Star Wars "Rogue One" Begins Principal Photography

Rogue One—The Daring Mission Has Begun: Cast and Crew Announced

Lucasfilm announced that their first film in the new standalone Star Wars stories series, Rogue One, has begun principal photography. Gareth Edwards (Godzilla, Monsters) is directing Rogue One, which tells the story of resistance fighters who have united to steal plans to the dreaded Death Star. The film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and is slated for a December 16, 2016 release.

The filmmakers have assembled a stellar cast, including Felicity Jones, nominated for an Academy Award for her leading role in The Theory of Everything; Diego Luna, who was featured in 2008’s Oscar-winning Milk and 2013’s Elysium; Ben Mendelsohn, recently nominated for an Emmy for his leading role in Bloodline and co-starring in the upcoming Mississippi Grind; Donnie Yen, Hong Kong action star and martial artist who starred in Ip Man and Blade II; Jiang Wen, who co-wrote, produced , directed and starred in the award-winning Let the Bullets Fly and Devils on the Doorstep; Forest Whitaker, recently featured in the critically-acclaimed Lee Daniels’ The Butler and winner of an Academy Award for his leading role in 2006’s The Last King of Scotland; Mads Mikkelsen, who starred in The Hunt and was the memorable villain from 2006’s Casino Royale; Alan Tudyk, who plays a performance-capture character in Rogue One, stars in the soon-to-be-released Con Man series and Trumbo, which releases this November; and Riz Ahmed, who was recently featured in Nightcrawler and starred in the BAFTA-winning film Four Lions.

“Rogue One takes place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope and will be a departure from the saga films but have elements that are familiar to the Star Wars universe,” says Kathleen Kennedy. “It goes into new territory, exploring the galactic struggle from a ground-war perspective while maintaining that essential Star Wars feel that fans have come to know. Gareth is such an innovative director and I’m so excited to be working with him and the extraordinary ensemble cast he’s selected for ‘Rogue One.’”

Veteran ILM visual effects supervisor John Knoll, who shares a long history with the Star Wars movies, dating back to the mid-1990s, originated the idea for the movie. Allison Shearmur (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Cinderella), John Knoll, Simon Emanuel (The Dark Knight Rises, Fast & Furious 6) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War of the Worlds) are executive producers. Kiri Hart and John Swartz (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) are co-producers.

To create the lived-in, realistic feel of Rogue One, Edwards chose Greig Fraser (Zero Dark Thirty, Foxcatcher) to be his director of photography and Neil Corbould (Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan) to be his special effects supervisor. Star Wars and Lucasfilm veteran Doug Chiang (Star Wars: Episodes I-II, Forrest Gump) and Neil Lamont (supervising art director for the Harry Potter series, Edge of Tomorrow) will be the production designers. Additional crew members will include stunt coordinator Rob Inch (World War Z, Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger), creature effects supervisor Neal Scanlan (Prometheus) and co-costume designers Dave Crossman (costume supervisor for the Harry Potter series, Saving Private Ryan) and Glyn Dillon (costume concept artist for Kingsman: The Secret Service, Jupiter Ascending).

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Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow to Direct "Star Wars: Episode IX"

Colin Trevorrow to Direct Star Wars: Episode IX

Friday, August 18, 2015, at D23, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn announced that writer-director Colin Trevorrow will direct Star Wars: Episode IX, which is set for release in 2019.

While production won’t begin for a few years, Trevorrow is heading to Lucasfilm this year to begin working with artists and his fellow Star Wars directors. “Colin is someone I’ve been interested in working with ever since I saw Safety Not Guaranteed,” says Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “The power of that film paired with the enormous success of Jurassic World speaks volumes about his abilities both as a storyteller and skilled filmmaker. We are thrilled to have such an incredible talent as Colin join our family and step into the Star Wars universe.”

Trevorrow states “This is not a job or an assignment. It is a seat at a campfire, surrounded by an extraordinary group of storytellers, filmmakers, artists and craftspeople. We’ve been charged with telling new stories for a younger generation because they deserve what we all had—a mythology to call their own. We will do this by channeling something George Lucas instilled in all of us: boundless creativity, pure invention and hope.”

Star Wars: Episode IX will conclude the third trilogy of Star Wars movies that begins with Star Wars: The Force Awakens on December 18, 2015.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites for the Week of August 9th to 15th, 2015 - Update #13

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From Deadline:  Lots of Pixar news at D23.

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From YahooTV:  AntennaTV is bringing Johnny Carson back to television starting January 1, 2016.

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From YahooMovies:  The first trailer of Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight.'

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From YahooMovies:  Entertainment Weekly has scoops from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

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From Variety:  The NWA music biopic could have a $40 million opening weekend.

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From THR:  Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese's next collabo will be an adaptation of "Devil in the White City."

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From SlashFilm:  Frank Grillo in, so script for "The Purge 3" will exist.

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From Patreon:  This is my review of the Josh Trank's Fantastic Four film.  I will post a slightly altered version on Negromancer when the film arrives on DVD/Blu-ray.

