Monday, April 25, 2011

Jeremy Renner up for Bourne spin-off

“Matt Damon is Jason Bourne” was Universal’s selling point when audiences were introduced to amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne back in 2002's The Bourne Identity. The original spawned two sequels and was widely regarded as one of the best and most consistent franchises in years – and deservedly so. It placed Matt Damon firmly on the radar as arguably the best action movie star on the planet. With a Bic in his grasp he was a lethal killing machine out to get answers as to how and why he is a highly trained Government assassin. When we last saw Jason Bourne he was making a break for it from shady operatives in New York in the stunning third part of the trilogy The Bourne Ultimatum. Everyone, including myself thought that was a wrap – how wrong we all were.

Speculation was generating that potentially Jason Bourne would make a comeback in a fourth instalment. This was somewhat a gamble as people were adamant that Ultimatum was a closed book and that was that for Bourne. I for one was not rooting for a comeback and it now appears The Bourne Legacy has got the green light. In the modern day of reboots, prequels and spin-offs Bourne is getting the similar treatment. Not only is director Paul Greengrass (responsible for Bourne 2 & 3) stepping aside, Matt Damon has followed him out of the exit door and will NOT be returning as the highly skilled assassin. Instead writer of the three previous outings, Tony Gilroy will be stepping into the director’s chair with Jeremy Renner leading the way as his number one choice for the lead role.


The good old rumour mill has been working its socks off with speculation that actors including Toby Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Hartnett and Michael Fassbender were all considered for the lead role. But it now appears that Renner is game for Legacy. It will be set in the same Treadstone world but focusing on a new character. I’m very cautious about this approach because Matt Damon was the reason why the Bourne series was such a formidable and worldwide success. On the other hand I am satisfied that Renner was Universal’s eventual decision. After strong turns and deserved Oscar nods in the downright overrated war drama The Hurt Locker and in the blistering Ben Affleck crime thriller The Town (of which I was a huge fan of), he is a solid choice to step into Matt Damon’s shoes.


He has been on the hot property market for some time now and deserves all the plaudits. After coming into the acting world via a number of TV shows in the mid-90’s, he came to life with films such as S.W.A.T., North Country, 28 Weeks Later and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. He is now making a habit at scoring a number of high-profile roles including Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol alongside Tom Cruise and even accepting the future missions when the Cruiser steps down. Last year it was announced he would be playing Hawkeye in the superhero mash-up The Avengers, with even a brief cameo in the upcoming Thor. A popular man he most certainly is at the moment and for good reason.


It remains to be seen who Renner will play in The Bourne Legacy but time will tell when filming commences in September for a Summer release in 2012. Universal have some adjustments to make in their ad campaign if this is gonna work. “Jeremy Renner is…”

Written by Michael Cunneen

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Marvel's Summer Smackdown

This Summer is shaping up to be one heck of a season for movies. The Hangover Part II, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Cowboys and Aliens, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and a whole other bunch of sequels and adaptations will be whetting the appetites of movie lovers from LA to Timbucktoo.

But it will be the comic book giants, Marvel who will have their work cut out over the Summer with the unveiling of three highly anticipated adaptations all within the space of a few months – Head honcho Stan Lee more than likely experienced scheduling issues with his trademark cameos in previous Marvel mash-ups. They will surely be sweating over the performances of newbie heroes Thor and Captain America: First Avenger when they will be unleashed on cinema screens. But it will also be the return of Professor X, Magneto and Co. in Matthew Vaughn’s 60’s reboot, X-Men: First Class. Upon reflection, this is a huge gamble as much as the other two adaptations after the disappointing X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the underwhelming third chapter of the franchise, X-Men: The Last Stand.

But, let’s not… THORget (couldn’t resist) that on 27th May, audiences will be introduced to Kenneth Branagh’s take on the God of Thunder, Thor. Yes the same actor/director whose credentials include Hamlet, Frankenstein and Henry V. The Belfast born thesp was an avid comic book fan during his childhood and it was Thor that really struck out to him. He was given the script a few years back and the rest is history. The plot focuses on the arrogant warrior, Thor who is kicked off his turf by his bitter pop Tony Hopkins and begins to live among the humans on Earth. It is until his evil brother, Loki comes face to face with Thor in a battle to save mankind. With an intriguing and diverse cast including Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston and a rumoured cameo from fellow avenger, Hawk-Eye played by Jeremy Renner (more on that later), I’m hoping that Thor and his trusty hammer will kick start the Summer movie season off with a hammering blow. Reviews from the likes of Empire and Total Film have this week been filtering through and it appears that critics have been THORoughlly (THORgive me for these puns) enjoying the Marvel adaptation.


