Award Winning Weta Digital Ramps Up For AVATAR Sequels

6 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects. 10 Academy Science and Technology Awards. 6 BAFTA Awards for Best Special Visual Effects. 6 VES Awards for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature.

Yep. Weta Digital knows what they are doing. Peter Jackson's sandbox builds amazing things and now they are ramping up for James Cameron's AVATAR sequels. With over ~$1 billion in production budget for AVATAR and the immense success that Cameron's films enjoy, obviously, his 4 sequels will command the best in the world at what they do. Enter Weta Digital.

Says Cameron: "What Joe Letteri and Weta Digital bring to these stories is impossible to quantify. Since we made Avatar, Weta continued to prove themselves as doing the best CG animation, the most human, the most alive, the most photo-realistic effects in the world. And of course, that now means I can push them to take it even further."

Can you imagine what surprises Cameron and Weta Digital have in store for us in these movies? A lot of time has passed. A LOT. Technology has improved by leaps and bounds. I can't wait to see what these guys have built and are building.

Source: Deadline

Need A Reason To See TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT? It's Shot In Native 3D

Glorious native 3D. I can't wait to see TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT. To see this cutting edge technology in play once again. Yes, 3D conversion has come a VERY long way and I'm impressed with today's efforts from companies like Stereo D, Legend and Prime Focus to name a few, but native 3D holds a very dear place in my heart and mind.

Says Bay: "If I'm going to do 3D, I'm going to do it the right way. Believe it or not, I think we are the only 3D movie being shot native this year. All the rig people who own the rigs, they're like, 'Our business is done.'"

I hear the same thing, though to me native 3D is just absolutely breathtaking if done correctly. James Cameron knows it. Ang Lee knows it. Martin Scorsese knows it. Michael Bay knows it.

If you will recall, I called on Michael on whether he was going to shoot Transformers 3 in 3D back in the day - before he was involved with the format. I like to think I pushed him a bit toward ultimately becoming one of native 3D's strongest voices... ahhh, but clearly he makes his own mind up :-)

I smile to hear him say, "It's like a curve, it gets more intense, then it comes back down. A little higher, a little lower, where your brain gets a rest. But all that's got to be sculpted. It's about intensity and energy and intimacy and then composition and movement."

I smile because that is so bang-on. That he obviously gets it. That he's come a long way to be at the point he is now.

So yes, TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT is shot in native 3D, mixing Arri Alexa 65's and Red Dragon's with anamorphic and Hawk lenses. Still, up to 20% of the movie may be post-converted to 3D due to the intimate nature of the shots. We all know what the TRANSFORMERS franchise is all about - epic, visual grandeur. It always has been. And I for one, can't wait to see this native 3D epic in all its glory.

The sad reality seems to be that theatrical native 3D has had its glory days. But, it's now moving more into virtual reality. So too will MarketSaw evolve into the VR space, with some very cool announcements coming up. I'm working on a very special project that is in stealth right now, but I'll have more soon for you. The good news is, stereoscopic 3D is still very much alive and evolving into cool new technologies.

Quotes Source: FilmJournal

MUST WATCH: Final Trailer For Luc Besson's VALERIAN

Wow, this is looking spectacular! We all know what Luc Besson is capable of and so expectations are high for VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS - the kicker is, it looks like the expectations are solid with this final trailer.

I just hope the movie delivers an amazing story to justify all the sights and sounds. Seriously, it looks amazing. Valerian stars Cara Delevingne, Dane DeHaan, Clive Owen, Ethan Hawke, Rihanna and Mathieu Kassovits.

See it in RealD 3D.

Here's the movie's storyline:
VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS is the visually spectacular new adventure film from Luc Besson, the legendary director of Leon, The Fifth Element and Lucy, based on the ground-breaking comic book series which inspired a generation of artists, writers and filmmakers.

In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha—an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other. There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS opens on July 21 in North America.

Both GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Movies Shown Back To Back in 3D!!

Guys - here's some news sent to me that you might want to take advantage of - AND - get some cool collectibles. Enjoy GOTG2 - I know I'll be first in line!

REALD CREATES EXCLUSIVE 3D DOUBLE FEATURE FAN EVENT ALLOWING MOVIEGOERS A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CHANCE TO SEE MARVEL STUDIOS’ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 ALONG WITH THE ORIGINAL GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY AT SELECT THEATERS ON THURSDAY, MAY 4 NATIONWIDE

Los Angeles, CA – May 2, 2017- RealD, the world’s biggest 3D company has joined forces with some of the nation’s largest theater chains to offer a once-in-a-lifetime 3D double feature of Marvel Studios’ original Guardians of the Galaxy as well as the brand-new Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, exclusively at RealD 3D-equipped theaters. The special double feature screenings will be offered on Thursday afternoon May 4 nationwide at more than 550 locations only in RealD, it was announced today by Travis Reid, President of Worldwide Cinema and Chief Operating Officer for RealD.

