Some Interesting Developments

Hey everybody, it's time to kick off September with some updates on some previous posts.

First thing's first, remember when I was talking about Christopher Nolan's new project Inception?

I had heard that he put it on hold to work on the next Batman movie, but it turns out he was able to finish shooting after all because now we have a teaser! Courtesy of the WB (Sorry guys, I seem to be having a problem embedding Youtube vids right now, so just click here if you want to watch it).

I won't say that this teaser says much more about the movie than we already knew, but I will say that it is incredibly visually impressive. I was hoping for more details to be revealed at Comic Con, but hopefully we'll get some more information on the movie soon.

Also, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World has just wrapped up principal photography!


At this point it's time for the film to go into editing. Wright's photos and video blogs were definitely a lot of fun to follow, and I can't wait to see a teaser or something pop up soon. Click on either Michael, Mary or Ellen up there to see more photos.

Before I go again, allow me to get in a few words about the big Disney/Marvel deal that went down a couple days ago.

Like everyone else has said, I really don't think this will impact any of Marvel's pre-existing comics, movies, or IPs. Judging from everything that's been said, Disney seems pretty cool about honoring all of Marvel's previous contractual obligations, so stuff like Iron Man 2 and the Avengers movie ought to come out just fine. Everyone who is worried about this needs to remember one thing: Disney isn't so much interested in the comics and movies as it is the extremely huge licensing potential. I think some really awesome stuff, in terms of animation and merchandise, could come out of this deal, but I guess only time will tell.

In this update, Ellen Wong is adorable

Remember that Scott Pilgrim movie I talked about a while back?

Well now, not only do you get the privilege of seeing the production unfold on Edgar Wright's photoblog, but now that the movie is officially in production, he's set up a video blog as well. You can see it here.

While we're at it, here's his most recent entry:

This is Blog Five - From Comic Book Panel to Screen - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World from Scott Pilgrim The Movie on Vimeo. Footage courtesy of Universal Studios.

I really, really adore Ellen Wong and her strong enthusiasm about the project. So far, all she's had to say about this movie is just how much she loves the fact that she's doing it, and unlike some big name feigning excitement about being in the latest superhero flick, it actually sounds honest. Cera's been rather tongue in cheek when addressing the movie in these videos, but come on, it doesn't take rocket science to see that he is just loving this right now.

For your viewing pleasure, here is a gratuitous production shot of Mary Elizabeth Winstead in character as Ramona Flowers. That is one big hammer. Photo courtesy of Edgar Wright and Universal Studios.

In any case, I'm happy to see that Wright is making a conscientious effort to stay true to the source material, but I understand the nature of adaptation. You cut out what doesn't work, shorten and streamline. That's the way it is, that's how you make an adaptation that sells tickets, and sicne I love the comics to death I'm still hoping that this is A. good and B. sells as many tickets as possible. Like I said before, O' Malley (the creator of Scott Pilgrim) only has one shot at this whole movie thing after all.

"I've liked you for a thousand yeeeaars, a thousand yeeeaars..."

Being a fan of the original graphic novels, Edgar Wright's new project has me excited. Really, I've been completely giddy about this ever since the property got optioned by Universal a while back.

Aren't they just the cutest couple ever drawn?

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, the upcoming movie here is Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It's Edgar Wright's newest film, based on the property created by Canadian artist and writer Bryan Lee O'Malley. The screenplay was written by Michael Bacall, with Wright directing it, and let me tell you, it is just marvelous.

Basically, Scott Pilgrim is a series of books focusing on a bass player in his early to mid twenties named Scott Pilgrim. He is just coming off a bad breakup, and his band is just getting started. Soon, he meets the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers. But get this. In order to date her, he has to defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends. The boyfriends aren't your average jocks, either. One of them's a ninja, and another is a vegan with superpowers. I know, it sounds absolutely nuts, right? Well, the story is made enjoyable by featuring some solid drama, as well as some fantastic dry and goofy humor and extravagant action scenes. It's kind of quirky, yes, but it's also really hip, not to mention just an all around good read. The first book in the series was admittedly kind of meh, but they got better and better with each volume and it was really cool seeing O'Malley's art and storytelling improve gradually. Really, the stuff that the man puts in that book amazes me.

Anywho, they've pretty much got the full cast all ready to go, with Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead filling in the two main parts of Scott and Ramona. I couldn't find a better cast roll, so I'll just use the same image the rest of the blogosphere is using, here, from the Blog Next Door:

Pictured here are, in no particular order, Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Kieran Culkin, Brie Larson, Ellen Wong, and Allison Pill.

Some are unknowns, and some have been in every teen comedy under the sun, but all in all I'd say it looks solid (Brandon Routh is playing the vegan guy, and anyone who read that volume knows he's perfect for that part, you know, considering he was Superman and all). The only one I'm a little worried about is Cera. From reading the books, it's easy to see that Scott is a sympathetic character, a goofy, sensitive guy that makes mistakes from time to time. This is why I'm really hoping that Universal isn't just typecasting Cera again in to the role of awkward doofus that he plays in stuff like Arrested Development, Superbad and Juno. But then again, there's hope that Cera can show some range as an actor and break out of that shell. Not to mention the fact that this is Edgar Wright directing here. I mean, come on, he made this, didn't he?:

"How's that for a slice of fried gold?"

If a romantic comedy with zombies was possible, then an action/romantic comedy with superpowered college-age kids should be a cakewalk, right? Okay, so that's kind of a baseless theory. Nevertheless, the fanbase has faith that the guy knows what he's doing, and he has O'Malley's blessing, so that makes things easier. It's getting close to shooting time, so production photos are starting to come out of the woodwork. You can check them out on Edgar Wright's photoblog here. Also, O'Malley continues to update on this movie and other things Scott Pilgrim related here, on his own website. I'll probably post later with a rant on last night's Oscar ceremony.