Results tagged “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” from Modern Mythology

You don't have to settle for being the mercenary with a mouth if you can also be the hotshot with the power ring.

Actor Ryan Reynolds (Blade: Trinity, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) is reported to have been cast as Hal Jordan in the upcoming movie adaptation of DC Comics' Green Lantern. 

And I don't mean to imply it's a better part for Reynolds by my use of the term "settle" in the first sentence there.  I'm only saying that Lantern is a movie role from a script by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim that I have heard more than a few positive things about.

Meanwhile, the "Deadpool" project is still a story under construction as a spinoff based on the character Reynolds played in Wolverine -- the notorious merc with a mouth.

Heck, if this estimated $200 million flick comes through, Reynolds will have portrayed at least three characters based from comics in the movies. Two of those characters could have lucrative film franchises.


Via Variety and Comic Book Resources and photo by Getty Images

And for those who wanna know, the comic characters are Hannibal King, Deadpool and Green Lantern.


 

LOU KESTEN
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The video-game store looks more like a multiplex during the summer months, with just about every blockbuster action movie getting an interactive tie-in. More than half of the films on last week's U.S. box-office top 10 list have related games. Next weekend, you'll be able to watch Pixar's "Up" on the big screen, then grab the game on your way home.

Movie games, deservedly, have a bad reputation, one that hasn't been improved this year by the duds based on "Watchmen" and "Monsters vs. Aliens." And none of the offerings here delivers the kind of quality you get from a truly original production like Sony's "inFamous."

Since none of the movies here are Oscar-caliber, perhaps it's unfair to hold the related games to a higher standard. Then again, most of them cost a lot more than a movie ticket.

--"Terminator Salvation" (Warner Bros., for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, $59.99): As John Connor, humanity's future savior, you're on an ill-defined mission two years before the events of the film. With the help of a squad of resistance fighters, you move from one wasteland to another, blasting robots and ducking fire.

For most of the game, you're fighting three kinds of machines, and their patterns quickly become predictable. Occasionally you'll encounter a larger machine, but there's not much strategy involved in taking them down. And you aren't permitted to explore beyond a very restricted, linear path through the adventure, which abruptly ends after a mere five hours. "Terminator Salvation" feels like a classic rush job. Two stars out of four.

--"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" (Majesco, for the Xbox 360, Wii, $39.99): This may be the most laid-back movie tie-in I've ever played. It's essentially a series of puzzles, as museum guard Larry Daley uses his multipurpose flashlight to unlock hidden doors, repair broken artifacts or tame animals.

Besides working your way through the story (barely longer than the movie), you can collect a lot of junk and pick up some dubious history lessons. The gameplay feels flat, and the jokes are really tired. One star.

--"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (Activision, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, $59.99): Marvel's mutton-chopped man-beast makes a good video-game hero, with his acrobatic moves and built-in weaponry. And Activision has done a fine job of capturing him in this fast-paced hack-and-slash adventure.

Parents, beware: This game is unbelievably gory on the high-definition consoles. The Wii version is less bloody, but also a lot less entertaining. Three stars.

--"Star Trek D-A-C" (Paramount, for the Xbox 360, $10): In this top-down outer-space shoot-'em-up, you pick a side -- Federation or Romulan -- and then fly around blasting other spaceships. The "D-A-C" stands for death match, assault, conquest, the three modes you can play. It's more like multiplayer "Asteroids" than "Star Trek," and it won't hold your interest. One star.


On the Net:

http://www.terminatorsalvationthegame.com/

http://nightatthemuseumgame.com/

http://www.uncaged.com/

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/s/startrekdacxboxlivearcade/
    

In this film publicity image released by Columbia Pictures/Sony Entertainment, Tom Hanks and Ayelet Zurer, right, are shown in a scene from, "Angels & Demons." (AP Photo/Columbia Pictures/Sony, Zade Rosenthal)

JAKE COYLE
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- "Angels & Demons" took the box office from "Star Trek" by earning $48 million in its first weekend of release.

The haul was far less than the earlier Dan Brown adaptation "The Da Vinci Code" -- which earned $77.1 million when in opened in 2006 -- but still enough to topple the popular "Star Trek," according to studio estimates Sunday.

In its second weekend, Paramount Pictures' "Star Trek" took in $43 million, a strong number after its $75.2 million opening last weekend, excluding its Thursday midnight screenings. The cumulative total for J.J. Abram's reboot of the sci-fi franchise is $147.6 million.

Sony's "Angels & Demons" reunites Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard for the sequel to "The Da Vinci Code." It opened without the benefit of the buzz and controversy that propelled "The Da Vinci Code" to a $753 million worldwide total.

Overseas business was again strong for "Angels & Demons," which earned $104.3 million internationally. Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony, said the studio expects the film will eventually take in half a billion altogether in theatrical release.

