Christopher Nolan is that rare filmmaker who can combine visually stunning spectacle with uncompromising and morally complex storytelling. Before he leapt to A-list status with Batman Begins, Nolan directed the psychological thrillers Following, Memento, and Insomnia (a remake of the 1997 feature of the same name).
It’s The Dark Knight Trilogy, however, which has put Nolan, on the cinematic map and enabled him to direct his dream project Insomnia as well as serve as producer for the upcoming Superman reboot Man of Steel. Nolan’s final Batman foray, The Dark Knight Rises, opens July 20, and now the filmmaker is looking into new creative horizons. In an interview with Empire Magazine(Via Collider)(Nolan expressed his desire to direct a James Bond film, claiming that both Inception and Batman Begins were inspired by Bond’s backstory. Although he has met with the Bond producers, Nolan says that for everything to work, “It would have to be the right situation and the right time in their cycle of things.”
There have been a slew of first rate directors who have ventured into Bond territory, most notably Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), Marc Foster (Quantum of Solace) and now Sam Mendes, the man behind the upcoming Bond movie Skyfall, which opens in theaters November 9.
Will Nolan get the chance to direct his own Bond trilogy, or at best, will he direct just one Bond film (along with Casino Royale, Martin Campbell also directed Brosnan in GoldenEye).
Check out Nolan’s interview in the special edition of The Dark Knight Rises Empire Magazine issue on the shelves now.
Although Iron Man 2 was a box office success, the project was considered a creative letdown, as the movie failed to match the creative heights of the first film. Although Jon Favreau has stepped down from the director’s chair, he will continue to play Happy Hogan in the franchise. Filmmaking duties are now being handled by A-list screenwriter Shane Black (Lethal Weapon 1 and 2), who previously directed Downey Jr. in the 2005 comedic film noir Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
Check out the picture from the first day of filming Iron Man 3, a movie which will hopefully build off The Avengers’ overwhelming momentum. Iron Man 3, co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle, opens nationwide May 3, 2013.
The talented Julianne Hough stars along with Tom Cruise, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta Jones, and the rest of the all star cast in the new musical film, Rock of Ages. Hough, who is a talented dancer, injured herself while making the film. She tried to perform through the pain, but her co-star, iconic actor Tom Cruise, shared some of his wisdom with her that he learned on the way to becoming one of the biggest stars in movie history, and told her not to push it if she is hurt. (Click on the audio player to hear Julianne Hough)
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Snow White and the Huntsman was the box office champion, taking in $56,255,000 in its debut weekend. The film, staring Kristen Stewart and Academy Award winner Charlize Theron, performed well despite lukewarm reviews, proving that Stewart can have a smash hit outside the Twilight universe. Universal Pictures, the studio who released Snow White and the Huntsmen, regained a bit of momentum after the box office debacles of Battleship and The Five Year Engagement. Universal’s day in the sun, however, will be short-lived, as Madagascar 3 and Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated sci-fi film Prometheus debut next weekend.
Last week’s top movie Men in Black III fell to #2, grossing $29,300,000. The film has made $112,300,000 domestically. Despite MIB3 star Will Smith taking four years off from acting, the success of MIB 3 proves the A-list star may have been temporarily gone, but he wasn’t forgotten.
The superhero movie The Avengers came in at third place taking another $20,273,000. The film has now made $1,355,237,000 worldwide, making it the third highest grossing movie of all time. The film now trails James Cameron’s two blockbusters Titanic and Avatar.
Although it placed at #4, the action flick Battleship earned a paltry $4,810,000. The film has done solid business internationally, but it has been a box office disaster in North America. Sacha Baron Cohen’s comedy The Dictator came in at fifth place with $4,725,000.
It was announced yesterday that Saturday Night Live cast member, Andy Samberg, is leaving the show after seven seasons. Samberg, who is known for his famous digital shorts, spoke today at a press event promoting his new film, That’s My Boy, where he co-stars with fellow former SNL star Adam Sandler, and told us that he thought it was the right time to depart the show; nothing else factored into his decision. (Click on the audio player to hear Andy Samberg)
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Adam Sandler, who was with Samberg today, was a cast member of SNL starting as a writer in 1990. He then went on to be a features cast member, and ultimately a regular, leaving the show in 1995.
Sandler then became one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Sandler remembers leaving the show and how scared and nervous he was at first. He also told us that it saddened him that the show went on without him, although he enjoyed sitting at home and watching the show that made him a household name. (Click on the audio player to hear Adam Sandler)
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Catch Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg in the comedy, That’s My Boy, opening in theatres on June 15.
The Madagascar film franchise is one of the most successful animation film franchises of the past 10 years. The first Madagascar film released in 2005, and the second film, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, released in 2008, have made over $1 billion worldwide. On June 8th, the third film in the franchise, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, opens in theatres.
Original cast members Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, and Jada Pinkett Smith will be returning, along with some new characters voiced by Martin Short and Jessica Chastain. We previewed a short clip of the film, and it is sure to be a movie that people of all ages will enjoy. Get a first look at Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted and let us know what you think!
One of the most intriguing movies of the summer is Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, which is his first venture back into the sci-fi world after three decades. Scott previously directed the sci-fi classics Alien and Blade Runner.
Prometheus takes place in the same universe as Alien and seems to have many of the same elements that made Alien so successful. The film stars Academy Award winner Charlize Theron as one of the films heroines, and Michael Fassbender. Scott, who has directed many fine actors and actresses including Susan Sarandon, Russell Crowe and Harrison Ford, thinks that Fassbender (who previously starred in as X-Men: First Class and Shame) is one of the best actors working in films today. (Click on the audio player to hear Ridley Scott)
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Robert Pattinson is one of the biggest heartthrobs starring in films today. His role as Edward Cullen in the Twilight Saga films turned him into an international star. Since starring in those films, Pattinson has gone on to star in movies such as Remember Me and Water For Elephants, where he gave solid performances. Pattinson could have easily been pigeonholed in his career for playing the same character for years in films like the Twilight films, however Pattinson told us that starring in the Twilight films was just like any other job. (Click on the audio player to hear Robert Pattinson)
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Pattinson’s next film, Bel Ami, opens in theaters in limited release on June 8 and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part Two) will be released November 16.
For four decades, Samuel L. Jackson has been a working actor and today is considered one of the best actors working in film. Over his incredible career, Jackson has worked with some of the greatest directors the big screen has ever seen, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Quentin Tarantino.
Jackson has worked on classic films such as Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction, and got to live his boyhood dreams starring in action movies, including The Avengers, Die Hard: With a Vengeance, and Star Wars Episodes 1-3. Films that Jackson has made have grossed over $3 billion, making him one of the highest grossing actors in movie history.
Before reaching stardom, Jackson was a struggling actor going from acting job to acting job. We spoke to Jackson and asked him if he recalls his first acting job. (Click on the audio player to hear Samuel L. Jackson)
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Chris Hemsworth, riding on the momentum of The Avengers, drops the hammer and dons a sword for Snow White and the Huntsman, a feature which co-stars Kristen Stewart as Snow White and Charlize Theron as the evil witch. The most recent version of the Snow White story was Mirror Mirror, headlined by Julia Roberts, and it was more of a family friendly film. Hemsworth describes the new movie as “Snow White on steroids,” so expect tons of action for the film, which opens nationwide Friday, June 1st
