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It’s been 16 years since the release of the action thriller movie Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie (Marvel’s Eternals) and James McAvoy (X-Men). But is there still a chance for a sequel, or is it too late for Wanted 2? Mark Millar’s Influence in Comic Book Adaptations Think about every comic book movie released in the […]

Wanted 2: The Sequel to the 2008 Film Is Long Overdue And Still Possible Written by Tito Pernalete for Fortress of Solitude...

Star James McAvoy discusses why Wanted 2 hasn't yet come to life. Based on the comic book miniseries by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, the original movie also starred Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman, in which McAvoy portrayed the main protagonist who joins a secret order of assassins. After the movie became a critical and commercial success, there had been hopes for a sequel, but the film experienced continued setbacks with its scripts for 16 years.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, McAvoy addressed the problems with Wanted 2's development, the audience's love for the original movie, and whether he would still consider returning. He attributed the delays to scripts, elaborating that many had come his way, but none made him feel confident enough to go the next step. While embracing the movie's love from fans, particularly from the younger generation, the star now believes he is too old to play Wesley.

Wanted 2 was planned with new characters and a different story, but development stalled despite initial interest and ideas. James McAvoy is open to reprising his role in Wanted 2, but the sequel has not materialized due to development issues. The original Wanted film, based on Mark Millar's comic series, left room for a sequel that never came to fruition, despite financial success.

For more reasons than one, Wanted 2 has still not happened even though the first film was a box office hit. Released in 2008, the Wanted movie was adapted from the Mark Millar comic series of the same name. The film followed a sheepish office worker who learns his father was part of a secret group of assassins known as The Fraternity and is recruited as their newest member. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman, Wanted is a pulse-pounding action film.

Loosely based on the comic series by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones, Timur Bekmambetov’s Wanted was a stylized action movie starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman. The film was a critical and commercial success upon its release in 2008, grossing over $342 million worldwide, so it came as no surprise when the studio got the ball rolling on Wanted 2; But here we are, sixteen years later, and there’s no sequel in sight.

Michael Brandt, one of the co-writers of the original movie, told MovieWeb that while a script for Wanted 2 exists, he fears that the momentum to get it made has been lost.

“We had an idea for a sequel. We pitched it, wrote it. And it seems like there was some real interest in the studio to make it,” Brandt said. “And then Timur, who directed the first one, absolutely was interested as well.

The Wanted 2 script stalled due to conflicts between the co-writers and director, resulting in loss of momentum for the sequel. Original writer Michael Brandt revealed there has been interest from the studio and director, but differing ideas hindered progress on the film. Multiple attempts at reviving the sequel have failed, with Brandt still hopeful to see his script brought to life.

Wanted co-writer Michael Brandt provides an update on the long-awaited sequel, Wanted 2, which has spent 16 years in developmental hell. The original movie is based on the comic book series of the same name by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones. It follows Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), a young man who finds his mundane life turned upside down when he discovers he has superhuman abilities and a connection to The Fraternity, a deadly society of assassins. The movie was a major critical and commercial success, but its sequel oddly never became a reality.

Wanted writer Michael Brandt reveals to MovieWeb that there is a script for a sequel. Brandt still hopes to see the script come to life as a proper sequel to the first film. Wanted centered on an office clerk turned assassin, and stars James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman.

In an exclusive interview with MovieWeb, writer Michael Brandt revealed details of his long-gestating comic book movie sequel to the 2008 Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy film, Wanted. Discussing the project, Brandt revealed that there is a script out there for Wanted 2, and that both he and director Timur Bekmambetov want to make it...but, unfortunately, they have different visions for what a follow-up should look like.

"We had an idea for a sequel. We pitched it, wrote it. And it seems like there was some real interest in the studio to make it. And then Timur, who directed the first one,...

On the June 10, 2020 Episode of /Film Daily, /Film senior writer Ben Pearson is joined by /Film weekend editor Brad Oman and writers Hoai-Tran Bui and Chris Evangelista to talk about the latest film and TV news, including Comic-Con at Home, Gone with the Wind, Evil Dead Now, Wanted 2, Blumhouse’s Dracula, Hollywood resuming […]

The post Daily Podcast: Comic-Con@Home, Gone with the Wind, Evil Dead Now, Wanted 2, Dracula, AMC Theatres, and the Possible Death Blow to Theatrical Mid-Budget Movies appeared first on /Film.

