Pacific Rim is going 3D... even if Guillermo del Toro doesn't like it. Watch a Thor: The Dark World set video. Just how drunk will Woody Harrelson be in Catching Fire? Joss Whedon explains why Squirrel Girl might not be in The Avengers 2. And James Cameron explains why the Avatar sequels won't be like the Matrix sequels.
Spoilers from here on out!
Top image from Pacific Rim.
Thor: The Dark World
Here's a set video from the current battle sequence filming in Bourne Wood, England. You might want to mute the rather obnoxious voiceover. [Superhero Hype]
Iron Man 3
Production has almost concluded in Wilmington, and now Fort Lauderdale, Florida has announced that it will host the final chunk of location filming beginning October 1. A full list of locations is unknown, although production will be visiting Broward County's Dania Beach.You can read a full press release at the link. [On Location Vacations]
The Avengers 2
When asked about whether he now has the power to bring back Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson in the form of the android Vision, Joss Whedon ducked the main question but did explain the level creative freedom he now enjoys at Marvel Studios:
I have some power, you know? I think there's a level of trust. You know, Kevin Feige and I have always had mutual respect, and on the first movie he was very supportive. But there were definitely things where they were like, "Hmm, we don't see that." And I think now Kevin's in a place where it would be more like, "We don't see it, but we think you do."
Like, "We can't argue with the way the last one did"?
Yeah. And that doesn't mean they're just going to roll over and I'm going to say, "Oh, it's 'Great Lakes Avengers' and we're going to get Squirrel Girl and you're gonna love it." You know, they need to believe. But all I want to do is make the movie that they want. And so it's been great. We're having that same kind of, "What if? Oh, and what if?" And "I was thinking it would be funny ... ooh ooh ooh." There's definitely a level of earned trust, but as with any good studio head or producer, that doesn't mean a free pass.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Sulu actor John Cho explains how the fact that the Enterprise crew starts the movie as a cohesive unit affects the storytelling:
You know, I think J.J. and I had a conversation about that. That was the difficulty of the first movie, getting all these narratives started. There's a larger narrative of the story, and then there's all these origin tales — not just for the unit, but for each particular person. I think this movie is different from the first one in that we can get started on the story right away. It feels to me — having read it and having done it — like a more expansive story because we can devote more screen time to it.
[IGN]
Catching Fire
The Hunger Games sequel has begun production, and Haymitch Abernathy actor Woody Harrelson praises the script and new director Francis Lawrence:
"It's a really good script, really strong script, so I feel good about that. That was the big question mark, since there was so little time to get that script together...Francis is very thorough, very on top of everything, and I really feel great. I love Gary [Ross], man. I thought Gary did an incredible job with the first one, but I do think Francis is going to do great with this."
He also discusses his preparations for the role:
"[Director] Francis [Lawrence] had asked me if I had studied PTSD — post-traumatic stress disorder — and I actually did in college, I was a psychology minor. I met a guy who has PTSD in Maui, spent some time with him...I talked with Francis about [Haymitch's drunkenness]. I love to try to go as far as possible. You know me: I try to take it over the top."
Pacific Rim
Warner Bros. has reportedly decided to post-convert Guillermo del Toro's monster-fighting epic, reportedly over the objections of the director himself. Del Toro has previously mentioned concerns about the difficulties of properly rendering the movie's gigantic monsters and robots in 3D. The conversion is not expected to delay the movie's release. [Variety]
Avatar 2 and 3
Director James Cameron discusses the writing and production processes for the Avatar sequels, which are due to shoot back-to-back:
"It's a little bit of a daunting writing task because it's two scripts and they've both gotta be done at the same time. I'm writing it as separate stories that have an overall arc inclusive of the first film. I don't want to suffer from the ‘Matrix 2′ problem, where it just ends, like, what the hell? It's gotta end. There's gotta be a sense of conclusion, but also a sense that the journey will continue, and that's a fine line... It was this kludgy prototype the first time. We always knew as we were going along, this isn't really working, but we'll fix it for the sequel. The first film just about killed us, and now we're gonna try to do twice that much."
Independence Day
In a German-language interview, director Roland Emmerich reportedly says that he is still very much serious about getting these sequels made, and the question now is whether he can get through some tough negotiations with the studios and the actors — so, you know, the two parties that are most crucial to getting this thing made, and he still apparently hasn't even remotely convinced them this is worth doing. Anyway, if they do happen, the new movies would be called ID Forever Part One and ID Forever Part Two, which I didn't find totally awful until I noticed the ID4 pun contained therein. Anyway, there's a bit more on this at the link. [Bleeding Cool]
As these sequels become more and more inevitable, producer Dean Devlin is here to say that these new movies will be all about the love:
"Roland and I sat down and watched the original. It's a different experience on television! The thing that really hit me about the movie is how much love there is in it: between the characters; that the filmmakers had making it; that the cast had for each other. As we're approaching a sequel we're focusing on that aspect of it. Because I think that was really the key as to why it worked for everyone. It was lovable."
Kick-Ass 2
Here's a set photo of Russian bodybuilder Olga Kurklina as the evil Red Mist's bodyguard, Mother Russia, who is also probably quite evil in her own right. [Comic Book Movie]
Skyfall
Grammy-winning singer Adele has reportedly recorded the opening theme for the latest James Bond movie. [IGN]
Wreck-It Ralph
Here's a trailer for Disney's upcoming movie set inside the world of video games.
Samurai Jack
Creator Genndy Tartakovsky says a big screen version of his beloved cartoon is still very much a possibility more than a decade later:
"I've been trying so hard every year, and the one amazing thing about Jack is that I did it in 2001, you know, and it still survived. There's something about it that's connected with people. And I want it, it's number 1 on my list, and now Bob Osher, the President (of Digital Production at Sony Picture Entertainment), is like 'Hey, let's talk about Jack. Let's see what we can do.' And I go, 'You're going to do a 2D feature animated movie?' and he's like, 'Yeah. Maybe. Let's do some research and let's see.' So it's not dead for sure by any means, and it's still on the top of my list, and I'm trying as hard as I can."
[IGN]
Doctor Who
Here's a clip from this Saturday's western episode, "A Town Called Mercy." [Blogtor Who]
Haven
Here's an interview with costar Willa Holland as Oliver Queen's sister Thea.
Additional reporting by Amanda Yesilbas and Charlie Jane Anders.