MILAN, Italy (Reuters) - Environmentalists on Saturday urged film diva Sophia Loren to help stop a big cruise ship named in her honor from ever entering the Venice lagoon because of potential damage to the city and the lagoon's delicate ecosystem.
The MSC Divina (Divine), which the actress christened last month in France, is a 139,500-tonne ship that can carry 3,500 passengers and nearly 1,000 crew.
'We can't believe that you want your name, which is a legend in Italy and the world, to be associated with a ship that contributes to the destruction of Venice, part of humanity's heritage,' said an open letter from the group, called the No Big Ships Venice Committee.
'We are asking you to give up your role as godmother of the ship. Venice and the world would see that as a divine gesture. Venice belongs to the world. Help us save it,' the group said in the letter to the Italian screen legend.
A handful of protesters held up a banner that read 'No Big Ships' as the Divina passed by St Mark's Square on Saturday.
Since the wreck of the Costa Concordia last January, environmentalists have stepped their efforts to have large cruise ships banned from the lagoon which surrounds the historic centre of the canal city.
The Concordia capsized off the coast of the Tuscan island of Giglio after it hit rocks. At least 30 people were killed and two are still unaccounted for.
That disaster put the spotlight on the Venice lagoon, perhaps Italy's most delicate maritime area, which big cruise ships enter to drop off passengers conveniently close to the historic centre and the Grand Canal.
The letter to Loren said the big ships pollute the air and their vibrations and the lapping waves caused by the wakes of their passage hurt the foundations of historic palaces and churches.
'Venice and its lagoon are both world heritage sites and risk an environmental disaster every day because of the passage of these monsters of the sea,' the letter said.
Italia Nostra (Our Italy), the country's leading conservation group has also long been opposing the entry of large cruise ships into the lagoon.
The Divina has a first-class suite named after Loren which is decorated with large pictures of the Oscar-winning actress at various stages of her film career.
(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Anthony Boadle)
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Sunday, June 3, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
How "Lord of the Rings" inspired "Snow White"
NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - What does Snow White, a fairly tale about the fairest woman in the land, have to do with 'Lord of the Rings' and the battle for Middle-earth?
Quite a bit, according to Evan Daugherty, who wrote a spec script nearly a decade ago that blended the two tales.
Daughtery was enamored of the film version of 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy while an undergraduate at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Lucky for him, Joe Roth and Universal soon shared his affinity for this fairy-fantasy blend, turning Daugherty's script into director Rupert Sanders' 'Snow White and the Huntsman.'
TheWrap spoke with Daugherty about how Peter Jackson's epic inspired his rendition of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, the surprising casting of the leads and what it was like getting kicked off his own project.
Q: By the time this is published, your first feature will have debuted, but this project dates to your time at NYU. You haven't been a student for years. What took so long?
A: I wrote it for fun. This was only the second or third script I wrote, but I tried to make some things happen with it, with friends or contacts in the industry, and no one quite got what I was trying to do - an action-adventure version of Snow White. No one saw where that would fit into the marketplace.
It existed on my hard drive for six or seven years and then Joe Roth's 'Alice in Wonderland' came out and it did really well at the box office. That sparked a bit of a trend, and I sold the script a year and a half ago.
Q: Did you want to write about Snow White in particular or were you just interested in the idea of turning any fairy tale into an action adventure movie?
A: Snow White for some reason is the resident, evocative fairy tale. It's the first movie that Walt Disney made, and Disney for the 20th century has been the primary interpreter of the fairytale. It's the first fairy tale anyone would list.
I also chose it because it's so simple. Some of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales are really out there and don't make any sense. They're about talking animals and other things that don't feel like simple stories.
Q: As you say, revisionist versions of classic tales have become quite popular, but you wrote this almost a decade ago. Why take that approach?
A: I'd be lying if I said I wasn't inspired by 'Lord of the Rings.' I was in college and my sophomore year 'Fellowship of the Ring' came out. My junior year was 'Two Towers.' My senior year was 'Return of the King.' College was four years of Lord of the Rings fever.
Q: So then what do you see as the audience for this movie? It seems like Universal has targeted women in particular, but it has a 'Lord of the Rings' feel . not exactly your 'Twilight' audience.
A: The Brothers Grimm intended Snow White to be for boys and girls, but because of the Disney filter - it's one of the branded Disney princesses - it's seen as a girl's story.
