While the DC Comics and Marvel camps were celebrating the new STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS and BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE trailers, audiences were treated to a coming attraction of another kind this weekend.
Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions quietly released the first trailer and poster of M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming horror movie THE VISIT into theaters on Thursday attached to the prints of UNFRIENDED.
Scheduled for a September 11 release, the film (originally titled Sundowning) is from the Oscar-nominated director and producer Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity, The Purge and Insidious series).
Shyamalan returns to his roots with the terrifying story of a brother and sister (Ed Oxenbould and Olivia De Jonge) who are sent to their grandparents’ remote and pastoral Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong trip by Mom, Kathryn Hahn.
In the chilling trailer, things appear normal until the children discover that Nana and Papa (Peter McRobbie and Deanna Dunagan) are involved in something deeply disturbing. They’re even warned not to come out of their room past 9:30 at night.
Once they see their chances of getting back home growing smaller every day, they plead with Mom online to come and rescue them.
No Shyamalan trailer would be complete without the words appearing on the screen and in red, “From the writer and director of THE SIXTH SENSE, UNBREAKABLE, THE VILLAGE, SIGNS.”
Neither of our St. Louis screenings of UNFRIENDED had this teaser attached. Ever the flag waving, Shyamalan cheerleader that I am, I went to a few of the local cinemas to get crowd reactions. With its quick jump cut edits and blaring sounds, the enthusiastic remarks ranged from “how scary,” to “that’s creepy,” to my favorite from a whispering teenager in the row behind me, “I’m not going to my grandparents anymore.”
When the trailer turns progressively darker, the audience shrieked when Grandma stoically asks, “Would you mind getting inside the oven to clean it?”
Complete with a list of rules, the first poster is reminiscent of the original teaser one used for THE VILLAGE. Even the teens working at the theater thought both the haunting trailer and blood stained poster were eerie.
Shyamalan and Blumhouse were on Twitter looking for moviegoers’ reactions and to let fans know that the official trailer would be released online this coming week.
It’ll be online next week! “@mrdavesim: @MNightShyamalan where’s this trailer for The Visit people are taking about?? I want in!”
Who saw a trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s THE VISIT before UNFRIENDED? What did you think of what you saw? — Blumhouse (@blumhouse) April 18, 2015
Rated PG-13, Shyamalan produces THE VISIT through his Blinding Edge Pictures, while Blum produces through his Blumhouse Productions alongside Mark Bienstock (Quarantine 2: Terminal). Steven Schneider (Insidious) and Ashwin Rajan (Devil) executive produce the thriller.
Until the trailer comes online next week, I’ll be watching UNBREAKABLE and LADY IN THE WATER.
Experience the post-apocalyptic world when Sony Pictures Home Entertainment releases AFTER EARTH on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD on October 8th.
Starring Jaden Smith (The Karate Kid) and two-time Academy Award® nominated Will Smith (2006, Best Actor, The Pursuit of Happyness; 2001, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Ali), this action-adventure follows Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his father Cypher (Will Smith), as they set out on a routine mission that crash lands them on a hostile planet Earth. Now, 1,000 years after Earth has been quarantined, everything on the planet has evolved to kill humans.
Unable to contact home, and forced to battle exotic creatures and dangerous terrains, Kitai and Cypher must fight together to survive.
The AFTER EARTH Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD both come with all-new featurettes, including exciting behind-the-scenes looks at the making of the film, and a video announcing the winning team of the XPRIZE After Earth Challenge, where teams from around the world submitted video proposals to address the global challenge of promoting a more sustainable way of living, as well as the steps they would take when using an unmanned rover to assess whether “Nova Prime,” mankind’s potential new home, is inhabitable.
Exclusive to the Blu-ray are three bonus featurettes, including “Building a World,” “Pre-Visualizing the Future,” and “The Animatics of After Earth” – glimpses into the unique approaches taken to create the After Earth universe. The Blu-ray Combo Pack also comes with a never-before-seen version of the film’s opening sequence.
A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another, if they want any chance of returning home.
