And now we have Paul Feig, up for awards for his movie, Bridesmaids (see all our BAFTA coverage including the full winners list and other interviews here).

———————-

This was a bit of a surprise awards hit.

‘Yeah, who would have thought? When you do comedy you don’t expect this, you just have to hope that it will do well at the box office, and then suddenly you’re getting nominated for awards. It’s thrilling. It’s just a testament to how good these women are in this film.’

Did you ever expect it to be so successful, even at the box office?

‘Not as successful as it was. You always kind of hope. Sometimes you get in your head, ‘if we can do over $100million, it’ll be great’, so once we hit that I thought ‘oh good’, and then it kept going, and to do well internationally, was really exciting, because you don’t normally expect an American comedy to do well overseas, but I think think it’s a very emotional, human story that everybody can relate to, and it wasn’t too referential to our culture. I’m thrilled.’

A result of it doing well is that there’s now  pressure to make a sequel. I understand that there’s not a lot of desire to make this, but let’s speculate – if you were to get together to make one, what would it be about?

‘I think that’s one of the reasons why we’re all a little hesitant, because we’re not sure. I think the reason Bridesmaids workers well is because of a get personal story of a woman going through a nervous breakdown. If you just make it about a wedding, and the craziness of a wedding, we’ve seen that movie a million times, so I don’t know, we really would have to think of something really great, so that’s why I think we’re all a little like, ‘this one worked, maybe we step away’. But never say never. I’m confident this talented group of people could really figure out something good together.’

Earlier today we had a chance to talk to Oscar-winning producer Jon Landau when he came to town to present some footage from the 3D version of Titanic. We’ll be posting details of that footage later in the week but Landau also spoke about 3D and the future of film.

During the presentation he gave some details away about the facility he and James Cameron are using to produce the  Avatar sequels:

We took this facility at Manhattan Beach Studios. It’s three stages, we have this office space next to it. Because we’re going to be working with a technical crew in the office space, and we wanted make them feel a part of the process, we convinced the studio to cut windows into the second floor that looked down on the stage, to make the crews feel a part of the process of what’s going on on the stage.

We also have done everything we could in the facility to ‘green’ it, to make it environmentally friendly. We put solar panels up on the roof, things like that.

He also spoke briefly about their plans to convert  some of Cameron’s back catalogue to 3D ,

I think when we’re done with the next two Avatars, it’s something that we’ll definitely go and and entertain looking at a couple of them to do. Whether it be Terminator 2, whether it be Aliens, I think Jim would like to do it.

I think, looking at other filmmakers, I know that Peter Jackson is interested in possibly going back on Lord of the Rings, I’ve  heard that Stephen Spielberg is interested in maybe going back on the first Jurassic Park. I think the key here is filmmaker involvement. I think that’s what you need to make these things work, and to do it right over a period of time. What we’re doing now is we’re creating our archival master. What we release this April is going to be, for history, the master for Titanic, and anybody who upgrades it will have that library value.

While it didn’t exactly break new territory or impress many critics, Bruce Almighty proved to be a commercial hit with its simple premise and charming allure, raking in an estimated $484M worldwide and spawning a less-than-desirable spin-off that’s better left unmentioned.

It’s no surprise, then, to hear that Universal are looking to capitalise on its success with a long-awaited sequel.

According to the ever-reliable folks over at Variety, feelers have been sent out to screenwriting duo Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel (Hot Tub Time Machine) in the hopes they’ll dream up a story worthy of telling.

Directed by Tom Shadyac, Bruce Almighty starred Jim Carrey (The Mask) as a guy who, after becoming disillusioned by the forces at will, is awarded the powers of God to teach him just how difficult it is to be ruler of all things. Jennifer Aniston (The Break-Up), Morgan Freeman (Red) and Steve Carell (The 40 Year Old Virgin) co-starred.

No further information is known at this point, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated as and when anything new is reported.

How do you feel about a Bruce Almighty sequel? Does it intrigue you or simply send shivers down your spine? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below:

Last night we put up the news that Noel Clarke was set to join J.J. Abrams in his sequel to 2009 movie, Star Trek (currently named Star Trek 2) and this morning, Deadline have put up the news that Benedict Cumberbatch who seems to be in everything at the moment is all set to join him too! Cumberbatch seems to be picking up brilliant roles all over the place with him recently working with a stellar cast in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, back on our screens over Christmas in BBC TV series Sherlock and also heading out to New Zealand to work with Peter Jackson voicing the ‘Necromancer’ in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There And Back Again. Big congrats to Benedict!

