Anthony Hopkins joins the cast of Rogue One

We were excited enough when Rogue One, the first official spin off of the Star Wars films, was announced and added Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) as a director and Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) and Ben Mendelsohn (The Place Beyond the Pines) as its stars. The newest confirmation is the Oscar winner and legendary actor Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, The Remains of the Day, Amistad, The Elephant Man, Thor) but you’ll be even more thrilled when you find out who he’s playing.

He’ll be portraying the older wisened Jar Jar Binks, a classic fan favourite character introduced in the equally adored episode The Phantom Menace. The Gungan’s tragic but heroic tale begins with his injust banishment from his people followed by his triumphant return to as one of the galaxy’s most respected politicians. Members of the new Star Wars brain trust share your excitement.

JJ Abrams (Super 8, The Force Awakens) said “This is a greatly promising opportunity to bring an iconic and beloved character into our expanding cinematic universe. You can rest assured that Jar Jar will be at the heart of the brilliant story we have to tell.” Rian Johnson (Looper, Episode 8) added “It is the greatest privilege of my career to be reviving Jar Jar for the new generation of fans. We’ll hope that he can leave a lasting legacy of inspirational cinema.”

Hopkins himself weighed in claiming that: “Meesa looking forward to playing an action hero in Star Wars.” What’ll be next? Morgan Freeman as the ghost of Jabba? Javier Bardem as Admiral Ackbar? Ian McKellen as a Jawa? We can only dream.

Rogue One – December 16th 2016

Jonathan Nolan and HBO’s Westworld reboot gets a series order

It’s fair to say that Jonathan Nolan is yet to achieve the success of his older brother Christopher, the mastermind behind Inception, Memento, The Prestige, Insomnia, The Following, Interstellar and The Dark Knight trilogy. Jonathan still penned the original Memento short novel, scribed The Prestige, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar with Chris and launched the TV show Person of Interest (now in its fourth season). He’s gathered a stellar cast for his televised reboot of Westworld, a fantastic sci-fi thriller from 1973 in which the robots at a Western theme park turn on their customers. It has now gained the backing of a full series order for HBO.

Westworld stars James Marsden (X-Men, The Butler), Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, War of the Worlds), Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale, Source Code), Evan Rachel Wood (The Ides of March, The Wrestler), Rodrigo Santoro (300, Che), Thandie Newton (Crash, The Pursuit of Happyness), Ed Harris (Gravity, The Truman Show), Ingrid Bolso Berdal (Hercules) and Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, The Remains of the Day, Thor).

Westworld – 2015 on HBO

Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba are set for more Marvel

This week was one dominated by the stellar announcement of Marvel’s Phase Three lineup and we were thrilled by the confirmation of Thor 3. Following the success of The Winter Soldier, Kevin Feige and co were quick to confirm Captain America 3, now titled Civil War, but seemed hesitant with the thunder god, despite The Dark World’s grand takings, but Thor: Ragnarok is now scheduled for a Summer 2017 release.

The presence of Chris Hemsworth (Rush) as Thor and Tom Hiddleston (War Horse) as Loki was immediately announced. The cast is now looking to be expanded as Idris Elba will reprise his role as Asgardians watchmen Heimdall. Elba’s career was built on supporting roles on The Wire, American Gangster and RockNRolla before leads in the likes of Prometheus and Pacific Rim. I’d expect further additions to include Natalie Portman (Leon, Black Swan), Stellan Skarsgard (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Good Will Hunting) and Anthony Hopkins (The Elephant Man, The Silence of the Lambs) as Odin.

The likes of Ultron (James Spader), Ulysses Klaw (maybe Andy Serkis) and Thanos (Josh Brolin) will soon be dominating Marvel’s villain screentime but their beloved Loki is not forgotten. In addition to Ragnarok, the god of mischief’s on screen life has been extended to The Avengers: Infinity War, a two part event beginning in 2018 and likely directed by Serenity’s Joss Whedon.

Thor: Ragnarok – July 28th 2017

The Avengers: Infinity War Part I – May 4th 2018

The Avengers: Infinity War Part II – May 3rd 2019

Marvel confirm their future in massive announcement: Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Inhumans, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Thor: Ragnarok and Infinity War!

