By Josh Winning – TotalFilm.com

Tim Burton has long been linked with a stop-motion version of The Addams Family, but nothing has ever been confirmed.

Today, though, word comes that the animated flick is still very much alive, and Tim Burton remains a dream choice for director for those involved.

Christopher Meledandri, the film’s producer, had a chat with Coming Soon during the Despicable Me junket, and confirmed that an animated version of Charles Addams’ comics is still in the works.

“It’s all very, very early, but we are developing with [Tim Burton directing] in mind,” Meledandri said, “We’re just now at the story phase. Stuff has been written as though we are doing it in black and white, but that’s not correct. It’s not incorrect, but it’s not correct. We haven’t gotten to that point.”

The producer added that the project will favour stop-motion over computer animation, while the storyline will be based on Addams’ New Yorker comic strips rather than the TV series or films that followed.

Source: [Coming Soon]

director Tim Burton

From Goremaster News Staff via Press Release

‘Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders’ is the horror comedy short film that has taken the world by storm since its release in June 2009.

Over the past twelve months the film has screened across the UK and US film festivals, winning the award for ‘Most Original Film’ at the prestigious Horror UK Film Festival and receiving both audience and critical acclaim. Gorezone the world’s biggest selling horror magazine hailed the film as ‘Truly independent British film at its best’ and gave the film five stars.

After twelve hugely successful months screening for audiences across the world the film is now set to reach its biggest audience yet as it debuts online for free at the official website (www.archangelmurders.com) on June 19th. With a huge amount of forever growing online interest from avid fans on Twitter and Facebook the film is set to find a new lease of life online.

To celebrate the release of the short film online an Interactive VIP Launch Party is being held in Manchester, the first of its kind for an independent film. 100 guests have already won a place to attend the Launch Party being held at Base Bar Cafe in the heart of Manchester on June 19th. For those who weren’t able to win entry the entire event will be streamed live via the official website and hosted by local radio DJ Adam Brown. Viewers to the live stream will be able to watch the film for free and then pose questions about the production to the films cast & crew in what is set to be a revolution for interactive filmmaking.  

The film was shot on the back streets of Manchester in early 2009 with an independent budget of £5,000 raised solely by the filmmakers selling their worldly possessions on eBay after the film failed to receive industry funding. Since its humble beginnings the film has screened across the globe from New York to Canada and most recently at the Cannes International Film Festival Short Film Corner where it proved a huge hit with audiences.

Written, produced and directed by Paul Feeney, Ryan McDermott and Sean Candon, three friends who met at Pendleton College in 2002 and have previously won the BBC 3 Funny Hunt award for their short comedy films. The Mark Macready project was conceived by writer creator Paul Feeney when the trio met in college. It was several years later when the idea resurfaced and was developed into the now award winning short film which brought together previously unidentified talent from across Manchester.

The film is set in Manchester ‘The supernatural crime hub of the 21^st century’ and is home to the officers of the G.M.P.I.D (Greater Manchester Paranormal Investigations Department) it is their job to fight the forces of evil that plague the city. Amongst these fine officers is hero cop Mark ‘Mac’ Macready. When Macready’s wife is kidnapped by a creature known as ‘The Archangel’ it’s a race against time for Macready to find his missing wife, solve the case and bring the merciless Archangel to cold blooded justice.

 ‘Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders’ has exceed all expectations and as a result there is a massive demand for more content. An animated website series is currently in production and a feature film version is now in development.

Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders is released free online at 2pm UK Time on June 19^th  and the Mark Macready: Interactive Launch Party Live broadcast begins at 7pm UK time on June 19^th only at www.archangelmurders.com

Press Quotes

‘A British Hellboy’– Joblo.com

‘Truly Independent British filmmaking at its best’ – Gorezone Magazine

‘A British Apocalypse in independent filmmaking’ – Shallow Graves Magazine

‘If you do not love this film, I question your horror fan credentials’ – Arrow in the Head

‘Hilariously insane demon hunting’ – Mayhem Film Festival

‘Mark Macready is the male Buffy Summers’ – Horror Extreme

‘Rife with slapstick tomfoolery, shape-shifting demons and action movie satire’ – Horror Asylum

‘A piece of inspirational get up and go filmmaking’ – BBC Radio Manchester

‘A Triumph’ – Salford Star Magazine

‘Here’s my official endorsement: Get your ass in gear and make a sequel’ – Brutal as Hell

‘A Supernatural/Crime Masterpiece’ – Robin Olly Says…

‘A balls out, eyebrow-cocking horror comedy romp’ – Filmrant

‘An Iconic Hit’ – Let’s All Go To The Lobby

‘Top quality stuff that left the audience in stitches’ – BritFilms

‘A half hour fun filled ride’ – Rough Cut Reviews

‘I am already positioning myself in the queue to see the further adventures of Mark Macready’  - Gorepress

‘I’m hoping further funding can be secured. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Mark Macready’ – Horrortalk

production photo from the set of AMC's The Walking Dead

by Clayton Neuman – AMCTV.com

Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) takes a moment from the set of AMC’s The Walking Dead to discuss his inspiration for making a zombie series, what kind of hat you have to wear when directing in Atlanta and satisfying his desire to roll cars.

Q: What attracts you to the zombie genre?

A: I’ve always wanted to do my take on the zombie mythos, since I was a kid and I saw Romero’s Night of the Living Dead – the 1968 black and white version. For our zombie show I’m calling that the Book of Genesis, and whenever there’s a question about zombie behavior I go back to Night of the Living Dead. Here’s my favorite thing: the endless debate among the fans about how fast a zombie can move. There are the folks who just can’t stand seeing zombies running. I’m kind of in that camp, but if you look at the very first zombie in Night – the one in the cemetery chasing Barbara, he gets up to a pretty good jog. I’m keying our zombie behavior off of that film: Whether they’re in a very languid state or they’re on the attack, they’ll move no faster than that first zombie in Night of the Living Dead.

Q: Of course your other Bible is Robert Kirkman’s comic book series. How did you decide that was going to be the story?

Director Frank Darabont

A: There’s no big mystery about how I came across The Walking Dead: I walked into a comic book shop some years ago and saw it. Since I happen to be a zombie nut, I took it home, I read it, and I said “Oh my God, there’s a great series in this.” And I’ve been the horse pursuing that particular carrot for five years now, delighted to finally be on the set.

Q: How do you think Kirkman’s comic, and this television series, differ from previous zombie movies?

A: One of the things I found most intriguing about The Walking Dead was that it was so focused on the characters. Within the context of the cool zombie apocalypse, there was this very serious character drama. I thought, this is a great opportunity to satisfy not only zombie fans, but bring in an audience that wouldn’t normally, necessarily, seek out a zombie film to watch.

Q: What’s it like working with Andrew Lincoln who plays Rick, and Jon Bernthal who plays his partner Shane?

A: I love these guys! They’re both stars, and they’re just the sweetest and most able actors. I’ve worked with some really fantastic actors in my day, and I think these guys are as good as anybody. I’m counting my blessings here, because sometimes when you’re directing you’re counting your curses — you’re counting the things that are fighting you. But when everything is working in your favor and you’ve got people like this, oh man it’s been nothing but blessings. We’re golden, man.
Q: How does shooting in Atlanta compare to shooting in a more traditional place like Hollywood?

A: Atlanta and Georgia all-told is proving to be brilliant for us in terms of what it has to offer, in terms of what the story needed, in terms of the variety of locations — it really is a fantastic place to shoot. It’s hot as hell at the moment, so you gotta put on your, “OK it’s going to be a hot, humid summer while we’re working” hat – but once you get used to that and wear a towel on your head, you’re pretty good.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about what you’re shooting right now?

