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Even though last we heard it was still at least a few years away, Disney is making sure their $4 billion buyout of Marvel starts paying back some of that investment sooner rather than later.
To that end, the studio has purchased the distribution rights for "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 3" from Paramount for a relatively bargain price of $115 million. The money will be owed on the release dates for the films, May 4, 2012 for the former and well, no release date yet for the latter. In fact, this is the first time there has been any release news on an "Iron Man 3" since last we heard it was still a few years away from happening, but now its been scheduled with a May 3, 2013 release date.
But when it does happen, don't expect Jon Favreau to return to the director's chair as relations between the director and the comic company have soured considerably.
As for Paramount, they are still on board to release "Thor" and "Captain America" as planned next year and they will also be releasing Favreau's next film, "Cowboys Vs. Aliens." [Deadline]
Shortly after he was announced this summer as the director for Disney's "Oz The Great And Powerful," Sam Raimi quickly poured cold water on reports saying he was still taking a wait-and-see approach as he was also working on the long-in-development adaptation of the massive video game, "World Of Warcraft." Well, Raimi has finally committed to the project in what will certainly big a major franchise project for Disney. But perhaps most intriguingly, the Pulitzer prize winning writer of "Rabbit Hole," David Lindsay-Abaire has been tapped to rewrite the project. And frankly, that's the best news we've heard about this film so far.We were definitely not so fond of the last draft of the film we read, dated April 2010, by Mitchell Kapner (of "Romeo Must Die," no less). The story begins at the 'Baum & Barley Bros.' Circus in Kansas in the early 1900s. Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs, better known as Oz, is a showman and magician at the circus, who's soon caught canoodling with the wife of a customer. When her husband catches them at it, a furious chase follows, ending with Oz fleeing in a hot air balloon. He gets caught in a terrible storm, collapses and wakes up in the magical land of Oz. He's almost immediately greeted by Winkie Men (resembling the Winkie Guards from the original), Winged Monkeys and sweet witch Theodora, who tells him that he's destined to defeat the Wicked Witch, etc. etc.Lindsay-Abaire may initially seem like an odd choice, but he penned both "Robots" and "Inkheart" so family fare is some very comfortable territory for the writer. But most intriguingly Lindsay-Abaire previously worked with Raimi in the late stages of "Spider-man 4," trying to get the script right prior to that project completely falling apart. As for the long attached Robert Downey Jr., while he's still not yet officially on board, its said he's close to signing on.
Production is slated to begin at some point in 2011 but we would guess that with Downey Jr.'s commitments to both "The Avengers" and Alfonso Cuaron's hopefully-still-happening "Gravity," it will go in front of cameras in the second-half of the year.
When Johnny Depp finds a director he likes, he sticks with him — see the ongoing relationship with Tim Burton (and or the fact it seems Depp will likely never work with Micheal Mann again, having not really warmed to his methods on their first collaboration).
So it shouldn't be any surprise that Gore Verbinski — who has utilized Depp in four of his last five pictures including the upcoming animated film, "Rango" — is circling the director's chair for Disney's "Lone Ranger," produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and to star Depp as Tonto.
In fact, when we first read Deadline's report — stating that the filmmaker is in talks to helm this picture — we thought, isn't this information old? When in fact, it's not, but Disney/Bruckheimer/ "Lone Ranger" does conjure familiar visions and tone of the "Pirates of The Caribbean" franchise, so what better director to take on this new series (other than say Rob Marshall who danced his away into the helmer's seat for the 4th 'Pirates' film).
Either way, if Verbinski agrees, it seems like the project is still in the early stages and Depp still has a multitude of other projects to choose from or tackle first. He's still set to appear in Burton's "Dark Shadows" and Emir Kusturica's "Wild Roses, Tender Roses," a "Pancho" Villa picture co-starring Salma Hayek (he also has a Keith Richards documentary to direct).
Lest you think a "Lone Ranger" film will be too frivolous and trite, last we heard, Disney hired Justin Haythe, who adapted "Revolutionary Road" for Sam Mendes, wrote the Fox come-and-gone thriller, "The Clearing" and the "Jekyll" project for Keanu Reeves, was tapped to write the screenplay. Perhaps its in a place where Disney likes and now it's time to find a director to bring the vision to the screen. No word on who will play the Lone Ranger, but was you can see by our image above, it was once rumored — very early on — to be George Clooney. Somehow we doubt that one severely.
The highly anticipated "Tron: Legacy" soundtrack by electro fiends Daft Punk has now been given an official release date of December 7th. The news comes via an update on the soundtrack's official page with the promise of a new poster to be released in less than two weeks.
If you want to be the first on your block to have the disc on November 22nd, pre-orders are now being taken. You can snag a digital copy for $9.99, or a CD version that includes an exclusive Daft Punk film poster and an unnamed “new track” for $39.98.
No tracklisting has been revealed yet, but the disc boasts some appropriately minimal artwork. [MovieViral]
Even though last we heard it was still at least a few years away, Disney is making sure their $4 billion buyout of Marvel starts paying back some of that investment sooner rather than later.
But when it does happen, don't expect Jon Favreau to return to the director's chair as relations between the director and the comic company have soured considerably.
