Flixens - Fantasy

Harry Potter:OOTP One-Sheet Revealed!

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 13:27:00 -0800

It's been a while since we had a Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix update... but Warner Bros. has released the teaser poster for the upcoming fifth film in the film franchise based on J.K. Rowling's wizarding hero.

The poster features Ralph Fiennes as none other than the insidious Lord Voldemort warning us that "you will lose everything."

Hoping to entice people to go see the animated penguin 2D 3D film, Warner Bros. will debut the OOTP trailer before Happy Feet tomorrow (Nov. 17).

LaBeouf Watch, Dateline November 15, 2006

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 11:16:10 -0800

It's been quite a while since we had an update on the trials and tribulations of Shia LaBeouf. May 4th, to be exact. Long-time readers of this site will know that I have a special plase in my heart for that cutie. But today is a new day and we have news that young Master Shia has signed on to Transformers 2 and 3.

Now, now... don't get all excited. These trilogy deals are pretty standard these days. What's interesting though is that Shia seems to think that the Transformers feature film will be his ticket on the Lord of the Rings Gravy Train. In an interview with About.com, Shia compared his work on Bobby with his work on Transformers:

Again, that’s exactly what that is. If anyone tells you they do that for the art value, that’s bulls**t. It’s f**king painful. To go from Emilio Estevez to Michael Bay is like walking out of, you know, like in a hammock in the sky, hanging out drinking Pina Coladas with Jesus and then getting smacked in the face and thrown in the devil’s s**pile and having to make a movie. I swear to God.

Huh wha?? He goes on....

I was thinking about quitting this industry. And Michael Bay will tell you that. He’s so hard on his actors, and not in the way that Emilio might be, in that he’ll push you to be something better. Mike is just f**king a hard a**.

OMG, what a whiny, foul-mouthed little wimp! How could I have been so wrong?

Look, the four, five months of pain I went through might buy my mom a house and that’s forever, so I’m all right. People go to f**king war, it’s not like I have a hard job. I’m an actor. It’s not the worst thing. We’re sitting at a pool, I didn’t pay for those shoes, I didn’t pay for this. It’s not a bad life, and for a guy that didn’t have s**t going on. There’s certain pains; it’s a tradeoff like anything. There’s things you don’t want to do in your industry... You get lost in a f**king weird depression, man... I barely made it out of that movie. I was going to a heart specialist; I was having anxiety attacks, losing my mind. And you know, you’re doing physical s**t all day. It’s tough, man. And even Mike at the end, he was like, ‘Look, I know I’m hard on you but you’ll never get this again. If you can go through this with me, you can do anything.’ Sort of like the whole, ‘If you can live in New York you can live anywhere,” type thing. Whatever doesn’t kill you.

Yeah, yeah... whatever, pansy-boy. I am SO done with you. Oh yeah, and the thing about LOTR...

You don’t get bigger than $250 million robots blowing up the world. I don’t plan on making any other – I mean, I’m going to do Transformers 2 and 3 so that will be my Lord of the Rings.... Yeah, I’m gonna do it. That will be my Lord of the Rings and then I’ll just make indies the rest of my time, for a long time. Elijah [Wood’s] straight. Elijah can do whatever he wants. Why? Because he’s in one of the biggest, the top five grossers ever. People in China know who he is and people in Iceland know who he is. He can do whatever he wants. That’s my whole thing is I’ve got to get to the point where people in Iceland will go see Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. That’s what I’m trying to do... It’s a tough deal but again, it was tough to go from the kid thing to the adult thing. That was the toughest jump you can do in this business.

Sheesh... he sounds like Drew Barrymore coming off her E.T. gig. Who would have known? You know what? He's not even THAT cute...

King Kong: Bling, Long

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 08:27:43 -0800

The 3-disc Deluxe, Extended Edition of Peter Jackson's King Kong hits the DVD streets tomorrow, featuring a commentary track with director Peter Jackson and co-writer Philippa Boyens, 13 minutes of additional, completed footage, 38 minutes of deleted scenes, the 8-part documentary "Re-Creating the Eighth Wonder: The Making of King Kong", "A Night in Vaudeville" featurette, pre-viz animatics, electronic versions of the 1996 and 2005 versions of the script, bloopers, design galleries, and more (including a cool Kong statue depending on which version you buy).

