what's tasty and new in show business. [beta]
A new trailer for The Sorceror’s Apprentice has landed online, and boy is it action-packed. Nicolas Cage stars as the titular sorcerer, and Jay Baruchel plays the titular apprentice.
The story has only loose roots in the original Disney classic, though the buckets and mops of old do make an appearance in the trailer (around the 2:13 mark). This film version follows a rather traditional good vs. evil plot, with Cage’s character Balthazar Blake recruiting Baruchel’s Dave Stutler as his protege. Apparently, the seemingly average Dave is destined to be a powerful sorcerer that will decide the balance of power in the age-old struggle, with Balthazar’s arch-nemesis Maxim Horvath, played by Alfred Molina, leading the charge for the bad guys.
For something billed as a “comedy adventure,” there doesn’t seem to be a lot of comedy at all. In fact, as fun as all the action/adventuring looks, the biggest problem I have with the trailer is that it takes itself too seriously. The only hint of humor really is at the end, and it definitely has me wishing they would’ve showcased an evener balance, which I do believe is in the movie, just not revealed here. Though I guess it is pretty funny that, in a movie about sorcery and magic (and fireballs?), the biggest hurdle for my suspension of disbelief remains, as ever, Nicolas Cage’s hairpiece. Go figure.
Apple’s got the trailer in HD, which you can catch (along with some stills) after the jump. Read»
Ready for more portion-controlled goodness in this week’s Quick Hits & Snack Bits? Read on to find out who will be directing Monster Squad and The Tourist; casting news for Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, and Gerard Butler; new projects for Billy Ray and Cary Fukunaga; updates on Ghost in the Shell; a helluva early-developing rumor involving Leonardo DiCaprio, plus a whole bunch more!
First up is Monster Squad, the long-in-gestation supernatural comedy that is NOT a remake of the much beloved 1987 film from Fred Dekker and Shane Black. This one’s brand new, and if you’re wondering what it’s about, so are we. Brian Lynch first wrote the spec about an international coalition of kids who battle monsters under the bed (then titled Nightcrawlers), but Michael Arndt later retooled it to feature a neurotic father who had to face childhood demons. Brian Copeland has written the latest draft, but the new logline is being kept under wraps. One thing we do know is that Shrek Forever After director Mike Mitchell has been tapped as the new director. [via Variety]
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