‘Tracers’ will ‘really dig into this society,’ producer Wyck Godfrey tells MTV News. By Kara Warner Taylor Lautner Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images When MTV News sat down with “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” producer Wyck Godfrey recently for some expert analysis of the film’s chances in taking home golden popcorn at this Sunday’s (June 3) MTV Movie Awards , we walked out with insightful Best Kiss category commentary as well as a few good tidbits about his future projects with the franchise’s stars Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner . Pattinson’s potential project is in the very early stages, but Lautner’s next movie with Godfrey has been greenlit, an action thriller called “Tracers” , which Godfrey said will put Lautner’s character into the underground world of parkour. “We’ve got a great young Spanish director, Daniel Benmayor … and it’s really tackling the subculture of parkour,” Godfrey said. “I think we all have seen parkour as action sequences in movies, but we haven’t delved into the denizens of that world and what that’s about. I kind of think of it as an action-heavy Gus Van Sant movie, because you really dig into this society.” When the film was announced, Lautner’s character was employed as a bike messenger, but Godfrey revealed that detail will likely change. “There’s a movie coming out that Joe Gordon-Levitt’s doing [‘Premium Rush’], and I saw a trailer and thought, ‘We should change our guy’s job because [Gordon-Levitt] did it so well,’ ” Godfrey explained. “That’s really just a jumping off point in the movie, so it’s easy to change.” We then asked whether, before landing the role, Lautner demonstrated proof of his parkour moves — the art of which involves moving quickly through any environment via jumping, rolling and running. “Honestly, one of the reasons we went to him is that in ‘New Moon,’ he does that thing where he goes up the tree, and that was something that I was there watching him train every day and realized how extraordinary he was athletically,” Godfrey recalled. “He almost doesn’t need the wires.” Don’t forget to cast your vote for Lautner’s nominated movie, “Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” to win big at this year’s MTV Movie Awards . It all goes down at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, at 9 p.m. ET/PT this Sunday, June 3. Related Videos Behind The Scenes At The 2012 MTV Movie Awards
Also in Friday morning’s briefs round up, Edinburgh and NY Asian Film Festival set their lineups with Disney’s Brave headed to Scotland, Kick-Ass alum bid for a return to the sequel, while Universal torpedoes a rival Battleship . 11th New York Asian Film Festival Sets Slate Fifty feature films and three programs of shorts including 20 North American and one U.S. premiere are on tap for the event hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Subway Cinema June 29th – July 15th in New York. The North American debut of Vulgaria about a “hapless movie producer trying to get his skin flick off the ground, who will do anything to finance it, including auctioning off visitation rights to the daughter he adores and sucking up to gangsters” will open the event. Around the ‘net… Dark Knight Rises and Hunger Games Win Golden Trailer Awards The Dark Knight Rises won “Best in Show” at the 13th Golden Trailer Awards. The movie also snagged the Best Summer Trailer for 2012, while Snow White and the Huntsman took the award for Best Action trailer, Deadline reports .http://pmcmovieline.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=157463&action=edit&message=1 Disney’s Brave Set for Edinburgh Film Festival The latest Disney animation is set in a mythical Sottish Highlands. The 66th edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival will feature 121 new films from 52 countries, including 19 world premieres. Other highlights incude 7 Days in Havana with Benicio Del Toro and thriller Killer Joe from Exorcist director William Friedkin, which will open the event running June 20th – July 1st in the Scottish capital, BBC reports . Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz Close in on Kick-Ass 2 Original cast members Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz are close to making deals to return for the sequel. The 2010 original cost $28 million to produce and grossed $103 million. Nicolas Cage is also up for a cameo, Deadline reports . The Devil Wears Prada Sequel for 2013 Author Lauren Weisberger’s sequel to the 2003 best seller will be titled, Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns . The book continues the story of former magazine assistant Andy Sachs, which starred Anne Hathaway in the film version. Andy’s catty counterpart, Emily, also makes a return, BBC reports . Universal Action Sinks Battleship Rival American Battleship Universal tossed out a lawsuit over an unauthorized spin-of of its blockbuster Battleship. The Asylum, producer of a low-budget American Battleship , has agreed to change the name of their version to American Warships and change its marketing and packaging in exchange for Universal dropping the lawsuit, THR reports .
