Trailer and Poster for 'Wild Card' starring Jason Statham and Sofia Vergara

Didn't we just have a trailer for the Heat remake, Wild Card? Yes we did, but you won't hear me complaining about another look at the Jason Statham-led flick. Statham does what he does once again, playing a Las Vegas bodyguard with a mean gambling addiction, who must fight against a powerful crime boss to avenge a friend.

Simon West, who worked with Statham on The Expendables 2 and The Mechanic, is at the helm of this one but the most interesting aspect is writer William Goldman. He adapted his novel for the 1986 film starring Burt Reynolds but hated how that turned out so he's back to give it another go. And at least judging by the footage we've seen so far it looks a lot better, certainly on the action side which is something Statham has no trouble with.

Also starring Sofia Vergara, Michael Angarano, Milo Ventimiglia, Stanley Tucci, Cedric the Entertainer, Hope Davis, and Anne Heche, Wild Card hits the tables on January 30th.

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First Trailer for 'Heat' Remake 'Wild Card' starring Jason Statham and Sofia Vergara

Burt Reynolds' 1986 film Heat is remembered mainly because of the record-setting production troubles it faced, with no less than six directors (!!!) working on it at various stages. That's according to author William Goldman who adapted his own novel for the screen. Predictably the film was a disaster, but Goldman has come back to give it another go with Wild Card, a remake starring Jason Statham, Sofia Vergara, and directed by Simon West.

The first trailer for Wild Card has arrived and it looks like the most promising thing either Statham or West have done in a few years, certainly superior to their last collaboration on The Expendables 2. Also starring Milo Ventimiglia, Stanley Tucci, Anne Heche, Hope Davis, Cedric the Entertainer, Jason Alexander, and Michael Angarano, the film has Statham as a Las Vegas gambler who supports his addiction by working as hired protection, only to get in over his head when a friend is beaten up by a powerful mobster. Sounds a little bit like The Equalizer, and kind of looks like it, too.

This one has been in the works for a couple of years, once with Brian De Palma on board to direct, and producers seem to be scrambling for promotion. It's a little late for a trailer and images to be debuting as Wild Card hits theaters on December 7th.


Joker avec Jason Statham : la bande annonce VOST by FilmsActu

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Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino no interest in 'Star Wars: Episode VII'

When you're dealing with a project a high-profile as Star Wars: Episode VII, only the biggest names are going to talked about as taking part in it. Ok, maybe Colin Trevorrow(Safety Not Guaranteed) doesn't count as high-profile, but certainly Matthew Vaughn, Michael Arndt, Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams, and Brad Bird do. Big names wishlists also tend to equal big name refusals, and now a couple of the guys up for the director slot have pulled their name out of the running.

Last night the Internet gave a deep sigh of relief when Zack Snyder revealed he didn't want anything to do with it, and now Spielberg and Tarantino have weighed in. When asked by Access Hollywood, this was Spielberg's response...

Spielberg: "No! No! It’s not my genre. It’s my best friend George’s genre."

Wha? Since when was he not a science-fiction guy? Whatever, dude. But Tarantino got downright Biblical in his response, even grinding another director under his boot in the process....

Tarantino: "I could so care less. No, sorry. Especially if Disney’s going to do it. I’m not interested in the Simon West version of 'Star Wars."

Ouch! What did West do to deserve that? They got a beef I don't know about? So where does this leave us? Michael Arndt has written a 50-page treatment that probably puts him as the frontrunner to draft the screenplay, and he apparently showed it to Bird, Spielberg, and Abrams in hopes they'd direct. That leaves two still in the running, not including Vaughn and Trevorrow.

I expect this whole thing will be over in a matter of days, but not before some other names emerge to muddy the waters a little bit. In the meantime, bask in the above poster with a fan's personal picks for who should star. Not a bad group, actually. [FirstShowing/Slashfilm]

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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First trailer for Nicolas Cage action thriller, 'Stolen'

If you're going to have the unpredictable Nicolas Cage doing his best impression of Liam Neeson in Taken, then it's crucial that a twist be thrown in there to make it uniquely Cage-ian. In the upcoming action thriller, Stolen(formerly Medallion), that means Cage will be racing through the busy city streets hunting down a runaway taxi cab driven by an unrecognizable, shaggy-haired Josh Lucas. Sounds just ridiculous enough to work.

