I was hoping the Inception teaser trailer would keep the Christopher Nolan-obsessed fanboys puzzled and therefore occupied for a while. But someone had to go and spoil the premise of that otherwise cryptic film and now the geeks and gossip rags are back to their old favorite online game: spreading rumors about Batman 3.
British tabloid The Sun has made up a story claiming Megan Fox has “signed on” to play Catwoman, despite the fact that there’s no script to guarantee that such a role will even exist. But hey, Fox News has picked up the “news” so it must be true. Then there’s the Harry Knowles-ignited rumor about the third installment potentially being shot “FULLY” in IMAX.
Certainly speculating about big and highly anticipated movies is fun. Whether we discuss why Nolan shouldn’t even try to follow The Dark Knight or if we write a list of actresses we’d like to see cast as Catwoman, it’s important that we recognize that it’s all just wishes and wonders. And being able to tell the difference between a viable scoop and a rumor is what separates us respectable blogs from the unreputable people at British tabloids and, umm, Fox News (which, like The Sun, is owned by News Corp.).
The only silver lining is those websites that immediately nip such rumors in the butt and then proceed to make fun of the idea further through some kind of list or whatever. Especially when it’s a slow news day, such posts provide good reading.
Check out the film blog responses to today’s ridiculous rumors after the jump:
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I probably shouldn’t even legitimize this with a post, but what the hell, it’s Friday: OK! Magazine, that bastion of fairness and accuracy in reporting (see their previous “scoop” from earlier this week) is reporting that Heath Ledger is about to sign on to star in a sequel to Brokeback Mountain:
“It will follow the nasty process of being openly gay in 1963 Wyoming, an insider tells OK!. “Ennis will finally come out of the closet.”
Defamer, noting that Ang Lee’s film followed Ledger’s Ennis DelMar through to 1983, calls bullshit:
Escape from Brokeback Mountain promises to mine all the nasty gay processes missed by the original, while setting the stage nicely for part three, Brokeback Revolutions, in which our hero finally reaches the fabled realm of Zion (which looks a lot like a leather-themed circuit party in Fort Lauderdale).
I guess Harvey hasn’t totally given up on the idea of flogging Death Proof and Planet Terror as separate films just quite yet. Robert Rodriguez’ zombie-centric half of Grindhouse has been slotted to screen at Europe’s largest open-air venue at the Locarno Film Festival next month.
Speaking of Harvey flogging, the Weinstein Company has acquired North American rights to Make it Happen, after brokering sales of international rights to other parties at Berlin and Cannes. The film, which was penned by the guy who brought you Save the Last Dance and Step Up, tracks an aspiring dancer who moves to Chicago and becomes a stripper. So, basically, it’s a remake of Flashdance.
Variety has confirmed that Kevin Spacey will be back as Lex Luthor in the next installment of Bryan Singer’s Superman franchise. In the piece, Spacey also vociferously refutes rumors that recently claimed he was retiring from movies. “In no way did I use the word retirement. Someone else pulled that out of thin air. It’s false, there’s not a lick of truth to it.”
