Welcome to The Extras! A daily dose of all the smaller movie related news, clips and just plain cool stuff that you might have missed!
- “Yo, Adrian! I’m making a spinoff!” It looks like the Rocky spinoff Creed is getting ready to punch some beef. Ever since winning well-deserved acclaim with Fruitvale Station, director Ryan Coogler has been pursuing this passion project which would see his Fruitvale Station star Michael B. Jordan taking on the title role of the grandson of Apollo Creed, Rocky Balboa’s famed nemesis turned friend, played by Carl Weathers in the original movies. Now the rest of cast is starting to fill out with Rocky himself, Sylvester Stallone confirmed to be playing the young Creed’s mentor, while real life boxing champions Andrew Ward and Tony Bellew are also joining the production. There are no details yet on Ward’s role, but Bellew will be playing Creed the younger’s main rival, a boxer named “Pretty Ricky Porter.”
- Yesterday was the birthday of legendary film composer Ennio Morricone, the man responsible for probably all your favourite songs from all your favourite westerns ever. And to celebrate the award-winning muso’s 86th birthday, here’s a 40-minute documentary about the man from 1995 because that’s the only one I could find on short notice.
- Speaking of famous movie people’s birthdays and the number 40, yesterday was also the 40th birthday of Leonardo DiCaprio, so here are 40 things you may not have known about the actor.
- Normally, special editions of Blu Rays add things to a movie, but Gravity is going to be taking something out. A special “Silent Space Version” of Alfonso Cuaron’s Oscar winning masterpiece is going be to released, that perfectly mimics the soundless void of space by removing Steven Price’s magnificent score and other audio cues in those areas where the action takes place outside Sandra Bullock’s spacesuit.
- Poster of the day: Apollo 13
- We heard about the Joe Dirt sequel a few weeks ago and while we still don’t know anything about the story – my money is still on the fact that it will be an incredibly accurate Darryn Bonthuys biopic – we now at least have a title. And a mullet.
- Not only is a Wonder Woman solo movie actually happening – something that most comic geeks had all but given up hope on – but Warner Bros are apparently looking to break even more ground by having a female director helm the film. One such female director that was recently rumoured to be attached to the pic is Lexi Alexander, the helmer of the very underrated Marvel flick The Punisher: War Zone and Green Street Hooligans. But Alexander herself has now not only shot down those rumours, but also explained that she wouldn’t even want the gig just because it’s too much pressure.
“Imagine the weight on my shoulders. How many male superhero movies fail? So now, we finally get Wonder Woman with a female director, imagine if it fails. And you have no control over marketing, over budget. So without any control, you carry the fucking weight of gender equality for both characters and women directors. No way.”
“If [another female director] says yes, everybody will be very happy, including me. I don’t see at this point why anyone would say yes. There is huge pressure… If [a female director] does fail, then all of a sudden it’s ‘all women suck at directing.’”
Bonus fact: I just learned that Alexander was a champion martial artist who was actually convinced to get into showbiz by none other than Chuck Norris.
- Some of the above quotes is taken from Alexander’s interview with Fast Company, which I highly – HIGHLY – recommend you read. As somebody who started out working crappy acting jobs where she literally got beat up to making award winning history at SXSW to battling blatant sexism to become a staunch supporter of film piracy, Alexander is one incredibly interesting individual.
- When it comes to classic video games, things don’t get much more fun and cheesy than Mega Man. It’s just a lighthearted romp of a game. So naturally, there’s a gritty reboot fan film for it.
- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is doing comedy again. Luckily though, this time it doesn’t involve him dressing in a tutu. Johnson and funnyman Kevin Hart are set to team up for Central Intelligence, a new buddy action-comedy from director Rawson Marshall Thurber (Dodgeball, We’re the Millers). The flick will see regular scene stealer Hart as “as a former high school sports star turned accountant” who has his life turned upside down when an ex-schoolmate who used to get bullied constantly contacts him during a high school reunion. Turns out that the former scrawny “loser” kid has now grown into The Rock and is actually a CIA contract killer who needs his ex-alum’s help to foil a plot to do with stolen military secrets.
- Disney’s Maleficent was a critical success and has made some magical money at the box office this year…. which makes it perfect fodder for the folks over at Honest Trailers!
If you have anything you would like to contribute to Extras, whether it be interesting stories, funny videos, or artistic photos of yourself in morally questionable poses, feel free to drop a mail to kervyn@themovies.co.za.
Last Updated: November 12, 2014
