MARCH, 13


WILD CARDS: BATTLE OF THE ROX

Action / Sci-Fi

The Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Cate Blanchett, Tim Roth, Jeremy Irons, Matt Dillon, Seth Rogen, Jason Schwartzman, Megan Fox

The Director: Zack Snyder
The Screenwriters: Matt Kubrick & Joey Stark

The Plot: An arrow crosses the air. We see it fly in a very short cut until it sticks into the forehead of a black man. We see a circle of blood slowly appearing on the forehead around the arrow.
Cut to the eyes of a man. Image opens from the eyes until we see the face of Yeoman. Image keeps opening until we see Hiram Worchester behind him, both looking the same direction.
‘Now Ti Malice is dead’, says Yeoman, ‘He killed Chrysalis, I killed him’ (see ‘Chrysalis: Pennies From Hell’)
‘But we still have one mission left…’, says Hiram.

Opening credits

Pop-In-Jay receives an unexpected visit. It’s the walrus looking alien Jube (see ‘WC: Aces High’). Jube tells him he needs his help to save their common friend, Dr. Taychon. According to Jube, he helped Dr. Taychon to beat the rebels leaded by Taychon’s brother back in his home planet (see ‘WC: Double Solitaire’). But, when the civil war was almost over, Taychon disappeared. Jube has got to know that Taychon is kept as prisoner at the Rox.

Jube tells Pop-In-Jay the story of the Rox: Rox is the street name for New York’s Ellis Island. In the last years, it has become a hideout for homeless jokers. But now the island is controlled by the so called The Jumpers. The Jumpers is a gang of teen criminal Jokers that control the rest of the Jokers in the Rox by providing them drugs and make them commit all kind of assaults in NYC. The leader of The Jumpers is Bloat. Bloat was an overweight teen and when infected by the Wild Cards virus his weight problem surged wildly out of control, especially in the lower half of his body, eventually absorbing his legs, so he cannot move at all anymore. But Bloat has telepathic and mind-control powers and he not only controls The Jumpers with his powers but also uses them to create a kind of psychic security system to the Rox.

Obsessed with his terrible look, Bloat’s dream is to find a cure for the Wild Cards virus. And that’s the reason why he has captured Dr. Taychon: Bloat is convinced that Taychon can find that cure and he has decided to keep him as his prisoner until he discovers a cure for the virus.

Jube tells he knows how to get into the Rox. ‘Only those with icy self-control or the overwhelming desire to reach the Rox can pass the Bloat’s psychic barrier that physically push any intruder away’, says Jube. And he has a map of the caverns and tunnels built by Bloat at the Rox for The Jumpers to live in.

So Pop-In-Jay and Jube get into the Rox through its subterranean tunnels not being detected by Bloat’s barrier. They get to find Dr. Taychon’s at a laboratory-cell. And they suffer a big shock when they find Taychon there: Dr. Taychon is not a man anymore, but a woman! Bloat changed his morphology with his mental powers when Taychon refused to work for him, turning him into a woman as a punishment.

Taychon reveals them what he has discovered while staying at the Rox: Bloat has a new accomplice in his plans of becoming the leader of all the Jokers in NYC with the help of The Jumpers: no other than The Astronomer, the old Jube’s enemy (see ‘WC: Aces High’) and murderer of Hiram Worchester’s love Tiger Lily (see ‘Chrysalis: Pennies From Hell’). In fact, The Astronomer is now living in the Rox.

While talking, they do not notice they have been discovered by a group of Jumpers. Pop-In-Jay, Jube and Taychon are captured. They are taken into Bloat’s presence. And Bloat orders his jumpers to execute Pop-In-Jay and Jube while Taychon is taken back to her lab-cell.

When Pop-In-Jay and Jube are going to be immersed tied up into the cold bay waters, somebody suddenly appears, fight their Jumpers captors and release them. It’s no other than Jennifer Malloy, aka The Wraith (see ‘WC: Double Solitaire’). She tells them she was spying some criminals at the Rox when she saw them. With her invisibility powers, Malloy helps them to leave the Rox and return to NYC.

Pop-In-Jay and Jube tell Yeoman and Hiram Worchester about The Astronomer being in the Rox and Taychon’s capture. They also decide to tell NYC’s authorities what’s going on. The NYC Government sends National Guard units to clear out the Rox. Several boats and helicopters carrying troops manage to break through. Despite a vigorous defence mounted by Jokers and Jumpers alike, troops penetrate all the way to Bloat’s throneroom. Bloat gets mad and his rage and anger expand his mental powers to the limits. He fully taps into his reality-warping power and creates an army of demons, monsters and fish-knights. The National Guards units are rapidly defeated and destroyed by this strange army.

