The Ducks Are Lining Up: 2009 Movie Schedule

Interesting! June 26th, 2009 has been announced as the launch date of "Transformers 2" which of course brings it into James Cameron "Avatar" (3D) (Memorial Day) territory as well as "Justice League of America" (May 22, 2009). "Monsters vs. Aliens" (3D) should have petered out by then as they have adjusted their release to Easter in respect to Cameron's epic. Let me tell you, the summer of 2009 is stretching at the seams with quality releases. Count Steven Spielberg's "Interstellar" in that mix as well. Oh yeah, and a little movie called "Gears Of War" could chainsaw its way through the competition :-)

UPDATE (Sep 29th 2007): Confirmation is in that Shia Labeouf will return in Transformers 2 as well as director Michael Bay taking the helm. There is a growing possibility of that June 26th date being changed - could it be that another movie is being "Avatared"?

Avatar vs. Monsters vs. Aliens - 2009 !

Be prepared for battle. Memorial Day weekend, 2009 is desperately wanted by both James Cameron's Avatar (20th Century Fox) and Jeffrey Katzenberg's Monsters vs. Aliens. BOTH are 3D and there will only be 5 to 6 thousand theaters built by then (only 700 today). That is a problem. They both want awesome opening weekend box office takes, and have laid down their gauntlets.


Click the image to enlarge.

There is little doubt both of these films will be spectacular as I have already pointed out in earlier posts (Avatar). But I would wager that Avatar will do better as the effects involve humans and not cartoons. I am staggered by the technology that Cameron is employing in his production.

Recently, production companies have needed to solidify their toehold for a release date as far out as possible as the opening weekend stakes are high (up to 25% of total revenue) - and this is further complicated by the fact that theater owners need to spend an average of $40,000 to upgrade their existing equipment to the new, theater experience savior, 3D Digital.

With many homes now outfitted with their own theaters, many people are simply choosing to stay home as new releases are released quickly to DVD nowadays. Something needs to excite them to come back to the cinema. 3D is it ! Believe me, you will be so enthralled by the new technology that many of you will be watching Avatar over and over again just for the experience.

And - someone is going to make a lot of money selling those 3D glasses. Not those 50 year old blue and red ones, but the new polarized ones (if you have been to an Imax 3D movie, you know what I mean). I am going to want to own my own set and not worry about using a properly cleansed set from a theater. I will buy my own.

If that wasn't enough conflict for ya -- Don't forget Steven Spielberg is releasing Interstellar in the summer of 2009 as well (putting Kip Thorne's theories to work). And then there is that little video game movie coming out... ahh what was it? Oh yeah: GEARS OF WAR. Yes sir, 2009 is going to be a heck of a summer.

The Hobbit - Has a familiar ring to it...

Sam Raimi has officially voiced interest in the prequel to New Line's The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Hobbit! As much as I want Peter Jackson to pick up where he left off with his Tolkien epic, it looks like his legal battle with New Line over profit sharing will prevent that from ever happening.

Raimi has said that he will NOT do The Hobbit without the blessing of Jackson and that says a lot about the man. Jackson put his life into those movies and it is satisfying to see the respect that the peers give him.

**UPDATE** Apr18, 07: Apparently Raimi has contacted Bob Shaye and Shaye has given the go-ahead for Raimi to direct The Hobbit!! One more to go: Peter Jackson!

James Cameron has definitely sided with Jackson. He says that it is a matter of course that revenue numbers are openly shared and calculated and he is firmly in Jackson's camp on this.

New Line had better smarten up. Jackson is probably the world's best right now (we'll see after Avatar and Interstellar are released!) and they are doing themselves any favors by conducting business this way. Some would say directors are essential to make movies...

I say godspeed Jackson, hopefully you can make The Hobbit, but if you can't then Raimi is a good second choice.

Avatar vs. Interstellar - Head to head in 2009?

2009 is shaping up to be one of the most fascinating years in history regarding epic adventures in space.

I have written about James Cameron's Avatar being planned for Memorial Day 2009 (incidently Michael Biehn has confirmed he has spoken with his friend Cameron and hopes to be cast in the movie after many previous collaborations).

Now, probably one of only a handful of directors that could challenge Cameron and his innovations head-to-head is jumping into the summer blockbuster mix: Steven Spielberg! The L.A. Times reports that Spielberg will direct an outer space effort called Interstellar which apparently hinges on travelling to alternative universes through a wormhole. The release is expected in 2009...

I am dying to get the casting on Interstellar and its budget. Stay tuned to MarketSaw for more details when I get 'em!! My money is still on Cameron. Rumor has it that they are not even using optical cameras for Avatar--seems that infrared cameras are front and center to 'film' the cast's 'Performance Capture' which will then be computer generated in pure grandeur.