Darth Elektra
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So what's coming Summer 2009!?!?!?
Variety posted an awesome article on the studios preparing for the summer 2009 (and summer 2010) season:
Studios are jockeying to stake their claim to the best prospective dates, clashing into each other in some cases. As things stand, Fox's James Cameron-directed 3-D "Avatar," set for May 22, 2009, will go up against DreamWorks "Monsters vs. Aliens," another 3-D pic.
It doesn't matter that many theaters are not yet equipped to show 3-D.
And even though "Narnia 2" hasn't been released, Disney has slated "Narnia 3" for May 1, 2009.
While director Marc Forster is just now working with writers on the next Bond film for 2008, there's a 2010 date for the one after that.
That 2010 Bond pic exemplifies the latest trend. Many studios, with dates lined up for '09 and the year after that, have set marketing and merchandising plans in motion and have started talks with visual effects houses. In many cases, the only thing they lack are a director, stars, script or even a story outline.
"As films rely increasingly on CGI, you have to think further and further out, and it's harder to distinguish from picture to picture, so that puts more pressure on you to get the right date," says Fox Entertainment president Hutch Parker. "If you don't, it can really bite you."
Earlier this year, Disney caused a stir when it disclosed at an investors conference that "Prince of Persia," produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, would be one of its upcoming tentpoles. Not long after, it announced with much fanfare a release date: July 10, 2009.
The film, based on the bestselling vidgame, has been in development for 3½ years, but there are no actors attached, there is no final script and Michael Bay may direct but that hasn't been set, either.
While it's not unprecedented for studios to stake out dates two and even three years in advance, the practice has become much more pervasive.
There's also the branding challenge of introducing entirely new sets of characters and stories to audiences. With many franchises having run their course, 2009 is shaping up to be a year with a surprising amount of new fare that will, it is hoped, spawn sequels of their own. There's not just "Avatar," "Monsters vs. Aliens" and "Prince of Persia" but Pixar's "Up" (slated for June 12) and Sony's "Green Hornet" (expected to get a summer bow).
Disney's third "Narnia" opens on May 1, 2009, less than a year after the second one opens. It's signed Michael Apted to direct, with shooting starting in January; Stephen Marcus and Chris McFeely, who wrote the second "Narnia" film, are also writing this project.
"The first one made $745 million, so it's important for us to keep the train moving quickly because people want to see more," Marcoly explains.
Six weeks later, on June 12, Pixar's comedy "Up," about a geriatric detective, will open. And on July 10, it has slated "Prince of Persia."
Fox, meanwhile, not only has "Avatar" but "Ice Age 3" slated for July 1. Later in the year, it has "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" on Nov. 6.
"We've never been in a time where dating' has been more critical," Parker says. "It's very much an issue for everyone and it's a deeply intricate challenge."
While Warner Bros. is weighing various tentpoles like a "Superman Returns" sequel and "Justice League," execs there say they don't date films that aren't greenlit. But they admitted they have "several high-profile possibilities," including "Watchmen."
And Universal's "Nottingham," starring Russell Crowe, is probably going to wind up with a 2009 release.
"We've always presumed that Nottingham' would be a 2009 film but we would not set a date until our development is a little further along," Langley notes. "And we're not in a horse race with the other studios to get our pictures dated before the others. In the case of Prince of Persia,' I think it may be a question of wanting to keep the momentum going from Pirates of the Caribbean' plus looking for an optimum release date."
New Line, for example, has held off on announcing any date for "The Subtle Knife," the sequel to "The Golden Compass" in the Philip Pullman "His Dark Materials" trilogy. The mini-major won't even make the decision to go ahead with the second film until after it opens "Compass" in December though it's already hired a writer.
Should there be another "Pirates," there is a natural place for it: 2010. Studios are starting to claim dates on that year as well, and as it stands it is beginning to look a lot like well, 2007. Currently on the docket are "Spider-Man 4" and "Shrek 4," along with a "Harry Potter 7."
