First Proper Image Of Tauriel Released

The first clear image of Evangaline Lily as Tauriel, head of the Elven guard, has come online. The character, who does not appear in the original book, will appear in this December’s The Desolation of Smaug.

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With long red hair and some awesome-looking weaponry, she looks pretty cool. Lily explains that she’s “…a Sylvan Elf, which means she’s of a much lower order than the elves we all became acquainted with in The Lord of the Rings. She doesn’t hold the same kind of status that Arwen or Galadriel or Elrond or Legolas do — she’s much more lowly. She sort of goes against the social order of the elves a little bit.”

She also stated that Tauriel has a pretty badass side: “She’s slightly reckless and totally ruthless and doesn’t hesitate to kill.”

Director Peter Jackson has included the character to help bring some girl power to a very male-centric storyline – a role Cate Blanchett filled in An Unexpected Journey.

The Desolation of Smaug continues on from the events of AUJ, with Bilbo, Gandalf and the company of dwarves getting closer to the Lonely Mountain and the titular dragon who’s holed up inside.

It’ll be in cinemas on December 13th.

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Karen Gillan Confirmed For Guardians Of The Galaxy

Karen Gillan – most famous for her time (and space) travelling turn as Amy Pond in Doctor Who – has landed herself a pretty huge gig. She’s been confirmed as the female ‘big bad’ in James Gunn’s upcoming Marvel adventure, Guardians Of The Galaxy.

The red-haired Scot will join Lee Pace and Michael Rooker in the villain’s corner, facing off against good guys Chris Pratt, David Bautista and Zoe Saldana.

Guardians Of The Galaxy is part of Marvel’s Phase 2, and tells the story of “a U.S. pilot [Pratt] who ends up in space in the middle of a universal conflict and goes on the run with futuristic ex-cons who have something everyone wants.”

Gillan’s certainly got the credentials for the job, having spent three years whizzing around in the TARDIS battling Daleks and Weeping Angels.

Guardians is out on August 1st, 2014.

‘Grumpy Cat’ Getting Its Own Movie

The internet sensation that is Grumpy Cat (the loveable feline with a perpetually gloomy expression) is heading for the big screen.

Following on from the announcement earlier in the month that Angry Birds was to become a full length feature film, it seems like production companies are realising the value of internet memes and viral entertainment.

Broken Road Productions are the team backing the Grumpy Cat venture. Todd Garner and Sean Robins are overseeing the cinematic adaption; two men whose previous films include Adam Sandler’s critical and commercial flop Jack & Jill. We’ll say no more…

If you’re not familiar with Grumpy Cat (real name Tardar Sauce) – head over to her YouTube page here.

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Final Monsters University Trailer Arrives

The final trailer before Monsters University hits cinemas has arrived, giving audiences a much clearer glimpse of what we can expect from the much-anticipated prequel.

Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) is seemingly taking the more central role, with the trailer promising plenty of “never give up” rhetoric, deadpan comedy and of course, introductions to all our favourite characters.

Can you believe Monsters, Inc. came out 12 years ago?

Set 10 years prior to Monsters, Inc., Monsters University sees a fresh-faced Mike head off to college determined to become a scarer. Unfortunately for him, he’s roomed with James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) a natural scream-collecting talent and all-round typical jock. Their ensuing rivalry leads them on a adventure that will “tear their worlds apart”.

With an all-star cast including Steve Buscemi (Randall), Alfred Molina (Prof. Knight) and Helen Mirren (University Dean Hardscrabble), Monsters University is this summer’s must-see animated outing.

It’s in cinemas on July 12th.

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TJ Miller On For Transformers 4

TJ Miller is the latest actor to jump on board Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise.

The comedy actor, best known for his roles in How To Train Your Dragon and She’s Out Of My League, Miller joins a cast boasting the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci and Kelsey Grammar.

It’s reported Miller will be playing the best friend of Wahlberg’s character. With no Shia LaBeouf in this latest instalment, Wahlberg has gallantly stepped forward to play the lead.

Newcomer Jack Reynor will also be appearing in his first major blockbuster.

With no official title yet, Transformers 4 is set after the events of Dark of the Moon. When humans find Transformer technology and attempt to use it to boost the abilities of their black ops teams, they inadvertantly end up inviting bad news to Earth in the form of an “ancient robotic menace”, who only the returning Autobots can defeat.

Transformers 4 has a scheduled release date of July 10th 2014.

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Is Sam Mendes Returning To Bond?

