Yesterday, we reported the news that Universal had taken the remake/prequel/reimagining of The Thing off its release schedules, and had given its planned release slot to Fast & Furious sequel, Fast Five, instead.

So, we wondered, just what had happened to The Thing itself? Because this is a film that we’d heard some surprisingly positive murmurings about. Surprising, because the mere idea of any kind of new take on The Thing is surely enough to get alarm bells blaring very loudly indeed.

However, we’re going to have to wait quite a bit longer to find out whether the film measures up now, as HitFix has revealed the reason why the film lost its release slot. Namely, that more filming is set to take place.

This news comes from Marc Abraham, the producer of the film, who has confirmed that additional photography has been agreed “to enhance existing sequences or to make crystal clear a few story beats or to add punctuation marks to the film’s feeling of dread” (those quotes are from the HitFix story, rather than directly attribute to Abraham, just for the purpose of clarity).

Pick-up photography is nothing to fear, of course. Even the likes of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy , amongst many other films, benefited from further shooting once principal photography had been completed. And this there’s little reason to fear that this is bad news for The Thing.

It does, however, mean that a new release date has to be sought. HitFix reports that The Thing is still set to be completed early next year, but Universal now has to schedule it once more.

Once we have the new date, we’ll let you know.

HitFix

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We’re but days away now from the worldwide roll-out of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, the penultimate movie in the Harry Potter cinematic franchise. But given the amount of hype that the film is generating, and the sheer amount of cash that it’s set to make for Warner Bros, there’s inevitably been chatter about ways of prolonging the series further.

Could, perhaps, there be another Harry Potter book at some point in the future?

Well, no appears to be the answer to that, as the idea of it has just been nixed once more by the author of the books herself, J K Rowling. While the principal cast of the Harry Potter films had all pretty much confirmed that they wouldn’t return to the roles even if a new book was penned, Rowling herself has now apparently confirmed once more that one won’t be coming.

This was revealed by Daniel Radcliffe at the New York City Harry Potter premiere, where he told MTV News that he’d received a text message from Rowling confirming the fact.

“Basically, it amounted to the fact that she felt I had been very good in this 'Harry Potter' film, and as a reward for that, she wasn't going to [write] any more 'Harry Potter' [books]," he said.

The slightly cynical side of us does wonder if this is the kind of decision that might just be reversed ten years down the line, as ‘never say never’ seems an appropriate mantra here. Yet even if Potter did return, it’d be very different from how we’re experiencing it now. That said, we wouldn't be surprised if a movie executive from Warner Bros had at least asked the question in the past few months...

You can read our review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 right here.

MTV

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Now here’s a project that we thought had been quietly forgotten about by all concerned.

Once upon a time, it was revealed that Eddie Murphy and Brett Ratner were to join forces to make a fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie. Given that the third Beverly Hills Cop film appears to have been disowned by all concerned, and given that Murphy’s box office pulling power isn’t, er, what it was, it all seemed a long shot at best.

Yet that would overlook the Hollywood trend for digging up older franchises and bringing along a fresh instalment over a decade after the last. Thus, Beverly Hills Cop 4 appeared to be gaining some traction at some point, and work was understood to have begun on putting a story together. And Ratner reportedly came aboard.

From a purely commercial perspective, you'd have to say that's a wise move, too. For Brett Ratner is the man who’s steered the Rush Hour trilogy of action comedies to box office gold, pretty much out of nothing. Thus, there's some logic to him putting together Beverly Hills Cop 4.

It’s just the thought of the film itself isn’t very pleasant.

Ratner, for all his box office success, has never really won much fan affection for his work. And Murphy? If there was a chance we could get performances of the quality that he was turning in across the 1980s, then that’d be great. Yet it’s not just us, surely, who fears those days are long gone.

The point of all of the jabbering is the news that Murphy and Ratner are indeed still working on a new Beverly Hills Cop 4. The director himself confirmed the news to MTV,

“I am all over it”, Ratner said of the project.

He then went on to talk about Murphy’s thoughts on the new film.

"He's sensitive about it. He made two great ones. The third one didn't really work. It's an important film for him. It's a character that's iconic. I don't think he goes anywhere in the world where someone — they're not going, 'Yo, Eddie Murphy,' they're like, 'Yo, Axel Foley!'”

Ratner went on to describe Axel Foley to Murphy  as “his Clark Kent. His Darth Vader. His albatross”

Murphy and Ratner are currently working on a comedy by the name of Tower Heist, which is shooting at the moment. Could Beverly Hills Cop 4 be their next project? We’ll no doubt find out in due course…

MTV

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We’re already past the half-way point for the terrific maiden season of The Walking Dead, which has been one of the clear television highlights of the year. And AMC, too, has already confirmed that there’s going to be a second season of the show.

The first season is running to just six episodes, of which the fourth screens in the US at the end of the week. However, the second season is set to be a longer thirteen episode run, although The Hollywood Reporter is now confirming that we’re going to have to wait a bit to see it.

For AMC is currently planning on leaving us waiting a year until season two screens, with it circling an October premiere once more for the start of the season. This isn’t a massive surprise, to be fair, but it had been hoped that AMC would look to bring the show back just a little sooner.

The report also states that Frank Darabont is set to write and direct another episode of the show next year, though. So that’s good news, anyway.

Find more on the story at The Hollywood Reporter, right here.

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5.7 Brooklyn Without Limits

I’m not sure whether the UK practice of having Oscar-winning filmmakers direct electoral campaign ads has crossed the pond yet, but judging by 30 Rock’s brilliant parody of the recent midterm TV spots endured by the American public, I’d hazard a guess it hasn’t. 

While political broadcasts in the UK have enjoyed the classy directorial talents of Anthony Minghella (Truly Madly Deeply, The English Patient), Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire) and John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy), the availability of air time in the states led to a handful of ads in the last election that were only marginally more bizarre than the candidates who approved them. Just type the words “Carly Fiorina + demon sheep” into YouTube to see what can happen when a troubled soul meets After Effects.

But regardless of their suitability for office, idiotic public figures are of course brilliant for one thing: providing succour to comedians. The crazies that came out of the woodwork during the 2010 midterms proved too good a comic opportunity for Tina Fey to pass up, and this week’s 30 Rock boiled them all down to a fine reduction of political lunacy.

In what has to be the best used guest role of the series so far, this week saw Mad Men’s John Slattery join the 30 Rock cast for a stint as unaffiliated Rhode Island congressional candidate Steve Austin.

Campaigning on a pledge to return America to her golden age by legalising slavery and using rum as an anaesthetic, Slattery was brilliantly funny as lunatic Irwin, and his performances in the episode’s spoof tea party TV spots erased any memory that this could be the same man behind Mad Men’s suave Roger Sterling.

The theme of the episode was conscience. Jack’s calculated decision to politically back a whacko so the NBC/Kabletown merger could proceed caused him an unfamiliar twinge in his, while Liz duelled with consumer responsibility.

Debating whether to keep a pair of jeans with less than sound origins but which gave her the perfectly formed rump of a Mexican sports reporter, Liz’s problem was ethics versus aesthetics (or should that be ass-thetics?). Only sociopath Jenna seemed to have no qualms about the plot she’d cooked up to sabotage co-star Tracy’s chance at a Golden Globe.

But strangely enough, it was Jenna who showed Liz and Jack the error of their ways. Her Damascan transformation being prompted by Tracy’s stellar performance in the gritty Harlem-based Hard to Watch, a spot-on parody of last year’s critical darling Precious.

Having learnt that sometimes you’ve got to do the right thing even when the wrong one is so much easier, Jenna inspires Liz to cast off the hand stitching of enslaved Vietnamese orphans and return to the life of the averagely-buttocked. The domino effect continues as Jack gives in to his inner moral voice and feeds Candidate Irwin enough rope to hang himself. Jack’s pain at having let morality get in the way of making money is a priceless moment in this episode, as is his shame at uttering the line that having done so he may as well go and (whisper it) become a teacher.

There was a whole lot more besides: a smart satire on hipster consumption and its sinister corporate backing, Lemon dropping it like it’s hot, Kenneth as a living sushi platter, Tracy channelling Samuel L Jackson, and yet another ridiculous Boston accent. More than should by rights fit into 22 minutes of properly funny television.

But that’s the joy of 30 Rock. It’s a show with no dearth of material that can afford to throw away lines and gags another series would have to eke out for an entire episode. Riches indeed.

Read our review of episode 6, Gentleman's Intermission, here.