In the summer, Marvel confirmed a series of release dates without a name to them but, at a recent presentation, the Phase 3 line up was at last revealed. It begins in 2015 with Ant-Man although that wasn’t mentioned today. What did steal focus was the third solo outing for Captain America which is now officially titled Civil War. It’ll be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo (The Winter Soldier) and will star Chris Evans (Snowpiercer) as Cap’ and Robert Downey Jr (Chaplin, Sherlock Holmes) as Iron Man while there are rumoured appearances from Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, The Other Boleyn Girl) as Black Widow and Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau, The Hurt Locker) as Falcon. There’s new title artwork for the film.
Captain America: Civil War – May 6th 2016

Next up was Doctor Strange. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) recently signed on to star with Scott Derickson (Sinister) directing but the harrowing casting process has pushed the film’s release back a few months.
Doctor Strange – November 4th 2016

The smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy has now taken over $750 million worldwide and its sequel will be released sooner than expected. Director James Gunn (Slither) returns with the cast of Chris Pratt (The Lego Movie, Moneyball) as Star Lord, Bradley Cooper (Limitless, Silver Linings Playbook) as Rocket, Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek) as Gamora, Vin Diesel (Saving Private Ryan, Pitch Black, Fast and Furious) as Groot, Dave Bautista (Riddick, Bond 24) as Drax, Karen Gillan (Doctor Who, Oculus) as Nebula and Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men) as Thanos (probably).
Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5th 2017

Thor’s second adventure, The Dark World, wasn’t consider the box office success of Cap’ 2 or the Iron Man films but it still grossed far north of $600 million globally. This has prompted the confirmation of Thor: Ragnarok, in which Asgard trembles at the threat of apocalypse. Chris Hemsworth (Rush, The Cabin in the Woods) and Tom Hiddleston (War Horse, Only Lovers Left Alive) will star as Thor and Loki respectively while I’d expect Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Leon) as Jane Foster, Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Pacific Rim) as Heimdall and Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, The Remains of the Day) as Odin. A director is yet to be found.
Thor: Ragnarok – July 28th 2017

Black Panther was the first of three new properties to be announced. Again no director is signed on but a writer is present in the form of documentary maker Mark Bailey. More excitingly 42 and Get on Up’s Chadwick Boseman was confirmed to be playing the tribal hero. We reckon Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Prestige, The Lord of the Rings) will play villain Ulysses Klaw.
Black Panther – November 3rd 2017

The title itself is going to be tricky to sell but Marvel have at last invested in a female led film, following suit from DC’s Wonder Woman. There’s still no word on a director or star (is Longmire’s Katee Sackhoff still on the cards?) but a release date is in place.
Captain Marvel – July 6th 2018

New franchise Inhumans was also conceived is similar circumstances in that we know almost nothing but there are faint rumours that Vin Diesel (already voicing Groot) will play team leader Black Bolt.
Inhumans – November 2018

The most exciting announcement of all was that the third instalment of the central Avengers series will be split into two parts. Infinity War Part 1 and 2 will be released across 2018 and 2019. I sincerely hope that Serenity’s Joss Whedon will direct.
The Avengers: Infinity War Part I – May 4th 2018
The Avengers: Infinity War Part II – May 3rd 2019

Let’s just recap on the story so far in Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe:

Phase One:

Iron Man – 2008 – Jon Favreau – Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Samuel L Jackson

The Incredible Hulk – 2008 – Louis Leterrier – Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson

Iron Man 2 – 2010 – Jon Favreau – Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Samuel L Jackson

Thor – 2011 – Kenneth Branagh – Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgard, Clark Gregg, Jaimie Alexander, Idris Elba

Captain America: The First Avenger – 2011 – Joe Johnston – Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Tommy Lee Jones, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Samuel L Jackson

The Avengers – 2012 – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany

Phase Two:

Iron Man 3 – 2013 – Shane Black – Robert Downey Jr, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Ben Kingsley, Paul Bettany

Thor: The Dark World – 2013 – Alan Taylor – Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins, Jaimie Alexander, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba

Captain America: The Winter Solder – 2014 – Anthony and Joe Russo – Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Robert Redford, Samuel L Jackson, Sebastian Stan, Cobie Smulders

Guardians of the Galaxy – 2014 – James Gunn – Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, Benicio Del Toro

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – 2015 – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, James Spader, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Paul Bettany, Andy Serkis

Phase Three:

Ant-Man – 2015 – Peyton Reed – Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Judy Greer, Michael Pena, Corey Stoll

Captain America: Civil War – 2016 – Anthony and Joe Russo – Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, (unconfirmed) Anthony Mackie

