Broadway Production Of “Frozen” Hits Broadway

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By Creative Media Times

New York got some real cold weather this week as Frozen The Musical opened on Broadway. After a trial run at the Buell Theatre in Denver, Colorado last year, the stage musical finally opened Thursday night at New York City’s St. James Theatre.

Expectations are high for the musical, given the built-in audience that comes with its film version. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, Frozen is a stage adaptation based on the popular 2013 Disney movie of the same name and is directed by Tony winner Michael Grandage, with its characters created by Jennifer Lee (Zootopia), who also wrote the film and wrote the book.

The film Frozen brought Disney to its animation glory, grossing more than $1.2 billion at worldwide boxoffice, with a sequel set for release next year.

The film’s popular anthem “Let It Go,” about the film’s lead Elsa’s realizing her dark magic, was similarly successful, becoming one of that year’s best-selling songs. Performed on the stage by Caissie Levy as Elsa, the song is undoubtedly one of the musical’s most anticipated highlights.

So far, “Frozen” is a big seller in its debut. According to Variety, it has grossed $926,840 for just four performances, and may be on its way to joining other Disney hits on Broadway such as The Lion King and Aladdin.

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Spielberg Reveals 2019 Shoot For “Indiana Jones 5”

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By Creative Media Times

Paramount Pictures

Steven Spielberg revealed the news at the Rakuten TV Empire Awards on Sunday night that production on Indiana 5 will begin next April in the United Kingdom.

“It’s always worth the trip when I get to work with this deep bench of talent coming out of the UK. The actors, and the crew, the chippies, the sparks, the drivers — everybody who has helped me make my movies here, and will continue helping me make my movies here when I come back in April 2019 to make the fifth Indiana Jones movie right here,” Spielberg revealed while on stage.

Two years ago, Disney announced Harrison Ford is returning in the next installment to play the archaeology professor, reuniting him with Spielberg who is also returning to helm. Last year, Disney set the release date on July 10, 2020.

Created by George Lucas, the Indiana Jones franchise started in 1981’s film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Three years later,the prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was released followed by a sequel, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989. The last installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was released in 2008. Altogether, the films have made almost $2 billion at the global boxoffice.

Spielberg recently directed The Post, released last December. He will return to sci-fi action adventure “Ready Player One” opening next weekend March 29.

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“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” Trailer Released

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By Creative Media Times

“The greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they’re loved and capable of loving.”

Focus Features

Focus Features has released an exclusive trailer for “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”, a new documentary from Academy Award®-winning director Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom) which takes an intimate look at one of the most beloved TV personalities in the history of show business: Mister Fred Rogers.

TV host, musician, puppeteer, writer, producer and Presbyterian minister, Rogers was the creator and host of the educational preschool television series Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood began airing in 1968 and ran for 895 episodes until 2001.

The half-hour educational children’s television series featuring Roger’s kind-hearted personality, reached its peak in 1985, with 8% of households watching the show. On March 6, 2018, actor Michael Keaton hosted a fiftieth-anniversary tribute show titled “Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like” which premiered on PBS stations.

The new trailer for the documentary features behind-the-scenes footages of the show’s production as they prepare for the show, interviews and heartwarming clips of Rogers himself during the show’s its run.

“You take all of the elements that make good television, and do the exact opposite—you have “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” yet, it worked,” said producer Margy Whitmer.

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” is set to be released by Focus Features in select theaters on June 8.

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Interview: Pinar Toprak On Composing For Movies, “Krypton,” And The World’s Biggest Video Game

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By Armando Inquig

It’s been a great year for composer Pinar Toprak so far. With Syfy’s “Krypton” set to premiere tonight (March 21 at 10 ET/PT), Fortnite is also sitting atop Apple’s gaming app store.

Pinar Toprak

Recently, Pinar composed additional music for the superhero ensemble Justice League. I was lucky to grab some minutes with Pinar Toprak to talk about her work on one of the year’s most anticipated TV series Krypton, which is set two generations before its destruction, and the surprising success of a game that is taking the world by storm.
(Interview date: May 20, 2018)

 

Krypton is finally premiering this week. What was it like scoring the series?

Pinar Toprak: It’s a wonderful experience. I’ve been a Superman fan since childhood. Its surreal. Every day I get to work on it. It’s amazing. I’m having the time of my life.

People have preconceived notions about (planet) Krypton, usually relating to how it ended, but not many before that. Where did you draw inspiration from?