Angered by the attack and crazed by his new level of power, Bloat declares the Rox to be the official Joker Homeland. In a televised broadcast he officially announces the Rox’s secession from the United States and its new status as a sovereign nation.

Desperate, the authorities ask Jube for help, as he seems to be a wise alien. And Jube tells them that only an elite team of Aces can beat Bloat’s army. So the authorities ask the renowned superhero ace The Great And Powerful Turtle (see ‘WC: Ace In The Hole’) to create that team of Aces. Yeoman, Worchester, Pop-In-Jay, the Wraith and Fortunato, among many others Aces, are recruited for the team.

Bloat marshals his own forces and a wide number of Jokers with useful skills or aggressively oriented mutations voluntarily join him to defend Joker Homeland.

The Battle of the Rox between Aces and Jokers take place.

Pop-In-Jay and Jube make their way to Taychon’s cell to rescue her.
Yeoman and Worchester look for The Astronomer. The Great and Powerful Turtle is the leader of the Aces team and coordinates them.

It’s all a mess of fights, death and destruction.

When Pop-In-Jay and Jube are trying to take Taychon to a safe position, they meet with the Wraith in a tunnel. They think she is going to help them. But she suddenly shoots a gun and kills Jube.

The Wraith tells them that she works in fact for Bloat and The Astronomer. She helped them when they were going to be executed just to gain their confidence and know their plans about the Rox. Pop-In-Jay understands that Bloat is controlling her mind and has transformed her. When she is going to shoot Pop-In-Jay, Fortunato appears and shoots the Wraith first. Now, Pop-In-Jay, Fortunato and Taychon can escape, while Jube is left dead behind.

Meanwhile, Yeoman and Hiram reach Bloat’s throneroom after so many fights with Jokers and Jumpers. The Astronomer is there. The Astronomer accepts to fight Yeoman in a duel of swords. Yeoman is wounded but still resists.

Outside, the Aces are defeating Jokers and Jumpers. Desperate, Bloats use his mind powers to blow some oil pipelines in the Rox’s underground trying to stop the Aces. Everything is on fire and there are explosions everywhere. The Great and Powerful Turtle alerts telepathically to all the Aces: the whole island may explode in pieces, everybody must abandon it as soon as possible.

Jokers and Jumpers surrender and try to abandon the island. Pop-In-Jay, Fortunato and Taychon also try to find a boat to sail away. Right when they are getting into a boat, Fortunato is shot in his back and falls dead. The Wraith has shot him. She didn’t really die in the tunnel as they thought. Taychon jumps into her and both women fight until Taychon gets to finally kill her with a knife. In the very last minute before she dies, the Wraith recovers her mind and notices what Bloat made of her turning her into a villain and beg Taychon and Pop-In-Jay to forgive her. She can die in peace as they forgive her.

Pop-In-Jay and Taychon leave the Rox in the boat.

In the throneroom, Worchester tries to help Yeoman in his fight with The Astronomer, but Bloat paralyzes him with his mental powers. Finally, although wounded, Yeoman cuts The Astronomer’s head with his sword.

The island is sinking into the sea with tremendous explosions. Yeoman picks up the paralyzed Worchester and leaves Bloat in his throneroom, claiming crazily that he is the King of the Rox.

From NYC, everyone watches how the Rox sinks in the sea. It seems like Yeoman and Worchester could not escape on time.

Or did they? Pop-In-Jay sees a little boat coming to the shore. It’s them!

As Pop-In-Jay dives into the water to get to help them reach the shore, Yeoman – so weak after so much blood lost – looks at Worchester, who is recovering the movement and tells him: ‘We made it. They are gone. And now the ones we love may rest in peace.’

End.

Cast of Characters
Yeoman: Viggo Mortensen
Pop-In-Jay: Bruce Willis
Jube: John Travolta
Dr.Taychon: Cate Blanchet
Hiram Worchester: Tim Roth
The Astronomer: Jeremy Irons
Bloat: Seth Rogen
Fortunato: Matt Dillon
The Great and Powerful Turtle: Jason Schwartzman
The Wraith: Megan Fox

This movie is respectfully dedicated to the memory of Jett Travolta


Stark’s Comment: Last episode of the saga. And the most epic of all of them. We have wanted this one to be like the fireworks at the end of a big show. For everyone at CMP, the Wild Cards saga will remain forever in our memory and our heart.