This now means we have yet another Brit joining the cast bringing the total to 5 including Noel Clarke, Simon Pegg, Alice Eve and now Cumberbatch – looks like the Brits are taking over!

News is that he’ll be playing a ‘lead villain’ in the movie but as yet we don’t know who it’ll be or what race but obviously we’ll update you as and when we get it.

**UPDATE: Woke up this morning to fnid out that Benedict Cumberbatch has also been cast in the movie to play a villain. More here.**

Here’s some rather fabulous news for British Actor / Director Noel Clarke as Variety have just announced the news that the BAFTA winner has been cast in J.J. Abrams’ sequel to the 2009 movie Star Trek. Clarke has previously written and starred in Kidulthood and Adulthood and more recently starred in Screwed and we met him on set more recently for upcoming British movie, The Knot which you’ll hear about in the coming months.

The movie is set for release Summer 2013 and as yet we know very little about it as Abrams regulars Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci write the script.  We know that Abrams will direct and Noel joins fellow Brits, Alice Eve and Simon Pegg in the movie.

This is all Variety give away:

While the details of Clarke’s role are being kept under wraps, he will play a family man with a wife and young daughter.

Big congrats Noel! More as we get it!

The latest stop on the route to the Final Destination is here and if you get your kicks from pretty people featuring in over the top death scenes and playing a thankless game of Hide and Seek with Death himself then you’ll be in for a treat with the fifth in the series.

My review of the film (out on DVD and Blu-ray on Boxing Day) is right here and it’s safe to say that if you’re a fan of the series then you’ll love what’s on offer here.

The clip we have for you today is taken from the Special Features on the disc and concerns a plot twist which does cast the previous four films in a new light, suffice to say that //Spoiler Warning// if you’ve not seen the film please don’t watch this//Spoiler Warning Over//

Phew.

Also the clip has moments in it which make it a touch NSFW. Use brains and caution if necessary.

Proving the mendacious nature of the previous film’s title (or does it?) we gather around the latest ode to over the top death and dismemberment with Final Destination 5 to enjoy the silliest and goriest installment yet. There’s nothing here to shock and surprise, so closely does it follows its forebears, with the usual pretty young things escaping the clutches of death by scarpering from a phenomenally unlikely fatal accident, delivered with glee from the filmmakers to the delight(?) of the audience, who know exactly what’s going to happen.

I have no problem with a film following a formula, and this particular Final Destination does at least try to throw something new into the mix, and if the film is well made with a hint of wit then I’ll play along, however Final Destination 5 falls into the trap of most of the sequels to the original by making this all about death scene after death scene; playing with the audience’s’ expectations is far enough, and par for the course, but every situation becomes about waiting for the gruesome to occur. We don’t care about the story or the characters, it may as well be a nasty YouTube playlist of cinema’s most outrageous death scenes.

The opening scene is impressive and well handled by Steven Quale and he brings a certain solidity to some of the later scenes but there’s nothing that anyone can inject into the film to make it worthwhile. The actors are playing caricatures bound for an early grave in as many pieces as possible, the writers have worked out how to concoct the most dangerous situations and draw out the gory anticipation to breaking point and so it plays on and on.

Bottom line is if you enjoy watching people die in outlandish ways then you’ll love this, and now that we’ve five films in there’s very little to differentiate this from the last four films, and plastering every death from the series in quick succession over the credits is a sure-fire way to underlining the fact that everything between the fatalities is pointless.

**~~~ (2/5)

Extras

The accompanying documentary is the usual celebration of the splatterfest with an array of talking heads enjoying the even more outrageous deaths they put together for the film, and when they come to the twist, which effectively re-writes the whole series, there’s a lot of back-slapping and talk of how this was integral to the whole film. In truth it’s far less about the twist than they make out though it’s worth a watch to see the production team talk about the effects, the scene on the bridge for example, and this is the subject of the special feature that I did enjoy.

There is a breakdown of the film’s opening scene on the bridge which involves no voiceover, no explanation, no complicated discussion of the problems and pitfalls of shooting such a scene. Instead we have the entire scene cut together without any finished effects and green screens everywhere and in a small picture in a corner the completed scene plays along in synchronicity. This is a great way to watch the scene and take in the massive scale of the work which goes into the process. Not deal breaker stuff, but good to have if you’re a fan.

