Archive: https://archive.is/2025.03.26-131941/https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/634951/studio-ghibli-mononoke-4k-restoration-atsushi-okui

When Princess Mononoke first debuted back in 1997, it marked a major turning point for Studio Ghibli. The studio had already dabbled in computer-generated imagery and digital compositing with films like Isao Takahata’s Pom Poko and Yoshifumi Kondō’s Whisper of the Heart. But Mononoke was the first instance of Ghibli really embracing CGI as a tool to enhance one of its hand-drawn animated projects — something that writer / director Hayao Miyazaki had staunchly opposed in the past.

The original prints of Mononoke that screened in theaters were already a gorgeous showcase of how seamlessly Ghibli could incorporate cutting edge technology into its traditional production workflow. But the studio plans for its upcoming Mononoke 4K restoration to be an even more visually-stunning example of how newer innovations can revitalize classic art. When I recently sat down with Ghibli’s vice president Atsushi Okui, who previously served as the studio’s director of photography for animation and worked on films like Porco Rosso and Howl’s Moving Castle, he told me that the process of restoring Mononoke in 4K actually began about a decade ago when the standard was first starting to become more widely adopted.

“We scanned Mononoke over 10 years ago, and I’m so glad that we did it in 4K then because it’s only now that people are starting to see the format’s effectiveness,” Okui said. “The new restoration really speaks to the great potential that celluloid film has because it really, really works for the big screen.”

Warner Bros. may now be looking to sell the entire Looney Tunes brand.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Warner Bros. Discovery may finally be selling the distribution rights for Coyote vs. Acme to Ketchup Entertainment. The move comes after Warner Bros. decided to shelve the completed movie for a $30 million tax write-off rather than release it to the public.

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According to Jeff Sneider’s The InSneider, Warner Bros. may be looking to rid themselves of Looney Tunes entirely.

Sneider said, “I’m told that part of the reason WB decided to sell Coyote vs. Acme to Ketchup rather than take a tax credit a month before Tax Day (April 15) is because the studio is trying to sell off the Looney Tunes altogether.”

There’s been no official comment on the matter from Warner Bros. at this time; however, it is worth noting that the original Looney Tunes animated shorts, which ran from 1930 through 1969, were recently taken off Max. Deadline reported that the show is “no longer viewed as a priority” as “the streamer will prioritize adult and family programming.”

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In addition to Coyote vs. Acme, Warner Bros. sold The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie to Ketchup Entertainment following some internal restructuring in 2022. That movie was released in United States theaters on March 14, 2025. It has received generally positive reviews from critics but has so far only grossed around $6 million at the worldwide box office.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27382945

Ben Affleck is opening up about why playing Batman was "a really excruciating experience."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27342682

David Leitch is directing the film that is being produced by Imagine Entertainment and his 87North Productions.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27342753

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27342694

Robert De Niro's crime drama "Alto Knights" is already one of the year's biggest box office misfires.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/26305838

Bong Joon-ho recently confirmed that following his already-shot animated film about sea creatures — potentially titled “The Valley” — he plans to direct a horror action film set in an underground Seoul subway station. Bong’s horror movie will now have a score composed by John Carpenter.

Last night, speaking at a 4K restoration screening of “The Thing,” Bong conducted the post-screening Q&A and asked Carpenter if he would be interested in making music for his horror film.

Bong detailed the plan for his “next, next movie”, and before he could even officially ask the question, Carpenter eagerly replied, “I wanna do your score.” The pair locked the deal with a handshake as Bong assured the audience this was “officially” and “seriously” happening.

Details of Bong's horror film remain under lock and key. The filmmaker has described it as the “life project” he's been thinking about since 2001. Back in 2020, Bong briefly mentioned the project, which he described as a “Korean film, set in Seoul, with unique elements of horror and action,” but on a similar scale as 2006’s “The Host.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27342795

"Look, I'm 63 years old," the actor says. "I'm not trying to compete with 25-year-old leading men. That's not my job.

So, Ridley Scott’s “The Dog Stars” isn’t shooting until April, but I’m already hearing that there are plans to fast track the film for late 2025 release. Scott is teaming up with 20th Century on this one.