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So, as you’ve probably heard, the besuited types at Warner Brothers have decided, in their infinite wisdom, that it’s time to bring Buffy The Vampire Slayer back to the big screen. At first glance, this is a bloody fantastic idea. Let’s get Joss Whedon, the Buffster, and the Scoobs back where they belong, in a big-budget, feature-length reunion, and give Buffy fans one last visit with Sunnydale’s finest.

Sadly, this appears to be the farthest thing from Warner Brothers’ mind. In fact, what the studio announced, rather quietly earlier this week, was a “reimagining” of the original Buffy movie, in all its Luke Perry sized glory.

No, you haven’t lost your mind, that does say the original Buffy movie. Yes, WB has in fact bought the rights to the Kazui-produced camp fest that was the ’92 incarnation of the Buffy story. A movie so disappointing that even its creator decided to remake it when Fox came calling, giving birth to one of the most successful and influential shows of the last couple of decades.

Clearly, with vampires so on-trend right now, Warner Brothers is desperate to get a slice of the sparkly Twilight pie, and faced with a dearth of options, like trying to find an idea of its own, has decided to cannibalise an already successful franchise.

Problem is, though, that owning the rights to the movie and not the show means that the Scoobies, Angel, Giles, Spike et al will not be present – those characters are owned by Fox – leaving Warner with only the Buffy character and the general slayer storyline to play with.

This is definitely not a project put together with fans of the TV show in mind. Rather, this is a movie aimed at an audience who has little or no idea about the show, enabling the studio to make it as Twilight-like as they please. Warner was also quick to point out that none of the action will take place anywhere a high school. But while they may not be touching the show, they do seem to be placing the storyline as near to it (or True Blood) as possible.

What’s going on here appears to be purely economically driven, even if it is two years behind the curve. With the Twilight box office in the hundreds of millions, there isn’t a studio exec on the planet that doesn’t want a piece of that. But with the release of the final Twilight movie, however, the golden touch that is forbidden vamp/human love will become the kiss of death.

For reasons yet to be explained, the Twilight franchise is a phenomenon, but lightning doesn’t strike twice. Just because much of Twilight (and True Blood, if we’re being honest) was culled from the Buffy stories, it doesn’t mean that putting those stories on the screen will have the same effect, something Warner has clearly not taken into account.

Jumping on bandwagons isn’t a good idea at the best of times, but jumping on a rickety bandwagon with an idea that’s already been reimagined as both an incredibly successful TV show and a comic has got to be commercial suicide.

Add to this the criminal lack of any Joss Whedon involvement, (or any of the BTVS writers for that matter), a script written by newbie Whit Anderson, production by the team that brought us the remakes of Get Smart and Scooby Doo, and a rather frightening picture starts to emerge.

From a story point of view, it’s easy to see why studios are keen to keep the Buffy franchise alive – she’s a strong female character, with lots of scope for empowerment stories. She generally kicks ass and there’s a limitless supply of supernatural types for her to go up against.

She’s a fantastic creation, and can pretty much appeal to any age. All of which would be fine if the drive behind the reboot was that the time was right for a new slayer, or if there was a dearth of vamp-on-human love at the cinema. Make any movie purely from a desire to cash in and what you’re generally left with is The A-Team.

One of the reasons Buffy worked so well as a TV show was the luxury of time. Whedon and his team were able to take the Scoobs and turn them from generically nerdy teens into a believable group of friends who were funny, sharp, smart, and occasionally saved the world. What can the new movie say in two hours that hasn’t already been said in hundreds of hours of TV?

That’s the biggest problem with the proposed storyline. Buffy already left school, struggled as a young adult, juggled working and slaying, had bizarre relationships, raised a younger sister on her own... There really isn’t anything she hasn’t done, so where can Anderson take Buffy that Joss didn’t?

The lack of Whedon involvement, and character/cast issues aside, perhaps what’s most worrying here is the utter lack of originality coming out of Hollywood at the moment, as well as the reticence to go out and find some new ideas. Need a vampire movie? Why not use a watered down version of a franchise that’s available on DVD, and still in syndication across America? It appears, not for the first time, that the movie industry is now officially out of ideas.

As if any more proof were needed that Hollywood is dying, here’s the death rattle: they’re going to remake The Wizard of Oz.

And you thought the Buffy movie was blasphemy...

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Anyone remember that great episode of 30 Rock back in season one, when Liz finds out she’s unpopular at work? You know the one - Liz decides to go easy on her staff to make them like her, but then they start to take advantage so she reverts to being mean? Well, the writers of this week’s episode surely do.

Last week, I praised 30 Rock for its wealth of material, a compliment that College may have proved to have been a bit premature. This week’s episode borrows its first storyline from season one’s The C Word and flimsily spins another from an old one-liner that ends up delivering about one line’s worth of laughs.

In 30 Rock’s first ever episode, Pilot, Jack’s deadpan announcement that he was Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming was just one of the show’s many blink and you’ll miss it gags. College stretched that thin premise to breaking point this week, with a mostly humour-free storyline on Jack’s manic need to find fault with the company’s new microwave oven prototype.

It was one of Jack’s crisis weeks. Every so often in 30 Rock, Jack loses his glossy, controlled demeanour and we catch a glimpse of the seething mass of doubt and insecurity that lies underneath the Armani. In the past these crises have set up some weird and wonderful punch lines: Jack cradling a fresh peacock corpse and stealing deli meat with an Eastern European prostitute were brilliant pay offs to crisis stories about losing his mentor and finalising his divorce.

The crisis this week? Jack being unable to leave 25 years of Microwave Programming behind him as the Kabletown merger looms into view. And the pay off? Pete in a Mexican poncho strumming along to Jack’s drunken rendition of Jethro Tull’s Aqualung… Enjoyable yes, but it’s no dead peacock.

The episode was clunkily themed around the characters’ varied college experiences or lack thereof. Liz was trying to recapture the brief moment of popularity she’d enjoyed as a freshman while Jack bemoaned having missed out on the slacker experience because of the ambition and poverty of his youth.

There was a welcome return from writers Toofer, Frank and Lutz who channelled their own student days by getting up to their usual monkeyshines and pranking Pete into ponchodom.

A worrying trend in this season of 30 Rock has been Jenna’s steady transformation into becoming the voice of reason. Sacrificing her own ambition for the good of the show in episode one, leading an expedition to moral high ground in Brooklyn Without Limits, and this week sagely advising Liz to make peace with her rule-enforcing status, Jenna is showing all the signs of turning into an actual adult human being. Let’s hope it’s just a side effect of some illegal Brazilian diet pills…

I can never stay mad at 30 Rock for long, though. One iffy episode as the caboose to a train of absolute crackers does not a bad series make. And I should probably confess that, having spent most of my past week high-fiving a million angels, College may have put me more in debt to the Blizzard than ever.

You can read our review of episode 7, Brooklyn Without Limits, here.

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10. The Emerald City

A few weeks ago, my housemates and I decided to have a big housewarming party to celebrate moving into our new place. Facebook invites were sent out, music was selected, cheese and pineapple on sticks figuratively assembled. On the night of the party, however, my friend suddenly changed the plan.

“We’re going to the pub first,” he told me. “I’ve told everybody and they’re going to meet us there - then we can bring them all back here en masse for the house party.” “Why are we doing that?” I asked, irritated.

“Well, we want to avoid that weird early period of a party where everyone’s sat around sober in their own little groups making awkward chit chat. This way, we skip over all that and everyone arrives here lubricated and ready to party.”

Now, I may be a TV watching, comic reading, drawn-curtains-on-a-sunny-day nerd, but I’ve been to enough house parties to know that this sounded like a stupid idea.

And so it proved, as virtually nobody turned up to the pub. However, once we’d got back to the house, people began to trickle in, and sure enough, the awkward chit chat began, only this time a few hours later than normal. A few minutes later, it exploded into a hedonistic orgy of biblical proportions.

The moral of the story? You can’t rush a good time. You have to earn it.

A parable, there, one of Boardwalk Empire’s favourite storytelling devices, and one that I’m now employing myself to make a point, albeit laboriously, about the first season of this show.

Boardwalk Empire has had an extended period of ‘getting to know you’ over the previous episodes, and it’s proved to be a difficult pill for many viewers to swallow, who have demanded a lot more ‘party’ and a little less ‘mingle’.

Now that I’ve tortured this metaphor to breaking point, let’s get to the crux of the matter: The Emerald City is a fantastic episode of television. It’s riveting for its whole running time, filled with payoffs, great scenes, quotable lines and – gasp! - plot development. It is, often literally, a bloody good time. If you’re still complaining about the slow pace after this episode, maybe this show isn’t for you.