"That chemistry (of Hanks and Howard) worked incredibly well with 'Da Vinci' and it looks like it's absolutely headed in that same vein, certainly on a lesser scale," said Bruer. "We never expected anything to the phenomenon of 'Da Vinci.'"

Like "The Da Vinci Code," reviews were not illustrious for "Angels & Demons," but they were mostly better. Bruer called Brown's action-packed best-seller "a far more cinematic story" than "Da Vinci." In it, Hanks again plays Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon who's trying to prevent a series of murders at the Vatican.

"Sony positioned it well," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "They didn't try to say, 'This is going to be "The Da Vinci Code.'" It was actually quite the contrary. They tried to say this was not 'Da Vinci Code,' that it was a different kind of movie."

"Angels & Demons" was the only new wide-release film of the weekend. Coming in third was "X-Men Originals: Wolverine," which earned $14.8 million in its third week, bringing its total to $151.1 million. The prequel to the "X-Men" franchise, starring Hugh Jackman as the mutant with metal claws, had a step drop-off in its second week.

On the whole, it was another robust weekend of business at movie theaters, which have been drawing large crowds throughout the recession. Dergarabedian pegs the year-to-date box office at a 16 percent increase over last year.

"We're headed toward a record breaking summer," said Dergarabedian. "If you've got a blockbuster in the pipeline, you're very happy about all the strength of the box office right now. Momentum is key in this business."

That's good news for the two blockbusters opening next weekend: "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" and "Terminator Salvation."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Angels & Demons," $48 million.

2. "Star Trek," $43 million.

3. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," $14.8 million.

4. "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," $6.9 million.

5. "Obsessed," $4.6 million.

6. "17 Again," $3.4 million.

7. "Monsters vs. Aliens," $3 million.

8. "The Soloist," $2.4 million.

9. "Next Day Air," $2.2 million.

10. "Earth," $1.7 million.

Previous entries:

'Star Trek' has galactic $76.5M opening weekend

Leak doesn't keep fans away from 'Wolverine'

Actor Ryan Reynolds portrays the "merc-with-the-mouth" Deadpool in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

I hope I'm not damaging anyone's "Wolverine" fun by telling you about a sequel idea that may be the worst-kept film secret ever.

More than a few folks were coming up to me at the office asking when there would be a "Deadpool" spinoff movie in the works starring Ryan Reynolds after "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

The Hollywood Reporter has a story on it here. Hopefully, this information won't spoil anything for you X-movie movie fans but I would find it hard to believe you didn't know this already.


Photo By Getty Images -- edited for Robert's lack of grammatical agility.
 

I asked my friend last night "what's up with that Wolverine?" he said "nothing, I'm still waiting on the next issue of Wolverine:Old Man Logan ."  I meant to ask if he's seen the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine,  and that would be his way of saying "heck no."

The reviews haven't been kind, but audiences have.  Box office estimates have X-Men Origins: Wolverine earning $85.1 million for its opening weekend. A monetary success by some standards. The currency of the X-Men movie franchise fares well due to the big take this weekend but not because Wolverine was particularly great. 

I watched it last night and while it is not fair to compare every film in the superhero genre to each other it has to be said that this film would have been completely acceptable two years ago, but today?  Just when I think more comic-based movies were turning the corner in quality of storytelling, we take a few steps back.  Don't get me wrong -- I have no illusions about who X-Men Origins: Wolverine is made for, but a scene that ends with a slow motion walk away from an explosion? 

Even music videos don't do that anymore.

All in all It was OK. The character cameos from other parts of the Marvel mutant universe were fun.  The performance standouts for me were Hugh Jackman in the title role of course, and the criminally under-utilized Liev Schreiber as Victor Creed.


Slashfilm visits the Terminator: Salvation set

Peter Sciretta of Slashfilm invites readers along for his visit to the set of Terminator: Salvation and offers story background along with behind-the-scenes designs and pictures.

This primer is sorely needed by myself and fans alike who either did not see the last film or haven't seen anything Terminator in so long they have forgotten what the big deal with John Connor is anyway.

You know he's the savior of humankind and the leader of the resistance against the machines, but not at the point we catch him in this film.  All that stuff is going to happen, but the story behind it is the one I'm interested in seeing and I suspect you are too.  Especially we few fans of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Some may just see this flick because Christian Bale is in it and I guess that's a good enough reason for most.

Sciretta will have posts over the next several days with video interviews from Salvation cast and crew.  

  

DERRIK J. LANG
AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Not even pirates can stop Wolverine.

Audiences weren't deterred from watching "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" on the big screen despite a full-length version of the superhero prequel clawing its way online last month.

The 20th Century Fox movie grabbed the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office with an estimated $87 million opening, toppling the first two "X-Men" films -- but not the third, according to studio estimates Sunday.