Deadline is reporting that Sam Mendes is currently in talks to direct 007’s next outing, despite telling numerous press outlets that he was going to pursue further theatrical avenues instead of Bond 24.

They report that producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson have very recently been in contact with the Skyfall director to see if he’d consider replicating his worldwide success helming the Bond franchise.

Speaking to Empire back in March, Mendes admitted that he’d made the “very difficult decision” to step away from the world of spies, gadgets and Aston Martins. After Skyfall banked over a billion dollars, it’s no wonder that the producers are keen to get him back on board.

The script for Daniel Craig’s next turn as Bond is already being penned by John Logan, so it’s definitely happening, but no one knows just yet when we can expect our favourite agent back on the big screen.

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New Poster For World War Z

A new poster for upcoming zombie apocalypse flick World War Z has arrived, with Brad Pitt and family front and centre.

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Director Marc Forster’s take on the rise of the undead finds Pitt’s family man and United Nations employee Gerry Lane leaving his family to try and sort out a worldwide zombie outbreak.

The poster gives us a good little tease as to the scale of the movie (made for $175million) with plenty going on in the background including mass hoards of freaked out people, burning skyscrapers and stacks of zombies clambering on top of each other.

Based on Max Brooks’ 2006 novel of the same name, World War Z also stars James Badge Dale, Matthew Fox and Bryan Cranston.

WWZ is due for release on June 21st. Check out the trailer below.

John C. Reilly Heading For Guardians of the Galaxy?

John C. Reilly is the latest addition to the list of possible cast members attached to Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s rumoured the comedy actor is in talks to play Rhomann Dey – the Coulson of the Guardians canon.

Early reports suggest that James Gunn’s intergalactic sci-fi epic will tell the story of: “a U.S. pilot who ends up in space in the middle of a universal conflict and goes on the run with futuristic ex-cons who have something everyone wants.”

Other names lined up to appear in the Marvel comic book adaption include Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Lee Pace, who will play the villain of the piece.

Guardians of the Galaxy will also answer questions regarding who Thanos (that giant purple dude was who popped up during the Avengers credits) is and what no doubt evil plans he has for our heroes.

The addition of Reilly could be an interesting one. He’ll give the film a bit of weight as he’s more than capable of playing meaty roles alongside comedy ones – see We Need To Talk About Kevin for proof.

GotG is due to start shooting next month, and is expected in cinemas on August 1st, 2014.

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New Man of Steel TV Spot

A new TV spot for Zack Snyder’s upcoming DC epic Man of Steel has arrived.

In it, Henry Cavill’s eponymous hero asks his father Jor-El (Russell Crowe) why he sent him to Earth.

Man of Steel stars Cavill, Crowe, Amy Adams (as Lois Lane) and Michael Shannon as the big baddie General Zod. It will tell the story of how little Kal-El, adopted by farmers and re-named Clark Kent after the destruction of his home planet Krypton, comes to terms with his super powers and becomes the famous red cloaked hero we all know as Superman.

Snyder is well-known for his use of visual effects, and has become the go-to guy for impressive set pieces thanks to films like 300 and Watchmen. From this spot alone it looks like Superman fans are in for a real treat.

Man of Steel is out on June 14th.

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Evangeline Lilly Promises Tauriel Will Be “Ruthless”

Evangeline Lilly will be appearing in the second part of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug, in December. The actress (most famous for her turn as Kate in Lost) is playing the woodland elf Tauriel – a character who does not appear in the book.

Speaking to Total Film, Lilly revealed that Tauriel is young by elf standards, and “passionate” about her job as head of the Elven guard in Mirkwood.

“She’s a very, very young elf. She’s only 600 years old, unlike Legolas who’s like, 1,900 years old and Thranduil who’s about 3,000 years old. She doesn’t have quite the wisdom and pose that those two boys do; she’s a little more… gritty. A little more spontaneous, passionate perhaps.”

Like Liv Tyler’s Arwen in LotR, she’s also pretty good with a blade.

“To play this character I need to have a certain amount of grace, but I’m also supposed to be an absolutely ruthless, deadly killer.”

From the glimpses we’ve already seen of her in action, she looks to be more than a match for Thorin and co.

The Desolation of Smaug continues on from the events of An Unexpected Journey, with Bilbo, Gandalf and the company of dwarves getting closer to the Lonely Mountain and the titular dragon who’s holed up inside.

It’ll be in cinemas on December 13th.

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