The screenwriters behind four Saw films and Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim will rewrite the movie adaptation of the Sony video game franchise God of War.
The Hollywood Reporter says Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan have come aboard the game-to-film project to revise an earlier draft by David Self, who will also executive produce the film. The Dark Knight Rises' Charles Roven is producing along with Alex Gartner through Atlas Entertainment. Universal Pictures will distribute the movie.
Open beta has begun for Valve’s Source Filmmaker, a new “storytelling tool” that allows anyone to create their own animated short films.
The tools available in the beta are the same tools Valve used to create the shorts, and downloads of the Source Filmmaker will include all assets from Team Fortress 2 along with assets from two of the Meet the Team videos. According to Valve, Source Filmmaker “condenses the production pipeline of an animation studio down onto a single gaming PC.”
The Source Filmmaker tools were announced alongside the release of Meet the Pyro, Valve’s final short in its long-running Meet the Team series. At the time, Valve designer Bay Raitt commented that "The goal of the SFM was to develop a story telling tool that allowed us to create computer animated movies more efficiently, and with greater creative freedom. Over the past five years, we've produced more than 50 animated shorts with the SFM. The Source Filmmaker will allow our community to create their own movies in Team Fortress 2 and in their own Source SDK-created mods."
Producer Dean Devlin has been talking up the prospect of sequels to two of his most successful films, with a second helping of Independence Day top of his list.
“I can tell you that [director] Roland [Emmerich] and I have been working together for the first time in 11 years and we’re very excited about the idea of doing it,” Devlin told The Hollywood Reporter.
Elaborating on the belated alien invasion sequel, he explained “Creatively, for the first time since we did the original, I feel we have a worthy concept; a worthy path to go.”
And while Devlin wouldn’t be drawn on the details of said concept, he did reveal that the duo have commenced talks with the original cast, which included Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman.
Elsewhere in the interview, the producer intimated that he and Emmerich would also consider revisiting another of their sci-fi hits.
“Stargate has always had this empty hole,” he admitted. “When we made the first one, we always intended on doing parts two and three, and we were prevented for years. Our hope is that we can get another chance at Stargate and tell the entire story we want to tell.”
So would you rather see a sequel to Stargate or Independence Day? Let us know in the comments below.
Chris Tilly is the Entertainment Editor for IGN and you can spend some time in the United States of Tilly by visiting his Twitter and MyIGN.
Somehow, the big-budget Hollywood adaptation of Battleship – an aesthetically sterile board game with little plastic pegs – ended up looking a whole lot like the Transformers films, albeit without generating the same kind of audience interest (as evidenced by the comparatively wimpy box office returns). Activision's multiplatform title of the same name actually pulls from both bits of source material, oscillating between first-person shooter segments and a tactical grid that lets you align ships to battle alien carriers and provide occasional ground support from afar.
Much as it's pleasing to see a movie game that isn't another generic hack-and-slash affair, Battleship opts to enter an even more competitive space with a generic shooter, which packs only a startlingly short single-player campaign with not a lick of multiplayer action in sight. And as is often the case with such film tie-ins, the game feels very much like a surface read on the genres it pulls from, offering little in the way of depth or variation from a rigid routine.
Ship or Shore
Battleship stars Cole Mathis, a U.S. Navy demolitions expert who must wander the islands of Hawaii detonating enemy turrets and communications hubs, all while taking down scads of aliens using a paltry selection of firearms. He's not the lead in the film, as the game's storyline purportedly takes place alongside that of the film, though you wouldn't know it from piecing together the dull dialogue snippets and cut-scenes. If the inanity of the plot wasn't assumed from its board game-to-film origins, the game actually prompts you to skip every cinematic on first viewing. So don't worry about missing anything – you're encouraged to dodge the narrative!
To some extent, Battleship is a tale of two very different games: the core first-person shooter campaign that dominates the experience and ultimately starts and ends each mission, and the map-based ship maneuvering that plays a strong role in many objectives, and cannot be safely ignored or marginalized. While the disparate elements are nicely intertwined, Battleship is limited by its narrow scope. Neither side of the equation feels particularly fleshed-out or expansive, and pairing them together in the seven single-player campaign levels doesn't make them feel any less shallow. And even within those elements, there's so little depth or variety to the action.
On foot, Battleship generally proves competent, though uninspired. Each stage charts a very straightforward path to its goals, so much so that the game enacts false barriers at times – like an unmovable ally blocking a pathway – to keep you on the intended path. And though they shake up the order and terrain, all seven missions follow the same routine, mixing stop-and-pop encounters with detonation tasks, which means simply holding a button near an object and then watching it blow. Occasionally, you'll protect an ally or installation for a brief period of time, but these moments do little more than trigger light enemy waves to attack.