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Special Features:
“A Father’s Legacy” featurette – Will and Jaden Smith on and off screen
“1,000 Years in 300 Seconds” featurette – On Location with the Cast
“The Nature of the Future” featurette – A look at the landscapes and creatures of the film
XPRIZE After Earth Robotics Challenge winning video – The exclusive reveal of the winning team’s video, with an introduction by Jaden Smith as Kitai Raige
Blu-ray Exclusives:
All the added value on the Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, plus:
A Never-Before-Seen Version of the Film’s Opening Sequence
“Building a World” featurette – A glimpse into the creation of the After Earth universe
“Pre-Visualizing the Future” featurette – A next-generation approach to action sequences
“The Animatics of After Earth” featurette – Never-before-seen storyboards and animatics
From director M. Night Shyamalan (THE SIXTH SENSE), AFTER EARTH has a run time of approximately 100 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some disturbing images.
At the beginning of the 2013 Summer film season comes M. Night Shyamalan’s coming-of-age movie, AFTER EARTH.
The movie begins more than one thousand years in the future long after people are forced to abandon the only home they had ever known. Upon leaving Earth in 10 arks, calendars were changed from AD to AE, reflecting the new life “After Earth.”
Humans relocated to Nova Prime where they faced an invasion from the Skrel and the genetically engineered weapon – The Ursa. These beasties can sense humans’ fear and use that to track and kill their prey.
Just as it seemed nothing could stop the Ursa, Ranger Cypher Raige (Will Smith) inadvertently uncovers their weakness: without fear, humans are invisible to the Ursa. In an unprecedented show of self-control and discipline, Raige eliminated his fear and defeated the Ursa. This act of restraint became known as “Ghosting,” and lifted Raige to new heights of fame.
Jump to the present. Cypher returns home from another long deployment to learn that his son Kitai (Jaden Smith) longs to be just like him, but like many teenagers, his intense desire to be like his legendary general father has him doing a few dumb things and he fails his first try at becoming a Ranger. Plus Kitai also feels some guilt by not being able to save his sister, Senshi (Zoë Isabella Kravitz), years earlier from an Ursa attack which ultimately killed her.
In an attempt to repair the rift between father and son, Kitai’s mother, Faia,(Sophie Okonedo) suggests that Cypher take him on a trip and spend some time together. In the hull is an Ursa being transported from Nova Prime. However their ship, The Hesper, is damaged during an asteroid storm in space, crashes and splits into two pieces on Earth. In the aftermath, Cypher is gravely wounded and Kitai is now forced to navigate alone on the brutal, forbidden planet full of highly evolved animals.
Kitai must find the wreckage of the tail section and locate the emergency beacon. In this life-and-death expedition, Kitai needs to send a signal for a rescue ship in order to save his father, all before he meets up with the escaped Ursa.
M. Night Shyamalan is back on track with AFTER EARTH and the director does what he does best in all his movies. He gives the audience something new and different. Shyamalan lets the audience experience the journey with Kitai and his fear of the unknown. He builds the tension by not letting us see the creature throughout the sci-fi drama.
AFTER EARTH is totally out of character for a-lister Will Smith and it’s nothing we’ve seen him in before. His role as a father watching his child venture out into the “world” is something every parent struggles with. Nevermind the Smiths are real-life Dad and son and Jaden Smith brings a lot of physicality and maturity to the role.
AFTER EARTH is the first movie to be shot with the Sony F65 4K digital camera, a state-of-the-art motion picture camera. DP Peter Suschitzky’s lush scenes in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park in northern California and of Costa Rica near the Arenal Volcano give the film a very eerie look of an Earth left by humans. Production designer Tom Sanders effectively places the audience onto a long abandoned planet, while utlilizing a distinct look to the humans’ new home of Nova Prime.
Visual Effects Supervisor Jonathan Rothbart is responsible for creating the Ranger’s weapon of choice, the cutlass. This cool staff is comprised of two blades that protrude in a number of different configurations on command. He also gives the viewer a harrowing crash scene of the sleek space ship, The Hesper. A mention has to go to costume designer Amy Westcott’s futuristic and organic life suits and uniforms. It’s a beautiful film to watch.