Doctor Strange – 2016 – Scott Derickson – Benedict Cumberbatch

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – 2017 – James Gunn – (unconfirmed)

Thor: Ragnarok – 2017 – (unconfirmed) – Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston

Black Panther – 2017 – (unconfirmed) – Chadwick Boseman, (unconfirmed) Andy Serkis

The Avengers: Infinity War Part I – 2018 – (unconfirmed) Joss Whedon – (unconfirmed) Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin

Captain Marvel – 2018

Inhumans – 2018

The Avengers: Infinity War Part II – 2019 – (unconfirmed) Joss Whedon – (unconfirmed) Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin

The Third Phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been unleashed so tell us which of the ten new instalments you are most excited about. For us, it has got to be both parts of Infinity War. Bye for now!

Robert Downey Jr joins Captain America 3 confirming outbreak of Civil War!

Contains major spoilers for the ten Marvel films so far

Having hit their stride pre-Avengers, Marvel Studios’ second phase has taken the franchise to new heights and they’ve given themselves plenty of room to launch from: having dispatched of Odin, Loki’s return will undoubtedly cause mischief; Cap’, Black Widow, Fury and Hill have left the imploding SHIELD to Coulson and co to rebuild; Daredevil will soon encounter Iron Fist and Luke Cage; HYDRA, in possession of Loki’s staff, and Arnim Zola’s return spells trouble; Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Wasp, Falcon and Vision will succeed as the teams core members; Guardians of the Galaxy introduced a barely glimpsed interstellar vibe to the Marvel Universe all the while Thanos is collecting those mysterious Infinity Stones.

This may come across as way to much to fit in but Marvel still have all the time in the world. The great thing is that they can produce a wide range of stories at different scales. Daredevil can be battling regular gangsters while a talking tree embarks on intergalactic mayhem without either losing audience interest. Captain America: The Winter Soldier proved that Marvel can still rock even deprived of its more fantastical antics. Captain America 3 has long been confirmed in the schedule with Chris Evans signed on to star and director Anthony and Joe Russo directing once more but today’s announcement changed everything.

Robert Downey Jr, better know as the actor portraying Tony Stark/Iron Man, is reportedly signing on for Cap’ 3. This came with the confirmation that the sequel will be adapting the brilliant Civil War series.

In one of the more tragic storylines, this crossover event divides the superhero world into those who oppose or enforce the recently implemented Superhuman Registration Act which forces every hero to give up their identity. The sides are led by Captain America and Iron Man respectively. The problem with adapting it is that the series is more of a saga. Around fifty major characters get involved in some way and the current MCU don’t have the rights to all of them. Obviously there’s Fantastic Four and the X-Men but individuals such as Spider-Man, Namor and Punisher greatly affect the story.

The worry is that the narrative won’t function without them but I think it can be overcome. During the series, the X-Men, although they were requested to weigh in, kept their distance. Quite major adjustments may have to be inflicted on the beloved work to eliminate the likes of the FF, some of whom are crucial, and Spider-Man.

Through gathering various bits of information we can see how this links up with other reports. Downey Jr has made differing statements about the potential project of Iron Man 4, sometimes claiming that its done or that he’s up for it. When he recently let slip that it was in development he was likely referring to this. This is still contradictory to the rumour that Hawkeye will be cropping up. Another key hazard is that by piling in team members in there’ll be no distinction between this and The Avengers 3 but if it includes only a few of the group in central roles then we ought to be fine. Keep the focus on it being a Rogers/Stark crossover. The Guardians better not get involved just yet.

Tell us any hopes or fears for the film as well as your suggestion for a title. Current favourites: Civil War and Fallen Son. Key players in the future Marvel Universe include Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Evangeline Lilly (Wasp), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Corey Stoll (Yellowjacket), Paul Bettany (Vision), Aaron Taylor Johnson (Quicksilver), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson), Cobie Smulders (Agent Hill), Chris Pratt (Star Lord), Bradley Cooper (Rocket), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Vin Diesel (Groot), Dave Bautista (Drax), Anthony Mackie (Falcon), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier), Toby Jones (Arnim Zola), Thomas Kretschmann (Baron Von Strucker), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Stellan Skarsgard (Erik Selvig), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), Benicio Del Toro (Collector), James Spader (Ultron), Josh Brolin (Thanos), Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and not Joaquin Phoenix (not Doctor Strange).