I'm very proud of the script taking that more female, feminine character and making it appeal to guys as well, particularly with the huntsman character. Hopefully it will. That was one of big reasons I wrote the movie.
I'll do my small part to insist it was written by a dude in his 20s who was very into 'Lord of the Rings' and into muscular action-adventure movies.
Q: How different is what you turned in from what's on screen?
A: The script I sold to Universal is fairly different from the movie that you see. At same time, it's the same structure and same plot: Snow White will be killed by the huntsman, and instead the huntsman decides to protect her, crafts her into a warrior who then takes on the queen. The very concept of an action-adventure Snow White is mine.
Q: So what's different?
A: When I sold the script I was also hired to stay on board and rewrite. Rupert Sanders and the studio had strong opinions about the direction it could go, and I worked on couple of drafts closely with Rupert. At about that point Rupert was executing his vision of the movie, seeing the visual.
Q: And how did you feel when they brought in other writers to finish the job?
A: It wasn't fun. I worked on the script for a number of months, and it was fairly close to a finished product. That said, had that movie been given a green light, they'd be green lighting a movie written by a first-time writer and directed by a first-time director. With a $150 million movie, that's just very unlikely.
Ultimately they brought in a number of very talented, very esteemed A-list writers.. The biggest change is my original script had a more humorous tone like 'Princess Bride.' As people will see in the movie, it doesn't really have that vibe anymore. It's very intense and gritty.
Q: That's especially true with the dwarves. They've evolved a little bit from Sleepy and Dopey.
A: 'Lord of the Rings' struck me as a way to have tougher, more warrior dwarves. People will be surprised and intrigued by their grit and toughness.
One of the things that was really cool in the casting of it was that all the guys in the movie who play dwarves, with exception of Nick Frost, are really well known, well-respected British gangsters. It enables them to be these tough cockney kind of dwarves.
Q: You brought up the casting decisions. Of the stars, who did you see as being perfect for the role and who made you cringe?
A: The first person cast was Charlize as the queen.
It sounds like hyperbole, but there's maybe three actresses in Hollywood who could play that queen and Charlize ranks as the very best. Beauty is integral to that character given her obsession with beauty and youth. She is also like a crazy killer and Charlize Theron won an Academy Award for playing a very real life serial killer.
Q: And the cringe?
A: The casting of the other two leads was a little surprising. With Chris Hemsworth, I love 'Thor' and am obsessed with Norse mythology but the Huntsman began as more of a mentor with hints of love in my original script. With Hemsworth, he's younger so they said, 'Let's shift that paradigm a little. He's still a mentor, but play up the love story.'
Kristen Stewart is the wild card. It's a tough role; you need someone with oomph and grit. The director flew to Louisiana where they were shooting 'Twilight' and was instantly won over. I'm not the target audience for 'Twilight.' In 'Twilight' it's mainly romance she's dealing with, so the question was, 'Can she strap on armor and lead men into battle and do an English accent?'
When I saw the movie, she is probably my favorite and the most surprising part. Thankfully, as I'm reading some of these reviews, some people are realizing that. Some people still unfairly have some kind of hang-up with Kristen Stewart because of the 'Twilight' movies or something.
Q: Having brought up reviews, are you nervous at all about the opening?
A: I am interested in how well the movie does mainly for the sake of the movie. The plight of the screenwriter in Hollywood is a difficult one. There are a lot of legendary horror stories about how the screenwriter is treated. This has been by all accounts a very good process. One of nice things about it is that I don't think the success or failure of movie at the box office impacts me as a writer too much.
I'd hope to make more 'Snow White and the Huntsman' movies, but obviously I'm working on other projects.
Q: You've got 'The Killing Season' with Robert De Niro and John Travolta coming out next year. What else?
A: An adaptation of the young adult novel 'Divergent.' I have to turn in a second draft to that movie, which Lionsgate/Summit is keen on making. Supposedly they really want to make it in tradition of 'Hunger Games' and 'Twilight.' That's the big thing I'm most excited about at the moment.
I've also got a spec that I'm going to keep slightly under wraps. Suffice it to say it's sort of in the vein of Snow White in terms of a reinterpretation. It's not a fairy tale, but a revision of a story of story that people know and love.
I love to explore and build and create these exotic worlds. That's a huge part of the fun of writing for me. It's not the real hard work - the meat of screenwriting. It's the special sauce you lay on top. But it's the real fun part of writing.