A personal favorite, composer James Newton Howard’s score gives AFTER EARTH its rich, powerful impact. With an original story by Will Smith, Shyamalan returns to the familiar theme of the Parent – Child relationship. This easily could have been a mother-daughter Ranger team, but it was refreshing to see a movie that emphasizes the important role of Dads. With a calming, “take-a-knee” approach from Will Smith’s Cypher, we are witness to Jaden Smith’s Kitai crossing over from youth into the beginnings of adulthood.
Every parent will connect with this father attempting to bond, teach and protect his son.
In addition to Shyamalan having a screenplay credit, writer Gary Whitta’s solid script envelopes the theme that we send our kids out into the world every day and we’ve taught them all we can. After that, they’re on their own. This is what will resonate with many parents and is AFTER EARTH’s emotional core.
It’s my favorite film of the summer and AFTER EARTH is totally entertaining.
4 stars
The film opens Friday, May 31st in theaters.
AFTER EARTH has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for SCI-FI ACTION VIOLENCE AND SOME DISTURBING IMAGES.
A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.
After writing the story for AFTER EARTH, Will Smith – also a producer of the film – would turn over the writing reins to Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan would also direct the movie. Smith called Shyamalan on his birthday, and Shyamalan told Smith how great Jaden Smith was in The Karate Kid. Will Smith said, “Well, we do have a movie idea in the works…” and they took off from there.
“Night is a master of building suspense and fear,” he says, explaining why Shyamalan was the perfect choice for After Earth. “If there were a single thing that I would say is clearly Night’s genius, it’s how to take a single, still image and terrify you with it. There can be no movement – nothing happening, really – and still, you’re riveted. He is so good at setting the shot, setting the lighting, and setting the moment.”
“I’m fascinated by the question of why human beings fear the unknown,” says Shyamalan. “In our earliest days as cave-people, that was really important – fear could keep us safe. Fear could keep you alive. But now, we’ll fear a new job or a new relationship, because we don’t know what’s going to happen – and that’s not necessarily a good thing. Playing with that in a movie is a fun thing, and in this movie, it’s about a father teaching a son how to overcome that. It’s a wonderful lesson, because if you can learn how to control your fear of the unknown, you can do anything.”
Enter for your chance to receive a pair of passes to the advance screening of AFTER EARTH on May 29that 7:00 PM in St. Louis.
Answer the following question:
AFTER EARTH is about the relationship between a father and his son. Tell us your favorite Parent & Child film.
OFFICIAL RULES:
1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.
2. SEND YOUR NAME AND ANSWERS TO: michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com
3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR TRIVIA QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN.
No purchase necessary. Void where restricted or prohibited by law. At the screening seating is not guaranteed and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Refer to screening pass for further restrictions. Screening pass winners will be drawn at random and notified via email. Limit two (admit-one) passes per person. Must be age 13 or over to enter.
This has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for SCI-FI ACTION VIOLENCE AND SOME DISTURBING IMAGES.
Columbia Pictures presents an Overbrook Entertainment / Blinding Edge Pictures production, a film by M. Night Shyamalan, After Earth. Starring Jaden Smith and Will Smith. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Produced by Caleeb Pinkett, Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith, James Lassiter, and M. Night Shyamalan. Story by Will Smith. Screenplay by Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan. Executive Producer is E. Bennett Walsh. Director of Photography is Peter Suschitzky, ASC. Production Designer is Tom Sanders. Editor is Steven Rosenblum, A. C. E. Visual Effects Supervisor is Jonathan Rothbart. Costume Designer is Amy Westcott. Music by James Newton Howard. Co-Producers are Ashwin Rajan and John Rusk.
On Monday Fox unveiled their primetime slate for the 2013-2014 television season to the national advertising community during its annual Programming Presentation at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. The network announced 5 new comedies, 4 new dramas, a first event series, and an animated comedy from Seth MacFarlane.
Some of today’s most inventive directors working in film have smoothly segued from motion pictures to series TV and their new shows have found a home at FOX. What caught my attention were the sci-fi, fantasy shows bearing the names of Abrams, Shyamalan, Kurtzman and Orci.
