Another Universal Monster Franchise Film Coming in 2017

When Universal revealed they were attempting to build their own Marvel-style shared universe centered on the classic movie monsters, it was mostly met with a shrug. Every studio is trying to pull off the same trick, it seems, so it no longer comes as much of a surprise even if expectations for it were incredibly low. But the first film in the franchise, Dracula Untold, has done pretty well with over $180M worldwide, and now Universal is adding another monster into the mix.

Producers Chris Morgan and Alex Kurtzman are developing an Untitled Universal Monster Franchise Film to be released April 27th 2017. This would be the second film in the connected universe after 2016's The Mummy, which Kurtzman is planning to direct from a script co-written by Jon Spaihts and Billy Ray. So which monster will this new film center on? No clue. It could be Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolfman, maybe even the Creature from the Black Lagoon, none of which sound especially appealing. Here's the official statement released by Universal:

A new epic action-adventure in a series produced and overseen by the creative team of Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek series) and Chris Morgan (Fast & Furious series), the UNTITLED UNIVERSAL MONSTER FRANCHISE FILM will follow The Mummy in their new initiative to revive and reimagine Universal’s classic monsters for a modern audience.

Read More

Andrew Garfield Blames Studio for 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' Sucking; Praises 'Sinister Six'

Despite earning more than $700M worldwide, Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is considered a huge failure. It's generally with the second film that a franchise starts to gain its legs but that didn't happen in this case as audiences didn't care for it and and the domestic box office was weak by genre standards. It seemed as if Sony had begun looking forward to the expansion of the franchise and the film's story was sacrificed to that effort. And it sounds like Andrew Garfield has similar feelings about the studio's meddling. While talking to The Daily Beast, he blames Sony for removing parts of the film that he felt worked best.

Garfield: “I read the script that Alex [Kurtzman] and Bob [Orci] wrote, and I genuinely loved it. There was this thread running through it. "[But] once you start removing things and say, ‘no, that doesn’t work,’ then the thread is broken, and it’s hard to go with the flow of the story. Certain people at the studio had problems with certain parts of it, and ultimately the studio [has] the final say in those movies because they’re the tentpoles, so you have to answer to those people.”

And it's probably a safe bet those things they removed were so we could get more of Rhino, Electro, and Green Goblin, three villains that did not work in the movie at all. And yet they're all expected to return for Sinister Six, which sees Spidey's fiercest villains all in one place. Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) is on board to direct that one, but Garfield's participation has been something of a mystery. While at TIFF hyping his new drama, 99 Homes, Garfield kept his involvement in Sinister Six up in the air....

Garfield:  “I can say I’m really excited about Drew Goddard, who’s going to be writing and directing ‘The Sinister Six’ movie. And whether I’m involved in that or not is kind of immaterial."

It's probably not immaterial to Sony who will definitely want their biggest star on board in some way, even if just in a cameo.  They'll probably want him for Venom, as well, a character last seen in Spider-Man 3 played with comic awfulness by Topher Grace. Alex Kurtzman is writing and directing the film based on Spidey's symbiotic nemesis, and he offered up to MTV his approach to the character....

Kurtzman: “The idea…is that you can do things with Venom that you can’t do with Spider-Man. Venom is the representation of every line that will get crossed... he’s a much darker character.”

Uh, no shit? Honestly, he didn't tell us anything we didn't know there. What should have been asked is which version of Venom we're going to see. Will it be the original Eddie Brock version? Or the current one with Spidey's friend Flash Thompson as a more militaristic antihero Venom? 

Read More

Alex Kurtzman Takes Over 'The Mummy' Reboot

Before their supposedly amicable creative split, uber-duo Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman had a number of blockbuster projects cooking. One of those was Universal's planned reboot of The Mummy, part of the studio's plan to revive their entire library of classic movie monsters. With Orci moving on to helm Star Trek 3, and Kurtzman hip-deep in Sony's Spider-Man franchise, it looks like their creative partnership is 100% kaput. Variety reports Kurtzman will direct The Mummy, and there's no mention of Orci's involvement at all.