HE-MAN AND MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

Animated 3D/ Action / Fantasy

Cast of Voices: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis, Ron Pearlman, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Malcolm McDowell, Jennifer Hale, David Hayter

The Director: Andrew Adamson
The Screenwriter: Matt Kubrick

The Plot: For the past ten years Eternia has been at peace. The battle with skeletor (A.Serkis) has taken it's toll on the world but it has recovered and the inhabitants were able to return to a more normal life. But that won't last, nightmares plague the sorceress (N.Watts), she dreams of a coming darkness and it threatens to envelope the world.

Greyskull is a place of wonder and amazement, a place where great power resides. That power resides in Prince Adams (V.Mortensen) sword. When he calls on the power in time of need he becomes He-Man a heroic warrior, one of the toughest of the land. Man at arms (D.Hayter), his daughter Teela (S.M.Gellar) and Man E faces and King Randor also reside here in the castle. We first meet He-Man doing battle with a massive humanoid half man half alligator named Whiplash (also A.Serkis) he has been attacking travelers on the road late at night. After Whiplash is defeated He-Man is able to become Prince Adam once again and return to greyskull.

Meanwhile Skeletor is looking for revenge, he has slowly built a fortress known as Snake Mountain a nether region where all the dark forces has gathered. Skeletor along with Evil Lyn (J.Hale), a powerfull sorcress has teamed up with Blade (R.Pearlman), a swords man, one of the best and one of the few people that can match He-Man in swordsmanship. He is also a bounty hunter that will kill anything for money. Skeletor wants to open a realm to another dimension. He plane to make a pact with Hordak (C.Lee) who rules over the kingdom of Etheria. Hordak will bring with him Grizzlor, a hairy monster, Mosquitor and leech. He will also bring along a large army to help back them all up.

Back in castle greyskull the sorceress tells Prince Adam of her nightmares and the coming darkness, she tells him about skeletor's plans. Prince Adam will once again have to change into He Man and will join up with Man at Arms, Teela and Man E faces, where they will have to travel to the kingdom of Avian. There they will meet with Stratos, leader of a humanoid bird like race of people. He will use his army and join their cause to help defeat Skeletor. The final battle commences as Skeletor and the Hordak army make their big push against castle greyskull. The battle will cost lives and many will be wounded. Teela and Man at arms lay wounded the forces of good are pushed into their own castle and He-Man helps King Randor and the sorceress hide. It looks like all will be lost and they will be forced to abandon the castle.

The Sorceress informs He-Man that the only way to make things right, she will have to open a portal to Zodak's realm, a spirtiual being. In his realm, Zodak (M.McDowell) informs He-Man that in order to gain his help, he will have to face a massive trial. He-Man will have to battle his way through a deadly maze and grab the glowing sphere at the end. But as he makes his way to the end, He-Man must do battle with a giant snake. Finally after getting the sphere, Zodak alters the time and puts everything back into the heat of the battle. The forces of good have one last chance to protect their castle. The Sorceress will have a massive battle of magic with evil lynn and the final sowrd fight will take place between skeletor and Hordak with lynns battle and He-Man's massive sword fight cutting back and fourth between each other. In the end Castle greyskull is saved and once again the world of Eternia is once again returned to a land of peace.


Stark’s Comment: An important event for many different reasons. It is the first 3D movie ever released by CMP. Kubrick finally sees released his own He-Man movie. Mortensen finally appears (at least, his voice) in a He-Man movie. And Andrew Adamson returns after directing the alltimes box office’s top 1 ‘The Ice Princess’. Although it is a completely different concept of movie, the storyline follows the events of the blockbuster ‘He-Man. The Power Of Greyskull’. And everything looks like it may be another blockbuster.

WEIGH ANCHOR

Drama / Coming Of Age

The Cast: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, Emile Hirsh, Jeff Daniels, Patricia Clarkson, James Franco, Brittany Murphy

The Director: Peter Weir
The Screenwriter: Josh Collins
The Producer: Gran Island Movies

The Plot: Elliot (J.G.Levitt) is dead. Or at least he feels like it. A struggling young musician who just can't seem to find his break. He is the youngest of his siblings and most successful as far as going to school and knowing what he wants in life, but feeling stuck, being in a position he doesn't want to be in while his life is passing him by. He is truly alone. No girlfriend (and has never had one) he's always been shy and self conscious. He's never had many friends and the ones he has had back-stabbed him. He feels like a ghost in his family.