Beyond the simplistic goals, a lack of diversity within the combat keeps the campaign from picking up steam. Just a few distinct enemy types – common bipedal foes, railgun-toting snipers, explosive rolling balls, and big brutes that take a few shotgun blasts to fell – pepper the stages, and the five firearms (plus standard grenades) encompass traditional fare, from the common pistol and machine gun to a chain gun and the aforementioned railgun. Battleship's on-foot combat has about as much kick and personality as a mobile touchscreen shooter, and doesn't look much better, either, thanks to simplistic models and effects plus some rough texture work.
Fire at Will
But wandering the islands and leaving alien guts in your wake isn't the entirety of the Battleship experience, as you'll often swap to the grid map to reposition ships and subs to engage in nautical combat or assist with the on-foot action (like calling in a volley of missiles on a target). Left to their own devices, the ships will attack nearby enemy cruisers, though you can focus their attacks as needed and move them around to any available opening. As they lumber about in the water – assuming you're near the shore while on-foot – you can actually see them move in the distance, which is a nice touch.
You'll take a more active role at times thanks to the wild card power-ups, which often scatter along the battlefield when you take down foes – another example of the strong link between the two aspects. While many of these simply enhance your ships' offensive or defensive capabilities, one wild card lets you take control of the cannons for a 20-second shootout, in which your ship earns a 200% boost to its firepower. Expectedly, these moments pass in a heartbeat as you completely overpower the opposition, and there's nothing more to each than aiming at a large target and hammering the triggers and a shoulder button.
That's a symptom of a larger issue with Battleship: every bit of the experience is so rudimentary and superficial that it doesn't add up to much. On the shore, the combat and objectives alike lack both variety and originality, while at sea, the ship positioning requires little tactical planning and the skirmishes are damn near automated. And the game lacks serious design consideration at times, such as absurdly long gaps between checkpoints, plus I experienced a scenario in which a checkpoint triggered right as an essential ship sank, leaving me stranded to restart the entire mission. Battleship lacks not only ambition, but also at times care towards what little is included.
Hardly Sunken Treasure
And it truly isn't much. Battleship is easily conquered within just four hours, with no semblance of bonus missions or even a whiff of multiplayer. All for $60 – the same price this publisher attaches to its annual military blockbuster, which sports a bigger and bolder campaign, much better production values, and a multiplayer experience that keeps on giving. Battleship is little more than a checkmark on a to-do list; a completed contractual obligation. Just a handful of red pegs on a board, signifying a failed effort.
Want more information on how we score reviews? Read the "How G4 Reviews Work" article here. Editor's Note: Battleship was reviewed using an Xbox 360 copy of the game; however, we also played the PS3 version, and found no differences. If further investigation reveals any differences between the 360 edition and the PS3 edition of the game, this review will be updated to reflect those differences.
Indie distributor Momentum shared a wealth of clips from upcoming films at Kapow! today.
Rick McCallum, George Lucas' long-time collaborator, took to the stage with actor David Oyelowo and director Gareth Evans to highlight what moviegoers have to look forward to.
The showcase kicked off with Red Tails, which MacCullum produced and Oyelowo starred in alongside big names including Cuba Gooding Junior, Elijah Kelley and Ne-Yo. The film, due out June 6th in Europe and already on release in America, follows the first African American fighter squadron in the Second World War, and is packed with tense dogfights.
MacCullum said of the pilots, “they were the rockstars of their time. It was incredible stuff that these kids had to go through – and they were kids, only 18 and 19.”
Western crime film Lawless was shown next, which stars Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman and Guy Pearce. Set during the prohibition in Virginia, three brothers get on the wrong side of the wrong guys and there’s action that invokes Al Capone style mobs, with Guy Pearce in particular set to make a terrifying impression.
For horror aficionados, The House at the End of the Street is out at the end of September and looks distressingly gritty. Jennifer Lawrence is in the film, alongside a terrifying little girl who wouldn’t look out of place in The Ring, judging by the footage. In a similar vein, Red Lights sees Robert de Niro play a very dangerous psychic using his powers on victims Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver.
We weren’t shown any footage for the last two films, but the information we got was exciting nevertheless. First we heard about Seven Psychopaths, the new film from the creators of In Bruges. Due out in September, Colin Farrell will be appearing as the long suffering best mate of a man who steals the dog belonging to a crime lord, with capers ensuing.