The movie business has always been known for pushing the boundaries of technology, and not every major breakthrough has to involve James Cameron spending a billion dollars on four Avatar sequels. Filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov, who built his career on heavily-stylized action movies, has been pioneering a new technique that takes place on a much smaller scale.

Screenlife is one of the industry’s newest genres, and is based around creating an entire movie using only computer screens, webcams and phone cameras. Not only does it challenge the creative team to come up with interesting and exciting ways to craft unique stories using the limited options available to them, but it can also turn out to be hugely profitable.

Bekmambetov has already produced several hits using Screenlife, with thriller Searching earning over $75 million at the box office on a budget of less than a million dollars, while horror movie Unfriended and...

For years, Hollywood was considering making a sequel to Wanted, the 2008 film starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie as assassins who can curve a bullet’s trajectory in mid-air. And even though the movie came out more than a decade ago, it seems like the idea for a Wanted 2 isn’t dead just yet – at […]

The post Could a ‘Wanted’ Sequel Happen in the Screenlife Format? Director Timur Bekmambetov Hopes So appeared first on /Film.

It has been more than a decade since Wanted hit theaters in 2008. Now, director Timur Bekmambetov has proposed making a sequel to his unique action flick, but with a new gimmick. Instead of curving bullets, the filmmaker is interested in using Screenlife technology, as seen in movies such as Unfriended and Searching, to bring forth a very different kind of assassin flick in Wanted 2.

Universal Pictures recently locked down a deal with Timur Bekmambetov to produce five movies utilizing the Screenlife technology. For those who are unfamiliar, it ditches traditional cameras and tells a story using smartphone cameras, webcams and computer screens. Bekmambetov, in speaking about the deal, explained that they could do Wanted 2 in this style. Here's what he had to say about it.

"Maybe do the ['Wanted'] sequel in Screenlife. I cannot imagine an assassin in today's world would run with a gun. Why? He will use drones,...

2016 is shaping up to be a banner year for video game movies, with the highly-anticipated releases of Warcraft and Assassin's Creed, and a new Tomb Raider also in the works, starring Oscar winner Alicia Vikander. Today we have word that another iconic video game is heading to the big screen, Sega's Shinobi. Producer Marc Platt is developing the adaptation with Stories International Inc., the production arm of the Sega Group.

According to Variety, Marc Platt will produce this adaptation with his Marc Platt Productions partner Adam Siegel, along with Stories International President and CEO Tomoya Suzuki. The original Sega video game was launched in 1987, which spawned a number of sequels such as Shadow Warrior and The Revenge of Shinobi. The original game centered on a character named Joe Musashi, who became a skilled ninja with the Oboro clan, as he fought off an evil ninja syndicate known as Zeed. Here's...

For some reason, Charlie’s Angels is getting rebooted again. The first attempt to do this was back in 2000 and resulted in two wholly mediocre films. This time around, Elizabeth Banks will be behind the camera and today, THR reports that she’s brought in Hercules scribe Evan Spiliotopoulos to pen the script.

The writer is currently a hot property in Hollywood. Though he cut his teeth on Disney animated features, he’s currently got several high-profile projects in the works, including The Huntsman Winter’s War, the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast and Wanted 2. He’s clearly got a knack for balancing comedy and action, which this reboot will certainly need, and we’re curious to see what he’ll bring to the table.

For those unfamiliar with the original TV series, it starred Jaclyn Smith, Farrah Facett, Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd and focused on...

Last week, Universal Pictures unveiled new details about their Universal Monsters Shared Universe, which will officially kick off in 2017 with the Untitled Mummy Reboot. The end credits scene in last year's Dracula Untold served as a "prologue" to this universe. One of the several other projects in development at Universal is a remake of Bride of Frankenstein, with a report from The Hollywood Reporter revealing that the studio is eyeing Angelina Jolie to star as the title character. With Universal financing her latest directorial effort, By the Sea, the actress may be more inclined to star in Bride of Frankenstein, to return the favor for By the Sea, which has tanked at the box office, earning just $313,000 after two weeks in theaters.

The Bride of Frankenstein reboot has been in the works for several years, with Neil Burger (Divergent, Limitless) signing on to write and direct the reboot back in...

