Mad Max certainly has come a long way since 1979 – 30 years ago! – when Mel Gibson inhabited him for the princely sum of $15,000.
 George Miller has written, directed and/or produced all the “Mad Max” movies, and he’s at it again. Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy are rumored to be in talks for “Mad Max: Road Fury,” looking at a 2011 release date.
The Hollywood Reporter is now reporting that the movie will film Down Under next year in Sydney and outback New South Wales. Warner Brothers yanked “Green Lantern” off the continent, so maybe this movie and its $100 million budget will help to fill the void.
It’s unlikely that Mel Gibson will be returning, at least not as Max, but ABC is putting Sam Worthington out there as a replacement.
Yeah, I can see that. What about The Gyro Captain, though? They’ll have trouble finding a suitable replacement for Bruce Spence.
Image: © Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Post from: Film Gecko
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 Paul McCartney once claimed, “If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian.” He was talking about Brian Epstein, the Fab Four’s discoverer and manager from 1961 until his early death in 1967. Like many other famous people who died young, Epstein is finally being given his own biopic, Variety reports. Titled “A Life in the Day” -- a play on the title of the classic Beatles tune, "A Day in the Life" -- the project rests in the capable hands of producer David Permut (“Face/Off”) and screenwriter Tony Gittelson.
Permut, who is also working on biopics about Sam Kinison and John DeLorean, will try to get the rights to as many Beatles songs as possible for the film, but he says the focus will be on Epstein and the formation of the band, so a lot of famous tunes aren’t necessary. Still, the roles of John, Paul, George and Ringo will have to be significant. Maybe not big enough to warrant big stars portraying the iconic figures, but considering there’s never been a straight and comprehensive biopic about any of the actual Beatles, I’d love to see some familiar faces take on those roles.
The interesting thing about an Epstein biopic is that it does continue the idea that The Beatles were so huge they require a whole bunch of little biopics that may eventually all come together to cover the guys’ entire lives and careers. For example, this movie is like a sequel to 1994’s “Backbeat,” which concentrated on former Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe during the early days of the band.
There’s also “Birth of the Beatles,” which centered on the same period, “Chapter 27,” about the death of John Lennon and the made-for-TV movies “John and Yoko: A Love Story,” “Two of Us” and “The Linda McCartney Story” providing cinematic depictions of little snippets from the nearly 70 years of Beatle existence. Plus, there’s a new movie coming out in the UK this December about Lennon’s childhood titled “Nowhere Boy.”
And let’s not forget that the Beatles’ own films are now being remade, too. Just one so far, “Yellow Submarine,” though it’s doubtful anyone could find good reason to redo any of the others.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how much “A Life in the Day” focuses on the Fab Four, since Epstein was so instrumental in making them famous. Not to mention the fact that his death was a big factor in the band’s breakup, according to Lennon. Expect to spend much of the film's running time immersed in the businessman’s personal conflicts, such as his drug and gambling addictions and his somewhat closeted homosexuality.
But the audience will probably be hungrier for scenes dealing with Epstein’s career with The Beatles, climaxing with his frustrating lack of influence on the band in the final year of his life and, of course, ending with his accidental Carbitral overdose.
Do you hope this biopic focuses mainly on Epstein’s time as The Beatles’ manager? Who do you think should play the Beatles, including the honorary Fifth member?
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Posted by MTV Movies Team
Call them "cult classics." "Guilty pleasures." "Comfort movies." We all have a mental rolodex of flicks that may not be terribly popular but, for one reason or another, they resonate in a very special way. Maybe you saw it at the right moment. Maybe you just see gold where everyone else sees feces. Whatever the case, these are the special favorites that you keep stashed away for sick days. Here are some of ours.
This week's guest blog editor, "Halloween II" director Rob Zombie, shared his own Sick Day Stash pick with us, as you'll see in the video below. For the record, no one was trying to embarrass you, Rob. Please don't send Sid Haig and Bill Moseley after me. I'm not sure my frail heart could take the scare. With that out of the way, I would expect nothing less than "Dawn of the Dead" -- the George Romero one, of course -- from a horror geek like Zombie. Hit play to hear him defend it.
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Posted by Christopher Campbell
 While talking to Emile Hirsch this week about his new movie “Taking Woodstock,” Collider.com got some new details on the actor’s upcoming reunion with “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke. The two previously worked together on “Lords of Dogtown,” and now they’re closely collaborating on a modernized version of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”
Hirsch, who helped conceive of the idea of this college-set take on the tragic play, mentioned a film he’s looking to for inspiration. “It’s almost like mixing ‘Hamlet’ with ‘The Shining’ a little bit,” he told Collider.com, “and making this kind of scary-cool vision of the play.”
Of course, the movie will still be geared toward a younger audience, Hirsch says. So don’t expect any nude female ghosts that age suddenly before Hamlet’s eyes. But maybe the ghost of Hamlet’s father can ride around on a tricycle? Or, perhaps the titular prince can tear through a door with an axe as he shouts, “This is I, Hamlet the Dane!”
