RobMakesMovies.com

In doing my usual snooping of the in-pre-production, production, post-production, and marketing stages of a film, I came across this little nugget of sweetness. This is a video that ILM(Industrial Light and Magic) came out with that shows some of their CGI development work on Transformers, from last year. It’s a part of the Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen advertising campaign, even though they still have not finished principle photography… I hope you like it:

Oh, and here’s a little snippet of the stuff they are up to on the production of TF2:

Here’s another angle of what I think is that same explosion(different take, more than likely). Make sure you click the “HD is OFF” button so you can watch it bigger, in HD. It takes you offsite, but it’s sooo pretty.

- Robert

Roland Emmerich, the political director famous for Day After Tomorrow, and the recent flop 10,000 B.C. has his next film lined up and in the casting phase. The film, 2012, due out at the end of 2010 is based on the “End of the World” theory derived from the Mayan Calendar that ends with the year 2012.

Let’s be clear: I’m not a Roland Emmerich fan. His directing is average, and his vision that is conveyed in each film he does is everything we’ve seen before, in better films, originated by far greater directors. He doesn’t add any talent to his plate. Now to the proof this movie is going to suck:

Woody Harrelson to star in Roland Emmerich’s 2012

Dear Roland Emmerich, you cannot out-destroy our planet better than Michael Bay. We’d rather you burn the $200 million budget for 2012 in a pit on the beach and film Woody Harrelson and Danny Glover dancing around it. MTV confirms that Woody has signed to star in Emmerich’s Mayan Doomsday Bonanza, 2012, and, yes, he’ll play the token “told you so” paranoiac…

“I play a guy who’s been talking for a long time, the whole world thinks he’s crazy,” Harrelson said of his character. “But he’s been talking that there’s gonna be hell to pay for what’s been going on ecologically and everything.”

Harrelson added, “I don’t know why they thought of me.” Yep. He’ll join a cast that includes
John Cusack, Thandie Newton, Amanda Peet, Glover and (of course) Oliver Platt. Emmerich’s last two films, 10,000 BC and The Day After Tomorrow, were godawful and probably cost more than the Iraq War. He also made The Patriot, which has a growing ironic following due to the Pineapple Express tribute posters.

Michael Bay has a “competing” project in development called 2012: The War For the Souls. If anyone out there has a voice oft-mistaken for a cool demon’s, please leave the previous sentence on Emmerich’s voice mail every single day until his film is released on July 10, 2009.

That quote was from Slashfilm, and I couldn’t have said it better myself. The fact that John Cusack, Thandie Newton, Amanda Peet, and Oliver Platt are in it give a redeeming hope that at least the acting may not be complete garbage, but I don’t see this as anything other than crap. Crap covered in gold, but crap nonetheless.

- Robert

I’ll start off with a little description of what I am talking about. Tucker Max, a D-List celebrity, entirely of internet and his NY Times Bestseller fame, is in production of a movie based on “The Austin Road Trip Story” in his NY Times Bestseller I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell.

The casting has been complete and one of the biggest problems they had, aside from casting the character Slingblade, was finding the right person that could embody the narcissistic, womanizing, alcohol-driven arrogance of Tucker Max. This wasn’t another Van Wilder character, although that is what it sounds like and what many critics will probably compare it to, this was a fictionalized younger Tucker at his prime. According to the production blog, link below, they found him a few weeks back.

http://www.ihopetheyservebeerinhell.com

Recently Tucker released pictures of himself during the pre-production process, posting them all on a Flickr account and providing his fans with a link to them all. Although they have not released the names of the cast in the trades(official announcements through industry-specific news sources for those unfamiliar with the Hollywood lingo), but I have some news: I found him. I have found evidence of who is to be Tucker Max in the Indy $7 Million Film.

The guy you see from behind is Tucker. He’s discussing something in the production office with the Director, costume designer, and the other screenwriter/friend. The picture is cropped, but I have the link below.

If you look behind Tucker on the tack board you see a picture with the name “Tucker” on it. You can’t really make out the name that well, but I did some investigation and figured out who that is. I know who is playing Tucker Max in I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell. His name is Matt Czuchry, last name pronounced zoo-crie. He has most recently been on the show Gilmore Girls as well as Friday Night Lights. I remember seeing him in part of one episode of something(can’t remember what), and he came off as a jackass on that, so I trust that he can be a jerk on film too.

That’s all I’ve got for now. More when I find it.

IMDB link here:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0194516/

Full size, un-cropped picture:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rudiusmedia/2615846665/sizes/l/in/set-72157605851243289/

UPDATE: Tucker posted the cast, and guess what? I was right!

- Robert

Guillermo promised us an official announcement this week – and now here it is. Late Thursday afternoon it was 100% confirmed – the soon-to-be legendary director Guillermo del Toro is officially attached to direct The Hobbit. Variety confirms the announcement today from executive producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, New Line president Toby Emmerich, and MGM president Mary Parent. Guillermo will move to New Zealand for the next four years to work with Jackson and WETA in order to produce the new two Hobbit films back-to-back – which will be released in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

This is definitely a glorious day in the world of Middle Earth! Production is now moving forward and all contracts have been signed to finally start work on The Hobbit. Warner Brothers will be distributing the film in the US and MGM will be distributing it internationally. As was announced previously, the first film will be an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s entire book, and the second will be a newly imagined story focusing on the 60-year period between The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

The Hobbit is set in a time “between the dawn of Faerie and the Dominion of Men,” and follows the quest of home-loving Bilbo Baggins to win his share of the treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug. His journey takes him from light-hearted, rural surroundings and into darker, deeper territory, meeting various denizens of the Wilderland along the way. By accepting the disreputable, romantic, fey and adventurous side of his nature and utilizing both his wits and common sense during the quest, Bilbo develops a new level of maturity, competence and wisdom. – Synopsis courtesy of Wikipedia

Now that it’s been officially confirmed, it sounds like Guillermo won’t be doing At the Mountains of Madness for a very long time and won’t be doing Hellboy III at least until he finishes both Hobbit movies in 2011. I’d say this is a very promising future for del Toro and I can’t wait to see his interpretation of the beloved Tolkien universe. Now I’m even more excited for Hellboy II: The Golden Army this summer. What are your thoughts on Guillermo del Toro officially directing The Hobbit? Is he the next best replacement for Peter Jackson?

I’m excited about this. Old news to some, but exciting to any Guillermo or LOTR fans.

– Robert