The Korean pop sensation that’s taken over the world has found its way to the set of Wolverine , where the tuxedoed Psy stopped by to teach star Hugh Jackman — wearing Wolverine’s adamantium claws — how to dance Gangnam Style. And I thought the Filipino prison dancers marked the jumping of the shark! Putting years of Broadway dance training to use, the enthusiastic Jackman seems to have picked up Psy’s signature pony move pretty quickly, which is impressive if you’ve watched every celebrity this side of Ellen Degeneres attempt the dance craze of the year. They even gave Psy his own Wolverine claws. Okay, that’s pretty cool. It’s even better if you imagine this as the character Wolverine meeting Psy and indulging in a lighthearted moment of cross-cultural glee before an epic battle to the death. Because Psy is clearly some sort of mutant being whose power is the ability to entrance strangers with his syncopated gyrations and that damnedly irresistible ditty. Slicing gangnam style!!!! Great to meet @ psy_oppa who visited set yesterday. twitter.com/RealHughJackma… — Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) October 16, 2012 Oh, how Wolverine laughs! Is it too late to turn Wolverine into a K-pop musical? [via @psy_oppa ]
They were two of the biggest movies in terms of box office this summer – and likely for all of 2012, yet the battle between The Dark Knight Rises and Marvel’s The Avengers opened a new front in the artistic sphere. TDKR made just over $1.07 billion worldwide (with a $250 million production budget), while Marvel’s The Avengers roared on with a $1.511 billion worldwide gross (and a production budget reportedly at $220 million). One cinematographer offered up his own impressions about the rival’s merits, calling it “appalling.” Wally Pfister won an Oscar for Inception as well as three nominations for Batman Begins , The Presige and The Dark Knight . He is even embarking on his own foray into the director chair on an upcoming project next year said that his past work as a news reporter and in documentary helped him to “reduce the amount of artifice” in his work. Though he has won recognition for his work with TDKR director Christopher Nolan on the Batman franchise, he admitted to not being much of a “super hero fan” and said his reaction was surprise when Nolan first approached him about doing Batman Begins . “I was like, really? A guy in a rubber suit?” Pfister is quoted as saying in the Herald-Tribune speaking to a film class in Sarasota, FL. He also gave his opinions on Marvel’s The Avengers , when asked what was most important in shooting a film. “What’s really important is storytelling. None of it matters if it doesn’t support the story,” said Pfister. “I thought The Avengers was an appalling film. They’d shoot from some odd angle and I’d think, why is the camera there? Oh, I see, because they spent half a million on the set and they have to show it off. It took me completely out of the movie. I was driven bonkers by that illogical form of storytelling.” Pfister, who along with Nolan has been steadfast advocate of film over digital, said The Prestige was his most “artistically fulfilling” and prefers TDKR among the Batman films. “I liked my work best in the last one, of course, because anything I felt I’d done wrong on each one, I’d right on the next one,” he said. He added that he’d “never say never” to any Batman 4 project. “I’m fortunate enough to have been successful enough that now I want to fulfill myself artistically. I guess I might do it right at the point where I had to sell my house.” His directorial debut is currently casting, but only gave a hint at details. “I can’t talk too much about it. It’s a present-day science fiction film, a fairly big concept. It’s bigger budget — not as big as Batman , but not independent. [ Sources: Herald-Tribune , Huffington Post , Box Office Mojo ]
A new featurette from the upcoming ‘Avengers’ Blu-ray shows how Joss Whedon’s superhero epic almost began. By Josh Wigler Cobie Smulders in “The Avengers” Photo: Walt Disney
After months of ambiguity, Joss Whedon has signed on to write and direct the sequel to his biggest film to date, Marvel’s superhero extravaganza The Avengers . According to The Wrap , Disney chairman Bob Iger confirmed Whedon’s return to the billion-and-a-half-dollar franchise during a call with analysts today, adding that in addition to Avengers 2 the Buffy / Firefly veteran will also bring a “Marvel-based” television series to ABC. [ The Wrap ]
In addition to writing and directing the ‘Avengers’ follow-up, Whedon is also developing a television series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. By Josh Wigler Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans in “The Avengers” Photo: Marvel
Scarlett Johansson Not A Favorite Among The Wives Of Her ‘Avengers’ Co-Stars What’s beef? Scarlett Johansson and her married co-stars’ wives. Scarlett Johansson was one of the few women in the Avengers cast, which reportedly liked to hang out together when they weren’t working. But according the wives of the married Avengers are upset that their husbands are getting close to “a babe” like ScarJo. “ScarJo’s buddy-buddy friendships with their husbands has really rubbed some wives the wrong way—especially Chris Hemsworth’s wife, Elsa [Pataky], and Robert Downey Jr.’s wife, Susan, an “insider” tells the mag. “Their husbands text back and forth with Scarlett, call her and giggle on the phone—and when they rave that Scarlett is ‘like one of the guys,’ it really grinds the girls’ gears! They think it borders on being flirty. And there’s an Avengers sequel in the works, so the problem’s ongoing.” Sounds like the real action was going on BEHIND the scenes of this movie! Source Image via Wenn
‘What I need everyone to do is go see ‘Battleship’ now that they’ve seen ‘Avengers’ five times,’ Berg tells MTV News of sequel chances. By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Kelly Marino Taylor Kitsch in “Battleship” Photo: If there’s one thing you can count on Earth’s mightiest heroes to accomplish, it’s kicking alien ass. Iron Man, Captain America and the rest of the gang didn’t just destroy the extraterrestrial threat in their movie, either — they also sunk the aliens of “Battleship” without even knowing it. “Battleship” director Peter Berg spoke with MTV News recently about his thoughts on the box-office earnings of his latest big-budget blockbuster. The Hasbro adaptation has earned $235 million overseas, but only $63 million at the domestic box office — an outcome Berg pins on the outstanding success of “Marvel’s The Avengers.” “The movie kicked butt internationally, but we kind of ran into a wall when ‘Avengers’ refused to go away,” he told MTV News. ” ‘The Avengers’ outperformed everything. It was impossible for ‘Battleship’ to get any oxygen.” Asked if he would do anything differently with the “Battleship” release knowing what he knows now, Berg had one idea in mind. “I would have loved to have come out three weeks before ‘The Avengers’ domestically, like we did internationally,” he said. “We did OK, but in hindsight — which my grandmother used to say is worth about a bucket of spit — we would have [released the movie] ahead of ‘The Avengers,’ not realizing it would have become, I think, the second biggest film in history behind ‘Avatar.’ ” “Avengers” is actually the third-highest-grossing film of all time behind “Titanic,” but who’s counting? Berg is. When asked if he’d be interested in filming a “Battleship” sequel, he had a numbers-oriented answer in mind. “What I need everyone to do is go see ‘Battleship’ now that they’ve seen ‘Avengers’ five times. If they do that, we can definitely make a sequel,” he said. ” ‘Battleship’ is a film that I would definitely like to do a sequel to. I loved making that film. I had a great time with it.” Do you want to see a “Battleship” sequel? Tell us in the comments below! Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Battleship’ MTV First: Battleship Related Photos ‘Battleship’
Captain America, Thor and Channing Tatum’s Jenko battle it out on Twitter to win Best Hero on Sunday. By Ryan J. Downey Daniel Radcliffe in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” Photo: Warner Bros. Harry Potter spent several movies (and books, of course) battling Voldemort, both indirectly and in face-to-face confrontations. Katniss Everdeen’s skill with a bow and arrow has kept her alive against considerable odds. Captain America has fought bad guys (like his arch-nemesis the Red Skull) in various incarnations since World War II, whether with the Invaders, the Howling Commandos or the Avengers. His teammate, Thor, has gone up against all manner of sinister foes across all the nine realms, not the least of which being his half-brother, the mischievous Loki. Jenko, from the big-screen version of “21 Jump Street,” not only had to contend with drug dealers, but there was the whole “politics of high school” drama too. But right now, all these heroes are facing their most fervent, vocal, communicative, evolving and passionate adversary yet: Twitter. The MTV Movie Awards first-ever social voting category, Best Hero , has harnessed the power of Twitter like Marvel supervillains harnessing the power of the Cosmic Cube to determine which of the big screen do-gooders (many of them ripped from the written page) is truly the people’s champion. It’s been up-to-the-minute action worthy of some of their biggest adventures, with the instantaneous might of the microblogging medium allowing each of them to rise and fall in the ranks constantly as fans tweet their favorites with special hashtags. Harry Potter and “Hunger Games” hero Katniss have been in the closest competition for the top spot, each with well over 100,000 votes as of this writing. Katniss, of course, is just starting her movie franchise stardom even as the onetime boy wizard has grown up and moved on after last year’s final “Potter” installment. “The Avengers” mopped the floor with the blockbuster “Hunger Games,” usurping the novel-based movie’s throne to become the #1 movie of 2012 thus far (and rising through the top five in the all-time list as well). However, the Best Hero category may have split the Avengers fan vote by pitting two of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes against each other. Captain America has been a distant third with his pal Thor even further behind at #4. Jenko from “21 Jump Street,” the smash comedic take on the ’80s TV show of the same name about a group of cops who go undercover in high school, has his work cut out for him. He’s trailing behind all the other heroes, but in fairness, he doesn’t have the same historical power of his foes. Channing Tatum also had to walk in the shadow of Johnny Depp (who — spoiler — reprised his TV role in a brief cameo) in “Jump Street,” though it won favor with critics (85 percent on the Tomatometer!) and fans ($136 million at the box office! For an action comedy! In March!) alike. Channing Tatum, of course, is also nominated in the Best Kiss category thanks to his steamy lip-lock with Rachel McAdams in “The Vow.” But when we sat down with him on Thursday, he told us he’s confident that a certain franchise has that category in the bag. “It doesn’t matter. The ‘Twilight’ kids always sweep it,” he told MTV News when he sat down for the “Magic Mike” MTV Sneak Peek Week event . “They sweep it every time.” He was kind enough to personally thank MTV News’ @JoshuaHorowitz and the small but dedicated army of #VoteJenko fans himself from his own Twitter account, @ChanningTatum. Twitter user @lesleycherrypie voted Jenko, “Not only because he’s hot, but that is a big part of it.” @CaraFoshizzle quoted several of her favorite lines from “Captain America: The First Avenger” as she tweeted her vote for Mr. Steve Rogers. @HarryPotterings pleaded, “Please #VOTEPOTTER before the voting closes! It’s one of our last chances to win an award for our childhood.” @CleverGranger said, “Katniss ‘won’ The Hunger Games, but Harry ‘saved’ the wizarding world. Who’s the true hero now?” Quotes from “The Hunger Games” have flooded the Twitter-verse, as well. @MaryamA115 said, “She’s getting closer! 2nd place now. :D” Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live this Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET.
Experts weigh in on whether Kristen Stewart’s star power can overtake current box-office champs leading up to the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, June 3. By Ryan J. Downey Kristen Stewart as “Snow White” Photo: Universal Last weekend, “Men in Black 3” finally ended the box-office domination of “The Avengers,” which saw the superhero team-up movie smashing world records with the combined might of Thor’s hammer, Captain America’s shield, Iron Man’s snarky wit and the Hulk’s green fists. During this MTV Movie Awards weekend, “Snow White and the Huntsman” will do battle against them both, with “Thor” himself, Chris Hemsworth, in one of the title roles alongside Kristen Stewart, best-known for a little franchise called “Twilight.” Will Stewart’s vampire fanatic fanbase focus their attention on “Snow White”? Will Thor’s Asgardian thunder rain down more box-office coin in this role? Keep in mind this isn’t the first “Snow White”-centered movie to hit multiplexes this year. Julia Roberts flopped in “Mirror, Mirror” just two months ago. “Huntsman” is headed to theaters with similar reviews (50 percent on Rotten Tomatoes’ “Tomatometer” at press time). So how will it do? “It’s going to be close, but ‘Snow White’ should edge out ‘Men in Black 3,’ ” HitFix ‘s Gregory Ellwood told MTV News. MTV Next Movie Executive Editor Kevin Polowy concurred. “Its competition isn’t that daunting. ‘Men in Black’ did well last weekend but hardly gangbusters. ‘The Avengers,’ which is still hanging ridiculously tough a month after opening, might actually be more of a threat than last week’s big winner. But ‘Snow White’ has an alluring cast, the potential to draw all demographics, and most importantly for a summer blockbuster, a whole lotta action.” Jeff Bock, Exhibitor Relations Senior Box Office Analyst, gave the edge to “Huntsman” over “Mirror, Mirror,” which opened at #3 at the box office with just $18.1 million. He credited the newer film’s stronger chances to its tone, likening its style to box-office juggernaut “Alice in Wonderland.” “Universal’s ‘Snow White’ is the one everyone was waiting for; [this one is] done on a much grander scale, more akin to ‘Alice’ and very dark, like the Brothers Grimm fairy tale it spawned from.” ” ‘Snow White’ very clearly wants to be a ‘Lord of the Rings’-like swashbuckling epic, which should draw a bigger, more enticed audience,” agreed Polowy.” “The Avengers” is now the fourth-biggest movie ever, in terms of gross, domestically. The power of “Twilight,” of course, continues. But what will the success or failure of “Snow White” mean for the careers of its respective stars outside of their tried-and-true franchises? “This movie has been sold as Charlize Theron as the evil queen,” Ellwood pointed out. “You could argue that Universal hasn’t done enough to showcase Hemsworth in the movie, especially after the success of ‘The Avengers.’ ” Bock was quick to note talk of a possible “Huntsman”-centered sequel. “Hollywood is pretty smitten with Hemsworth. In the end though, as an ensemble piece, this has very little risk involved for him. If it were to tank, the blame would likely fall on Kristen Stewart, with critics jumping on the ‘she can’t carry a film other than ‘Twilight’ bandwagon. It is quite apparent when watching the movie that the real stars are Hemsworth and Theron, who both give powerhouse performances.” “[The movie’s success or failure] will be very important for Kristen Stewart,” Polowy said. “This is Stewart’s first high-profile starring role outside of ‘Twilight,’ and it’s loaded with variables. Can she open a summer blockbuster? Can she do action? Can she do accents? Can she refrain from biting her lip so much?” “Any opening over $30 million outside of ‘Twilight’ is good for Stewart,” offered Ellwood. “If ‘Snow White’ has legs, it’s a sign she’s can easily transition as a leading lady in tentpole films once her days as Bella are over.” Speaking of “biting” and “legs,” there is another film swimming toward the box office: “Piranha 3DD.” It’s 2010 predecessor, “Piranha 3-D,” was a surprise hit with critics (73 percent on the Tomatometer, which is like an Oscar for that type of horror flick). It didn’t collect huge amounts of cash, but it certainly did well enough for the Weinstein Company/ Dimension Films to warrant a follow-up, for which director John Gulager (“Feast”) took over for Alexandre Aja (“High Tension”). However, despite the critical love for the last one, “Piranha 3DD” sat at a lowly 20 percent on the Tomatometer at press time. “Critics loved the first Piranha because it exploited everything cheesy about campy horror films — and 3-D flicks — in tongue-in-cheek style. The sequel is merely exploitation of that success,” Bock said. “Based on the theater count of 75 theaters, you can see that this one will go belly up quick and flushed down the drain.” Flesh-eating fish and “Snow White” aside, the $600 million question, as Polowy put it, is whether anything will beat “The Avengers” in 2012. All three of the experts we contacted agreed that only one film stands a chance. Which film is that? Let’s just say it involves a cape, a cowl and maybe a broken back. “There’s only one candidate who could come close, and its name is ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ ” Polowy said of the forthcoming flick, for which an exclusive clip will premiere at Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards. “Assuming [filmmaker] Christopher Nolan recaptures the magic of his last Batman blockbuster, and Tom Hardy’s Bane proves a viable replacement for Heath Ledger’s Joker, it will be close.” “It will have to be as strong critically as ‘The Dark Knight,’ ” said Ellwood. “That may be the only way to pull in [people who visit the movies four to six times per year]. Besides the added benefit of higher 3-D ticket prices, ‘The Avengers’ became a de facto family film, something ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ clearly isn’t, which helped fuel its coffers. Warner Bros. will need strong repeat business and massive adoration for ‘Rises’ to overtake ‘The Avengers.’ It’s arguably Batman’s toughest challenge yet.” Bock agreed it’s a huge challenge for Bats, one that may prove more defeating than anything Bane could cook up. “Even considering ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is probably the most anticipated threequel since ‘Return of the Jedi,’ ‘The Avengers’ is playing like Earth’s mightiest sequel. And that’s exactly what it is.” “Sorry Batman, you’ve been busted by Hollywood’s box-office brigade,” he concluded. Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live this Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. Related Photos ‘Snow White And The Huntsman’ World Premiere
This just in from Disney HQ: After bashing records across the globe, The Avengers will go from puny Earthbound box office domination to the final frontier, screening for six lucky multinational cosmonauts currently in orbit: “Marvel Studios announced today that they arranged with NASA to transfer their record-breaking blockbuster film Marvel’s The Avengers to NASA’s Mission Control in Houston, which will uplink the film to the International Space Station (ISS), currently orbiting 220 miles above Earth. The film will then be screened for the space station crew’s exclusive enjoyment.” (Take that, Pentagon !) Keep an eye out for Loki up there fellas, eh? [Press release]