Momentum then told us about Ender’s Game, the highly awaited film adaptation of the novel of the same name. Due out in October 2013, it’s a dark sci-fi film starring Harrison Ford, Abigail Breslin, Ben Kingsley and Hailee Steinfeld where humans are locked in battle with alien insectoids for the Earth.
To wrap up, we were shown a climactic fight scene from The Raid which released yesterday, while director Gareth Evans answered questions. If you want to know more about that, check out our coverage from earlier in the day.
Wes Anderson's movies have often been categorized as coming of age stories, but it's seldom the kids in his films who are confused. It's usually the adults who need the most work, and this holds true in his latest film, Moonrise Kingdom. At its core, Moonrise Kingdom is about a pair of young lovers who make a pact to run away together and end up causing a manhunt across the sleepy East Coast island of New Penzance. But as with all of Anderson's films, it's also about complex family dynamics, the immaturity of adults and the fragility of love.
Newcomers Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward are Sam and Suzy, the 12-year old lovers in question. Neither has starred in a movie before, and both were cast after a lengthy search. It's a gamble to hang an entire film on two untried kids, but Anderson has proven he is adept at working with youthful actors, and he works his magic again here to good effect. Gilman and Hayward aren't perfect, but they are believable, and more importantly, emotionally engaging.
They have to be, too, because the film relies heavily on the two leads to carry the action. When the movie opens, Sam is an orphan who doesn't get along with his foster family and is alienated from his Khaki Scout group. Suzy is the product of a troubled home, whose lawyer parents (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) spend more time moping about their own lives than caring what happens to their daughter and three sons. When a chance encounter introduces the kids to each other, their destiny is sealed, and they carry out their love pact in a wilderness survival trip across New Penzance.
The sweetest scenes in the movie are the quiet moments Sam and Suzy spend together learning about each other and falling in love. The back-and-forth during their wilderness trek sets the stage for a touching, believable relationship that is the foundation of the film. In the later stages (I don't want to give anything away), it becomes a bit of a Romeo and Juliet tale with an East Coast sensibility and caper feel, but it all works because we believe in the kids' awkward but authentic love.
Bruce Willis is great in a subtle, understated role as the local sheriff who leads the search party efforts from the law enforcement side. His character is simple (in a mental sense), but complex and sad and in the end, quite warm. Willis brings a soft touch to the film, moving away from the cookie cutter flexing and sneering of some of his recent protagonist roles. Tilda Swinton is excellent in a funny, overtly stereotypical role as "Social Services," a dour, buttoned-up shrew who's hell-bent on "protecting" Sam. But sadly, most of the adults don't have enough to do.
The one disappointment in the movie is that we don't get to spend enough time digging into these characters' back stories. Anderson is very adept at crafting full, rich characters that usually achieve roundness through carefully-chosen dialogue, flashbacks and detail, but since a lot of this film dwells on the activities of the kids, we don't get as much from folks like Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton and especially Harvey Keitel. The movie was slim at 94 minutes, and a chunk of that was taken up by credits, so there is more room to develop, but it doesn't happen.
Edward Norton is perfect for the role of Scout Master Ward, a man whose life is dedicated to the routine and duty of managing the Khaki Scouts, a ragtag batch of characters with names like "Lazy Eye" and "Izod." The scout camp portions of the movie are great; here, Anderson creates a deep, organized world that is instantly recognizable. This is his take on a 1965 scout troop, and it's perfect. It's awesome when you see the expanded scout universe that exists on New Penzance, which includes Jason Schwartzman's Cousin Ben. Schwartzman shines in this small role, but Norton, as noted, just isn't given enough to do.
Anderson's unique, charming and highly particular cinematic style is on full display in Moonrise Kingdom, and although this movie is not as visually honed as Royal Tenenbaums (whose every frame was a masterpiece of detail), Moonrise Kingdom offers plenty for Wesophiles to worship.
For instance, each costume is painstakingly crafted, and the little things are the most important: the felt patches on the scout uniforms, the hint of gray poking out beneath the wig of Tilda Swinton's Social Services character, Bill Murray's amazing Technicolor checked pants. Anderson knows that detail is what ties us to the tale, makes the make-believe real; makes us believe. As with Tenenbaums, this film uses illustrations to amazing effect, this time in the form of several fictional book covers that Suzy reads from throughout the film. The covers are so amazing (and so beloved by the director as well), that they earn their own spot in the credits, and rightfully so.