***~~ (3/5)

Here’s a rather nice new poster for Underworld Awakening which comes from the film’s Facebook Page via Latino Review. I have to admit, I’ve never actually made it through an Underworld movie (any of them!) without falling asleep! This fourth installment sees the return of Kate Beckinsale to the franchise after going AWOL in the third.

IMDb gives us a plot and we’ve had one trailer which you can see here.

When human forces discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, a war to eradicate both species commences. The vampire warrioress Selene leads the battle against humankind.

Thoughts in the comments below please. My thoughts are that I can get another 90 minute doze out of this one or am I missing something?

Underworld Awakening is released 20th January 2012.

One of the best movies of the year has to be Drive which starred Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan and completely blew everyone away with the amount of ‘cool’ that the movie had! It told the story of a stunt driver who doubled as a getaway driver who wore cool clothes, drove cool cars but was always happy to help his next door neighbour carry her shopping and look after her son. But then if it was Carey Mulligan, you would too wouldn’t you?!

According to Twitch, the author of the the novel James Sallis is writing a sequel to the book which will be called ‘Driven’ and it’ll take place six year after the first story:

Poisoned Press have teased us with this info:

“Six Years Later – Phoenix. Out of nowhere someone wants Driver dead. Who? Why? Big mistake…”

Now obviously this is only a book sequel but surely a movie would follow after the success of the first wouldn’t it?

So what do we think of Driven? Good idea or should we leave the coolest movie of the year to stand alone? Thoughts in the comments below please!

The first movie was pretty poor but that doesn’t seemed to have stopped Adam Sandler from pushing on with a sequel to 2010 movie, Grown Ups as script writer Fred Wolf is in talks with Sony Pictures and Happy Madison Productions to write a sequel to the movie.

Grown Ups starred Adam Sandler, Kevin James, David Spade, Chris Rock and Rob Schneider and told the story of five friends who reunited to commemorate the death of their school basketball coach but as we found out from all the interviews, it was really just a chance for all the comedy stars to meet up and have some fun! To be honest though, if Sony are willing to pay for it and it’s profitable, why not!?

Grown Ups brought in $271m worldwide and according to Variety who are the source of this news, is Sandler’s highest grossing film and this will also be Sandler’s first sequel.

Head over to Variety for the full info but before you do, please let me know your thoughts on Grown Ups 2 in the comments below.

Twelve days separate us from catching up with Guy Ritchie’s latest fidgeting with Conan Doyle’s greatest creation with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows unleashed into cinemas.

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law return as Messrs. Holmes and Watson for another round of quick wits and fisticuffs, with a few new cast members along for the ride. Jared Harris enters as Professor Moriarty while Stephen Fry lends himself rather well to the role of the elder Holmes brother Mycroft with Noomi Rapace cast as a gypsy fortune teller who is dragged into the mysterious game of shadows.

Collider have nine clips from the film and present them here as one large chunk. Highlights include out first decent looks at Moriarty and Mycroft as well as Rachel McAdams returning as Irene Adler.

Here’s your eight minutes of Shadowy Games,

And the latest Photoshoppery has Holmes and Watson drawing guns while a train journey goes awry. I think that’s enough posters now, don’t you? As always, Click=big.

We have a date to look forward to people and that date is 17th May 2013 for the sequel to the J.J. Abrams 2009 movie, Star Trek. I say May 17th, that is according to Deadline and no doubt that date with be for the North American market but since it’s 11pm now in the UK, my guess is that most people reading HeyUGuys are in the US so this one is for you!! My hope however is that the UK will get it around the same time, even though it does seem a very long way away.

Deadline report that Paramount have snapped up the date which will fall on pre-Memorial Weekend after the news that Sony have moved Roland Emmerich’s Singularity back to November 2013.

For now, that’s all folks but great to see Star Trek 2 movie forward and oh, by the way, it’s also going to be in 3D! Thoughts on that? I am quite looking forward to seeing The Enterprise flying into my face!

It seems the Korean Warner Bros. Marketing department have decided that going with the scary looking posters are the way forward as we have one here of Rachel McAdams from her new movie, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and I think the word ‘scary’ is the most apt. Not sure what happened in Photoshop but anyway, here we are!