Among the network’s lineup is M. Night Shyamalan’s new event series WAYWARD PINES. Set to premiere in 2014 and based on the best-selling novel, “Pines,” by Blake Crouch, WAYWARD PINES is an intense, mind-bending thriller in which nothing is what it seems. Also on the FOX schedule is the adventure thriller SLEEPY HOLLOW from co-creators/executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (the “Star Trek” and “Transformers” franchises, “Fringe”) and J.J. Abrams’ ALMOST HUMAN.
Pictured: WAYWARD PINES M. Night Shyamalan and WAYWARD PINES Matt Dillon at the FOX 2013 PROGRAMMING PRESENTATION party, Monday, May 13 at Wollman Rink in Central Park, New York City. CR: Brad Barket/FOX
In WAYWARD PINES, Secret Service agent ETHAN BURKE (Academy Award nominee Matt Dillon, “Crash,” “City of Ghosts”) arrives in the bucolic town of Wayward Pines, ID, on a mission to find two missing federal agents. But instead of answers, Ethan’s investigation only turns up more questions. Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan further from the life he knew, from the husband and father he was, until he must face the terrifying reality that he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.
Imagine the perfect American town… beautiful homes, manicured lawns, children playing safely in the streets. Now imagine never being able to leave. You have no communication with the outside world. You think you’re going insane. You must be in Wayward Pines. Based on the best-selling novel “Pines” by Blake Crouch and brought to life by suspenseful storyteller M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense,” “Signs”), WAYWARD PINES is the intense new mind-bending event thriller evocative of the classic cult hit “Twin Peaks.” Secret Service Agent ETHAN BURKE (Academy Award nominee Matt Dillon, “Crash,” “City of Ghosts”) drives to the bucolic town of Wayward Pines, ID, to find two missing federal agents. Ethan was the logical choice for the mission. He’s one of the best Secret Service agents in the Seattle office. He’s also the man who knew missing agent KATE HEWSON better than anyone. They were partners. They were more than that. Their relationship nearly destroyed Ethan’s marriage. Kate transferred to Boise and Ethan thought he’d never see her again.
Now, Kate and her new Secret Service partner, BILL EVANS, are nowhere to be found. But just as Ethan spots the sign that says “Welcome to Wayward Pines, Where Paradise is Home!,” a truck slams into his car. When Ethan wakes up in the Wayward Pines Hospital, he remembers his name, his address in Seattle and the accident on the outskirts of town. He knows he’s a Secret Service Agent who came to Wayward Pines to investigate the disappearance of two agents. What he can’t figure out is what’s wrong with this eerily perfect little town. None of the phones work. He can’t get through to his wife back home or his boss at the Secret Service. His wallet, ID, money, phone…everything is gone. And no one will help him. Back home in Seattle, Ethan’s wife, THERESA, gets a call from Ethan’s boss at the Secret Service, ADAM HASSLER. Ethan is missing. No other information is available until early testing shows that Ethan was never in his car that was recovered on the side of the road outside of Wayward Pines. They’re still investigating. This isn’t enough for Theresa. Along with their teenage son, BEN, Theresa sets out on her own search for Ethan.
The mystery only deepens as Ethan employs his intelligence and tireless determination to solve the mystery of this unsettling town. Challenged at every turn by the town’s die-hard residents, Ethan’s investigation only turns up more questions, the most important of which is: What’s wrong with Wayward Pines?
WAYWARD PINES is a production of FX Productions. The series is created and written by Chad Hodge (“The Playboy Club,” “Runaway”) and executive-produced by Shyamalan, Hodge, Donald De Line (“Green Lantern,” “The Italian Job”) and Ashwin Rajan (“After Earth”).
SLEEPY HOLLOW is a modern-day retelling of Washington Irving’s classic. ICHABOD CRANE (Tom Mison, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”) is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to find that the world is on the brink of destruction and that he is humanity’s last hope, forcing him to team up with a contemporary police officer (Nicole Beharie, “Shame,” “American Violet”) to unravel a mystery that dates back to the founding fathers.
What if you suddenly woke up from the throes of death 250 years in the future to find the world is on the brink of destruction, caused by unimaginable events, and you are humanity’s last hope? Welcome to SLEEPY HOLLOW, the thrilling new mystery-adventure drama from co-creators/executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (“Star Trek” and “Transformers” franchises, “Fringe”).
