Sequel Bits: John Lasseter Directed 'Cars 2' On An iPad, Dates Set For 'Scary Movie 5' & 'Halloween 3D,' Tyrese Thinks Steven Spielberg Could Direct 'Transformers 4'
If you saw the above image and thought John Lasseter and Steven Spielberg were going to co-direct Scream 5, sorry to get your hopes up. It just so happens each has a bit of news involving the long standing champion in the battle of apathetic filmmaking, the sequel. Sequel Bits won't be a daily occurrence (like the week old Superhero Bits) but sometimes, when there's some interesting sequel news that might not deserve its own article, it's easiest just to round it up. So, after the jump read about:
John Lasseter is a busy man. Besides being the Chief Creative Officer for all of Disney, and deciding which Hawaiian shirt to wear each morning, he's now returned to the director's chair for Cars 2. Directing a movie is a full-time job, though, so to go along with his other full-time jobs, Lasseter had to find creative ways to direct while on the go. In a Los Angeles Times profile, they talk about one way in particular:
He is based at Pixar but flies to Disney's Burbank lot several times a month. Thanks to an iPad app designed by a Pixar staffer, he does much of his work while in transit, on one of a half-dozen iPads he totes along in his bag, one each for various departments at the two companies. "Cars 2" producer Denise Ream has saved all of Lasseter's messages from the production and played some of them to illustrate the director's communication style.
Six iPads, all with a special app allowing him to direct the film and communicate with different departments. Gotta love technology.
Speaking of technology, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a pretty tech-heavy movie. It's in 3D, has massive special-effects, the works. Most of that happens because director Michael Bay is doing it for the third time. However, odds are Bay won't come back if there's a fourth film so one of the franchise's stars, Tyrese Gibson, seems to think that executive producer Steven Spielberg might come on to direct. He threw the idea out there in an interview with Movieweb and I think it was just Tyrese being Tyrese. What do you think?
If Michael Bay decides to come back for Transfomers 4, I'll be there. We'll make it happen. (Right now), I think we are all exhausted with the process. If this movie does what we are all assuming it's going to do, then, I think its time to revisit this conversation. When it's time. There are no concepts, no direction, no nothing for Transfomers 4, because everyone has been so focused on Transformers: Dark of the Moon. But here is the safety net. Are you ready for this? Michael Bay decides to not come back for Transfomers 4. There is always Steven Spielberg! I am not saying that Steven Spielberg is for a fact going to direct Transfomers 4. But it is a beautiful safety net to know that one of the biggest, most respected directors in the world happens to be an executive producer on Transformers. He is someone who knows this world. And he could easily step in and direct Transfomers 4 if he decided to. The thing is, there are a lot of directors who deal with producers who happen to not be Steven Spielberg. So if the director decides to bow out of their film, they are sent scrambling. "Who can we get to direct this?" What a hell of a safety net this is if Michael Bay decides not to come back. Steven Spielberg could easily step in and make it happen.
I think Spielberg has enough on his plate, including his own fourth movie, before he'd sign on to do this. Then again, we never thought Peter Jackson would do another J.R.R. Tolkien book either.
Finally, out of the blue, The Weinstein Company dropped a bunch of release dates on us, both for movies we knew were coming and movies we never thought would actually happen. This year they'll release My Week With Marilyn, The Bully Project, The Artist and The Iron Lady in November and December. Then, next year are the sequels.
They'll release Scary Movie 5 on April 20, 2012 and Halloween 3D on October 26, 2012. Last we heard about Scary Movie 5 it was just a hypothetical idea along with Clerks 3, Rounders 2 and all those other possible Miramax sequels. An April release date leads one to believe there's already some kind of script out there. As for Halloween 3D, we though it had been shut down years ago but, apparently, time heals all wounds and Michael Myers will be back. There's no work if Patrick Lussier is still going to direct but considering both these projects now have release dates, there should be talent announcements soon.