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Even with his post-"Hangover" buzz leading to the critical disasters "All About Steve" and "Case 39" being unceremoniously dumped into theaters, Bradley Cooper is still riding high.
The "A-Team" star was recently rumored to be the frontrunner for the role of D.C. Comics' adaptation of "The Flash," but Cooper himself seems to be in the denial phase of accepting the role. "I've never heard anything about it ever in my life. It's funny," he was quoted as saying to SuperHeroHype.
Like all casting ideas rumors, it's possible Cooper is simply on the top of some early studio wishlist and he and his agents haven't been contacted yet because the script is not yet complete (apparently the script, written by the same trio that wrote "Green Lantern," will be turned in around December).
It's also possible Cooper is playing the same card he turned over when confronted about starring as Face in this past summer's "A-Team." At first Cooper denied that he would appear in the TV remake, but of course later on he actually starred in the Joe Carnahan film (maybe he should have denied it in real life too). With "Harry Potter" about to end, Warner Bros. cash-cow genre franchise is about to expire so the studio will be looking to get deep into the D.C. archives. "Green Lantern" will be the first shot, D.C.'s "Iron Man" if you will, and if all goes well "The Flash" will follow. With or without Bradley Cooper, who of course was a "Green Lantern" casting finalist. Clearly studios think the actor has a superheroic look.
With filming now underway, Todd Phillips and the cast for the highly anticipated and most likely, very raunchy "The Hangover 2" has now begun the race to reach its release date of May 26, 2011 which is only a mere seven months away.
Some first set photos have arrived and they are unsurprising. Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms are back and as we've all known for months now, they are headed to Thailand. And as Phillips told Empire recently, "It takes place in Bangkok and LA. There's gonna be some fucked-up surprises."
Galifianakis recently said he read the script and found it to be better than the original (what else is he gonna say?) though we're more surprised there is an actual script for this since we would imagine half the one liners that make it into the film will be stuff the actors make up on the spot. And in case you really care, there's a mildly diverting spoiler that has hit the web.
Ken Jeong is also confirmed to return and, hey look, Justin Bartha is in the new photos too. Hooray. We also expect Heather Graham to return as well, though it has yet to be confirmed. [Popsugar]
"Superman" finally has a director, Christopher Nolan's third "Batman" will film next year, and "Green Lantern" is in post-production — it looks like D.C. are finally stepping up to try and challenge Marvel, who've had something of a monopoly in recent years on big-screen heroics (although let's not forget that "The Dark Knight" is still the top-grossing film in the genre).
Deadline are reporting that the script for a version of another iconic D.C. hero, "The Flash," will be delivered to Warner Bros sometime before Christmas, with the intention being to get moving on the project next year. "Green Lantern" scribes Marc Guggenheim, Michael Green and Greg Berlanti worked on the story together, and Guggenheim and Green are putting the finishing touches to the script as we speak.
It's been rumored for a while that TV mastermind Berlanti, whose latest film "Life As We Know It" opened to poisonous reviews and underwhelming box office this weekend, would direct the film, but Finke suggests that it's unlikely, an insider telling her that "He won't want to direct it because he kinda wants to do something in between size-wise first before attempting something that large." While another source tells her that it's still theoretically possible, saying "If Warner Bros does like the script and wants him to direct it... But that's a lot of ifs. And all of it is moot if they don't dig the script," we imagine that Warner Bros may want a more experienced action guy in charge, and hopefully someone who understands how human beings behave.
But who might play The Scarlet Speedster, in whichever incarnation he ends up reaching the screen? The usually reliable Australian site Moviehole suggest that Bradley Cooper, who was also on the "Green Lantern" short list, is the current front-runner, being something of a favorite at Warners after "The Hangover." So long as he can dial down the unbearable smugness that's been something of a feature of his recent roles, Cooper seems like a decent choice, but this should all be taken as a heavy rumor for now.
In something of a show of confidence, the three writers are also currently working on a treatment for "Green Lantern 2," which will also be in studio hands for Christmas, and then worked on by "Harry Potter" scribe Michael Goldenberg. Finke's definitely-not-biased-at-all-no-sir source suggests that Martin Campbell's first film in the series is "jaw-dropping," which goes somewhat against everything we've seen and heard from the film, but we'd be as delighted as anyone if the buzz is turning around — the cast is at least promising, even if half of them are caked in unconvincing prosthetics and CGI body suits. But we'd suggest that Warners hold fire on greenlighting, say, the Blue Beetle, until Reynolds is wielding the power ring in theaters at least.
Nevertheless, D.C. heroes figure heavily into Warners' future, especially with the studio's golden-egg laying hen, the Harry Potter franchise, finally heading for the chopping block next summer. D.C. head honcho Geoff Johns confirmed earlier rumors at New York Comic Con over the weekend, via Heat Vision, that "You will see at least one, I'd expect two [superhero movies] a year." With both "Superman" and "Batman" set for release in 2012, we imagine that'll be the start of that release pattern, with "The Flash" and whatever else following in 2013. Of course, this is only the studio's ideal — and we'd like to think that they won't greenlight a superhero movie just for the sake of making up the numbers, and would rather wait until the films are ready. But then, we also believe that clapping your hands can save a fairy's life, so you know...