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
Kimye have put their respective L.A. homes on the market, fueling rumors the couple plan to live together. By Jocelyn Vena Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Photo: Eric Ryan/ Getty Images Are Kimye ready to take the next step? Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have each put their Los Angeles-area residences up for sale as they seemingly make plans to move in together. According to TMZ , both stars are selling their homes as “pocket listings,” meaning all parties agree the listings will remain private and won’t be advertised. Kardashian is reportedly asking $5 million for her Beverly Hills residence; no word on how much Yeezy wants for his house. But the couple apparently want to rent in a gated area where they can have privacy. An Usmagazine.com source reported similar news on Thursday (May 31): “Kim is selling her home privately. Kanye and Kim are thinking about moving in together.” Kardashian and West began dating formally earlier this spring after being “friends for years,” a magazine source said. The pair were spotted at the Cannes Film Festival last week, where West arrived to premiere his film “Cruel Summer.” While TMZ and Usmagazine.com insist they may soon move in together, yet another source told
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]
‘I will see u again Glass,’ Bieber tweets after hitting his head on a glass wall during a secret show. By Jocelyn Vena Justin Bieber Photo: Island/Def Jam When Justin Bieber was in Paris on Thursday (May 31) to perform a secret show for his fans in the lead-up to the release of his Believe album, he got a surprise of his own when he walked into a glass wall, injuring himself mid-set. According to an interview with TMZ , he bumped into the wall but was able to finish out the performance. “I was performing, and I was going offstage and, basically, I’m in Paris and performing on the tallest building in Paris, and there’s a glass wall behind me, but there’s a railing behind the glass. And so I went to reach for the railing and I hit my head on the glass,” he explained. “And I guess me and glass windows don’t really go together.” He is referring to a viral video of himself going through a glass revolving door where he hit his head from back in 2010. However, this incident was a bit more serious and he added that he “felt lightheaded,” but “my adrenaline pushed me through it and I performed the last song.” After he walked off the stage, he passed out for 15 seconds and later learned he suffered a concussion. “I feel good. I feel good,” he assured his fans. “I have a little bit of a headache, but I feel fine.” On top of clearing the air with TMZ about the incident, he was able to laugh it off on Twitter : “Thanks for the love but there are alot of people out there who need prayers. im fine. just smacked my head and needed some water. all good. im Canadian. we are tough. lol. its all good. just gotta take it easy the rest of the night. back at it again for u guys tomorrow. Thanks. thanks for the love but there are alot of people out there who need prayers. im fine. just smacked my head and needed some water. all good — Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) May 31, 2012 “The fact you all knew what happened before my mom even did is impressive. lol. I have amazing fans. very grateful for your love,” he continued. “Gonna eat, rest, get some sleep and tomorrow Im back at it. The show must go on! Love yall. We got this.” Bieber had this message for the glass wall. “I will see u again Glass. I will have my revenge. BIEBER vs GLASS. MGM LAS VEGAS 2013. lol. #GottaLaughAtYourself,” he joked. While chatting with TMZ, Bieber also commented on the pandemonium he stirred up when he performed a secret show in Oslo, Norway, earlier this week , during which several young fans were injured. “Oh my goodness that was crazy. The fans were insane. I even had to go to this secret location or else they were going to cancel my show, it was crazy,” he said. “Norway’s been waiting for me to come, and I’ve never been to Norway. It was nuts.” Despite several minor setbacks on his secret-show tour, Bieber plans to continue his final 10 around the world in the lead-up to the June 19 album release. When MTV News caught up with Bieber before Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards , he threw all his support behind multi-nominee “Bridesmaids.” “I just think it was funny. It’s kind of like the female version of ‘The Hangover,’ ” he said. 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. Related Videos MTV First: Justin Bieber Related Artists Justin Bieber
Emma Stone, Wiz Khalifa and one lucky fan will take home these stuffed swag bags at Sunday’s big show. By Kara Klenk 2012 MTV Movie Awards gift bag Photo: Brian Dowling/Picture Group/MTV Everyone knows the life of a movie star comes with tons of perks. Besides having a personal chef, trainer and umbrella carrier, celebs are often treated to extravagant gift bags at events and awards shows, and the 2012 MTV Movie Awards are no exception. This Sunday (June 3), even if they don’t take home any Golden Popcorn, all the stars of “Twilight,” “Harry Potter” and more will walk away with a nice bag of swag. And so will one lucky winner! Take a look at all the goodies the stars will be grabbing then head over to our Facebook page to win one for yourself!