Last week I talked about how Boardwalk Empire’s premise may have been what has been hampering it in the dramatic stakes: it’s a show about people becoming gangsters, not a show about gangsters.
As a result, the level of ‘gangster shit’, i.e. the stuff that people would complain that even The Sopranos would lack in its later seasons, has been at a premium thus far.

Some people would argue that seeing the genesis of characters such as Al Capone isn’t as interesting to the viewer as it is to the writer: we want to see him in his element, lording over Chicago and toting a Tommy gun.

I’m reminded of Patton Oswalt’s classic polemic against the Star Wars prequels here. “’So, you like ice cream? Here’s a big bag of rock salt! You like Angelina Jolie, you think she’s sexy? Well, here’s Jon Voight’s ballsack.’ I don’t care about where it comes from – I just love the stuff I love!”

This is true if it’s done badly (looking at you George Lucas), but if done carefully, like it is in Boardwalk Empire, it can provide some great pay offs. Such as this week, when Al finally swaps his cap for the trademark fedora, after being lectured by Torrio and a Jewish elder for his immaturity.

It’s only a couple of scenes, and in terms of layered storytelling it’s hardly The Wire, but when taken in conjunction with the rest of his story as played out through the season to this point, it’s still a satisfying moment seeing him take one step closer towards the legend we all know.

Another fan favourite character, Richard, gets some good moments in The Emerald City, including a tragic dream sequence where we see him, unscarred, frolicking with his pre-war sweetheart on a beach, before awakening to see Margaret’s daughter screaming in horror at the sight of his unmasked, disfigured face.

There is such a tangible sense of tragedy about him that he has become one of the most fascinating characters in the show on the basis of only a few minutes of screentime.

Jimmy is now a fully-fledged badass, unleashing a horrific beating on the man he believes his wife had an affair with whilst he was in Chicago, and shooting a man in cold blood because he “kinda talked him into it.” We’ve seen Nucky’s immense political clout before many times, but the final scene in Chalky’s distillery is the first time we got to get a glimpse at Nucky’s ‘gangster’ clout, as we saw his soldiers go to work on their criminal rivals.

(Incidentally, if I had to suggest a plotline for my fantasy episode of Boardwalk Empire, it would probably be something like this: Chalky duel-wields pistols and strangles a racist with his bare hands. In fact, this should probably be something that happens every week. Watch those viewing figures shoot up.)

It all sets up an almighty conflict next week between the AC mafia, the smarting Luciano/Rothstein faction, and Agent Val Alden, who has completely gone off the rails after losing his key witness against Jimmy and Nucky, and is now indulging in hard liquor and graphic, disctinctly non-Hollywoodised extra-marital sex with Lucy, Nucky’s ex.  All bets are off for the final two episodes.

If you’ve been holding off Boardwalk Empire after a few episodes, I urge you to get back into it at the earliest opportunity. With all of the hoopla surrounding The Walking Dead, it’s in danger of being overshadowed at the moment.

It maybe has been guilty of being a little too luxuriant in its early episodes. Most series, including The Sopranos, plot out their first seasons on the basis that they’re going to to be cancelled, so they attempt to cram as many ideas as they can into their opening run, often to the detriment of later series.

The creators of Boardwalk Empire know they can take their time. It was renewed after the pilot episode, so the show’s pace has occasionally dropped to the level of ‘meandering’.

But to dismiss it and desert it due to it being slow, would be to miss out on some truly fantastic episodes of television, with The Emerald City being the most shining example thus far.

It’s never too late to join the party. Wait, does that metaphor still work? Just watch it, alright? Chalky strangles a racist with his bare hands...

Read our review of episode 9, Belle Femme, here.

Follow Paul Martinovic on Twitter @paulmartinovic.

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This review contains spoilers.

5.9 Teenage Wasteland

The unpredictable nature of Dexter was underlined in red marker this week. Having dispatched Astrid and Cody off to their grandparents earlier in the season, both I and Dexter presumed we'd seen the last of them for now. But Astor's arrival back at the house not only pushed Lumen to the edge, it also put Dexter's world into a complete spin.

Given the effort he's put into keeping Lumen's existence a secret from everyone, how rapidly this entirely fell apart was disconcerting. Soon, Dexter had taken on the appearance of a juggler with a wide distribution of dropped objects around him, and the razor sharp mind of Jordan Chase on his radar.

As this is a Showtime production, it runs a few minutes longer than the typical hour-blocked network show, but even with that wriggle room, I was singularly impressed how much they managed to pack into this story.

The truly clever part is how each of the story threads is given enough to keep it moving, while avoiding becoming overly diverted by minor events. That said, if I've learned anything about this show, it's that even the small details have significance, and each scene is chock full of them.

All simmering, now we have Lumen, Dexter, Jordan Chase, Liddy and Quinn, Maria and Angel, and Debra, who is something of a rotational centre for many of them to circle.

What I found fascinating this week was that what we're told, and what's held back from us, is very selective. Angel and Maria, for example, have had their problems this season, but until this story the extent of their relationship breakdown wasn't revealed. It's that sense of the unknown that keeps me watching, and also some of the excellent performances delivered by what are often minor characters.

I'd commented in an earlier season 5 review just how good Christina Robinson (who plays Astor) was becoming as an actress, but she really is brilliant in her scenes with Michael C. Hall. Their uneasy relationship pivots on her friendship with fellow teen Olivia. Maybe it's not much of a leap for Christina to play a hormonal teen, but it's the shades of adulthood that she layers into the performance they totally sells it to me.

Real teenagers drift between childhood and adult reactions to events in their lives, and that was in here, and something perhaps the writers of No Ordinary Family might do well to consider.

The stand-out moment of the show belonged, as usual, to Michael C. Hall. His encounter with Olivia's stepfather was pure Dexter, as he gives him the analytical breakdown of what's happening to his body during his attack. No wonder he didn't return after that lesson in pain management.

Harry's appearance just after that scene was welcome, as we've seen relatively little of Dexter's moral compass this season. His suggestion that Dexter might not have become a serial killer had he understood the threads of humanity within him was an interesting admission.

For me, the big unanswered question is how much of a threat Jordan Chase really is. Yes, he's got some dark associates, and a natty line in chilling phone calls to Lumen. But I actually find Liddy more worrying, because he's got relatively little to lose. There's also a moral dilemma in killing Liddy, in that while he's obviously unpleasant, he hasn't killed anyone yet that we're aware. Would the code allow Dexter to dispatch Liddy?

With three stories left to run, the good ship Dexter is on a dramatic collision course with nobody at the wheel. Based on what we've seen before, I can't imagine that we've got much chance in second-guessing where this might be going for any of the main characters.

I'd prefer that Lumen doesn't die in the final story, in deference to last year's dramatic conclusion, but I've got a feeling that one major character isn't going to survive - I just can't pinpoint which one!

Dexter, I've concluded, isn't a TV show. It's an adrenalin fix.

Read our review of episode 8, Take It!, here.

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It’s our sad duty to report that Ingrid Pitt has died, at the age of 73.

I’ve personally had the privilege of knowing and sometimes-working with Ingrid for over ten years, starting back when I was editing Model & Collectors Mart magazine. She approached me at a Memorabilia Show we were both at, through her husband, Tony, and swiftly became a columnist for the magazine.

At those Memorabilia Shows, Ingrid always had a queue at her table, as she spent hours chatting with her sizeable legion of fans. It was always lovely to see, and she had time for them all. She was, it goes without saying, a popular fixture at the events.

Over the years, Ingrid became a friend. Always with a spare moment for both me and my family, she also wrote for this very site for some time, being one of our earliest columnists. She was full of fascinating stories, and had led - as her terrific autobiography testifies - a very full life.

I’m going to miss her very much. And so, I suspect, are many of you.

Ingrid was the first lady of Hammer Horror, starring in classics such as Countess Dracula. Her film work also took in the likes of Where Eagles Dare and The Wicker Man, but her extensive filmography demonstrated both her breadth, and willingness to try all sorts of genre material. Doctor Who fans in particular will always hold Ingrid in a special place in their hearts.

Ingrid was a true one-of-a-kind. She died today, having collapsed a few days ago. My thoughts are with Tony and her daughter at this time.

Here’s one of my favourite columns she wrote for us, by way of tribute. All the best, Ingrid. It was a real honour to know you.

You can find Ingrid's website here.

Over at E! Online, the site has been chatting to Christian Bale about his next, and seemingly final, visit to Gotham City. In the interview with the actor, as part of the promotional tour for his incoming movie, The Fighter, Bale first of all confirms that once director Christopher Nolan leaves the Batman franchise, so will he.

