Screen Junkies » megan ellison

Justin Lin Blows Off ‘Terminator’ For ‘Fast Five’ Sequel

Wookie Johnson — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:57:40 +0000

As was the case with the fifth film in the Highlander series, Justin Lin will be far too busy making the fifth film in The Fast And The Furious franchise to make the fourth sequel to The Terminator. But that’s not to say that he isn’t interested in eventually making another Terminator sequel should the world decide that it needs one.

The current plan by rights holder/awesome billionaire Megan Ellison and Arnold Schwarzenegger is to impregnate their housekeeper. Oops. Can cross that one off the list? The current plan is actually to put the first of two Terminator films into production in the fourth quarter of 2012. Which is exactly when Justin Lin will be making Vin Diesel and Paul Walker steal cargo from the underbelly of a speeding jet. However, Lin has been very involved with conceptualizing the upcoming Terminator film and wants to be involved should schedules work out or if another entry does come to fruition. However, Ellison finds herself in a race against time as her own Judgement Day will occur in 2018 when the film rights revert back to James Cameron. It’s of utmost importance that one or two slapped-together rush-job sequels are in theaters before that time. (Deadline)

Ruffalo To Buck ‘Everyman’ Image By Playing Bipolar Nutjob

Penn Collins — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:20:35 +0000

Mark Ruffalo apparently wants to show the world his range, so he’s bucking the “likeable everyman” image in order to demonstrate that he can play dark as well.

Not sure if I can ever buy Ruffalo as anything other than a dude in a flannel shirt that I want to grab a beer with, but if anything can change that perception, it’s the character he will be playing in the J.J. Abrams-produced Infinity Polar Bear. As a bipolar depressive, Ruffalo will lose his wife (played by Zoe Saldana), child, and job.

In case the subject matter sounds a little, I dunno, “sad” for your tastes, there is an X factor here: Megan Ellison. The bisexual billionaire financier behind The Master, True Grit, and The Wettest County in the West found this film to be goodly enough for her efforts. Granted she won’t be on screen of anything, but it’s nice to know that you’re somehow connected to a bisexual heiress with really good taste in movies.

So if you’re not going to do it for Ruffalo, do it for Megan Ellison. It’s not like she needs the money, but she sounds damn cool.

Paul Thomas Anderson Brainwashes Rami Malek Into His Cult

Geoffrey Golden — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 22:35:29 +0000

The potentially-Scientology bashing movie from Paul Thomas Anderson sounds very intriguing. So far, the cast of the movie formerly known as The Master includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Laura Dern and Amy Adams. Now, another actor has been indoctrinated and thetan-scanned.

7 photosAmy Adams

Rami Malek (HBO’s”The Pacific“) has signed on to play Hoffman’s son-in-law in the film. Hoffman is the “prophet” behind the kooky cult. This gig comes to Malek after getting thoroughly Twilighted in Breaking Dawn, which just recently wrapped shooting. Filming begins on the untitled religious drama this month.

Megan Ellison‘s Annapurna Pictures is financing and The Weinstein Company will distribute. (Variety)

UPDATED: Lionsgate Vs. Megan Ellison: The War For Terminator’s Future

Geoffrey Golden — Fri, 13 May 2011 21:40:21 +0000

UPDATE: Megan Ellison won the war! Go, Megan Ellison!

Seems like The Terminator is always battling for the future. Now it’s time for Terminator to take a breather and let other folks battle over his future for a change. You earned it, big guy.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has come back to the Terminator franchise — [Insert "I'll Be Back" Joke] — and Fast Five direct Justin Lin is also attached. Interest is clearly heating up like a vat of molten steel, because Lionsgate has competition for buying the rights from hedge fund Pacificor: Megan Ellison. You may remember hearing about Ellison on this very website, because the wealthy heiress is financing tons of interesting projects, like Kathryn Bigelow‘s Osama Bin Laden movie and Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, along with last year’s True Grit. Lionsgate bid $29.5 million, but Ellison’s Annapurna Films bid higher. *Tension*

Who will control the new Schwarzenegger Terminator? Still waiting to see if Skynet throws in a bid. (Movieline)

‘In Bruges’ Gang Back For ‘Seven Psychopaths’

Joseph Gibson — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:04:51 +0000

Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges is one of the best movies of the last decade. It’s smart, exciting, gritty, and hilarious. Also, it taught me (and presumably many others) the proper pronunciation of “Bruges.” Now, in exciting news for fans of that movie, Martin McDonagh is making another movie, Seven Psychopaths. And in even better news, he’s reuniting with Colin Farrell and the producers of In Bruges, plus billionaire heiress Megan Ellison because why wouldn’t she be involved? Still better news: Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, and Mickey Rourke have all signed on as well. In case this isn’t enough to make you excited about the movie, here’s what it’s about:

“Story follows a screenwriter (Farrell) struggling for inspiration for his script, “Seven Psychopaths,” who gets drawn into the dog kidnapping schemes of his oddball friends (Rockwell and Walken). Things take a turn for the worse when a gangster‘s (Rourke) mutt goes missing.”

Dognapping! So if you’re a fan of In Bruges, Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, and Mickey Rourke, plus you’re a cat person, there’s absolutely no reason for you not to see this. I know I’ll be there – I need inspiration for my script, Guy Watches ‘Seven Psychopaths’. (Variety)

Billionaire Heiress Has Really Good Taste In Movies

Joseph Gibson — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:48:59 +0000

Director of the upcoming Scientology movie The Master Paul Thomas Anderson isn’t the only one to benefit from billionaire heiress Megan Ellison‘s good taste in movies. Now another beloved auteur is getting in on that sweet action, since she’s picked up the North American distribution rights for Wong Kar Wai’s movie about famed martial arts master and trainer of Bruce Lee Ip Man called The Grandmasters (through her production company Annapurna Productions). This isn’t the first movie to be made about Ip Man, as there’s already been an Ip Man and Ip Man 2 to come out of Hong Kong. But Wong Kar Wai is a great director, so I’m excited about this even though it’s not brand-new subject matter. And apparently Megan Ellison feels the same way I do, ergo, she has good taste in movies. Maybe as a lover of film she’ll fund my project to pay for Hulu Plus next. (/Film)

Billionaire Heiress Is Cool, Finances P.T. Anderson Scientology Movie

Geoffrey Golden — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:07:16 +0000

Billionaire heiresses. When they’re not spending daddy’s money on blinged-out diamond collars for their tiny mutant dogs, they’re recording sex tapes and becoming national heroes. That’s why it’s nice to hear about one heiress who’s doing something legitimately cool. Of course, I know next to nothing about 25-year-old Megan Ellison, billionaire daughter of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. She might be recording a sex tape as we speak. However, we know she’s at least actively trying to make good contributions to the movie world by financing two projects from writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood).

Ellison, a listed producer on True Grit, is giving Anderson several sacks of money to help make:

The Master, which is about the formation of a Scientology-eque religicult, and Philip Seymour Hoffman is interested in a lead role. Paramount ultimately passed on the movie last year, but now it looks like the project’s thetans are aligning once more.

Inherent Vice, based on a novel by reclusive author Thomas Pinchon, is a psychedelic, late-60′s detective story. Anderson is part-way through the script, and Robert Downey Jr. is interested in a lead role. Of course he is. If your movie doesn’t star Robert Downey Jr., Johnny Depp or James Franco, you’re obviously doing something wrong.

Armed with a gigantic novelty check from Oracle, hopefully Anderson can now make these cool-sounding movies. I’m glad that Ellison wants to produce good movies, rather than star in abominable ones, like some heiresses. (/Film)