“Even though the media exhibit enormous sophistication and historical perspective in a thousand different ways — not that I can think of a specific example right now — they are far too often bedazzled by the sheer novelty of a story. If you watch cable news, for example, you know all too well that if there are two child kidnappings in the same month, the first one gets far more attention than the second. This same law applies to box-office bombs. With Battleship , the fascination with Hollywood flop sweat had already worn off. When I asked a veteran showbiz reporter why his publication had spent so little time covering the demise of Battleship , he joked: ‘I guess we all had the same reaction — didn’t we just write that story already?'” [LAT]
High School has such a winning premise that you want to send everyone involved in making it back to the drawing board for a do-over — just take it from the top, folks, and this time everyone actually have a good time. Directed by John Stalberg, who wrote the film with Erik Linthorst and Stephen Susco, this debut feature follows uptight overachiever Henry Burke (Matt Bush) as, on the eve of finals, he dabbles in pot for the first time with his childhood friend-turned-burnout king Travis Breaux (Sean Marquette) — only to be told the next day that principal Leslie Gordon (an almost unrecognizable Michael Chiklis) is instating a student body-wide zero tolerance drug test. The plan the pair come up with to salvage Travis’s years of hard work and scholarship to MIT? They’re going to get the entire school high to throw off the results. This is, as far as stoner movies go, kind of ingenious, but High School rushes through the parts it should savor and then pads out its runtime with filler elsewhere — and, less forgivably, it doesn’t make getting high look like fun. The stoner comedy as a genre has few requirements other than summoning up a THC haze and being generally good-natured, but High School leaves you feeling like the sober person at a party, wincing at how everyone’s acting and wondering if that’s how you look when under the influence. This may be because that’s how Henry feels all the time — he’s a tightly wound scold who belongs to that wan breed of recent high school protagonists (see It’s Kind of a Funny Story and The Art of Getting By ) who seem on the verge of implosion thanks to some vague, self-imposed psychological distress. The hollow-eyed Henry reunites with Travis, who is leading a seemingly parentless life on a perpetual high, after nearly running into him in the parking lot and instead hitting the principal’s car and earning a detention. “You come to see how the other half lives?” sneers Travis, who’s stuck there too. It rings strange — the division between the pair isn’t due to any class difference but to a lifestyle one, and Travis hasn’t exactly been forced to smoke pot constantly. But the two feel enough nostalgia for their younger days to end up hanging out afterward, where Travis coaxes Henry in smoking his way to an unpleasant first-time high that leaves him paranoid, dazed and with a black eye from falling out of a tree house. Because this is a stoner comedy, the fact that the setup is creaky and doesn’t quite make sense shouldn’t be a problem — except that none of the ways in which the film exaggerates are all that funny. Take Chiklis’s pompous Principal Gordon, with his flop of greasy hair and secret pervert vibe. He’s in the style of an ’80s movie authority figure like Mr. Rooney in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off , one whose sole motivation is ego and spite — except that High School isn’t stylized in the same way. It’s grounded enough to realize that parents would instantly protest the gross invasion of privacy represented by mandatory drug testing, but not enough to explain why an administrator would be eager to expel the graduating class’ likely valedictorian. Its sense of rebellion is completely phony — that of a kid who, like Henry, got high one time and still talks about it. The film’s major asset, one that’s also wasted (in both senses), is Adrien Brody hamming it up as twitchy drug dealer Psycho Ed, a tattooed law school grad (he has “BOOK WORM” across his knuckles) who lost it after smoking a laced joint and has chosen instead to apply his smarts to growing high-octane weed. Sporting cornrows, his bug eyes rolling, Brody should be funny, though Ed’s a better idea than he is in practice — you’re aggressively aware that he’s just an actor showing off the way he’s playing against type rather than a character who’s amusing in his own right. There are other side figures who don’t click: Sebastian (Adhir Kalyan), Henry’s mustache-twirlingly evil rival for the top academic slot; stoner spelling bee champ Charlyne Phuc (Julia Ling), whose last name gets used for a lame joke; well-meaning assistant principal Brandon Ellis (Colin Hanks); a loopy former Deadhead teacher (Yeardley Smith). The movie’s big event — the spiking of bake sale brownies with THC crystals — takes place early on rather than toward the end, so it doesn’t result in the kind of delirious chaotic payoff you’d expect or want from the film. Students and teachers look dazed, lose focus and say some inexplicable things, and by the time the goofiness comes along, it’s too late. It is, horror of horrors, a portrayal of a mildly realistic high, which in the context of what should be an over-the-top film is really the last thing you want. What’s the use of a stoner film if it can’t convince you that there’s at least some fun to be had in the warm embrace of cannabis? Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