While copies of the work print, which Fox said was "without many effects, had missing and unedited scenes and temporary sound and music," continue to appear on several file-sharing Web sites, movie-goers still lined up to see how the feral "X-Men" bad boy played by Hugh Jackman was first outfitted with his razor-sharp paws.

"I started watching it online but didn't finish because it didn't have any of the special effects," Jason Nguyen said outside of the AMC Burbank 16 before a Friday show. "It seemed like something you would just watch on the DVD after seeing the real movie. I just didn't think watching that would compare to watching the finished one with all the special effects."

Another movie-goer, Christina Ruiz, said outside the Pacific Theatres Glendale 18, that she didn't think watching a movie on the Internet "really compares to watching it in a movie theater, and just because you watch something online doesn't mean you're not going to go to the movies. It's different."

"I really liked the first 'X-Men' movies and went to see them with all of my friends," Ruiz said.

FoxNews.com chief entertainment columnist Roger Friedman and the Fox News organization "mutually agreed to part ways immediately" after Friedman boasted about watching the movie's leaked version at his desk.

"It took really less than seconds to start playing it all right onto my computer," Friedman wrote in his Fox 411 column on FoxNews.com last month. "I could have downloaded all of it but really, who has the time or the room? Later tonight I may finally catch up with Paul Rudd in 'I Love You, Man.' It's so much easier than going out in the rain!"

After the work print was leaked, studio co-chairman Tom Rothman told Entertainment Weekly the pirated version was "about 10 minutes shorter" than the complete theatrical version. But the running time for the theatrical version -- 107 minutes -- was exactly the same.

"If they watch (the leaked work print), will they get the story? Sure, but there are 400 visual-effects shots that aren't complete and Harry Gregson-Williams' score isn't in the movie," director Gavin Hood said. "So I almost want to say, 'Why did you do this to yourself? You're such a fan of Wolverine, why do you want to see something that isn't ready?'"

Other than the completed effects and sound, possibly the biggest difference between the two versions are secret endings. Hood said two different post-credit "Easter egg" scenes play on separate prints. The leaked work print's final scene stars Wolverine, but another ending exists that features the film's villain.


AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this story.

On the Net:

http://www.x-menorigins.com/

Wolverine avoids the swine flu outbreak

I should say avoid the POSSIBILITY of swine flu.  20th Century Fox decides to skip the Mexico premiere of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."  People magazine has more.

Barack is the mightiest there is

Rich Johnston over at Lying in the Gutters has some art from Devil's Due Publishing's "Barack the Barbarian." Click stage right to see a larger image.  More info at MTV Splashpage.

Back to Wolverine again

Sci Fi Wire reports on easter eggs in the upcoming X-Men Origins film.  Some people may be like "Robert, stop, I don't wanna know!" But did you think there would be a superhero flick without an easter egg at the end? It's like de rigeur in all the finer comic flicks now.

Megan Fox is our friend

SuperheroHype.com had some pics of Megan Fox on the set of the upcoming "Jonah Hex" film. I honestly wasn't sure when this film was happening, but I guess it's on now. If you want to see more of the images you have to catch them over there.

This is a cool little clip introducing some of the characters we'll see in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" next week.

Hey, is that blond girl Emma Frost?

In this film publicity image released by 20th Century Fox, Hugh Jackman stars as Logan, left, and Liev Schreiber stars as Victor Creed in a scene from "Wolverine." (AP Photo/20th Century Fox, James Fisher)

DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- What a who's who list Hollywood has lined up for its summer action spectacles: Wolverine. Transformers. Harry Potter. James Kirk. G.I. Joe. Terminator.

If there's one word to sum up it all up, it's this: Relentless.

Starting May 1, barely a weekend will pass without another brawny special-effects extravaganza landing in theaters.

Appropriately, summer starts with a couple of prequels.

After co-starring in three "X-Men" adventures about the Marvel Comics mutants, Hugh Jackman steps out from the pack for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." The film spins the back story of Jackman's metal-clawed loner, a military experiment gone rogue amid a government conspiracy to control his super-freak kinfolk.

Next, the starship Enterprise is relaunched in "Star Trek," with a new cast taking on the characters originated in the 1960s TV show. Chris Pine inherits William Shatner's role as dashing James Kirk, while Zachary Quinto plays Vulcan egghead Spock (Leonard Nimoy, who created the role, pops up as the older Spock).

Like "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams, Pine grew up more a "Star Wars" kid than a "Star Trek" kid. After snagging the role, Pine started watching the original series but stopped halfway through the first season.

"It was kind of nice to familiarize myself with the world, but it didn't help me much at all to delve any deeper," Pine said. "If anything, it was a hindrance to kind of watch what Mr. Shatner had done, because he'd done it so well, and he was so specific.

"There were certain mannerisms that I think are definitely Kirk-ian things that I wanted to use in my portrayal, but for the most part, I wanted to free myself up to create something new."