This would make sense since Scott, who tends to have 1-2 movies ready for release on any given year, has nothing lined up on the 2025 schedule. He was supposed to shoot his Bee Gees biopic last fall, but was delayed due to contractual dispute — Scott wanted to paid more money.

I’m told Scott, who will have around 1000 extras on the set of ‘Dog Stars,’ refused to sign on to direct unless 20th Century gave him a $100M+ budget. The result is that Scott is now embarking on yet another big-budget project.

‘Dog Stars’ is Scott’s upcoming adaptation of Peter Heller’s acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel. Jacob Elordi is set to play Hig, a widowed pilot and one of the few survivors in a world devastated by a global pandemic. Hig leads a solitary existence in an airplane hangar, with only his dog and a gruff gunman for company. His quiet life is suddenly disrupted when he intercepts a mysterious transmission on his Cessna radio, sparking a journey to uncover its origin.

Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin and Guy Pearce are also part of the ensemble cast. Scott is directing a screenplay written by Mark L. Smith (“Twisters,” “The Revenant”). That $100M budget does make sense when you take into account the actors involved, the setting and also the fact that the novel does have a handful of action set pieces.

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Meanwhile, alongside ‘Bee Gees,’ Scott has seven other projects, percolating in development, including “Gladiator III,” “Freewalkers,” “Bomb,” and “Battle of Britain.” He turned 87 in November.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/26208354

A few weeks ago, a source inside of Amazon/MGM was telling Jeff Sneider that rumored Bond producer David Heyman was potentially eyeing Alfonso Cuarón to direct the next 007 instalment.

Matt Belloni is now saying on The Town podcast that he’s also heard Cuarón could direct Bond 26, adding that the filmmaker has met with Amazon and has a new “take” for how the next one would look like.

Amazon wants to move quickly and have a team ready once the $1 billion rights deal is closed with Barbara Broccoli. Yesterday, I reported that writers have already been hired for Bond 26; it makes sense that a director is now being eyed as well.

What this Cuarón rumor seems to imply is that Amazon/MGM are not willing to wait another 18 months for Christopher Nolan to complete and release “The Odyssey.” Hey, the studio spent over $1 billion to toss Broccoli aside, it’s no wonder they want to get this next Bond off the ground ASAP.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27231268

Amanda Seyfried is forever indebted to 'Mean Girls'.

Keep dreaming, Jonathan.

One of the most important documentary films about fascism by Soviet director Mikhail Romm. Based entirely on newsreel shooting by cinematographers and photographers from Germany, the Soviet Union, the United States, Italy, Britain, and other countries, the film is based on authentic documents from numerous historical archives. The entire film is accompanied by the voiceover of film director Mikhail Romm. With anger and pain, with deep sadness, and at times with a murderous irony, he comments on events, reflects on dictatorships and dictators, on the crowd that submits to them and deifies them, speaking confidentially to the viewer. With his outstanding film, Mikhail Romm truly revolutionized documentary filmmaking.

Year of production: 1965

Directed by: Mikhail Romm Written by: Mikhail Romm, Maya Turovskaya, Yuri Khanyutin Director of photography: Herman Lavrov Music: Alemdar Karamanov Narrator Mikhail Romm

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/26078241

Amazon is lining up Harry Potter’s David Heyman and Spider-Man’s Amy Pascal to oversee the James Bond franchise for its studio MGM.

In news first reported by Puck, the two heavyweight producers are said to be the choice of senior Amazon-MGM executives Mike Hopkins, Jen Salke, and Courtenay Valenti and the studio is now negotiating deals with the pair.

Heyman is the British producer who acquired the film rights to JK Rowling’s Harry Potter book series, and produced all eight subsequent film adaptations as well as the three Fantastic Beasts films. Other high-profile credits to his name include the Noah Baumbach-directed Marriage Story and White Noise, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.

Pascal was chair of Sony’s film division until 2015, where she oversaw Bond films including Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. She was forced to leave in the aftermath of the studio’s infamous email hack after leaked messages suggested she had made racist jokes at the expense of Barack Obama. Since leaving Sony, Pascal has produced the Tom Holland Spider-Man films as well as the animated Spider-Verse spin-offs, and is now working on Gerwig’s Narnia film.