A: Right now we’re filming the shootout that kicks things off for the series. It’s the kind of thing I haven’t had a chance to do that often in my career. Most of my movies tend to be very sweet, talking dramas. I haven’t had a chance to do that much action. So I’m actually getting a lot of my desire for that sort of thing out right now, and expressing my desire to roll a car six times. Yeah baby, I’m there! Let’s load those guns with more blanks, absolutely. The first zombie is up tomorrow. It’s going to be the very first scene of the entire series — a good, gut-punch of a scene right off the bat.

 AMC has some GREAT info on ‘The Walking Dead’, check it out HERE

Jessica Biel

By Marcell Minaya – DigitalSpy.com

Jessica Biel has admitted that it felt “nice” being the only girl in The A-Team cast.

The actress has revealed that at first it was “nerve-racking” to be the sole female in an all male cast, but she quickly learned to be herself around co-stars Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson.

In an interview with Total Film, the 28-year-old said: “It’s always nerve-racking to come onto a new movie, and especially if it’s full of guys. You feel a little bit like, ‘Heeeeey, what’s going on? It’s okay. You can say your fart jokes’. But it was kind of nice, being one of the only girls.”

Despite enjoying her experience filming the movie, she insisted she needed a testosterone break, adding: “There were days when it was just man joke after man joke, sports and beer. At that point, you think, ‘Alright guys, I’m going to do a yoga class see you tomorrow’.”

Biel recently revealed that she shares qualities with her character.

The A-Team is currently playing in US cinemas and arrives in the UK on July 30.

Guillermo del Toro

by Allan Ford – Filmofilia.com

Pajiba is reporting that Universal Pictures is developing another Van Helsing movie “based upon the same fictional vampire hunter character from Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” Guillermo Del Toro’s version will not be related to 2004’s Van Helsing, which starred Hugh Jackman in the title role.

The legendary character Abraham Van Helsing originally appeared as the driven Dutch doctor who hunted the titular vampire, and has since been immortalised in several of his own toothy adventures, with Hugh Jackman playing him most recently in Stephen Sommers’ iteration.

Now that del Toro is no longer directing The Hobbit (but still working on the scripts), it is possible that he may want to helm Van Helsing. At this point, he is searching for a writer to expand his story.

Other del Toro possibilities – to which he is attached or in which he has expressed an interest – include: Hellboy 3, Deadman, Death: The High Cost of Living, At The Mountains of Madness, Drood, Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Slaughterhouse-Five and Saturn And The End of Days.

Jennifer Love Hewitt

From Movies MSN

Jennifer Love Hewitt is fighting “hard” to land the coveted role of  Wonder Woman on the big screen, confessing she is “obsessed” with playing the TV heroine.

Hollywood stars Megan Fox, Eliza Dushku, Sandra Bullock and Beyonce Knowles have all been tipped to take over the role Lynda Carter made famous in the 1970s for Joss Whedon’s big screen remake.

But Hewitt is pleading with movie studio bosses at Warner Bros. to hire her for the part.

She says, “I’m fighting so hard. I think Warner Bros. is getting ready to make Wonder Woman and I really want to play Wonder Woman. I am obsessed with Wonder Woman.”

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman

By Jeremy Hsu – Fox News

Anakin Skywalker’s eventual transformation into Darth Vader might have more to do with psychological issues than the Force, researchers hint.

The tragic hero of the “Star Wars” prequels displays patterns of instability and impulsivity in the second and third films that make him an obvious candidate for borderline personality disorder (BPD), according to French psychiatrists and psychologists.

The researchers also suspect the traits exhibited by Skywalker might make him more appealing and relatable to teen fans, given that teens may also display certain characteristics of borderline personality disorder.

“I had watched the two prequel movies ["Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith"], and it was during my residency in psychiatry while trying to explain borderline personality disorder to medical students that I thought of Anakin,” said Eric Bui, a psychiatrist at Toulouse University Hospital in France.

Bui and his colleagues first presented their diagnosis at the annual convention of the American Psychiatric Association in 2007. Now, their letter to the editor titled “Is Anakin Skywalker suffering from borderline personality disorder?” is slated to appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Psychiatry Research.

Skywalker hit six out of the nine borderline personality disorder criteria as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV). He only needed to meet five criteria to qualify as suffering from the disorder.

