lead him to untanglea mystery of murderand collusionamong some of thenation’s most promising political and corporate figures in State of Play, from acclaimed director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland).

Handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck)is the future of his political party: an honorable appointee who serves as the chairman of a committee overseeing defense spending. All eyesare upon the rising star to be his party’s contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant/mistressis brutally murdered and buried secretscome tumbling out.

McCaffreyhas the dubious fortune of both an old friendship with Collins and a ruthless editor, Cameron (Oscar® winner Helen Mirren), who has assigned him to investigate. As he and partner Della (Rachel McAdams) try to uncover the killer’s identity, McCaffrey steps into a cover-up thatthreatens to shake the nation’s power structures. And in a town of spin-doctors and wealthy politicos, hewill discover one truth:when billions are at stake, no one’s integrity, love or life is ever safe.

Genre: Political thriller

Cast: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels and Helen Mirren

Directed by: Kevin Macdonald

Screenplay by: Matthew Michael Carnahan and Tony Gilroy and Billy Ray

Based on the BBC Television Series Created by: Paul Abbott

Producers: Andrew Hauptman, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner

Executive Producers: Paul Abbott, E. Bennett Walsh, Liza Chasin, Debra Hayward

Wild Child

May 8, 2009

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Poppy (Emma Roberts, Nancy Drew) is a self-obsessed, incorrigible brat who lives a pampered life in her L.A. world. Though she’s handed credit cards with unlimited balances and surrounded by countless hangers on, Poppy can’t escape the mounting frustration she feels with her family situation. And she makes sure that everyone knows it.

After an over-the-top prank pushes her father (Aidan Quinn) one step too far, Poppy is shipped off to an English boarding school. Finding herself in a foreign world of early curfews, stern matrons and mandatory lacrosse, the American princess has finally met her match: a school of British girls who won’t tolerate her spoiled ways.

Under the watchful eye of the school’s headmistress (Natasha Richardson) and surrounded by a new circle of friends, Poppy begrudgingly realizes her bad-girl behavior will only get her so far. But just because she must grow into a fine young lady doesn’t mean this Wild Child won’t be spending every waking hour shaking up a very proper system…

Genre: Comedy

Cast: Emma Roberts, Natasha Richardson, Shirley Henderson Alex Pettyfer and Aidan Quinn

Directed by: Nick Moore

Written by: Lucy Dahl

Produced by: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Diana Phillips

Executive Producers: Liza Chasin, Debra Hayward

Drag Me To Hell

May 29, 2009

Synopsis:

Director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man trilogy, Evil Dead series) returns to the horror genre with Drag Me To Hell, an original tale of a young woman’s desperate quest to break an evil curse.

Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, professor Clay Dalton (Justin Long). Life is good until the mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) arrives at the bank to beg for an extension on her home loan. Should Christine follow her instincts and givethe old woman a break? Or should she deny the extension to impress her boss, Mr. Jacks (David Paymer), and get a leg-up on a promotion? Christine fatefully chooses the latter, shaming Mrs. Ganush and dispossessing her of her home.

In retaliation, the old woman places the powerful curse of the Lamia on Christine, transforming her life into a living hell. Haunted by an evil spirit and misunderstood by a skeptical boyfriend, she seeks the aid of seer Rham Jas (Dileep Rao) to save her soul from eternal damnation. To help the shattered Christine return her life to normal, the psychic sets her on a frantic course to reverse the spell. As evil forces close in, Christine must face the unthinkable: How far will she go to break free of the curse?

Genre: Horror

Cast: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Jessica Lucas, David Paymer, Dileep Rao

Directed by: Sam Raimi

Written by: Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi

Produced by: Rob Tapert, Grant Curtis

Executive Producers: Nathan Kahane, Joseph Drake

Land of the Lost

June 5, 2009

Synopsis:

Space-time vortexes suck.