Joining Kurtzman will be Fast & Furious writing/producing mainstay, Chris Morgan, and as we learned recently it will be their job to create a cohesive universe for all of Universal's cinematic monsters.  It sounds like there will be some tonal similarities to The Mummy movies led by Brendan Fraser, in that it will be an action-adventure with some horror elements. However this one will be set in the modern day rather than the 1920s.

Kurtzman last directed the little-seen and somewhat underrated drama, People Like Us, so this will obviously be quite a step up. The Mummy rises from the tomb on April 22nd 2016.

Read More

Shared Universe for Classic Movie Monsters On the Way

Recently, Universal set out on a course of rebooting their line of classic movie monsters such as Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, and the Mummy. Their first act was hiring ex-creative partners Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to spearhead this effort, and the plan they hinted at was to create a cinematic universe similar to what Disney has done with The Avengers. And now that plan is going into effect courtesy of the folks who brought you Transformers and The Fast and the Furious.

Alex Kurtzman, a writer on Star Trek and two of the Transformers movies will be teaming up with Fast & Furious franchise writer/producer Chris Morgan to craft an "interconnected slate" of monster flicks beginning with 2016's The Mummy reboot. Len Wiseman had been attached to direct that film but he dropped out and now it seems to be in a state of flux. Also considered to be part of the group of classic creatures up for a redo are The Invisible Man, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon, basically every monster that made up Universal's popular run of horror films in the 1920s through the 1950s.

If recent history is any guide Universal have a tough road ahead of them. It wasn't that long ago they attempted a remake of The Wolfman led by Benicio Del Toro and audiences stayed clear. The Mummy franchise, once lucrative in the days of Brendan Fraser (how often you hear something like that??) are now just a bunch of lame straight-to-DVD spinoffs. It's also unclear if the Van Helsing remake, which once had Tom Cruise attached, is a part of this whole deal.

A better gauge for how this could turn out will be the performance of Universal's Dracula Untold, starring Luke Evans and opening October 17th. [Deadline]

Read More

Roberto Orci Wants to Helm 'Star Trek 3'; Splits from Big Screen Partner Alex Kurtzman

Wherever Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman go, big box offices tend to follow. The writing/producing duo have been behind some huge blockbusters over the years, from The Amazing Spider-Man, Star Trek, Transformers, Cowboys & Aliens, The Island....okay, maybe not those last two. There's no denying the impact they've had as a tandem, but it's coming to an end now as the duo is splitting up to pursue their own goals.

While they will remain television partners, Orci and Kurtzman are going their own way when it comes to feature films, and Orci is hoping to make a big splash. Variety reports he is pushing hard to direct Star Trek 3, which he is slated to co-write with Patrick McKay and John Payne. The hold-up appears to be Paramount who are understandably reluctant to hand such a major franchise to an unproven debut director. Orci has the support of J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot, which may be enough to convince Paramount to take a chance. Kurtzman, on the other hand, has already helmed People Like Us and is set to co-write and direct Sony's Venom spinoff.

Orci and Kurtzman will continue to produce projects together but this split is a pretty big deal. It'll be interesting to see if they can survive as individuals.

Read More

Spider-Man Producers Talk Spinning Off Sinister Six and Venom

Spider-Man's world is about to get a whole lot bigger, and with it so will Sony's franchise based on the wallcrawling superhero. Actually, their plans to expand his universe will no longer put Spidey in the center of things, instead focusing on some of his most notorious villains: Venom and the Sinister Six. Last year we learned that a talent collective had been put together to oversee the expansion. That "brain trust" includes writers Alex Kurtzman, Bob Orci, and Jeff Pinker, with Kurtzman directing Venom; and Drew Goddard who will script and direct Sinister Six. Creating spinoff films based on bad guys comes with its own unique challenges, and the producers spoke about how they planned to approach it.

Producer Matt Tolmach told SFX...