The only friend whose stuck with him is George (E. Hirsh). George enlisted in the armed services for the Iraq War and he's still fighting in it. Upon his short return, George visits Elliot and that's when Elliot finds out George is married to Kate (M. Williams) and they're going to have a child. Elliot gets a little mad, feeling once again like the dead, while everyone is growing up around him, he's stuck buried in one spot for eternity.

His older brother, Mark (J. Franco) has been in and out of jail several times. Drugs, grand theft, assault, all kinds of reasons. He is immature, pushing 30 years old and hasn't grown up. He has a child he doesn't see and pay child support for because he's always in jail or has no money. His life is pretty much over and he acts like he doesn't care. Elliot's older sister, Jennifer (B. Murphy) has been floating aimlessly in life and enjoying it. But now she is finally starting to get her life going and to continue school and settle down as an adult.

His mother, Lisa (P. Clarkson) is dealing with the recent separation of Elliot's dad, Richard (J. Daniels) in fact, it's really the reason why he returned home. When they were kids, his dad beat on him and his siblings behind their mother's back but he never had a fight with their mother that would cause him to separate. When his mother asks him to bring the mail to his dad's apartment, he catches a woman in the place and any last shred of respect for his father had been stomped on. He wants so bad to tell his mother what he saw, but doesn't want to hurt her.

In the film, Elliot finally gets a gig in a downtown bar. This is where he meets Claire (K. Dunst) a young woman who may just be the one to take him out of his depressed state. She too holds a dark past and slowly but surely warms up to him. He wants to love her, but doesn't want to hurt her anymore than she already is. It's been tough for him to do though, considering he's been in touch with George's wife while he serves in Iraq. Not an affair, just being friends by association. Elliot gets to witness the birth of George's child and when he talks about it, George is sad he can't be there himself.

Being with Claire and getting small gigs doesn't quite mean all is well in his life. His father returns to his mother and he doesn't feel like he should tell his mother what he saw, but still lacks respect for his father. Not hate, but there's not love either. Also, George is killed in Iraq. Elliot wants to console the recently widowed wife when in a spur of the moment, she kisses him, but Elliot pulls away, saying he can't do this to Claire and George.

Elliot confesses what happened to Claire and says he doesn't want to be his brother or his father. She still loves him and wants to be with him, two ghosts taking on the rest of their lives together. She finally confesses her dark past that she was abused in all kinds of ways by her family. Elliot and Claire are two decent human beings living in an indecent world.


Stark’s Comment: A quality movie. I am so happy Peter Weir returns after ‘The Great War Series’ movies. Probably it won’t be a big box office’s hit, but I like very much the storyline and hope it works decently enough. A classic GMA contender.


DEVIL TRIGGER: Veteran star Brian Dennehy – seen before in CMP in other Makalaster’s movie: ‘Little Tin Goddess’ – joins this Wachowski Brothers production playing nothing less than an avatar of God himself. The movie also means the return to CMP of Patrick Stewart, who had taken a rest after his personal success in ‘The Critic’. Stewart plays here again a priest, as he did in the Hitman franchise, making just a cameo this time.

THE GUNPOWDER PLOT: Three stars already seen this Season join this production: Christopher Lee, whose voice will be heard this week in ‘He-Man. Masters Of The Univers’; Jeremy Irons, who releases this week ‘Wild Cards: Battle Of The Rox’; and Ian McKellen, who could be seen in ‘Fallout 2’.

PSYCHO: BLOODLINE: Kerri Russell makes her debut in CMP with this horror movie playing James Franco’s sweet wife (…and that means Norman Bates’ daughter-in-law). And, as it usually happens in Kubrick’s slashers, a young group of talents join the cast ready to die in the most terrible way. This time, they are Garrett Hedlund, Michael Angarano, Emmy Rossum and Emma Stone.

TENDER IS THE NIGHT: James Bradley returns to CMP with another book adaptation. Now’s the turn for the classic Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s novel about the stormy marriage between a rich woman and a promising doctor who waste their life in the French Riviera. This production means the awaited return to direction in CMP of Best Director GMA Winner Martin Scorsese. After successfully producing movies like ‘The Toymaker’, ‘American Heartland’ or ‘Five Thunderbolts’, Scorsese assumes now both direction and production. He had not worked behind the cameras for CMP since the end of The Heirs trilogy.

