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Tag: fantasy

  • Anna Kendrick Talks “Into the Woods”

    Anna Kendrick Talks “Into the Woods”

    Actress and singer Anna Kendrick recently opened up about her role in the upcoming film adaptation of the Broadway musical Into the Woods.

    The film, a Walt Disney Pictures production, was adapted from a Tony Award-winning musical created by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. Into the Woods is an amalgam of various Grimm fairy tales, and concerns a childless couple who seek to break a hex they were cursed with by a sullen witch.

    The script adds a different take on various established fantasies including Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Cinderella. Kendrick, who plays Cinderella, commented, “it’s sort of all the fairy tales more or less as you know them, you know, intersecting and creating some degree of chaos in the woods.”

    The Twilight franchise actress, who garnered Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her work in 2009’s Up In The Air, added, “Cinderella is more or less the same story that we know for the first half of the movie. Then, of course, the second half is when all the characters have to come face to face with the consequences of their actions.”

    Here is the trailer for Into the Woods:

    Into the Woods was directed by Rob Marshall, and co-stars Meryl Streep, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt and Johnny Depp. The film opens on Christmas day.

    Kendrick, 29, is also a musician, and scored a hit in 2012 with her cover of a song called “Cups,” which was originally adapted by Lulu and the Lampshades from a 1931 recording entitled “When I’m Gone.”

    Kendrick’s rendition of “Cups,” which was recorded for her film Pitch Perfect, went on to chart at no. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

  • Maleficent’s Wings Showcased in New Trailer

    If the world heard about a movie containing an evil, dark fairy, castles, armies, magical forest creatures, and even a dragon, all of geekdom would potentially explode with sheer excitement. Luckily for all of those fantasy fans, that movie is soon to hit theaters, albeit from a studio most would not believe.

    Disney’s Maleficent is scheduled to hit theaters on May 30, and, if the new trailer is any indication of the epicness of said movie, the wait may be too much to handle.

    We all know the original story of Maleficent as portrayed by the 1959 Disney classic, Sleeping Beauty.The “Mistress of All Evil” shows up for the christening of the king’s daughter, Aurora, and expresses her displeasure of not being invited by cursing Aurora to prick her finger on a spinning wheel after he 16th birthday and die.

    What we don’t learn in the original Disney classic, however, is why Maleficent is so upset. Surely the lack of an invitation to a christening is not enough to cause one to want to kill a child? Also, why is Maleficent the only fairy in the movie to not have wings?

    In a trailer released today, audiences learn that Maleficent did indeed once have wings – that is, until they were stolen from her. Why they were stolen is not answered in the trailer, but one could make a properly educated guess that the source of removal is a main motivating factor for Maleficent’s actions.

    While the scenes of Maleficent flying are visually breathtaking, filming them was no easy task, according to Jolie: “You’re almost like a puppet with all these people moving (beneath you). When you go to the left or the right all of you have to move together. It’s a big dance with a lot of people.”

    Actually flying may have been a difficult feat to achieve, but Jolie hated the preparation to get to that point even more: “She [Jolie’s trainer] made me do yoga. And I have no patience for yoga. It’s not something I do easily, because I’m not a still person. But I was forced to do yoga because (to fly) you have to have your core strength to be able to hold yourself.”

    Despite the difficulty to make the new vision of Maleficent come to life, Jolie believes the pay-off will be more than worthwhile:

    “She has a darkness. And how do you make a film about someone who curses a baby and make them relatable? It’s like the worst thing you could possibly do! But I think the script that Linda [Woolverton (‘The Lion King’)] wrote, has quite a deep understanding… The exercise wasn’t how can we have fun with a villain? It was: what turns people evil and vile and aggressive and cruel. What could have possibly happened to her that would get her to that moment in the christening? She wasn’t invited, so she’s pissed off?”

    Maleficent, coming to theaters May 30, seeks to answer these 55-year-old questions and more.

    Image via Facebook

  • Mark Helprin’s Novel Is Now A Colin Farrell Film

    “If it weren’t for music, I would think that love is mortal.”

    This prosaic musing about music might seem like words written by a romance novelist. Indeed, it’s a quote from one of Mark Helprin’s novels. However, the 66-year-old author has created far more than mere love stories and his work covers various subjects. As he has jumped across genres and breathed life into everything from periodicals and short story collections to animated fantasy narratives, his style is best described by another quote on his own website – that he “belongs to no literary school, movement, tendency, or trend” and “lights his own way”.

    Such an eclectic collection of creations makes perfect sense for someone with Mark Helprin’s history and experiences. An author with his academic training, military service, decades of journalism, and involvement in politics and statesmanship likely has a great deal from which to draw and share in written form. Some of his popular works include “A Soldier of the Great War,” ”Refiner’s Fire”, and the aforementioned “Winter’s Tale” – a romantic historical fantasy. In fact, the latter of those three has been recently adapted into a Hollywood film which will be released this coming Valentine’s Day.

