The Fantastic Four franchise never really got up and running, mainly because it was just not well received among fans [Ed. Note – That’s an understatement]. So the decision to reboot the product came as no surprise to anyone. Now this reboot has an official release date, but do not get excited quite yet as it is a while.
ERC Box Office have it down as March 6th 2015, a year that will put it in competition with the likes of Avengers 2, Justice League, and the final installment of The Hobbit (probably). I do not know if I would take this news as real either, because it is far enough away that it could get set back if problems arise. This release date also means that there is going to be a lot of time before we find any juicy news about the movie. The positive of this is that because of the luke warm response of the first two movies and the eight year gap there will be before we see another one, it seems the right time for the fab four to fly back into action. As good as I felt Amazing Spider-Man was, Sam Raimi’s version was still fresh in people’s heads when it came out this year.
We already know that Chronicle director Josh Trank is on board and newbie Jeremy Slater is on hand with the writing. This information came out during Comic-Con, so the project is slowly coming together, which is probably a good thing. Trank has a superb eye and his visuals are stunning, as well as him having a good grasp on character interaction. So here is hoping that this translates over to the reboot as the original suffered greatly from miscasting and no real chemistry between the cast (aside from Michael Chiklis as The Thing, he was fantastic). So now us fans have to play the waiting game. Will this keep fans excited about the franchise or will the long wait make them forget about it and move on to the next big super hero flick? Only time will tell, but I do not mind waiting for a bit to see how it all pans out.
What if a serial killer escaped from prison and it is discovered that he had amassed quite a following of fellow serial killers and others while incarcerated and those people are now willing to help him evade the authorities trying to capture him once again? Well then we’d have the show premiering on January 21st, on Fox, called The Following.
Kevin Bacon stars as Ryan Hardy, a former FBI agent who was instrumental in the search and eventual capture a serial killer named Joe Carroll played by James Purefoy. Since the capture, Hardy has stepped out of the spotlight and is living his own life with the mental and physical scars left by the hunt for Carroll. Put in prison for murdering 14 co-eds who attended the Virginia college at which he taught literature, Carroll has spent his time in prison reaching out to and connecting with his fellow serial killers. They form a network that not only puts into motion his escape from prison, but also aide him in finishing what he started years earlier.
The story picks up with Carroll’s escape and the FBI reaching out to Hardy in hopes that his intimate knowledge of the killer will help them track him down again. Hardy is no longer the top dog which takes some getting used to by not only him but by the team now working the case, including a “young, razor-sharp” Mike Weston who idolizes Hardy, and the investigation lead, Specialist Debra Parker who along with everyone else (minus Weston) isn’t too keen on Hardy being around, seeing him as more of a hindrance than a help.
The ensuing investigation leads Hardy and the team back to Carroll’s ex-wife and young son. It appears as if not all was kosher in the “investigator/wife of serial killer” relationship in the past
Well don’t let me tell you all about it, check out the trailer-
REMOVED BY YOUTUBE
Looks rather promising. I’ll admit that I’d hoped this one was on cable, but Fox has had success in the past with good crime(ish) dramas before- 24, Prison Break,New York Undercover– so perhaps my concern will be for naught.
This is Kevin Bacon’s first serialized TV stint (not counting guest spots) since he appeared on Guiding Light way back in 1980. I, for one, hope this doesn’t turn into a movie actor vs. TV actor thing when people start talking about the show. Just because someone who has predominantly worked in film decides to tackle a television project does not mean they’ve given up on life and spend their downtime wearing sweatpants and eating cheese puffs.
James Purefoy (who had a Bacon score of 2 before this show) on the other hand, has gone the TV route more recently with the short-lived but still really good, The Philanthropist. He also played Marc Anthony in the incredible BBC/HBO series, Rome.
In addition to two great actors, The Following is created and written by a man who is no stranger to TV hits. Even though he has had some shows that sucked, Hidden Palms being a good example, Kevin Williamson has been the creative force behind two shows that are undeniably TV classics. Okay, so The Vampire Diaries might be just more popular than classic right now, but there is no one that can deny that Dawson’s Creek is a television benchmark for an entire generation. If you are a member of that generation and want to have a nostalgic, if not tear-jerking moment (I cried. Pathetic, I know.), check out James Van Der Beek’s letter to Dawson Leery.
As for Williamson’s latest outing, I’m hoping that The Following has the ratings that lead to a longer run because I’m interested in seeing how he and the writing staff tell this cat and mouse story.
If you can’t wait and just need more footage of Bacon and Purefoy playing that game, I am more than happy to oblige.
A bit more of an in-depth look at the upcoming show:
James Purefoy and Kevin Bacon talk to The Hollywood Reporter at Comic-Con:
The Following will premiere on Fox, on January 21st at 9 Eastern/8 Central.
[Ed. Note – Also, Natalie Zea left Justified for this, so it better not suck…]
Between Jack Reacher and Oblivion, it looks like it’s quickly becoming a pattern that Tom Cruise shall from now on only play characters named Jack. It’s actually another Sci-Fi outing from Tom Cruise, who likes to star in a science fiction movie every couple of years, probably because he’s living one, but I digress from that easy joke. Despite being a huge fan of Sci-Fi, I found myself guessing as to what this movie was an adaptation or remake of, and upon viewing the trailer found myself surprised that it seemed to be an original story! Generic as hell, but still, original! Well my hopes were dashed after researching the movie a bit further, as it IS an adaptation. It’s apparently adapted from an eponymous graphic novel by Joseph Kosinki. If you’ve never heard that name before, don’t worry because neither have I, although you might be familiar with his work. He did that relatively famous Gears Of War video game commercial, set to “Mad World” by Gary Jules. Oh, he also did Tron: Legacy, which I haven’t seen but I’ve heard was good.
The trailer for Oblivion however, looks… Well here, take a look for yourself:
Here’s where I have to emphasize just what a huge fan of Sci-Fi I am, so you don’t misunderstand me when I say this looks like the most derivative, unoriginal, and ultimately boring Sci-Fi film to come along in recent years. I kept watching it and waiting for it to bring in an interesting hook or storyline that would make me excited to actually see the film, and it kinda-sorta got close with the brief allusions to lost memories or whatever near the end there. I’m guessing that Earth isn’t as wiped out as the Evil Totalitarian Government wants poor Jack to think, and there’s a pocket of survivors/resistance on Earth, who are hellbent on rebelling against the Evil Totalitarian Government. They have a cause to expose whatever dark secret they’re hiding, and meanwhile they’re being led by Morgan Freeman and some kind of Darth Vader creature.
Seriously, at 1:53 on the trailer friggin’ Darth Vader outta NOWHERE.
Overall I’m very underwhelmed by the movie, and find myself disappointed that the whole thing wasn’t some super secret adaptation of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion instead. This just looks… disappointing.
Grizzly Bomb 