You may remember my original review of the film, which I enjoyed, despite its flaws. I'll be the first to admit, it's very hard for me to be completely objective about a Kong film. Remember, I'm the kind of girl who can sit at home and watch a double-feature of King Kong vs. Godzilla and King Kong Escapes in all their man-in-suit glory and actually enjoy them.

But I'm curious to know how many of you are planning on buying the new double-dip. Jackson's film was overly long, by most accounts, so do we really need 13 more minutes of additional footage (plus over a half-hour of deleted scenes)?

Put me in the "Yes" column, I guess. I've been dying to see the "raft" sequence ever since it was cut out of the original release, only to find its way back onto the new DVD. Plus, as complete as the Production Diaries were, they weren't nearly as complete as the behind-the-scenes features on the Lord of the Rings extended editions. THIS is the edition I've been waiting for.

I can't help it. I am weak.

Spidey 3 Trailer Weaves Web of Destruction

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 07:57:54 -0800

Talk about your massive media blitzes...

An all-new, full-length, 2 1/2-minute trailer for Spider-Man 3 is about to be unleashed on the world today, broadcasting across a number of Viacom's media networks on TV as well as the Internet.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, on CBS the trailer will air after CSI and before the Shark. On Comedy Central, the trailer will run before a new South Park episode, while MTV will show the spot before a new Real World/Road Rules Challenge. Other TV networks airing the trailer include BET, Logo, MTV2, Spike TV and VH1, with each supporting the event with custom promotions.

In addition, 14 online destinations from Viacom's networks are supporting the airing, including AddictingGames.com, AddictingClips.com, BET.com, MTV.com, IFilm.com, Nick.com, ComedyCentral.com, GameTrailers.com, LogoOnline.com, Neopets.com, SpikeTV.com, The-N.com, VH1.com, and Xfire.com.

Immediately after the television premiere, a high-definition version of the trailer will be available exclusively on IFilm.com.

Sniff... news like this reminds me of Jenny From Canada and her Spidey-Loving ways... we miss you Jenny, wherever your parents have you locked away.

Hulk Smashes on June 27, 2008

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 04:23:00 -0800

Marvel is looking to the summer of '08 to release The Incredible Hulk on 6/27/08, two months after it unleashes Jon Favreau's Iron Man on the world.

Variety has an interesting article about the company, where it reveals that the company is scrambling to show that its film business is running smoothly despite the departure of Avi Arad, and that while its overall revenues have dropped nearly 44% for the year (the cost of movies in development, I would imagine) it's publishing business has increased revenue by 20% to push overall sales revenue to 13% for the third quarter.

Ah, the power of marketing.

Wall Street has been happy with the direction Marvel has been taking, as evidenced by the fact that their stock price is up 6%. And the company expects to make a boatload of cash from the release of the two films, which have been highly anticipated by fanboys and fangirls everywhere.

Trying to distance itself from Ang Lee's take on the green behemoth, Marvel has promised in a press release that "you WILL like the Hulk when he's angry." Hee-hee... cute.

Summer in November

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 14:01:48 -0800

While Borat is reaching surprising heights in its box office earnings all across the world (see Box Office Mojo) and the awards-drawing films begin to be released, it seems that it's never too early to generate interest in a movie.

My favorite film industry misfits, the marketing people, have already begun work for the 2007 summer season. According to Empire, the full trailer for Spider-Man 3 will be available online this Thursday.

Spider-Man 3 is probably the most anticipated movie of 2007, and fans are certainly eager to get a clear view of the villain known as Venom.

Empire suggest going to them for the link to the trailer, but I personally suspect that it will be placed on the Apple trailers page.

Spider-Man 3 should be released on May 4 in North American cinemas.

Do you think it's too early (before the holiday season) to release this trailer? Will people remember to be excited when May arrives?

Dougie Digs "Pan's Labryinth"

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 12:52:03 -0800

Hi everyone, Nina here with a quick review from our favorite UK-er Dougie, who was kind enough to send us a review of Guillermo del Toro's latest film, Pan's Labryinth. We've all been looking forward to this one, and Dougie says it does not disappoint. Too bad, considering that it would have been cute to say "Dougie Pans Labryinth!" if he didn't like it. Oh well. Read on!

Remember when you were young, and because your parents were no good at remembering bedtime stories, they'd make one up, to try and get you to sleep. Remember how they always had huge plot holes, no real flow to the plot, and unimaginative characters. After watching Pan's Labyrinth, I kind of wish Guillermo del Toro was my dad.

