Hmmm, here’s some interesting news about ‘Breaking Dawn.’ Deadline Hollywood is reporting that it might be split into two movies.
Summit Entertainment isn’t talking at this point, saying only, “No decision has been made and as we have said all along, we are continuing to work with Stephenie Meyer to bring ‘Breaking Dawn’ to the big screen.”
Yeah, that’s not really saying anything, is it? The cynical part of me thinks that two films would make way more money than one, so that would be a reason for the powers that be to do it that way.
Those of …read more

Kathryn Bigelow is having a great year so far. For that matter, Summit Entertainment is having a great couple of years. They’re like the little movie studio that could.
At the Critics’ Choice Awards on Friday, Bigelow was named best director, and her film, the Iraq war drama “The Hurt Locker” from Summit, nabbed a best picture award.
Prelude to the Golden Globes and Oscars? We’ll know soon, as the Golden Globes airs tomorrow night.
 
“Crazy Heart” was a double winner, with Jeff Bridges claiming the best actor prize for his turn as hard-drinking country singer Bad Blake. The film’s theme …read more

If you’re a fan of the great B-movie king Roger Corman, you’ll love this news. Shout! Factory is re-releasing a whole bunch of Roger Corman films on DVD and Blu-ray. More than 50, to be exact, and some of those have never been available on DVD or Blu-ray.
And it gets better. Shout! Factory is also producing a wide range of bonus content for special editions and double features. Collectively, it’ll be known as “Roger Corman’s Cult Classics” home entertainment series.
The first titles include the original “Piranha” to go along with this summer’s 3-D remake, as well as …read more

Whoever is running the publicity for “Daybreakers,” the thriller about a population of vampires forced to suck peoples’ blood for survival, is doing a pretty good job.
In a “man on the street” thing, they asked people to say whose blood they’d like to suck if given the opportunity. Sarah Palin, George Bush, the cast of “Jersey Shore,” and Halle Berry (say what?) topped the list.
“Daybreakers” sinks its teeth into theaters this Friday Jan. 8, 2010. It’s directed by Michael Spierig, and Ethan Hawke is one of the players. Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and brief nudity.

Here’s the scoop on what’s coming up from Warner Brothers in 2010. There are some great films here, but I’m probably most looking forward to “Sex and the City 2,” “Inception,” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.”  
THE BOOK OF ELI In theatres on January 15 (Alcon/Warner Bros. Pictures)
Directors: The Hughes Brothers Writer: Gary Whitta Producers: Joel Silver, Denzel Washington, Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove, David Valdes Executive Producers: Steve Richards, Susan Downey, Erik Olsen …read more

Charlie Hunnam is way more than his scrappy biker character of Jax Teller on FX’s “Sons of Anarchy.” He’s written a screenplay on Vlad the Impaler, a 15th century badass whose penchant for brutality and night-fighting struck fear in the heart of the Ottoman Empire and gave his outnumbered forces an advantage on their home battlefield. He was also the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”
Hunnam’s screenplay for “Vlad” will be produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B and Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the “Twilight” series. But Hunnam says there will be no vampires in this project.
The actor became fascinated …read more

FX is nabbing rights to some great movies this year. The network just acquired the TV rights to all four “Twilight” movies in a package deal that also includes Oscar hopeful “The Hurt Locker,” Nic Cage’s “Knowing,” and the action thrill-ride “Push."
FX will start running last year’s "Twilight," the first movie in the franchise, beginning in late 2011. “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” will be available in late 2012. “Eclipse,” which is slated for a June 30 theatrical release, will premiere on FX in early 2013.
Summit has yet to greenlight production on "Breaking Dawn," based on the fourth …read more

Here’s a fun event! People who buy the Blu-ray copy of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (read my review here) can actually watch the film with Harry himself, Daniel Radcliffe, and director David Yates.
Well, sort of. Probably as close as we’ll ever get to the real thing anyway. It’s the first worldwide live community screening of the movie, and here’s how it works:
- Buy the Blu-ray disc of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” available on Dec. 8, 2009. Buy it on Amazon.com!
- Be one of the first 100,000 BD-Live community members (accessible through a BD-Live enabled …read more

In Steven Zeitchik’s Risky Biz Blog on The Hollywood Reporter, he talks about whether Fox Searchlight’s Oscar blitz over the past few years will come to an end.
The studio specializes in offbeat films like “Juno,”  “The Darjeeling Limited,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” and “The Wrestler,” and it’s heartening to think that Fox Searchlight films have been nominated for at least five Oscars in each of the past three years, including a best picture nom for all of them.
I say heartening because I always appreciate when the less mainstream films – the quirkier, more character driven films — earn audience kudos. It …read more

I’ll preface this post by saying I’m a big fan of anything “Star Trek” (thanks to my Trekkie mom), so I was thrilled to learn that Warner Archive would be releasing Gene Roddenberry’s 1970’s TV pilots, “Genesis II” and the follow-up “Planet Earth” on DVD today.
GENESIS II, 74 minutes, 1973. “My name is Dylan Hunt. My story begins the day on which I died.” Set between now and the era of the starship Enterprise, this story follows Hunt (Alex Cord), who awakens after 154 years of suspended animation into a post-apocalyptic world that’s torn between the peace-loving citizens …read more