Dreamwork's GHOST IN THE SHELL Moves to Director Rupert Sanders

I was REALLY hoping Steven Spielberg himself would helm this 3D project and now I'm not sure it will retain stereoscopic 3D at all. GHOST IN THE SHELL remains at Dreamworks so I'm hopeful. The project has been passed over to Rupert Sanders (SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN) and while I like his style - what can I say, he's not Spielberg. That's not an insult by the way.

GITS is now being adapted and written by William Wheeler, but Laeta Kalogridis (SHUTTER ISLAND, AVATAR) was also involved back in 2009 and may still have her touch on the project. She is now working on TERMINATOR: GENESIS along with my pal Patrick Lussier (DRIVE ANGRY, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D).

Here's a brief description of the original story's background:
Ghost in the Shell is a futuristic police thriller dealing with the exploits of Motoko Kusanagi, a member of the covert operations section of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission, Section 9, which specializes in fighting technology-related crime. She may be named after one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan and Shirow makes reference to them at the end of the second manga. Although supposedly equal to all other members, Kusanagi fills the leadership role in the team, and is usually referred to as "the Major" due to her past rank in the armed forces. She is capable of superhuman feats, and bionically specialized for her job — her body is almost completely mechanized; only her brain and a segment of her spinal cord are organic.

So yeah, I was looking forward to seeing a Spielberg directed GHOST IN THE SHELL go up against a James Cameron directed BATTLE ANGEL at the box office. Wow that would have been jaw dropping. But with BATTLE ANGEL delayed until at least the AVATARs are out of the way and marketed and Spielberg stepping back from GITS, it won't happen. Oh well. At least these projects are dead. To the contrary they're brimming with life so that's the silver lining. APHRODITE IX was another female cyborg project that was floating around that hopefully will someday see projector light.

Producers Avi and Ari Avid are still attached as well as Steven Paul. Lots of muscle there to get the job done obviously. Let's hope native 3D sticks to this project!

Stay tuned for more info when I get it!

Source: Deadline

MUST WATCH: Awesome New Intro Clip For NEED FOR SPEED!

Check this clips guys - and the cars therein. WOW. Gotta love the shots and stunts these guys are pulling off just in this alone. No need to say too much here - just WATCH.

Here's the boilerplate:
DreamWorks Pictures’ “Need for Speed” marks an exciting return to the great car culture films of the 1960s and ’70s, when the authenticity of the world brought a new level of intensity to the action on-screen. Tapping into what makes the American myth of the open road so appealing, the story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country journey for our heroes — one that begins as a mission for revenge, but proves to be one of redemption. Based on the most successful racing video game franchise ever with over 140 million copies sold, "Need for Speed" captures the freedom and excitement of the game in a real-world setting, while bringing to life the passion for the road that has made our love of cars so timeless.

The film centers around Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), a blue-collar mechanic who races muscle cars on the side in an unsanctioned street-racing circuit. Struggling to keep his family-owned garage afloat, he reluctantly partners with the wealthy and arrogant ex-NASCAR driver Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). But just as a major sale to car broker Julia Maddon (Imogen Poots) looks like it will save Tobey's shop, a disastrous race allows Dino to frame Tobey for a crime he didn’t commit, and sending Tobey to prison while Dino expands his business out West.

Two years later, Tobey is released and set on revenge — but he knows his only chance to take down his rival Dino is to defeat him in the high-stakes race known as De Leon — the Super Bowl of underground racing. However to get there in time, Tobey will have to run a high-octane, action-packed gauntlet that includes dodging pursuing cops coast-to-coast as well as contending with a dangerous bounty Dino has put out on his car. With the help of his loyal crew and the surprisingly resourceful Julia, Tobey defies odds at every turn and proves that even in the flashy world of exotic supercars, the underdog can still finish first.

“Need for Speed” is presented by DreamWorks Pictures, produced by Patrick O’Brien, John Gatins and Mark Sourian, and directed by Scott Waugh. The screenplay is by George Gatins. The story is by George Gatins and John Gatins, and, based on the video game series created by Electronic Arts.

The film releases in U.S. theaters on March 14, 2014.

Perfect!! NEED FOR SPEED Will Be In 3D! Also STEP UP: ALL IN...

Just as I have been saying since the beginning of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS - these car movies have got to be in 3D. Well, DreamWorks Pictures have just brought out the checkered flag for 3D! Director Scott Waugh's NEED FOR SPEED will indeed be in 3D as confirmed by Constantin Film's upcoming list of German releases. STEP UP: ALL IN will also be in 3D, but I believe THR beat me to the punch on that one. Special thanks to my ever reliable source in Europe on the heads up!

