blast-o-rama.

If you at all (like me) are a fan of the Blade Runner series, you know the rocky road the film had. Starting with it’s miserable production, a masterful directors cut, and then a decline into studio intervention, the film was a flawed but amazing cult favorite that finally had a happy ending with the astonishing Final Cut, released in 2007.

If you’re also a fan of Blade Runner like me, you probably do not want to read the rest of this story.

Announced today, the production company Alcon Entertainment (they who brought us The Blind Side and The Book of Eli) have obtained the franchise rights to Blade Runner, allowing them to produce both sequels and prequels however they wish.

Look, I realize I perpetuate much of the problems facing Hollywood, by embracing the many sequels, remakes and reboots of geek based franchises. Heck, I even push for adaptations of some of my favorite works.

But this has to stop.

Yes, some of these remakes and sequels paid off great, but the fact is, original ideas are being ignored for the easy plays, and in turn, the well is running dry.  Honestly, one of the best sci-fi movies I’ve seen in years (Inception) was a VERY original idea, and the fact that I know it only got made because The Dark Knight did well and WB wanted Nolan for a third Batfilm sorta bothers me.

This GQ article articulates the point far better than I can, but seriously, can we just let certain titans exist in their own realm of quality entertainment and STOP TRYING TO RECREATE THEM.

Or hell, if you must recreate them, DO THEM UNDER A NEW NAME. That way, you can try to OUT do them, without the pressure of flying under that name.

The full press release follows. If anyone needs me, I’ll be opening up some veins.

LOS ANGELES, CA, MARCH 3, 2011—Warner Bros-based financing and production company Alcon Entertainment (“The Blind Side,” “The Book of Eli”) co-founders and co-Chief Executive Officers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, in the most significant property acquisition negotiations in the Company’s 13-year history, are in final discussions to secure film, television and ancillary franchise rights to produce prequels and sequels to the iconic 1982 science-fiction thriller “Blade Runner.”

Alcon is negotiating to secure the rights from producer-director Bud Yorkin, who will serve as producer on “Blade Runner” along with Kosove and Johnson. Cynthia Sikes Yorkin will co-produce. Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble, CEO’s of Thunderbird Films, will serve as executive producers.

Alcon’s franchise rights would be all-inclusive, but exclude rights to remake the original. The Company, however, may produce projects based on situations introduced in the original film. The project would be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. International rights are yet to be determined.

Johnson and Kosove stated: “We are honored and excited to be in business with Bud Yorkin. This is a major acquisition for our company, and a personal favorite film for both of us. We recognize the responsibility we have to do justice to the memory of the original with any prequel or sequel we produce. We have long-term goals for the franchise, and are exploring multi-platform concepts, not just limiting ourselves to one medium only.”

Among its many distinctions, “Blade Runner” has been singled out as one of the greatest movies of all time by countless polls and media outlets, and overwhelmingly as the greatest science-fiction film of all time by a majority of genre publications.

Released by Warner Bros. almost 30 years ago, “Blade Runner” was adapted by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples from Philip K. Dick’s novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and directed by Ridley Scott following his landmark “Alien.” The film was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction).

“Blade Runner” was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1993 and is frequently taught in university courses. In 2007, it was named the 2nd most visually influential film of all time by the Visual Effects Society.

Alcon’s COO Scott Parish and head of business affairs David Fierson are negotiating on behalf of the Company.

Source: Deadline.com.

Oh Hollywood. It really is for every awesome thing you do, there’s bound to be dozens that anger me.

Here’s the latest – Mike Myers has decided the next step on his “Kill My Career” tour will be to voice Looney Tunes skunk/possible rapist Pepe Le Pew in a headlining film!

Oh wait, it gets better/worse (depending on how much you enjoy me ranting about these things), the movie is intended to be a live action/CG hybrid, like the god awful Alvin & the Chipmunks films, and the sure to be terrible Yogi Bear and Smurfs movies.

According to inside information, this is all a part of Warner Bros plan to recharge the Looney Tunes franchise, which has fallen in popularity and public awareness over recent years.  In turn, Warner Bros idea (much like how they’re stripmining the DC Universe) is to take all of the available characters and turn them into films.