In this modern-day retelling of Washington Irving’s classic, ICHABOD CRANE (Tom Mison, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”) is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers. Revived alongside Ichabod is the infamous Headless Horseman who is on a murderous rampage in present-day Sleepy Hollow.
Bound to the Headless Horseman by a blood spell cast on the battlefield of the American Revolution, Ichabod quickly realizes that stopping Headless is just the beginning, as the resurrected rider is but the first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. As this re-invented Ichabod finds himself in present-day Sleepy Hollow, he discovers a town and a world he no longer recognizes. All that is brutally familiar are Headless and Ichabod’s determination to annihilate this immortal being.
It’s a mission he must complete quickly, as Headless already has viciously slain Sheriff AUGUST CORBIN (guest star Clancy Brown, “Cowboys & Aliens,” “Carnivale”). Grey served both as mentor and father figure to Detective ABBIE MILLS (Nicole Beharie, “Shame,” “American Violet”), a young cop whose own supernatural experiences help her form an unlikely bond with Ichabod. But Sleepy Hollow’s head of police, Captain FRANK IRVING (Orlando Jones, “The Chicago 8,” “Drumline”), isn’t buying any of this. In fact, the only person who is on Abbie’s side is Ichabod.
His extensive first-hand knowledge of our secret American history, coupled with her superior profiling and modern threat assessment skills, will make them a formidable duo as they work together to triumph over evil. The complex pasts of Ichabod and Abbie, from Ichabod’s inclusion in the powerful and secretive Freemasons Society and the ghostly appearance of his late wife, KATRINA (Katia Winter, “Dexter”), to Abbie’s childhood visions, will help them solve the intricate puzzles of Sleepy Hollow in order to protect its future. As history repeats itself, the oddly-linked pair will draw on the real stories and hallowed secrets this nation was founded on in their quest to stop an increasingly vicious cycle of evil. SLEEPY HOLLOW is from K/O Paper Products in association with 20th Century Fox Television. The series is co-created by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Phillip Iscove and Len Wiseman (“Hawaii Five-0,” “Underworld” and “Total Recall”). The series is executive-produced by Kurtzman, Orci, Wiseman and Heather Kadin. Iscove serves as supervising producer. Wiseman directed the pilot.
From Emmy Award-winning executive producer J.J. Abrams (“Fringe,” “Lost,” the “Star Trek” and “Mission: Impossible” franchises) and creator/executive producer J.H. Wyman (“Fringe,” “The Mexican”), comes ALMOST HUMAN.
Starring Karl Urban (“Star Trek”) and Michael Ealy (“Sleeper Cell,” “Common Law”), the new series is an action-packed police drama set 35 years in the future, when police officers are partnered with highly evolved human-like androids.
The year is 2048. Meet JOHN KENNEX (Urban), a cop who survived one of the most catastrophic attacks ever made against the police department. After waking up from a 17-month coma, he can’t remember much – except that his partner was killed; his girlfriend, ANNA MOORE (guest star Mekia Cox, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.,” “Undercovers”), left him after the attack; and he lost one of his legs and is now outfitted with a highly sophisticated synthetic appendage. Suffering from depression, mental atrophy, trauma-onset OCD, PTSD and the “psychological rejection of his synthetic body part,” John returns to work at the behest of longtime ally Captain SANDRA MALDONADO (Emmy Award nominee Lili Taylor, “Six Feet Under,” “Ransom”).
By mandate, every cop must partner with a robot. And despite his passionate aversion to androids, John is paired up with a battle-ready MX-43. But he abruptly terminates his partnership after the robot discovers incriminating information about him. So technician RUDY LOM (Mackenzie Crook, “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise) introduces John to DORIAN (Ealy), a discontinued android with unexpected emotional responses. Although such responses were deemed flaws, it is in these “flaws” that John relates to Dorian most. After all, John is part-machine now, and Dorian is part-human. John and Dorian’s understanding of each other not only complements them, it connects them.