Also stepping up to the Marvel plate later on in the year, 29th July if you wanna be precise is the popular stars n’ stripes superhero Captain America: First Avenger. Judging by the look of Chris Evans in the striking looking costume as Steve Rogers aka Captain America with his trusty shield to boot, I think this will rank as potentially one of the coolest movies of the Summer period. Joining Evans (who is no stranger to Marvel after his two stints in the Fantastic Four movies) is an impressive cast that includes Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci and Hayley Atwell as the plucky love interest. We follow Evans’s character who is deemed unfit for military duty which leads to him being selected for a top secret military programme that transforms him from skinny to super-buff soldier Captain America. With Joe “The Wolfman” Johnston at the helm and a budget of around the $140million mark I’m expecting this to not only deliver but create another layer for a little superhero ensemble next year (more on that to follow).




It is however Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class I am gearing up for the most. Reports are already coming from good ol’ Empire during their set visit labelling First Class as a Bond movie with mutants. As a mahoosive (cheers Rio) fan of X-Men and 007 that statement alone gets me more excited about this movie by the minute. The prequel focuses on the friendship and the eventual rivalry between fellow mutants Professor Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto which leads to the formation of the X-Men and the Brotherhood. Audiences will be reunited with some familiar mutants such as Mystique, Beast. But also they will be introduced some fresh faced ones as well including Emma Frost, Azazel and Sebastian Shaw. Director Vaughn has brought in a fine looking cast that includes James McAvoy as Professor X and the sublime Michael Fassbender as Magneto. Other cast members include the likes of Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Bryne, January Jones, Nicholas Hoult – I could go on! Pencil the 2nd June into your diary peeps, as this will surely be up there with the other big Summer contenders.


To wrap up, or in Marvel’s case unveil, some of you may know what the comic book giant has in store for next year. For all you people who haven’t a clue at what i’m banging on about, next year Marvel is introducing audiences to the superhero ensemble that is The Avengers. The recent comic book adaptations are all building up for one gigantic superhero movie. So we will have the chance to see the likes of Iron Man, Hulk, Cap America, Thor, and the rest share the screen headed by Joss Whedon. You can just imagine all the comic book fanatics frothing at the prospect of a superhero smackdown.

But in the meantime, sit back, relax and be blown away by Marvel’s upcoming presentations.

Written by Michael Cunneen


Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Schwarzenegger: I'm back

Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger - Bodybuilder, Actor, Politician and Worldwide icon. The Austrian born star has had a monstrous career dabbling in a wide and diverse range of professions. Arguably best known for his movie career starring in some of the best movies of the 80’s and 90’s. Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator, Predator and Commando are to name just a handful of his successful movies to date. He is by far, in my view on of the best action movie stars that has ever graced the big screen alongside some of the other greats like Bruce Willis and Sly Stallone. So it was a huge buzz I experienced when the three giants of action movies shared the same screen in last years testosterone-fuelled actioner The Expendables. Regardless of the fact that they only shared a few minutes of screen time it was, in my eyes anyway, one of the finest moments of the film. Speculation was fierce that the True Lies star could be making his long-awaited comeback in front of the screen and now that looks likely to be true.


It was only in February that the former Governor of California, who had over a seven year spell in office, announced he was returning to acting, and in the process of reading several scripts. Like a tramp on chips, Schwarzenegger was immediately linked with over fifteen potential projects including sequels to The Terminator, Predator and The Running Man which lets face it, was a given. To this news people were suggesting that he’s passed it, he’s no longer fit enough to withstand an action movie. But I still believe that he has what it takes to dominate the screen and pack a serious punch. I’d certainly be one to fly the flag for the star to get back in the frame and make a big return. Although making a return to play old faces from some of his most successful movies would be a risky strategy. I think going down a completely new route could surprise and satisfy his army of fans.


Oh hello what’s this? Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has recently announced he will be unveiling a new animated series about his political life starring himself, of course, called The Governator. In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 63-year-old Austrian revealed plans for the next phase of his extraordinary career. He will be playing an animated superhero called The Governator which was co-created by none other than Marvel head honcho Stan Lee. He explained, “We’re using all the personal elements of Arnold’s life. We’re using his wife [Maria Shriver]. We’re using his kids. We’re using the fact that he used to be governor.” Schwarzenegger said, “When I ran for governor back in 2003 and I started hearing people talking about ‘the Governator,’ I thought the word was so cool.” The Governator is expected to schedule in 2012 with hopes of spawning the TV series into a full-length 3D feature film.
The Austrian Oak is somewhat of a popular man in the world of Twitter racking up over 2million followers and seems to enjoy interacting with his worldwide fan base. He even tends to provide insight into his personal and political life posting pictures of the announcement of The Governator in Cannes and recently biking along the Thames with the Major of London, Boris Johnson. It was only yesterday he released the trailer for his upcoming project. He tweeted, “I'm pumped for my next role as the Governator.”



Currently his IMDB profile only shows one potential project in the pipeline - a return with the rest of The Expendables in next Summer’s sequel. Of course its only a rumour at this stage but expect in the coming weeks/months Arnie putting pen to paper not only to that exciting project but to many others in the future. But next up, The Governator.



Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger - Bodybuilder, Actor, Politician, Worldwide icon and … Animated Superhero - He’s Back!

Written by Michael Cunneen