Captain America: Civil War? – April 29th 2016

Joaquin Phoenix drops out of Marvel’s Doctor Strange

Guardians of the Galaxy, starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker and Vin Diesel, may be one of ten Marvel Cinematic Universe releases but it is the most important yet. Its greatly extended the franchise’s future by both being renewed for a whole trilogy but also proving that Marvel can outlive its original Avengers characters, played by Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L Jackson. The wave of new heroes including Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Vision (Paul Bettany), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), Falcon (Anthony Mackie) Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor Johnson) is on the way but the casting for Doctor Strange has proved elusive.

Jared Leto (Requiem For a Dream, Dallas Buyers Club), Tom Hardy (Locke, The Dark Knight Rises), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Ethan Hawke (Before Sunrise, Training Day) have all been seriously named in connection but this summer Joaquin Phoenix (Her, Gladiator, The Master) was confirmed to be in negotiations for the role. These discussions seemed to have been taking far too long and it was suspected that Phoenix, in the peak of his dramatic career, was reluctant to sign on for a comic book role. Our worries have been confirmed as Phoenix has officially dropped out for that reason. This seems a little unjustified; Jeff Bridges, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Kingsley, Robert Redford, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, John C Reilly, Glenn Close and Michael Douglas have already played roles in the series. At the moment, I’d top Ethan Hawke in favour of the role. Scott Derickson (Sinister) directs.

Doctor Strange – July 8th 2016

Dwayne Johnson confirms Shazam role, Jessica Chastain in talks for Martian and Pacino interested in Marvel

It has been known for some time that Dwayne Johnson (Fast and Furious 5, Doom, The Scorpion King) will take one of two roles in the planned DC adaptation Shazam. The character, who he has been teasing bit by bit, would either be the heroic Shazam or the villainous Black Adam. The former wrestler took to Twitter to announce that he will be playing Black Adam although recent evidence suggests that the film will have no immediate ties to the rest of the Justice League universe, begun by 2013’s Man of Steel. No director has yet been confirmed for the film but Arrow’s Geoff Johns will write it.

Fast approaching the age of 80, Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, American Gangster, Prometheus) is probably at the most productive point in his career. While finishing post production on biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, the Oscar nominee is busy developing three other projects. He may reunite with Harrison Ford for Blade Runner 2 as well as Prometheus 2 with Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender but he’s also attempting to release sci-fi thriller The Martian, starring Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity, Ocean’s Eleven, Saving Private Ryan, The Departed, Good Will Hunting, The Talented Mr Ripley). It’s been reported that Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty, The Tree of Life) and Kristen Wiig (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Bridesmaids) are both in talks to be expanding the cast list.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has drawn in some of the greats of 21st century mainstream film (Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Paul Bettany, Natalie Portman, Josh Brolin), hit the reset button on some fledging careers (Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Samuel L Jackson) and turned relative unknowns (Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Tom Hiddleston) into superstar icons. They also seem to have a knack for attracting from greatly renowned venerable actors such as Jeff Bridges, Anthony Hopkins, Tommy Lee Jones, Stellan Skarsgard, Ben Kingsley, Glenn Close, Michael Douglas and Robert Redford. Now, Al Pacino (The Godfather trilogy, Donnie Brasco, Scarface, Heat, Insomnia) has, albeit jokingly, expressed interest in a role.

Pacino is one Empire’s five “Gods Among Us”, flanked by Robert De Niro, Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando, and after being thrilled by a screening of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. He had this to say “I would do anything that I could understand in terms of how I fit in it. And you know, of course if I could fit in it. Anything’s possible. You know, I did Dick Tracy and I got an Oscar nomination, so come on. I mean, what can I say?” If Pacino had a genuine superhero, or more likely supervillain, I’d be massively excited to see him join the franchises mega-cast.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – July 28th 2017

The Martian – 2017?

Shazam – 2017?

The Best Films of 2014 – the Half-Way Point

Looking at any annual film schedule, its evident that the first half of the year can never quite live up to the second and 2014 is no exception. This year really did get off to a rotten start with 47 Ronin, The Legend of Hercules and I Frankenstein dragging their heals at the box-office but this did pave a way for others; The Wolf of Wall Street and Ride Along both enjoyed three consecutive weeks at the top of the UK and US box-office respectively. Following that came some genuine surprises. Wes Anderson’s ensemble comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel reached 1st and 3rd in the UK and US against all odds and The Lego Movie, one of the most poorly marketed films in recent years, was an unexpected treat and certainly and future cult classic.

