Warner Bros. Fall/Holiday Preview Includes A First Look At Clint Eastwood’s HEREAFTER

Warner Bros Pictures has released their film schedule for the upcoming fall/holiday season. The one that I found the most curious was this first photo of Matt Damon and Bryce-Dallas Howard in Clint Eastwood’s HEREAFTER. Variety’s article from 2008 said, “it is described as in the vein of THE SIXTH SENSE.” I’m very interested to see what Eastwood does with this genre.

The other films in the WB press kit are THE TOWN, LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GAHOOLE, LIFE AS WE KNOW IT, HEREAFTER, DUE DATE, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1, and YOGI BEAR.

THE TOWN (Crime Drama) September 17:

There are over 300 bank robberies in Boston every year. And most of the professionals live in a one-square-mile neighborhood called Charlestown. One of them is Doug MacRay, but he is not cut from the same cloth as his fellow thieves. Unlike them, Doug had a chance at success, a chance to escape following in his father’s criminal footsteps. Instead, he became the leader of a crew of ruthless bank robbers, who pride themselves on taking what they want and getting out clean. The only family Doug has are his partners in crime, especially Jem, who, despite his dangerous, hair-trigger temper, is the closest thing Doug ever had to a brother. However, everything changed on the gang’s last job when Jem briefly took a hostage: bank manager Claire Keesey. When they discover Claire lives in Charlestown, Jem gets nervous and wants to check out what she might have seen. Knowing what Jem is capable of, Doug takes charge. He seeks out Claire, who has no idea that their encounter is not by chance or that this charming stranger is one of the men who terrorized her only days before. As his relationship with Claire deepens into a passionate romance, Doug wants out of this life and the town. But with the Feds closing in and Jem questioning his loyalty, Doug realizes that getting out will not be easy and, worse, may put Claire in the line of fire. Any choices he once had have boiled down to one: betray his friends or lose the woman he loves. “The Town” is a dramatic thriller about robbers and cops, friendship and betrayal, love and hope, and escaping a past that has no future.

Cast: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Titus Welliver, Pete Postlethwaite, and Chris Cooper. 

This film has been rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use.

LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GAHOOLE (Fantasy Adventure) In 3D and 2D in select theatres and IMAX on September 24:

Acclaimed filmmaker Zack Snyder makes his animation debut with the fantasy family adventure. The film follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father’s favor from his younger sibling. But Kludd’s jealousy has terrible consequences—causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones. Now it is up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave young owls. Together they soar across the sea and through the mist to find the Great Tree, home of the legendary Guardians of Ga’Hoole—Soren’s only hope of defeating the Pure Ones and saving the owl kingdoms.

Cast: Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Ryan Kwanten, Anthony LaPaglia, Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Richard Roxburgh, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham.

This film has been rated PG for some sequences of scary action.

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (Romantic Comedy) October 8:

Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) is an up-and-coming caterer and Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel) is a promising network sports director. After a disastrous first date, the only thing they have in common is their dislike for each other and their love for their goddaughter, Sophie. But when they suddenly become all Sophie has in the world, Holly and Messer are forced to put their differences aside. Juggling career ambitions and competing social calendars, they’ll have to find some common ground while living under one roof.

Cast: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas, Christina Hendricks, Hayes MacArthur

This film has been rated PG-13 for sexual material, language and some drug content.

HEREAFTER (Drama) October 22:

HEREAFTER tells the story of three people who are haunted by mortality in different ways. Matt Damon stars as George, a blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife. On the other side of the world, Marie (Cecile de France), a French journalist, has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And when Marcus (Frankie/George McLaren), a London schoolboy, loses the person closest to him, he desperately needs answers. Each on a path in search of the truth, their lives will intersect, forever changed by what they believe might—or must—exist in the hereafter.

Cast: Matt Damon, Cécile de France, Jay Mohr, Bryce Dallas Howard, Marthe Keller, Frankie McLaren, George McLaren, Thierry Neuvic, Derek Jacobi.

The movie is not yet rated.

DUE DATE (Comedy) November 5:

Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) is an expectant first-time father whose wife’s due date is a mere five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at her side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when a chance encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan—on what turns out to be a cross-country road trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, numerous friendships and Peter’s last nerve.

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis, Jamie Foxx

This film has been rated R for language, drug use and sexual content.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1 (Fantasy Adventure) In 3D and 2D in select theatres and IMAX on November 19:

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 1, the seventh and final adventure in the Harry Potter film series, is a much-anticipated motion picture event to be told in two full-length parts. Part 1 begins as Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort’s immortality and destruction—the Horcruxes. On their own, without the guidance of their professors or the protection of Professor Dumbledore, the three friends must now rely on one another more than ever. But there are Dark Forces in their midst that threaten to tear them apart. Meanwhile, the wizarding world has become a dangerous place for all enemies of the Dark Lord. The long-feared war has begun and Voldemort’s Death Eaters seize control of the Ministry of Magic and even Hogwarts, terrorizing and arresting anyone who might oppose them. But the one prize they still seek is the one most valuable to Voldemort: Harry Potter. The Chosen One has become the hunted one as the Death Eaters search for Harry with orders to bring him to Voldemort…alive. Harry’s only hope is to find the Horcruxes before Voldemort finds him. But as he searches for clues, he uncovers an old and almost forgotten tale—the legend of the Deathly Hallows. And if the legend turns out to be true, it could give Voldemort the ultimate power he seeks. Little does Harry know that his future has already been decided by his past when, on that fateful day, he became “the Boy Who Lived.” No longer just a boy, Harry Potter is drawing ever closer to the task for which he has been preparing since the day he first stepped into Hogwarts: the ultimate battle with Voldemort.

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, John Hurt, Miranda Richardson, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, Bonnie Wright.

This movie is not yet rated.

YOGI BEAR (Live-Action/Computer Animated Adventure in 3D.) In 3D and 2D in select theatres on December 17:

Everyone’s favorite pic-a-nic basket-stealing bear comes to the big screen in “Yogi Bear.” Jellystone Park has been losing business, so greedy Mayor Brown decides to shut it down and sell the land. That means families will no longer be able to experience the natural beauty of the outdoors — and, even worse, Yogi and Boo Boo will be tossed out of the only home they’ve ever known. Faced with his biggest challenge ever, Yogi must prove that he really is “smarter than the average bear” as he and Boo Boo join forces with their old nemesis Ranger Smith to find a way to save Jellystone Park from closing forever.

Cast: Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Anna Faris, Tom Cavanagh, TJ Miller, Andrew Daly.

This film is not yet rated.

Source: Warner Bros.