Kristen Stewart 'On the Road' dancing, with Garrett Hedlund on the right Down memory lane: Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stewart 'On the Road' images At the time best known as The Twilight Saga's conflicted human Bella Swan, Kristen Stewart was cast as the exuberant Marylou in Walter Salles' film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's iconic 1950s novel On the Road. Salles had been impressed with Stewart's pre-Twilight work in Sean Penn's Into the Wild. Based on LuAnne Henderson, Kerouac's close buddy Neal Cassady's first wife, Marylou is described as a "beautiful little sharp chick." Apparently, one who also likes to move seductively to the sound of music – as can be attested by the Kristen Stewart picture above, which first came out online in early 2011. Besides Stewart, On the Road also features Garrett Hedlund – at the time best known for Tron: Legacy – as Dean Moriarty,...

Unfriended is a low budget horror film produced by Timur Bekmambetov. The film takes place entirely on a laptop screen and features six teenagers communicating via Skype when someone unexpectedly joins their call, someone who claims to be a girl named Laura Barns, a classmate of theirs who committed suicide a year ago. Soon after the first Unfriended trailer hit the web, it collected millions of views. It’s also racked up some serious social media attention with 261,951 tweets using the hashtag #Unfriended published in a single day, beating Fifty Shades of Grey’s record of 240,697 tweets the first day its trailer was released. The found footage genre has been long mastered by the authors of horror films, but Unfriended is still considered to be a fresh take not only in the genre, but also in cinematic language. Unfriended sparked a huge stir at the Fantasia International Film Festival in...

Director Timur Bekmambetov reveals that the story is in place for Wanted 2 - it just needs a green light from Universal...

The 2008 movie Wanted was a good, solid hit for Universal Pictures and director Timur Bekmambetov. So much so that pretty much ever since, there's been chatter about a possible sequel. A sequel that, you've probably noticed, hasn't materialised.

In truth, we'd assumed that Wanted 2 was a dead project. The last we heard on it was a couple of years ago, and it just seemed like the film had missed its moment. Yet director Bekmambetov is still keen to move things forward.

In a new chat with Collider, he revealed that "for my part, I already have the concept of the new story. I have all the screenwriters and co-producers on board. I've seen that some websites have even posted the posters of Wanted 2! I think there...

It.s been close to seven years since Wanted smashed into cinemas in such gloriously over-the-top fashion that it instantly developed a fervent fan-base. Talk of a sequel has come and gone with every subsequent film that its rich ensemble and creative team have been involved in, and the subject of Wanted 2 has once again risen during a discussing with director Timur Bekmambetov - who insists that he.d love for it to happen and wants his original stars to return. During his chat with Collider, Bekmambetov admitted that he.s already been hard at work on Wanted 2. In fact, he.s already outlined the story for the film, got a team on-board to bring it to fruition, and he even teased that he wants to work with all of the original cast members from the original; even the ones who died in the film. Said the director,...

With rising star James McAvoy starring opposite Hollywood starlet Angeline Jolie, a high-octane premise that kicks physics to the kerb, not to mention a respective box office haul of around $340 million, you’d be forgiven for believing that a direct sequel to Timur Bekmambetov’s Wanted was set in stone. However, in the six years that have lapsed since the release of the original, there is still no concrete sign of a Wanted 2.

Granted, members of the cast and crew have been vocal about the follow-up’s chances in the past, even going so far as to hinting that a potential sequel could continue the bullet-bending action with those two aforementioned stars, McAvoy and Jolie. Couple this with Universal’s most recent statement citing that the studio was waiting on the right script and Wanted 2 showcases all the symptoms of a sequel that has irrefutably stalled during development for one reason or another.

It has been quite a few years since the release of Timur Bekmambetov‘s adaptation of Mark Millar‘s comic "Wanted," yet potential sequel talk regarding the movie has often swirled around it.

At last report two years ago, Universal was said to be waiting for the right story to come along before proceeding with the sequel. This week, Collider spoke with Bekmambetov himself who revealed that said story is apparently ready and now it's up to the studio:

"For my part I already have the concept of the new story. I have all the screenwriters and co-producers on board. I’ve seen that some websites have even posted the posters of Wanted 2! I think there are a lot of people waiting for the second part of the story we’ve made in 2008.

Unfortunately, Universal is still thinking about the possible dates of the pre-production start. I know that the movie should be released,...