Sherlock Holmes is the second movie in the franchise directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Eddie Marsan. From what we’ve heard, McAdams only has a small cameo in this sequel but I guess time will tell. It’s set for release on Boxing Day, 26th December here in the UK and we can’t wait to see it!

Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law returns as his formidable colleague, Dr. Watson​, in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large–Professor Moriarty​ (Jared Harris)–and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective.

We’re hoping to have lots of Sherlock fun in the run up to release so keep your eyes peeled.

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Source: Cine1

Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes has a second cinematic outing in a few weeks time with leads Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law returning to lead us through the titular Game of Shadows.

Yahoo have a nice new featurette which has Ritchie and his leads waxing lyrical about the film and what a lot of fun it was, and last year’s film managed to enjoy itself without seeming too indulgent. While the detecting duo have already shown their hand there are a few new faces in the mix, not least Jared Harris as Moriarty and Noomi Rapace who joins in the hijinks.

Feast your eyes on this synopsis before diving in.

“Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) has always been the smartest man in the room… until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder—a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction—all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history.”

The film is out next month and if it does well then we can expect another case from the team, as it’s certain that Warners enticed Ritchie with a boatload of cash to take another turn with Holmes and Watson and it’s not done his career any harm, has it?

We’ve been getting a pretty great look so far at Guy Ritchie’s upcoming sequel to his brilliant first Sherlock Holmes film, entitled Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and it’s all looking likely that he’ll be repeating the great success he found with the first film.

If you’ve missed it, you can catch up on the full trailer here, which landed last month, and most recently the three TV spots that surfaced just a few days ago.

We’ve now got six brilliant new character posters to share with you, courtesy of ComingSoon.net, which follow in the same footsteps visually as the first two sets of posters we saw back in July and last month.

The film will of course see the return of Robert Downey, Jr. in the titular role, with Jude Law naturally reprising his role as Watson, Rachel McAdams returning for a small reprisal of Irene Adler, and Eddie Marsan returning as Inspector Lestrade, and they’ll be joined by Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty, Stephen Fry as Holmes’ brother Mycroft, and Noomi Rapace as the gypsy woman Sim, whose full name on the posters is revealed as Simza.

“Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) has always been the smartest man in the room… until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder—a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction—all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history.”

A Game of Shadows is due to hit cinemas on 16th December, just over a month away, which is a date I can’t wait for. Expect this to be awesome. Until then, here are the great new character posters to enjoy; two each for Moriarty and Simza, and one each for Watson and Holmes. As usual, click to enlarge.

More Holmes to welcome in the week, and there’s the requsite fast paced fists and quick wits on show here in Guy Ritchie’s sequel which has own favourite literary detective duo coming face to face with Professor Moriarty in the titular shadowy game.

Stephen Fry and Noomi Rapace are two of the new faces in the film and there is a surprising amount to live up to as the first film was so well received that this follow up was fast tracked into production and we have only a few short weeks until the film flies into cinemas on the 16th of December.

The Movie Box (via ComingSoon) have a trio of tasty TV spots to tease and tantalise.

Our friends over at MSN have just launched the first Full Length trailer for Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows. We’ve had a teaser before but this one gives us a lot more footage and storyline.

Guy Ritchie returns to direct this movie after the success of the 2009 movie with a cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Eddie Marsan, Stephen Fry, Gilles Lellouche. We can expect to see it in UK cinemas 16th December. Scroll down for the brand new trailer.

Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law returns as his formidable colleague, Dr. Watson, in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.” Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large–Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)–and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder–a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by one Professor Moriarty. Mixing business with pleasure, Holmes tracks the clues to an underground gentlemen’s club, where he and his brother, Mycroft Holmes (Stephen Fry) are toasting Dr. Watson on his last night of bachelorhood. It is there that Holmes encounters Sim (Noomi Rapace), a Gypsy fortune teller, who sees more than she is telling and whose unwitting involvement in the prince’s murder makes her the killer’s next target. Holmes barely manages to save her life and, in return, she reluctantly agrees to help him. The investigation becomes ever more dangerous as it leads Holmes, Watson and Sim across the continent, from England to France to Germany and finally to Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead as he spins a web of death and destruction–all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history. Filmmaker Guy Ritchie returns to direct “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” the follow-up to the smash hit “Sherlock Holmes.” The sequel also reunites producers Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. Bruce Berman serves as executive producer, with Steve Clark-Hall co-producing. Jared Harris (TV’s “Mad Men,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) joins the cast as the notorious Professor Moriarty. Also joining the cast, in her first English-speaking role, is Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who gained international attention in the Swedish film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Stephen Fry (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”) plays Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s older brother. Additional cast members returning from the first film include Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade; Kelly Reilly as Watson’s bride, Mary Morstan; and Geraldine James as Holmes’s long-suffering landlady, Mrs. Hudson. “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” is written by Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and appear in stories and novels by him.