For those curious, Waugh's background is in stunts and this thing will have plenty of practical stunts and effects in it. Looking forward to some refreshing and real action!

From the studio:
DreamWorks Pictures’ “Need for Speed” marks an exciting return to the great car culture films of the 1960s and ’70s, when the authenticity of the world brought a new level of intensity to the action on-screen. Tapping into what makes the American myth of the open road so appealing, the story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country journey for our heroes — one that begins as a mission for revenge, but proves to be one of redemption. Based on the most successful racing video game franchise ever with over 140 million copies sold, "Need for Speed" captures the freedom and excitement of the game in a real-world setting, while bringing to life the passion for the road that has made our love of cars so timeless.

The film centers around Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), a blue-collar mechanic who races muscle cars on the side in an unsanctioned street-racing circuit. Struggling to keep his family-owned garage afloat, he reluctantly partners with the wealthy and arrogant ex-NASCAR driver Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). But just as a major sale to car broker Julia Maddon (Imogen Poots) looks like it will save Tobey's shop, a disastrous race allows Dino to frame Tobey for a crime he didn’t commit, and sending Tobey to prison while Dino expands his business out West.

Two years later, Tobey is released and set on revenge — but he knows his only chance to take down his rival Dino is to defeat him in the high-stakes race known as De Leon — the Super Bowl of underground racing. However to get there in time, Tobey will have to run a high-octane, action-packed gauntlet that includes dodging pursuing cops coast-to-coast as well as contending with a dangerous bounty Dino has put out on his car. With the help of his loyal crew and the surprisingly resourceful Julia, Tobey defies odds at every turn and proves that even in the flashy world of exotic supercars, the underdog can still finish first.

“Need for Speed” is presented by DreamWorks Pictures, produced by Patrick O’Brien, John Gatins and Mark Sourian, and directed by Scott Waugh. The screenplay is by George Gatins. The story is by George Gatins and John Gatins, and, based on the video game series created by Electronic Arts.

NEED FOR SPEED releases in U.S. theaters on March 14, 2014.

SEE: New FRIGHT NIGHT Dark Humor Character Posters

Well I know what they are trying to pull off here with the dark humor but it doesn't quite work for me. Yeah I get that the movie is skewed toward a teenage audience, but still - the older crowd should still be drawn to it. It is a remake after all. Marketing like this though doesn't cut it for me.

Oh well, it's only a segment of an overall plan to get the word out so I can live with it!

Teenager Charley Brewster (Yelchin) guesses that his new neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Farrell) is a vampire responsible for a string of recent deaths. When no one he knows believes him, he enlists Peter Vincent (Tennant), the opportunistic host of his favorite TV show, to help him take down Jerry and his guardian.

Director: Craig Gillespie
Writer: Marti Noxon
Studio: DreamWorks Pictures
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Release: August 19, 2011

I'll be sure to pass on more info when I get it. You can check all of our FRIGHT NIGHT coverage right here.

Dreamworks' FRIGHT NIGHT 3D Set For August 19, 2011!!

Dreamworks Pictures has announced its 2011 lineup and we finally have more details on the remake of the 1985 comedic horror, FRIGHT NIGHT. The studio has rebranded the movie FRIGHT NIGHT 3D and set the release date for August 19, 2011. Estimated budget is around $17m.

The image is of David Tennant as Peter Vincent (view the high res shot at /Film)

The cast consists of Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Imogen Poots, Toni Collette, David Tennant and Christopher Mintz-Plasse with Craig Gillespie directing.

Here's the storyline:
Anton Yelchin plays Charlie, a teen convinced that his new neighbor (Colin Farrell) is a vampire. Toni Collette will play the teen's disbelieving mom, who falls under the vampire's spell. David Tennant will play Peter Vincent, a character who in the original movie was played by Roddy McDowall as the host of a late-night horror show. In the remake, he’s a Las Vegas magician whose show revolves around horror-movie imagery. Vincent claims to be a vampire expert, but when the teen turns to him for assistance, he's less than helpful. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is playing Evil Ed, Yelchin's friend who feels slighted that Charlie has left his nerdy past behind and thus joins the vampire's coven.

I LOVED the original! If this film stays true to its roots, we should have a very entertaining movie on our hands. I recommend watching the original again! Paradise FX seems to be attached to shoot the movie so this will be a native 3D film! Can't wait to see the final product. I am following up with Paradise FX for validation on this.