PR: We wanted to do something that was different. Not what you would necessarily expect to hear because this is about Krypton. Obviously, we have the Superman legacy with us which is Superman’s grandfather. But it’s also about how they really lived and what happened then. Rather than thinking of it like a Superman film that we’re used to, I wanted to do something that is unique and unique to Krypton. So, it’s about finding different sounds and creating new music and new things, example for Brainiac. It’s really a lot of fun.

Did you incorporate scores from movies or TV series based on DC comics? Did they inspire you in some way?

PR: There were two moments on the first episode which will air tomorrow. There’s an homage to the Superman legacy, basically. But other than that, I wanted to do our own thing. Because this is unique, and this show has such a different angle to what we’re used to. So, it’s a whole other approach.

You’re talking about John William’s Superman theme, right? I thought that’s a cool touch.

PR: Yes, there are two moments on the episode that will air tomorrow. Thank you. It worked well.
Continue reading →

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Live-Action “Lady And The Tramp” To Be Directed By Charlie Bean

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By Creative Media Times

Walt Disney

Veteran animator Charlie Bean has been tapped to direct Disney’s live-action/CG hybrid remake of the animated classic “Lady and The Tramp,” The Hollywood Reporter revealed. Brigham Taylor (The Jungle Book) is producing the project while Andrew Bujalksi wrote the script.

The film is in active development for Disney’s planned streaming service that is set to launch in 2019. Other films lined up for the service includes a live-action Star Wars series and an animated Monsters Inc series among others.

Bean most recently, Charlie Bean, together with Paul Fisher and Bob Logan directed animated martial arts comedy film “The LEGO Ninjago Movie,” which is an adaptation of the popular toy line.

The Lady and the Tramp is a 1955 animated classic from Walt Disney. It tells the story between a female Cocker Spaniel named Lady and a male stray mongrel named Tramp. The two dogs from different worlds met under dire circumstances, embarked on dog advanture and fall in love.

More than a half a century since the original film’s release, its romantic candlelit spaghetti dinner scene is still considered one of the most iconic in film history.

The film was a boxoffice hit during its release, becoming one of Disney’s biggest hits up to that point, eventually grossing more than $93 million in North America. A sequel was released in 2001 called “Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure.”

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DAZZLER Rocks On This June In A New Story by Magdalene Visaggio & Laura Braga

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There’s never been a cooler time to be a mutant in the Brooklyn punk scene, especially with DAZZLER and her new band taking center stage – and this June, Marvel is bringing you a new energetic epic from Eisner-nominated writer Magdalene Visaggio with art by Laura Braga (Captain Marvel, Superior Iron Man, Punisher).

It’s all glitter and glamour in the underground punk scene…until Dazzler stumbles upon a part of her world that’s dangerous and violent. Now, it’s up to Dazzler to protect her dedicated Inhuman fans, even if doing so means that she has to turn to her own past for clues and answers.

“Dazzler has always been one of my favorite X-Men, and one of the most sadly underutilized,” said Visaggio. “She’s been wandering for so long, and I’m so excited to help bring her back to her musical roots and the X-family. Anyone who knows my work knows how much I love to frontline women who quite literally rock, and I hope me and Laura can bring some of that same energy and positivity to Dazzler.”

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Shailene Woodley Is Lost At Sea With Sam Claflin In New “Adrift” Trailer

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By Creative Media Times

TXfilms

Its Titanic meets Perfect Storm in the new trailer of “Adrift,” the latest disaster romance drama starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin from Lakeshore Entertainment.

Based on the harrowing true tale of avid sailors two Tami Oldham and Richard Sharp who 1983, sailed directly into Hurricane Raymond, one of the most disastrous hurricanes ever documented in history. The duo was delivering a 44-foot yacht from Tahiti to San Diego when the storm hit.

The trailer shows their yacht riding down massive waves during the storm, with Tami (Woodley) shown rescuing Richard (Claflin) after he’s thrown overboard.

Woodley was last seen on the big screen in 2016’s Snowden and HBO’s acclaimed Big Little Lies. British actor Claflin recently appeared the war drama Journey’s End.

Directed by Icelandic actor, theater and film director Baltasar Kormákur (A Little Trip to Heaven), from a script by Aaron & Jordan Kandell, Adrift was shot in Fiji and New Zealand. The filmarrives in theaters this summer on June 1.

Here’s the film’s synopsis:

As the two avid sailors set out on a journey across the ocean, Tami Oldham (Woodley) and Richard Sharp (Claflin) couldn’t anticipate they would be sailing directly into one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history. In the aftermath of the storm, Tami awakens to find Richard badly injured and their boat in ruins. With no hope for rescue, Tami must find the strength and determination to save herself and the only man she has ever loved.

