There’s new speculation concerning the fate of the original Star Wars trilogy today — which means it’s Thursday here at Movie Morsels! We’ve also got a glimpse of Will Smith’s upcoming caper comedy with Wolf of Wall Street It Girl Margot Robbie, a whopping four clips from this weekend’s Jeremy Renner thriller Kill the Messenger, your first official look at George Clooney in Brad Bird’s Tomorrowland, and so much more. Join us, won’t you?
Star Wars
Could the original Star Wars trilogy be rereleased in its unedited, pre-Special Edition form? I know, I know — that question’s been on the mind of every Star Wars fan since Han stepped on CGI Jabba 1.0’s tail in 1997. But a new commercial from Italy has refueled speculation, and given us new hope (sorry) that we could soon see Sy Snootles again in all her latex glory (pictured above). If the ad is to be believed, then Disney will make available all six existing Star Wars films for digital download, despite the fact that Fox currently controls the distribution rights for the first film. Does that mean Disney could hear the cries of the people and somehow get us unedited versions of the original films? It would certainly go a long way in generating goodwill towards the generation of fans that grew disillusioned with George Lucas’ tinkering. Here’s the ad. [FilmDivider]
Focus
In Focus, Will Smith stars in his first R-rated film since 2003’s Bad Boys II, alongside The Wolf of Wall Street‘s Margot Robbie. Here’s the official plot synopsis and two images from the “comedy-caper-love story,” directed by Crazy, Stupid, Love helmers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa and due out on February 27th:
“Will Smith stars as Nicky, a seasoned master of misdirection who becomes romantically involved with novice con artist Jess (Margot Robbie). As he’s teaching her the tricks of the trade, she gets too close for comfort and he abruptly breaks it off. Three years later, the former flame—now an accomplished femme fatale—shows up in Buenos Aires in the middle of the high stakes racecar circuit. In the midst of Nicky’s latest, very dangerous scheme, she throws his plans for a loop…and the consummate con man off his game.”
[JoBlo]
Tomorrowland
The good folks at Entertainment Weekly have secured three exclusive images from next year’s George Clooney-starring, Brad Bird-directed summer tentpole Tomorrowland, as well as an interview with writer Damon Lindelof. The project’s been shrouded in secrecy, but now we have the clearest description of it yet: “A Florida girl [Britt Robertson] who dreams of the future while watching the launchpads of Cape Canaveral being disassembled goes exploring one day and, after landing in a bit of trouble, finds herself in possession of a mysterious pin. Touching it reveals a vision of a place that may not be a different world but simply a better one. Then it’s gone—out, out, brief candle!—and the quest to discover the real Tomorrowland begins… Her discovery of the pin, and the vision of this futuristic land it reveals, leads her to Frank Walker [George Clooney], a hermit and failed inventor who knows more about Tomorrowland than he wants to tell.” [EW]
Kill the Messenger
Jeremy Renner’s latest thriller Kill the Messenger opens this Friday, October 10th, in which he will NOT play a secret agent; but rather someone just as embroiled in trouble — journalist Gary Webb, who, back in the mid-’90s, risked his career to expose the CIA’s role in smuggling cocaine into America to fund an army of rebel contras in Nicaragua. We’ve got four clips from the film, which co-stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Paz Vega, Oliver Platt, Robert Patrick, and Rosemarie DeWitt (as Webb’s wife Sue).
Dear White People
The red-band trailer for Dear White People — the much praised Special Jury Prize winner from this year’s Sundance Film Festival — has just arrived online. The comedy, which examines race relations on a college campus, arrives in select cities on October 17th and opens nationwide on October 24th. [First Showing]
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Finally today, we’ve got the two latest characters posters from the upcoming third film in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit Trilogy, The Battle of the Five Armies. You may have thought Sir Ian McKellan looked weary as Gandalf the Grey in Jackson’s other Middle-Earth movies, but because McKellan is one of our greatest living actors he’s somehow found a way to look even wearier! On the flip side, Cate Blanchett doesn’t appear to have aged a day since her Galadriel first appeared in The Fellowship of the Ring back in 2001. Personally, I’d be happy if Five Armies was nothing but three hours of Blanchett reading Tokien’s Lord of the Rings indices in that exquisite voice of hers, but maybe that’s just me. [Coming Soon]
—
Share your thoughts on today’s stories below, or let me know what you think on Twitter (@jmacabre).
Images: Disney, Warner Bros., Focus Features
Disney and Luasfilm have repeatly said about the Star Wars trilogy episodes 4 through 6. “The movies are finished.” Time for Episode 7. Why don;t Fans move forward as well?!
Is it just me, or does Jeremy Renner look kinda ridiculous with that goatee?
I was able to buy them like eight years ago in a set of the crappy ones as special features. Never have watched the CGI altered version.
What’s George Clooney doing in a film called Tomorrowland? The guy is a relic. He so old I don’t think he’ll live to see Tomorrowland. Im talking about the premier, not just the actual future utopia. Clooney looks like Ian McKellan’s stand in. Clooney’s so old he was in the same high school drama club as Charlie Chaplin and Yoda. I guess he’s a good cast to play an old inventor. He’s so ancient he likely invented the pin, candles, and the wheel.
How does showing clips of Star Wars suggest that they MIGHT offer the original pre 1997 trilogy? That’s a bit of a leap just because you see a couple tiny bits.
Will Smith, God love ya – what the hell is up with those pants? I guess we can pass it off on the costume director but sometimes you’ve just gotta say “no”.
I don’t think Will Smith says “no” to anything.