Sin City 2 has been delayed!

Over the past few months various reports have been telling us that Sin City 2 might not happen due to Angelina Jolie's pregnancy, Rodriguez's involvement in some other projects, and most recently because Grindhouse flopped at the U.S. box office.

In an interview with Premiere Magazine, Michael Madsen stated that he really didn't have an idea what was happening with Sin City 2 and that he hasn't seen a script for it yet: "I haven't seen the script for Sin City 2. I don't know if they are gonna make it. I hope they do. And if and when they do, I will be in it."

He also didn't "[...]know if they ever will [shoot it]. I am not sure [about] the franchise." He also hinted that Grindhouse might affect the making of Sin City 2: "I think the Grindhouse thing didn't kind of work out..."

So to clear things a little bit, the folks over at Rotten Tomatoes spoke to Sin City creator Frank Miller. He confirmed that "Sin City 2 is still likely to happen, just not right away." This delay is due to the fact that Miller is going to direct the comic book adaptation of The Spirit and Robert Rodriguez is going to tackle the Barbarella remake.

I really had a hard time believing that Sin City 2 wasn't going to happen because Grindhouse flopped at the box office and wasn't the hit everybody expected it to be. It's only one movie and Rodriguez has made more successful movies (financially speaking) than flops. Sin City was a hit when it came out in 2005. It made 158 million on a budget of 40.

I really hope Sin City 2 does happen because I LOVED the first one, it was my favorite film of 2005 and I am a huge fan of the series. Frank Miller is a genius!

Trailers: Becoming Jane and The Golden Compass

This week we got two new trailers courtesy of Yahoo! Movies.

The first one is for Becoming Jane which stars Anne Hathaway as the wonderful British author Jane Austen. This film is a semi-autobiographical account of how Austen's real life and her romance with Irishman Tom Lefroy were an inspiration for her wonderful novels like Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility.

The trailer looks quite good and shows Hathaway speaking with a perfect British accent. This is a must see for me because: 1) I love Austen's novels, her poetic English is just beautiful 2) I really enjoyed Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada and James McAvoy was terrific and a revelation in The Last King of Scotland (he's quickly becoming one of my favorite young actors) 3) The rest of the cast looks terrific as well: Julie Walters, James Cromwell, and Maggie Smith.

The film already opened in Britain last March and so far the reviews have been very positive. It opens in the United States on August 3rd.

The second one if for His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass which is a fantasy film starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, and newcomer Dakota Blue Richards. It is based on Bill Pullman's bestselling novel and it tells the story of Lyra, an orphan who spends her days at Oxford College with her uncle, Lord Asriel. One day Lyra hears that there is a plot against her uncle concerning a substance called Dust and decides to go investigate. So she is thrust into a magical world.

I'm also really interested in this movie. I'm a big Chronicles of Narnia fan and this looks to be somewhat similar so it is right up my alley. Also looking forward to seeing Nicole Kidman playing the main villain and I want to see the new James Bond, Daniel Craig as well.

By the way, I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End...but more of that later...

The Dark Knight first pictures and synopsis

Here are the first pictures to be released of The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins.

They can be found over at the official website. The first one is for Harvey "Two Face" Dent's political campaign for district attorney of Goham City. The second one is just the regular Batman logo.

A synopsis was also released and it goes like this:

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to
dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker.

I'm glad we are getting some Batman news although we still have to wait a bit since The Dark Knigh doesn't open until July 18, 2008.

Lars Von Trier says he may be too depressed to continue making films

Lars Von Trier, Danish cinema's enfant terrible, has told a newspaper from his native country that depression has left him unable to work and that he doesn't know if he will be able to make another film in his life.

Von Trier was hospitalized at the begging of this year in a Danish hospital to treat his depression. He said that he now feels "like a blank sheet of paper" and that "It's very strange for me, because I've always had at least three projects in my head at one time".

His next film is supposed to be a horror one by the name of Antichrist in which Satan and not God is the world's creator."I assume that Antichrist will be my next film. But right now I don't know.", he said.

Something interesting: English film critic Peter Bradshaw over at the Guardian film blog wrote that Von Trier's supposed depression might turn out to be a hoax and be just another self-promotion stunt now that he has faded away from the media.

If the depression turns out to be for real then it would be a shame if he didn't continue with his filmmaking. He's one of my favorite directors because he is not afraid to take risks and do what other directors wouldn't even dream of. Dancer in the Dark and Dogville are masterpieces in every sense of the word...and I really want him to finish the US A: Land of Opportunities he started with Dogville and is supposed to finish with Wasington (and no, I didn't misspell the name).

....And if his illness turns out to be a hoax, then shame on him for using something so serious as a publicity stunt.