As he adjusts to working with his new partner, John also must learn to get along with his new colleagues, including the eager and somewhat starstruck Detective VALERIE STAHL (Minka Kelly, “Friday Night Lights,” “(500) Days of Summer”) and the distrustful Detective RICHARD PAUL (Michael Irby, “Law Abiding Citizen,” “The Unit”), who does not welcome John back with open arms. ALMOST HUMAN will follow the week-to-week missions of John and Dorian, as they fight crime across this futuristic landscape, while the mysteries surrounding his attack and the larger mythology of this new world unfold.
ALMOST HUMAN is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television. The series is created by J.H. Wyman, who wrote the pilot. The series is executive-produced by J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk and Wyman. Kathy Lingg (“Person of Interest,” “Revolution,” “Fringe”) and Reid Shane (“Fringe”) are co-executive producers. Brad Anderson (“Fringe,” “The Killing”) directed and served as co-executive producer on the pilot.
Scheduled for a June 7th release, M. Night Shyamalan returns 3 months from today to summer cinemas with the themes he does best – home in peril, unseen forces at work and the love between a parent and child.
Check out the emotional, new trailer and final poster for AFTER EARTH.
It was announced in early 2012 that AFTER EARTH would be the first major motion picture to be shot using Sony’s groundbreaking F65 CineAlta digital production camera. Shyamalan commented, “I couldn’t be any happier with the F65, which is amazing since I’m a ‘film guy’ and I thought I’d die a ‘film guy.’ It’s a digital media that’s warm and has humanity in it which is obviously the most important thing to me.” My opinion has never swayed – the Oscar-nominated director remains one of the most creative, innovative filmmakers working today.
A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.
With a screenplay by Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan from a story by Will Smith, AFTER EARTH is produced by Caleeb Pinkett, Will Smith, James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith and M. Night Shyamalan. Check out the AFTER EARTH Comic Con panel HERE.
Check out the futuristic first teaser for M. Night Shyamalan’s AFTER EARTH. Screenwriter Gary Whitta’s, writer of the THE BOOK OF ELI, and the director’s collaboration soars into theaters onJune 7, 2013.
A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.
For more on what transpired prior to Earth’s global disaster, here’s the timeline video that came online at the film’s official site earlier this summer.
Smith has morphed somewhat into a present-day Charlton Heston. Early in their careers both had star-making turns in dramas while also managing to find time to delve into the world of science-fiction. Oscar-winner Heston went from Moses and Judah Ben Hur to playing an astronaut in PLANET OF THE APES, a futuristic cop in SOYLENT GREEN and the last man on Earth in THE OMEGA MAN. Two-time Academy Award nominee Smith has gone back and forth between the genres with SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, ALI and PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (even SEVEN POUNDS) followed by his own OMEGA MAN – I AM LEGEND – as well as ID4, I, ROBOT, and MEN IN BLACK.
As for Shyamalan, I already have my pro-Night flags waving in the air for what surely will be an epic adventure. Ever the optimist, I’m very excited to see what he’s got in store for us. Recently the director tweeted news on the follow up to 2010’s DEVIL – “the 2nd Night Chronicles movie will be shot in 2013.”
With a screenplay by Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan from a story by Will Smith, AFTER EARTH is produced by Caleeb Pinkett, Will Smith, James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith and M. Night Shyamalan.
The latest film from the production company Overbrook Entertainment and acclaimed director M. Night Shyamalan, AFTER EARTH, scheduled for release next year (June 7, 2013) by Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Columbia Pictures, is the first major motion picture to be shot using Sony’s groundbreaking F65 CineAlta™ digital production camera.
Shyamalan commented, “I couldn’t be any happier with the F65, which is amazing since I’m a ‘film guy’ and I thought I’d die a ‘film guy.’ It’s a digital media that’s warm and has humanity in it which is obviously the most important thing to me.”
“The F65 is like a great leap forward,” said director of photography, Peter Suschitzky. “As soon as I did testing of the F65, I was immensely impressed by the amount of detail it captures, by its incredible flexibility, from low lights to high lights, and its great contrast range. It really is a camera for the future and I’m going to use it again on a number of films.”
In January 2012, Sony began worldwide deliveries of the F65 camera to meet the incredibly high demand from production professionals. Approximately 400 units were pre-ordered, and several other high-profile productions are also planned to be shot with the F65.
