DC Comics antihero ‘Lobo’ coming to the big screen

By Borys Kit – Hollywood Reporter

 Guy Ritchie has signed on to direct his first superhero movie, “Lobo,” a big-screen translation of the DC Comics antihero.

Lobo is an blue-skinned cigar-chomping alien who is an interstellar mercenary and bounty hunter. The character is one of DC’s more recent creations. He was introduced in the 1980s by creators Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen, and for a brief run in the 1990s was one of comicdom’s most popular characters.

Lobo was meant to serve as a parody of violent heroes such as Wolverine and the Punisher. His stories feature a nihilistic streak tinged with dark comedy and excessive violence.

Silver Pictures is co-producing the Warners production with Weed Road. Joel Silver, Akiva Goldsman, and Andrew Rona are producing. Don Payne wrote the script.

Doug Liman previously was attached to direct the film. Silver, who has been developing the project for the past 10 years, was hoping to reunite with Ritchie, with whom he just wrapped “Sherlock Holmes.”

Ritchie — whose films include “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” “RocknRolla” and “Swept Away,” which starred his wife at the time, Madonna — also plans to direct “The Gamekeeper,” based on the Virgin Comics title.

Amazon Specials!

It’s a Black Carpet for the Los Angeles Premiere of Orphan

   from AceShowBiz.com

   Bringing the horror tone to the Hollywood premiere of ‘Orphan’, Warner Bros. Pictures and Dark Castle Entertainment roll out black carpet in front of Mann’s Village Theater.

A week shy of the U.S. theatrical release of “Orphan”, a Los Angeles premiere for the horror thriller has been held by Warner Bros. Pictures and Dark Castle Entertainment on Tuesday, July 21. Using Mann’s Village Theater as the place to present the film’s special screening, the event was kicked off with arrival of the celebrities on the black carpet.
   The actors who portray the Coleman family, Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Jimmy Bennett and Aryana Engineer, were all present at the premiere, and so did Isabelle Fuhrman, the young actress who plays the seemingly angelic but wicked Esther. Another cast member joining them was Sister Abigail’s depicter CCH Pounder.
   In addition to the cast ensemble, the filmmakers were also spotted coming in. They included director Jaume Collet-Serra, writer David Leslie Johnson, and producers Joel Silver and Susan Downey. For the special occasion, Susan came accompanied by her “Iron Man” star husband Robert Downey Jr..
   Other celebrities attending the premiere included “Dragonball Evolution” beauty Emmy Rossum, “Spider-Man” series director Sam Raimi, TV personality Kim Kardashian, R ‘n’ B singer Ciara and “The Proud Family” voice talent Tommy Davidson.
   “Orphan” follows Kate and John who upon tragic loss of their unborn child decided to adopt another child. Drawn to a young girl named Esther at the local orphanage, they decide to welcome her into their home. However, almost as soon as she joins the family strange things begin to take place, leading Kate to believe the 9-year-old is not nearly as innocent as she claims to be. Warner Bros Pictures will distribute this film in theaters across the U.S. this Friday, July 24. 

Crew for ‘Orphan’

 Special Effects Department
  Aaron Dinsmore … special effects assistant
  Tony Kenny … special effects coordinator
  Sophie Vertigan … special effects key

 Make Up Department
  Annick Chartier … makeup artist
  Allan Cooke … special makeup effects artist
  Corald Giroux … key hair stylist
  C.J. Goldman … special makeup effects artist
  Gaétan Landry … hair stylist
  Ronald J. Rolfe … hair stylist
  George Tucci … special makeup effects artist
  Fanny Vachon … makeup artist

  

Mattel’s Max Steel goes to the movies

Marc Graser – Variety

Just weeks before Paramount Pictures invades theaters with “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra,” the studio is teaming with Joe Roth to pick up Mattel’s “Max Steel” as another action figure it wants to play with on the bigscreen.

The toy property revolves around a 19-year-old extreme sports junkie recruited by a secret agency after an accident infects his body with nanobots, making him superhuman.

Although Mattel introduced the character in the U.S. in 1999 as an action figure, and soon after in an animated series that ran from 2000-2002, he’s proved more popular in Latin America, where Max Steel is the region’s No. 1 action figure. Mattel has continued to produce animated direct-to-DVD features for the region, produced by Rainmaker Entertainment in Vancouver.

But Mattel wants to use movies as a way to relaunch the toy line in the U.S. and the rest of the world, the way the “Transformers” pics have helped generate new heat around Hasbro’s action figures.

“A theatrical film plays a significant role to relaunch the franchise,” said Barry Waldo, Mattel’s VP of worldwide entertainment marketing and strategy. “But we have a strong Latin consumer we’re going to keep happy while broadening the franchise for the rest of the world. We wouldn’t do ourselves a favor if we turned a blind eye to it. That’s the artistic challenge we’ve got.”

Roth, who is a producer on Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” at Disney, and produced last summer’s “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army,” will serve as executive producer on “Max Steel,” with Waldo and Tim Kilpin, general manager for Mattel’s girls, boys and games group, who is shepherding the company’s top brands for boys and girls.

Mattel was keen on pairing with Roth, considering the Max Steel character has similarities to the “XXX” franchise he launched while head of Revolution Studios. The Xander Cage character in the first film was an extreme sports athlete turned spy.

Roth has had a relationship with Mattel over the years when it comes to marketing and charities.

Mattel and Roth are seeking a screenwriter and director, who will work closely with the toymaker to develop the film’s characters and storyline to match the company’s plans for the franchise.

“Max Steel” will be the first pic Mattel has set up at Paramount since it began aggressively looking to turn its toys into features.

It’s the sixth property that Mattel has set up in the past year or so since signing with Creative Artists Agency to get those movies made. Mattel has “He-Man: Masters of the Universe” and “Hot Wheels” at Warner Bros. with Joel Silver producing; “Major Matt Mason” with Tom Hanks; and a musical based on a yet-to-be-revealed monster property at Universal that Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are shepherding. A “View-Master” movie is also in the works at DreamWorks, with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman producing

Amazon Specials!