‘Charlie’s Angels’ TV Show Reboot Headed Into Production

You’d think that a classic series that received not one, but two big-budget movie adaptations was played out. Nobody tell ABC: they’re in the initial stages of bringing Charlie’s Angels back to its TV stomping grounds.

We previously reported that Al Gough and Miles Millar, the writers for the first eight seasons of Smallville, are attached to the project. Gossip Girl director Mark Miznarski is in negotiations to direct. (Miznarski also has a credit for the 2008 reboot of 90210 -  coincidence?)

Producers include Leonard Goldberg and Nancy Juvonen, who worked on the aforementioned 2000 and 2003 Charlie’s Angels movies. Juvonen also helped develop the original TV series, as well as other classics like Starsky & Hutch and TJ Hooker. Drew Berrymore, who played an Angel in both movies, is a producer on the new show. No casting information is available at this time.

Whispers about a new Charlie’s Angels TV show have been heard around Hollywood for years.  In 2004 (a year after the truly awful sequel to the 2000 movie) an attempt was made to reanimate the franchise, but it never made it off the ground. Similar efforts were launched in 1988 with similar results, not to mention copycat franchises in Latin America and Germany. The show will join such auspicious company as Knight Rider, Melrose Place (the reboot) and Bionic Woman – that’s assuming that it fails. If it doesn’t, it may join more palatable remakes like Battlestar Galactica, V, and Hawaii Five-O.

When rumors of the Angels return started flying in 2009, Screen Rant‘s Paul Young made some excellent suggestions for the reboot’s potential cast, including Eliza Dushku, Alyssa Milano, and Emilie Ullerup. Summer Glau was also mentioned, but she’s a little busy with The Cape at the moment, so I’ll add Rosario Dawson as a substitute.

What I’m more interested in is who’ll be playing Charlie. The original Charlie for the 1970s show and both movies was voiced by John Forsythe, who unfortunately passed away in April of last year. I’d suggest Val Kilmer, who’s voice-only part in the Knight Rider reboot makes him perfect for ill-advised TV speaking roles. Bernie Mac, who played Bosley for both movies, tragically died of complications from pneumonia in 2008. However, former Heroes regular Stephen Tobolowsky seems to fit the Bosley role to a T.

Charlie’s Angels will begin production very soon, and should premiere on ABC in spring or fall 2012.

Source: Comingsoon.net

View the original article here

New TV Spot & Inside Look At ‘Black Swan’ Production Design

Darren Aronofsky’s latest film, Black Swan, is picking up steam in its final week before limited release and a new TV spot and featurette have premiered online for it. In addition, the December issue of American Cinematographer features an interview with Director of Photography Matthew Libatique (Requiem for a Dream, Cowboys & Aliens).

Much of the buzz surrounding Black Swan is focused on the actors; Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel are receiving plenty of praise from those who caught early screenings, but it takes more than just performers to create a complete film. Aronofsky has found solace in the visual side of directing. For example, while some see The Fountain as a tangled mess of existentialism, it is still undoubtedly gorgeous.

Considering its theatrical nature, Black Swan could find itself in a similar predicament if it isn’t universally entertaining. But it seems the filmmakers behind Black Swan see the production design as integral to the overall product as anything.

The new TV spot features some of the design work explained in the later video and interview. It definitely continues a trend of edgy clips from Portman’s most challenging role of late. At one moment in the short clip, Portman appears to hiss at the camera. It has become taboo to break the “fourth wall,” but if this is any indication, it should send some shivers up the spines of those in theaters.

My main concern right now is the handheld camerawork. While Libatique is an established cinematographer, the shaky-cam in this clip was a bit unnerving (possibly intentional). In his interview with American Cinematographer, Libatique explained the entire film was shot handheld, with the exception of the final dance, which utilized Steadicam. Needless to say, if you dislike shaky cameras, this film may leave you a bit queasy.

The interview explores the entire production, from development to the actual cameras used. Libatique mentions Black Swan was once called The Understudy as it made the rounds through Hollywood. Aronofsky was originally pitched the script after Requiem for a Dream, but wasn’t ready to follow through on it until now. After earning critical success with The Wrestler, now is as good a time as any for the pair to collaborate again on another challenging topic.

Influences on the production design came from various inspirations. The camera and art department always work closely, especially on Black Swan. Libatique had plenty of films in mind during the shoot. He mostly collaborated with Rodarte, the fashion designers who created the movie’s costume. But other film influences came from Polanski’s Repulsion, The Red Shoes, The Three Colors trilogy and a foreign documentary by director Donya Feuer called Dansaren (The Dancer).

In this month’s issue of American Cinematographer, Matthew Libatique also discusses the production’s technical side. While it mostly explores the cameras and lighting used on set, the cinematographer explains why it matters to the viewer’s experience. The film was shot mostly with 16mm film (Canon 7D was also used) to explore the seemingly European tone of the story. More importantly, Aronofsky and Libatique went with a documentary approach to filming.

“We moved the camera in as though we were documenting real people’s lives. We made it a point to travel from kitchen to hallway to foyer to bedroom to bathroom, but the space really dictated the kinds of moves we could make…I shot everything documentary-style. I did all the focus pulls by hand, and we’d just look at it on the camera’s monitor.”

