Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) is currently in New Zealand filming the eagerly anticipated big screen adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. The film, which will be released in two parts, has a shooting schedule of 254 days.
Entertainment Weekly managed to score the first three images from the film’s set. The photos showcase actors Martin Freeman as hobbit Bilbo Baggins and Ian McKellen as Gandalf the wizard.
HBO held the season four premiere for its hit vampire soap “True Blood” last night at the Arclight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, CA. Attending the shindig were show creator Alan Ball and stars Stephen Moyer, Anna Paquin, Alexander Skarsgard, Deborah Ann Woll, Rutina Wesley, Kristin Bauer, Carrie Preston, Nelsan Ellis, Sam Trammell, and Ryan Kwanten.
Also on hand were season three players Brit Morgan, Lindsay Pulsipher, Evan Rachel Wood, Laura-Pulver and Joe Manganiello. Making the scene from the upcoming new season were Paola-Turbay, Verdette-Lim, the very hot Courtney Ford and the even hotter Janina-Gavankar.
“True Blood” begins its fourth season on June 26.
Peep the pics (via Zimbio):
Actress Riki Lindhome is the latest treat to be added to director Josh Schwartz’s Halloween-set comedy Fun Size. She joins a cast that includes Victoria Justice (“iCarly”), Jane Levy (“Shameless”), Chelsea Handler (“Chelsea Lately”), Johnny Knoxville (“Jackass”), and Josh Pence (The Dark Knight Rises).
Fun Size, described as a cross between Super Bad and Adventures in Babysitting, follows a teenage girl named Wren (Justice) as she attempts to find her little brother after losing him on Halloween night. Lindhome will play “a graphic comic book character.”
Lindhome’s played Krug’s degenerate girlfriend in Rogue Pictures’ 2009 better-than-the-original remake of Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left. Additional creds include the 2006 American redo of the J-horror frightener Pulse and Clint Eastwood’s underrated serial killer drama Changeling.
Big screen bad-ass Jason Patric is looking to make his foray into television by starring as the male lead in the FX superhero pilot “Powers.” The 45-year-old actor joins a cast that includes Lucy Punch (Bad Teacher) and Charles Dutton (Alien 3).
“Powers” is the name of the civilian police force assigned to investigating crimes involving people with super powers. The pilot, directed by Michael Dinner (”The Wonder Years”) and penned by Charles Eglee (”Dark Angel”), is based on the comic book series created by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming.
Patric will play Christian Walker, a detective working the case of a murdered super-being with rookie partner Deena Pilgrim (Punch). Sony Pictures Television and Circle of Confusion (“The Walking Dead”) are producing.
Up until now, this project sounded about as lame as “The Cape” to me. Patric’s involvement really amps up its potential. Hopefully his role will be on par with the intense characters he’s played in the films Your Friends and Neighbors, Downloading Nancy, The Losers, Narc, Rush, and, of course, The Lost Boys.
Set in London on New Year’s Eve, Liars All centers on a game of truth-or-dare that spins out of control for a group of friends. The film is directed by newcomer Brian Brightly and stars knockouts Tiffany Mulheron (“Hollyoaks”), Sara Paxton (Shark Night 3-D), Gillian Zinser (Manson Girls), and Alice Evans (“LOST”).
The official synopsis reads:
It’s New Year’s Eve in London and a group of friends are playing a provocative game that spins out of control and ends in murder. Despite an immediate police investigation, the true killer remains elusive amidst conflicting testimony and hidden motives.
A night of shared secrets and newfound intimacies takes unexpected turns, resulting in an explosive outcome that will change their lives forever. LIARS ALL is a haunting, psychosexual thriller about desire…and how far some will go to win.
A sales trailer for the Indie Entertainment and Sundial Pictures’ production has hit the web.
Peep the trailer:
British starlet Lucy Punch, best known for comedic turns in the films Hot Fuzz, Take Me Home Tonight, and the upcoming Cameron Diaz vehicle Bad Teacher, is set to play the female lead in the FX superhero pilot “Powers.”
“Powers” is the name of the civilian police force assigned to investigating crimes involving people with super powers. The pilot, directed by Michael Dinner (“The Wonder Years”) and penned by Charles Eglee (“Dark Angel”), is based on the comic book series created by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming.
Punch will play Deena Pilgrim, a rookie detective working the murder of a super-powered celeb Retro Girl. Charles Dutton (Legion) costars as homicide head Captain Cross. Sony Pictures Television and Circle of Confusion (“The Walking Dead”) are producing.
Aspiring Albanian actress Antoinette Nikprelaj may only have a handful of uncredited and/or background roles under her belt, including that of “Mermaid” in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, but the 5-foot-7 stunner is hard to forget once you’ve seen her.
That’s why Nikprelaj fans will want to check out Vicious Circle Films’ upcoming slasher Exit 33, arriving on DVD on Aug. 2. The trailer regrettably focuses on Kane Hodder’s character so it’s hard to tell how meaty Nikprelaj’s part is, but at least her character has a name: Angie.
Peep it:
The flick’s synopsis reads:
A few miles off Exit 33 lies Ike’s Last Chance Gas, an old, forgotten hideaway where the reclusive Ike pumps gas and practices his taxidermy skills. Though he might come across as a simple soul, Ike has a dark secret: he’s obsessed with women who have enchanting eyes – eyes he wants to keep for himself.
Now, as four friends make their way to their 5-year high school reunion, they all make the mistake of taking Exit 33, and they won’t be making it back to the highway any time soon.
Exit 33 is directed by Tommy Brunswick (Jingles the Clown) and costars April Canning (A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas 3-D), Maria Hildreth (Naked Angel), Virgina Bryant (Jingles the Clown), John Anton (Deadheads), and Jerry Reid.
Nikprelaj can also be seen as “Boxing Fan” in DreamWorks upcoming Hugh Jackman vehicle Real Steel (Damn, now I gotta see that dorky film).
Like the Kennedy assassination and Roswell, the firing of actress Megan Fox from DreamWorks’ soon-to-be-released Transformers: Dark of the Moon has been shrouded in secrecy and speculation. Most people believe the 25-year-old starlet was canned for famously comparing director Michael Bay to Hitler. Those people are wrong.
Turns out there was a second shooter in the grassy knoll. Transformers producer/director Michael Bay has now revealed that he was not offended by Fox’s comment at all and that the real reason she was fired was because executive producer Steven Spielberg demanded it so.
Bay said (via Daily Mail):
You know the Hitler thing. Steven [Spielberg] said, fire her right now.
Fox, of course, was replaced in the film by 24-year-old Victoria Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whitely, who coincidentally once compared Bay to Janice Dickinson on “America’s Next Top Model.”
Transformers: Dark of the Moon arrives in theaters on July 1.
“LOST” starlet Evangeline Lilly has been cast in Peter Jackson’s eagerly anticipatedbig screen adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. The beautiful 31-year-old will play Tauriel, a woodland elf character created for the film.
Says Jackson:
Evangeline Lilly will be playing a new character—the Woodland Elf, Tauriel. Her name means ‘daughter of Mirkwood’ and, beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas.)
What is not a secret is how talented and compelling an actress Evangeline is; we are thrilled and excited she will be the one to bring our first true Sylvan Elf to life.
Lilly joins a large cast that includes many familiar faces: Ian McKellan, Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis, and Christopher Lee. Among the new faces are Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Stephen Fry, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins.
The Hobbit will be split into two movies: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (release date: Dec. 14, 2012) and The Hobbit: There and Back Again (release date: Dec. 13, 2013). Production is currently underway in New Zealand.
Lilly, best known for playing fugitive Kate Austin on ABC’s “LOST,” will soon be seen in DreamWorks upcoming Hugh Jackman vehicle Rock’em, Sock’em Robots Real Steel.
A trailer for director Dwight H. Little’s (“Bones”) live-action adaptation of the Namco fighting game Tekken is circulating the web. The film stars Kelly Overton as Christie, Mircea Monroe as Kara, Candice Hillebrand as Nina Williams, Marian Zapico as Anna Williams, Jon Foo as Jin Kazama, and Luke Goss as Steve Fox.
Set in the post apocalyptic world of 2039, Tekken follows street fighter Jin Kazama as he battles to the death against champion martial artists and half-naked women in the King of Iron Fist tournament.
Horror fans may recognize Overton from The Ring 2 and Monroe from The Black Waters of Echo Pond. Little’s directing creds include Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Phantom of the Opera (starring Robert Englund), and episodes of the Fox series “Millennium.”
Anchor Bay Entertainment will release Tekken on July 19 on DVD and Blu-ray.
Peep the King of Iron Fist Tournament: