“No, I have no idea about any of it. All I know is that it doesn’t preclude Paul [Greengrass] and me from doing another one of ours,” original Bourne series star Matt Damon teased recently when asked if he’d show up to pass the torch to Jeremy Renner in Tony Gilroy’s 2012 sequel The Bourne Legacy . Cheeky as that answer is, Damon was quick to play nice anyhow. “He’s got a whole other thing that they’re doing and I wish them well,” he added, “and Tony [Gilroy’s] really smart. I’m sure they’re going to be great.” So, no hard feelings. Really . [ MTV ]
It was important to ‘create a shoe that would absolutely, 100 percent look like the shoe from the movie,’ Bob Gale says. By Eric Ditzian Nike Air McFlys Photo: Nike The news is 88 mph of awesome: The neon-lit Nikes that Marty McFly rocked in “Back to the Future Part II” are no longer part of a fictional 2015 but will soon be available for anyone willing to plunk down a hefty chunk of change. After a daylong buildup of viral videos and a Los Angeles announcement event lighting up the Web like a lightning-struck clock tower, Michael J. Fox himself appeared on “Late Show With David Letterman” on Thursday to show off the limited-edition Air McFlys (formally known as the Nike Air Mag). The proceeds from the 1,500 pairs of shoes, which will be auctioned off on eBay, will go to the actor’s Parkinson’s disease research foundation. “It’s kind of cool because it brings together three populations of people with major joneses,” Fox told Letterman. “The sneaker-heads who love sneakers, the ‘Back to the Future’ guys who, believe me, are out of their minds, in a good way, thank God for them. And people in the Parkinson’s community.” Shortly before Fox’s TV appearance and after a day of hanging out with Universal and Nike execs for the rollout, “Back to the Future” writer Bob Gale called up MTV News to talk about the development. Gale has geeked out with us before about “BTTF” memorabilia, including the Mr. Fusion he turned into a desk lamp , so we figured he’d be the perfect guy to lend insight into the new shoe’s development and how it connects back to their first appearance in 1989. He did just that, as well as assuage our concerns that the Air Mags don’t come with auto laces as Marty’s did in the film. Be patient, Gale counseled us … all in good time. MTV : How did this whole thing come together? Bob Gale : Nike has been thinking about this for quite some time. They came out with those other shoes a couple years ago that were sort of like these, and at that time, [producers] Bob Zemeckis, Frank Marshall and I were approached by Nike saying what they wanted to do was see if they could develop the actual shoe from “Back to the Future Part II.” They expected to do various versions building up to 2015. They would make sure it was all to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation. They had me at hello. When we made the movie back in 1989, we had the shoe designed by Nike. Tinker [Hatfield], the designer over there, went back into his old notebooks saying, “What did I do back then? What did I draw?” MTV : So Nike went back to the original concept art for inspiration? Gale : Well, they basically used the movies. There are drawings, which they unveiled during the Universal event. Some of those drawings are Tinker’s original drawings. The one thing they wanted to make sure they got absolutely right was to create a shoe that would absolutely, 100 percent look like the shoe from the movie. Of course, back in 1989, there was no technology to make them light up or be power laced. There are behind-the-scenes pictures showing Michael J. Fox with all these wires coming out of his jacket and shoes to make those effects works. We had a guy off camera who pulled wires and tightened the shoes. Nike figured they better figure out how to do that for real rather than have some guy follow you around all day when you want to lace ’em. MTV : What was the announcement event like today? What was going through your head as you watched everyone go nuts for these sneakers? Gale : What’s cool about these movies is they inspire people in different ways. John Mayer said he saw the “Johnny B. Goode” scene, and that made him want to be a rock star. I meet so many screenwriters who say, “The movie that made me want to be a screenwriter was ‘Back to the Future.’ ” There are people out there trying to figure out how to make a working hoverboard. The fact that art inspires people is the greatest compliment you can have. This crazy idea about sneakers that light up and lace themselves is one step closer to being a reality. MTV : Why now? Why not five years ago or 2015? Gale : Nike wanted to do this in tiers. This is the beginning. MTV : So if this year’s shoes don’t have the auto laces, future years’ might? Gale : Yes! It’s not 2015 yet. It’s only 2011! MTV : I can’t wait that long! I can’t be patient. Gale : No one ever can. MTV : What’s your sense of what this all means to Michael J. Fox? Gale : It’s nothing but positive. He’s thrilled out it. He’s going to be on “Letterman” and you’ll hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. MTV : What’s your recollection of creating and using the shoes in the film? Gale : We were associated with Nike on the first movie because Marty McFly is wearing Nikes on that. We said, “OK, he’s wearing Nike shoes in 1985, what will the shoes of the future do?” One of the things we wanted to do was keep all the elements we had established in the first movie and bring them forward to the future. We had the Texaco station in 1985 and then 2015. We show the movie theater, from a Ronald Reagan movie to a porno movie to “Jaws 19” in 3-D. The Nikes were a continuing element to distinguish between the past, present and future. We thought it was cool at the time. The fact that people still think it’s cool is really cool. MTV : Who has the original power-lacing Nikes? Gale : I think Nike has the original pair. They’re all rotted. They weren’t built to be anything other than movie props. And for the other pairs that didn’t need to self-lace that he used as part of his wardrobe, they must have made a dozen pairs of them. Where those are, I have no idea. Whether they got ditched, stolen, sold, I have no idea. MTV : Now that the Nikes are a reality, is that a load off? No one will be coming up to you on the street and asking why they’re not available? Gale : No! They’ll stop asking me that, but then they’ll want to know when we’re getting the hoverboards. Check out everything we’ve got on “Back to the Future Part II.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Happy Friday! Also in today’s edition of The Broadsheet: Michel Gondry returns to France… Inside India’s disappearing softcore porn industry… The 50 Cent/Mickey Rourke Russian roulette movie you’ve been waiting for is coming… George Carlin may get his own street… and more.
That was fast : “Mel Gibson has shown nothing but antagonism and disrespect to Jews. Casting him as a director or perhaps as the star of Judah Maccabee is like casting Madoff to be the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or a white supremacist as trying to portray Martin Luther King Jr. It’s simply an insult to Jews.” [ THR ]
Actress is ‘not seriously injured and is resting comfortably at home,’ according to her rep. By Jocelyn Vena Reese Witherspoon Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images Following her run-in with a car earlier this week, Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon will not press charges against the elderly woman who hit her, according to Usmagazine.com . A source said Witherspoon has no plans to press charges against the 84-year-old who struck the actress with her car while she was jogging in Santa Monica. The driver failed to yield a pedestrian sign. “The incident is being treated as an accident,” the source adds. “The driver was not given an alcohol test at the accident scene and typically she would receive a fine and a point on her driving license as it is considered a moving violation.” A rep for the actress added that she was “not seriously injured and is resting comfortably at home.” In a previous report, Santa Monica Police spokesman Sgt. Richard Lewis said Witherspoon, “suffered minor injuries and was transported by ambulance to a local hospital for medical treatment.” She was discharged a short time later and spent the night at home recovering from the incident. Lewis said the unidentified driver of the vehicle, who was driving 20 mph at the time, was interviewed at the location and released after getting a citation for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The driver has been ordered by the DMV to retake her driver’s test. Police sources told TMZ that they have ordered the DMV to bring the driver in within the next 30 days for testing. Additionally, she must take an eye exam and provide a list of medications she’s on, if any. She’s already received a ticket in connection with the incident. Related Photos The Evolution Of: Reese Witherspoon
‘We’re making a 21st-century Three Musketeers,’ Paul W.S. Anderson tells MTV News in our Fall Movie Preview. By Kara Warner Milla Jovovich in “Three Musketeers” Photo: Summit Entertainment Paul W.S. Anderson fans know his films to be intense, action-packed and not exactly family friendly (see: “Death Race” or any films in the “Resident Evil” franchise). All that changes October 21, when his re-telling of Alexander Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers” hits theaters. Based on the beloved and familiar tale of adventure, intrigue and that famous “All for one and one for all” motto, the film features an ensemble cast: Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz, Milla Jovovich, Orlando Bloom, Ray Stevenson, Matthew Macfadyen, Luke Evans, Juno Temple, James Corden and Mads Mikkelsen. But don’t let the PG-13 rating fool you: Anderson told MTV News that what his film lacks in bloodletting, it makes up for with airships and swashbuckling. And everyone knows that anytime the word swashbuckling is involved, you’re in for a good time. MTV News : What made you want to retell this story, and how is your version different? Paul W.S. Anderson : I’m a huge fan of “The Three Musketeers,” the book I read at school. I grew up watching the Richard Lester adaptation of the novel, and I love the core story of the book, and that’s pretty much what we’ve stayed true to: the basic story of D’Artagnan leaving Gascony, coming to Paris to seek his fortune and wanting to be a Musketeer and meeting the Musketeers. All that has stayed entirely true to the book in terms of character and narrative. The only thing we’ve goosed up is the action part of the movie to up the ante, considering we’re making a 21st-century Three Musketeers. MTV : What can you tell us about those intriguing airships in the trailer ? Anderson : One of the things I found a little repetitive in the book is when the Musketeers returned from London with the diamonds, because they had to fight their way out of France to get the diamonds back and then they had to ride back, it kind of felt like a part of the book that had very little incidents because they’re covering the same grounds, only less happens. I always thought that was something maybe we could add some action to, and that’s where the idea for the airships came from. It’s based up on the theory, Da