Let’s take a step back, shall we?

Looney Tunes is losing its cultural relevance, and the idea to reinvigorate the popularity of the cartoons is to rush a series of (sure to be terrible) films to the big screen.  I don’t think that’s the right idea at all.

Over the past two decades, after having a renaissance due to the Tiny Toon Adventures franchise, Bugs, Daffy and the gang were pushed off of TV (the old cartoons were deemed too controversial), thrown into terrible movies like Space Jam and Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and then made into a terrible cartoon titled Loonatics, which was supposed to reinvent them for a modern audience, all dark and extreme.  Suffice to say, THAT is why the toons are no longer relevant.  Pushed to DVD only release, it’s no wonder that kids aren’t familar with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and the rest.

Here’s an idea – GET THEM ALL BACK ON TV!  When I was a kid, a daily block of Looney Tunes filled the Nickelodeon afternoons, alongside Tiny Toon Adventures and Taz Mania on Fox, and then the toons were all over Cartoon Network and Boomerang.  Cut to today, when Cartoon Network is filled with live action programming, why can’t they just fill the afternoons with quality content which kids (and families) were raised on for decades past?

I know that they’re working on new 3D shorts, and a new cartoon to air on Cartoon Network, but there are literally hundreds of hours of content sitting in the vaults, when it could be making children of all ages smile today.

You want Looney Tunes to be relevant, WB? Don’t piss away the past with the Love Guru, remind us what we loved THEN by giving it to us again NOW.

Source: Vulture.

You know, I was willing to give this Yogi Bear movie the benefit of the doubt.

Sure, I’m the anger filled nerd ranting and raving about childhood being raped. Essentially proving the old adage about movie geeks on the internet being true.

But when Warner Bros releases a new poster like this, with that double entendre ridden of a tagline, YOU tell me I’m crazy.

Am I crazy? Am I really?

So according to this story, which I stumbled upon via the fine folks at The Onion’s A.V. Club, Fox is planning on making a movie, built around the BABIES from the E*TRADE COMMERCIALS.

I…

Ugh.

There are THOUSANDS, if not MILLIONS of people at ANY GIVEN MOMENT who want to CREATE A FILM. And their stories DESERVE TO BE TOLD.

INSTEAD, YOU THINK, “THOSE BABIES FROM THE 30 SECOND COMMERICALS SURE CAN ANCHOR A FILM!”?!

Because, as we ALL SAW with the TWO EPISODE LONG run of the Geico Cavemen sitcom, THIS IS A BRILLIANT IDEA.

Fuck you, Fox.

Source:  Oh dear Lord: Fox planning movie based on those awful fucking E-Trade talking baby commercials | Film | Newswire | The A.V. Club.

It was bad enough when there was not one, but two different Garfield movies, but I thought we had seen all there was to say in reference to live action versions of cartoons once Underdog bombed.

Then the freaking Alvin & The Chipmunks movies happened, taking in a combined $800 Million, not including the future 3rd, 3D installment…

And now I find out a Marmaduke movie is happening.

Sure, I kinda knew that it was going to happen with the giant yellow fire hydrant setup at my local movie theatre (Why yellow? ‘Cause that’s the color of PEE!), but now that there’s a trailer, I know the movie is completely real.

Et tu, Owen Wilson, et tu?

In this post Avatar world, you had to know that George Lucas wasn’t going to stay dormant for long.

And he’s raring back, determined to take back Lucasfilm’s crown as the king of the CGI action adventure film with -

*re-reads story*

a….a CGI musical? About fairies?!

What the HELL, George?!

Not much is really known about the project, aside from it’s being directed by Kevin Monroe (TMNT) and written by the man who wrote Elf – but seriously, what in the Sam Hill is this all about?

Stay tuned to Blast-O-Rama for my eventual fanboyish devotion, love, and positive review of the Untitled George Lucas Fairy Musical as it rushes towards breaking the worldwide cinema box office record.

Source:   The Hollywood Reporter | Heat Vision | Comics | Movie News: George Lucas producing a CGI musical! Featuring … fairies?.