“The thing is that this will be, I believe, unless Chris says different, this will be the last time I’m playing Batman”, Bale says of the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan is unlikely to say different, given that he too is certain to depart Gotham City once the new film is released.

Bale also has a word of warning for those of is who might believe some of the rumours we read on the Internet (heaven forbid!). In response to some of the chatter about potential casting and villains, he simply says that “Until Chris tells me, I don’t believe it. It’s gotta be from his mouth, or else I don’t really know”.

You can see the interview over at E! Online. Meanwhile, production on The Dark Knight Rises begins next spring, with a release in the summer of 2012.

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Warning! Lots of spoilers lie ahead for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1!

The past week hasn’t exactly seen a vacuum of opinion on the successes and failures of the new Harry Potter film. Reviewers have been wagging their fingers at saggy pacing, whilst oohing and aahing over a selection of stunning sequences. Cinemagoers have found the amputated plot both a frustration and a blessed relief. We must have heard every possible variation as to whether one, some, or none of its three young leads can actually act yet.

Add to this endless replays of a tedious debate about whether the act of splitting the book into two films stems from narrative necessity or outrageous commercial greed (final verdict? six of one, half a dozen of the other), and you could be forgiven for experiencing a touch of wizard fatigue.

But like the teen trio hunting down those nasty horcruxes, one last job remains to be done.

As other reviews, including our own, have kindly tiptoed their way around anything that could be considered a spoiler, we thought we’d put this to bed by doing the exact opposite. So here it is - a final, fully spoiler-packed look at the penultimate film in the Potter franchise.

First things first, how does this one end?

This first instalment of the final story whips through about two thirds of the novel (presumably so director David Yates can dedicate a generous portion of the next film to what promises to be an epic Battle of Hogwarts third act), to close with Voldemort seizing the Elder Wand.

As He Who Must Not Be Named leans into Dumbledore’s cracked tomb and prises the wand of power from the former headmaster’s dead but well preserved hands, a military theme rises from Alexandre Desplat’s otherwise gorgeously languid score, so we’re left in no doubt that the wizarding world is now in a state of war.

The film’s final seconds show Voldemort unleashing the wand’s awesome power in a scene that bears an unfortunate similarity to the current BT Infinity ads. Still, I suppose we all knew on some level that Kris Marshall must have been in league with the ultimate evil…

Moments beforehand, the camera had left Harry and friends on a beach mourning the sad passing of Dobby the elf. Whether or not you well up at this part seems to rely largely on your ability to separate the character of Dobby from a mental image of a half-naked Vladimir Putin. Best of luck.

Fair enough. So what’s been changed from the book?

Understandably, a fair few things have been streamlined: Viktor Krum is absent from the wedding, Lupin doesn’t try to abandon his wife and child, Hedwig dies trying to protect Harry rather than as a casualty of war, there’s no talk of Fred and George’s pirate radio station, the details of Dumbledore’s troubled adolescence have most likely been shunted to the next film and Harry isn’t disguised with polyjuice at the wedding, or during the Godric’s Hollow visit, for obvious practicality reasons.

A few elements have also been added that weren’t in the book, including a brief scene where Death Eaters storm the Hogwart’s Express in search of Undesirable No 1 (presumably to remind the audience where everyone else was while all that camping was going on).

One very welcome addition to the original story does turns up in the form of a wordless scene between Radcliffe and Watson who, temporarily alone after Grint’s disappearing act, dance to a Nick Cave song playing on the radio. I urge all those who’ve dismissed this sequence as a pointless ‘will they won’t they moment’ to take another look. Not only is it nothing of the sort, it’s also the best acting I’ve seen yet from these two.

Free of dialogue and free of the need to lock his lower jaw and come across all tortured, Daniel Radcliffe is suddenly, momentarily, very likeable. The pair’s silent understanding manages to make them appear both young and old at the same time, and conveys the comfort afforded by genuine friendship. In a few minutes they give the most human performance in two and a half hours of screen time and it was just lovely.

Okay, so we’ll look out for that bit. But is the film really as dark as everyone says it is?

Well, it is saying something when the cheeriest part of a movie is soundtracked by Nick Cave…

The heavy insistence from all involved that Deathly Hallows is a dark film full of, you know, dark happenings proves to be pretty much on the money. At its heart, this is a film about feeling powerless against a vast and insidious evil.

Those who read holocaust or Ku Klux Klan subtexts into the books aren’t overstating the case one bit: Rowling’s stories are clear allegories for real world atrocities and intolerance. But it is Yates, the director of films five to seven, who has realised Rowling’s message by using the imagery of twentieth century fascism.

Yates’ rendering of the Ministry of Magic has not been called Orwellian for nothing. Drawing strongly on the stuff of fascist propaganda, the Deathly Hallows iteration of the ministry is a fearfully dark place and has been so since Yates first took the helm for Order of the Phoenix.

The opening lines of this film, spoken by Bill Nighy as Minister for Magic, announce that in these dark and menacing times, the ministry will stop at nothing to defend the liberty of its citizens. Yates isn’t nodding at 1930s politics here, this is modern rhetoric and yes, it is dark stuff.

The film is also dark in less metaphorical terms. Eduardo Serra’s photography paints the forest scenes with an eerie blue silver pallor that’s perfect for a world of magic. The fated visit to Godric’s Hollow makes particularly good use of the contrast between light and dark, as a fight sends the characters crashing from the shadowy, medieval-looking wizarding world into the brightly lit muggle bedroom next door, as Yates reminds us of the duality at the heart of Rowling’s original creation.

Umm, okay. So who dies in this one?

In order, Charity Burbage (recipient of a killing curse from Voldemort then eaten by his pet snake), Mad-Eye Moody (dispatched by a Death Eater while transporting Harry to safety at the beginning of the film), Hedwig the owl (ditto), Gregorovitch the wand maker (another killing curse from the Dark Lord) and Dobby the Elf (knife through the chest thrown by Bellatrix Lestrange after he heroically rescues Harry and co from the Malfoy dungeon).

I’m telling you, though, the body count will take a significant hike in the next one.

Sounds serious. Anyway, what was the best bit?

Apart from the extra bounce in Alan Rickman’s hairdo, there were three really great elements: the special effects, the sound design, and the retelling of the Story of the Three Brothers.

The smoke-like effect of the Death Eaters’ flight and the tar-like substance that seeps out from the locket before it’s destroyed were undoubtedly digital wonders, but the real star has to be the sound design. From the high pitched scratching whirr of the horcrux just audible underneath Desplat’s accomplished score, to the faint buzzing of flies around the reanimated corpse of Bathilda Bagshot and the penetration of invisible magical barriers, the sound was masterfully handled.

The Three Brothers animation, retold during the trio’s visit to Xenophilius Lovegood deserves all the praise being heaped upon it. Created by Swiss director Ben Hibon (also commissioned by Sony to produce a series of animations based on the PS3 game Heavenly Sword), it’s the most beautiful thing in the film by a long shot. Reminiscent of Jan Pienkowski’s children’s illustrations, which took their inspiration from Lotte Reiniger’s 1930s fairy tale animations, the three minute sequence does more than its fair share for the film’s artistry.

Is it really mostly camping?

About an hour or so is mostly camping, yeah.

Alright, thanks. One last question. Is it better than the Twilight movies?

God yes. A million times yes.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is out now.

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It’s been a week or two now since Universal shunted The Thing out of its original April 2011 release s;pt, as it signed off on additional photography for the upcoming prequel to John Carpenter’s classic.

As such, director Matthijs van Heijningen is now expected to have the movie finished in the first couple of months of next year. Yet Universal has announced a release date that should give him plenty of extra time to shape the final movie, should he need it.

For The Thing has now been moved to an October 14th 2011 release date in the United States, where it will now open the week before Paranormal Activity 3.

No more further details of the film have been released, and we suspect, given that its release is nearly a year away, we’re going to have to wait that bit longer to see a trailer (unless you happened to be at New York Comic-Con the other month, when one was screened).

We’ll, of course, keep you posted.

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Appreciating that Apollo 18 has a ring of ‘Blair Witch with aliens’ to it, it’s nonetheless the beneficiary of this very effective first teaser poster.

The film is the latest in the raft of ‘found footage’ movies, and it’s about a secret mission to the moon which doesn’t, as you might suspect from the poster, go entirely to plan.

Apollo 18 is due out in the States in March of next year, and don’t be surprised to see a trailer for it in the weeks ahead. Until then, we leave you with the poster...

