Daredevil

 

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - As Tom Cruise writes the next chapter in his career, he’s developing an interest in comic-book movies.

With filmmaker Sam Raimi, the actor is setting up "Sleeper" as a feature project at Warner Bros. Cruise is loosely attached to star in the adaptation of the DC Comics/Wildstorm comic, which Raimi would produce with his Star Road Entertainment partner Josh Donen.

Written by Ed Brubaker with art by Sean Phillips, "Sleeper," which ran from 2003 through 2005, centers on an operative whose fusion with an alien artifact makes him impervious to pain. An intelligence agency places him undercover in a villainous organization and falls for Miss Misery, a member of the group.

Although he remains a co-owner of United Artists — from which his longtime producing partner, Paula Weinstein, resigned last week — Cruise is not tied exclusively to that company.

His next acting job will be in the Spyglass thriller "Tourist," as if to counter the more cerebral roles he played in the UA boxoffice failure "Lions for Lambs" and the upcoming UA World War II period drama "Valkyrie," in which he plays the anti-Nazi Claus van Stauffenberg.

"Sleeper" is the third project that Cruise has become associated with over the past two weeks — all three separate from his commitments at UA. In addition to "Tourist," the actor has expressed interest in the Working Title/Universal comedy "Food Fight."

Also apart from UA, the actor picked up good notices last week for his uncharacteristic turn as a bald film mogul in the DreamWorks-Paramount comedy "Tropic Thunder."

Even if Cruise opts not to do "Sleeper," his interest in the project is propelling it, despite the challenge of complicated rights issues that must be sorted out.

"Sleeper" is a spin-off book from Wildstorm flagship title "WildC.A.T.s" and features characters from another spin-off book, "Gen 13."

Both books had been set up at different film companies around town, and some of those deals were made before DC bought the imprint in 1999.

Warners, now involved in a legal wrangle with Fox over the rights to the superhero movie "Watchmen," appears determined to cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s in its contracts for "Sleeper."

The project is being eyed not only as a starring vehicle for Cruise but also as a possible franchise for the studio.

 

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Warner Bros.’ "The Dark Knight" regained the overseas box-office lead — even as it relinquished the No. 1 domestic position after a four-week stand — reaching a foreign gross of $328.6 million with its weekend take of $42.4 from 7,775 screens in 61 markets.

Universal’s "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," the international champ for two successive weekends, eased into second place but maintained a hot pace by grossing $29.1 million and lifting its cumulative revenue to $193.5 million.

Universal’s musical entry "Mamma Mia!" passed the $200 million mark as it pulled in $17.6 million from 2,679 playdates in 25 countries. Disney/Pixar’s "WALL-E," meanwhile, added $13.2 million and raised its international gross to $145.8 million.

Joining the top foreign grossers this weekend was Sony’s Adam Sandler-starring comedy "You Don’t Mess With the Zohan," which racked up $11.2 million thanks to key dates in the U.K., Germany and Brazil.

Warner Bros.’ CG-animated "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" opened to $7.4 million from $3,260 in 22 markets, arriving at No. 6 in the U.K. with $1.6 million from 419 screens, No. 2 in Mexico with $1.2 million from 678 and No. 4 in Australia with $1.2 million from 267.

SUCCESSFUL CRUSADER

For "Knight," it was a vindication of its ability to attract foreign moviegoers. The best the Caped Crusader previously had done overseas was $166.5 million for 2005’s "Batman Begins."

"Knight’s" return to foreign dominance was fueled by top bows in France ($9.5 million from 850 screens), Spain ($7.1 million from 570) and Russia ($3.5 million from 610). In second-weekend action in Korea, "Knight" ($5.2 million from 373) held off the debut of two local films and reached a total of $14.3 million. The second weekend in Japan, however, grossed just $1.6 million for a cumulative take of $8.7 million.

Japan welcomed "Mummy" in the No. 2 spot ($7 million from 326 screens) behind Hayao Miyazaki’s animated tale "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" ($7.7 million from 481), which has dominated the local box office five weeks in a row for distributor Toho, with a total to date of $90 million.

