Guillermo Del Toro’s Haunted Mansion is back on track, and voice-cast revealed for Marvel’s Big Hero 6
An update on Guillermo Del Toro’s The Haunted Mansion
Announced at San Diego Comic-Con back in 2010, Pacific Rim director Guillermo Del Toro was on board to (maybe) direct a live-action adaptation for the iconic Disneyland spook-house attraction, The Haunted Mansion, following the previous 2003 dud starring Eddie Murphy. Not much has been heard about the project since, but Del Toro recently teased that some progress has been made: around 50-60 pieces of concept art have been drawn up, with Pan’s Labyrinth/Hellboy star and regular collaborator Doug Jones possibly getting involved as spectral nuisance the Hat Box Ghost. A screenplay has yet to be nailed by the peeps at the Mouse House, but, considering Del Toro’s upcoming production slate – Pacific Rim 2, Crimson Peak, At The Mountains Of Madness and an untitled black-and-white picture – they can go ahead and take their time.
Hellboy 3 probably won’t be happening, admits Del Toro
In other, less-heartening Del Toro-related news, the director has admitted that a second sequel for his wildly underrated Hellboy series will most likely never see the light of day. During a Q&A session over on Reddit, the question of a potential Hellboy 3 was brought up – this was Del Toro’s response: “Creatively, I would love to make it … But it is proven almost impossible to finance. Not from MY side, but from the studio side.” Del Toro also revealed his initial concept for what the film would have entailed – namely, Ron Perlman’s scarlet antihero embracing his dark side as the Apocalypse draws near. What a crying shame.
The Amazing Spider-Man 3 writer leaves production
Despite part 2’s relative success at the box-office earlier in the year, Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 3 has hit a slight roadblock on its way to a 2016 release. Or, a writer’s block, to be more precise. Roberto Orci, who co-scripted the last instalment with his ex-collaborator Alex Kurtzman and Jeff Pinkner, has left the production, purportedly to work on Star Trek 3 for Paramount. Fortunately, Kurtzman and Pinkner are still there to muddle through, with the former also on track to write spin-off villain flick Venom (with Ed Solomon).
Ben Kingsley to star in Spike TV’s Tut
Who better to bring an ounce of credibility to your small-screen historical opus than Trevor Slattery himself, Sir Ben Kingsley. US cable network Spike seem to have the same idea, casting the thesp for their new series Tut. He’ll be playing Ay, the Grand Vizier to Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen – think his very similar character in Disney’s Prince Of Persia, only hopefully with more brains and dignity. This will be Spike’s first original scripted production in over eight years, and is on track to be their biggest (i.e. most expensive) yet.
Details revealed for Marvel’s Big Hero 6
Forget Ant-Men, gun-touting raccoons and a rampaging android with the voice of James Spader – THIS is the Disney/Marvel team-up that might, actually, bring something new to the table. Taking the comic-book universe into a whole new dimension, Big Hero 6 will be Disney’s first animated stab at a Marvel property. The voice cast has now been revealed, with relative newcomer Ryan Potter taking the lead role as child prodigy Hiro Hamada, who single-handedly designs and builds a crack team of robotic superheroes. Others in the ensemble include Damon Wayans Jr., Maya Rudolph and Alan Tudyk, who is becoming a bit of regular face (or, well, voice) for the studio after lending his vocals to both Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen.
Bonus shot!
Daniel Radcliffe’s post-Potter cinematic career continues apace with Horns, a horror-fantasy about a young man who, the morning after the mysterious death of his girlfriend, awakens to find a devilish pair of horns sprouting right out of his dome. It’s from Alexandre Aja, a writer/director who has had his fair share of experience on the horror scene, with credits for Piranha 3D (remake), The Hills Have Eyes (another remake) and Maniac (you get the idea). Here is the first official poster, released earlier today:
Ham Reviews 