This news article is brought to you by MOVIE GOSSIP NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Quite a bit, according to Evan Daugherty, who wrote a spec script nearly a decade ago that blended the two tales.
Daughtery was enamored of the film version of 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy while an undergraduate at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Lucky for him, Joe Roth and Universal soon shared his affinity for this fairy-fantasy blend, turning Daugherty's script into director Rupert Sanders' 'Snow White and the Huntsman.'
TheWrap spoke with Daugherty about how Peter Jackson's epic inspired his rendition of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, the surprising casting of the leads and what it was like getting kicked off his own project.
Q: By the time this is published, your first feature will have debuted, but this project dates to your time at NYU. You haven't been a student for years. What took so long?
A: I wrote it for fun. This was only the second or third script I wrote, but I tried to make some things happen with it, with friends or contacts in the industry, and no one quite got what I was trying to do - an action-adventure version of Snow White. No one saw where that would fit into the marketplace.
It existed on my hard drive for six or seven years and then Joe Roth's 'Alice in Wonderland' came out and it did really well at the box office. That sparked a bit of a trend, and I sold the script a year and a half ago.
Q: Did you want to write about Snow White in particular or were you just interested in the idea of turning any fairy tale into an action adventure movie?
A: Snow White for some reason is the resident, evocative fairy tale. It's the first movie that Walt Disney made, and Disney for the 20th century has been the primary interpreter of the fairytale. It's the first fairy tale anyone would list.
I also chose it because it's so simple. Some of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales are really out there and don't make any sense. They're about talking animals and other things that don't feel like simple stories.
Q: As you say, revisionist versions of classic tales have become quite popular, but you wrote this almost a decade ago. Why take that approach?
A: I'd be lying if I said I wasn't inspired by 'Lord of the Rings.' I was in college and my sophomore year 'Fellowship of the Ring' came out. My junior year was 'Two Towers.' My senior year was 'Return of the King.' College was four years of Lord of the Rings fever.
Q: So then what do you see as the audience for this movie? It seems like Universal has targeted women in particular, but it has a 'Lord of the Rings' feel . not exactly your 'Twilight' audience.
A: The Brothers Grimm intended Snow White to be for boys and girls, but because of the Disney filter - it's one of the branded Disney princesses - it's seen as a girl's story.
I'm very proud of the script taking that more female, feminine character and making it appeal to guys as well, particularly with the huntsman character. Hopefully it will. That was one of big reasons I wrote the movie.
I'll do my small part to insist it was written by a dude in his 20s who was very into 'Lord of the Rings' and into muscular action-adventure movies.
Q: How different is what you turned in from what's on screen?
A: The script I sold to Universal is fairly different from the movie that you see. At same time, it's the same structure and same plot: Snow White will be killed by the huntsman, and instead the huntsman decides to protect her, crafts her into a warrior who then takes on the queen. The very concept of an action-adventure Snow White is mine.
Q: So what's different?
A: When I sold the script I was also hired to stay on board and rewrite. Rupert Sanders and the studio had strong opinions about the direction it could go, and I worked on couple of drafts closely with Rupert. At about that point Rupert was executing his vision of the movie, seeing the visual.
Q: And how did you feel when they brought in other writers to finish the job?
A: It wasn't fun. I worked on the script for a number of months, and it was fairly close to a finished product. That said, had that movie been given a green light, they'd be green lighting a movie written by a first-time writer and directed by a first-time director. With a $150 million movie, that's just very unlikely.
Ultimately they brought in a number of very talented, very esteemed A-list writers.. The biggest change is my original script had a more humorous tone like 'Princess Bride.' As people will see in the movie, it doesn't really have that vibe anymore. It's very intense and gritty.
Q: That's especially true with the dwarves. They've evolved a little bit from Sleepy and Dopey.
A: 'Lord of the Rings' struck me as a way to have tougher, more warrior dwarves. People will be surprised and intrigued by their grit and toughness.
One of the things that was really cool in the casting of it was that all the guys in the movie who play dwarves, with exception of Nick Frost, are really well known, well-respected British gangsters. It enables them to be these tough cockney kind of dwarves.
Q: You brought up the casting decisions. Of the stars, who did you see as being perfect for the role and who made you cringe?
A: The first person cast was Charlize as the queen.
It sounds like hyperbole, but there's maybe three actresses in Hollywood who could play that queen and Charlize ranks as the very best. Beauty is integral to that character given her obsession with beauty and youth. She is also like a crazy killer and Charlize Theron won an Academy Award for playing a very real life serial killer.