Read the rest of Jeremy Hsus’ Great article HERE

Michael – MoviesOnline.ca

In an interview with EMPIRE, director Christopher Nolan talked about the upcoming and highly anticipated sequel to DARK KNIGHT. By the sounds of it this will be the last film and will ‘wrap up’ Chris Nolans involvement. He told Empire;

My brother is working on the screenplay. We came up with a story we are very excited about. We particularly like where we are taking the characters and what the ending is…[it will be] the finishing of a story rather than infinitely blowing up the balloon and expanding the story.”

It should be interesting to see where this goes since at the end of Dark Knight Batman was now a wanted man and the story had taken a very dark turn. No word yet on who will be the villain but it would be fantastic to see Batman as a wanted man trying to help Gotham while evading capture.

director Christopher Nolan

Patrick Stewart

From UPI

Actor Patrick Stewart was knighted Wednesday by the Queen of England at London’s Buckingham Palace, officials said.

Stewart, 69, is best known for his work in the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” film and TV franchises, as well as three “X-Men” movies. He is also a noted stage actor.

Patrick Stewart as Jean luc Picard

Upon receiving the knighthood, Stewart credited “literally everything” he has accomplished to English teacher Cecil Dormand, who first encouraged him to perform, the BBC reported.

“Although many people in my life have had great influence on me, without this man none of it would have happened,” Stewart said. “He was the one that put a copy of Shakespeare in my hand (and) said, ‘Now get up on your feet and perform.’”

The actor also described his investiture as “an unlooked-for honor,” the BBC said.

“But as I grew up as a child, falling in love with the theater and Shakespeare, my heroes were Sir Laurence Olivier (and) Sir John Gielgud,” he said. “The knights of the theater represented to me not only the pinnacle of the profession but the esteem in which the profession was held. To find myself, to my astonishment, in that company is the grandest thing that has professionally happened to me.”

From HeatVisionBlog.com

After spending the last two years developing “The Hobbit” as his latest directing project, Guillermo del Toro has announced he is leaving the helm of the J. R. R. Tolkien adaptation. 

“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming “The Hobbit,” I am faced with the hardest decision of my life,” Guillermo wrote in his announcement on “Lord of the Rings” fansite TheOneRing.net. “After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures.”

He said he would continue to co-write the screenplays with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Phillippa Boyens.

Guillermo del Toro

The walls started to crumble for del Toro in recent weeks as the uncertain future of MGM put the project, which was to have been two movies, in a limbo state. The producers had been hoping to be in production this summer but no greenlight was forthcoming. 

“There cannot be any start dates until the MGM situation gets resolved because they do hold a considerable portion of the rights and it’s impossible to make a unilateral decision by New Line or Warner,” he reportedly said last week promoting “Slice,” an upcoming horror movie he is also producing. “We really believe that dates will be known after the fact of MGM’s fate…We’ve been caught in a very tangled negotiation.” 

But insiders at New Line say the sale of MGM is not holding up the production and the first movie will meet its target release date.

The delays put pressure on del Toro, who has a laundry list of development projects set up at Universal that will keep him busy for the next 10 years, in a position of cutting bait or staying on for more uncertainty. The director moved his wife and children to New Zealand for the shoot, and the first movie was aiming for a December 2012 release.

“The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project,” said del Toro in his statement. “Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wish the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director.”

Jackson stated he understood del Toro’s position: “We understand how the protracted development time on these two films, due to reasons beyond anyone’s control – has compromised his commitment to other long term projects. The bottom line is that Guillermo just didn’t feel he could commit six years to living in New Zealand, exclusively making these films, when his original commitment was for three years.”

Jackson said development on “Hobbit” would continue apace, although his statement did not specifically address any possible postponement of the release date.

“New Line and Warner Bros. will sit down with us this week, to ensure a smooth and uneventful transition, as we secure a new director for ‘The Hobbit.‘ We do not anticipate any delay or disruption to ongoing pre-production work,” he said.