Guests who participate in the special fan event will receive an exclusive mini poster and a set of souvenir collectible buttons while supplies last. Participating exhibitors include some of the nation’s largest theater circuits, among them AMC Theatres, Cinemark, Cineplex, National Amusements, and Regal Cinemas. For a list of theaters playing the 3D double feature, visit http://reald.com/#/movies/gotgdoublefeature

“The visuals in the Guardians of the Galaxy universe are stunning and the movies are even more spectacular in RealD 3D. We wanted to create a fan experience as epic as the movies and we can’t think of a better way to get fans excited for the new film than to offer an exclusive double feature event and a chance to experience both Guardians of the Galaxy films back-to-back in 3D,” said Reid.

As the world’s leading 3D cinema system, no company has been more instrumental in perfecting, promoting or providing premium quality 3D experiences to audiences worldwide than RealD.


ABOUT REALD INC.
Globally recognized as the world’s visual technology leader, RealD pioneered digital 3D cinema and today has the world's largest 3D cinema platform. RealD’s dominant market share is comprised of a network of theatres that include more than 29,000 installed screens with a backlog of 3,000 additional contracted installations in 72 countries with over 1,200 exhibition partners. RealD is the world’s preeminent 3D brand, with well over 2 billion people having experienced a movie in RealD 3D.

ABOUT MARVEL STUDIOS’ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2
Set to the all-new sonic backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is written and directed by James Gunn and stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as Baby Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Tommy Flanagan, Laura Haddock, with Sylvester Stallone, and Kurt Russell. Kevin Feige is producing, and Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Jonathan Schwartz, Nikolas Korda and Stan Lee are the executive producers. Marvel Studios’

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” blasts into theaters on May 5, 2017.

Joss Whedon Jumps Ship To DC With BATGIRL

Well, this is an interesting development and it may delineate a somewhat troubled Warner Bros past with DC, and a new dawn of justice for the DC universe (you see what I did there?).

Joss Whedon is jumping from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to DC with the first ever BATGIRL tentpole. Whedon will write, produce and direct the movie which bodes extremely well for its likely success.

I'm at Cinemacon where DC showed off clips from WONDER WOMAN, AQUAMAN (concept art) and JUSTICE LEAGUE and I can't help but think that BATGIRL could be a carnivorous property, diluting the BATMAN brand. Personally, I've never enjoyed these spinoffs in the comics either - Marvel or DC. It just seems to be uncreative.

Enter Whedon. If anyone can change my mind it's him. He obviously has got some sort of concept in mind that will blow our socks off, so I am officially intrigued.

No other word on others being attached. More when I get it!

Source: Variety

First JUSTICE LEAGUE Trailer Drops!

I'm in Vegas in advance of Cinemacon next week and I'm excited about what's happening here on other fronts. I should be in a position to talk about something soon. Cryptic I know!

Meanwhile, the first trailer for JUSTICE LEAGUE is finally here and while the action and visuals look amazing, and seeing all those characters on the screen together is fascinating, I'm left with worry that there is no story and character development, including the villain.

I'm most intrigued with Wonder Woman and Aquaman, and the fun they can have with The Flash. Also thinking about when Superman makes his appearance in the movie.

However, my instincts tell me that JUSTICE LEAGUE may not deliver that ensemble movie we've been waiting for since Marvel's THE AVENGERS. Whedon pulled off an amazing feat of weaving characters, plot, development and at the same time feeding a franchise toward the Infinity War. While I don't want a photocopy, I hope they can deliver here with these beloved characters.

Here's the movie's storyline:
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

JUSTICE LEAGUE is slated for a November release.

First AVATAR Sequel Not Happening In 2018 - No Firm Date Set

Want the good news or the bad news? Bad news? Ok. The first sequel to the record-breaking James Cameron opus AVATAR will not be released in 2018.

James Cameron: "Well, 2018 is not happening. We haven’t announced a firm release date. What people have to understand is that this is a cadence of releases. So we’re not making Avatar 2. We’re making Avatar 2, 3, 4 and 5. It’s an epic undertaking. It’s not unlike building the Three Gorges dam. (Laughs) So I know where I’m going to be for the next eight years of my life. It’s not an unreasonable time frame if you think about it. It took us four-and-a-half years to make one movie and now we’re making four. We’re full tilt boogie right now. This is my day job and pretty soon we’ll be 24-7. We’re pretty well designed on all our creatures and sets. It’s pretty exciting stuff. I wish I could share with the world. But we have to preserve a certain amount of showmanship and we’re going to draw that curtain when the time is right."

The good news is Cameron and his team are going full bore now. It takes a tremendous amount of work to get even one movie of this scope made, let alone four of them concurrently. Cameron is now keyed in. Once they hit 24-7 as he says, we'll see some amazing progress.

The delay doesn't surprise me, but now that the wheels are in motion and barring any technological problems we should see their next date stick. Sure it's disappointing to hear of further delays but we all want amazing movies. I'm sure we'll get that. Stay tuned.

Source: Toronto Star