"Mummy" has reached an international gross of $193.5 million thanks to strong holdovers in the U.K., Germany and Taiwan as well as solid openings in Belgium ($1.2 million from 62) and Vietnam ($177,000 from 18).

As "Mamma Mia!" climbed to $205.9 million, Universal trumpeted that it was the first of the studio’s films to pass $200 million this year despite the fact that they still have "more than 35 territories yet to release." The film’s only new weekend opening was in Spain, which tallied $4.8 million from 352 screens.

"WALL-E" opened in three small markets, with Thailand recording $783,000 from 119 screens, called the second-biggest Disney animated opening in the market. Top box-office receipts to date include the U.K. with $37.9 million in four weeks; France, $16.9 million in two; and Mexico, $16.9 million in six.

"Zohan" opened at No. 1 in Germany with $5.1 million from 593, No. 3 in the U.K. ($3 million from 392) and No. 3 in Brazil ($880,000 from 121).

New weekend openings included Paramount’s "Tropic Thunder," $2.6 million from three markets; Fox’s "Mirrors," $661,746 from 11 markets, and Fox’s "Taken," $3.3 million from Australia, Italy and Spain.

visit my Technorati Profile

visit my Technorati Profile

im not being myself again.. things have started to slip out of hand.. the weather’s bleak for me once again.. this sucks!!

 LOS ANGELES - Even an army of the undead could not dislodge Batman from his box-office perch.
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The Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" hauled in $43.8 million to rank as Hollywood’s top movie for the third-straight weekend, fending off "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," which opened a close second with $42.5 million.

"The Dark Knight" has soared to a $394.9 million haul in just 17 days, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Warner Bros. release should sail past the $400 million mark by Monday or Tuesday, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner.

That would be on the film’s 18th or 19th day of release, another record for "The Dark Knight," which had an all-time high opening weekend of $158.4 million. The previous $400 million record-holder was "Shrek 2," which hit that mark in 43 days.

"It’s a film that is just rewriting the record books every day and redefining our notions of what a blockbuster can be," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

"The Dark Knight" will top $500 million, predicted Fellman, who would not speculate on whether it could approach the all-time domestic revenue record of "Titanic" at $600.8 million.

Even if it edged past that mark, "The Dark Knight" would lag behind "Titanic" in terms of actual tickets sold. Admission prices are up more than 50 percent since "Titanic" came out in 1997, according to Media By Numbers. "The Dark Knight" would have to take in about $900 million to match the number of tickets that "Titanic" sold.

In terms of revenue alone, however, "The Dark Knight" will pass the original "Star Wars," which is No. 2 behind "Titanic" with $461 million, and such hits as "Shrek 2" ($436.5 million), "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" ($434.9 million) and "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" ($431.1 million).

Early anticipation over Heath Ledger’s diabolical performance as Batman foe the Joker built to a frenzy in the months after the actor’s death from an accidental prescription drug overdose in January.

A huge opening weekend was guaranteed, but the movie has sustained its audience from stellar reviews and audience buzz.

"The movie has grown in terms of its base audience from primarily what was conceived as a young male movie to a movie for everybody, from 8 to 80," Fellman said. "They’re going to see it because of the reviews, they’re going to see it because of the word of mouth. They’re going just to see what it’s all about, and they all like it."

"The Dark Knight" also has taken in $202.5 million overseas, opening in six more markets in August, among them Japan, France and Russia.

Universal’s third "Mummy" flick sends Brendan Fraser’s adventurer and his wife, played this time by Maria Bello, to China, where they battle a resurrected ancient ruler, played by Jet Li, and his undead minions.

Though it put up strong numbers, the new installment had the smallest opening of the three movies. "The Mummy" debuted with $43.4 million in 1999 and "The Mummy Returns" did $68.1 million in 2001.

Along with its $42.5 million domestic haul, the new "Mummy" tale pulled in $59.5 million in 28 countries overseas.

