Film News (18/12/09)

No opportunity for smaller projects getting the limelight this week. We're now deeply into the awards season (apparently 274 films are eligible for the Oscars) so it's only directors currently selling their competing projects who are able to hit the non-award headlines. Unless you're involved with a massive comic book franchise (after the cut). So, here goes...

Battle Angel



So, Jim Cameron is changing cinema forever, returning once again to being the King of the World. What's next? Well, he's confirmed that he's seriously working on the film adaptation of Battle Angel Alita, Yukito Kishiro's renowned Manga novel. It's about a female cyborg and will certainly be an opportunity for Cameron to build on the technology advances he's made with Avatar, as well as referencing he's back catalgue of Terminator movies.



The Man who Killed Don Quixote

Terry Gilliam's second attempt to tilt at windmills seems to be going in the right direction with the news of casting Robert Duvall as the titular knight. It's an inspired choice, Duvall continues to be at the top of his game and it should also bring in some punters and investment. After all who doesn't want to see the great actors take on one of the most infamous literary characters.

Peter Jackson's Untitled Gallipoli project

Peter Jackson has stated a vague interest in making a movie about the ANZAC troops and the suicidal mission at the Dardanelles during the first World War ready for the centenary in 1915. It's an incredible piece of Australian and New Zealand history as thousands of troops attempted to cut off the Ottoman Empire from the rest of the central European axis. The story has already been told in Peter Weir's excellent Gallipoli as well as in the exhaustive 1985 TV mini series "ANZACs". Nevertheless it will be interesting to see how Jackson handles the material.

X-Men: First Class

The origin collection of the X-Men franchise will be continuing with the beginnings of the Xavier school for the gifted. For all the collective doubt we may have about prequels where you know the fate of the characters this could be interesting as Bryan Singer, director of the first 2 installments has signed on. This could mean that he will explore the themes of isolation and discrimination that were the central point for the second film, and one which could ultimately give a heart to this venture.