Will Ferrell stars as has-been scientist Dr. Rick Marshall, sucked into one and spat back through time. Way back. Now, Marshall has no weapons, few skills and questionable smarts to survive in an alternate universe full of marauding dinosaurs and fantastic creatures from beyond our world—a place of spectacular sights and super-scaled comedy known as the Land of the Lost.

Sucked alongside him for the adventure are crack-smart research assistant Holly (Anna Friel) and a redneck survivalist (Danny McBride) named Will. Chased by T. rex and stalked by painfully slow reptiles known as Sleestaks, Marshall, Will and Holly must rely on their only ally—a primate called Chaka (Jorma Taccone)—to navigate out of the hybrid dimension. Escape from this routine expedition gone awry and they’re heroes. Get stuck, and they’ll be permanent refugees in the Land of the Lost.

Based on the classic television series created by Sid & Marty Krofft, Land of the Lost is directed by Brad Silberling and produced by Jimmy Miller and Sid & Marty Krofft.

Genre: Comedy Adventure

Cast: Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Anna Friel, Jorma Taccone

Directed by: Brad Silberling

Screenplay by: Chris Henchy & Dennis McNicholas

Based on the Series Land of the Lost by: Sid & Marty Krofft

Producers: Jimmy Miller, Sid & Marty Krofft

Executive Producers: Julie Wixson-Darmody, Daniel Lupi, Adam McKay, Brad Silberling

Public Enemies

July 1, 2009

Synopsis:

In the action-thriller Public Enemies, acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard in the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger (Depp)—the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover’s fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public.

No one could stop Dillinger and his gang. No jail could hold him. His charm and audacious jailbreaks endeared him to almost everyone—from his girlfriend Billie Frechette (Cotillard) to an American public who had no sympathy for the banks that had plunged the country into the Depression.

But while the adventures of Dillinger’s gang—later including the sociopathic Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Alvin Karpis (Giovanni Ribisi)—thrilled many, Hoover (Billy Crudup) hit on the idea of exploiting the outlaw’s capture as a way to elevate his Bureau of Investigation into the national police force that became the FBI. He made Dillinger America’s first Public Enemy Number One and sent in Purvis, the dashing “Clark Gable of the FBI.’’

However, Dillinger and his gang outwitted and outgunned Purvis’ men in wild chases and shootouts. Only after importing a crew of Western ex-lawmen (newly baptized as agents) and orchestrating epic betrayals—from the infamous “Lady in Red’’ to the Chicago crime boss Frank Nitti—were Purvis, the FBI and their new crew of gunfighters able to close in on Dillinger.

Genre: Action-Thriller

Cast: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Giovanni Ribisi, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, Rory Cochrane, Stephen Lang, David Wenham, Stephen Graham, Channing Tatum, Jason Clarke

Directed by: Michael Mann

Writers: Ronan Bennett, Michael Mann, Ann Biderman, Mark St. Germain

Produced by: Michael Mann, Kevin Misher

Executive Producers: G. Mac Brown, Jane Rosenthal

Funny People

July 31, 2009

Synopsis:

Over the past few years, writer/director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) has shown that nothing—not even losing your virginity or the miracle of childbirth—is sacred. About his third film behind the camera, he says, “I’m trying to make a very serious movie that is twice as funny as my other movies. Wish me luck!” Apatow directs Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann in Funny People, the story of a famous comedian who has a near-death experience.

Adam Sandler, Eric Bana, Jason Schwartzman, RZA and newcomer Aubrey Plaza join a cast that reunites Judd Apatow with Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann and Jonah Hill in their third comedy together.

Genre: Comedy

Cast: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, RZA, Aubrey Plaza, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow

Written and Directed by: Judd Apatow

Produced by: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend

Executive Producers: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Adam Sandler, Jack Giarraputo

The Wolfman

November 6, 2009

Synopsis:

Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, The Wolfman brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins. Oscar® winner Benicio Del Toro stars as Lawrence Talbot, a haunted nobleman lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes. Reunited with his estranged father (Oscar® winner Anthony Hopkins),Talbot sets out to find his brother...and discovers a horrifying destiny for himself.