It's been more than two years since we last heard about Wanted 2, the long-gestating sequel to Timur Bekmambetov's adaptation of Mark Millar's comic Wanted. The 2008 film, which was most notable for it's over-the-top style and casual disregard of physics, followed Wesley (James McAvoy), a timid and frustrated man stuck in a cubicle who discovers he's the progeny of a legendary hitman in league with a clan of superhuman assassins (Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Common, Konstantin Khabenskiy) called the Fraternity. Back in 2013, McAvoy said that Universal was "doing the right thing" by waiting for the right story before moving forward with the sequel. According to Bekmambetov, that story is ready. [caption id="attachment_443023" align="alignright" width="360"] Image via Universal/caption] Yesterday, our contributor Elizaveta Chalenko spoke with the director about the prospect of Wanted 2, and he's definitely still up for it. Not only is he still interested in making the sequel, he's got...

At one point, it was going to be Guillermo del Toro directing a live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast over at Warner Bros. with Emma Watson set to star as Belle. Well, at the same time Disney was developing a of their own and now that del Toro is no longer involved at WB, Disney is the only one left in the game and they've got Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, Dreamgirls) directing and Watson now confirmed for the lead role in their feature. It's an interesting turn of events considering Watson had been loosely attached to the WB version since 2011, but it seems she's the right actor for the part no matter where it's being made or who is directing as production on Disney's feature is expected to begin later this year. Evan Spiliotopoulos wrote the screenplay with a career that so...

Star Wars: Episode VIII

Tim Burton's regular production designer Rick Heinrichs has come onboard Rian Johnson's "Star Wars: Episode VIII" in that capacity.

Heinrichs has served as production designer on films such as "Sleepy Hollow," "Fargo," "The Big Lebowski," the second and third "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, "The Wolfman," "Frankenweenie" and "Captain America: The First Avenger". [Source: Variety]

Now You See Me 2

The sequel to the illusionist heist thriller "Now You See Me" has scored an official title - "Now You See Me: The Second Act".

In the new film, the Four Horsemen resurface and find themselves face to face with a new enemy who enlists them to pull off their most dangerous heist yet. [Source: Coming Soon]

Steve Jobs Biopic

Universal has officially picked up the Aaron Sorkin-penned biopic about tech visionary and late Apple chief Steve Jobs, nabbing the project after Sony put it in turnaround last week.

When a movie does as well at the box office as Wanted did ($341 million on a $75 million budget), a sequel is usually assured, but it’s been a long six years since that action-thriller hit theaters, and the lack of news about Wanted 2 led many to believe that the project had been laid to rest. However, according to producer Marc Platt, the sequel is still very much in the works and has a screenplay that is already “far along.”

Platt’s comments came during an interview with Coming Soon, which met with him to discuss his upcoming Disney musical Into the Woods. When asked about Wanted 2, the producer explained:

“We have a script that’s getting pretty good. To do a sequel when it wasn’t really set up for a sequel–one of our main characters dies in it. You don’t want to just retread a similar story,...

It has been over six years since Wanted was released, and after it took in a rather impressive $340 million from a $75 million budget, a sequel was soon promised. But the fact that it has now been stuck in development hell for just over half a decade means that most fans of the original had given up hope that Wanted 2 would ever actually get to the big screen. According to Wanted.s producers, however, there's a chance that the sequel could still happen. During a discussion with Coming Soon to promote their upcoming Disney musical Into The Woods, producers Marc Platt and John DeLuca confirmed that a script for Wanted 2 has been prepared and that they are pretty happy with it. However, according to Platt, it sounds as though it.s still being worked on. Said the filmmaker, "We have a script that.s getting pretty good. To do...

While doing press for his upcoming musical Into the Woods, producer Marc Platt offered updates on two of his upcoming projects, the action-packed sequel Wanted 2 and another musical adaptation, Wicked.

Just a few days before Wanted hit theaters in 2008, Mark Millar, who wrote the comic book the film is based on, revealed that a sequel was already in the works, although we haven't heard much on the follow-up in the six years that followed that initial announcement. Marc Platt reveals that the script is still being developed, and it isn't quite there yet. But the sequel will happen nonetheless:

"We have a script that's getting pretty good. To do a sequel when it wasn't really set up for a sequel - one of our main characters dies in it. You don't want to just retread a similar story, but when we get the script to a certain bar, there will be a sequel.