Q: And the cringe?
A: The casting of the other two leads was a little surprising. With Chris Hemsworth, I love 'Thor' and am obsessed with Norse mythology but the Huntsman began as more of a mentor with hints of love in my original script. With Hemsworth, he's younger so they said, 'Let's shift that paradigm a little. He's still a mentor, but play up the love story.'
Kristen Stewart is the wild card. It's a tough role; you need someone with oomph and grit. The director flew to Louisiana where they were shooting 'Twilight' and was instantly won over. I'm not the target audience for 'Twilight.' In 'Twilight' it's mainly romance she's dealing with, so the question was, 'Can she strap on armor and lead men into battle and do an English accent?'
When I saw the movie, she is probably my favorite and the most surprising part. Thankfully, as I'm reading some of these reviews, some people are realizing that. Some people still unfairly have some kind of hang-up with Kristen Stewart because of the 'Twilight' movies or something.
Q: Having brought up reviews, are you nervous at all about the opening?
A: I am interested in how well the movie does mainly for the sake of the movie. The plight of the screenwriter in Hollywood is a difficult one. There are a lot of legendary horror stories about how the screenwriter is treated. This has been by all accounts a very good process. One of nice things about it is that I don't think the success or failure of movie at the box office impacts me as a writer too much.
I'd hope to make more 'Snow White and the Huntsman' movies, but obviously I'm working on other projects.
Q: You've got 'The Killing Season' with Robert De Niro and John Travolta coming out next year. What else?
A: An adaptation of the young adult novel 'Divergent.' I have to turn in a second draft to that movie, which Lionsgate/Summit is keen on making. Supposedly they really want to make it in tradition of 'Hunger Games' and 'Twilight.' That's the big thing I'm most excited about at the moment.
I've also got a spec that I'm going to keep slightly under wraps. Suffice it to say it's sort of in the vein of Snow White in terms of a reinterpretation. It's not a fairy tale, but a revision of a story of story that people know and love.
I love to explore and build and create these exotic worlds. That's a huge part of the fun of writing for me. It's not the real hard work - the meat of screenwriting. It's the special sauce you lay on top. But it's the real fun part of writing.
This news article is brought to you by MOVIE GOSSIP NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Relativity, Netflix sued for $1.5 million over "Atlas Shrugged"
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Perhaps the sequel to the 2011 film 'Atlas Shrugged' should be titled 'Atlas Sues.'
Relativity Media and Netflix are being sued for $1.5 million by the copyright holders of the Ayn Rand book 'Atlas Shrugged,' over claims that Relativity failed to pay a licensing fee.
In the suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, Atlas Productions claims that Relativity agreed to pay two installments of $750,000 each in licensing fees, but never paid the first installment, and likely won't pay the second installment.
According to Atlas Productions, Relativity and its RML Acquisitions - which is also named in the suit - 'had no intention of abiding by the terms thereof or paying the license fee.'
Netflix, which offered 'Atlas Shrugged' for rental, is accused of copyright infringement in the suit.
Relativity and Netflix had no comment for TheWrap.
Alleging breach of contract, unjust enrichment, fraudulent misinterpretation and copyright infringement, Atlas Productions is seeking $1.5 million, plus interest, attorney's fees and court costs. The company is also asking that Netflix be found in violation of the 'Atlas Shrugged' copyright, and that Netflix repay 'all gains, profits, advantages, and revenues derived from the infringement.'
According to Box Office Mojo, 'Atlas Shrugged' - which starred Taylor Schilling and Grant Bowler - grossed just over $4.6 million, with a production budget of $20 million.
(Pamela Chelin contributed to this report)
This news article is brought to you by ANNIVERSARIES - where latest news are our top priority.
Relativity Media and Netflix are being sued for $1.5 million by the copyright holders of the Ayn Rand book 'Atlas Shrugged,' over claims that Relativity failed to pay a licensing fee.
In the suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, Atlas Productions claims that Relativity agreed to pay two installments of $750,000 each in licensing fees, but never paid the first installment, and likely won't pay the second installment.
According to Atlas Productions, Relativity and its RML Acquisitions - which is also named in the suit - 'had no intention of abiding by the terms thereof or paying the license fee.'
Netflix, which offered 'Atlas Shrugged' for rental, is accused of copyright infringement in the suit.
Relativity and Netflix had no comment for TheWrap.