“This movie is the perfect first project for the F65,” said Alec Shapiro, senior vice president at Sony Electronics. “The combination of an innovative moviemaker and a script with incredibly high production values will test the limits of this camera and its powerful feature set. The result is sure to be a unique and visually immersive entertainment experience for the movie-going consumer.”
The F65 camera’s unprecedented 8K image sensor, with approximately 20 total megapixels, offers higher image fidelity than any other digital cinema production camera. With 16-bit Linear RAW file output capability, the F65 creates the gateway to an end-to-end 4K file-based mastering workflow.
In response to the strong interest in Sony’s new F65 CineAlta™ camera from the filmmaking community, Sony Pictures Studios plans to host workshops on digital workflows supporting the F65. The workshops, beginning in March, are designed to educate qualified directors, cinematographers and other film industry professionals.
AFTER EARTH, starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith, is the storyof a father and son who crash land on Earth, one thousand years after it has been abandoned by mankind. The father is captured by a remaining Earth-dwelling force, leading his son to find and save him.
Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films being made available by Netflix for instant streaming. Important Note: There may be some films that do not become available on the specified dates. This is merely a report of the most accurate release dates I can find, but is not directly confirmed by Netflix themselves.Continue reading Netflix Nuggets: Robert Evans Producing M. Night in Memphis?
Well, the day of judgement is close at hand as DEVIL begins tonight at 11:59:59. TWO Shyamalan films in one year – whodathunk it?? DEVIL is the first installment of The Night Chronicles, a series of terrifying stories conceived by M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN (The Sixth Sense, Signs) that he now turns into movies with up-and coming filmmakers. As these talented writers and directors bring Shyamalan’s tales to life, he collaborates with them on new ways to scare us all.
From Yahoo! Movies, here are 3 final clips to get you ready for DEVIL.
Synopsis:
Five strangers in Philadelphia begin their day with the most commonplace of routines. They walk into an office tower and enter an elevator. As they convene into this single place, they are forced to share a confined space with strangers. Nobody acknowledges anybody else. They’ll only be together for a few moments. But what appears to be a random occurrence is anything but coincidental when the car becomes stuck. Fate has come calling. Today these strangers will have their secrets revealed, and face a reckoning for their transgressions. Slowly, methodically, their situation turns from one of mere annoyance to sheer helplessness and abject terror. Terrible things begin to happen to each of them, one by one, and suspicion shifts as to who among the five is making it all happen…until they learn the unspeakable truth: one of them is the Devil himself.
As those on the outside try in vain to free them, the remaining passengers realize that the only way to survive is to confront the very wickedness that has led them to today.
DEVIL is directed by JOHN ERICK DOWDLE (Quarantine, The Poughkeepsie Tapes) from a screenplay by BRIAN NELSON (Hard Candy, 30 Days of Night) and story by Shyamalan. DEVIL is produced by Shyamalan and SAM MERCER (Signs, Unbreakable) and executive produced by DREW DOWDLE(Quarantine, The Poughkeepsie Tapes) and TRISH HOFMANN (The Ruins, The New World). The accomplished behind-the-scenes team includes cinematographer TAK FUJIMOTO (The Sixth Sense, The Silence of the Lambs), production designer MARTIN WHIST (Cloverfield, Smokin’Aces), editor ELLIOT GREENBERG (Quarantine, Sorority Row), costume designer ERIN BENACH (Half Nelson, Sugar) and composer FERNANDO VELÁZQUEZ (The Orphanage, Shiver).
Leading the cast of the thriller are CHRIS MESSINA (Julie & Julia, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), LOGAN MARSHALL-GREEN (Brooklyn’s Finest, Across the Universe), GEOFFREY AREND ((500) Days of Summer, television’s Trust Me), BOJANA NOVAKOVIC (Drag Me to Hell, Edge of Darkness), JENNY O’HARA (Mystic River, Matchstick Men), BOKEEM WOODBINE (The Last Sentinel, Three Bullets) and JACOB VARGAS (Death Race, Jarhead).
From Universal Pictures, DEVIL will be in theaters on September 17, 2010. Visit the film’s official website, like it on Facebook, follow it on Twitter.
DEVIL is rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images, thematic material and some language including sexual references.
