District 9 is in theatres August 14th and we are very excited. To celebrate andPOP and Sony Pictures are giving away a signed autograph poster with District 9 cast members Sharlto Copley and Neil Blomkamp. To enter all you need to do is email contests@andpop.com with the subject heading District 9, and the answer to the following question:
What is the name of Sharlto Copley’s character in District 9?
So let’s assume for a second aliens came down to Earth – how do you think we would react? Would we try to work with them to help further both of our civilizations, or would we try and round them up and put them in camps? I don’t know but District 9 explores this scenario and we sat down with Sharlto Copley, the star of District 9, to get his views. We also had a quick interview with one of the aliens from the District 9. It’s a long story but you will see.
Note: If you’re already interested in seeing District 9 - you know the setup, you’ve seen the posters – go see it. Like all good stories, the best way to experience it is to know nothing about it going in. A word to the squeamish, however – this is a Peter Jackson production by the man who directed The Frighteners and the icky spider-pit sequence in King Kong, not the man who directed Heavenly Creatures or Lord of the Rings.
When we first meet Wikus Van der Merwe, we don’t really notice him; he’s one of many talking heads in the faux documentarythat opens District 9, and he isn’t important. Others explain that in the 1980s an alien mothership appeared suddenly over Johannesburg, and that, after nothing happened (by all appearances, there was nothing to keep this ship from torching South Africa like the aliens in Independence Day) humans broke in and discovered a sickly race of alien refugees whose ship had literally run out of gas. Wikus (newcomer Sharlto Copley) is a cubicle drone tasked by MNU, the corporation that has kept the refugees under (debatable) control, to lead a team that will hand the aliens eviction notices, lending a sense of legitimacy to their forced extraction from District 9, the slums in which they currently reside, to District 10, which is more of a concentration camp. In his opening scenes, Wikus comes across as an officious bureaucrat who in any other movie would be the first to go, in a spectacular and probably funny manner. That appearance is crucial, because it means his ultimate role in the story is as much a surprise to the audience as it is to him. I can’t say that if Hitchcock made an alien invasion film Wikus would have been his protagonist, but I do think he would have been proud.
It seems that Peter Jackson isn’t the only person New Line Cinema failed to give a proper cut of profits.
The film studio is now being sued by the estate of the late J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, reports USA Today.
The Tolkien Trust and HarperCollins, who originally printed the books, filed the lawsuit Monday. The suit claims that 7.5% of the gross receipts from the films is still owed to the estate and other plaintiffs. With the films bringing in billions of dollars, that’s a huge chunk of change.
It took Jackson years of fighting with New Line before he got the money that was owed to him by New Line, but their relationship has been repaired. Jackson will the be producer on “The Hobbit,” also by Tolkien. No word yet on whether this new lawsuit will affect production.
Guillermo Del Toro may have won a ticket to Middle Earth.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker is in talks to take the reigns from Peter Jackson and direct “The Hobbit.” The J.R.R. Tolkien novel will reportedly be split into two films, with Jackson producing.
Del Toro has already built a strong following in the science fiction and fantasy crowd, with the Oscar-nominated “Pan’s Labyrinth” and cult hit “Hellboy.”
Jackson, who co-wrote and directed the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, is already committed to several other projects, so he will not be able to write the “Hobbit” script. The process of picking a writer will be fast-tracked once the Writer’s Guild of America strike has been resolved.
In the meantime, Del Toro already has a full plate with 12 projects in various stages of development.
Peter Jackson will get to travel back to Middle Earth for “The Hobbit” and its sequel after all.
The Oscar-winning director has settled his issues with New Line Cinema, which were preventing him from joining the project. New Line owed him considerable profits from the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and there was a public falling out that had many fans outraged.
Now that the partnership is back on, Peter Jackson and collaborator Fran Walsh will indeed be on the team as the producers, according to the press release out today. Jackson stated, “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael (the New Line CEOs), and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth. I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us find the common ground necessary to continue that journey.”
No official word has been released on who will direct. Sam Raimi was rumoured to have the job, and said he would refuse if Jackson was not producing.
Ryan Gosling has suddenly dropped out of the highly anticipated film “The Lovely Bones.”
Adapted from the bestselling book and directed by Peter Jackson (”The Lord of the Rings), the film just began shooting on Sunday. “Creative differences” is the official reason being given for Gosling’s swift departure.
Gosling, who had gained weight and grown a full beard for the role, will now be replaced by Mark Wahlberg.
“The Lovely Bones” also stars Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci, and will be released next year.
A legal dispute between Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema turned sour when Jackson announced he would not direct the prequel to the mega successful trilogy.
In a statement made on TheOneRing.net, Jackson declared the ongoing accounting and legal dispute from the first Rings films has compelled him and fellow producer Fran Walsh to take different directions.
“This outcome is not what we anticipated or wanted, but neither do we see any positive value in bitterness or rancor. We now have no choice but to let the idea of a film of ‘The Hobbit’ go and move forward with other projects.”
Jackson refused to talk with New Line about directing the 1937 JRR Tolkien classic unless a gap was bridged.
But New Line Cinema responded saying limited time prevents them from a clear-cut settlement and the show must go on…with a different director.
Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy generated nearly $3 billion at box offices worldwide.
Director Peter Jackson, who helmed the massive “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy, won’t be asked to direct the movie adaptation of “The Hobbit.”
Reuters reports that the news came out late Sunday, when a letter written by Jackson to fan site TheOneRing.net was posted online.
“This was a courtesy call to let us know that the studio was now actively looking to hire another filmmaker,” wrote the director, saying that an upper-level executive with New Line Cinema informed him they’d make “The Hobbit” with a different filmmaker.
The decision is likely the result of the legal battle currently being fought between New Line and Jackson’s Wingnut Films production company. The two organizations are quarreling over income from the trilogy’s first film, 2001’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”
The letter from Jackson noted that he and his partners wouldn’t talk with New Line about a “Hobbit” film until the lawsuit was settled. He also noted that the studio had told him they were under time constraints, and had to commence work on the project.
Both Fox and Universal Studios have pulled funding for Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of the popular video game “Halo,” casting doubt on the future of the project.
The studios were reportedly upset with the movie’s growing budget (said to be at around $200 million U.S.), reports The Star Online. Apparently, Jackson (as executive producer) and computer game producer Microsoft refused to agree to a request from the studios for their profit margins to be reduced.
Additionally, reports say that the studios were concerned that the project is being helmed by a first-time director, Neill Blomkamp.
For his part, Jackson had his spokesman disagree with the studios’ financial claims.
“The only budget the film-makers every spoke about was $145 million less the 12.5 per cent rebate that you get from shooting in New Zealand, which would put it at about $128 million,” said Ken Kamins. “That was the only number that was ever discussed.”
District 9 is in theatres August 14th and we are very excited. To celebrate andPOP and Sony Pictures are giving away a signed autograph poster with District 9 cast members Sharlto Copley and Neil Blomkamp. To enter all you need to do is email contests@andpop.com with the subject heading District 9, and the answer to the following question:
