NEWS UPDATE: Terminator 5, Tomb Raider, Sandra Bullock, Emma Watson, Ubisoft, Tom Hanks and Star Wars

Arnold Schwarzenegger has confirmed that he will star once again as a killer robot in "Terminator 5". The franchise has hit something of a dead end with the mixed reception of "Terminator: Salvation", so it took Paramount four years to find a new direction for the sequel. To that end they hired screenwriters Laeta Kalogridis ("Shutter Island") and Patrick Lussier ("Drive Angry") to craft a new script. The production is still looking for a director after "Fast & Furious" helmer Justin Lin turned it down. Filming is set to begin in January. Here is what Schwarzenegger had to say abot his upcoming projects, inluding T5:

"In fact, I’m very happy that the studios want me to be in Terminator 5 and to star AS the Terminator, which we start shooting in January and I’m also going to do King Conan – to play that role and also to do another Twins movie. So I feel very proud of that. I feel very happy and I’m looking forward to doing those films."

A "Tomb Raider" reboot is currently in the works. MGM has teamed up with producer Graham King ("Hugo") for the project and writer Marti Noxon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "I Am Number Four", "Fright Night") has been hired to pen the script for the reboot. The new story of adventure-seeking archeologist Lara Croft will most likely be inspired by the recent video game reboot which also managed to revitalize the gaming franchise.

Sandra Bullock is in early negotiations to star in the upcoming musical remake "Annie". She will star as Miss Hannigan, the mean lady who runs the orphanage and is the reason why the kids sing about the "hard-knock life". The remake will star Oscar-nominee Quvenzhane Wallis ("Beasts of the Southern Wild") as the orphan Annie and Jamie Foxx will star as Daddy Warbucks, a candidate for mayor in NY in this version. "Annie" is produced by Will Smith and Jay-Z, and will be directed by Will Gluck ("Easy A"). The release date is December 25, 2013.

Emma Watson is re-teaming with "Harry Potter" producer David Heyman for an adaptation of Erika Johnson's fantasy book trilogy "Queen of the Tearling". Obviously, while her recent involvement in more mature movies like "The Bling Ring", "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and "This is the End" is great for building some acting credibility, one also needs a good solid box-office hit franchise. According to Variety, the book features a 19-year-old female protagonist and "is set three centuries after an environmental catastrophe when a malevolent Red Queen holds considerable power." Watson is also set to star in Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast".

Video game studio Ubisoft has added some new big-screen projects to their impressive line-up which already includes "Assassin's Creed", "Splinter Cell" and "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon". The new proejcts are "Watch Dogs", "Far Cry" and "Rabbids". According to Variety, Ubisoft is very interested in proceeding with phase two of their planned adaptations. The studio will maintain creative control over each of these adaptations, similar to what Marvel Studios is doing with their movies. This includes hiring directors, screenwriters, actors, production and distribution companies etc. No matter how it turns out, the new "Far Cry" movie has to be an improvement over Uwe Boll's turd-fest.

Tom Hanks and writer/director Tom Tykwer will re-team after their colossal work on "Cloud Atlas". Tykwer will direct and adapt the Dave Eggers novel "A hologram for the King", which centers on a failed American businessman, played by Hanks, who travels to a rising Saudi Arabian city in an attempt to find the great success that will keep his family together.

A new rumor has surfaced about J.J. Abrams' "Star Wars: Episode VII". According to this rumor, the protagonists of the new sequel will be Han and Leia's twin children, Jaina and Jacen Solo. The plot involving the twins is actually based on the expanded universe novel series "Legacy of the Force", which also means that the rumor could be false, since it was previously reporte that the sequels will not be based on any of these spin-off books. However, it's also true that the screenplays for the sequels will be based on George Lucas' original rough drafts for the sequels he wanted to make, and if the books themselves were based on these drafts, then they could apply to Episode VII and beyond. It remains to be seen. The basis for the Solo kids rumor is the following casting notice, which offers more detailed information about the story:

"Storyline: Two 17 year old twins, a girl and a boy, are trained by their uncle Luke to be the greatest Jedi’s in the galaxy. Problems arise when the male twin turns to the dark side.

Jaina Solo – Female, 17 years old, lead. – Jacen’s twin sister, one of the greatest Jedi’s in the galaxy, trained by her uncle Luke Skywalker

Jacen Solo – Male, 17 years old, lead – Jaina’s twin brother, one of the greatest Jedi’s in the world. A loner who is constantly struggling with the idea of what’s right and what’s wrong. Starts to turn to the dark side. Full of conviction that what he is doing is the “right thing”. Will eventually become Darth Caedus."

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Sunday, June 16, 2013

NEWS UPDATE: Terminator 5, Tomb Raider, Sandra Bullock, Emma Watson, Ubisoft, Tom Hanks and Star Wars

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