High School has such a winning premise that you want to send everyone involved in making it back to the drawing board for a do-over — just take it from the top, folks, and this time everyone actually have a good time. Directed by John Stalberg, who wrote the film with Erik Linthorst and Stephen Susco, this debut feature follows uptight overachiever Henry Burke (Matt Bush) as, on the eve of finals, he dabbles in pot for the first time with his childhood friend-turned-burnout king Travis Breaux (Sean Marquette) — only to be told the next day that principal Leslie Gordon (an almost unrecognizable Michael Chiklis) is instating a student body-wide zero tolerance drug test. The plan the pair come up with to salvage Travis’s years of hard work and scholarship to MIT? They’re going to get the entire school high to throw off the results. This is, as far as stoner movies go, kind of ingenious, but High School rushes through the parts it should savor and then pads out its runtime with filler elsewhere — and, less forgivably, it doesn’t make getting high look like fun. The stoner comedy as a genre has few requirements other than summoning up a THC haze and being generally good-natured, but High School leaves you feeling like the sober person at a party, wincing at how everyone’s acting and wondering if that’s how you look when under the influence. This may be because that’s how Henry feels all the time — he’s a tightly wound scold who belongs to that wan breed of recent high school protagonists (see It’s Kind of a Funny Story and The Art of Getting By ) who seem on the verge of implosion thanks to some vague, self-imposed psychological distress. The hollow-eyed Henry reunites with Travis, who is leading a seemingly parentless life on a perpetual high, after nearly running into him in the parking lot and instead hitting the principal’s car and earning a detention. “You come to see how the other half lives?” sneers Travis, who’s stuck there too. It rings strange — the division between the pair isn’t due to any class difference but to a lifestyle one, and Travis hasn’t exactly been forced to smoke pot constantly. But the two feel enough nostalgia for their younger days to end up hanging out afterward, where Travis coaxes Henry in smoking his way to an unpleasant first-time high that leaves him paranoid, dazed and with a black eye from falling out of a tree house. Because this is a stoner comedy, the fact that the setup is creaky and doesn’t quite make sense shouldn’t be a problem — except that none of the ways in which the film exaggerates are all that funny. Take Chiklis’s pompous Principal Gordon, with his flop of greasy hair and secret pervert vibe. He’s in the style of an ’80s movie authority figure like Mr. Rooney in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off , one whose sole motivation is ego and spite — except that High School isn’t stylized in the same way. It’s grounded enough to realize that parents would instantly protest the gross invasion of privacy represented by mandatory drug testing, but not enough to explain why an administrator would be eager to expel the graduating class’ likely valedictorian. Its sense of rebellion is completely phony — that of a kid who, like Henry, got high one time and still talks about it. The film’s major asset, one that’s also wasted (in both senses), is Adrien Brody hamming it up as twitchy drug dealer Psycho Ed, a tattooed law school grad (he has “BOOK WORM” across his knuckles) who lost it after smoking a laced joint and has chosen instead to apply his smarts to growing high-octane weed. Sporting cornrows, his bug eyes rolling, Brody should be funny, though Ed’s a better idea than he is in practice — you’re aggressively aware that he’s just an actor showing off the way he’s playing against type rather than a character who’s amusing in his own right. There are other side figures who don’t click: Sebastian (Adhir Kalyan), Henry’s mustache-twirlingly evil rival for the top academic slot; stoner spelling bee champ Charlyne Phuc (Julia Ling), whose last name gets used for a lame joke; well-meaning assistant principal Brandon Ellis (Colin Hanks); a loopy former Deadhead teacher (Yeardley Smith). The movie’s big event — the spiking of bake sale brownies with THC crystals — takes place early on rather than toward the end, so it doesn’t result in the kind of delirious chaotic payoff you’d expect or want from the film. Students and teachers look dazed, lose focus and say some inexplicable things, and by the time the goofiness comes along, it’s too late. It is, horror of horrors, a portrayal of a mildly realistic high, which in the context of what should be an over-the-top film is really the last thing you want. What’s the use of a stoner film if it can’t convince you that there’s at least some fun to be had in the warm embrace of cannabis? Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