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I am so sick of going to see films about other people! When is Hollywood going to get round to making a film about me?
When watching The Social Network at my local cinema I noticed something interesting about the main character. He was a moody dick. Now I’m feeling a bit confused. If they were looking to make film about a moody dick, particularly a pale one who spends all of his time on a computer, where was my call?

Of course, in the instance of Mark Zuckerberg, I think the reason he was the subject of a film was that he invented Internet despair-generator, Facebook. That does seem to be the key to getting a film made about your life - you have to do something of note. Even if it’s negative, like inventing a website which makes you feel obliged to talk to boring people you kind of knew 15 years ago about how fulfilling their increasingly bland lives have become, and how remarkable their unsightly, unremarkable offspring are, or composing your own DIY guide to exhuming bodies and making clothing from them, as in the case of Ed Gein.

Gein is the inspiration behind basically every horror film ever made. Perhaps the two most noteworthy examples are The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Silence Of The Lambs (certainly more noteworthy than any of the films that feature his name in the title, a sure sign that a film is going to be unwatchable tossamanonsense).

However, as much as I’m desperate to see myself represented on the big screen, I simply don’t want it enough to dress in human flesh and run around in the woods pretending to be a lady. I get enough abuse about how I dress as it is. Plus, I’m no man of nature. I’ve found ways of slipping in dog shit in the most urbanised, animal-unfriendly cityscapes known to man. The chances of me surviving a trek through the woods, wrapped in a carefully designed cloak of female human flesh complete with nipple-broaches, without bungling into a pool of wild-animal faeces, seem low.

Of course, Gein isn’t the only figure of crime I should be looking to. I think a Goodfellas-style rise through the mob might be out of the question, as I feel a bit uncomfortable wearing a suit, and even more uncomfortable in the company of people who would happily shoot me in the face. Incidentally, that’s why I never socialise with the readers of this site. (Zing!)

Amanda Knox, though, has found herself the subject of a biopic recently, and all she had to do was be involved in a murder and look good. That, and having such a pun-friendly surname can’t have done her any harm.

What am I supposed to do with the surname Edwards? I’d have to commit my crimes amongst the trees, and I think I’ve made my thoughts on nature quite, quite clear.

Of course, Knox probably won’t get to see the movie about her as she’s in jail, so this won’t work for me either. This is a flaw that comes up in all of the crime related plans - you miss the film because you’re in prison as a result of doing the thing that makes them want to make a film about you.

I wouldn’t last in prison. I’m too pretty, polite, and health and safety conscious. I would feel obliged to pick up any dropped bars of soap so that no one slips on them.

So I’m left looking at what I can achieve for the subject of this cinematic masterpiece, and the view is bleak. It’s difficult to imagine anyone rushing out to see a film based on me dancing around the isles of my local Iceland supermarket, like a sober Kerry Katona with better career prospects.

I don’t think there are enough computers in the world to create a suitable amount of CG to make an interesting feature film of me sitting in my lounge eating snacks (product placement opportunity!) whilst staring open-mouthed at the TV like a lethargic zombie, only getting up and shuffling to the door occasionally to check for the post.

Has anyone seen the film Stuck? It’s directed by Stuart Gordon, it's bloody good and is based on a true story, so naturally I took note. In Stuck, some careless div drives their car into a homeless man and, when he becomes lodged in her windscreen, she parks up in her garage and leaves him there. That guy had a film made about him! All I need to do is be involved in a horrible accident or be the victim of some stomach-churningly cruel incident and then I get a film. It’s as easy as that.

It’s important here to note that I don’t want just any accident. I do not want to be the subject of any film that is about a man who has his genitals torn off by the pearly white teeth of a ferocious lion that has escaped a local zoo and snuck into his apartment, presumably disguised as the post. Nothing involving the groin. Or the eyes. Or the head. Or anything that will leave any kind of lasting mark. Or anything that hurts or looks like it would hurt. Or anything that will cause me any anxiety. Or anything that will make me look stupid. Or anything. Sorry, the film’s off. I’m just too important for me to be willing to risk me.

Anyway, the point to this column is this: I’ve got the script for Matt Edwards: Balls Of An Angel just sitting here gathering dust. It’s the inspirational tale of a heroic everyman who makes Super Noodles and then sneers at X Factor. Hollywood, you can reach me by telephone. For goodness sake, let’s give the people what they want and get this franchise off the ground.

Also, I would like to be rich so all offers will have to be big $$$ amounts.

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What with all the obsession that the American media puts on domestic box office gross, and in particular opening weekends, you could be forgiven for forgetting that, more often than not, a film will actually do most of its business in the so-called ‘overseas’ territories (of which the UK is part of).

A film which is seen as a moderate failure in the US can often be profitable enough abroad to guarantee it gets a sequel or, at the very least, save face for all concerned.

The recent Robin Hood is an example of this. While it only made just over $100 million in the States, it took close to $140 million elsewhere, suddenly making it a pretty respectable total. In fact, it is very rare these days that a Hollywood film doesn’t make more money around the world than it does at home, with only extremely American-friendly properties such as Star Trek doing so (this has been the case for all the franchise’s efforts, earning about a third of its gross worldwide as opposed to the normal two thirds for other films).

But just which films are the big hitters abroad, and are they Hollywood fare or in fact locally produced efforts? Here’s a look at top earners from different countries, and an insight into just what global viewing habits are (or rather how slick Hollywood marketing is outside America…)

Japan

Proving that they love a good saga as much as the next country, Japan’s biggest opening weekend belongs to Star Wars Episode III, which raked in a mighty $19 million. However, two things are apparent in Japanese viewing habits. Firstly, they like their own films. Out of the top four biggest earners, three are Japanese and the other one is Avatar.

And of these four films, only the number one earner, Howl’s Moving Castle ($190 million total) makes it into the top ten (at number ten) of opening weekends, earning $14 million. None of these four films’ openings accounted for more than 8% of the total gross, showing that, secondly, Japanese audiences like to give their films time at the cinema. Which is nice. Oh, and they also bloody love Miyazaki films. Which is great.

China

Just across the water, and things are slightly more muddled and, indeed, a reflection of the changing nature of modern day China. As you would expect, Chinese films dominate the box office charts, and the biggest opening to a film belongs to the fantastically named Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame. Historical epics also feature prominently, with Red Cliff and The Warlords proving big earners.

However, although relatively few and far between, there are the usual big Hollywood releases too, and each one earns comfortably as much as the Chinese films, or in the case of Inception, a lot more (a record gross of $68 million confirms this). This goes to show that the Chinese love an extremely well-made blockbuster, although, worryingly, 10000 BC made quite a large chunk of change…

India

As you would expect from the world’s largest film producing nation, national cinema is all the rage here. Routinely producing each year’s top earner (apart from last year, with bloody Avatar screwing everything up), the appetite and audience for Bollywood and other regional cinemas remains strong. 2008’s Ghajini did in fact earn about $10 million more at the box office than Avatar did the following year, and it takes a really big Hollywood release to break into the annual top ten.

This isn’t to say that they are not avidly consumed there (I know how popular Hollywood cinema is from personal experience. No man should be forced to queue in 40 degree heat for Shrek Forever After…) but that with such a strong film industry of their own, there are enough quality options to ensure that Hollywood isn’t the only, or indeed, the first choice.

France

On the face of it, you would expect France to have an extremely Gallic flavoured list of home-grown products peppering its highest earners. What with its government subsidies to the film industry and minimum percentage of French films which must be shown, France is a market which seems artificially suited to bucking the Hollywood trend. And partly you would be right. The highest grossing film is also the biggest opening film of all time, French comedy Welcome To The Sticks.

Second on the opening list is (another comedy) Le Bronzes 3.

However, a more careful analysis of the data throws up a definite conclusion. The usual Hollywood suspects are there, the Harry Potters, Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Lord Of The Rings and, of course, Avatar. The French love them as much as we do. Although if we had a locally produced film sitting at the top of our all-time lists, I wouldn’t mind too much!

Germany

In contrast to France, Germany seems to be much more like the UK in terms of market domination by Hollywood. Pretty much everything that is watched over there is American, and seemingly Harry Potter. Six of the top ten all time opening weekends belong to the boy wizard (including the latest Deathly Hallows Part One) with only the first adventure outside at a lowly number 11. Shame on it!

It is interesting to see how much they love magic. With no strong national film industry, Hollywood is in charge. The one glorious exception is Raumschiff Surprise - Periode 1, a bizarre Star Trek spoof which managed a mighty $24 million opening weekend. But then again, this is the country which propelled David Hasselhoff to the top of the charts.