Read the article here:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968535.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2564
Variety posted an awesome article on the studios preparing for the summer 2009 (and summer 2010) season:
Studios are jockeying to stake their claim to the best prospective dates, clashing into each other in some cases. As things stand, Fox's James Cameron-directed 3-D "Avatar," set for May 22, 2009, will go up against DreamWorks "Monsters vs. Aliens," another 3-D pic.
It doesn't matter that many theaters are not yet equipped to show 3-D.
And even though "Narnia 2" hasn't been released, Disney has slated "Narnia 3" for May 1, 2009.
While director Marc Forster is just now working with writers on the next Bond film for 2008, there's a 2010 date for the one after that.
That 2010 Bond pic exemplifies the latest trend. Many studios, with dates lined up for '09 and the year after that, have set marketing and merchandising plans in motion and have started talks with visual effects houses. In many cases, the only thing they lack are a director, stars, script or even a story outline.
"As films rely increasingly on CGI, you have to think further and further out, and it's harder to distinguish from picture to picture, so that puts more pressure on you to get the right date," says Fox Entertainment president Hutch Parker. "If you don't, it can really bite you."
Earlier this year, Disney caused a stir when it disclosed at an investors conference that "Prince of Persia," produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, would be one of its upcoming tentpoles. Not long after, it announced with much fanfare a release date: July 10, 2009.
The film, based on the bestselling vidgame, has been in development for 3½ years, but there are no actors attached, there is no final script and Michael Bay may direct but that hasn't been set, either.
While it's not unprecedented for studios to stake out dates two and even three years in advance, the practice has become much more pervasive.
There's also the branding challenge of introducing entirely new sets of characters and stories to audiences. With many franchises having run their course, 2009 is shaping up to be a year with a surprising amount of new fare that will, it is hoped, spawn sequels of their own. There's not just "Avatar," "Monsters vs. Aliens" and "Prince of Persia" but Pixar's "Up" (slated for June 12) and Sony's "Green Hornet" (expected to get a summer bow).
Disney's third "Narnia" opens on May 1, 2009, less than a year after the second one opens. It's signed Michael Apted to direct, with shooting starting in January; Stephen Marcus and Chris McFeely, who wrote the second "Narnia" film, are also writing this project.
"The first one made $745 million, so it's important for us to keep the train moving quickly because people want to see more," Marcoly explains.
Six weeks later, on June 12, Pixar's comedy "Up," about a geriatric detective, will open. And on July 10, it has slated "Prince of Persia."
Fox, meanwhile, not only has "Avatar" but "Ice Age 3" slated for July 1. Later in the year, it has "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" on Nov. 6.
"We've never been in a time where dating' has been more critical," Parker says. "It's very much an issue for everyone and it's a deeply intricate challenge."
While Warner Bros. is weighing various tentpoles like a "Superman Returns" sequel and "Justice League," execs there say they don't date films that aren't greenlit. But they admitted they have "several high-profile possibilities," including "Watchmen."
And Universal's "Nottingham," starring Russell Crowe, is probably going to wind up with a 2009 release.
"We've always presumed that Nottingham' would be a 2009 film but we would not set a date until our development is a little further along," Langley notes. "And we're not in a horse race with the other studios to get our pictures dated before the others. In the case of Prince of Persia,' I think it may be a question of wanting to keep the momentum going from Pirates of the Caribbean' plus looking for an optimum release date."
New Line, for example, has held off on announcing any date for "The Subtle Knife," the sequel to "The Golden Compass" in the Philip Pullman "His Dark Materials" trilogy. The mini-major won't even make the decision to go ahead with the second film until after it opens "Compass" in December though it's already hired a writer.
Should there be another "Pirates," there is a natural place for it: 2010. Studios are starting to claim dates on that year as well, and as it stands it is beginning to look a lot like well, 2007. Currently on the docket are "Spider-Man 4" and "Shrek 4," along with a "Harry Potter 7."
Read the article here:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968535.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2564
