There has been so much news about movies this week, it's been mind-blowing. I'll have to keep it short, but there is some incredibly tantalizing stuff! If you didn't read the headline and hate spoiler, turn back now, young Hobbit.
Star Trek poster & trailer reveals clues about the plot
On Monday, Paramount released the official poster of the new
Star Trek movie, and the geekosphere has exploded. This morning, the teaser trailer was released.
I'm going to break down a few elements that might provide clues as to the plot and potential identity of the villain, described in the synopsis as "an unstoppable force of terror."
Here is the poster:
I can assume that the man standing in the center is Benedict Cumberbatch's villainous character. Also, apparently broken concrete is now a popular style of movie poster now. (I assume My Little Pony will follow suit shortly.)
I would lose my nerd cred if I didn't blow the image up and scour for clues. The cityscape in the background is London. 23rd Century London. The Millenium Gate, St. Paul's Cathedral and the Gherkin building are all visible. I looked for London bridge, but assumed that it just fell down sometime before the 23rd century.
The question this poster begs is why in the world 23rd century London is important at all to the story. London is rarely mentioned in any previous Trek series or movie, save for passing historical references.
I didn't see any obvious clues at first glace, but what struck me about this image was how it tied to the synopsis given by Paramount. A particularly tantalizing tidbit is this: "an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for..."
The official trailer, released this morning at 3am, shows us so much more.
Here's what I spotted:
I saw multiple Klingons fighting Cumberbatch's character. I even went frame-by-frame and saw an energy blast stopped by an invisible shield around Cumberbatch. Alice Eve's character is prominently displayed in the trailer, so I assume that she must be Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, who tries to help Mitchell (I'm calling it. The villain is Gary Mitchell.) A starship is seen crashing into a river or San Fansisco Bay (not the Enterprise because the pylons are arced out and the nacelle shape is different), and later into a city. There is also another scene with the Enterprise rising from a large body of water.
My conclusions:Putting two and two together, we can assume that the force is from Starfleet (as Cumberbatch is seen in Starfleet uniforms), he has immense power of some sort, and literally destroys the fleet in some fashion. If we're assuming this character is new, the identity could be anyone's guess. However, if they're using previously established characters, the identity must be Gary Mitchell. Mitchell is Kirk's old friend whose ESP and telekinetic abilities were activated while the Enterprise crossed the energy barrier at the edge of the galaxy.
It hasn't been officially confirmed that Mitchell is the villain, but if he is, we're in for a wild ride.
Star Trek Into Darkness stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Bruce Greenwood, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Peter Weller, Anton Yelchin and Alice Eve. The movie comes to theaters on May 17th, 2013.
Spiderman Casting News
Marvel announced on Monday that
Dane Dehaan has been cast for the role of Harry Osborn in the new Spiderman movie. Deehan has appeared in recent movies such as
Lincoln and
Chronicle.
The Amazing Spiderman stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx. The movie is set to swing into theaters on May 2, 2014.
The Man Of Steel Trailer will show in the new Hobbit movie
The Hobbit movie will undoubtedly make many geeks melt into puddles of geek love, but not just because of the movie. We've already heard that the
Star Trek Into Darkness trailer will be playing in regular theaters and the 11 minute preview will be in the IMAX showings, but now we also learn that the full
Man of Steel trailer will also show in all previews for the Hobbit movie.
Snyder's original teaser left many geeks wondering how in the world a darker, more moody Superman film would be more successful than Singer's super-moody Superman Returns. This is an especially valid question with Joss Whedon proving that you can have a fun, exciting super hero movie that can laugh at itself and stay out of the realm of cheesiness. That said, Snyder might give us one of the greatest Superman movies ever created.
I've heard so many rumors about this trailer that I will join the other geeks in melting faster than T-1000 in a volcano full of love.
It must also be noted that a new poster was released Monday (right), showing Superman in handcuffs.
In the meantime, here is the current
Man of Steel trailer.
Man of Steel is set to fly into theaters June 14, 2013.
Rumor mill: Justice League movie villain announcedPrepare yourselves. The movie we've both dreaded and anticipated is indeed happening. Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Martian Manhunter and (give or take) Aquaman will have their own movie. With the success of the Marvel franchise, Warner Brothers has not only green-lit production of a JLA movie, but rumors are flying with named actors listed as main characters. I can't say anything officially, since almost all news about this project resides are akin to drunken murmurs of old men in the Prancing Pony. However, Latino Review has revealed that the villain for the new Justice League movie will be...
...Darkseid.
Yes. Darkseid. The Marvel Universe has Thanos, Apocalypse and other god-like beings bent on universal domination, but in the DC comics universe, few god-like beings equal Darkseid. He is one of the baddest, coldest, and most calculating baddies in the DC multiverse. He's an excellent chessmaster, whose arsenal includes some of the most vile psychological torture one can devise. If a hero confronts him, he won't be met with the usual cackle and monolgue. Instead, the hero will be met with a smile, as one of his minions stabs the hero in the back. He's nearly untouchable, which makes him an incredible threat. I hope that if this rumor is true, the movie won't treat Darkseid with kid gloves, and we'll see him at his worst, giving the Justice League a run for their money.
The yet unnamed Justice League movie is set to hit theaters in 2015.
Robocop videos releasedSo, the ambiguously anticipated Robocop movie has been releasing information to the public in trickles. We saw our first look at his... "robot suit" a few months ago. Now videos are being release on youtube showing its filming in Toronto.
There was initially a lot of buzz about the movie until the photo of the latex suit was released. Drawing the ire of many classic Robocop fans (and everyone who saw the original movies), the news on major sci fi spoiler sights has been relegated to small text blurbs instead of headline news.
Looks... like Robocop is driving in Toronto. I hear the sushi is great there.
Robocop stars Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie is set to premier February 7, 2014.
Rumor mill: Transformers 4 to feature a FEMALE protagonistThis is probably some of the most confusing news I've heard about the new Transformers movie. The past movies has tended to be male-centric, with women acting as classic bond girls rather than active participants in the story. Apparently the protagonist will be cast with her boyfriend who may or may not be a secondary character. Apparently Bay plans for not just an entirely new human cast, but all new robots as well.
Transformers 4 is set to hit theaters on June 27, 2014.
Is the dragon Smaug visible in the new Hobbit TV spot?Smaug makes a brief appearance in a new tv spot for
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.Smaug is probably one of literature's most famous dragons. His wit and cunning make him every bit as terrifying as his fire-breathing-city-ruining abilities. I cannot wait to see the conversation between Smaug and Bilbo, though I think we'll have to wait until the third movie to see it.
Here is the TV spot that has the geekosphere buzzing with excitement. Smaug appears six seconds in.
Since the glances of Smaug are so brief, rumors are flying that the design for Smaug hasn't been completed yet. If that's true, we won't see much of Smaug until the premier. Personally, that's a spoiler I can wait for.
Side note: IMDB reports that Benedict Cumberbatch will not only voice Smaug, but will also provide the motion-capture for Smaug's expressions.
Entertainment Weekly has also just released a photo of Legolas. You can find it
here. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey stars Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Evangeline Lily, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis, and Bret McKenzie.
The movie opens nation-wide on Friday, December 14.