As is true of most Anderson films, the setting itself is its own character, but this time it's given even more emphasis in the form of Bob Balaban, who serves as a narrator and personification of New Penzance. The creators painstakingly scouted islands all over America (and even overseas) before settling on the Rhode Island location, and the exhaustive search was worth it. The woods and craggy shores of New Penzance are transporting and wonderful.
This isn't the perfect Wes Anderson film, but it's a damn good one. And let's face it: the care, detail and intelligence that go into his films trump most of what's in cinemas these days. His unique visions are never boring, and his take on the world is still as refreshing as ever.
If you couldn't find anything to love about Rushmore or Tenenbaums, this movie won't make you a Wes Anderson convert. But if you respect the subtlety of a charming visual joke, or the simple pleasure of a well-constructed tableau, or well-chosen piece of music, you will adore Moonrise Kingdom.
The Avengers may have just opened in theaters, but already superhero fans are looking towards the next wave of Marvel Studios films. That new wave kicks off next summer with Iron Man 3. Robert Downey Jr. and the gang will return once more to save the world and deliver some snark.
What makes this latest sequel interesting is that, more so than the previous Marvel Studios films, Iron Man 3 looks to be drawing inspiration directly from the comics. Recent reports suggest that the film will be based on Iron Man: Extremis by writer Warren Ellis and artist Adi Granov.
But just what is Extremis, and how does it fit into the world we've seen develop over the course of three movies so far? That's what we explore in this guide as we hypothesize what direction the story will take in Iron Man 3.
The Story
Extremis debuted in 2005, shortly after the various Avengers titles were relaunched in the wake of the Avengers Disassembled storyline. As the tale opens, Tony Stark is dealing with the collapse of the Avengers and the end of his short-lived stint as Secretary of Defense. The day-to-day pressures of running his company are conflicting with his desire to hide from the world and tinker with the Iron Man armor.
Tony has an unexpected reunion with an old colleague named Maya Hansen. Hansen is a scientist responsible for the creation of the Extremis process, essentially a computerized version of the super-soldier serum that created captain America. When Extremis is stolen by a terrorist group, Hansen calls in Iron Man to help stop a new super-powered foe from unleashing the power of Extremis on Washington D.C.
The core struggle Tony faces in Extremis is the need to evolve. His past as a weapons manufacturer still haunts him. He questions whether the Iron Man armor has actually helped the world or just brought more death and destruction. And when faced with the perfect fusion of biology and technology in the form of his new foe, Mallen, Tony comes to the realization that Iron Man is behind the curve. So what comes next?
The Characters
Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man (it may also be his final performance depending how contract re-negotiations with Marvel Studios go). Despite recent victories over Iron Monger, Whiplash, and Loki, Tony still faces newer and greater threats and will need an even more advanced version of the Iron Man armor to keep up.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle will also reprise their roles as Pepper Potts and James Rhodes, respectively. What role these two will play is unclear given that neither character appears in the original Extremis storyline. However, it's a safe bet that Rhodey will suit up as War Machine again, which may invite more conflict between Stark Enterprises and the military. Meanwhile, we're crossing our fingers that Pepper will be given her own suit of armor and that Rescue can make her live-action debut.
Jessica Chastain was slated to co-star in a role believed to be Maya Hansen, the co-creator of Extremis. Hansen is both Tony's intellectual rival and a potential love interest. However, as an alcoholic and a person who places her work over her morality, Hansen also represents what Tony could become without a conscience. Though Chastain has now dropped out, Diane Kruger, Gemma Arterton, and Isla Fischer were all rumored to be in the running as well and may once again be contenders.
The character Sal Kennedy serves as a mentor figure to both Tony and Maya in the comic. Sal is a futurist who pushes both characters to move their industries forward. He's also a bit of a hippie and a recreational drug enthusiast who spends his free time sampling various mushrooms and other psychedelic drugs. The character would be perfect for Jeff Bridges if Bridges hadn't already played Obadiah Stane in the first film. So far there's no word if Sal will actually appear in Iron Man 3.
Guy Pearce has been cast as Aldrich Killian, Maya's colleague and co-creator of the Extremis process. Killian commits suicide early in the first issue of Extremis, but we have to assume that Marvel Studios wouldn't hire Pearce if the character was going to bow out of the film so quickly. One possibility is that Killian will be combined with the Mallen character and that he will be the first Extremis-enhanced villain Iron Man is forced to battle.
Finally, Ben Kingsley has been cast as a mystery villain, while Andy Lau will reportedly play an unknown character. And despite early reports to the contrary, Scarlett Johansson will not reprise her role as Black Widow here.
