Sony Pictures has provided the X-Realms with a series of interviews with the main cast of Sam Raimi’s anticipated Spider-Man 3. These will go online here over the course of the next two weeks until the film opens in theaters May 4. As a disclaimer we would like to add that the X-Realms staff did not physically conduct these interviews ourselves (sadly we currently do not get invited to any press junkets), but they were given to us for publication by Sony.

Starting off our series is the interview with Thomas Haden Church, the American actor who was recently nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the critically-acclaimed Sideways. In Spider-Man 3 he plays Flint Marko, a.k.a. Sandman, one of the film’s main villains. The character dates back to an issue of the popular comics from 1963, and its creator Stan Lee has been cited as naming him one of his favourite supervillains.

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Posted in Interviews, Movies, Spider-Man •

Various websites claimed over the last few days that Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer had been screened to a test audience in Seattle to dismal reactions. These reports also suggested that Laurence Fishburne had been identified as the voice of Galactus - however it was earlier today officially confirmed that Fishburne would in truth voice the Silver Surfer.

According to Dark Horizons, Fox has now sent out an official statement regarding both Fishburne, the alleged test screening and the look of Galactus: ‘Laurence Fishburne is officially the voice of the Silver Surfer and not the voice of Galactus, as some other fan sites have stated. [...] There was never a Seattle test screening, period. Finally, moviegoers will have to wait to see Galactus in the movie, but fans definitely won’t be disappointed.’

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Posted in Movies •

The first filming on Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins currently scheduled for a July 2008 release, took place in Chicago over the last few days.

According to SuperHeroHype, scenes filmed last night included a bunch of the Joker’s clown goons robbing the Gotham National Bank, which was set up inside an old Chicago post office building. The website has a gallery up with photos from the shoot.

Second unit filming will be taking place in Chicago in the next few days, while principal photography on the film begins at the end of the month in London, before returning to Chicago from July until September.

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Posted in Batman, Movies •

With the third movie from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise due to make landfall May 25th, anticipation is already growing for the final chapter of the blockbusting trilogy.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End will take Captain Jack and crew to the ends of the Earth and according to production designer Rick Heinrichs, it will be unlike anything you’ve seen before — even in the previous films.

‘It really does go off into new locations and a new look. It has a more restrained graphic and simplified look,” he says. ‘Pirates: At World’s End” will take our heroes far from the Caribbean into the far East and uncharted waters beyond. [The look is] in keeping with the Asian themes, but also because we’re at world’s end and we’re dealing more with landscapes of the mind.‘

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Posted in Movies •

Contrary to earlier reports, Laurence Fishburne will provide the voice for the metallic Galactic herald in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, not his planet-devouring boss. This ends speculation that motion capture expert Doug Jones would voice him in addition to creating his movements.

According to Sci Fi Wire, Fishburne will commence his voice work this week and it is still unknown who will voice the bizarre ’stormcloud’ version of Galactus.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer stars Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Ioan Gruffudd, Julian McMahon and Kerry Washington. A motion-captured Doug Jones will appear as the Surfer. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is scheduled for a June 15, 2007 release date.

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Posted in Movies •

David Goyer has told SCI FI Wire that 22-year-old newcomer Justin Marks will write the Super Max screenplay. The proposed movie tells the story of classic comicbook hero The Green Arrow, who is incarcerated in a super maximum-security prison for supervillains.

‘My wife found Justin‘ said the writer, director and producer, ‘she just said, ‘I read this kid’s spec script. He’s really talented. You should meet with him.’ And I met with him, and I thought he was really talented. And we just said, ‘Let’s find something to do together.’ … I love finding new people out of nowhere. I love working with young talent, whether it be actors or writers.‘

Goyer added that the fantasy book adaptation Here, There Be Dragons may be delayed due to his busy workload, which includes Batman movie The Dark Knight.

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Posted in Movies •

Variety reports that Universal and Imagine Entertainment will remake the 1970 sci-fi drama Colossus: The Forbin Project as a potential directing vehicle for Ron Howard. Brian Grazer will produce the project which will be called Colossus with Jason Rothenberg recruited to write the screenplay.

The original 1970 movie was based on an apocalyptic science fiction novel written in 1966 by Dennis Feltham Jones. It tells of a massive defense computer which becomes sentient and decides to take control of the world. Although the original cinematic version was not commercially successful when it was released it is highly regarded by fans of the genre and inspired movies such as The Terminator.

Rothenberg intends to use the original’s premise as a springboard and will incorporate two subsequent Colossus novels written by Jones to create a broader story.

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Posted in Movies •

Lost star Matthew Fox is in final negotiations to play Racer X in the Wachowski brother’s big screen version of Speed Racer says The Hollywood Reporter, playing Speed’s mysterious racing rival, an ‘enigmatic soldier of fortune’.

Meanwhile, Australian actor Kick Gurry is in negotiations to play Sparky, Speed Racer’s hippie mechanic.

The duo join Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, Susan Sarandon and John Goodman in the television show adaptation about a character called Speed Racer who drives a car called The Mach Five which is equipped with all manner of technological gadgets.  A summer 2008 release date is anticipated. 

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Posted in Movies •

Chris Marquette, co-star of upcoming Star Wars-themed roadtrip comedy Fanboys, has told SCI FI Wire that the movie has been delayed to add a cameo with Kevin Smith and sound and visual effects from the Star Wars films, which were authorized by George Lucas himself after he saw an early cut and approved.

‘They showed it to so many people involved in Star Wars that we’ve gone back several times with additional scenes,‘ said Marquette ‘Like, Kevin Smith had seen it, and [he] came in and was like, ‘Oh, man. I love it.’ So they let him write and direct one of his own scenes in it. So they added that in.‘ 

In Fanboys, Marquette plays one of four guys who drive cross-country to Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch to fulfill a friend’s dying wish to see an advance screening of Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace. The movie has an Aug. 17 release date.

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Posted in Movies, Star Wars •