Damon Houx
There's a number of reasons to be excited for the making of and release of Brett Ratner's 'Hercules,' which will star Dwayne Johnson and looks to be a go project. Some reasons for being excited about this might be meaner than others, but regardless the news today is that the film has a release date: August 8, 2014.
Though the film was not the runaway hit hoped for when released in 2010, 'Hot Tub Time Machine' has proved popular enough on home video that MGM is exploring making a sequel to the time-travel comedy. And right now they're talking to everyone but star John Cusack.
Look, we know that the odds are against 'A Good Day to Die Hard' being anywhere in the same league as the first 'Die Hard,' but still, we can be hopeful. And if nothing else, the release of the fifth film has done something cool. On February 13 in select cinemas, all four previous 'Die Hard' films will be showing in lead up to the first screenings of the new film.
It's hard to ignore that many of 2013's biggest movies could have come out in 2012, and would have if they weren't bumped around the schedule. Though 'Gangster Squad' came first and 'Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters' will be here shortly, we're most curious about 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' which was scheduled for last June, but doesn't come out until this March. Now there's a new international TV spot, and we're still curious.
Though the film isn't hitting screens during the four-quadrant friendly summer season, there was concern that 'A Good Day to Die Hard' might stay with the PG-13 rating of its predecessor. But there's no "Yipee-kay-yay, Mister Falcon" for this John McClane, as it turns out the film is R-rated.
For whatever reason, 'Star Wars' fans petitioned the White House wanting the United States to make a Death Star. That the country our the government has no interest in making one is no surprise. But the Chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget Paul Shawcross responded to the petition in the nerdiest way possible.
Even though the fourth film in the franchise, 'Pirates of Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,' was the lowest grossing of the franchise domestically, that film - boosted by 3D - managed to make over a billion dollars worldwide. So that a writer has been hired to write 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5' should be no surprise.
With Steven Spielberg's 'Robopocalypse' put on temporary hold, perhaps Universal saw a hole in the 2014 schedule, or perhaps they're just ready to make more dinosaur movies. We say that because -- even though there's no director attached -- Universal has announced that 'Jurassic Park 4' will be hitting theaters June 13, 2014.
Often the genealogy of a movie is easy to trace. A film like '21 & Over' follows in the direct footsteps of last year's 'Project X,' which was a minor hit for Warner Brothers, which itself was done as a teenaged version of 'The Hangover.' Now there's a new trailer for '21 & Over' and it looks very familiar.
With George Lucas out of Lucasfilm, a number of big changes have already happened. They're developing 'Star Wars Episode 7,' and it looks like a long promised spin-off may be coming out of the mothballs. No, not another Ewok adventure, but the long rumored live-action 'Star Wars' television show.
Jason Statham is one of the few B movie action stars that gets his films released theatrically these days, and there's something sad about that. This January brings his latest, 'Parker' and we've come to appreciate the latest Statham offerings as one might a 2 A.M. trip to a fast food joint: It may not be great, but it usually delivers what you were expecting.
Though both Chris Hemsworth and Anne Hathaway seemed to be set as the leads, and the film had a release date of April 25, 2014, it looks like Steven Spielberg's adaptation of 'Robopocalypse' is going to be put on hold for an indefinite period of time.