Universal officially announced production start for Riddick, complete with plot details and cast information:
Universal Pictures, One Race Films and Radar Pictures announced today that principal photography has begun on the action-driven, sci-fi thriller Riddick. The shoot will take place in Montreal.
The latest chapter of the groundbreaking saga that began with 2000’s hit sci-fi film Pitch Black and 2004’s The Chronicles of Riddick reunites writer/director David Twohy (A Perfect Getaway, The Fugitive) and star Vin Diesel (the Fast and Furious franchise, xXx). Diesel reprises his role as the antihero Riddick, a dangerous, escaped convict wanted by every bounty hunter in the known galaxy.
The infamous Riddick has been left for dead on a sun-scorched planet that appears to be lifeless. Soon, however, he finds himself fighting for survival against alien predators more lethal than any human he’s encountered. The only way off is for Riddick to activate an emergency beacon and alert mercenaries who rapidly descend to the planet in search of their bounty.
The first ship to arrive carries a new breed of merc, more lethal and violent, while the second is captained by a man whose pursuit of Riddick is more personal. With time running out and a storm on the horizon that no one could survive, his hunters won’t leave the planet without Riddick’s head as their trophy.
Riddick also sees the return of Karl Urban (Star Trek, The Bourne Supremacy) as Vaako and introduces to the series Jordi Molla (Bad Boys II, Colombiana) as Santana, the arrogant captain of the mercenary ship; Matt Nable (Killer Elite) as Boss Johns, a man looking for answers; Katee Sackhoff (TV’s Battlestar Galactica) as the Nordic mercenary Dahl; and Bokeem Woodbine (upcoming Total Recall) as bounty hunter Moss. Rounding out the cast are Dave Bautista (The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption), Conrad Pla (Immortals), Raoul Trujillo (Apocalypto), Nolan Funk (TV’s Aliens in America) and two-time Grammy Award-nominated singer Keri Hilson.
The film is produced by Vin Diesel (upcoming Fast & Furious 6, Fast Five) and executive produced by Samantha Vincent (Fast Five, Fast & Furious) for One Race Films. Ted Field (The Last Samurai, Pitch Black) produces for Radar Pictures, while Mike Drake (Dream House, A Nightmare on Elm Street) also executive produces.
Twohy is joined on the film by a talented behind-the-scenes team, including director of photography David Eggby (Pitch Black, Mad Max), production designer Joseph Nemec III (A Perfect Getaway, The Hills Have Eyes, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) and editor Tracy Hall (Limitless, A Perfect Getaway, The Flock).
The Riddick franchise has also produced two popular video games: The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena and The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. As well, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released the anime DVD The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury.
Riddick, which is shooting in Montreal, Canada, is a One Race Films production. The film will be released by Universal Pictures in the U.S., and Lionsgate is handling international sales.
Evil Dead remake gets a male lead
Despite leading lady Lily Collins having dropped out over scheduling issues, the casting process for the Evil Dead reboot continues apace, with a new name having been added to the project. However, this is no replacement for Collins, but rather a new leading man…
With only 50 days to go until the premiere of The Hunger Games the promotion machine has churned into overdrive. In addition to new movie stills and a new trailer, the studio has announced a series of contests from a slew of websites that will hand out free passes to the movie’s premiere. Rules for entry may vary by site so read the directions carefully as you complete each entry.
The Hunger Games, second trailer. Coming to theaters: March 23, 2012
Marvel reveals five new Avengers images
Marvel has thrown a bone to all those Avengers obsessives counting down the days until the film’s April release by unveiling a handful of new images…
Underworld: Awakening tops the US box office
George Lucas has been back in the news this week, lambasting those who have criticised his constant Star Wars tinkering and lamenting the difficulties he had getting WW2 drama Red Tails distributed by a major studio.
In the end, Lucas was forced to reach into his own pocket to get the film released, so he’ll be relieved to see the Red Tails sitting in second place at the box office, with a better-than-expected $19.1 million in the bank…
Liam Neeson reveals key Dark Knight Rises plot detail
It was only last week that teen actress Joey King put her foot in it by revealing the identity of her character in The Dark Knight Rises, and now Liam Neeson has buckled under the constant questioning…
Nicolas Cage talks Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance
Total Film sat down with Nicolas Cage on the set of comic-book follow-up Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance for a suitably intense chat.
There was one thing that Cage was keen to stress: Spirit Of Vengeance is no sequel…
Sony has released the synopsis for director Len Wiseman’s (Underworld) remake of the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger Sci-Fi action film Total Recall. While the gene4ral plot sounds very similar, the events on Mars apparently have been completely removed from the remake. Both films are based on Philip K. Dick’s novelette We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, in which Mars plays a significant role in the memory implant plot device, but the characters do not actually travel there.
Total Recall is an action thriller about reality and memory, inspired anew by the famous short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K Dick. Welcome to Rekall, the company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he’s got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life – real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.
Total Recall is coming to theaters August 3, 2012.
Paramount has pushed Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters back to January 11, 2013. The film starring Jeremy Renner (The Avengers) and Gemma Arterton (Wrath of the Titans) was originally slated for March 2, 2012.
While such moves are often indicators of problems with the movie in this case its a desire to capitalize on the anticipated growing star power of Jeremy Renner after the release of The Avengers.
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