Back in 2008, Wanted came out and was a decent hit for Universal. Based on a comic miniseries by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, the film starred a relatively unknown James McAvoy and managed to turn make $340+ million on a $75 million budget. Ever since, rumblings of a sequel have ranged from "Oh, definitely!" to "We'll see." Well, Coming Soon had a chance to speak with that film's producers and find out what the status of that film is- now that we're six years removed from the original. One of them, Marc Platt, was willing to speak candidly about where they are in that process.

His answers, though, lead me to believe that we're still at the "wait and see" stage and, with so much time having gone by, I get the feeling it would take a major development for this thing to happen.

Here's what Platt said about the state of...

Producer Marc Platt has offered an update on Wanted 2.

He revealed that writer Mark Millar is involved in the comic book sequel.

"We have a script that's getting pretty good," Platt told Coming Soon. "To do a sequel when it wasn't really set up for a sequel - one of our main characters dies in it.

"You don't want to just retread a similar story, but when we get the script to a certain bar, there will be a sequel. It's taken a while because it's challenging, as I said, because we lost a main, main character, so where that James McAvoy character goes now... we have good ideas though. It's coming along."

The first film was loosely based on Millar's comic book miniseries, which was set in a world where supervillains had eradicated all superheroes.

"[Millar is] always going to be involved but he's not going to write the screenplay which is far along,...

Wanted 2 keeps edging closer to actually happening, as producer Marc Platt confirms the script is "getting pretty good"...

From the earliest days of the website we seem to have been reporting on a potential sequel to 2008's surprise hit, Wanted. The original movie starred James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman, with Timur Bekmambetov directing. And the first film ate up $341m at the global box office, Wanted 2 has been on the cards ever since.

However, Wanted 2 appeared to have fallen off-radar in recent years, and we'd assumed that the project had quietly been dropped. Not so though, says producer Marc Platt. "We have a script that’s getting pretty good", he told Coming Soon. "You don’t want to just retread a similar story, but when we get the script to a certain bar, there will be a sequel. It’s taken a while because it’s challenging.

One of the more entertaining action flicks I’ve seen in the last few years is Timur Bekmambetov’s adaptation of Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy as bullet-bending assassins fighting for their lives. Between Bekmambetov’s visual prowess and the film’s gleeful amount of gun-firing intensity, I walked out of the film like I’d just hopped off an amusement park thrill ride, ready to give the whole ordeal another go around.

After finding box office success, producers were also keen to give the property another go, and the studio hired back original writers Michael Brandt and Derek Haas to delve deeper into J.G. Jones and Mark Millar’s source comic for an even more explosive sequel – then everything went dark on Wanted 2. The only real bit of concrete news we learned was that Angelina Jolie wouldn’t be reprising her role for the sequel, because,...

Not only has he managed to bring his comic-book creations to the big screen, the Scottish writer has also won over Hollywood in the process

The night before our interview, Mark Millar was drinking his way through his hotel suite's minibar. "There goes your budget, Universal Pictures!" he tweeted, later adding, "If I get drunk enough and run out of nuts I'm going to eat those minibar condoms." But when I meet the 44-year-old the following afternoon he is incredibly chirpy, enthusiasm unfettered, words flying out at 100mph. He discusses the Kick-Ass films, adapted from the comics he authored, with childlike glee. Next week the sequel is released, and this time there are whole armies of costumed cohorts, Aaron Taylor-Johnson's eponymous Diy vigilante leading the charge against Christopher Mintz-Plasse's vengeful Red Mist, now reborn as The Motherfucker. It's a big bundle of fun, and with its $28m budget...

Interview Ryan Lambie 30 Jul 2013 - 06:21

Ahead of this summer’s Kick-Ass 2, we spoke to producer and comic-book writer Mark Millar about sequels, C-words and more...

Nb: This interview contains several naughty words. We should also point out that this interview took place last autumn, and it's since been revealed that Kristen Stewart is out of the running for Wanted 2.

A sleeper hit in cinemas and hugely successful on DVD, Kick-Ass was an anarchic, blackly comic take on the superhero movie. Three years later, and the sequel’s almost finished, while in the intervening period, its trio of young stars - Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, have continued to rise in stature. So too has comic book writer Mark Millar, who’s been fortunate enough to see two of his stories - Wanted and Kick-Ass - adapted into hit films so far.

And with adaptations...