It's Spain, 1944. a young girl (Ivana Baquero), her pregnant mother and strict stepfather move to the countryside. Captain Vidal (Sergi López), the stepfather, has been posted there to rid the area of rebels. Upon exploring her new home, young Ofelia discovers an ancient labyrinth guarded by a faun (Doug Jones), who sends the girl on a life-changing quest.

How good a story is that? And, as an added bonus, none of my relatives or friends play badger versions of themselves, like the made-up bedtime stories I was once told.

I've been looking forward to this film for some time now, and was not disappointed. Scene after scene, the movie is simultaneously mercilessly cold, and strikingly beautiful. Even during the darkest parts, del Toro's love for his project warms the screen.

And let me assure you, its a dark, dark film. There's extreme violence in Ofelia's real world, and when she attempts to enter the magical land through the labyrinth, she is constantly confronted by gruesome creatures that would be better suited in a trip to Narnia fuelled by the type of nightmares experienced by eating a lot of cheese right before bedtime.

Doug Jones is back as del Toro's bitch, excellently playing both the faun (Pan, himself), and The Pale Man (who you should never trick into a hi-5). With Jones returning for the Hellboy sequel, he really becoming the Serkis to Guillermo's Peter Jackson. I wonder who would win in a fight between the two. I reckon Serkis, if only because he seems like a biter.

My one real problem with the film is that I don't speak Spanish that well. I have to rely on the subtitles (under no circumstances should this film be dubbed), but my eyes kept drifting from the text, to the on-screen action, meaning I often missed out on what could be an important piece of dialogue.

If only I had a babelfish....

Just as great a movie as I had hoped for, everyone go see! Five fauns out of five for Del Toro and his wonderfully twisted, dark little bedtime story.

Universal Finds "Everlost"

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 07:57:56 -0800

Universal Studios has optioned Everlost, an adaptation of the book by Neal Shusterman, just one of a number of family-friendly fantasy-based projects cooking on the Uni stove at the moment.

The book, just published in August (and getting excellent reviews, I might add), centers on two young teens, Allie and Nick, both passengers in separate cars that collide. The two meet up in a strange limbo-like "other world," where they don't know if they're alive or dead. Unfortunately for them, they're dead. They try to navigate their way through this strange land, meeting friend and foe along the way, including children from other time periods. Pretty trippy stuff, especially confronting death head-on in a young adult novel.

According to Variety, Gary Ross, through his Larger Than Life company, hopes to direct the film. Life's Allison Thomas said "We liked the characters, and the idea that it was an action adventure story that had no wizards or dragons, that wasn't driven by magic like so many of these films are... This is an alternative universe, almost Peter Pan-ish, with its own set of rules and two strong lead characters trying to find their way back to their families."

And of course, the book is the first in a planned series.... I smell a film franchise!

Yes, Superman WILL Return Again

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 03:56:24 -0800

Hi everyone, I hope you had a nice weekend. We'll start out the day here with an update on a story from last week...

The other day we talked about the rumor that Superman Returns director Bryan Singer would be directing a sequel to the film, with FilmIck saying that it was a done deal.

Variety confirms it today with a story about Singer signing a deal with Warner Bros. to produce and direct the follow-up to the mildly(?) successful Superman reboot. The film is tentatively scheduled for a summer 2009 release, but the studio stresses that there is no script yet (it isn't clear if Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty will return to put pen to page yet) and no budget has been agreed upon.

It is assumed that the budget will be highly scrutinized again, with Warner insisting that the budget stay well below $200 million.

Mysterio in Spidey 3?

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 07:37:33 -0700

This rumor has been floating around forever, but it looks like it may now be true?

Word on the street is that Bruce Campbell, who's had cameos in each of the previous Spider-Man films, will play Mysterio in Spider-Man 3, according to Film Ick.

Keep in mind, this is all still rumor, but it's worth reporting. My guess is that director Sam Raimi decided to throw the fans a bone and make their conjecture become a reality. Fans were saying how it makes perfect sense for Mysterio, a.k.a. FX master Quentin Beck, to start out in the business as some sleazy ring announcer, then move on to theater usher, and then finally to FX prop guru.

I guess we'll have to wait and see...

"Moon Knight" Shines on TV

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:58:01 -0700

Way back in April, Jenny From Canada reviewed the debut issue of Marvel's Moon Knight reboot. She liked it, so she'll probably like this news...