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The Black Panther’s Dora Milaje Meet The Marvel Universe in Wakanda Forever

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Hugo and Nebula Award winner Nnedi Okorafor brings Wakanda’s most fearless warriors to Marvel

After their scene-stealing theatrical debut in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, Wakanda’s fiercest warriors are traveling outside of their country to fight new threats and new troubles, in an all-new story by award-winning science-fiction and fantasy author Nnedi Okorafor.

A Hugo and Nebula Award winner whose best-selling books include the Binti trilogy, Who Fears Death and Akaka Witch, Nnedi first brought her storytelling to Marvel in the digital comic series Black Panther: Long Live The King and in the Vernomverse anthology story “Blessing In Disguise.” With art by Alberto Jimenez Alqurquerque (Jean Grey), WAKANDA FOREVER: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 brings the Dora Milaje out of their vibranium city and into New York in the first of a three-part story when a Wakandan threat falls upon Manhattan – and they meet webslinger Peter Parker! The Dora Milaje’s adventures continue in WAKANDA FOREVER: X-MEN and WAKANDA FOREVER: AVENGERS in July and August. Learn more about WAKANDA FOREVER #1 and view exclusive character design sketches from Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque in Okorafor’s interview with Vogue Magazine.

“I’m super excited about writing this storyline. Powerful disciplined African women with futuristic spears who faced their shortcomings and changed a nation? Oh heck yeah, I’m so there,” shared Okorafor. “Fans of the Dora Milaje can look forward to seeing them out in the world beyond T’Challa and the Wakandan throne’s shadow. They’ll get to see the Dora Milaje come into their own, while teaming up with the unexpected.”

“As millions of moviegoers now know (and as comic readers already knew!), the Dora Milaje are the absolute coolest. And the rest of the Marvel Universe is about to learn this too when Okoye, Ayo and Aneka leave Wakanda on an adventure that will see them team up with Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Avengers,” teased series editor Wil Moss. “Nnedi Okorafor and a talented team of artists will be telling one Dora Milaje story that runs through these three separate WAKANDA FOREVER one-shots. We’re lucky to have Nnedi on board for this — she’s an incredible novelist, and her recent BLACK PANTHER: LONG LIVE THE KING digital series proved that she’s a great comic book writer too. She’s come up with a crazy-tough problem for the Dora Milaje to solve — but if anyone can, it’s these crazy-tough women.”

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Final “Avengers: Infinity War ” Trailer Released

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By Creative Media Times

Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures

Marvel Studios has released the final trailer for “Avengers: Infinity War,” with just a few weeks from the film’s release in late April.

Intended to be the sequel to 2012’s Marvel’s The Avengers and 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, the film will feature superheroes from Marvel Cinematic Universe all together to stop Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) from collecting the Infinity Stones. With the Avengers joining forces, its definitely not going to be easy.

“The entire time I knew him, he only ever had one goal. To wipe out half the universe,” Gomorra warns the Avengers in the trailer.

Marvel fans know this won’t be the last from MCU as Infinity will be followed quickly by Ant-Man and the Wasp in July, and Captain Marvel next Spring, not to mention Black Panther which is currently dominating the boxoffice.

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Avengers: Infinity War is set for release on April 23, 2018, with the sequel scheduled on May 3, 2019.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:

As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment – the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.

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Ava DuVernay Set To Direct DC Film’s “The New Gods”

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By Creative Media Times

Cover of The New Gods vol. 1, Art by Jack Kirby, pencils, and Mike Royer

Fresh off the release of this past weekend’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” the film’s director Ava DuVernay is already lining up another big-budget film. Variety is reporting today that DuVernay is set to direct the screen adaptation of “The New Gods” for Warner Bros.

New Gods was created and designed by Jack Kirby in 1971 and published by DC comics and will be part of DC Extended Universe, presumably joining the ranks of Aquaman, set for release later this year, and the sequel of Patty Jenkin’s Wonder Woman.

In the comics, New Gods are a fictional race from the twin planets of New Genesis and Apokolips. New Genesis is an utopian planet filled with unspoiled forests, mountains, and rivers and is ruled by the Highfather. On the other side is Apokolips, a ruined dystopia ruled by the tyrant and DC Comics supervillain Darkseid.

How the characters of New Gods will fit in to DCEU’s storylines remain to be seen, though one of Darkseid’s most powerful band of warriors Steppenwolf appeared in last November’s Justice League.

DuVernay made history after being the first black woman to direct a $100 million budgeted film, that is of course “A Wrinkle In Time.” Released this weekend, the science fantasy adventure film features an all-star cast including Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Chris Pine. The film grossed $42.2 million this past weekend. DuVernay previously directed Selma, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in 2015.

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