J.J. Abrams Won’t Direct ‘Star Trek 3′ – We’re Shocked! (Okay, Not Really)

Unsurprisingly, J.J. Abrams has finally admitted he can't possibly helm Star Wars: Episode VII for Disney as well as direct another installment of his reinvigorated Star Trek franchise for Paramount. In talking with Collider about the upcoming release of Star Trek Into Darkness on Blu-ray, Abrams stated,

It's a little bittersweet. But, I will say that I'm going to be producing the movie. Whomever it is that directs the film will be someone we all know is going to keep the cast and crew in good hands. I feel very lucky to have been part of it, and it definitely feels like the right time to let someone come in and do their own thing. I certainly don't want someone to come in and try to do what I would have done. We want to hire someone who's gonna come in and bring their own sensibility. I'm very excited to see what comes next, despite feeling jealous of whomever that person is.

Again, this comes as no surprise, and in fact, most of us had already thought this would the case; what with Episode VII filming in early 2014 and Star Trek 3 to begin production soon after. The man simply can't control both behemoth, science fiction franchises at once. Or can he?

Abrams will still be involved with Star Trek 3 as a producer, meaning he'll have influence over the final product and more importantly over who'll be chosen as his successor. The latest rumors point to a long list of potential directors, including but not limited to: Jon M Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation), Joe Cornish (Attack the Block), Justin Lin (Fast & Furuious), Brad Bird (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Ratatouille, The Iron Giant), and Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). Any in that list you like?

Of that list my pick, as well as Cinema Blend's Katey Rich, is definitely Brad Bird. Remember how hard the internet lobbied for him to direct Episode VII? Well, those reasons still stand. And hell, he's already proven he can follow Abrams and even improve on his work with Ghost Protocol, plus, he worked with Simon Pegg on that flick. He's got to be a shoe-in, right?

Source: Collider via Cinema Blend

Megan Fox And Michael Bay Reconciling Long Enough To Ruin ‘Ninja Turtles’

Photoshopped by Vince.

Megan Fox compared Michael Bay to Hitler in an interview with Wonderland Magazine back in 2009. It was part of a series of weird back-and-forth between those two. Then Megan Fox was written out of the third Transformers amid speculation about the real reason behind the firing. Michael Bay told GQ, “I’m sorry, Megan. I’m sorry I made you work twelve hours. I’m sorry that I’m making you show up on time. Movies are not always warm and fuzzy.” He also said it was producer Steven Spielberg’s suggestion to fire her. And yet they kept Shia LaBeouf. Thanks a lot, Spielberg.

Now Michael Bay returns to dispense more chill pills about Ninja Turtles. He posts at his official site, “TMNT: we are bringing Megan Fox back into the family!”

He doesn’t add anything to that, but Variety reports Megan Fox will be playing April O’Neil. She beat out Jane Levy, Anna Kendrick, and Elizabeth Olsen for the role. She must have washed his Ferrari really well. (Not a euphemism.)

(H/T: The Film Stage)

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Paramount Is Funding A B-Movie Unit Called ‘Equinox’

Sadly not a remake of this.

Way too many thrillers set in space are just Aliens with the serial numbers filed off. For every Event Horizon, there’s a dozen movies that apparently just can’t shake Sir Ridley Scott. That said, it looks like Equinox might buck the trend for once, since there aren’t any aliens in the plot description.

Plenty of crazy people though!

Really, the good news here is that Paramount is putting together a B-movie unit willing to fund and release movies like this:

Paramount's low-budget genre Insurge label is going sci-fi with Equinox, which is being written by Adam Mason and Simon Boyes. Project details are being kept secret but it is being described as "Dead Calm in space," according to sources.

Dead Calm, for those who don’t remember their late ’80s Australian thrillers, was a movie about Nicole Kidman being trapped on a boat with Sam Neill and Billy Zane. It’s actually a pretty good movie, marking one of the few movies where Zane just doesn’t fall on the scenery like a rapacious termite, so if you’re going to crib from a movie for a space thriller, that’s the movie to crib from.

We hope Paramount keeps it up. There’s been a distinct lack of lower-budget genre movies out of Hollywood lately, and it’s really there that you often find the most creativity and style. And, failing that, it’ll be nice to have another source of cheesy genre movies beyond Lionsgate.

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