The first trailer for Stolen has been released, which has Cage playing former thief, Will Montgomery. Newly released from prison and looking to turn a new leaf(that never goes well), his hopes are dashed when his former partner(Lucas) goes nuts and kidnaps Will's daughter in order to get his cut of $10M they stole years earlier. Will only has a few hours to rescue her from the back of a Medallion taxi cab before time runs out. We get to see Cage kicking some butt in an elevator, ducking S.W.A.T. team fire, busting a few banks, and leaping across the top of parked cars like he's Action Jackson or something. Malin Akerman turns up as Riley, a potential love interest, while Danny Huston shows up as the slimy authority figure he's always so good at playing.

Simon West(The Expendables 2) is directing, reuniting with Cage for the first time since Con Air. With Cage recently agreeing to join The Expendables 3, we may be seeing a lot more of these two in the future. Stolen hits theaters on September 14th....

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Simon West to direct Aussie car racing flick, Dust and Glory

Nobody's ever going to mistake Simon West for one of the great directors, but the guy knows what he does best and sticks to it. The couple of times the Con Air helmer has veered out of his comfort zone, we were treated to the silly horror One Missed Call and the histrionic The General's Daughter. After taking a few years off, West came back in a big way earlier this year directing Jason Statham in The Mechanic, one of my favorites movies of the year. Seriously. It's not often we get to see Statham as a special agent who kicks ass. *snort*


While he's currently filming the most actiony of action films, The Expendables 2, West is already lining up his next gig which will keep him in his chosen genre. THR reports he's in negotiations to helm Dust and Glory, based on the novel by well known Australian rally driver and journalist, Evan Green. Described as a romance adventure with touches of Mad Max and Jewel of the Nile, the story is centered on the 1950s Redex trials, a 10000 mile race through some of the most dangerous terrain in all of Australia.

The script is by Prey producer, Robert Lewis Galinsky, and plans are for production to kick off next summer in Australia. Before The Expendables 2 storms theaters next August, he'll have the Nic Cage/Malin Akerman taxi cab thriller Medallion released on May 25th.

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Sneak Peek: Simon West Interview

Just last night we we're lucky enough to sit and talk with director Simon West about his new movie The Mechanic starring Jason Statham and Ben Foster, in theaters January 28th 2011. Make sure to tune into our show for the full interview airing Sunday January 23rd at 7pm, or anytime in podcast form at www.blogtalkradio.com/punchdrunkcritics.


Highlights include:
- The chance for Con Air 2
- What his expierence with Jason Statham and Ben Foster was like
- Why he's so drawn to action movies
- His upcoming projects including a Nic Cage bank robbing movie and an action project with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Hell, we even asked him about his beginnings as a music video director including the now infamous Rick roll song Never Gonna Give You Up...All in all a hell of a good guy and a great interview so won't you join in the fun with us?



Don't forget that's every Sunday @ 7pm for "Punch Drunk Critics LIVE!!"

www.BlogTalkRadio.com/PunchDrunkCritics 

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Red Band Trailer Time: The Mechanic, starring Jason Statham and Ben Foster

I have a soft spot for movies like The Mechanic. Give me a hitman, a mission, a mostly unwanted apprentice, and I'm in. CBS Films has released a brand new red band trailer for the film, itself a remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson actioner. Simon West(Con Air) is behind the camera.

As if the previous trailer wasn't violent enough, there's a damn sight more blood in this one with some better looks at a few of the kills. There's even some nipple action, so definitely don't watch this one at work.  I'm really digging the intense vibe between Statham and Ben Foster, two of my favorite screen performers. I hope this one's good because I've been looking forward to it for a long time. 

The Mechanic hits theaters on January 28th 2011. We'll be checking it out a few days before and will definitely be reviewing it here on the site. So check out the out new trailer below, and as always let us know what you think!

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Nicholas Cage joins Simon West's 'Medallion'

Simon West still has his remake of The Mechanic(Jason Statham) coming up in a few months, but his next film, titled Medallion, is speeding right along. Nicolas Cage has now signed on for the action thriller about a master thief in search of his daughter who has been kidnapped and locked in the trunk of a Medallion taxi cab. 

McG is along for the ride as producer on the film, which is based on a script by David Guggenheim(Safe House). 

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Trailer Time: The Mechanic, starring Jason Statham and Ben Foster

We've got the first(as far as I know of) full trailer for The Mechanic, which stars Jason Statham as a hitman who seeks revenge on the folks who murdered his mentor and friend. The job only gets tougher when his friend's son(Ben Foster) shows up wanting to learn the family trade.  The film is a remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson actioner.  We had the teaser for this back in March, but this one obviously features a few more details. And more guns. The Mechanic is directed by Simon West(Con Air), and is due in theaters on January 28th, 2011. 

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