Marvel Entertainment Inc. has announced that it will be bringing the adventures of Moon Knight to television with a live-action series, in conjunction with Larry Sugar of Vancouver-based No Equal Entertainment.

Moon Knight tells the story of Marc Spector, a soldier-of-fortune turned superhero after an encounter with the Egyptian God of Venegance and the moon god Konshu. His first appearance was in the original Werewolf By Night series where his silver weapons inflicted their anti-lycanthropic effects on Jack Russell's lupine alter-ego. In his new series, Moon Knight is sort of a cross between Batman, Fox Mulder, and Karl Kolchak.

"'Moon Knight' has all the elements for an engaging television series. No Equal Entertainment has a real passion for the project and an amazing vision of how to bring the character and storyline to life that will appeal to action and sci-fi enthusiasts," said Marvel's David Maisel.

Sugar added, "We are delighted to be in business with Marvel Entertainment and believe that 'Moon Knight' will make a compelling and long-lasting television series."

Let's hope it does better than Blade.

Superman Returns Again?

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 08:15:24 -0700

One thing is for sure here at Flixens.... we love Superman. Some of you may remember our 8-part series on The Real Heroes of Superman, or my review of Superman Returns, or the Movie MILF's review, or Samantha's review, or downloaded our Superman wallpaper, etc. If you're like us, then this news should make you happy...

IESB.net is reporting that the Superman sequel is a go, with Bryan Singer at the helm, with the production team re-upping for the 2nd go-a-round.

The new film will feature a slightly smaller budget (by about $50 million), but more action, with promises of one of the DC Universe's major villians coming to Metropolis to take on the Big Blue Boy Scout, which leads to "the battle of his life." Production may begin as early as next September.

"Inkheart" Casting Update

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 11:35:38 -0700

A while back we talked about Brendan Fraser and Paul Bettany signing up for Inkheart, New Line's first film in an adaptation of author Cornelia Funke's planned trilogy.

Now Variety tells us that the Andy Serkis and Helen Mirren have also joined the cast of the film, about a bookbinder who can bring literary characters to life just by reading their stories aloud.

Serkis will play the nefarious Capricorn, whose band of rogues captures the bookbinder (Fraser) and carries him off to Literary Land while it's up to the bookbinder's daughter to rescue him. Mirren will play book collector Elinor Loredan.

And it turns out, at some point Jim Broadbent joined the cast, but I must have missed that when it was originally announced. You all know I love Jim Broadbent. Last I knew he was going to appear in Hairspray.

EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Animated Hellboy Director Tad Stones

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 13:13:13 -0700

Hi everyone, Nina here, along with the Movie MILF talking to Tad Stones, co-director of the upcoming animated Hellboy: The Sword of Storms, premiering October 28, 9:30 ET/PT on the Cartoon Network. If you haven't already checked out the online production diaries, you should. Flixens had an opportunity to talk with Tad and ask him a few questions about the movie, his career, and his marriage.

Nina Kincaid: Working on "Hellboy Animated", did you have any constraints related to the existing Del Toro feature film, or its planned sequel? Or does the animated version take place in a separate "universe," so to speak? How involved was Guillermo in the animated project?

Tad Stones: In reverse order, Guillermo got Revolution to focus on doing an animated version. It was not something they'd normally be pursuing. He also gave me the name of our composer, Christopher Drake. But Chris got the job due to the spec score he did on an animatic sequence. I'm glad he was so good or Guillermo and I would've gotten into a big fight. Other than that, our production coincided with "Pan's Labyrinth" so Guillermo wasn't even in the country. Any spare time he had during that was spent writing the first draft of "Hellboy 2"

I think every medium Hellboy visits gets its own universe. The only real Hellboy is the one that Mike writes. We try to be as close to the comics as we can but there are differences. Professor Broom is still alive in our stories and the details of some of the major events in Hellboy's life are different.

The only constraints the live action films place on us are in the choosing of the subject matter. Mike knows I would love to do something with the world of faerie but that's the subject matter of HB2.

NK: I remember watching the original "Darkwing Duck" pilot when I was younger, which you wrote and produced, but thought that the quality of the writing dipped in the actual series, which had a number of writers. How involved would you be with an animated "Hellboy" series if there was one?

TS: It is the nature of an animated series that the writing - and everything else really - gets rushed. I thought the writing was generally strong in the series but the execution, both within the studio and overseas, went up and down.