Mirrors and color play significant roles in Black Swan. Aronofsky details the reason for mirrors in the production featurette from In Contention. Note the level of detail that goes into production design and how important every corner of every room matters.

Libatique also goes into more detail on the use of colors to accent Black Swan‘s story. The four-color scheme of the production allows each individual tone to symbolize an emotion or aspect of the film.

“Black represents the darker side of Nina’s character, white is her innocent side, pink represents her childhood and green conveys envy and ambition. For example, the pink bedroom with all the stuffed animals shows that her mother never let her grow up, and the apartment’s green walls underscore the competitive nature of their relationship.”

Detailed production design is a must for any film. It creates a visual palette for the viewer. But even Libatique wonders if Aronofsky goes too far at times. As one of the most visually-focused directors around, it’s no secret the look of Aronofsky’s films are a constant strength.

Could he have pushed the envelope too far with a movie as theatrical as Black Swan? While the excessive mirrors and colors may come off strong, even in the trailers, we should consider them in the scope of the filmmaker’s story. As Aronofsky stated, mirrors play a large role in ballet, but they also help the horror aspects of the movie.

Black Swan may be a film we find difficult to label in one genre, but it definitely has some scares. The Black Swan trailers definitely promote the film’s scare-inducing adjustments on reality. The question remains whether it will appeal to all crowds and not simply land as another brainy thriller for the indie crowd.

Are you planning on catching Black Swan this weekend?

Black Swan dives into limited theaters December 3rd, 2010.

Source: In Contention, American Cinematographer (December edition) and Yahoo! Movies

View the original article here

‘The Hobbit’ Production Update: Cutting-Edge 3D, CGI Dragons & More

Charged with the task of realizing mystical beasts and creatures from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit on the big screen, Peter Jackson must be quite relieved that he can now concentrate on actually making the film adaptation – rather than having to wade through yet another series of production delays.

Production on The Hobbit is moving forward at last (we promise!), with Jackson officially in the director’s chair for the new cinematic venture through Middle-Earth, which will be shot in New Zealand once again and feature the return of several Lord of the Rings alumni, including composer Howard Shore.

Jackson will shoot both Hobbit movies in 3D using no less than 30 RED EPIC digital cameras, each of which – according to the RED Studios press release – “has 5K resolution, can shoot up to 120 frames per second and has a new HDRx™ mode for the highest dynamic range of any digital cinema camera ever made… The EPIC’s small size and relatively low weight makes it perfect for 3D – where two cameras have to be mounted on each 3D rig.”

For those less familiar with filmmaking jargon, the short of it is this: Jackson is using cutting-edge technology that will both allow him to avoid some of the burdens that come with shooting in 3D and assure that The Hobbit is as visually impressive (if not more so) than Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy – and that is saying something.

Still frame from 'Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'.

The Hobbit‘s narrative is far less sprawling than that of Lord of the Rings, which is also much more grandiose in scope and tone. The former still has its share of fantastical locales in Middle-Earth that were left unexplored in LOTR, and will feature plenty of stunning visuals and CGI monsters – especially that of the treasure-hoarding dragon Smaug, who plays a pivotal role in the quest undertaken by a young Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman). Devoted LOTR fans may even recall that Bilbo’s expedition was (albeit briefly) referenced in the first exchange between Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen) in the film version of Fellowship of the Ring.

Speaking of McKellen’s shaggy old wizard character, the actor has not yet been officially confirmed as returning for The Hobbit movies. McKellen’s official site indicates that he is very much onboard to return as Gandalf – which is excellent news since, frankly, it’s difficult to envision anyone else embodying the 2,000 (or so) year-old wizard with as much charm and charisma as McKellen did.

View the original article here

‘Dark Knight Rises’ Production To Begin in May 2011

Christopher and Jonathan Nolan are currently plugging away at the screenplay for The Dark Knight Rises, with the intention of delivering a solid draft by January of next year. Both fellows are known for their secretive ways, though that hasn’t prevented rumors about Tom Hardy’s possible role or a Batman TV show spinoff from spreading around the Web.

Franchise stars Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman are essentially set to return for The Dark Knight Rises, as will Michael Caine, making the threequel his fifth collaboration with Chris Nolan after the first two Batman films, The Prestige, and this summer’s existential heist flick, Inception.

Caine spoke to Empire about the planned production schedule for The Dark Knight Rises and revealed that Chris Nolan now expects to complete shooting over the course of six months, with a May 2011 start date in mind. That would also allow time for the development of a new camera system that will enable Nolan and his longtime director of photography, Wally Pfister, to possibly shoot Dark Knight Rises entirely in the IMAX format.

Zack Snyder’s The Man of Steel will arrive alongside Nolan’s third Batman venture in the summer of 2012 and Warner Bros. has plans for the Superman reboot to begin shooting halfway through 2011 as well – even now that the family of Supes co-creator Jerry Siegel’s Superman lawsuit is moving forward (Sidebar – Joel Schumacher should just be thankful that Batman creator Bob Kane never took similar legal action against him for putting nipples on the Caped Crusader’s outfit).

Casting rumors for both Batman and Superman’s next big screen venture will start to heat up even more as the creative forces behind each project look to fill major roles (including that of the female leads in Dark Knight Rises and the new Man of Steel) before their respective productions get underway.

Stay tuned for more news concerning The Dark Knight Rises.

Source: Empire

View the original article here