With Kick-Ass 2 set to be released this summer, Nemesis, Supercrooks, The Secret Service and Wanted 2 are all in various stages of development in their respective journey's to the big screen. It now appears as if we should add Jupiter's Legacy to that list as writer Mark Millar (who has created the book alongside artist Frank Quitely) offers us an exclusive update as to what's going on with a movie version of the upcoming Image series. Millar also reveals that he would like to see Richard Dreyfuss play 'Walter', and while he makes it clear that there haven't been any talks with the actor as of yet, the writer is sure to make this happen (take Mark Hamill's planned appearance in Matthew Vaughn's take on The Secret Service for example). Perhaps most interesting is the fact that he envisions the adaptation taking place across more than one movie.

Filmmaker Brett Ratner took a page out of Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past playbook by announcing on Twitter that Antje Traue has joined the cast of Hercules: The Thracian Wars. That tweet has since been deleted, which likely means the director jumped the gun and announced the news too early.

No details have been released as to what character the actress is portraying. She joins a cast that already includes Dwayne Johnson as Hercules, Aksel Hennie as Tydeus, Rufus Sewell as Autolycus, and Ian McShane as Amphiarus. The story follows Hercules, the son of Zeus who turns his back on the Gods. He leads a team of mercenaries who will fight anyone's battle for them, provided the price is right. The plot thickens when their latest mission becomes more complicated than anyone could imagine.

Brett Ratner is directing from a screenplay by Ryan Condal (Paradise Lost), which...

Ian McShane has joined the growing cast of Hercules for MGM Studios and director Brett Ratner.

Dwayne Johnson stars as the title character, based on the Radical Publishing graphic novels that take a different approach to the Greek god. Instead of being the son of Zeus, Hercules is a fierce mortal who is feared by many. When he leads his group of mercenaries on their latest mission, the job turns out to be much more complicated that previously imagined.

Ian McShane is playing Amphiarus, a priest, prophet, and warrior who serves as Hercules' adviser. Aksel Hennie and Rufus Sewell also star as Tydeus and Autolycus, other members of Hercules' group.

Brett Ratner is directing from a screenplay originally written by Ryan Condal (Paradise Lost), which is being polished by Evan Spiliotopoulos (Wanted 2). No production schedule was released at this time.

Ian McShane most recently starred in Jack the Giant Slayer...

Rufus Sewell has signed on to star as Autolycus in MGM Studios' Hercules, alongside Dwayne Johnson and Aksel Hennie.

In the Radical Publishing comic books the movie is based on, Autolycus was the son of the messenger god Hermes. Dwayne Johnson is portraying the title character, the son of Zeus who leaves the gods behind to live in exile as a mercenary for hire, along with his six trusted companions. Hercules is put to the ultimate test that makes him question everything he once believed. Aksel Hennie is playing the axe-wielding maniac Tydeus.

Brett Ratner is directing from a screenplay by Ryan Condal (Paradise Lost), which is being revised by Evan Spiliotopoulos (Wanted 2). Brett Ratner will also produce with Beau Flynn and Radical's Barry Levine. No production schedule was given.

Hercules comes to theaters July 25th, 2014 and stars Dwayne Johnson, Aksel Hennie, Rufus Sewell, Ian McShane. The film is directed by Brett Ratner.

The Rock is ready to don a loincloth to play the fabled Hercules. "Hercules," directed by Brett Ratner (the "Rush Hour" films) will crash into theaters on August 8, 2014, it was announced by co-producers MGM and Paramount Pictures today.   Dwayne Johnson will play the title role in the film adapted from the Radical Comics graphic novel "Hercules: The Thracian Wars" written by Steve Moore and drawn by Cris Bolsin. Ryan Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos ("Wanted 2") scripted the film, which will reportedly portray a darker version of the mythological character than previously seen on the big screen. The comic centers on Hercules as...

By Colin Greten

Jj Abrams' "Star Trek" brought the long running franchise into the 21st century, capturing massive audiences and creating a whole new generation of Trekkies. The film was such a huge success that sequel rumors began to swirl as the credits started to roll.

Today, audiences finally have something tangible to salivate at in the form of the new "Star Trek Into Darkness" teaser trailer. The trailer is awesome, but what it represents is what is really exciting. It means that this movie is actually being made. While there are so many sequels and remakes being made in Hollywood these days, there are plenty of sequels that audiences have longed for years that fall by the wayside for any number of reasons.