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From BoxOfficeMojo:  In its second week of release, "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" wins the 8/7 - 8/9/15 weekend box office with an estimated take of $29.4 million.  It also won its debut weekend.  In its debut, the Fantastic Four reboot film finished way under early estimates and was second with an estimated take of $26.2 million.

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From THR:  Despite resisting, Bill Murray has finally agreed to appear in Paul Feig's all-female Ghostbusters.


COMICS - Films and Books:

From io9:  Talks about the "Civil War" and "Doctor Strange" reveals they saw at D23.

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From Deadline:  "RED" movies series is coming to TV.  The movies were based on a comic book series.

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From YahooMovies:  Josh Trank and Miles Teller almost came to blows on the set of Fantastic Four reboot bomb.

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From SlashFilm:  Patrick Stewart confirms that he will have a significant role in "Wolverine 3."

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From YahooNews:  More bad news for Fantastic Four film.

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From CinemaBlend:  So maybe FOX did mess with Josh Trank's "Fantastic Four" set pieces.

VIZ Media's Opens "My Hero Academia"

How Does An Ordinary Teenager Get Noticed When He Lives In A World Where Everyone Else Is a Crime Fighting Superhero?

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, announces the launch of creator Kouhei Horikoshi’s brainiac action manga (graphic novel) series – MY HERO ACADEMIA – now available.

MY HERO ACADEMIA is rated ‘T’ for Teens and print volumes carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN each. The series is also available digitally via VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga App and from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and GooglePlay stores. Future English editions of MY HERO ACADEMIA, which is ongoing in Japan and also serialized in current digital issues of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP magazine, will be published bi-annually under VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump imprint.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless? Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny…

“MY HERO ACADEMIA has been thrilling readers of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and has become the single most requested new series for English publication from the magazine’s current roster,” says Mike Montesa, Editor. “Readers will be in for a wild ride in this inventive new series that puts a fresh spin on the classic superhero concept. Join the action as a fateful encounter gives young Izuku Midoriya a chance to become part of the next generation of Heroes!”

MY HERO ACADEMIA creator Kouhei Horikoshi received a Tezuka Award Honorable Mention in 2006, and after publishing several short stories in Akamaru Jump, his first serialized work, Oumagadoki Doubutsuen, debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2010. BARRAGE, his second series in Weekly Shonen Jump, was released by VIZ Media; MY HERO ACADEMIA is his third series to appear in Japan in Weekly Shonen Jump.

WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP is published digitally each week by VIZ Media and features the latest installments of some of the world’s most popular manga series released to English readers across North America on the same day as the magazine’s general print release in Japan. More info is available at: ShonenJump.VIZ.com.

In addition to the U.S. and Canada, WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP is available to readers in the U.K., Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand at ShonenJump.VIZ.com and through the WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP App for iOS and Android devices.

For more information on WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and exclusive subscriber offers, please visit shonenjump.viz.com.

For more information on MY HERO ACADEMIA and manga titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

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Review: "Fear of a Black Hat" Has Fun with N.W.H.

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 165 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Fear of a Black Hat (1994)
Running time:  88 minutes (1 hour, 28 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive strong language, and for sexuality
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Rusty Cundieff
PRODUCER:  Darin Scott
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  John Demps, Jr.
EDITOR:  Karen Horn

COMEDY/MUSIC

Starring:  Mark Christopher Lawrence, Larry B. Scott, Rusty Cundieff, Kasi Lemmons, Howie Gold, G. Smokey Campbell, Bobby Mardis, Brad Sanders, Faizon Love, and Kurt Loder

Fear of a Black Hat is a 1994 comedy and music film from writer-director, Rusty Cundieff.  The film is a mock documentary or “mockumentary.”  Fear of a Black Hat chronicles the rise and fall of a controversial hip-hop group, NWH, simultaneously examining the evolution of and the state of hip-hop music in America.

The early 90’s saw two This is Spinal Tap-like parodies of hip hop culture.  The first to make it to the screen was the Chris Rock starrer, CB4, but the funnier of the two was Rusty Cundieff’s Fear of a Black Hat.  Anyone familiar with the culture of rap, especially the rap music and artists of the late 80’s and early 90’s, will find this satire and parody extremely entertaining.

Fear of a Black Hat begins when Nina Blackburn (Kasi Lemmons), a college graduate student, decides to do her thesis on a rap group.  She chooses Niggas with Hats, or N.W.H. as the subject of a documentary film.  Her film follows the vulgar trio:  Ice Cold (Rusty Cundieff), Tasty Taste (Larry B. Scott), and Tone Def (Mark Christopher Lawrence) from their underground success to their ride as one of the top hip hop acts to their obligatory break up and subsequent reunion.

The acting is mostly very good, and the parody is dead on.  Like some rap music and hip hop culture, Fear of a Black Hat is vulgar, rude, insipid, ridiculous, and very fun.  Cundieff is sly.  On one had this is not taken too seriously; on the other, he’s making a lot of pointed commentary about racism, bigotry, and opportunism, and he’s especially skewering how entertainers use violence and hate in crass attempts to gain attention, money, and fame.  Cundieff seemed to understand that rap was often just Black America doing a self-parody of urban African-American culture – the civil rights activism, self-hate, misogyny, bigotry, and violence to make a point and cash.  Not only do the costumes, settings, and characters reflect that, but also the songs by Cundieff and his songwriting collaborator, Larry Johnson, that really hit upon the culture.

