Sam Worthington and Robin Wright Scale 'Everest'

With Baltasar Kormakur's mountain-climbing flick Everest recently moving to a fall 2015 release date, perhaps to accommodate a potential awards run, the director is adding a couple of big names to the cast. Robin Wright and Sam Worthington have joined the cast which already includes A-list dudes Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, John Hawkes, and Josh Brolin.

Based loosely on Jon Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air, the film recounts a doomed 1996 expedition to scale the world's highest mountain until they were hit with harsh weather conditions near the summit. Worthington will play Guy Cotter, while Wright will play Brolin's wife, Peach Weathers.

Everest will open in 3D on September 18th 2015.

Read More

First Looks: Jason Clarke in 'Everest'; Pierce Brosnan's 'November Man'; 'The Forger' with John Travolta

Dudes, take note: three straight-up macho flicks are in production right now and headed our way real soon, and now we've got new images from all of them.

Right off the bat is the first image of Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) in Everest, which has him scaling the mountain alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, John Hawkes, and Josh Brolin. That's a lot of testosterone for one set, isn't it? Insurance must have been sky high. Anyway, the 3D flick is directed by Baltasar Kormakur (The Deep) and is based in part on Jon Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air, about a doomed 1996 climbing expedition.  Everest is set to open February 27th 2015.

Forget Liam Neeson and Kevin Costner, Pierce Brosnan used to be James friggin' Bond, so he's automatically cooler than both of them. Just check out this first image from November Man which has him walking away from an explosion, no doubt in slow-motion. Directed by Roger Donaldson (The Bank Job) and co-starring Dominic Cooper, the action thriller has Brosnan as an ex-CIA operative brought back in on a very personal mission, and finds himself going against his former pupil in a deadly game involving high-level CIA officials and the Russian president-elect

And finally it's three tough guys in the first photo from heist flick, The Forger, starring John Travolta, Christopher Plummer, and Tye Sheridan. Travolta and that ridiculous facial hair star as petty thief and former child art prodigy who negotiates his release from prison to spend time with his ailing son. But upon getting out he's forced into one last job by the same people who brokered the deal. Philip Martin (Prime Suspect) is directing and a release date has yet to be secured.

Read More

Release Dates for 'Pitch Perfect 2'; 'Everest', 'Crimson Peak', and More

Universal is hoping to make their mark on the crowded 2015, without having to rely too heavily on Fast & Furious 7. And so today they've revealed a number of release dates for some of their biggest upcoming films.

The Elizabeth Banks-directed Pitch Perfect 2 will hum a new tune on May 15th 2015, when it will go head-on against Mad Max: Fury Road. Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and the rest of the Bardem Bellas are expected to return.

Then there's Guillermo Del Toro's gothic horror Crimson Peak, arriving on October 16th 2015, just in time for Halloween. The film stars Charlie Hunnam, Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston (replacing Benedict Cumberbatch), and Jessica Chastain, with this as the official logline: In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider.  Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers.

Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, and John Hawkes will scale Everest for director Baltasar Kormakur on February 27th 2015. The film chronicles two separate expeditions to scale the world's highest mountain. 

John Erick Dowdle (Quarantine) will bring horror As Above, So Below to screens later this year on August 15th. Ouija will move its pieces to October 24th 2014, putting it up against horror champ Paranormal Activity 5 and the newly-titled Vince Vaughn comedy Business or Pleasure. And A Walk Among the Tombstones starring Liam Neeson arrives September 19th 2014.

 

Read More

Benedict Cumberbatch May Replace Tom Hardy in 'Everest'

Whenever two major studios are planning opposing projects on the same subject, the race to be first is always fascinating, mainly because every misstep becomes amplified. In the case of Sony and Universal's opposing films titled Everest, both about troubled expeditions up the famous mountain, major issues have set the projects back a ways, but the race continues on.

First up is Sony's film, which is to be directed by Doug Liman and was to star Tom Hardy. However, with the studio aiming to get rolling next March, the scheduling couldn't be worked out with Hardy and now someone else must be found to play George Mallory, whose 1924 expedition was met with tragedy. On the wish list to replace Hardy is Benedict Cumberbatch, while  Joel Kinnaman, James McAvoy, Tom Hiddleston, Henry Cavill, Luke Evans, Dan Stevens, Matthew Goode and Jim Sturgess are in the mix to play Mallory's rival, George Finch. Most of these guys will have similar timing issues as Hardy so who knows if any of them will be able to fit Everest into their schedules.

And then there's Universal and Working Title's Everest film, which recently lined up Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Hawkes, and Jason Clarke to star. Baltasar Kornakur (The Deep) is on board to direct, and the plan to get moving next month has been stalled by the loss of a major co-financier. So now the search is on for another to share the burden, and that shouldn't be too difficult considering the starry cast. The story is also a pretty good one, based in part on Jon Krakauer's memoir Into Thin Air, about his surviving a 1996 trek up the mountain that was hit by a blinding storm that killed eight climbers.  [Deadline]

Read More

Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Jason Clarke, and Jake Gyllenhaal May Climb 'Everest'

After taking us on a harrowing sea journey in The Deep, director Baltasar Kormakur is taking on another man vs. nature tale in Everest, and he's been aiming high in looking for a star. Christian Bale had been eyed to lead the film, which is based on Jon Krakauer's novel Into Thin Air about a doomed 1996 expedition, but now four more big names are set to play the explorers.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Jason Clarke, and John Hawkes are in talks to join Everest, with Bale appearing to be out of the picture. The film will be based on a number of sources, including interviews with survivors recounting the climb that claimed the lives of eight experienced climbers.

If all goes to plan, filming will begin this November.

Read More