Okay, seriously... Hirsch’s idea that this “Hamlet” will be a Kubrick-influenced supernatural horror movie is interesting, and something of a relief. It's certainly reasonable to think that Hardwicke’s involvement means it’s going to be more of a supernatural-centered story with a specific target audience in mind. You know, since “Twilight” is kind of a big deal these days.
If Hirsch’s vision for “Hamlet” ends up being as good in its execution as it sounds on paper, I’ll be more hopeful that Hardwicke’s next teen-oriented supernatural pic, “The Girl With the Red Riding Hood,” will be worth seeing as well.
Are you more interested in this version of “Hamlet” now that it might be scary? How could elements of Kubrick's "The Shining" be made to fit into a work like "Hamlet"?
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 Rumors are ugly, vicious beasts. They raise our hopes with wild speculation, hopes which are all too frequently dashed beneath the cold, harsh light of reality. Still, a brother can dream, right? Remember when, a couple weeks back, I started frothing at the mouth over a spec script that "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" writer Stuart Beattie had written for "Halo: Fall of Reach"? Well there have been some developments, it seems.
For those who don't know, writing something like a script on "spec" means that you're doing it on your own time and with no certainty of actually selling the thing. In Beattie's case, he's a dedicated gamer who sees a lot of potential in the "Halo" franchise. Hollywood is rife with gamers these days, but few are higher-profile than "Boom Blox" producer and blockbuster originator Steven Spielberg. As this rumored luck should have it, Spielberg read Beattie's script and was "blown away" by it.
"Halo" was previously in the hands of Peter Jackson, who was going to produce the video game adaptation with newcomer Neill Blomkamp at the helm. Despite Blomkamp's months of prep work, "Halo" fell apart for a variety of reasons. Not that anyone should be complaining, as the loss of that project pushed Blomkamp and Jackson into next week's surefire summer favorite, "District 9."
The rumor comes to us via IESB, who cite an unnamed source. Spielberg and Beattie are both repped by Creative Artists Agency, so there's already an easy connection. The site reportedly triple-checked the information with "studio executives" and "close ties to CAA," so the info certainly seems legit. Especially since Beattie and Spielberg appear to be kindred spirits on the interactive entertainment front.
All I'm saying is that this had better be accurate. As a lover of the blockbuster in all of its terrible glory, Spielberg is a bit of an icon to me. It was enough to know that he was dipping his hands into gaming via a partnership with Electronic Arts, the collaboration that gave us "Boom Blox." This "Halo" thing though... wow. Let's just hope he zips through "Harvey" quickly enough that he'll be free to direct it. That's a "Halo" movie I want to see.
What do you make of this news? Can Spielberg do game adaptations right on film, where so many have failed before him?
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 1. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" ($56.2 million)
2. "Julie & Julia" ($20.1 million)
3. "G-Force" ($9.8 million)
4. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" ($8.9 million)
5. "Funny People" ($7.9 million)
Don't ever let anybody tell you that fighting for freedom wherever there's trouble is easy. Despite becoming the fourth biggest August debut of all time thanks to a strong $22.3 million Friday opening, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" only earned $18 million on Saturday, a 16% drop from its opening day figures. The result is a projected $56.2 million opening weekend according to studio number-crunchers.
Deadline Hollywood Daily points out that the movie's solid rankings -- it scored a B+ CinemaScore rating and an A- for viewers under 18-years-old -- are deceiving given the hefty price it cost to film "G.I. Joe" in the first place. With some high profile pictures coming out in the next two weeks, including "District 9" and the long-awaited "Inglourious Basterds" from Quentin Tarantino, it's unlikely that "Cobra" will rise to Paramount's $300 million projection. Still, where the film could fail in ticket prices, it's likely to pick up in action figures and related merchandise.
While "G.I. Joe" got tangled in the trenches, "Julie & Julia" cooked up a surprising amount of success. The film opened to $7.5 million on Friday, increasing to $7.8 million the following day. Current estimates peg the Julia Child biopic at a $20.1 million opening weekend. One of the key ingredients to "Julia's" success is the specific audience that's flocking to theaters. "This was maybe the oldest audience I can remember," a rival studio executive told Deadline Hollywood Daily. "55% of the moviegoers were over the age of 50."
The bottom three contenders remain in place, with "G-Force" yielding $4.1 million on Saturday and a weekend total of $9.8 million. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Funny People" raked in $3.7 million and $3 million on Saturday respectively with a weekend total of $8.9 million and $7.9 million.
Have you gotten out for "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" or "Julie & Julia" yet? Have their performances matched or diverged from your own predictions? Let us know in the comments section or on Twitter!