Alleging breach of contract, unjust enrichment, fraudulent misinterpretation and copyright infringement, Atlas Productions is seeking $1.5 million, plus interest, attorney's fees and court costs. The company is also asking that Netflix be found in violation of the 'Atlas Shrugged' copyright, and that Netflix repay 'all gains, profits, advantages, and revenues derived from the infringement.'
According to Box Office Mojo, 'Atlas Shrugged' - which starred Taylor Schilling and Grant Bowler - grossed just over $4.6 million, with a production budget of $20 million.
(Pamela Chelin contributed to this report)
This news article is brought to you by ANNIVERSARIES - where latest news are our top priority.
U.S. director Michael Mann to head Venice jury
ROME (Reuters) - U.S. director Michael Mann will head the jury at this year's Venice film festival which runs from August 29-September 8, organizers said on Friday.
Best known for directing 'The Last of the Mohicans', 'Collateral', 'Heat' and 'Public Enemies', the 69-year-old film maker, scriptwriter and producer will preside over the panel which decides the main awards at the annual cinema showcase.
They include the coveted Golden Lion for best picture, which last year went to 'Faust', directed by Russia's Alexander Sokurov.
A statement from the festival called Mann 'a total film maker and one of the most influential and representative figures in contemporary American cinema.'
Mann arrives at a time of transition for Venice, with incoming festival director Alberto Barbera promising a 'more sober, less glitzy' event for its 69th edition this year.
Outgoing director Marco Mueller, who will now run the Rome international film festival, largely succeeded in blending low-budget, hard-hitting cinema from around the world with A-list Hollywood stars on the red carpet.
Both are vital ingredients to a film festival's survival in an increasingly competitive area, and Venice's job has been made harder by long-term construction projects at the site of the event and the fact that it overlaps with the Toronto festival.
Venice is launching a small film market this year to help it compete with Cannes and Berlin, where the buying and selling of titles is a key ingredient to their success.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)
This news article is brought to you by CANCER - where latest news are our top priority.
Best known for directing 'The Last of the Mohicans', 'Collateral', 'Heat' and 'Public Enemies', the 69-year-old film maker, scriptwriter and producer will preside over the panel which decides the main awards at the annual cinema showcase.
They include the coveted Golden Lion for best picture, which last year went to 'Faust', directed by Russia's Alexander Sokurov.
A statement from the festival called Mann 'a total film maker and one of the most influential and representative figures in contemporary American cinema.'
Mann arrives at a time of transition for Venice, with incoming festival director Alberto Barbera promising a 'more sober, less glitzy' event for its 69th edition this year.
Outgoing director Marco Mueller, who will now run the Rome international film festival, largely succeeded in blending low-budget, hard-hitting cinema from around the world with A-list Hollywood stars on the red carpet.
Both are vital ingredients to a film festival's survival in an increasingly competitive area, and Venice's job has been made harder by long-term construction projects at the site of the event and the fact that it overlaps with the Toronto festival.
Venice is launching a small film market this year to help it compete with Cannes and Berlin, where the buying and selling of titles is a key ingredient to their success.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)
This news article is brought to you by CANCER - where latest news are our top priority.
New Disney studio chief's instructions: make good movies
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Alan Horn, the Walt Disney Co's new studio chairman, won't shy away from making big budget films despite Hollywood's recent string of big budget bombs such as Disney's 'John Carter' and Universal Pictures' 'Battleship.'
Horn, who spearheaded such expensive hits as the 'Harry Potter' series while president of Warner Brothers Entertainment, intends to focus on six to eight films a year geared toward Disney's core audience of families and young adults, he says, and was not told by Disney CEO Bob Iger to rein in budgets.
'All Bob said was 'make good movies,'' Horn, 69, told Reuters in a telephone interview. 'I've made expensive films that have flopped, and boy do they hurt.'
'But I'm screenplay driven, character driven,' he added. 'If you start with a really great idea, the budget will resolve itself. And that budget could be substantial.'
Horn follows Rich Ross, a former Disney Channel executive, who was pushed out for moving too slowly to put films into production and not watching the rising budget for 'John Carter.' In 2009, long-time studio chief Dick Cook was fired after studio earnings fell 84 percent on the heels of big budget disappointments like 'G-Force' and 'Surrogates.'
Disney's big hits recently have come largely from its animation unit Pixar and its Marvel super hero factory, both of which make hugely expensive movies.