Tolmach: “It’s a challenge in every sense. Obviously questions of traditional hero/villain dynamics have to be looked at. At the same time it’s an awesome challenge, because some of the greatest characters are in fact villains, and how you construct that is so much fun. People love those bad characters if they’re good bad characters, and love to watch them. And nobody’s all good, nobody’s all bad, and so where we end up with that story, I think, is a really awesome challenge, and we all smile when we think about what you can do. It’s definitely a bad-ass group of people and I think it’s going to be a ton of fun to watch them."

The challenge is finding the right angle that these characters can be seen in a positive light. For a character like Venom, who in the comics has been a hero and a villain,  it comes by narrowing his focus a little bit and considering the man rather than the symbiote. Or at least that seems to be what Avi Arad is saying here...

Arad: “Venom hated only one guy – Spider-Man. He wasn’t innately bad, he was a shortcut guy, not really into fighting hard for achievement. That’s the Venom story. Can he also be a good guy? As you know, Venom was also called ‘lethal defender of the innocent’. We had a great history with him, especially caring for the homeless, which is a very sensitive issue and something that many of us are very concerned with. Our villains all represent a different side of the misunderstood, and some of them unfortunately turned to the dark side. Venom happened to be a phenomenal character. With Eddie Brock, or if you do Flash Thompson, it doesn’t matter who is going to be inside the suit – what’s important is that a man like him is going to realise there comes a time when you wake up in the morning and say ‘How did I get here? There must be a better way.’”

The issue they will face, and this is one Marvel has struggled with in the comics, is finding a way to maintain the edge that makes these characters cool while softening them just enough. It's an interesting experiment and one I'm looking forward to seeing play out.  Next up is The Amazing Spider-Man 2 which opens on May 2nd.

Read More

Sony Expands Spider-Man Universe with Venom and Sinister Six Spinoffs

“I mean I’m under contract for another one after this… as far as a fourth one? That’s not anything to do with me."

That was what Andrew Garfield said just a few days ago when asked about the future of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise, which Sony has mapped out through 2018 and a fourth movie based on Marvel wall-crawler. It was a surprising statement considering how much time and money had already been invested in him and the films, and some speculated it was all just a contractual ploy. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't, but it seems more clear than ever that the Spider-Man universe is expanding in a big way and moving away from the adventures of Peter Parker.

Sony is building their own Avengers-style cohesive world, which they hope will "forge a new legacy in the story of Peter Parker on screen."  Part of this expansion will be two spinoff movies; the first is the long-developing Venom film based on the Spidey villain last seen in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3. Josh Trank (Chronicle) had been circling it some time ago but it will be Alex Kurtzman directing, co-writing the script with his usual writing partner Bob Orci and Ed Solomon.

They've also secured The Cabin in the Woods' Drew Goddard to pen and possibly direct a movie based on the Sinister Six, the team of evil-doers expected to form in the next two movies. Goddard is also busy penning the Daredevil Netflix TV series for Marvel Entertainment, who are also backing Sony's overall plan.

As for the core Amazing Spider-Man movies? Sony still has hopes of Marc Webb returning to direct it, and have tapped Orci, Kurtzman, and Jeff Pinkner to write the screenplay with an eye towards a fall start date and release on June 10, 2016.

With this assembled group of talent Sony plans to develop an ongoing, overarching story spread across several movies. It already seemed like that was the direction they were heading. We can safely assume this has been the plan for some time as Webb has been hinting the fourth movie would be an ensemble rather than a Spider-Man focused story.

Big moves are being made, and it wouldn't be surprising if more announcements are made soon. What do you think? Does this is increase your excitement for The Amazing Spider-Man 2?

Read More

Familiar Writers Hired to Script 'The Amazing Spider-Man 3'

It makes complete sense that Sony would want to keep intact as many pieces of their Amazing Spider-Man franchise as possible. They've moved ahead on the next three films, which THR says they hope will be directed by Marc Webb and encompass a larger, overarching story that could include the arrival of the Sinister Six. With The Amazing Spider-Man 2 set to open next year, the studio has decided to let its writers keep penning the further adventures of Peter Parker.