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 1. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" ($22 million)
2. "Julie & Julia" ($7.5 million)
3. "G-Force" ($2.8 million)
4. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" ($2.4 million)
5. "Funny People" ($2.4 million)
With blue and red lasers a-blazing, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" stormed the box office on Friday to a $22 million dollar opening, on track to earn a respectable $55 million this weekend. The success might surprise the readers following our Box Office Poll -- after questionable trailers, some potentially damaging rumors about the director and other signs of failure, many of you expected "Rise of Cobra" to sink. Now we know -- remember kids: knowing is half the battle -- and it's not just ticket sales that the real American heroes are making bank on.
"This property will sell hundreds of millions of dollars of Hasbro toys that we get a royalty in," an unnamed Paramount Pictures executive reminds Deadline Hollywood Daily. "And given the action, this will be a huge seller on DVD."
Even though the gun-toting soldiers commandeered the top spot, there was another film with a winning recipe this week: the Meryl Streep-led "Julie & Julia" debuted to a $7.5 million dollar opening.
According to Deadline Hollywood Daily, the film's Friday success is reflective of "massive free media coverage because of its subject matter -- American cooking icon Julia Child. The result was that Nora Ephron's foodie pic will make back half of its budget with its projected opening weekend." Not a bad start for a movie that cost only $40 million to make.
The rest of Friday's box office battlers performed between the $2 - 3 million mark. "G-Force" took the bronze hamster wheel with $2.8 million, while the spells and jokes of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Funny People" failed to rake in more than $2.4 million.
Which movie is getting your ticket price this weekend? Will you rise with "Cobra" or cook with "Julia"? Tell us your plans in the comments section or on Twitter!
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 We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. Sort of. Twitter-Wood and Around the Blogosphere will not be seen today; Warmoth is out and I'm too bummed about the late John Hughes to start digging through a Blogosphere's worth of remembrances. Normally I'd try to fill Warmoth's giant Twitter-Wood shoes, but the outpouring of grief today is pretty impressive. Then again, it's not everyday a living legend passes from our midst.
Something incredible happened with this week's Box Office Poll. Not only did the clear blockbuster favorite for the week not take the top prize, it was pretty much crushed by the second place winner. I don't get it either. Did the controversy really deter so many people? Enough vagaries! More to come after the break.
In case you didn't figure it out from my not-so-vague header text, "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" was soundly defeated in this week's box office poll, taking the second place spot with 38% of your vote. Before I get into the top spot, I want to rant a little bit.
Folks. Seriously. Forget the anti-hype. "G.I. Joe" is a really entertaining movie. I would go as far as saying that it is director Stephen Sommers' best effort since "The Mummy," and that it is as good or better than the earlier effort. As a fan of the cartoon series who used to rush home after school, I felt perfectly served. There were a few niggling issues, but you might be interested to know that the Accelerator Suits did not rank among them. I'll have a more thorough fan reaction on Monday, after I've seen the movie a second time, but I hope at least some of you will be talked back in to checking it out.
Now here's the crazy thing. With "Julie & Julia" and "A Perfect Getaway" both out this week, you'd think that one of them might have toppled "Joe." No. They scored 2% or less. It was the limited release platter for the week, which includes "Paper Heart," "Cold Souls" and "I Sell the Dead." They got 57% of your vote. That's definitely a first in the short history of these polls.
Now I'm curious to know which of the limited releases you're checking out. Is Charlyne Yi's docu-fiction-mentary tugging at your "Heart"-strings? Paul Giamatti's "Cold," lonely soul? Or are you sold on director Glenn McQuaid's zombi-comedy? What's the deal folks... clue a clueless movies editor in!
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So the new trailer for "Where The Wild Things Are" hit the Internet today. It's freaking awesome. Director Spike Jonze might be messing around with Maurice Sendak's original story, but the author has already admitted that he's okay with it. If he's fine, then I'm fine. Especially with Spike at the helm.
Don't take my word for it though. MTV's Josh Horowitz and Vanessa White Wolf know far better than I do. They also make for an entertaining pair. In the clip below, Josh and Vanessa let you know exactly why the trailer is so great. Enjoy.
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 FROM MTV.COM: In the wonderfully odd "Cold Souls," Paul Giamatti plays Paul Giamatti, a noted actor who's floundering in rehearsals for an upcoming production of "Uncle Vanya," the Chekhov play. Paul feels weighed down, heavy, obscurely unhappy — rather like the play's title character. It's really getting to him. One night, paging through The New Yorker, he comes upon a story about a new fashion, and the company that caters to it: Soul Storage. He finds their ad in the phone book, and it speaks to him: "Is your soul weighing you down?" He notes the address.
The company's offices are sleek, bland, appropriately soulless. The director, a slick Dr. Flintstein (David Strathairn), comes right to the point: After Paul's soul is "disembodied," he can store it in a cryogenic locker there on the premises or, if he prefers — "for tax purposes" — in New Jersey. "When you've got rid of the soul," Flinstein says, "everything makes so much more sense."
Continue reading 'Cold Souls': Import Only, By Kurt Loder
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George Miller has written, directed and/or produced all the “Mad Max” movies, and he’s at it again. Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy are rumored to be in talks for “Mad Max: Road Fury,” looking at a 2011 release date. 
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