The New Armor
The most significant outcome of Extremis was a new suit of armor and a new slate of abilities for Tony. Initially, he proved no match for Mallen's Extremis powers because his armor was too clunky and slow. Now matter how advanced the weaponry in his armor, Tony couldn't move at the speed of thought like Mallen did.
That all changes when Tony injects himself with the Extremis process. It rebuilds his body from the ground up to the point where Tony can now directly interface with computer systems and satellites. The crucial circuitry for the Iron Man armor is now stored inside the hollows of his bones. Like Darth Vader, Tony is now more machine than man, except he actually gets to keep his good looks.
With the new powers comes a new suit of armor. The "Extremis Armor" is a streamlined version of his previous suit. It features a smoother, more organic look and can now move and operate as fast as Tony can think.
We expect to see a similar sort of transformation for Tony in the film along with a new, streamlined Iron Man armor. Interestingly, Adi Granov illustrated the Extremis storyline and worked on the armor designs for the previous Iron Man movies, so the look of Iron Man is already heavily inspired by his art. Will the movie version of the Extremis armor still resemble Granov's art? Or will it take cues from the current "Bleeding Edge" armor in the comics, which is constructed of liquid metal and stored entirely inside Tony's body? That could be a cool sight to witness on the big screen.
If Iron Man has a primary nemesis in the same way that the X-Men have Magneto and Superman has Lex Luthor, it would probably be the Mandarin. This villain, besides being a formidable martial artist and warrior, gains power trough the ten rings he harvested from an alien spacecraft. Mandarin's rings lend credence to the old saying "any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic." His rivalry with Iron Man is one of science vs. mysticism and West vs. East.
Fans have been waiting for a Mandarin appearance for years now, and we suspect that their wish may finally come true in Iron Man 3. For one thing, the previous two movies have been teasing his eventual rise. The terrorist group that kidnapped Tony was called The Ten Rings, and their leader Raza can be seen handling his master's Flame Blast ring. The Ten Rings appeared again in Iron Man 2, providing Whiplash with information and helping Justin Hammer break the villain out of prison.
There's also the fact that the new sequel is being partly filmed and produced in China. Coincidence? We know that Ben Kingsley has been cast as a villain in the film. And despite reports that he isn't playing the Mandarin, we're still not convinced. Kingsley's character apparently weaves a plot that "revolves around the spread of a virus through nanobots." That sounds like Extremis to us, and using Extremis as a terrorist weapon is something Mandarin has done in the past.
Expanding Extremis
Even if Iron Man 3 does end up borrowing heavily from the Extremis storyline, significant additions and changes will have to be made along the way. Though the comic is presented in very cinematic fashion, it simply isn't long enough to form the basis of a two-hour movie. The problem is even more pronounced because one issue focuses largely on providing a modernized take on Iron man's origins, something viewers already saw in the original film.
Perhaps the most sensible idea is to use Extremis as a foundation for the first act of the movie. After gaining his Extremis powers and defeating Mallen (or his equivalent), Tony should go on to face a larger threat. The movie could easily work as an adaptation of two comic storylines. The Iron Man series was temporarily relaunched as Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. During this time, the overarching conflict involved The Mandarin returning from exile, disguising himself as a scientist named Tem Borjigin and working on a plot to unleash Extremis as a worldwide pandemic. He knew that Extremis would be lethal to 97.5% of the world's population, but that the survivors would emerge as a new, highly advanced race.
That sounds like the sort of conflict that could carry the remaining two acts of the film, whereas a one-on-one battle between Iron Man and Mallen would seem dull in comparison to the previous final showdowns. It fits with director Shane Black's desire to craft a movie that is as much a techno thriller as it is a superhero adventure. A more global conflict also allows characters like Rhodey and Pepper to do more, whereas the original Extremis storyline leaves no place for anyone outside of the limited main cast. And the conflict still works even if it turns out that Kingsley won't be portraying Mandarin.
In a more general sense, we'd like to see the sequel explore how the creation of the Iron Man armor has affected the modern battlefield. Tony may have built the suit in order to end war, but the longer it exists, the more opportunities there are for less philanthropic men to abuse the technology. This has been a focus of many Iron Man stories over the years. We're picturing stories like Matt Fraction's "The Five Nightmares of Tony Stark," where 21st Century suicide bombers use arc reactors instead of dynamite to cause death and destruction. Or maybe "Armor Wars," where Tony embarked on an unsanctioned, one-man war against all the foreign powers who sought to corrupt his invention.
Extremis is a good foundation, but there's plenty more potential in the Iron Man universe.
