“The Sandman,” the Neil Gaiman-penned comic book series considered a seminal work in the medium, is in the early stages of being developed into a TV series.
Warner Bros. TV is in the midst of acquiring television rights from sister company DC Entertainment and in talks with several writer-producers about adapting the 1990s comic. At the top of the list is Eric Kripke, creator of the CW’s horror-tinged “Supernatural.”
“Sandman” told the tale of Morpheus, the Lord of the Dreaming, a deity who personifies dreams. The book began in the horror realm but quickly made its mark in fantasy and mythology as Gaiman introduced the Endless, a group of powerful brothers and sisters named Destiny, Death, Destruction, Despair, Desire and Delirium (as well as Dream).
Dwayne Johnson is strapping on a backpack for New Line's "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," the sequel to "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D."
Brad Peyton is on board to direct the film, in which Josh Hutcherson will reprise his role as burgeoning explorer Sean Anderson. Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson of Contrafilm are producing.
Brendan Fraser was the top draw in the 2008 movie but is not returning after hitting an impasse over start dates. That put New Line on track to find a new star, with the studio and Johnson dancing for several weeks before getting into it. Johnson is in negotiations, with a deal expected to close this week.
If bloody violence is your thing, then this may be for you.
By the way, the movie does take a "ripped from the headlines" approach to its story, exploiting the current immigration debate the way any respectable exploitation movie would have taken on a hot topic back in the day. Here's a THR story written by myself and Jay A. Fernandez that takes a look at the debate the movie may engender.
There was an age in television where spine-tingling and spell-binding anthology shows ruled the air. "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "The Twilight Zone" scared the little boys who would grow up to become the Stephen Kings and Steven Spielbergs.
One of those shows was "Thriller," an anthology show hosted by Boris Karloff that lasted only two seasons and split its episodes into themes of crime and terror.
Some of the episodes were eventually made available as individual episodes on VHS, and there were bootleg DVDs, but never was the series comprehensively all together. Today, Image Entertainment releases the complete series, comprising 67 episodes on 14 DVDs. The collection also includes 24 hours of audio commentaries and 31 hours of isolated music and effects tracks.
Those going to TIFF may want to pack the Raid after reading THR's story on the creatures that seem to have invaded the Scotiabank Theatre, the main venue for press/industry screenings for TIFF.
"Before bed bugs becomes today's meme: We're on it, we're talking to Cineplex and are planning for an itch-free (festival)," festival co-director Cameron Bailey said after pest control was apparently summoned to the rescue.
But the real question is, when will bed bugs go from movie seat to movie screen?
Jonathan Liebesman has signed a deal to direct a sequel to “Clash of the Titans” for Warner Bros. and Legendary.
Liebesman had been in contention to nab the directing gig since early June, with negotiations stretching through the summer. Money was a factor, as was the hurdle of overcoming the negative perception of this year's initial installment.
The movie, a remake of the 1981 original, became a worldwide hit for Warners, grossing more than $491 million, although it garnered many negative reviews.
The studio is hoping to right the wrongs, shooting it in 3D (as opposed to have it added during postproduction, as with the first movie) and tapping some of its top scribes to work on it.
First it was the piranhas. Now it's the sharks' turn to make the water unsafe.
David Ellis, who directed "Snakes on a Plane" and two installments of the "Final Destination" movies, and producer Mike Fleiss are assembling their cast for the horror pic "Shark Night 3-D." Sinqua Walls (pictured on the left), Chris Carmack, Alyssa Diaz and Joel David Moore (pictured on the right) are coming aboard for some fun fin action.
New Line is putting together its crop of victims for "Final Destination 5" (aka "5nal Destination"), being directed by Steven Quale.
David Koechner (pictured from left), Nicholas D'Agosto, P.J. Byrne and Ellen Wroe are joining the already-cast Miles Fisher in the latest installment of the movie series, which centers on the idea that you can't cheat death.
"Hellraiser" is trapped in one of the circles of Hell, though the franchise and its monster movie icon Pinhead are making a return appearance on the small screen.
Victor Garcia is being tapped to direct Dimension's new straight-to-home entertainment installment of "Hellraiser," which the company is fast-tracking for a start next month.
Meanwhile, the company's efforts to make a theatrical version have hit the skids; Dimension had been in talks with Christian E. Christiansen to direct a remake, but those discussions have ended.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is only a week and a half away. There’s a bunch of big premieres I’m looking forward to, such as Ben Affleck’s “The Town,” and the festival’s Midnight Madness series, where a lot of cool horror, action and sci-fi stuff screens.
But also making an appearance at TIFF will be “Tomorrow, When the War Began,” the directorial debut of Stuart Beattie (pictured), the big-shot writer whose credits include “Collateral” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Heat Vision sets its sights on what’s hot in the world of fanboy entertainment, from blockbuster films to the comic books that inspire them. Its author is Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter.
The Hollywood Reporter is Your Complete Film Resource
The columnists and bloggers who write for The Hollywood Reporter have their collective finger on the pulse of the boxoffice. THR columnists deliver their thoughts on the film industry in an uncompromised style. Subscribe to THR today and get the latest views from these film experts and get the latest movie reviews as well.
Recent Comments