Posted by Anthony Pearson Jan 6, 2012, 21:13 GMT
Return to M&C's full 2012 Movie Preview. Peter Jackson returns to Tolkien's Middle Earth with - THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY When is it released? - December 14th (US and UK). Who does it star? - Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood, Luke Evans, Aiden Turner, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Graham McTavish, Bret McKenzie, James Nesbitt, Sylvester McCoy, Ken Stott, Barry Humphries, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Mark Hadlow, Stephen Fry and Craig Hall. Previous film/related film's worldwide box office? - The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a resounding critical and box office success. The last Middle-Earth movie, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003) grossed a staggering $1.119 billion worldwide. It was the second highest grossing film ever until 2010. What is it about? - "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is the first part of Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." Part 2, "The Hobbit: There and Back and Again" will be released the following December (2013)."The Hobbit" follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Find out more about this movie in our database here. ----- Bigger, bolder and more beasts. Clash of the Titans sequel hits this year in - WRATH OF THE TITANS When is it released? - March 30th (US and UK). Who does it star? - Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy, Rosamund Pike, Danny Huston, Édgar Ramírez, Matt Milne, Lily James and Toby Kebbell. Previous film's worldwide box office? - "Clash of the Titans" (2010) grossed $493 million. What is it about? - A decade after his historic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus—the demigod son of Zeus—is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity's lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld. Find out more about this movie in our database here. ----- Disney's live action adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs Martian fantasy series "Barsoom" begins with - JOHN CARTER When is it released? - March 9th (US and UK). Who does it star? - Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston, Thomas Haden Church, Willem Dafoe, Jonathan Hyde and Don Stark. What is it about? - Based on the classic series of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels, it tells the story of a Civil War solider named John Carter, magically transported to the planet of Mars. There, he finds not the barren wasteland we now know it to be, but a planet populated by beautiful green women and barbaric Martian armies. The book tells Carter’s tale as he uses his superior Earthman strength to woo a Martian princess and become a respected warrior on the far off planet called Barsoom by its natives.Find out more about this movie in our database here. ----- Kristen Stewart, Liam Hemsworth and Charlize Theron star in this gritty take on the Snow White story - SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN When is it released? - June 1st (US and UK). Who does it star? - Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Ian McShane, Nick Frost, Ray Winstone, Toby Jones, Sam Claflin, Bob Hoskins, Eddie Marsan, Lily Cole, Vincent Regan, Johnny Harris, Dave Legeno and Rachael Stirling. What is it about? - In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron) who is out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) who was dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power. The breathtaking new vision of the legendary tale is from Joe Roth, the producer of Alice in Wonderland, producer Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders. Find out more about this movie in our database here. ----- Fe fi fo fum! Director Bryan Singer (X-Men, Usual Suspects) brings classic folktale to life - JACK THE GIANT KILLER When is it released? - June 15th (US and UK). Who does it star? - icholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy, Ralph Brown and Warwick Davis. What is it about? - “Jack the Giant Killer” tells the story of an ancient war that is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack, into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend–and gets the chance to become a legend himself.Find out more about this movie in our database here. ----- The story of Bella and Edward reaches it's dramatic climax as Twilight bows out in - THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART II When is it released? - November 16th (US and UK). Who does it star? - Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Ashley Greene, Anna Kendrick, Michael Sheen, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Maggie Grace, MyAnna Buring, Billy Burke, Jackson Rathbone, Jamie Campbell Bower and Peter Facinelli. Previous film worldwide box office? - "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part I" (2011) has grossed $657 million to date. What is it about? -After the birth of Renesmee, the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to protect the child from a false allegation that puts the family in front of the Volturi. Find out more about this movie in our database here.
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