Any plans for an "Avengers" style team-up of the characters seems unlikely, despite the attempt a few years ago to make a "Justice League" movie with George Miller — Johns told a panel, as reported by Comic Book Movie, that "I'm going to speak frankly: I think our characters are bigger than Marvel's," and that "he'd rather spend time building each character on his or her own rather than smashing them together." While this approach is probably dictated by the realistic nature of the Batman films, and Nolan's reported refusal to play ball with any team-up, it at least makes sense that the studio are trying to follow their own path with the characters. Btw, it's said that the trailer for "Green Lantern" will premiere in front of the upcoming "Harry Potter" film in November. Both are Warner Bros. films so it's makes complete sense. Mark it on your calendar.
We did our best to ignore 2010's biggest, duh, "no shit?" story of the year when Christopher Nolan was quadruple-confirmed confirmed to direct "Batman 3" (a 2012 date had been set and his writers were working on it all this time apparently just for the fun of it). Similarly, the worst-kept secret of 2010 is the location of "The Hangover 2," and well, it's a slow day.
Almost as soon as the sequel was announced, rumors sprouted that the Todd Phillips-directed comedy would take place in Thailand. Then it was "confirmed" by sources that said, "yes, that's true" and now it's finally come from the horse's mouth, the director himself.
"It takes place in Bangkok and LA," Phillips told Empire. "There's gonna be some fucked-up surprises." Returning for the sequel are the three best friends that anyone could have Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms (the former two, now huge stars). Phillips also confirmed the return of comedian Ken Jeong who played the naked Mr. Chow in the original.
No official word on the return of Justin Bartha or Heather Graham (at least not in this brief interview), but one presumes they'll be there. "I'm not delusional," Phillips said noting the expectations with sly sarcasm. "I know what I'm up against. I saw 'Meet The Fockers.' But we're aiming high. It's called The Hangover Part Two, you know."
The film is scheduled to shoot later this month and Galifianakis recently said he read the script and found it to be better than the original (what else is he gonna say?) And Latino Review's spies allegedly got their hands on a script and there's a mildly diverting spoiler here if you want to read it for yourself.
Reports peg “The Social Network” costing Sony $40-$60 million, which means this number one opening should be more than solid. But then you have to consider prints and advertising - a movie about angry nerds staring at computer screens and occasionally yelling at each other with maximum verbosity doesn’t sell itself. The picture might count as “relevant” and “important” but with a likely costly Oscar campaign coming, Sony’s going to pray this has enough legs to get to $100 million and not settle for $60m. In Facebook terms, this isn’t an Eduardo Saverin opening, but it is a Mark Zuckerberg opening. Sony was probably banking on a Sean Parker-type weekend.The numbers suggest the film did extremely well on the coasts and weak in the Midwest, South, and various flyover regions*. There could be the nugget of a possibility that “The Social Network” is something more cerebral, even esoteric. Perhaps it’s the notion that this is a story where no one is really worth rooting for, and at heart, the film explores the complexities of truly godless individuals. Or maybe it’s the very real possibility that “Network” was snobbishly pushed harder on the coasts, while the rest of the nation was left to tune out from this movie about people tapping on their keyboards to create a waste of time website that serves no real, practical purpose. Let us not forget that sometimes, being a “good” movie isn’t enough of a hook for some viewers.
Conventional wisdom says that kiddie flicks have legs, even when they aren’t heavily attended, and “Legend of the Guardians” won't buck that trend. Still, this thing has flop written all over it, whether it’s a $100 or $150 million expenditure, even if it was a Legendary Films/Warner Bros. co-production, and even if they paid the voice cast in trinkets and tchotchkes. Even though there's no relation between the projects, WB didn't gain any promotional traction by pushing this film a week after their own Ben Affleck bank robbing caper, something most studios usually know to avoid. It looked more nature-film than action picture, and those early ads, with laughably terrible guitar rock over the cuddly CGI images, probably turned off parents hoping they could take their kids to something a bit less somber-looking.
“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” had a hearty fall from its perch, losing about half its audience. An expected fall for this type of film, this sequel is still projected to perform right at expectations, landing at $50-$60 million easily. You could have argued that all parties involved needed this to be bigger, but that case is dubious now - failing to become a zeitgeist grabber and, likely, an awards contender keeps Shia LeBeouf in the Brand Name sweepstakes, but not in the Real Actor department. And Oliver Stone likely buys himself some time and a chance to be director-for-hire yet again despite a serious declining Q rating based on diminished skill and reliance on hefty budgets. Of course, this sadly might be the last time we see Michael Douglas strutting his stuff on the big screen, and for a former box office lion like him, that likely carries weight for the people who have added to “Wall Street 2” tallies.