We’re getting closer to our next appointment with Messrs. Holmes and Watson on the 16th of December and what better way to celebrate the oncoming consultation than by allowing our eyes to feast on two new posters?

Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. return as the slueth and his sidekick with a host of new friends to play with. Not least we finally get to see Jared Harris as Professor Moriarty and Stephen Fry as the older Holmes brother but there’s a fine addition to the cast in Noomi Rapace who dashed through exploding forests with our two leads in the trailers and images we’ve seen so far.

As you can see in the posters Paris and London are represented, and unless those are two very large steam trains in the background we can assume a couple of parliamentary explosions as part of Guy Ritchie’s Game of Shadows.

Here are your posters, but first bow your heads in the direction of Yahoo, for twas they who bequeathed.

The first film was sensational. The second film was mediocre. The third film was less than average. The fourth was OK. The fifth? Well, we’ll have to wait and see but director Wes Craven reckons that Scream 5 could be on the cards.

In an interview with Movieweb Craven said:

“The odds are that there will be (a Scream 5). It is something that Bob Weinstein wants to do. He tends to do what he wants to do. So I am inclined to think that there will be (another sequel). Whether I will be a part of it or not? I don’t know. My contract gives me the first look. If they show me something that is really wonderful? Of course I will be a part of it.”

Despite each movie in the horror series sharing similar plot lines (all centred around a killer called ‘ghost face’ who is obsessed with torturing main character Sidney and her friends) the films have continued to do well at the box office. The fourth instalment still grossed $97m worldwide – so there is clearly a market for the slasher flicks.

Craven also commented on writer Kevin Williamson:

“Kevin Williamson has been the writer since day one. He has been the writer on all of these projects. At least at the beginning of them. Typically what will happen is that Bob Weinstein or Kevin Williamson will come up with a new idea, and they will pitch it to one or the other. If they both like it, they will toss it around and see if they can develop it into an overarching concept. Then I get the telephone call. They say, “We have something to show you.”

The next film, if it ever comes to fruition, will no doubt create a bit of déjà-vu for viewers but it will probably still make a killing at the box office.

Here’s some rather welcome news at 23.40 on a Tuesday evening! While I’m sitting here waiting for the new Twilight trailer to drop, EW have just posted the news that Chuck Norris and Jean Claude van Damme have been confirmed for The Expendables 2 with Nicolas Cage on the wish-list. This news follows that of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger are on board too.

In an interview with Sylvester Stallone who wrote, directed and starred in the original movie, he broke the news that Van Damme and Norris are confirmed and thinks that Cage will be appearing but it sounds like he wants to get a few more involved too including Michael Biehn and Michael Pare and maybe even John Travolta making it a nice Face Off reunion with Cage:

“We’ll have a big showdown between me and Van Damme, which has been anticipated for a long time, so it should be a good one”

“We’ve got Chuck Norris and I think Nic Cage. We’re trying to work out different scenarios. I like using people that had a moment and then maybe have fallen on some hard times and give them another shot. So we’re always looking for actors like Michael Biehn and Michael Pare. I like those kinds of guys. Someone did it for me and I like to see if I can do it for them. We also need some new blood in there, a Navy Seal-type, because with the Expendables none of them have 20-20 vision anymore. They need some help, man.”

I was desperate for Norris and Van Damme to appear to appear in the original 2009 movie but it looks like we had to wait a couple of years longer to see them. The addition of Cage could be cool and all I need to do now is work out how I can get on set! Now all we need is for Steven Seagal and Jackie Chan to sign on the dotted line and the line up is complete! Then again, we’ll need some more people for The Expendables 3 no doubt!

The movie is expected to be released August 2012 and shooting starts at the end of this month.