But the payoff has been spectacular. Disney has so far generated more than $1.3 billion in worldwide ticket sales for Marvel's 'The Avengers,' already Hollywood's fourth-largest film, according to Box Office Mojo. That film was made for more than $220 million.
Disney has another 'Avengers' movie in the works and next year will release the third 'Iron Man' movie.
The movies can also be 'leveraged,' Iger often says. In June, Disney will open a ride at the Disney California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, based on Pixar's blockbuster movie 'Cars.' Iger told analysts that the company is planning rides at some of its theme parks based on Marvel characters.
Horn's job will be to work with creative executives at both Pixar and Marvel, which have both operated largely independently since Disney acquired them.
'I take this as an opportunity to work with truly gifted people,' said Horn, who says he has yet to meet key executives at either unit. 'My job is to be as constructive and collegial as I can.'
Horn, who starts June 11, says his focus is to make films that appeal to what he calls 'the Disney imprimatur' - 'films that people have come to expect from Disney.'
But Horn stresses that he doesn't intend to make just G-rated movies.
'I approved 'Happy Feet,' which appealed to the whole family,' he said. 'I also approved 'The Hangover.''
(Reporting By Ronald Grover; Editing by Chris Gallagher)
This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.
Horn, who spearheaded such expensive hits as the 'Harry Potter' series while president of Warner Brothers Entertainment, intends to focus on six to eight films a year geared toward Disney's core audience of families and young adults, he says, and was not told by Disney CEO Bob Iger to rein in budgets.
'All Bob said was 'make good movies,'' Horn, 69, told Reuters in a telephone interview. 'I've made expensive films that have flopped, and boy do they hurt.'
'But I'm screenplay driven, character driven,' he added. 'If you start with a really great idea, the budget will resolve itself. And that budget could be substantial.'
Horn follows Rich Ross, a former Disney Channel executive, who was pushed out for moving too slowly to put films into production and not watching the rising budget for 'John Carter.' In 2009, long-time studio chief Dick Cook was fired after studio earnings fell 84 percent on the heels of big budget disappointments like 'G-Force' and 'Surrogates.'
Disney's big hits recently have come largely from its animation unit Pixar and its Marvel super hero factory, both of which make hugely expensive movies.
But the payoff has been spectacular. Disney has so far generated more than $1.3 billion in worldwide ticket sales for Marvel's 'The Avengers,' already Hollywood's fourth-largest film, according to Box Office Mojo. That film was made for more than $220 million.
Disney has another 'Avengers' movie in the works and next year will release the third 'Iron Man' movie.
The movies can also be 'leveraged,' Iger often says. In June, Disney will open a ride at the Disney California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, based on Pixar's blockbuster movie 'Cars.' Iger told analysts that the company is planning rides at some of its theme parks based on Marvel characters.
Horn's job will be to work with creative executives at both Pixar and Marvel, which have both operated largely independently since Disney acquired them.
'I take this as an opportunity to work with truly gifted people,' said Horn, who says he has yet to meet key executives at either unit. 'My job is to be as constructive and collegial as I can.'
Horn, who starts June 11, says his focus is to make films that appeal to what he calls 'the Disney imprimatur' - 'films that people have come to expect from Disney.'
But Horn stresses that he doesn't intend to make just G-rated movies.
'I approved 'Happy Feet,' which appealed to the whole family,' he said. 'I also approved 'The Hangover.''
(Reporting By Ronald Grover; Editing by Chris Gallagher)
This article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
George Lucas talks of retirement, making "hobby" films
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - 'Phantom Menace' haters won't have George Lucas to kick around anymore.
The man who captivated generations of youngsters with his 'Star Wars' and 'Indiana Jones' films - only to see many of those same fans revolt after he returned to those franchises in recent years with critically derided new installments - is hanging it up.
Lucas tells Empire Magazine this month that he is retiring to make more personal 'hobby' movies.
'I've always wanted to make movies that were more experimental in nature, and not have to worry about them showing in movie theaters,' Lucas said.
He implies that he will also be less active in LucasFilm, the special effects and production company he founded.
'I'm moving away from the company, I'm moving away from all my businesses, I'm finishing all my obligations and I'm going to retire to my garage with my saw and hammer and build hobby movies,' Lucas said.
It is not the first time that Lucas has hinted publicly that he is ready to step away from the commercial filmmaking that forms the spine of his career.
While promoting his World War II aviation drama 'Red Tails' last winter, Lucas told The New York Times that he was finished with 'Star Wars.'