The biblical format seemed to increase in popularity around Easter with the low-key Christian dramas Heaven is For Real, Son of God and God’s Not Dead taking nearly thirty times their micro-budgets but these religious flicks aren’t proving successful outside of America, besides Aronofsky’s star-driven epic Noah. The “Katniss-effect” of The Hunger Games has evidently given studios the faith to put stronger female characters into the fray of action and adventure with Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent and Shailene Woodley’s Divergent winning out over Johnny Depp’s Transcendence or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Sabotage financially. Edge of Tomorrow even managed it to the extent of Tom Cruise needing saving from Emily Blunt’s ultimate warrior.

In the last six months, certain individuals are lighting up the box-office left, right and centre. Former comedian Kevin Hart has lead a trio of success, Ride Along, About Last Night and Think Like a Man Too, while the Jump Street quartet (director Phil Lord and Chris Miller/stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill) have a cinematic Midas-touch. It’s evident that Lego’s Chris Pratt can do no wrong and, with Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy coming soon, he’s well on his way to man-of-the-year status. The biggest winners of the year have to be Marvel. Even though their heroes are divided across Sony, Fox and Disney, Stan Lee’s creations of Spider-Man, Captain America (kind-of) and the X-Men are currently the three biggest films of the year so far and they’ll only continue to grow bigger.

Below you can find the international box-office top ten followed by our own personal picks of the year so far as well as the ten to look for in the rest of 2014:

International Box-office Top 10:

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Director: Anthony and Joe Russo – Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Robert Redford, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily Van Camp, Samuel L Jackson, Hayley Attwell, Toby Jones – Box-office: $710.8 million
2. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Marc Webb – Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Dane DeHaan, Jamie Foxx, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Chris Cooper – $703.3 million
3. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Ellen Page, Evan Peters, Shawn Ashmore, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Josh Helman, Omar Sy, Fan Bingbing, Adan Canto, Booboo Stewart, Lucas Till – $700 million
4. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville – $531.8 million
5. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards – Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston, Sally Hawkins, Juliette Binoche – $478.7 million
6. Rio 2 – Carlos Saldanha – Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, Bruno Mars, Jemaine Clement, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am – $469.4 million
7. The Lego Movie – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Cobie Smulders – $467.2 million
8. Noah – Darren Aronofsky – Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth, Anthony Hopkins – $356.2 million
9. 300: Rise of an Empire – Noam Murro – Eva Green, Sullivan Stapleton, Lena Headey, Jack O’Connell, Rodrigo Santoro, Callan Mulvey, David Wenham – $331.1 million
10. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman – Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Jonas Armstrong – $298.8 million

Tuorhoth’s Top 10:

1. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Ellen Page, Evan Peters, Shawn Ashmore, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Josh Helman, Omar Sy, Fan Bingbing, Adan Canto, Booboo Stewart, Lucas Till
2. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards – Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston, Sally Hawkins, Juliette Binoche
3. The Lego Movie – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Cobie Smulders
4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Anthony and Joe Russo – Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Robert Redford, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily Van Camp, Samuel L Jackson, Hayley Attwell, Toby Jones
5. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman – Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Jonas Armstrong
6. The Two Faces of January – Hossein Amini – Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac, Kirsten Dunst
7. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – Justin Chadwick – Idris Elba, Naomi Harris
8. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – Kenneth Branagh – Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Costner, Nonso Anozie, Gemma Chan
9. RoboCop – Jose Padilha – Gary Oldman, Joel Kinnaman, Abbie Cornish, Michael Keaton, Jay Baruchel, Jennifer Ehle, Jackie Earle Haley, Aimee Garcia, Michael K Williams, Samuel L Jackson
10. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Marc Webb – Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Dane DeHaan, Jamie Foxx, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Chris Cooper

Top 10 Anticipated:

1. Interstellar – Christopher Nolan – Matthew MacConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Topher Grace, Casey Affleck, David Oyelowo, John Lithgow, Matt Damon
2. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Peter Jackson – Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Aidan Turner, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Sylvester McCoy, Lee Pace, Manu Bennett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee
3. Gone Girl – David Fincher – Ben Affleck, Neil Patrick Harris, Rosamund Pike
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Michael Caine, Samuel L Jackson, Mark Hamill, Mark Strong
5. Guardians of the Galaxy – James Gunn – Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, John C Reilly
6. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Matt Reeves – Jason Clarke, Andy Serkis, James Franco, Judy Greer, Gary Oldman, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit McPhee
7. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – Francis Lawrence – Jennifer Lawrence, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Jena Malone, Sam Clafin, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Natalie Dormer, Philip Seymour, Hoffman
8. Fury – David Ayer – Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Jason Isaacs, Michael Pena, Shia LeBeouf
9. Exodus: Gods and Kings – Ridley Scott – Christian Bale, Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley
10. The Judge – David Dobkin – Robert Downey Jr, Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton, Vera Farmiga

The Super-Bowl 2014 Trailers special: Transformers 4, Noah and more!