BLOOD MERIDIAN: Two more names to add to this all-males cast for Ang Lee’s western. GMA Nominee Hayden Christensen, not seen in CMP since Season 7’s ‘Atlantis’, has accepted to play a minor role in this one. And the movie will also mean the debut in CMP, playing also a supporting role, for Jeremy Piven.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA II: It’s finally here. The announced sequel of the blockbuster ‘The Legend Of Zelda’ (100 millions in Season 7) gets green light. As announced, Stephen Sommers – director of the recent ‘Fallout 2’ – won’t return behind the cameras due to ‘creative differences’ with producer George Lucas. It will be Lucas himself who will direct the movie, in his first directional job for CMP.

THE GREEN CHILDREN: Freddie Highmore, who starred past Season the megahit ‘The Land Of Nod’, returns to CMP as the co-star of this new fantasy adventure as the green brother of the green Elle Fanning. Producer of the movie, Steven Spielberg, has convinced his friend Ewan McGregor – star of his Dr. Jones’ movies – to play a major role in the movie.

STANLEY & LIVINGSTONE: Green light for the first movie of a new CMP’s screenwriter, Chad Taylor. And an ambitious one. A new version of the epic adventure of the legendary African explorers. And with a major director involved. James Cameron is going to produce and direct this movie. The last Cameron’s work for the Studio was in Season 6 with another epic production, ‘Pompeii’.

THE AVENGERS 3: With too many rumours about internal problems (see Bob Felton’s article below), the shooting of the movie has begun reuniting again the usual cast: Robert Downey Jr. (Ironman), Edward Norton (Hulk), Rose McGowan (Valkyrie), Tyler Mane (Thor), Adam Baldwin (Captain America) and Kurt Russell (Nick Fury)… and of course that mysterious new member of the group.

GEARS OF WAR: Tommy Lee Jones, last time seen in CMP making a cameo in ‘Metal Gear Solid’, has refused an offer to be in ‘The Green Children’ cause he has accepted to be in this one playing the boss of the secret squad leaded by Will Smith.


HE-MAN AND MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE
By Matt Kubrick

I've been trying to get my own version of He Man made for what seems like forever now. The first screenplay I submitted was a bit different while still surprisingly enough following vaguely similar plots. Both plots involved the two halves of the sword. My screenplay was loosely based on the original mini comics that came with the toys and was a bit different from the cartoons that followed the toys.

When no sequel was forthecoming to the He Man movie I contacted Harry to see if anyone was doing anything with the franchise and at the time nothing was being done with it and I expressed my interest in doing a movie. I first thought of doing a major reboot of the series to start fresh but I decided screw that. Why tell pretty much the same story again? it would be stupid. I decided that my story would follow the events of the first film but still be able to be watched on it's own.

I wrote the script and sent it to Harry and I also asked for it to be CGI animated which the studio loved. I also started thinking of a new idea: 3D! it has never been used in a CMP movie before and thought that it must be done. My goal for the film was to create a huge spectacle lots of action. I think this is the most action oriented script I've written so far.

I really wanted Viggo Mortensen to be a part of the movie and was happy when he said yes. I also wanted to keep Andy Serkis around but this time cast him as skeletor who I think would sound great. The movie is filled with great voice actors and they all brought so much to their roles. I was happy when CMP chose Andrew Adamson to direct the production. He is a good director and knows how to create a movie and fill it with big action set pieces. He works great in animation and live action.

The battles just pop right off the screen in amazing ways and I hope this is a film you will want to watch again and again in the theatre.

WEIGH ANCHOR
By Josh Collins

The release of Weigh Anchor is underway and a lot of the buzz circulating around the film compares it to one of the 1990s' best films: 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' but strays far from that particular film to stand on it's own. Our hero of the story, Elliot, played magnificently by Joseph Gordon-Levitt(whose been pegged as the next Johnny Depp, also the star of Gilbert) returns home after he discovers his parents have decided to do a trial separation. There, he finds himself stuck, anchored to his family again. Discovering things he probably shouldn't, like when his father is caught with another woman in his apartment after he's moved out.

His siblings never having respect for him and have always treated him like he's the stupid baby of the family even though he's smarter and more successful than them(even though he's a single virgin with little to no friends but he makes excuses feeling like he'll get to all that when he's done working his butt off to where he wants to be and not wanting to be held back.) So when he arrives home he's stuck, anchored to his family and the position he's always been as a struggling musician whose never had anything else in mind to be that would be easier to make a career out of. He feels dead, stuck in the ground while the rest of the world grows and lives on without him.