There is a sequel to "The Collector", a gore-filled horror film that grossed a mere $7 million, but no sequel to "The Italian Job" a movie that grossed nearly 200 million.

Between Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movies, the BBC's Sherlock, and the new CBS show Elementary, it's pretty clear that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved detective is experiencing a major comeback as of late. And since the character is technically in the public domain, there is nothing to stop someone else from launching yet another take on Holmes. This week Paramount has decided to throw their Deerstalker hat in the ring with a proposed remake of the 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes. The original movie was directed by Barry Levinson and re-imagined Sherlock Holmes and John Watson as teenagers at a British boarding school who investigate a series of murders. It wasn't a success at the time, but could a remake fare better? According to The Wrap, Paramount is currently in talks with writer Evan Spiliotopoulos to pen a new version of Young Sherlock Holmes. In addition to writing a...

Young Sherlock Holmes is to be remade by Paramount Pictures. Wanted 2 writer Evan Spiliotopoulos is in talks with the studio to pen a screenplay for the project, The Wrap reports. Released in 1985, the original Young Sherlock Holmes followed teenage versions of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, who meet while at boarding school together and stumble upon a series of murders. Barry Levinson directed the movie, with Steven Spielberg and Frank Marshall serving as executive (more)...

Paramount Pictures is planning to remake the classic 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes. Christopher Columbus is producing the project and they are in talks with Disney DVD movie scribe Evan Spiliotopoulos to write the script for the movie. 

I loved watching this movie growing up, and it was the first movie to incorporate realistic CG animation with that awesome stained glass window Knight coming to life. The original film was produced by Steven Spielberg, directed by Barry Levinson, and written by Columbus. The story centered on Holmes and Watson after they meet at a British boarding school and stumble upon a series of mysterious deaths and murders.

According to The Wrap the new story will basically be the same thing. It follows "Sherlock Holmes and John Watson as they meet as teenagers in England, and embark on a series of sleuthing adventures."

I recently showed my kids the original movie and they loved it.

Dwayne Johnson has officially bagged a new potential franchise. Brett Ratner's "Hercules," which the "Fast Five" star first attached himself to back in February, is scheduled to begin shooting early next year, according to Deadline. The project will be a joint co-production between MGM and Paramount. Based on the Radical Comics graphic novel "Hercules: The Thracian Wars" written by Steve Moore and drawn by Cris Bolsin, the film was adapted for the screen by Ryan Condal, with revisions by Evan Spiliotopoulos ("Wanted 2"). The comic book follows Hercules as he is contracted by the King of Thrace to mold his army...

Angelina Jolie won't be be returning to life for the long-delayed "Wanted 2," but the writers have revealed some new plans for the film.  Director Timur Bekmambetov's 2008 film adaptation of the hardcore comic book from "Kick-Ass" writer Mark Miller "Wanted" grossed $134 million in the U.S., and a sequel seemed like a no-brainer. When Universal first started getting serious about a sequel, it was unclear whether Jolie would return, although it didn't seem very likely. Now, the screenwriters have revealed where they're planning to go without Jolie on board.  In the film, Jolie played Fox, a veteran assassin who helped guide...

Fans of Wanted, the movie adaptation of Mark Millar and J.G. Jones’ comicbook, we finally have some news on the long awaited Wanted 2. I mean, four years is a long wait in sequel time these days, after all.

The problem with making Wanted 2 has not been the demand for it, it made over $300 million, but that the first film ended with the death of Fox, who was played by Angelina Jolie. Clearly, the studios would want her star power involved. But thankfully, they have moved on from trying to resurrect the character, and moving forward with a new femme fatale. James McAvoy’s growing popularity has also made things difficult to schedule the project. But it looks like Wesley will be taking Fox’s role, as the mentor.

Derek Haas, who co-wrote the first film’s screenplay with Michael Brandt, are back on the sequel, after first disagreeing...

Movie fans "wanting" to see Angelina Jolie reprise her role in Wanted 2 are in for a world of disappointment today.  The female action mega star won't return for a sequel, and this buzzkilling info comes straight from the writers' mouth.  Word is Jolie was never interested in coming back, though she was "wanted".  A familiar face will take her place as a killer mentor in the sequel.