We’re not venturing into sports just yet but the American Football extravaganza known as Superbowl is a huge event for advertising. With well over 100 million Americans watching, companies have to pay the whopping sum of $8 million dollars just for a one minute advertising slot. Only the biggest of big budget, big star blockbusters can afford to make the cut so you may be quite surprised when I tell you that among the nine titanic efforts trailered last night is the new project from Darren Aronofsky!

But before we get to that, we have the matter of a movie I recently predicted to make over a billion dollars. I speak of the fourquel of a monster series – Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Director Michael Bay (Armaggedon, Pearl Harbour, Bad Boys) returns to the series after a quick, and unsuccessful, break to make Pain and Gain. The franchise hopes to continue it success with an new human cast with Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor, replacing the old guard of Shia LaBeaouf, Rosie Huntington-Whitley and Megan Fox. This time, the Autobots are at battle with the villainous Dinobots and the technology tycoon Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer), the former is revealed in the very first trailer. The film also stars Stanley Tucci and Peter Cullen. July 10th.

The second instalment in this nine-part epic is Marvel’s very own Captain America: The Winter Soldier. We’ve seen footage from this before but Superbowl unveiled the second trailer, which offers more in depth look at new antagonist The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). The plot pitches Captain America (Chris Evans) still adjusting to life in the 21st Century as well as working with SHIELD Agents such as Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Crossbones (Frank Grillo) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) to bring down a new menace who’s terrorising Washington. Cap 2 also stars Emily VanCamp, Samuel L Jackson, Robert Redford, Cobie Smulders, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Attwell and Toby Jones and is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. March 28th.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is next. Marc Webb returns to direct the sequel which increases the stakes for Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) who has to balance life between his superhero alter ego Spider-Man, who’s battling Electro (Jamie Foxx), Rhino (Paul Giamatti) and the sinister father/son double act of Oscorp (Dane DeHaan as Harry and Chris Cooper as Norman), and normal life with the grieving Gwen (Emma Stone) and lonely Aunt May (Sally Field). The new trailer can be found here. To be honest, I’m not that impressed. April 18th.

Following on from their “Across the Internet” campaign, Muppets Most Wanted has launched a new ad in which the new doppelganging villain Clementine literally reaches out to us Across the Internet. Tina Fey, Ty Burrell, Stanley Tucci, Ricky Gervais, Lady Gaga, Tom Hiddleston, Salma Hayek, Christoph Waltz and Danny Trejo make up the human cast alongside the classic Muppets such as Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Sam the Eagle, Beaker, Dr Honeydrew, Walter and Animal. Flight of the Conchords/The Muppets’ James Bobin directs. March 28th.

With a premise of no CG, just expensive cars going ridiculously fast, video game adaptation Need for Speed is actually in good shape. It sees newly released ex-con Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul – Breaking Bad’s Jesse Pinkman) getting back into the dragraces that got him locked up for a year. Upon hearing the news, Marshall’s ex racing partner Dino (Dominic Cooper – Marvel’s Howard Stark) puts a bounty on his head. Scott Waugh (Act of Valour) directs a huge cast including Michael Keeton, Dakota Johnson, Scott Mescudi and Imogen Poots. The superbowl spot can be found here. March 12th.

We return to the aforementioned Darren Aronofsky who, after impressing with the likes of Black Swan, The Wrestler, Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, makes his comeback with a huge budget and cast list for his new epic picture Noah. The new trailer is available but I’m shocked that a director as prestigious as Aronofsky would fall to the depths of a Twitter hashtag; this time it’s “#TheFloodIsComing”!. The film stars Russell Crowe, Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Ray Winstone, Kevin Durand, Douglas Booth, Nick Nolte and Frank Langella. April 4th.