Now two women have taken an interest in him. One, a troubled female(Kirsten Dunst) with a history of disappointments from family and friends who works at the bar that Elliot starts playing in. The final words of the plot I sent in, "Two decent humans in an indecent world" rings true as Elliot and this girl both have a keen sense of decency while the rest of the world around them is full of indecent people from their family to strangers(like the customers in the bar who treat her like a piece of meat when all she wants to do is her job and give them their beer).

The other woman(Michelle Williams), the pregnant girlfriend of the only friend Elliot's ever managed to keep, whose off serving his country in the war. Elliot takes care of her for his friend's sake and when the baby is born, he helps out. After the untimely death of his friend, she misconstrues Elliot's brotherly help as wanting to be her boyfriend, and she certainly could use a man to help raise her kid, but Elliot's honorable nature turns her down for his friend and girlfriend.

This particular story is semi-autobiographical with some notes of fiction, so it feels much more personal to myself, but it's so true and real to life that I hope those who watch it can feel just like Elliot, or whoever else they want to relate to. I've gotten plenty of criticisms about the title of the film, but I think it's fine for the story when you understand a lot of the underlying meanings behind it. Anchored down to one spot and as his life unfolds and his love grows, his music career is slowly blossoming, he can now begin to 'weigh anchor' in boating terms, it simply means for the vessel to raise the anchor and take off. It's an intimate drama that I doubt will make a whole lot of profit but I know just like Gilbert Grape, it will be considered somewhere down the road as a cinematic beauty. I don't doubt Peter Weir's abilities to bring the story to life.

Don’t miss Joseph Gordon Levitt’s screen test at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzX9jHB3LfA


THE WILD CARDS COLLECTION

CMP releases this week what is announced as the last movie of the cult franchise ‘Wild Cards’. The most lasting CMP’s saga reaches its end and the Studio has decided to celebrate this event with the launching of a luxury DVD Box Set full of contents.


The Box Set includes:

1-THE WILD CARDS MOVIES:

-WILD CARDS - Matt Kubrick
-WILD CARDS: ACES HIGH - Quentin Tarantino
-WILD CARDS: ACE IN THE HOLE - Alexander Aja
-YEOMAN – McG
-CHRYSALIS: PENNIES FROM HELL – David Fincher
-WILD CARDS: DOUBLE SOLITAIRE – Guillermo Del Toro

2-SPECIAL DOCUMENTARIES

-From pages to images: the creation of Wild Cards

-Behind the scenes: A look at stunts.

-The Characters: an indepth look at the characters of Wild Cards and the talents that play them.

-Chronicling the history: A documentary about some of the characters from the books that weren't seen in the movies.

-Wildest Cards: out takes and goofs that took place on the set.

-The Words: cast and crew commentaries and brand new interviews with all the directors from the movies.

-The Diary: Matt Kubrick’s never before seen video diary where he interviewed and talked to cast members during the filming of the original Wild Cards.

3-QUOTES

Here is a sum up of some of the comments from screenwriters Matt Kubrick and Joey Stark that can be heard at the documentaries:

-WILD CARDS: FROM PAGES TO IMAGES

Matt Kubrick
‘I've been a fan of the books for many years and have always wondered why no one attempted to produce a movie. There is a wealth of characters and stories and they would all look incredible on screen. When CMP opened its doors I decided I wanted to try and make this a popular franchise. It worked out pretty well for the studio each movie has done better than the last and it has two spinoffs. I loved the ideas of doing these arcs for the movies and you could have stories that would be played out and we could kill off old characters and bring in new ones. It's a very large universe. It would be impossible to tell every single story. I would love to congratulate everyone that worked on the movies to make them a success from the writers, to the producers and all the directors.’

Joey Stark
‘I had never heard of Wild Cards until my brother Harry showed me Matt’s screenplay for the first movie. I was instantly shocked. That new society with Aces and Jokers was so appealing. Since then, I have become a Wild Cards’ freak. I looked for everything about it in the net and then bought a couple of Martins’ books in Amazon. Wild Cards has nothing to do with ordinary comics or superheroes or anything. It has its own rules and creates its own universe and once you enter into it you just cannot leave.’