    The movie version of “Winter’s Tale” stars a noteworthy cast including Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Connelly, and other celebrated actors.

    Yet, like any writer driven by genuine passion (and an understanding that one is only as good as their latest work), Helprin isn’t resting on his current success. In fact, by spring of 2015, he’ll have ready a new literary world into which his fans can escape via his current project, “Avocado”. The novel (which will be released through the John Macrae Books imprint) is described by the publisher as being a “lyrical, romantic and madcap novel set in post-World War I that follows a married couple in search of success from Brooklyn to the California avocado groves and then to Hollywood at the twilight of the silent film era.”

    There’s no way of knowing yet whether this upcoming novel will also make it to the silver screen; but as it already has a Hollywood theme to it, perhaps such is Mark’s intention and inspiration as he constructs it.

    If “Avocado” were adapted to film, which A-listers might you cast for a 1920’s couple making a cross country road trip?

    Image via Youtube

  • Game Of Thrones Announces The Premiere Date For Season 4

    Fans of the fantasy world of HBO’s Game Of Thrones can start getting excited now. An official premiere date has finally been set for the fourth season of the critically acclaimed show that has also become one of the biggest fan favorites of all time.

    The fourth season of Game Of Thrones will premiere on April 6th. It will be followed by the third season premiere of Veep, and the new comedy from Mike Judge called Silicon Valley.

    While plot details have not been revealed yet, fans can get a glimpse of what the new season will be like with the preview that will be show before the series premiere of True Detective this Sunday. With HBO’s hit comedy Girls returning with two episodes this Sunday, people will likely be tuning into the network all night.

    Meanwhile, Game Of Thrones‘ young star Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys Targaryen, is also set to play the part of Sarah Connor in the upcoming Terminator film. There is no release date yet for the film, but sometime in 2015 is likely. Coincidentally, her co-star on Game Of Thrones Lena Headey already played Sarah Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, the show that aired on Fox.

    The Game Of Thrones television series is based on the book series by George R.R. Martin called “A Song Of Ice And Fire,” and it is a series that is still being written. The format of the show has translated to about two seasons per book so far.

    The fourth season is expected to chart the events chronicled in the latter half of the Martin’s sprawling third book in the series, “A Storm of Swords,” but will also introduce characters and occurrences from other novels.

    Fans, be sure to tune into HBO at 9 p.m. on April 6th to catch an all-new season of Game Of Thrones.

    Image via Facebook

  • J.R.R. Tolkien Biopic Film Is In The Making

    Have you ever wondered what went on in the mind of the man who created the popular Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit novels?

    There is now a film in the works that is being developed about the well-known author’s life, taking a closer look at what caused him to write the books that have become one of the most popular trilogies of all time.

    The biopic film has almost become a genre of its own in recent years with the big productions done with films such as Walk The Line, Ray and others. Now fans of his famous fantasy books will get a chance at a closer look at J.R.R. Tolkien. There is no doubt that it will be well-received after the success of his books, and the films that were adapted from them.

    The question is, who could play such an icon? There has been no casting done on the film yet, but the film is in the development stage with a script being penned by David Gleeson.

    Fox Searchlight and Peter Chernin’s Chernin Entertainment are currently working to develop the project, which would chronicle the big moments that had an impact on J.R.R. Tolkien’s life. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit in 1937, and began his Lord Of The Rings trilogy in 1954.


    J.R.R Tolkien certainly led an interesting life, and one that is worth exposing to those who are not familiar with him. Before writing his famous books, he fought in World War I, and he was a code breaker in waiting during World War II. He was also known for his friendship with C.S. Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia.

    It is surprising that such an iconic author has not been given a biopic film already, however with the reemergence of the Lord of The Rings popularity through the films, it seems that this may be the best time to do it.

    Before the J.R.R Tolkien film goes into production however, fans can get excited for the final two films that will be adapted from his books. The new hobbit film is set to come out next month, with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug due to hit theaters on December 13th. The Hobbit: There And Back Again is already set to be released on December 17th, 2014, getting fans excited over a year ahead of time.

    Image via Youtube

  • Yahoo Acquires Bignoggins, Will Integrate Into Yahoo Fantasy

    Yahoo just announced that it has acquired Bignoggins Productions, makers of a mobile fantasy app that lets users manage football, basketball, baseball and hockey fantasy teams from their smartphones.

    “We will integrate the Bignoggins technology into our Yahoo! Fantasy experience over the coming months,” a Yahoo spokesperson tells WebProNews.