Argentina

One of my favourite film producing countries follows the Hollywood trend, thereby confirming American dominance over global viewing habits. Apart from Oscar winner and modern classic The Secret In Their Eyes (which was the number one film in Argentinean cinemas last year) the hits are all from the States. This is probably good news for the studios if they’re relying so heavily on overseas box office! However, it does make a mockery out of the obsession with domestic gross. For something which can make or break careers, and is the subject of many a regular feature, it is of actual little consequence.

Audiences, film fans and industry observers should really stop looking inwards. The real story is out around the world, with all the money Hollywood product is making overseas. Report that instead!

Although, of course, the real, real question is, just why are Hollywood films so dominant? But that my, friends, will have to wait until another time…

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Since Ridley Scott resurrected the swords and sandals genre with Gladiator in 2000, the historical epic has grown more and more popular. With massive budgets, thousands of extras and battle scenes that try to top each other year after year, the historical epic has become a regular feature in cinemas over the last ten decade, with Troy, Kingdom Of Heaven, Alexander, Robin Hood, Mongol, 300, King Arthur, The Last Legion, Pathfinder, Beowulf, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and Clash Of The Titans all vying for our attention.

This year is no different, and with Michael Mann rumoured to be directing an adaptation of Bernard Cornwall's account of the Battle of Agincourt, Sharpe, it looks set to continue. We've already seen the likes of Robin Hood, Solomon Kane, Centurion, Clash Of The Titans, Agora, Black Death, Arn: Templar Knight as well as Pillars Of The Earth and Spartacus: Blood And Sand on TV.

But already Hollywood is planning the next generation of epics that will either stand tall with Gladiator and Kingdom Of Heaven: The Director's Cut or be ignored, like Alexander.

Coming Soon

Conan

Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this came Conan, destined to wear the jewelled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow!

Relative unknown Jason Momoa may be no Arnie, but he looks the part, and the rest of the cast, including Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Rachel Nichols and Stephen Lang, should make this a good, old-fashioned violent epic. It's due out next year.

Immortals

Directed by Tarsem Singh, Immortals was previously called War Of The Gods, but I guess the studios thought it was too close to Clash Of The Titans. Starring Henry Cavill (The Tudors), it tells the story of Theseus. He embarks on a quest to become his country's greatest warrior, as he leads the battle against the long-imprisoned Titans who are hoping to use demons to restore their power. Freida Pinto and Mickey Rourke also star.

The Eagle

Formerly titled The Eagle Of The Ninth, this film is a sort of spiritual sequel to Centurion.

Set 15 years after the Ninth Legion disappeared, The Eagle tells the story of Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) who ventures north of Hadrian's Wall to discover the whereabouts of the lost legion, which his father commanded.

With him is a young Celtic slave, Esca (Jamie Bell), rescued from a gladiatorial arena and helping him in his quest, as he disguises himself as an occultist to travel north of the Wall. Donald Sutherland also stars and it's directed by Kevin MacDonald (State Of Play, The Last King Of Scotland). Early signs are it's worth keeping an eye on.

Ironclad

Tiny budget, fantastic cast. Relative newcomer Jonathan English is directing James Purefoy, Sir Derek Jacobi, James Flemyng, Brian Cox, Paul Giamatti, Robert Carlyle, Kate Mara, William Moseley, Pete Postlethwaite, Bob Hoskins and Mackenzie Crook in a Templar Knight film.

Set in England after the signing of the Magna Carta, Ironclad tells the story of a determined group of Knights Templars who defend Rochester Castle from the devious King John. The Templars will be led by Purefoy, who mobilises the group against Paul Giamatti's King John.

The film is said to be the largest film production ever to be undertaken in Wales... and yet the budget is only $25 million.

Season Of The Witch

This was meant to be released over the summer, and has only just come out of release limbo, with an early 2011 date mooted. It stars Nicolas Cage (sporting another ridiculous haircut) and Ron Perlman as two Templar Knights who are escorting a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce her powers could be the source of the Black Death.

Looks to be pure hokum, but it's got zombie monks in it!

In Development

Mortis Rex

A sort of Gladiator/Outlander hybrid, Mortis Rex is set in 122 AD. It tells the story of a disgraced Roman war hero who is sent to defend a Roman garrison stationed in remotest Scotland from a spate of mysterious killings. The hero reclaims his rightful warrior status by vanquishing a terrifying supernatural beast with the help of a beautiful local Druid maiden.

Gladiators Vs Werewolves: Edge Of Empire

Firstly, Best title ever? Secondly, it better capitalise on it, unlike Snakes On A Plane.

Set during AD 160, Gladiators Vs Romans features a legion set to capture a clan of savage wolf-like creatures which roam the lowlands, in order to send them to Rome for the games. During the operation, Titus, the centurion tasked with hunting and trapping the wolf-creatures, is bitten, and realises he will soon become the thing he has hunted.

Medieval

Rob Cohen is rumoured to be working on this film, which has been described as “The Dirty Dozen in the age of castles, plagues and serfs”. In Cohen's own words: "The film opens with a diverse group of warriors all imprisoned together, discussing how they've all ended up in this unfortunate circumstance. This eclectic group consists of a knight, a thief, a samurai, a Zulu warrior, a Viking, and a few others.

“All of them have been set-up and brought together for one reason: a wealthy man has tasked them with stealing a crown from an impenetrable vault of treasure. The crown is his, but they can keep whatever treasure that can carry out. The twist is that they only have till daylight to do so because they've all been injected with a poison that'll kill them upon direct contact with the sun.

“With Ocean's Eleven-like precision, they break into the vault in an incredible sequence of agility and stunts utilizing their own individual skill-sets, involving magnetic hallways and pressure sensitive floors, they enter the vault...

“At various points, they're attacked by gangs of birdmen, gypsy women, sumo wrestlers, Zulu warriors, etc.”

Erm, yeah. There's a reason he hasn't made a good film since Dragonheart...

Rome: The Movie

If you were a fan of HBO's epic Rome series, then never fear: creator Bruno Heller has written a script that will see the return of Lucius Vorenus (apparently he didn't die) and Titus Pullo.

The original series bible called for the third season to feature the “hedonistic Roman leaders to deal with the rise of a certain problematic rabbi - a storyline that would have put a whole new spin on The Greatest Story Ever Told and potentially bring Rome a larger audience.”

"I discovered halfway through writing the second season the show was going to end," Heller said. "The second was going to end with death of Brutus. The third and fourth season would be set in Egypt. The fifth was going to be the rise of the messiah in Palestine. But because we got the heads-up that the second season would be it, I telescoped the third and fourth season into the second one, which accounts for the blazing speed we go through history near the end. There's certainly more than enough history to go around."

Vorenus and Pullo slapping around Jesus? I'll see that!

Amazon

If ever there was a story that needed to be shown on the big screen, it is that of the Amazonian female warriors. Rumours have indicated that Scarlett Johansson is interested in the role of a female gladiator in 200 BC who takes on the might of an army after her homeland is destroyed. However, last time she was questioned about the role, she said she wasn't sure about becoming such an 'action star'.

She said, "I think I'm supposed to be a gladiatrix. These film guys are crazy about gladiatrixes. But do I fit the mould? I'm a Danish/Jewish girl from New York. I've done weapons training. I've fired all kinds of guns; 9mm semi-automatics, machine guns, shotguns. I've jumped off a 60-foot building. I learnt to ride for The Horse Whisperer. But I've never done a full-on action role.”

Rumoured

William Tell

The story of the famous Swiss hero who, as legend has it, was forced to shoot an apple off his son's head to win his freedom from Austrian occupiers, has been rumoured for an adaptation for years. It was first announced in 2002 with Heath Ledger, Cameron Diaz and Tom Wilkinson starring, then it was rumoured that Kevin Reynolds (Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, Tristan And Isolde) would direct it under the title Ironbow. However, nothing materialised.

Now, it is rumoured that stunt coordinator and second unit director Ian Quinn will make his feature directorial debut on the $60 million production.

William The Conqueror

Killer Films has signed a deal with the GC Corp. to co-produce the medieval action film William The Conqueror by screenwriters Brian Edgar and Derek Wallbank, reports Variety. The script follows the rise of the illegitimate son of the Duke of Normandy to the English crown in 1066 following the Battle of Hastings.

The project marks a left turn from Killer's well-known indie projects, which include Boys Don't Cry, Far From Heaven and Hedwig And The Angry Inch.

"This is a big-budget studio movie. For many years we've been interested in a bigger canvas. It was just a matter of finding the right project," Killer Films' Pamela Koffler told the trade.