-THE MOVIES

Matt Kubrick
‘I always imagined that movies would be like a mix of film Noir and big budget action and scienfiction. That is what I thought about as I read the books. The characters are different from other super heroes. They all have real lives, sometimes they have jobs, they live and they die. It's an alternate world history that is what I loved about it all. It's a what if situation. What if the religious guy down the street suddenly got super powers. What if he had mind control powers? to him he would be doing the right thing trying to convert other people's to his cause to others he would be a villain. Just like in real life people can be both bad and good and sometimes getting powers can bring out the worst in someone.’

Joey Stark
‘Personally, I have always had ‘Blade Runner’ in mind when approaching to Wild Cards. I mean, both Aces and Jokers have, in some way, many things in common with replicants. And I can imagine the New York City of the books and movies like that dark, rainy and hostile city in ‘Blade Runner’.’

Joey Stark
‘I have written three Wild Cards movies. I wanted very much to get involved in the saga and thank Matt so much for letting me in. I have tried to make the three movies very different from each other. Like all the rest, there is something new in each Wild Cards’ movie. We just don’t follow a formula once and again. Even the genre of the movies change: some of them are closer to a superhero movie, some others are like film noirs, some others are pure sci-fi epic…’

-ABOUT ‘BATTLE OF THE ROX’

Joey Stark
‘Matt and I wanted to end up the saga with something big. So what about a battle between Aces and Jokers? We also wanted to introduce Bloat, that amazing character of an extremely fat young man with mental powers. And some main characters of the saga had to die so we had to choose who. Also, I wanted very much to have back Travolta playing the walrus-looking Jube. And then came this amazing idea of turning Dr. Taychon from man to woman. Well, those were the elements. We put it all together and the result is ‘Battle Of The Rox’.

Matt Kubrick
‘There is a time when a saga has to come to an end. The hard part is writing it. We had some loose ends from the spinoffs and the last couple of Wild Cards movies. It was hard getting that all together. I also wanted to tell the story of Bloat and the Jokers. It was all done very well in a way that makes sense. Harry and his brother Joey love the franchise, it is their baby as much as it is mine so we wanted to do things right and give people what they love about the series. Alot of characters return in this new movie some they haven't been seen in awhile and it's so much fun bringing them all together. It's action packed, really intense and Zack Snyder did a great job.’

4-WILD CARDS: ORIGINS

The Box Set includes an amazing surprise: a completely original animated feature never released before. A 60 minutes animated movie telling the origins of the Wild Cards universe. The story never told, the moment when it all begun…

Matt Kubrick’s words presenting the movie:
‘This was done special for the set and it took awhile to decide what we wanted to do with the movie. It was pitched as an animated feature for the set as a special bonus. Harry loved the screenplay and we were trying to figure out whether it would be done as a live action big budget feature or as a straight to DVD animated feature. It was decided that it would be released with the set as something special and different. I think it's a cool idea and you get to see where the virus comes from and learn why Dr. Tachyon is here on earth. I really wanted to tell that story because it's important to the history and I'm happy it was able to be told.’

WILD CARDS: ORIGINS

Animated / Adventure
Written, Directed and Produced by Matt Kubrick
Cast of Voices: Kenneth Branagh, John Hurt, Emile Hirsch, Kim Bassinger

The Plot:

The year is 1945. The United States fearing another world war begins developing a secret project. The project is a germ warfare weapon, which was found in the wreckage of a crashed alien ship. They begin secret tests on the strange germ and altering it in new ways using their own modern technology. Meanwhile an alien named Dr. Tachyon (Voice of K.Branagh) is heading to earth. His government has been keeping track of the american governments progress on their secret weapon. It was their ship that had crashed on earth. Dr. Tachyon has been sent to earth to take notes on the effects of the weapon and see if it would useful to their government as well. Upon entering Earth’s atmosphere Dr. Taychyon’s ship is shot down and he is taken prisoner and interrogated. The government doesn't know what to do with this alien so they keep him locked up in a special cell while they figure something out.

A scientist by the name of Dr. Tod (Voice of John Hurt) has special plans for the germ warfare project. He has always wanted something greater for himself. He wants power, he wants to be famous and he believes he can better human kind. He comes up with the perfect plan. He steals the alien ship and gathers a crew of extremists that are loyal to him. Tod is a former german scientist that originally left germany during world war 2 to work as a scientist for the united states government.

