Impressing the hell out of Sundance audiences with his debut feature Fruitvale Station, director Ryan Cooglar has been picked up by MGM for a Rocky spinoff entitled Creed. According to Collider, the film will follow the grandson of Apollo Creed, played by Fruitvale and Chronicle star Michael B. Jordan. Sylvester Stallone is also set to reprise his role as an older, wiser Balboa.
And in case you missed it, here’s the trailer to Fruitvale Station:
The next game-movie tie-in is…
…the wildly successful Playstation franchise Gran Turismo. The Wrap reports that Sony’s Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti (the producers behind the upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey adaptation) are taking the wheel on the project, in a possible attempt to compete with the Need for Speed movie. It’s going to be interesting to see how/if a movie based on a driving simulator can work without the use of Fast and Furious ludicrousness or Jeremy Clarkson.
Hoyts Dunedin Shuts Its Doors
In a spot of sad news, Dunedin’s Hoyts Cinema will be closing on the 21st of August due to failed negotiations over the lease. The General Manager of Operations for Hoyts New Zealand, Matthew Garelli, says the company is disappointed about the closure, but says there are no other premises available to the cinema at this stage.
“Regretfully we are now having to close the premises but we would consider reopening in the future if we were able to find a viable venue,” he says.
Garelli says while every effort went into the extensive negotiations for Hoyts to maintain its local operation, he was disappointed the company was not able to deliver a more successful outcome for the city.
More Movie News
Actor David Wenham (the surviving Spartan from 300) is jumping the ditch to attend the University of Auckland’s Big Screen Symposium. Visit bigscreensymposium.com for more info, ticket bookings and their stellar guest line-up.
Christopher Walken will play Angelo ‘Gyp’ DeCarlo in Jersey Boys, Clint Eastwood’s adaptation of the hit stage musical. (via Deadline)
Pacific Rim has defied initial fears that it would be this year’s Battleship, becoming the #1 film internationally over the weekend. The Despicable Me 2 minions declined to comment. (via Deadline)
Lastly, we’re on a podcast! Our good mates at Cinematica invited us on their live show at The Wintergarden at The Civic this week. Have a listen here.