I wouldn't say "no" to a series but I actively campaign against it. This is a complete turnaround from where we started - when Mike and I were coming up with half hour ideas. A half hour equals just 22 minutes on TV sans commercials. What I learned in the movies is how much time it takes to really play with suspense and horror. With short episodes you're just hitting plot. In addition to suspense, there's also more personality in the movies, especially with Liz and Abe. A series also brings with it network notes.

Movie MILF: Will there be a series of animated Hellboy movies?

TS: I'm hoping to have a long series of movies.

MM: In the production diaries, you talk about "Hellboy" creator Mike Mignola's involvement in the project primarily as a writer. Why have someone else (Sean "Cheeks" Galloway) be the lead character designer?

TS: That was Mike's choice. In the DVD extras Mike says he had the perfect amount of involvement: be in on the fun part of breaking the story, giving input on the script (being the final say in most instances) then just seeing a few designs. He lets us do the work of actually making the movie.

If Mike was part of the production team he'd go nuts from stress and his comic output would be zero. More importantly, Mike didn't want the show to look like his stuff. His Hellboy is the one you find under the covers that he draws. He can't watch when people try to ape his style.

NK: The production schedule seemed maddening. One year from concept to broadcast... Yet you seem comfortable in the arena of TV and Direct-to-DVD animation. Do you find that you work better creatively under pressure?

TS: NO!!!!!!!!!!! It's just the necessity of schedule and budgets. Although my wife would deny it, I have an organized brain ... At least when it comes to animation production and resist concentrating too much on just what's in front of me. I have to keep the whole schedule in mind. But the ration of time to passion has never been worse than on this project. Doing one movie in the time we did these two would be just about right.

MM: Before "Animated Hellboy", which project of yours are you most proud of? How has "Animated Hellboy" surpassed it?

TS: "Darkwing Duck", the "Buzz Lightyear" movie, parts of "Milo's Return" (which is just a pale shadow of "Hellboy"). All I can say is that I somehow feel my career is just starting. "Hellboy" lets me write on a whole different level and push the boundaries of American animation.

NK: I was very interested in reading in the production diaries about the logistics of doing animation that is to be finished overseas. Can you talk a little bit about the differences between the modern animation process and what it was like when you started in the business, and the adaptations you've had to make?

TS: Whew... Basically, it's like doing animation by remote control. We set up key shots and designs rather than plan each scene. "The Simpsons", which is being worked on one hallway over from me, do character layouts - pretty much every important animation pose is drawn by animators here. On "Hellboy" we just send storyboards and exposure sheet and hope for the best.

NK: How did the "Hellboy Animated" budget compare to other similar projects?

TS: I can only speak to those that I worked on. It was about half my last DVD of "Brer Rabbit" that I did for Universal. I never had one of the Disney DVD big budgets. Mine were always a little higher than a series budget, cost per foot of film.

MM: I'm curious to know about the whole "voice issue" regarding Abe Sapien. First off, how does Doug Jones' voice compare to David Hyde Pierce's from the feature film? Why was there a decision to go with Doug's voice after many fans felt that David nailed it? Did the sequel to the feature film factor into it?

TS: Realize that David always thought the performance was Doug's. He just gave Guillermo the sound he wanted and a few performance tweaks. That's why you saw Doug on the red carpet instead of David. It was very generous of David to do that.

When we offered the part to David, Abe only had a cameo and most of it was "Look out, Liz!" lines. The part wasn't challenging, he didn't need the money, and he still felt Doug created the character.

Doug created a performance that the other actors played off of. It's not a guy yanking on a gorilla suit for an Abbot and Costello movie. I will say Doug is closer to the character than David was but that's me. Doug has a lower pitch and a less fragile sensibility.

MM: How much of the actor's "performance" came across in the animated work? Was any of it based on their action and movement from the feature film or was this completely stylized based on Mignola's art? I guess this goes back to Nina's question about constraints.

TS: Some storyboards were drawn before the track was recorded so any connection was more luck or came from the acting inherent in the writing. Both actor and artist are pulling from the same script. We didn't study the film for any movement. Ron Perlman's Hellboy is a compromise due to the fact that Ron is a human. Anyway, short answer? No physical performance connection just the poses inspired by the voices of the actors.

NK: Were you under any restrictions considering that the movie would premiere on the Cartoon Network? Or did you simply just make the movie and assume that they would edit as necessary for broadcast?