Hannibal

For years, Vin Diesel has been trying to get a Hannibal of Carthage film made. Rumour has it that if the next Fast And Furious film is a hit, Universal may give him the budget to make it.

Red Sonja

Robert Rodriguez's remake of Red Sonja has been in development for years. His current beau Rose McGowan was 'cast' years ago and publicity posters released, but with Rodriguez rumoured to be doing Deadpool and Sin City 2, it is not known if this will even get made.

And if all this wasn't enough, you have Starz planning a new Arthurian series in Camelot and HBO's Game Of Thrones coming next year! Strap on your swords, because the next 12 months are going to get violent...!

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Cinematic previews are currently stuffed with remakes and reimaginings. From beloved TV favourites getting a bit of polish to superhero reboots, they’re coming at us faster than a speeding bullet. But the movie we’re looking forward to most this winter isn’t a remake as such. It’s a direct sequel to one of the most enduring cult hits of the 80s, Tron.

We’ve been hungry for brand new Tron ever since test footage of a newly rendered Light Cycle race cropped up online, topped off with an appearance by a grizzly Jeff Bridges looking more like The Dude than Kevin Flynn. The titles at the end left us in no doubt what to expect - Tron 2, now known as Tron: Legacy.

And bridging the gap between the two films is Tron: Evolution, an epic game available soon for console and PC.

In its own quiet way, Tron has its own canon. Its own sprawling mythology, kickstarted by the original movie and continued, fittingly, in a series of video game spin-offs over the last three decades. The latest is Tron: Evolution, a very contemporary take on the classic Tron elements.

While the Tron canon isn’t quite as dense as that of Star Trek or even Buffy, there are particular motifs, environments and characters that fans will recognise across every incarnation.

For the uninitiated, 1982’s Tron was a landmark movie in Disney’s live action catalogue. Jeff Bridges, in a nervy, early career performance, plays Kevin Flynn, an unconventional programmer whose work has been stolen by the giant software corporation, ENCOM. When his remote attempts to hack into the company network fail - using a program he calls CLU -  he sneaks into ENCOM. helped by fellow programmer, and creator of the titular Tron, Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner).

While accessing the company mainframe, he is digitised and sucked into the virtual world of the Grid by a rogue piece of code, the Master Control Program. Alongside Tron and Yori, programs dwelling in the Grid, Flynn must traverse the digital world in search of escape and to bring down the Master Control Program...

There were many notable elements in Tron. The mix of early CGI, traditional animation and blue-screen live action creates a seamless, minimalistic digital world that remains compelling to this day. With names as illustrious as cult French comic book artist Moebius and Blade Runner effects guru Syd Mead working on the project, the pedigree is spotless.

And as for prescience, it’s often been said that William Gibson - halfway through seminal cyberpunk novel Neuromancer - walked out of Blade Runner after the first reel, fearful that it would contaminate his narrative. What must he have thought of Tron, released in the same year, with its proto depiction of a cyberspace, named the Grid, just like his virtual world?

With original characters Flynn and Bradley returning in Tron: Legacy, there’s a clear thread from the 80s original to this brand new sequel. That includes the appearance of an upgraded version of Flynn’s program CLU - the digitally de-aged Jeff Bridges seen in recent trailers. There’s another key part of the Tron mythology. In the digital world, programs look like their creators. Or in the jargon of Tron, Users.

But characters, whether digital or flesh, aren’t the only thing confirmed to return. The neon landscape, an iconic part of the original Tron, is present and correct, and the deadly games with racing Light Cycles and discs that 'derez' unlucky losers are there. And, of course, the giant, Space Invaders-inspired Recognisers, ever present in the original Tron, and central to many of its most memorable scenes.

But what happened in between? There’s a 28 year cap from Tron to Legacy. It’s fitting that filling that gap is a videogame - a prequel to the sequel - Tron: Evolution.

Taking place between Tron and Tron: Legacy, Tron: Evolution is the first game to immerse players fully in the mythology and world of Tron. You play Anon, a program created by Kevin Flynn, who must investigate anomalies in the Tron system, an upgraded version of the digital world seen in the first film.

Tron: Evolution features familiar characters from the original movie and from Legacy. Bruce Boxleitner returns to voice Tron, his digital character in the first film - while Olivia Wilde plays Quorra, her character from Tron: Legacy. There are light cycle designs from Tron and Tron: Legacy, you’ll use weapons from both films and battle against updated Recognisers in environments you’ll see in the new movie.

But more than that, Tron: Evolution is designed to reveal significant events in the Tron mythology - to explain why the Grid has once again become a dangerous place to be and take us to the beginning of Tron: Legacy.

Just as the original Tron was a product of its time, so Tron: Evolution is a product of the present. With third-person gameplay incorporating acrobatics and freeform combat, it’s much closer to the filmic experience of playing through a narrative than earlier entries in the franchise. With multiplayer modes and downloadable content, the multiplatform game is faithful to both Tron and Tron: Legacy. It’s the missing piece tying together the two eras.

If we get snowed in this Winter, at least we’ll have plenty of Tron to keep us warm.

Tron: Evolution is due for release on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP on 26 November, with a PC version following on in December.

See Also:

• Videogaming's most athletic protagonists
• The top 10 celebrity appearances in videogames

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Danny Trejo’s cool. We know this from his lengthy list of film appearances, which includes Heat, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, Con Air and, more recently, Predators. He also has that unmistakeable, lined, grizzled face that appears to have a hundred years of terrible, extraordinary experiences etched onto it, a face that exudes menace and charm in almost equal measure.

A bit player for years (he scored his first role, a tiny part in 1985’s Runaway Train, while working as a drug counsellor for a member of the film’s cast), Machete at last places Trejo centre stage.

A spin-off from the mock trailer that appeared in Robert Rodriguez’s half of Grindhouse, Machete is another deliriously violent, self-referential action throw-back in the vein of straight-to-video mulch such as Chuck Norris’ unintentionally side-splitting Lone Wolf McQuade.

In the casting stakes, Machete ranks not far behind The Expendables as this year’s starriest action film, with Trejo backed up by Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba and Lindsay Lohan as gun-toting warrior women on both sides of the law, and Jeff Fahey, Steven Seagal, Don Johnson and, most remarkably, Robert De Niro among the colossal roster of antagonists.

At the film’s opening, it’s explained that Trejo is a Mexican Federale who once “took out the trash” for both the CIA and the FBI. But like Schwarzenegger in his 80s prime, the part Trejo plays is largely irrelevant, and the title gives you all the information required - Trejo’s name is Machete, because that’s his favourite weapon. And within seconds, Machete’s using his machete on heads, arms and legs, and blood flows in abundant torrents.

The movie’s vast network of villains, which includes drug runner Torrez (Seagal), ruthless businessman Booth (Fahey), murderous sheriff Von (Johnson) and right-wing senator McLaughlin (De Niro) all conspire to build a huge, electrified wall between the US and Mexico to keep out illegal migrants, and several years after being left for dead by Torrez, Machete is unwittingly drawn back into the bad guys' evil schemes.

The first hour of the film intricately sets up sufficient motives for Machete to exact his revenge on every last one of the film’s villains - with some reasons more plausible than others - which he eventually does, in spectacular fashion.

Chekhov’s famous principle about guns applies here. When you see a corkscrew lying idly around on a worktop in one scene, you just know it’s going to end up stuck in someone’s eye in the next.

Opening in a veritable fountain of gore and continuing in the same (ruptured) vein, Machete offers some of the most spectacularly outlandish violence you’ll see in a cinema all year, including a fascinating intestinal riff on John McClane’s high-wire abseiling stunt in Die Hard, a creative alternate use for a meat thermometer, and shotgun blasts that shatter heads like overripe pumpkins.

All this decadent bloodshed could border on the unpleasant were it not for Rodriguez’s wicked sense of humour, and like his Planet Terror feature in Grindhouse, Machete is far too knowingly goofy to cause offence. As Jessica Alba’s tough law enforcer Rivera puts it, “Exploding houses? Falling bodies? You’re a walking shit magnet!”

The film makes a few wry comments about the cruel hypocrisy with which migrant workers are treated, but these are constantly drowned out by Machete’s daft script and bloody spectacle. This is a film to enjoy with friends, and is to be viewed as trashy popcorn cinema. It’s the action movie equivalent of a firework display.

Michelle Rodriguez is as sultry as ever, doubling as a burrito seller and secret underground community worker, and later transforming herself into a machine gun-wielding angel of vengeance. Cheech Marin shows up in a chortle-inducing role as Machete’s priest brother, whose chapel boasts a cluster of closed-circuit televisions in the shape of a cross and a huge arsenal of guns.