Uber-producers and blockbuster scribes Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Jeff Pinker have been brought back to write The Amazing Spider-Man 3. This was probably one of the easier decisions Sony has had to make as Orci and Kurtzman are a powerhouse duo who have worked on the Transformers and Star Trek franchises, which last time I checked made a little bit of money. Pinker has been running with them for awhile but mostly on small screen projects like Fringe and Alias.

So the Spidey machine keeps plugging away. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens on May 2nd 2014, The Amazing Spider-Man 3 arrives June 10th 2016.

Read More

Jon M. Chu Rumored to Direct 'Star Trek 3'; Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman Penning Script

Despite Zachary Quinto's suggestions to the contrary, the chances of J.J. Abrams returning to direct Star Trek 3 are slim and none, and "slim" just went into hyperspace. Paramount really wants to have the film ready by 2016 and original series' 50th anniversary, and the only way that's going to happen is with a new director at the helm, and it sounds like they may be courting a few names.

A report over at Latino Review says Jon M. Chu, yes the guy behind the Step Up franchise and G.I. Joe: Retaliation, is a "contender" to take over the third Star Trek film. It's an intriguing choice, and his relationship with Paramount is clear, but he's already begun work on G.I. Joe 3, which the studio wants to get moving on as fast as possible. Chu has also been attached to a Masters of the Universe film which continues to progress slowly, so he's a popular guy who may just be too busy for a massive undertaking like Star Trek.

If Chu does take the job, he won't have to worry about new screenwriters coming in and messing with the established formula. Producers and franchise scribes Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are returning to write the script,despite recent reports that had others being sought. 

As usual, take the Chu rumor with a grain of salt, especially considering the source. And for those who are worried about Abrams not being involved, he's still on board as a producer.

Read More

Len Wiseman to direct 'The Mummy' reboot

Despite this summer's dull and tedious Total Recall remake mostly crapping the bed here in the States, the film actually did pretty well overseas. The $170M worldwide total is indicative of the trend when it comes to Len Wiseman-directed flicks. They tend to do average business here, while scoring big on the foreign market where  they love to watch mediocre American action movies. Wiseman's Underworld franchise fits into that category as well. But the fact remains he does make money, and Universal must be happy with him, because they've picked him to lead their reboot of The Mummy.

It was earlier this year we learned of the studio's plan to reboot the classic movie monster, with Transformers duo Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci producing. Jon Spaihts(Prometheus) would be writing the script, and the trio seemed to indicate Universal's plan to really move the ball forward with a fresh approach. The hiring of Wiseman sorta contradicts that, as he's not exactly a director I see as being especially creative.

There is some recent history between Orci, Kurtzman, and Wiseman as they're teaming up on a Sleepy Hollow pilot, so I'm sure that figured into the decision. Still, this blunts my excitement a thousand fold. Hopefully they'll make a smarter choice with their Van Helsing relaunch which has Tom Cruise attached. [Deadline]

Read More

'Transformers' duo Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman to write 'The Amazing Spider-Man' sequel

When a movie needs to be REALLY big, you don't just turn to any old pair of writers. Not everybody can boast they've been behind such giant-sized flicks as Star Trek, Transformers, and Mission: Impossible III. Only Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman can. So when Sony runs out and hires the hit-making duo to pen the script for the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man, they're making a very clear statement.

James Vanderbilt, who shares writing credits on the upcoming Marc Webb-directed flick, was hired to start work on the sequel screenplay in March of last year. With his job done, it's up to Orci and Kurtzman to do a rewrite, and expect them to not just punch it up a bit. They'll likely uppercut the damn thing into the stratosphere. That doesn't mean it'll be good, mind you. They do bear some responsibility for the atrocity that was Cowboys & Aliens.

The only question that remains is Webb, who isn't locked in for a follow-up. The Amazing Spider-Man opens on July 3rd, while the sequel hits on May 2nd 2014.

Read More