At the WB, they reward success not with fruit baskets or gift certificates but with a chance to helm “Superman.” However, all reports suggest Ben Affleck would rather have the fruit basket, free massage and chaise longue that come with the success for “The Town,” which held remarkably well in week three and looks poised to challenge $90 million domestic. A movie that makes $100 million in the September-October time period has a serious effect on your cred, but it’s oodles better if the film has legs and benefits from what appears to be word-of-mouth. “The Social Network” and “Wall Street” may have topped the box office recently, but “The Town” still carries a lot of “I’ve gotta see that” heat from the general public.
“Easy A” continues to stick around, a stellar hold getting the film over the likely $40 million domestic target, with more ground to cover. $60 million isn’t out of the question, a number that can turn a bit player into a star. Emma Stone, this is your moment: don’t work with CGI owls. Screen Gems had a rocking summer, and with this sub-$10 million film generating significant theatrical profit (providing p&a wasn’t out of control - always a possibility), all parties involved could pull in serious dough by association. More than likely, director Will Gluck has now atoned in the eyes of studios for “Fired Up,” one of last year’s biggest flops.
When a film sits on the shelf for more than a couple of years, it’s a terrible sign for everyone. But Paramount knows when God gives you lemons, you make applesauce, and was able to get Paramount Vantage's leftover “Case 39” into a couple thousand theaters years after that boutique label closed. Most studios would treat a film like this as radioactive and it would go straight-to-DVD, but Paramount rolled the dice on a likely cheap ad campaign (and no press screenings) and will get the film to a potential $15 million gross. Overture have to be smarting that “Let Me In” was taken out by the knees partly because the horror dollar was being squeezed by not only “Case 39” and “Devil” but also “Hatchet II” and “Chain Letter.” The last two were quiet indie releases though, so Paramount, who could have shat out “Case 39” on any weekend to similar results, comes out looking like a dick. Viewers, meanwhile, had to be confused by the fact that Bradley Cooper no longer looked so buff and Renee Zellweger didn’t resemble a Shoggoth.
We don’t wish to hate on this decision, but what kind of Tranya does one have to sip to think that they would make serious money by remaking “Let The Right One In”? Overture somehow saw dollar signs in remaking a “beloved” recent horror classic that made $2 million domestically on the art house circuit, imagining they got brownie points for staying close to the source material. “Let Me In” is as alienating as major releases get, a dark, snowy, somber adult film starring kids and ostensibly featuring horrific violence. “Let Me In” had no recognizable faces, a hard-R rating and ads that (appropriately?) showcased vampirism as a disease, when audiences have already declared that they prefer their vamps with guns (“Underworld”), smoking hot (“Twilight”) and generally sans real tragedy. No matter how strong Matt Reeves’ vision for this remake was (and it's an excellent effort), it was DOA as soon as it was announced, and most of us are just stunned they got it into 2000 theaters. Of course, more people will have seen “Let Me In” than “Let The Right One In” by the time the dust settles, but this material just isn’t for everyone. Which is our condescending way of saying that lots of people have terrible taste.
In indie theaters, "Catfish" and "Waiting For Superman" remained the top attractions, with "Catfish" expanding to the tune of $607k on 34 screens and the Davis Guggenheim doc pulling in $407k with the week's best per-screen average ($11k per). While "Catfish" isn't showing the kind of breakout potential people expected, "Superman" could play pretty strongly if this expansion is managed the right way, and potentially it could be a rarity, the $1 million doc. "It Might Get Loud" and "An Inconvenient Truth," Guggenheim's previous, crossed that barrier with ease (particularly the latter), but "Superman" is a noticeably tougher sell. Still, the impetus behind a film like this is, as long as one person sees it, it has made a difference. Also, the people who made "Waiting For Superman" are already millionaires.
In a crowded indie marketplace, Woody Allen's "You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger" averaged $8k per-screen, with $232k on 29 screens. "Get Low" continues to bring in audiences, bringing its total to $8.6 million with a strong $204k in its tenth weekend, while super-doc "Freakanomics" barely made a dent with $33k on seventeen screens. The big loser for this weekend? The horror genre. In addition to "Case 39" and "Let Me In" bellyflopping, two smaller releases had debuts on the frail end of the spectrum. "Hatchet II" pulled in only $62k on 68 screens, while "Chain Letter" was one of the year's biggest tanks at 406 venues, pulling in $143k, a meager average of $352 per-screen. Pass this on - support your local indie theaters, folks.
1. The Friendster Lounge (Sony) - $23 million
2. Legend Of The Guardians: Owly! (WB) - $10.9 million ($30 mil.)
3. Wall Street: Money Takes A Knee (Fox) - $10.1 million ($36 mil.)
4. The Town (WB) - $10 million ($64 mil.)
5. Easy A (Sony) - $7 million ($42 mil.)
6. You Again (Disney) - $5.6 million ($16 mil.)
7. Case 39 (Paramount) - $5.4 million
8. Let Me In (Overture) - $5.3 million
9. Devil (Universal) - $3.7 million ($28 mil.)
10. Alpha And Omega - $3 million ($19 mil.)
*Bear with us; Hollywood considers anything that isn’t New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago “flyover regions.”
Even with his post-"Hangover" buzz leading to the critical disasters "All About Steve" and "Case 39" being unceremoniously dumped into theaters, Bradley Cooper is still riding high.