"The Dark Knight" almost certainly took away some business from the "The Mummy," since both movies competed for the same action crowds.

"It looked like we could do somewhere between $45 and $50 million, but no one could have foreseen the juggernaut `The Dark Knight’ has become," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal.

Disney’s "Swing Vote," about a presidential election that hinges on the lone ballot of an over-the-hill slacker played by Kevin Costner, opened weakly with $6.3 million, coming in at No. 6.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Dark Knight," $43.8 million.

2. "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," $42.5 million.

3. "Step Brothers," $16.3 million.

4. "Mamma Mia!", $13.1 million.

5. "Journey to the Center of the Earth," $6.9 million.

6. "Swing Vote," $6.3 million.

7. "Hancock," $5.2 million.

8. "WALL-E," $4.7 million.

9. "The X-Files: I Want to Believe," $3.4 million.

10. "Space Chimps," $2.8 million.

 

The Dark Knight which has been shown in theaters for a mere 2 weeks only has already the cumulative gross of $313,781,677, making it’s way to the top of the box office list. i think the major reason why it succeed is that because Heath Ledger was the one who played as Joker. this is his last movie and i can understand everybody’s wanting to see it.

i had no inkling of wanting to see it but due to the gross sales, it just proves that it is a good movie. and to think that heath ledger is also one of my favorite actors. so i think im gonna watch it. teehee. 

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shia LaBeouf was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving Sunday after an early morning wreck in which the "Indiana Jones" star injured his hand and knee, authorities said.

LaBeouf was trying to make a left turn at a West Hollywood intersection around 3 a.m. when his pickup collided with another vehicle, rolling the truck over, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Wolf said.

"It was immediately apparent to officers responding on the scene that LaBeouf was intoxicated and he was subsequently placed under arrest," Wolf said.

Wolf said LaBeouf was booked then released for misdemeanor DUI. The 22-year-old actor was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and was being treated for injuries to his left hand and a knee, as well as a minor head injury, Wolf said.

A woman passenger in LaBeouf’s truck and the driver of the other vehicle were not seriously injured. Wolf did not know the identities of the woman or the other driver.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation, Wolf said. Two attorneys listed for LaBeouf did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press on Sunday.

Melissa Kates, a publicist for the actor, said LaBeouf underwent hand surgery and plans to return to work within a month. She declined further comment.

The accident occurred when LaBeouf, who was headed northbound on La Brea Avenue, tried to turn onto Fountain Avenue, Wolf said. The intersection is the location of "High Voltage," the tattoo parlor where the TLC reality show "LA Ink" is filmed.

LaBeouf starred in last year’s summer smash hit "Transformers," and this year appears opposite Harrison Ford in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

LaBeouf has had previous brushes with the law, but until now they’d been relatively harmless — to the degree that they only served to reinforce his image as a Hollywood good guy with an edge.

A drunken confrontation with guards at a Walgreens in Chicago late last year led to misdemeanor criminal trespassing charges. Arresting police in that incident noted that LaBeouf was "very courteous and polite," and the charge was dropped because the drug store didn’t want to pursue the matter.

In a lighthearted retelling of the incident to David Letterman on the "Late Show," LaBeouf said: "Drinking and driving is one thing, but drinking and shopping … it’s just as bad."

LaBeouf was separately cited in February for smoking where he shouldn’t in Burbank, but a judge later dismissed the charge.

right back on track..

hope this goes on.. and on.. and on.. and on..

 

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Will Britney Spears make a return to MTV’s Video Music Awards in September?

The music network has just announced that the well-on-her-way-to-a-comeback pop princess is a nominee for Best Female Video for "Piece of Me." (See the other nominees below the jump.)

The show—hosted by British comedian Russell Brand—airs live from Hollywood on Sept. 7.

Lest you forget—but how could you, really?—Spears’ performance of "Gimme More" at last year’s kudosfest was a jaw-dropping disaster. The big question now is, will Brit try to redeem herself by performing this time around?