Vinci drew these fantastic designs of war machines. Some of these got built, a lot of which didn’t, his flying machine, his tank. In addition to being a great artist, he was a great military thinker and designer of military hardware. We have this idea that in the movie one of his great inventions is kind of brought to life, that’s where the airships come from. They’re probably in reality, a hundred years too early, but Da Vinci was so far ahead of time we’re using that to justify the intro of the airships. What that allowed me to do as a filmmaker was have some fresh, spectacular action at the tail end of the movie. MTV : We’ve seen your lovely wife, Milla Jovovich, in a lot of your movies. What new sides of Milla will we see in this film? Anderson : It was one of my attractions for making the movie. I’d always wanted to see Milla in a period film. I always felt that she would look awesome in the dresses, and she’s got a kind of period face as well. I always knew that she would fit well into the 17th century. One of the big attractions to making and seeing the movie is seeing these opulent costumes and also the fact that it features M’lady De Winter, who’s one of the original really bad girls in literature and bad girls in movies. Milla does quite a lot of action, but in real 17th-century dress, in the corsets and skirts flying. It’s pretty exciting and unique. I’ve never seen anything done like that before. MTV : We’ve seen that she can handle big action scenes Anderson : She can, but I have to say: Having to do a swordfight in a corset and a huge heavy skirt was incredibly demanding. She had to train wearing the corset while she was doing the stunt training for the film, because it altered your body weight completely. Also, the corsets are designed to look attractive rather than allow you to do action scenes. They’re quite restrictive on your breathing, so some things she had to train very, very hard for, but she was insistent that she wanted to do a big action scene wearing the period costume. She was already a good martial artist, but she became an excellent swordswoman. She trained very hard to do the sword fighting. In the movie, in the trailer, even when the swords hit, there are all these sparks that come off them, and I’m sure people are going to think that was computer-generated, but the fact is those were real metal blades. … The actors got their bruises and rapped knuckles and black eyes and bloody fingers, so I hope everyone appreciates the sword fighting, knowing that it’s them doing it. MTV : With all the fight sequences you’ve filmed, have you picked up any skills yourself? Anderson : I’m not a world-class martial artist, but whenever we block a scene with the actors, I always put myself in the scene. Obviously, I’m not as flexible as Milla and my high kicks aren’t as high, and I don’t have as much stamina, but I’ll block through the whole fight being her to show her what I want. I’ll do that with every actor. I get in there whether its 17th-century pistols or machine guns if we’re doing a “Resident Evil” movie. In that regard I’m kind of a method director. I would never ask an actor to do anything that I wouldn’t be willing to do, whether it’s walk on a really high building or fall off something. Anything I’m asking an actor to do, I would be prepared to do as well. I would do it badly, of course. That’s why they’re actors and getting paid all that money. It’s good thing I’m stuck behind the camera. From “Abduction” to “Muppets, “Moneyball” to “Breaking Dawn,” the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2011 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films’ biggest stars. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Three Musketeers.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Fall Movie Preview 2011 Related Photos Exclusive Photos From Fall’s Biggest Flicks
There’s a moment at the end of Gavin O’C onnor’s MMA drama Warrior in which two men who have been relentlessly beaten and pummeled in the octagon stand dripping with exhaustion, rivers of sweat mingling with the tears running down their faces. It doesn’t matter that you can’t tell the sweat from the tears; that’s partly the point of Warrior anyway, which makes you feel every emotional wound just as acutely, if not more so, than the bruising, rib-crunching body blows. Yes, this is a mixed martial arts movie (distributed by genre specialists Lionsgate, no less). But it’s also one of the most heart-wrenching and deeply felt films of the year.
Producer Ehren Kruger talks about the newlyweds’ performance in the thriller, in our Fall Movie Preview. By Josh Horowitz Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz in “Dream House” Photo: Universal Pictures Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz married in a quiet New York ceremony in June, an idyllic union that presents a stark contrast to their onscreen marriage in “Dream House.” A genre mash-up with thriller and horror elements directed by Jim Sheridan, the film begins with a familiar setup: Craig, Weisz and their daughters move to a new home, only to discover their quarters are nothing like what they expected. From there, though, “Dream House” takes a twist, one that makes viewers reconsider everything they’ve previously seen and which was revealed in a surprisingly spoiler-filled trailer this summer. Click for photos from fall’s biggest flicks! But as producer Ehren Kruger told MTV News recently, that twist is just one in a flick filled with them. If you think you know everything “Dream House” has in store, he made clear that you’re missing all the clues — just as Kruger and the rest of the cast and crew seemingly missed the signs on set that Craig and Weisz’s heated on-camera coupling was the beginning of a trip down the aisle. As part of our Fall Movie Preview, we not only have a chat with Kruger, but the first clip from the film, in which Weisz confesses that she’s certain something is wrong with their new home and Craig promises to hire a priest or “feng shui the place.” Hit play on the video above and the read on for Kruger’s interview. MTV : You’ve got some impressive talent in front of and behind the camera. How did all those pieces of the puzzle come together? Ehren Kruger : It started with the original script by David Loucka, which blended genres in a very interesting way. That caught the eye of Jim Sheridan, and he’s not a director who is known for doing straightforward genre pieces. So he responded to some of the deeper character ideas in the script, and once he became interested, we started developing the script with him and very quickly there were actors like Daniel and Rachel and Naomi [Watts] that were interested in being a part of it, because his reputation is so wonderful with performance. You don’t always get that in genres that are perceived as just a mystery or just a scary movie or just a thriller, so getting involved in this allowed the actors to bring their A-game and challenge themselves performance-wise. MTV : As you said, this is not the type of film that Jim Sheridan normally takes on. Why was he the right guy for the job? Kruger : He’s often dealing with families in an emotional crisis. He really responds to that sort of environment, so while this story has a lot of the scary genre trappings and mystery trappings, at its core it’s really a family that’s in intense crisis. MTV : In terms of developing the script, what are the influences you drew on? Kruger : It shares some genre DNA with movies like “The Others” or “The Sixth Sense” or “Rosemary’s Baby” and movies that really try to cast a spell in terms of mood. In the world of scary thriller mysteries, there are the vampires and the zombies and the mask killers. They are very upfront with what is scary about them. And then there are the more traditional ghost-story antagonists, where their secrets can play something even more sinister. You don’t quite know who is pulling the strings and what to be afraid of. We talked about some of those classic ghost-story influences like “The Haunting” or “The Innocence” or “The Shining,” movies where you are dealing with something you initially think you can fight or combat but then aren’t sure if you can at all. MTV : Tell us about what Daniel brought to the table, how he approached the material and how he made the character his own. Kruger : He’s a very intense person, and it comes across in his roles and on the screen. This is a character who, on the outside, seems like an everyman, a family man, but you come to find out he has a number of demons of his own. Daniel was really able to dig into those and pull off a very intense portrayal of a man trying to protect his family in nearly an impossible situation. It’s a very valiant performance from him. And the chemistry between him and Rachel, which is kind of the core of the film, is really great. MTV : Was their relationship off camera apparent to you on the set? Kruger : They are both very focused actors, so you just figured they were really committed to their performance of this married couple. There is method acting and I guess there is matrimonial method acting. But I wouldn’t say it was apparent during shooting. They were playing the roles as professional, and it went from there. MTV : You show a big twist in the trailer about the murders that took place in the house. How do you make the decision of how much to reveal and how early? Kruger : It’s always a trick with movies that start off seeming like one thing and then turn into something else. In the case of this movie, it turns into something else again. You just have to make the decision of what is the best way to tell the audience that they are going to be getting more than what they think they are getting. You could have a trailer that doesn’t reveal any of the revelations that they will come to find out about — the house where he lives and the family — and then there’s just not quite enough juicy material to sell the movie. You have to provide a little and assure the audience there’s going to be more revelations. MTV : When do you find out who the murderer is in the movie? Kruger : It will be in the first half of the movie that you are getting the revelations that are in the trailer, so there is still half of the movie of mystery to tell. From “Abduction” to “Muppets, “Moneyball” to “Breaking Dawn,” the MTV Movies team is delving into the hottest upcoming flicks in our 2011 Fall Movie Preview. Check back daily for exclusive clips, photos and interviews with the films’ biggest stars. Check out everything we’ve got on “Dream House.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos Fall Movie Preview 2011 Related Photos Exclusive Photos From Fall’s Biggest Flicks
It’s a curious version of the real pro wrestler Kurt Angle that you get from the ring persona he’s projected over the years as a star of the WWE (née WWF ) and now TNA Wrestling, where he’s currently the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. The real-life former Olympic wrestler has played off his 1996 gold medal win as wrestling’s bona fide “American Hero” since his 1998 WWF debut, juggling multiple wrestling companies and countless ring titles while a version of his own personal life, warped through the wrestling world’s faux-realist backstage lens, is broadcast every week to millions of fans. But what Angle really wants to do — what he wanted to do even before pro wrestling came calling — is act. Seriously act.
Apparently some people felt an apology was in order after Madonna was overheard dissing a gift she received from an ambushing fan at a Venice Film Festival press conference for her new, lovingly panned movie W.E. . “I absolutely loathe hydrangeas,” she purred, adding, “[The fan] obviously doesn’t know that.” You know what I say to that? LEGEND. She is a LEGEND. Also: Madonna is a prim English rose, you simpering plebe! She is not a baroque tolerator of hydrangeas! But her publicist would like to address her offending comments anyway .