Then there’s Robert De Niro, whose apparent habit of accepting roles without first reading the script has, for once, worked in his favour. He’s great value as a despicable, racist senator with a lust for power, even if it is hard to believe that this really is the same chap who played Travis Bickle all those years ago.

Given the entertainment value in Machete’s action scenes, and the unavoidable charisma of Trejo himself, it’s a pity that Rodriguez allows his movie to peter out towards the end. Running perhaps a quarter of an hour too long, Machete concludes with a pantomime-like mass fight scene that lacks the messy creativity of its opening, and Trejo’s concluding face-off with one particular big-name villain is oddly lacking in tension.

Nevertheless, Machete is the kind of film that, viewed in the right environment, with the right group of action movie-loving friends, will provide a sterling night’s entertainment. Rodriguez’s film loses its momentum, but Trejo never loses his cool.

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The BBC has just opened ticket sales for its latest Doctor Who event, The Doctor Who Experience, which will be running at London’s Olympia Two from February next year. We got a chance to ask the head of BBC Live Entertainment, Philip Murphy, just what it’s all about…

Can we start with something a bit basic? What is it exactly that you do?

Basically, the Live Entertainment business unit is part of BBC Worldwide, and what we do is put on shows, whether they’re touring shows or one offs. Plus there’s exhibitions, events, attractions, and we do that in relation to a variety of properties owned by the BBC itself. So BBC Worldwide is the commercial arm of the BBC, and we exploit properties to generate profits for the BBC, which we pay back, because the BBC owns all of our shares.

And yeah, we sell the DVDs, we organise live events. We’ve done Doctor Who: The Arena Tour, Doctor Who: The Experience, which we’re talking about today, Top Gear Live, Strictly Come Dancing, Planet Earth concerts.

We’ve got lots of things in the pipeline, all based around giving people the chance to interact in some way in a live moment. And hopefully generate some really exciting memories to do with that property, which they don’t get from watching the TV.

Clearly, Doctor Who has moved firmly onto your radar in the last 12 to 18 months, with the arena tour and the exhibition. I’m assuming from what you’re saying that the interactivity is the key for you?

It’s the thing that most excites us about live events. With TV and radio, you obviously broadcast the stuff out. With digital mediums, you have the opportunity to have people come back to you. And live is just the same.

TV entertainment is changing, the way people consume the products that the BBC is making is changing. One of the things that I’m really excited about, in relation to live events, is creating the opportunity for two-way stuff between the audience and the programme makers.

The Doctor Who Experience, and I know it sounds like marketing who-ha, is a real demonstration of that. The reason for it is fan generated.

When we asked people what they wanted to get from Doctor Who, the number one answer was people wanted to go inside the Tardis. So that’s how we built the immersive adventure part of the Experience from the ground up, to deliver that.

So what we said is it’s not good enough to just have people step inside the Tardis and move on, it’s got to do something. It’s got to be the Tardis. You need to fly it, it needs to take you somewhere. That leads you to the immersive experience part.

I’ve been to a few Doctor Who exhibitions over the years, but my concern with the Experience, with flying the Tardis, is that it’s the kind of thing that sounds, when you get there, there’s a massive queue and you can get nowhere near it, because it’s the centrepoint of the event. What kind of things are you doing to manage the demand, to give everyone a fair crack at it?

It’s a time entry experience, so there’s a limited number of people per hour who can go in. We sell tickets on that basis. If you turn up, you can queue for tickets if there are any available on that date. But there’s no question of you not being able to get inside the Tardis.

We came up with [the story] to enable you to do something with the Tardis, that we then developed with Steven Moffat, who then wrote the script for Matt Smith’s scenes within the adventure.

The general plot, I won’t give it all away, is that the Doctor has been trapped and separated from the Tardis. And he’s got a plan to make sure it’d all be alright, because he saw it coming. But he needs you to fly the Tardis, and Amy Pond is not around. It runs from there.

It wouldn’t be any use if you couldn’t get in there and touch the Tardis.

There's not going to be people preventing you from getting to it. Obviously there will be a lot of people coming through the day, but it is a timed entry thing. Our expectation is that you’ll spend around half an hour in the immersive experience, and then around an hour in the exhibition afterwards. But that’s down to your personal choice, obviously.

It is a two-tier event. How big is the exhibition at the other end of it, which is presumably what’s bringing the legacy Doctor Who stuff in?

What we’ve tried to do really hard is to do stuff that’s fresh and relevant to the current Doctor, and the current production in Cardiff, to cater to the TV viewing audience.

But also we want to cater to fans and uber-fans as well, so the exhibition part is much bigger than anything that’s been done before. Having actual Tardis sets in it, for instance. So the David Tennant set, that was blown up at the end of The End Of Time, has been rebuilt, and it’s right there. We’ve also got the Peter Davison Tardis set. Loads of props. We are also displaying stuff that people will have seen at previous exhibitions, all of which have been much, much smaller than this.

We’re running about 4000 square metres for this thing, which is getting on towards the size of a football pitch. Nothing like this has been done before.

Is the longer term plan to take this around the country, once it’s completed its run in London?

The current plan is that we will move it to Cardiff in 2012, and it’ll have a permanent home there. And when I say permanent, you’ll measure it in years and not months.

The attraction of Cardiff, obviously, is that it’s where the series is filmed, and it gives us access to new props, to cast and crew, and for events. It’s also something that Cardiff as a tourist destination is very excited about, having this connection with Doctor Who.

I’m not anticipating touring it elsewhere. But once we’ve opened our doors and launched this, we’ll be looking at what we do with Doctor Who next.

You’ve mentioned that Matt Smith and Steven Moffat have been involved in the Doctor Who Experience. Is there any involvement from anyone else in Doctor Who past or present?

In relation to the Experience, the existing Cardiff production team were all involved in it, because we had to get it all right. We had to build an exact replica of the Matt Smith Tardis, and lots of people on the technical side have got involved with it.

There aren’t other companions, or actors from the series, involved in that side of it, no.

Can I go back to the arena tour that you ran earlier in the year, and it’s a question of value for money I want to put to you. Because there was some dissatisfaction that even kids were being changed over £40 apiece in some instances to go along to that. And there’s been middling feedback from it.

What do you say to people who do question the price of these events? Because in my view, personally, for all the merits of the arena tour, I don’t think it managed to offer full value for the price that was being charged.

Well, I’m not sure I agree with all of those comments about the arena tour. I haven’t had lots of complaints about pricing. In fact, what I have had is lots of very, very positive comments and compliments from families, because I’d say we created a really great piece of family entertainment, that the families who went to it loved.

Leaving that point aside, there is a big difference between the ticket pricing of the arena show, which as you say is very expensive, with lasers and flying Daleks. You can’t put that on on the cheap.

The costs [for the Experience] are on a different scale, and our ticket prices are on a different scale. Family tickets start at £42 for a family of four for the Doctor Who Experience. It is a very different scale of cost.

I challenge you to go to an arena show, though, and not pay [that amount]. I think the arena pricing was very competitive, and I think that the arena tour, and I think it’s competitive against other attractions on similar budgets.

I suppose I can only relate my point of view here, where I paid nearly £150 to take three of us along, and we walked out wondering if we’d really had £150 of entertainment for that money? But then you must have had an abundance of differing feedback.

We’ve had almost entirely positive feedback, genuinely. With people taking their families to a Doctor Who show, and what a great way it was to experience that. The music, and the excitement, and being in that room with something that a lot of people loved.

Finally, Doctor Who is very much in your crosshairs for the Live element of BBC Worldwide. The Experience is the second big event in two years. What do you have planned next?

Well, it’s fair to say that we have designs on doing more stuff with Doctor Who in the future. But what we don’t want to be doing is hitting Doctor Who fans over the head 18 times a week. We do very much want to develop what we did in live entertainment outside of the UK. A lot of the things we do with Walking With Dinosaurs, for instance, have worked well internationally. We haven’t done much with Doctor Who outside of the UK, and we do have strong audiences there, so we do want to look at that.

And I think we’ve got some good ideas as to what we can do with Doctor Who over the next couple of years. I can’t give anything away about that, but obviously we are coming up to the 50th anniversary, so we’ll need to do something special for that.

So a 50th anniversary event is somewhere in the thinking?

Well, we’ll be doing some more Doctor Who stuff in 2013, but I can’t say any more than that!

Philip Murphy, thank you very much!

Ticket booking for The Doctor Who Experience is open now. Find more details here.

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