Thompson on Hollywood

Hobbit Watch: Del Toro's the Right Guy

Well, the Hobbit shoe has finally dropped, and Guillermo del Toro has committed to direct the movie for New Line Cinema. There is rejoicing throughout the land, I suspect. If it wasn't going to be Peter Jackson (who is exec producing with Fran Walsh), Pan's Labyrinth helmer Del Toro is just about a perfect match for this J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy. It will be cool.

By Anne Thompson
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April 24, 2008 6:02 AM
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Avatar's James Cameron Talks 3D

Variety tech wonk David S. Cohen conducts an in-depth interview with James Cameron about something he knows a little bit about: 3D. An early believer and innovator in the technology that looks to revolutionize the way many movies are made, Cameron expounds at length. (He reveals some tech details on his next 3D effort, the long-awaited Avatar, due in 2009.) Here's a sampling of their email exchange:

By Anne Thompson
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April 11, 2008 6:05 AM
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Iron Man: Why it Will be Huge

Those of us who saw Paramount's first Iron Man materials at Comic-Con--and witnessed the hordes lining up just to see the damned costume unveiled--don't need to be convinced that this picture will be a summer boxoffice juggernaut. It should easily pass $200 million. Will it get to $300 million is another question.

By Anne Thompson
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April 10, 2008 4:23 AM
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Batman's Nolan Talks Dark Knight and Ledger

Summer 2008 is jam-packed with movies vying for screens every weekend from the start of May through Labor Day. Pamela McClintock lays out the stakes.

By Anne Thompson
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March 9, 2008 6:51 AM
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Heath Ledger Found Dead, Surrounded by Pills

Heath Ledger was ">found dead in his SoHo apartment, Tuesday, surrounded by pills. It may not be a suicide. He was 28.

By Anne Thompson
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January 22, 2008 4:53 AM
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Comic-Con Wrap: Iron Man, Marvel, Hulk, Watchmen, Narnia, Golden Compass, Shoot 'Em Up

While Comic-Cons past have heralded the advent of such future blockbusters as 300 and Superman Returns, this year only Jon Favreau‚Äôs new Marvel entry starring Robert Downey, Jr. as the mighty Iron Man roused the fan hordes in the 6000-seat Hall H to rise up and give a standing O. The crowds also responded well to Pixar's Wall-E, from Finding Nemo creator Andrew Stanton, about a robot trash compactor left behind on earth, who is being "voiced" by sound wizard Ben Burtt, who created the whistle-language for Star Wars' R2D2.

By Anne Thompson
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July 31, 2007 4:34 AM
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Harry Potter Watch: Order of the Phoenix Review, Rowling Talks

Nora and I endured super-heightened Warner Bros. security Thursday night--just short of being frisked--to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. New writer Michael Goldenberg, new director David Yates: it definitely felt like a new hand was at the tiller. Old friends are back: Ron and Hermione, along with protective profs Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall, not to mention Sirius Black and Rubeus Hagrid. Lord Voldemort is truly creepy, partly because he is invading Harry's dreams, which makes things more unpredictable. Imelda Staunton is terrific as Harry's new Ministry of Witches nemesis. And we will be seeing more of Black's horrible cousin, played by Helena Bonham Carter. There's a little CG creature and a very large CG giant (who are not Gollum-class), as well as some centaurs and strange flying beasts that only people who have seen death can see.

By Anne Thompson
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July 6, 2007 5:18 AM
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Transformers: LAFF Premiere

Transformers took over Westwood last night, playing on multiple screens with crowds jamming Broxton Avenue will-call tables and an after-party on the street.

By Anne Thompson
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June 28, 2007 6:26 AM
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300's Miller is Hot

Graphic novelist Frank Miller is on a roll. On some level, all those Batman movies were inspired by his Dark Knight comics. After the back-to-back successes of Sin City and 300, Sin City 2 is well on its way. And now, Warners has acquired Ronin, to be shot 300-style, reports Variety:

By Anne Thompson
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May 2, 2007 2:15 AM
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Disturbia's LaBeouf Hits Big

The sign of a rising movie star is a little movie that unexpectedly opens big on mixed reviews. (Disturbia rated a 62 from ">Metacritic.) With Shia LaBeouf and Disturbia, some of the credit for a $23 million opening goes to a well-mounted thriller hitting at just the right time. (There's a reason studios love to do genre remakes for young audiences: they don't know the difference between the technologically enhanced new model and the superior original, in this case, Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window.)