Writer Derek Haas revealed who's coming in to pair with Wesley (James McAvoy), and the plan for the follow-up.

Angelina Jolie won't be back for the "Wanted" sequel. Not surprising news, really, considering her character's very definitive death in the first film. But even if she's taking a step out of the spotlight, her presence will be felt as Wesley Gibson steps into Fox's shoes.

In an interview with Hollywood.com, "Wanted 2" writers Derek Haas and Michael Brandt explained of the sequel's plot: "The only thing I can tell you is that Wesley [James McAvoy] is now, four years later, recruiting a young woman who is in his situation in the first movie. She's got a sh**ty life. He's sort of in the Fox role. This new girl is brought into the world."

The writers also made it clear that yes, Fox is indeed dead and gone: "Angelina Jolie gets shot in the head and everyone's like, 'Oh, are you going to bring back Fox?' I said, 'Did...

Mark Millar is settling into his role as the newly-instated shepherd for Fox’s shared X-Men/Fantastic Four cinematic universe and has the adaptation of his Kick-Ass 2 comic book arriving next year. However, a sequel to Timur Bekmambetov’s (loose) adaptation of Millar’s Wanted comic is progressing down the pipeline at a slower pace; in fact, Wanted 2 was essentially on hold for a couple years, before screenwriters Derek Haas and Michael Brandt were brought back in 2011.

We reached out to Haas about Wanted 2 last year, where he teased plans to subvert The Fraternity’s mantra from the first film (“Kill one, save a thousand”). In a new interview, Haas touches on another intriguing matter: what Wesley (James McAvoy) has been doing over the past four years.

There were once plans for Angelina ...

Click to continue reading ‘Wanted 2′ Writer Confirms No Angelina Jolie; Teases New Female...

1.) Wanted screenwriters Derek Haas and Michael Brandt are preparing to deliver a second draft of their screenplay for Wanted 2 after being replaced and then being asked to return last year. Haas spoke about the return telling Hollywood.com, "After four years, from a creative standpoint, it's almost better, because we can pick up the story four years later... It's 'Where is Wesley James McAvoy's character four years after the events of the first movie?'" As for the long-rumored idea of Angelina Jolie returning, which seems to be a creative difference that found Haas and Brandt out of writing the sequel originally, Haas said, "Angelina Jolie gets shot in the head and everyone's like, 'Oh, are you going to bring back Fox?' I said, 'Did you see the bullet go into her head?' And they say, 'Oh, she can take one of those milk baths!'...

I liked “Wanted”, but I didn’t love it. But I could see how you kids might think it’s the best thing since sliced bullets. Or, er, bending bullets. What’s not to love about making bullets literally bend to your will? That’s kinda cool. Word of a “Wanted” sequel has come and gone over the years, an inevitability when the first film made huge bank (over $340 million worldwide) when no one expected it to do so well. The film also made a star out of Russian director Timur Bekmambetov, who has been living off that movie ever since. Bekmambetov was said to be helming the sequel, and had plenty of ideas about how to bring Angelina Jolie’s character back from the dead. The going theory was that a “Wanted 2″ couldn’t possibly exist without Jolie. Could it? Not if you were to ask screenwriter Derek Haas,...

Wanted co-writer Derek Haas was recently interviewed and spoke about the upcoming sequel to Timur Bekmambetov's crime thriller Wanted 2.

The writer and his partner Michael Brandt lost interest, but were asked to come back to deliver a second draft after Universal hired multiple writers to tackle the script.

Here is what he had to say about the departure from the studio and how they were persuaded to come back in 2011.

"After the first movie came out, we were supposed to write the sequel. For various reasons, we didn't connect with what Universal wanted to do creatively. A little bit of what Timur Bekmambetov wanted to do. So we just sort of bowed out gracefully. We got that call that you always love as a screenwriter. 'Can you guys please come back?' We loved the world. That experience was great. We said, 'Well here's what we want to do with the sequel.

Wanted 2 screenwriter Derek Haas has revealed plot details for the comic book-inspired sequel. The 3:10 to Yuma scribe said that the film will pick up four years after its predecessor and see James McAvoy's Wesley Gibson recruit a young female assassin. "The only thing I can tell you is that Wesley is now, four years later, recruiting a young woman who is in his situation in the first movie," he told Hollywood.com. "She's got a sh**ty life. He's sort of in the Fox role. This new girl is (more)...