Lawrence Talbot’s childhood ended the night his mother died. After he left the sleepy Victorian hamlet of Blackmoor, he spent decades recovering and trying to forget. But when his brother’s fiancée, Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), tracks him down to help find her missing love, Talbot returns home to join the search. He learns that something with brute strength and insatiable bloodlust has been killing the villagers, and that a suspicious Scotland Yard inspector named Aberline (Hugo Weaving) has come to investigate.

Ashe pieces together the gory puzzle, he hears of an ancient curse that turns theafflicted into werewolves when the moon is full. Now, if he has any chance at ending the slaughter and protecting the woman he has grown to love, Talbot must destroythe vicious creature in the woods surrounding Blackmoor. But as he hunts for the nightmarish beast, a simple man with a tortured past will uncover a primal side to himself…one he never imagined existed.

Genre: Action-Horror

Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving, Art Malik

Directed by: Joe Johnston

Screenplay by: Andrew Kevin Walker and David Self

Based on the Motion Picture Screenplay by: Curt Siodmak

Produced by: Scott Stuber, Benicio Del Toro, Rick Yorn, Sean Daniel

Executive Producers: Bill Carraro, Andrew Z. Davis

Green Zone

Release date: TBD

Synopsis:

Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93) re-team for their latestelectrifying thriller in Green Zone, a film set in thechaotic early days of the Iraqi Warwhen no one could be trusted and every decision coulddetonateunforeseen consequences.

During the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad in 2003, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Damon) and his team of Army inspectors were dispatched to findweapons of mass destructionbelieved to be stockpiled in the Iraqi desert. Rocketing from one booby-trapped and treacherous site to the next, the men search fordeadly chemical agentsbut stumble instead upon anelaborate cover-upthat inverts the purpose of theirmission.

Spun by operatives with intersecting agendas, Miller must hunt throughcovert and faulty intelligence hidden on foreign soilfor answers that will either clear a rogue regime or escalate a war in an unstable region. And atthis blistering time andin this combustible place, he will find the most elusive weapon of all is the truth.

Genre: Thriller

Cast: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs, Khalid Abdalla

Directed by: Paul Greengrass

Written by: Brian Helgeland

Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lloyd Levin

Executive Producers: Debra Hayward, Liza Chasin

Cirque du Freak

Release date: TBD

Synopsis:

Cirque Du Freak tells the frightening tale of a boy who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.

14-year-old Darren (Chris Massoglia) was like most kids in his suburban neighborhood. He hung out with his best friend, got decent grades and usually stayed out of trouble. But when he and his buddy stumble upon a traveling freak show, things begin to change inside Darren. That’s the exact moment when a vampire named Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly) turns him into something, well, bloodthirsty.

Newly undead, he joins the Cirque Du Freak, a touring sideshow filled with monstrous creatures from a snakeboy and a wolfman to a bearded lady (Salma Hayek) and a gigantic barker (Ken Watanabe). As Darren flexes his newfound powers in this dark world, he becomes a treasured pawn between the vampires and their deadlier counterparts. And while trying to survive, one boy will struggle to keep their brewing war from devouring what’s left of his humanity.

Genre: Fantasy adventure

Cast: John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Chris Massoglia, Josh Hutcherson, Patrick Fugit, Ray Stevenson, Michael Cerveris, Frankie Faison, Jane Krakowski, Orlando Jones, Kristen Schaal and Salma Hayek

Directed by: Paul Weitz

Writers: Brian Helgeland, Paul Weitz

Based on the Book Series by: Darren Shan

Producers: Lauren Shuler Donner, Paul Weitz, Ewan Leslie

Executive Producers: Dan Kolsrud, Andrew Miano, Kerry Kohansky, Sarah Radyclyffe, Courtney Pledger

Couples Retreat

Release date: TBD

The Boat That Rocked

Release date: TBD