The director of the final four "Harry Potter" movies, David Yates, is still giving thanks for the young cast he inherited, led by Daniel Radcliffe as boy wizard Harry and Emma Watson and Rupert Grint as his school pals.

"There was something very, very, very clever in their choices. Not a day goes by I'm not grateful for this bunch they put together," Yates said. "It's a remarkable bunch of kids."

In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," Harry is charged with uncovering a forgotten memory from a new Hogwarts teacher (Jim Broadbent), information the young sorcerer needs for his final showdown against dark wizard Voldemort.

While Yates marvels over how his youthful cast has blossomed, "Transformers" director Michael Bay was thrilled over the improved acting chops of his computer-animated robots for the sequel.

"We were just touching the surface last time in what they're capable of doing," Bay said. "This time, they really emote."

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" reunites puny but plucky human Shia LaBeouf with his giant, shape-shifting Autobot buddies in a rematch against the evil Decepticon robot clan.

Also in a rematch are Tom Hanks and Ron Howard with "Angels & Demons," their follow-up to "The Da Vinci Code." This installment hurls Hanks' symbologist into an ancient feud between the Vatican and a secret brotherhood that has kidnapped the cardinals in line to become the next pope.

Howard felt less pressure this time adapting Dan Brown's best-seller than he had with "The Da Vinci Code," a literary phenomenon whose did-Christ-have-kids premise put the movie under a severe microscope by fans and detractors alike.

"Documentaries are being made about 'Da Vinci Code.' Theologians develop symposiums around it. Ministers were using it as a way to, frankly, entice people to church," Howard said, adding that the new film "remains provocative, yes, but it doesn't hold that same place at the center of the zeitgeist. So it's really full-on escapism.

Other action highlights:

-- "Terminator: Salvation": Christian Bale leads the last shreds of humanity against machine enemies as the franchise reboots without Arnold Schwarzenegger.

-- "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra": The action figures get their own movie as the G.I. Joe guys take on an arms dealer and a militant secret organization.

-- "Inglourious Basterds": Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino resurrect "Dirty Dozen"-style action as Jewish soldiers dish out chaos among the Nazis.

-- "Public Enemies": Johnny Depp is gangster John Dillinger and Christian Bale is G-Man Melvin Purvis in Michael Mann's Depression-era crime saga.

-- "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" -- The remake casts Denzel Washington as a subway dispatcher and John Travolta as a bad guy ransoming a trainload of passengers.

-- "Drag Me to Hell": "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi returns to his "Evil Dead" roots with a horror tale about a bank employee (Alison Lohman) tormented by a vengeful customer's supernatural curse.

-- "District 9": "Lord of the Rings" overlord Peter Jackson produces a sci-fi tale about a human who becomes an unlikely ally for aliens held in a South African ghetto.

Actor Hugh Jackman, center, holds a camera to photograph himself and fans after he arrives for a promotion of his new movie "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" on Cockatoo Island in Sydney, Australia Wednesday, April 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Aman Sharma)

SYDNEY (AP) -- Hugh Jackman said Wednesday that he is heartbroken his new film, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," was leaked online a month before its official release.

The movie, which focuses on the beginnings of Jackman's clawed Marvel superhero Wolverine, is not scheduled for release in the U.S. until May 1, but a work print of the film began appearing online last week. 20th Century Fox said the FBI and Motion Picture Association of America were investigating and promised to prosecute those responsible.

The Australian actor, in Sydney to unveil 20 minutes of completed footage of the film to around 600 fans, said he was upset about the leak but still thinks fans will flock to see the movie in theaters.

"It's a serious crime and there's no doubt it's very disappointing -- I was heartbroken by it," Jackman said. "Obviously people are seeing an unfinished film. It's like a Ferrari without a paint job."

Jackman is on a world tour to promote the movie, making his first stop at Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbor, where much of the film was shot. He arrived at the venue by helicopter before swooping to the ground on a zipline.

If you want help weaving through your comic news today without feeling like an April Fool, check out Robot 6 or MTV Splashpage -- they're trying to do it too.

But one piece of information that appears to be sincere is a contest announced in this video by "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" star Hugh Jackman.  He says you can win a chance to have the flick premiere in your town.  The official contest entry page.

If this is a joke then I know what the sequel is gonna be... "X-Men Destroyed: Modern Mythology vs. Wolverine."

Weapon X against a cranky caffeine-deprived comic fan?  Always bet on the blogger.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD



For those who didn't brave "The Day The Earth Stood Still," here is a higher than average quality version of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" trailer.

I'm trying to I.D. all of the characters who flashed briefly across the screen. Of course there's Gambit and Sabertooth, but is that Lady Deathstrike in there? And who is the kid making like a glow-worm?

If you guys can guess, drop me a line.