Pompeii seems to me like one of the potential box office clunkers of the year with a decent cast list which doesn’t match its huge budget but director Paul WS Anderson (Event Horizon, Resident Evil) may prove me wrong. The new trailer unveils a fair bit of spectacle so the film won’t rely on the cast of Kit Harrington, Carrie Anne Moss, Emily Browning, Jessica Lucas, Kiefer Sutherland, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jared Harris and Jessica Lucas alone. May 2nd.

3 Days to Kill launched a new trailer too. McG (This Means War, Terminator: Salvation, We Are Marshall, Charlie’s Angles) directs this new action thriller starring Kevin Costner as an dying agent who teams up with his daughter for one last assignment which get him the life saving drug he needs. Also starring Amber Heard, Connie Nielson and Hailee Steinfeld. February 21st.

Lastly, we have another Kevin Costner project. Draft Day sees the manger of American Football’s Cleveland Browns who’s struggling to find the number one draft pick for his team. Costner will star alongside Terry Crews, Jennifer Garner and Ellen Burstyn while director Ivan Reitman (Ghost Busters, No Strings Attached). April 11th

Mission Impossible 5 could fit in 2015, first Noah trailer, Chris Pratt in talks for Jurassic World and new Doctor Who mini-sode

Jack Reacher was last year’s mediocre action thriller. It starred Tom Cruise in the title role and Christopher McQuarrie directed the story based on the Lee Child novel One Shot. Cruise and McQuarrie will be reuniting, now with Iron Man 3 writer Drew Pearce, soon in the all action spy sequel Mission: Impossible 5 and it’s coming earlier than we thought.

In the vast summer of 2015, we didn’t think we’d be watching the adventures of Ethan Hunt of the  big screen until the year after  but the studios are determined. It’ll actually be released of Christmas Day so we’re not expecting an overly successful first day box-office but this could be another move to get the growing Chinese market in. In addition, film’s such as Sherlock Holmes have benefited from Boxing Day openings. It’s only direct competition will be the Ben Affleck (Argo, The Town) directorial effort Live By Night but it could suffer from coming out just a week after Star Wars: Episode VII.

We don’t know if Hunt’s colleagues from Ghost Protocol, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and Simon Pegg, will return but we should expect Ving Rhames’ series regular Luther Stickell to feature

Colin Trevorrow’s epic dinosaur reboot Jurassic World only has three confirmed stars so far: Bryce Dallas Howard (Spiderman 3, The Help), Ty Simpkins (Iron Man Three, Insidious) and Nick Robinson (The Kings of Summer). A further Josh Brolin, Idris Elba and David Oyelowo are rumoured to be part of the new reincarnation of the Steven Spielberg classic adventure and now another name has been thrown into the mix. He’s proved himself in comedy, with the much loved US TV sitcom Parks and Recreation, and drama, see Moneyball and Zero Dark Thirty, and scored two leads in huge productions of next year, he’s the voice of Emmet in The LEGO Movie and will play Peter Quill/Star Lord in Marvel adventure Guardians of the Galaxy.

If you haven’t guessed, Chris Pratt is the man for the prehistoric job, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s announced that he’s early in negotiations for a role as an ex-military man.

We finish with a couple of fresh new clips. The first is the brand new trailer for Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic Noah. Aronofsky’s five feature films, Pi, Requiem For A Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler and Black Swan, have all risen to critical acclaim leading to a whopping budget for his new production. Noah will have stunning visuals marrying likely brilliant performances from Russell Crowe, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Connelly, Douglas Booth, Logan Lerman and Ray Winstone. As long as they don’t ponder on the on-ship events, it should be one of the biggest cinematic spectacles of 2014.

There’s an awesome new mini-sode in preparation for the forthcoming Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special. Matt Smith, David Tennant, Billie Piper, Jenna Coleman and John Hurt will be starring in that very episode, titled The Day of the Doctor. The Night of the Doctor is this new short film featuring the dashing but short lived Eight Doctor, played by Paul McGann. This isn’t really a prequel but we get the bridge-gapping between McGann’s reincarnation and John Hurt’s The War Doctor. It’s cleverly skipped over the fault of the number of regenerations not quite adding up. Get the youtube link here. I think I will rate the short a 9/10 but bare in mind it’s really only for Doctor Who fans, or Whovians if you will. By for now!

Mission: Impossible 5 – Christmas 2015

Jurassic World – June 12th 2015

Noah – March 28th

The Day of the Doctor – November 23rd on BBC One