'Why would I make any more, when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?' Lucas said.
He did hold out some hope for his admirers, saying he might be persuaded to make another 'Indiana Jones' film.
If that doesn't come to pass and if Lucas ever gets bored with his garage, he can always join fellow filmmaking retiree Steven Soderbergh for bingo.
This article is brought to you by MONEY MANAGER SOFTWARE.
The man who captivated generations of youngsters with his 'Star Wars' and 'Indiana Jones' films - only to see many of those same fans revolt after he returned to those franchises in recent years with critically derided new installments - is hanging it up.
Lucas tells Empire Magazine this month that he is retiring to make more personal 'hobby' movies.
'I've always wanted to make movies that were more experimental in nature, and not have to worry about them showing in movie theaters,' Lucas said.
He implies that he will also be less active in LucasFilm, the special effects and production company he founded.
'I'm moving away from the company, I'm moving away from all my businesses, I'm finishing all my obligations and I'm going to retire to my garage with my saw and hammer and build hobby movies,' Lucas said.
It is not the first time that Lucas has hinted publicly that he is ready to step away from the commercial filmmaking that forms the spine of his career.
While promoting his World War II aviation drama 'Red Tails' last winter, Lucas told The New York Times that he was finished with 'Star Wars.'
'Why would I make any more, when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?' Lucas said.
He did hold out some hope for his admirers, saying he might be persuaded to make another 'Indiana Jones' film.
If that doesn't come to pass and if Lucas ever gets bored with his garage, he can always join fellow filmmaking retiree Steven Soderbergh for bingo.
This article is brought to you by MONEY MANAGER SOFTWARE.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Anne Hathaway sings in "Les Miserables" trailer
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Man the barricades, musical fans - 'Les Miserables' is coming to the big screen.
Universal offered the first look at the film adaptation of the Tony-winning stage triumph. From the look of things, director Tom Hooper has done a meticulous job of capturing the grit and grime of 19th-century France. 'Chicago' it decidedly is not.
It also sounds like Susan Boyle may need to find a new signature song. The preview for the movie musical is set to Anne Hathaway performing her own pared-down rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream,' the anthem that launched Boyle's career.
At a preview for theater owners at CinemaCon last April, Universal Pictures Chairman Adam Fogelson said that Hooper hoped to capture most of the singing on set, instead of having his actors record their songs in a studio after the fact. He hinted that had happened with Hathaway's rendition.
In addition to showcasing Hathaway's vocals, the teaser includes quick glimpses of stars Hugh Jackman, playing Jean Valjean as both convict and reformed businessman; Russell Crowe as the vengeful Inspector Javert; Amanda Seyfried as a luminous looking Cosette; and Eddie Redmayne as Marius.
However, there's no hint of what Sacha Baron Cohen has planned for his role as the scene-stealing innkeeper Thénardier.
What do you think - can the movie live up to the Broadway show? See the trailer at http://thewrap.com/movies/column-post/les-miserables-preview-debuts-anne-hathaway-singing-41961.
This news article is brought to you by INTERNET - MARKETING - where latest news are our top priority.
Universal offered the first look at the film adaptation of the Tony-winning stage triumph. From the look of things, director Tom Hooper has done a meticulous job of capturing the grit and grime of 19th-century France. 'Chicago' it decidedly is not.
It also sounds like Susan Boyle may need to find a new signature song. The preview for the movie musical is set to Anne Hathaway performing her own pared-down rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream,' the anthem that launched Boyle's career.
At a preview for theater owners at CinemaCon last April, Universal Pictures Chairman Adam Fogelson said that Hooper hoped to capture most of the singing on set, instead of having his actors record their songs in a studio after the fact. He hinted that had happened with Hathaway's rendition.
In addition to showcasing Hathaway's vocals, the teaser includes quick glimpses of stars Hugh Jackman, playing Jean Valjean as both convict and reformed businessman; Russell Crowe as the vengeful Inspector Javert; Amanda Seyfried as a luminous looking Cosette; and Eddie Redmayne as Marius.
However, there's no hint of what Sacha Baron Cohen has planned for his role as the scene-stealing innkeeper Thénardier.
What do you think - can the movie live up to the Broadway show? See the trailer at http://thewrap.com/movies/column-post/les-miserables-preview-debuts-anne-hathaway-singing-41961.
This news article is brought to you by INTERNET - MARKETING - where latest news are our top priority.
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