Ever since Robert Tomlin (Voice of Emile Hirsh) was a young boy he has always wanted to fly a plane. He made it his life’s goal. Eventually he fought in the battle of Britian and he also flew alongside the flying tigers in china. By the end of world war 2 he became Jetboy and was a legend among pilots. He was the best of the best. He had a line of comics based on him as well as cartoon shorts in the theatres. The children loved him. When Dr. Tod stole the germ warfare, his plane was the only one that could reach his ship. Inside he does battle with guards and minions before reaching Dr. Tod himself. They both struggle and fight and eventually find themselves in a life or death struggle. They both have the detonator in hand but when Dr. Tod reaches the button first, he presses it creating a massive explosion. The ship blows up releasing the germ.

In the months and years to follow a shrine is built to honor Jetboy's memory. The government does everything they can to combat the outbreak of what was to be called the wildcard virus. The President Harry Truman orders to contain and kill anyone with the disease but it isn't enough, the virus spreads throughout the world on a global scale. Giving some incredible powers, turning some into mutated looking beings. Some people strangely enough remain unnaffected. The world barely tolerates these people but are forced to cope with them.

Dr. Tachyon is stricken with guilt over what his people had done. They wanted the people of earth to find the virus and they knew it was just a matter of time before it was released. The government was hoping to use the virus to enhance their own psycic abilities but were afraid of affects it might have on them. Tachyon abandons his mission and stays on Earth. After being released by the government he decides to stay on earth and soon begins a relationship with Blythe Van Rennssaeler (Voice of Kim Bassinger). But that quickly ends when during the 1950s a red ace scare sweeps the country. Dr. Tachyon decided to try and mind controll his lover on the stand to try and win over the courts but instead he accidently drives her insane and she is eventually locked up in an insane asylum. Dr. Tachyon moves to Newyork city and eventually opens a clinic in Jokertown to help the people that live there.


The premiere of ‘Wild Cards: Battle Of The Rox’ reunited in New York City the stars from all the movies of the saga. Here is a picture of three of the main stars of this last episode: Bruce Willis, Megan Fox and Viggo Mortensen.



You have been waiting for it… and here you have it! All the truth about the problems during the long preproduction of the upcoming ‘The Avengers 3’. The real battle of the egos is here! Let’s start from the very beginning…

Do you remember the first crisis? Yes, as soon as CMP released ‘The Avengers 2’ Orlando Bloom / Hawkeye announced he was leaving the franchise. Bloom felt relegated compared to Downey Jr. / Ironman and Norton / Hulk. Jealous, he also rejected later to make a cameo in ‘Silver Sable’. Now, Bloom / Hawkeye may surprise us soon all by himself.

Second crisis. Robert Downey Jr. announced a bit later that he was tired of playing Ironman once and again. He admitted he was considering leaving the franchise too. Finally, Downey will be in the third Avengers movie but he has already stated in a recent interview that three might be enough for him.

Third crisis. Downey Jr. and Norton’s relationship has become a major problem. Both actors checked all the drafts of the screenplay for ‘The Avengers 3’ to be sure their characters did not lose relevance. Rumours say that still a few last minute changes in the storyline had to be made recently to satisfy both stars. I've heard that Downey and Norton don’t speak at each other at the set of the movie.

Fourth crisis. Maybe tired too of all this rivalry, director and producer Gore Verbinski has already confirmed that ‘The Avengers 3’ will be his last movie of the saga. If there’s a fourth one, CMP will have to look for another director. Verbinski has not talked about internal problems. His official reason to quit is that he wants to look for new challenges. But rumours say that he is fed up of dealing with so many big egos.

Fifth crisis. Rose McGowan is the only cast member that has publicly admitted all these problems. ‘We are not a group anymore. Everything is different this time at the set’, she has said, ‘I only see all those agents wandering around watching over their clients’ interests. I don’t feel comfortable anymore’. McGowan has been the latest member of the cast to announce she might also leave the franchise.

…and Sixth. A new major superhero (and star) joins the saga. And Downey Jr. and Norton don’t feel happy with that. They don’t want that new star to become the main focus of the new movie. As it happened before with Bloom, latest rumours say that both stars have announced Harry Stark that they won’t make the usual promotional tour when the movie is released cause they don’t feel satisfied with the design of the marketing campaign.

Phew! Exhausting, ah? So now the question is: will there ever be a ‘The Avengers 4’? Screenwriter Matt Kubrick does not want to admit nor deny anything about the future of the saga. Harry Stark only smiles and denies all these rumours about crisis. But I have known for sure that the battle of the egos goes on putting the franchise in serious danger.

We just hope the superheroes do not use their superpowers to keep fighting against each other… And we all now a nice check may convince any star to return for another sequel…