Even people who don’t like hip hop or don’t know it could find Fear of a Black Hat uproarious; some of the stuff in here is just absolutely outrageous and can’t help but elicit laughs.  Those who remember the time period that Fear of a Black Hat reflects will laugh as well as feel a little sentimental, maybe even missing acts like N.W.A., Public Enemy, and Ice T, who represented for an invisible American subculture and showed it off to the world.

6 of 10
B

Updated:  Friday, August 14, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

"Mission: Impossible" Goes "Rogue Nation" on Worldwide Box Office

“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION” CROSSES THE $300 MILLION MARK AT THE GLOBAL BOX OFFICE

HOLLYWOOD, CA – “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION,” the fifth film in the blockbuster franchise, has crossed the $300 million milestone at the worldwide box office. The film has earned $118.5 million domestically, with an additional $184.6 million from overseas markets.

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise, “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION” debuted at #1 in North America and many international markets, grossing more than $150 million in its first week of release.

Internationally, the film’s success was bolstered by #1 openings in such major territories as Korea, UK, Mexico, Australia, Spain, Russia and Argentina, and achieved franchise-breaking numbers in India, Korea, UK, Mexico, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Russia. International territories still to open include France, Brazil, and Italy. The film will release in China on September 8, in collaboration with partners Alibaba Pictures and China Movie Channel.

Paramount Pictures and Skydance present a Tom Cruise / Bad Robot Production, “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION.” With the IMF disbanded and Ethan (Tom Cruise) out in the cold, the team now faces off against a network of highly skilled special agents, the Syndicate. These highly trained operatives are hellbent on creating a new world order through an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Ethan gathers his team and joins forces with disavowed British agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who may or may not be a member of this rogue nation, as the group faces its most impossible mission yet. Starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris and Alec Baldwin.

The film is directed by Christopher McQuarrie, with a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and story by Christopher McQuarrie and Drew Pearce. Based on the television series created by Bruce Geller. Produced by Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger. Jake Myers is an executive producer.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

About Skydance
Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create elevated, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across platforms, including feature film, television, gaming and digital. Among Skydance’s blockbuster and award-winning feature films are True Grit, Star Trek Into Darkness, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Jack Reacher, World War Z and Terminator Genisys. Its upcoming feature film slate includes Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation in 2015 and Geostorm, Star Trek Beyond and the follow-up to Jack Reacher in 2016. Skydance Television’s Emmy nominated series are Grace and Frankie on Netflix and Manhattan on WGN America.

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New "Ultraman" Arrives from VIZ Media

VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES THE NEW ULTRAMAN MANGA SERIES

Kinetic Superhero Action Series Updates The Iconic Japanese Sci-Fi Property For A Whole New Generation Of Manga Fans; Series To Launch In Print And Digitally

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, announces the brand new ULTRAMAN sci-fi superhero action manga (graphic novel) series, which is set to debut in print and digitally on August 18th, 2015.

The series, written by Eiichi Shimizu with artwork by Tomohiro Shimoguchi, is inspired by the original classic Japanese superhero TV show that ran in the late 1960s and remains hugely popular in Japan as well as with international audiences. ULTRAMAN Vol. 1 is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will carry a print MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN. The series also launches digitally the same day via VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and GooglePlay stores. Future editions of ULTRAMAN will be published quarterly under the VIZ Signature imprint. In Japan, the series currently appears in Hero’s magazine.

Decades ago, a being known as the Giant of Light joined together with Shin Hayata of the Science Special Search Party to save Earth from an invasion of terrifying monsters called Kaiju. Now, many years later, those dark days are fading into memory, and the world is at peace. But in the shadows a new threat is growing, a danger that can only be faced by a new kind of hero – a new kind of ULTRAMAN… Shinjiro is an ordinary teenager, but his father is the legendary Shin Hayata. When he learns that his father passed on the “Ultraman Factor” to him and that he possesses incredible powers, nothing will ever be the same again.

VIZ Media recently welcomed Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi for their first-ever professional appearance in the U.S. as official Guests of Honor at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con.

“In Japan, Ultraman is something of a national symbol, an iconic superhero that is instantly recognizable and universally loved, and we’re excited to bring the brand new manga to a new generation of fans,” says Mike Montesa, Editor. “The series wonderfully updates the classic sci-fi property with cinematic action sequences and sleek character designs. Catch the exciting return of this legendary hero this summer!”

Eiichi Shimizu worked on the story, script and mechanical design for ULTRAMAN. Tomohiro Shimoguchi provided character design and art. Together, the two have formed a creative dream team to produce a number of works including ULTRAMAN (Hero’s) and Kurogane no Rainbareru (Linebarrels of Iron, Akita Shoten). In addition to comics, they have expanded their field of interest to include character designs for video games and action figures.

For more information on ULTRAMAN or manga titles published by VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

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