‘RED’ Sequel In The Works

Retirees generally spend their days performing casual tasks, taking up new hobbies, finally tackling that novel they’ve been itching to write for years – unless, of course, you’re one of the former black-ops agents in RED and your days involve a bit more gunfire, bone-cracking combat, and explosions than normal.

RED was a popular draw when it hit theaters last fall and now Summit Entertainment has hired the film’s screenwriters, Jon and Erich Hoeber, for another round with a pack of extremely dangerous senior citizens (just don’t use that term in front of John Malkovich)

Collider has the scoop on a sequel to RED, which grossed an unexpectedly large $164 million worldwide in theaters and managed to snag a Golden Globe nod for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) to boot. More important to casual moviegoers than financial success or critical prestige is that RED is a blast to watch and demonstrated that not only does Bruce Willis still have the chops to be convincing as a guns-blazing rouge, but genteel thespians like Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren can make for impressive badasses onscreen as well.

The Hoebers made a name for themselves with their DC Comics graphic novel adaptation and will continue to do so with their script for the upcoming Sam Worthington thriller Man On A Ledge, as well as the script for Peter Berg’s Battleship. The duo being hired by Summit to pen a RED followup is not equivalent to a sequel being given the greenlight, though it does imply that the studio is intrigued by the possibility of a franchise here – either that or, like everyone else, the head execs just want an excuse to see Mirren wielding a heavy load of firepower again.

RED was a bit of a sleeper hit that generated good word of mouth and convinced younger moviegoers that a flick starring four individuals whose combined age is over two centuries old could make for a rambunctious and wild action-thriller with some clever comedy to boot. Those who caught the trailers and TV previews for the film knew they were in for a fun ride, but were by and large surprised by just how entertaining the pic turned out to be.

Director Robert Schwentke earned props for crafting kinetic action sequences that were engaging – and did not employ the over-used shaky cam aesthetic – and allowing pros like Willis, Freeman, Malkovich, and Mirren to naturally play off one another for both dramatic and comedic effect. Lightning is a tricky thing to bottle when it comes in the form of a refreshingly enjoyable popcorn flick, but it’s possible that a RED sequel could do just that.

Willis has both Die Hard 5 and The Expendables 2 on his to-do list, so he’s not quitting the action game anytime soon. Malkovich and Mirren also seemed to enjoy themselves in RED and could be up for a second venture as well – besides, handling deadly artillery must be a particularly interesting change of pace for the Oscar-winning star of The Queen.

RED will be released on DVD and Blu-ray a week from today on January 25th – in the meantime, be sure to let us know your thoughts about a sequel .

Follow us for more Movie and TV news on Twitter @screenrant and @feynmanguy.

Source: Collider

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Nolan Says ‘Dark Knight Rises’ is His Last Batman; Talks ‘Inception’ Ending, Sequel & Videogame

The last few weeks have seen a dramatic influx of information regarding Christopher Nolan’s third -and final- Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. In typical Nolan fashion, each new detail that emerges typically leads to more questions.

We know that Tom Hardy has been cast, but we don’t know who he’s playing. We know that The Riddler won’t be in the film, but we don’t know who the actual villain is. We know that Nolan is meeting with several young actresses, but we don’t know for which role. You get the idea…

The often cryptic filmmaker recently spoke to EW, and while he doesn’t reveal the answer to any of those questions mentioned above, or acknowledge whether or not the film is based on the graphic novel Prey, he does express his unbridled enthusiasm for the project.

Nolan also confirms that The Dark Knight Rises is indeed his last Batman movie and admits that after Inception,  it was somewhat comforting to return to a universe with an established framework and characters:

“I feel very glad that I’m doing another Batman film. I think it would have been daunting to sit down and write an original script after Inception. I love working within the realm and rules of our Batman world. It’s kind of nice to have someplace to go that I’m super-excited about.”

He also explains that the critical and commercial success of Inception has allowed him to work on The Dark Knight Rises without any pressure or interference from the studio:

“I must say that I’m glad — I’m very, very glad — to be embarking on the last chapter of our Batman saga without any sense of obligation or duty to the studio. They did very well with Inception. So I’m able to go into finishing our story in a very enthusiastic way.”

This should ease any lingering concern that Warner Bros. somehow twisted his arm to direct The Dark Knight Rises, or that his enthusiasm isn’t at the same level it was for previous installments. It’s always been imperative to Nolan that something within the film or story speaks to him, so it should be interesting to learn what aspects of this final entry excited him.

As for further explorations of the world he created in Inception, Nolan says he always saw the potential for other stories taking place within that universe. Many fans thought that the film’s premise lent itself quite naturally to a videogame and Nolan agrees:

“I always imagined Inception to be a world where a lot of other stories could take place … At the moment, the only direction we’re channeling that is by developing a videogame set in the world.”

While the medium is one he claims he’s always wanted to get involved with, Nolan admits that an Inception videogame is still a ways off.  But if he’s envisioned other stories that deal with entering someone’s dreams, does that mean we might see an Inception sequel (or sequels) at some point? Nolan reveals:

“It’s not something I want to say no to, but it’s not something I’ve given a lot of thought about.”

He concludes the interview by touching on Inception‘s ambiguous ending and how curious it is that so many viewers are looking for a definitive answer:

“I’ve been asked the question more times than I’ve ever been asked any other question about any other film I’ve made … That’s definitely the question. It keeps coming back to that. What’s funny to me is that people really do expect me to answer it.”

Nolan explains that to blatantly state whether or not Cobb was dreaming would not only be a disservice to the film (and its audience), but that people obsessed with finding the answer are missing the point entirely:

“There can’t be anything in the film that tells you one way or another because then the ambiguity at the end of the film would just be a mistake … It would represent a failure of the film to communicate something. But it’s not a mistake. I put that cut there at the end, imposing an ambiguity from outside the film. That always felt the right ending to me — it always felt like the appropriate ‘kick’ to me….The real point of the scene — and this is what I tell people — is that Cobb isn’t looking at the top. He’s looking at his kids. He’s left it behind. That’s the emotional significance of the thing.”

Even though he’d never say “I told you so!” (okay, he might), our senior editor Kofi Outlaw came to the same conclusion in his analysis of Inception‘s ending right after the film’s release. So there you have it.

I’m looking forward to watching how The Dark Knight Rises comes together and the idea of expanding the Inception franchise is pretty intriguing as well.  I think Nolan is one of the most interesting directors working right now (especially within the studio system) and it’s pretty incredible to have the opportunity to watch a filmmaker operating in his prime.

You can own Inception on DVD and Blu-Ray December 7th. The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters July 20, 2012.

Source: EW.

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‘Avatar’ Producer Addresses Sequel Rumors

Only months after the release of Avatar, director James Cameron was already dropping hints about what fans could expect from the inevitable sequels. One of his earliest declarations was that Avatar 2 would take audiences into a region of Pandora unexplored by the original film – the oceans.

It’s been confirmed that Avatar 2 will be Cameron’s next project and that it will be shot back-to-back with Avatar 3. Although screenplays for the sequels have yet to be written, there are some factions of the Internet rumor mill that seem to believe the first sequel will take place entirely underwater.

Empire recently caught up with Jon Landau,  one of the Avatar franchise’s producers, while he was out promoting Avatar‘s upcoming Extended Collector’s Edition. Landau revealed that the oceans of Pandora will indeed be featured in Avatar 2, but they won’t be the focus of the film:

“Water will be a part of the movie, but it won’t be all of the movie … There’s been a lot of rumours that it’s an underwater movie – it’s not. Just like the Floating Mountains, and the Na’vi’s interaction with the mountains, were a part of Avatar, it’ll be the same type of thing.”

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise since Cameron previously stated that Avatar 2 would definitely expand the scope of the first movie, but not at the expense of revisiting established locations. Yet, the innovative filmmaker clearly has a larger story in mind – one that goes beyond Pandora and involves other planets in the Alpha Centauri AB system.

If the franchise does indeed wind up traveling to other worlds, it won’t be until the third film. Landau indicates that Avatar 2 will likely take place entirely on Pandora:

“I think the next movie will stay on Pandora. That’d be my guess. Not all the answers are there yet, but I think we’re happy with Pandora.”

James Cameron and Jon Landau

Landau also insists that even though the sequels are shooting back-to-back, it’s important that they stand on their own. So don’t expect Avatar 2 to end with a cliffhanger à la Back to the Future Part II or The Matrix Reloaded:

“The next [film] will kick off where the  last one ended, but just like Avatar resolved itself and doesn’t feel like a set-up to another movie, you don’t want Avatar 2 to feel like a set up for 3.”

Not only does that decision seem creatively stronger, in my opinion it also shows more respect for the audience. The majority of Avatar fans are already passionate and no one needs to be baited into seeing another film. Franchise or not, I think each film should tell a contained story – even if there’s a larger arc in place.

Finally, Landau touches on two other long-gestating Cameron projects – The Dive and Battle Angel. While they’re obviously a ways off, it doesn’t sound like interest has waned:

They’re further-out projects … Neither one has that shooting script yet and both are really worthy projects to make.”

My list of criticisms for the first Avatar is largely the same as everyone else’s, but I really do have high hopes for the follow-ups. Landau previously discussed Cameron’s successful track record with sequels and the pressure that created for  Avatar 2. Here’s hoping they knock it out of the park.

Source: Empire.

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