For those of you hoping that there would be a Monsters Vs. Aliens sequel, bad news for you today. It’s just not going to happen. Sorry, that’s it, game over, at least for now.
Apparently despite the fact that this essentially decent cartoon cleared nearly two hundred million at the box office worldwide, and picked up who knows how much cash on DVD, that wasn’t enough for Dreamworks, who went on record with this:
“I’d like to tell you there’s a perfectly rational, clear and easy answer as to why not, but there isn’t,” studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg told a group of industry analysts on Tuesday. “There was enough of a consensus from our distribution and marketing folks in certain parts of the world that we would be pushing a boulder up a hill.”
They make some sense, actually–what were they going to do, have more monsters? Bring back the rest of the aliens? No, they probably pretty much did all they could here, and so they called it quits while they were very, very much ahead. A prudent move for Katzenberg et al.
Having dominated the big screen, the big-bellied, lovable, martial arts-toting panda from Kung Fu Panda is on his way to the small screen as a CG-animated comedy series. Marking its second collaboration with DreamWorks, Nickelodeon has ordered 26 episodes of the animated series.
The two companies previously collaborated on The Penguins of Madagascar, which is now the second most-popular program among kids on television, behind only SpongeBob Squarepants.
The new series will debut next year. No plot details were given.
The next door vampires just won’t leave DreamWorks alone, as they are still developing a remake of the 1985 vampire horror comedy cult classic Fright Night.
The original followed a teenager (William Ragsdale) who discovers that his neighbor (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire. He then seeks the help of a rundown elderly B-movie marathon host (Roddy McDowell) to help him kill the vampire.
The studio plans on retaining the horror-comedy tone while modernizing the effects. No writer has been hired yet.
Elizabeth Banks is set to star in DreamWorks workplace comedy Forever 21 according to Variety.
Actress is set to produce the project through her shingle, Brownstone Prods.
Banks brought the spec script, written by Mike Culbert and Mike Pellettieri, into DreamWorks, where the high-concept storyline is being kept under wraps.
Is the script doctor in?
Tom Cruise is one of my favorite actors. Waiting for one of his films to be released puts me on pins and needles. So, I get excited, to say the least, when the trades start reporting Cruise’s next film. The excitement is getting the best of me because there are several films Cruise has been working on with script doctors.
Here are the standings as I write this piece. Keep in mind I am bucking for The Matarese Circle because I truly feel that Denzel Washington, David Cronenberg and Tom Cruise formula makes a great film. I’d love to see Cronenberg take on a topliner. His career is ready for this opportunity. Yet, I’d like to see Cruise star in a comedy.
This is what Variety says are the top choices for Cruise: DreamWorks drama Motorcade, to be directed by Len Wiseman, followed by Spyglass remake The Tourist (with Charlize Theron), to be helmed by Bharat Nalluri, and Fox action comedy Wichita (with Cameron Diaz), which James Mangold will direct. Also still in the mix is MGM’s The Matarese Circle which potentially matches Cruise with Denzel Washington and helmer David Cronenberg.
Please note: Taking a screenplay to a script doctor is common practice in Hollywood. Script doctors get paid a pretty dollar for their talent.
|
|
FILM |
GROSS |
|
1 |
Monsters vs. Aliens |
$58,200,000 |
|
2 |
Haunting in Connecticut, The |
$23,010,000 |
|
3 |
Knowing |
$14,705,000 |
|
4 |
I Love You, Man |
$12,600,000 |
|
5 |
Duplicity |
$7,556,470 |
|
6 |
Race To Witch Mountain |
$5,637,000 |
|
7 |
12 Rounds |
$5,300,000 |
|
8 |
Watchmen |
$2,755,000 |
|
9 |
Taken |
$2,700,000 |
|
10 |
Last House On The Left, The |
Monsters vs. Aliens won the box office score this weekend with The Haunting in Connecticut in second, knocking Knowing down to third. For DreamWorks this makes Aliens the second top grossing animated film for a non-holiday opening.
From STYD comes word that Patrick Tatopoulos (Underworld Rise of the Lycans) is in talks to develop the sci-fi action thriller Non-Stop for Dreamworks.
The film will follow the passengers of a plane after it is abducted by an alien space ship.
Written by Michael Galvary (Greta), the film will be produced by Len Wiseman. This will be Wiseman’s third project in development for the studio alongside Motorcade and Atlantis Rising.
Paramount and DreamWorks have set a release date for Transformers 3 on July 1, 2011. The purpose of jumping the gun, according to Variety, is to get the hot spot in July before a competitor nabbed it. After all, the calendar is filling up.
No handshakes with director Michael Bay or franchise stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. Nothing has been done about hiring a writer for the third installment. Just the release date has been set.
In more book-to-film adaptation news, Variety reports that DreamWorks Animation has optioned rights to the illustrated children’s book Dinotrux.
The 32-page book takes place in a fictional prehistoric age where the world is ruled by Dinotrux, creatures that are part trucks and part dinosaurs. There are various species like the Craneosaurus, Garbageadon and Tyrannosaurus Trux.
Created by Chris Gall, the book will be turned into a CG-animated film. No starting date was given.