    Here, founder Jerry Shen talks about his decision to sell to Yahoo:

    Shen writes on the Bignoggins site:

    After many years as a free agent, I’d like to officially announce that Yahoo! has picked me up off waivers. I’m excited to join a team of all-stars to take fantasy sports to the next level. I’ve been playing Yahoo! Fantasy since high school, and have wanted to work here since college, so this is really a dream come true for me.

    At Bignoggins, I’ve always been driven to provide the best possible mobile fantasy experience. For years, players have used Fantasy Monster and Draft Monster to dominate their fantasy leagues. The great news is that the technology driving those apps will be integrated into Yahoo’s own offerings. So you’ll be able to enjoy all the features you’ve grown to love, such as mock and live drafts from your mobile device. I predict office pools will be taken to a new level this season as many discover the joys of drafting behind corporate firewalls.

    He also notes that the team is looking for new talent.

  • Medieval Fantasy Avengers Revisited

    About a week ago we brought you an incomplete set of Avenger fan artwork that showed the different characters as medieval fantasy warriors. The artist promised that since then he would complete the set, and he has. Nick Fury, Iron Man, and Thor have been added to this set, along with a complete poster showing all the Avengers side-by-side.

    Over at Deviant Art you will find lots of fantasy genre (books, games, and movie) artwork and fan art of comic superheroes to peruse. But none of them quite combine fantasy and superhero genres quite like this one.

    Artists often post here to allow viewership of their recent works in hopes of picking up a gig, or just to show off. While these posts from theDURRRRIAN will likely never be featured in a game or comic book cover, it is an awesome way of showing off the artists skills. And they’re just fun to look at — Feel free to play the role of fantasy superhero uber-geek, and get lost in these fan-art masterpieces…

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    the dude that pulls the strings

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    i present to you the Captain

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    the big green guy

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    So my housemate gave me the idea of painting the avengers with a high/dark/ epic fantasy setting and who better to start with than loki.

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    took a less ‘sexed-up’ approach so hopefully it works out

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    Descriptions are from the artist’s page here.

    When we posted the first set, crossfirexiv noticed that these images bear a striking resemblance to the artwork for Guild Wars. The user was right, as you can see below, but that doesn’t make them an less awesome. Call these GW2 Marvel fanboy porn if you like, people still dig ’em.

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  • Fantasy Avengers Are the Best Avengers

    Fantasy Avengers Are the Best Avengers

    Over at Deviant Art you will find lots of fantasy genre (books, games, and movie) artwork and fan art of comic superheroes to peruse. But none of them quite combine fantasy and superhero genres quite like this one.

    Artists often post here to allow viewership of their recent works in hopes of picking up a gig, or just to show off. While these posts from theDURRRRIAN will likely never be featured in a game or comic book cover, it is an awesome way of showing off the artists skills. And they’re just fun to look at — Feel free to play the role of fantasy superhero uber-geek, and get lost in these fan-art masterpieces…

    (image)

    i present to you the Captain

    (image)

    the big green guy

    (image)

    So my housemate gave me the idea of painting the avengers with a high/dark/ epic fantasy setting and who better to start with than loki.

    (image)

    took a less ‘sexed-up’ approach so hopefully it works out

    Descriptions are from the artist’s page here. He wrote that this will hopefully be a large collection, featuring more Avengers and possibly some other super heros thrown in there. Let’s hope so, because these are fantastic.

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    This isn’t an Avengers work, but I included it here just to show off as an interesting concept. This barbarian woman takes the concept of Portal and places it in a fantasy world. I suppose the protagonist would slice at the wall to open a portal, and it would peel back like slicing through flesh. A fun concept to think about for fans of Portal.

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    And finally, I just liked the style of this one. The lightning effects are very cool, and I like how it sort of distorts the image behind it. The artists uses broad and sometimes crude brushstrokes to create the strange pattern and give this work a sense of tension, like this guy is going to destroy everything in his path without breaking sweat.

    [ht: GeekTyrant]

  • Pay the Fan and MRN Unveil Free Fantasy Racing

    Motor Racing Network, in agreement with Pay the Fan, are launching free 2012 fantasy racing gmaes. According to Pay the Fan, users can “come play where the pros play, and sign up for a chance to win over $15,000 in cash and prizes!”

    The fantasy racing games are said to be easy to learn, but difficult to master, and users can sign up for the 1st Segment Series, starting with the Daytona 500 on February 26th. The series ends at the 18th race at Daytona, on July 7th. Users pick 2 drivers from each of the groups A, B and C. Points are earned on how drivers finish, and cash and other prizes can be had each week, with a chance at more winnings, dependent on top scores of the entire series.

    Users can also sign up for the Combined Series. Fantasy teams can be operated through the 1st and 2nd Segment Series, as well as during the Combined Series. With the racing off season being officially over, Motor Racing Network is looking forward to seeing users in the games at Pay The Fan. Racing enthusiasts can sign up for the fantasy games here.

    Press release courtesy of PRN.