TS: The latter. Our DVD folks would love it if Cartoon Network felt the need to edit. They'd plaster "Complete and uncut!" all over the package.

MM: Will the DVD version differ from the broadcast version?

TS: Only if they edit. Well, I'll amend that. The premiere will be letterboxed. The other showing will be the pan and scan compromise.

MM: It's refreshing to see the production diaries. Marvel, for example, was very secretive about showing anything from their first animated Ultimate Avengers DVD, and I found the final result disappointing, from an animated standpoint when compared to the source material. I'm curious to know then why did you make the choice to even do the online blog? Were you looking for early fan buy-in?

TS: I would've done more. Film Roman had the crew of "Wow, wow, Wubsy!" produce a blog but since their fans are toddlers, they don't get much traffic. They offered me the same. I asked, "Are we trying to keep a secret or are we doing things the modern, Peter Jackson way?" They wanted to be open then backtracked and wanted to make sure the timing of announcements was just right. I felt gagged until Comic-con and by then I no longer had a crew. The fan street cred was never a factor.

NK: Wouldn't Mignola's blessing be enough for the fans?

TS: Yes and no. There's no upside to a creator badmouthing a project when translated into another medium. So unless he's Alan Moore, an artist/writer tends to make nice with the press. Usually, you get the real feelings after a project is done. But Mike seems very happy with how we're doing things.

NK: My favorite character from "Hellboy" is, of course, Kate Corrigan. I'm glad to she that she'll have a part in the animated film. Did you have a favorite going into the project? Did that change after finishing the production?

TS: I've always liked Kate. In the comics she's obviously the one closest to Hellboy, the one he confides his secrets to. She's also based on Christine Mignola in some ways. It's the whole world that Mike created that was my "favorite" although Hellboy is fun to write.

MM: Was there a conscious decision to appeal to a more female audience with the addition of Kate's character, as well as to "toughen" up Liz compared to how she was portrayed in the feature film?

TS: No. We used Kate instead of Liz because we wanted normal agents to contrast with all the weird creatures of Japanese folklore. When we had to write additional material, it made sense to give the time to Liz and Abe. We still kept them away from Japan. Liz is much tougher and more cynical in the comics than in Guillermo's first "Hellboy".

NK: With the premiere airing on the Cartoon Network before the DVD hits retail shelves, are you worried about how DVD sales might be affected by digital piracy?

TS: Yes, Bit Torrent is a big concern of mine since torrentors are exactly the audience who would enjoy "Hellboy" and might buy it. If the sales aren't of a certain level, there won't be anymore Hellboys. Real fans will buy it for the picture quality and sound.

MM: Along those lines, the deal is already done for the two animated films. Is the decision for more based primarily on the DVD sales or the broadcast ratings? Would you WANT to do more?

TS: Ratings help DVD sales. I want to do a lot more!

NK: What would be your DREAM project, if you could start it tomorrow?

TS: "Hellboy Animated 3"

MM: Finally, you mentioned your wife earlier... so... you're married? Darn.

TS: Yes, I'm married. Three kids, one of whom is married. The youngest, now out of high school, was the basis for Gosalyn Mallard, Darkwing’s daughter. A dog and a pond with too many koi.

NN: Thank you Tad! We can't wait to see the finished products!

TS: Thank you, for your questions and interest!

Animated "Hellboy" Not Just for the Kiddies

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 20:29:46 -0700

As we rapidly approach October 28th, 9:30 ET/PT, many of you are waiting patiently for the Cartoon Network premiere of the first animated Hellboy movie, Hellboy: The Sword of Storms, directed by Tad Stones. But when we told you the other day that the movie would be part of CN's Toonami programming block and not Adult Swim, some of you were skeptical... I asked Tad if he could clear things up:

Tad Stones: All I can say is that I did the comic. There's no gore or splatter but, as in the comics, there are headless bodies, bodiless heads, a monster leg chopped off and plenty of shooting of the undead. Mummies tend to explode into dust, while vampire and demons heal.

If you don't know the comics... You should! But in Cartoon Network terms, I'd say it's between Toonami and Adult Swim. Realize that I don't know what they'll bleep but the tough language is stuff like "Screw this." "Damn heads." "Geez" "Son of a-" and "Think again, Dumbass."

It plays at 9:30, so it's meant for an older crowd.

Thanks Tad! Sounds very much like the level of Guillermo Del Toro's feature film. I'm really looking forward to this!