First Look at Transformers 2!

January 1, 2009 - It's a miracle they've kept the movie under wraps for this long, but here it is - finally - our first look at Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the follow-up to the 2007 blockbuster.

Thanks to exclusive coverage from Empire magazine and USA Today, we get a sneak peak at the film that made robots cool again. There's Optimus Prime in all his glory, and some tantalising shots in Egypt, where a few key scenes were shot on location.

Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Isabel Lucas, Rainn Wilson and Jennifer Alden, Transformers 2 releases in conventional theatres and IMAX in June 2009. Check out the photos here.

Fast & Furious comes faster

December 25, 2008 - Rev up those engines - the fourth installment of the franchise built on speed was recently moved from a summer date to April, and here's a look at the brand new teaser poster!

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reteam for the ultimate chapter in the adrenaline-fueled journey -- Fast & Furious. When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Conner. But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanuever him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what's possible behind the wheel.

Watch the hair-raising trailer at FastandFuriousmovie.net.

Globe nominees announced

December 18, 2008 - The nominees for the 2009 Golden Globes have been announced. Films receiving multiple kudos include the upcoming Last Chance Harvey, Frost/Nixon, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and the film that marks the return of duo Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet to the big screen - Revolutionary Road.

Closely followed, the Globes give industry watchers an idea of what to expect in next year's Oscar nominations. The winners will be announced on January 11, 2009. The complete list of nominees can be found below.

BEST FEATURE - DRAMA
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

BEST FEATURE - COMEDY
"Burn After Reading"
"Happy-Go-Lucky"
"En Bruges"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

ACTOR - DRAMA
Leonardo DiCaprio - "Revolutionary Road"
Frank Langella - "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn - "Milk"
Brad Pitt - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rouke - "The Wrestler"

ACTRESS - DRAMA
Anne Hathaway - "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie - "Changeling"
Meryl Streep - "Doubt"
Kristin Scott Thomas - "I've Loved You So Long"
Kate Winslet - "Revolutionary Road"

ACTOR - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Javier Bardem - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Colin Farrell - "In Bruges"
James Franco - "Pineapple Express"
Brendan Gleeson - "In Bruges"
Dustin Hoffman - "Last Chance Harvey"

ACTRESS - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Rebecca Hall - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Sally Hawkins - "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Frances McDormand - "Burn After Reading"
Meryl Streep - "Mamma Mia!"
Emma Thompson - "Last Chance Harvey"

DIFF launches December 11

December 11, 2008 - The Dubai International Film Festival launches Thursday, December 11th in another star-studded event in the world of cinema. With films like Oliver Stone's W and Steven Soderberg's Che on show, this year promises to raise the bar yet again.

Not sure which film feasts to sample and how? In the latest issue of the Grand Cinemas movie guide we make it easy with our very own DIFF DIARY. You can download the issue on our Movie Guide page for all the information you'll need, plus your monthly helping of the latest film news and reviews. Don't miss our SPOTLIGHT on Twilight, and our coverage of the latest projects from cinema legends Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Clint Eastwood.

The free Grand Cinemas movie guide is also available at all Grand Cinemas theatres.

Roberts and Owen share the screen again

December 4, 2008 - A first look image has been released for the upcoming romance thriller Duplicity, starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen.

Roberts and Owen reteam for the first time since 2004’s Closer, in which they played an on-again, off-again couple. In Dupllicity, the two star as spies-turned-corporate operatives in the midst of a clandestine love affair.

CIA officer Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and MI6 agent Ray Koval (Owen) have left the world of government intelligence to cash in on the highly profitable cold war raging between two rival multinational corporations. Their mission? Secure the formula for a product that will bring a fortune to the company that patents it first.

For their employers — industry titan Howard Tully (Tom Wilkinson) and buccaneer CEO Dick Garsik (Paul Giamatti) — nothing is out of bounds. But as the stakes rise, the mystery deepens and the tactics get dirtier, the trickiest secret for Claire and Ray is their growing attraction. And as they each try to stay one double-cross ahead, two career loners find their schemes endangered by the only thing they can't cheat their way out of: love.

Duplicity is scheduled for a Spring release.

Wars, witches and spies

November 27, 2008 - With huge names like Nicolas Cage, Jackie Chan and Tarsem Singh attached, Relativity Media has an incredible slate of upcoming movies. Watch out for these three announced features:

WAR OF GODS

Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton, producers of 300, the colossal hit that grossed more than $450 million in worldwide box office, present their next earth pounding epic. War of Gods is a mythological tale set in war-torn ancient Greece, where the young warrior prince Theseus leads his men in a battle against evil that will see the Gods and Men fighting against the Titans and Barbarians. At the helm of this massive action piece is visual master Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) whose ground-breaking techniques will take the cinematic scope and beauty of War of Gods to unprecedented levels.

SEASON OF THE WITCH

Director Dominic Sena has made a few exceptional films in his career, among them Swordfish (2001) with John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry; Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000); and Brad Pitt starrer Kalifornia (1993). We have every faith that Season of the Witch, starring Nicolas Cage, will continue the roll. In this supernatural action adventure, a group of 14th-century knights transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce her powers could be the source

THE SPY NEXT DOOR

Filming has already begun on the action-comedy The Spy Next Door. Jackie Chan stars as a man who is called to baby-sit his neighbour's children. The day takes a bizarre turn when one of the kids inadvertently downloads a secret code, forcing their babysitter to fight off a team of secret agents.

Learn more in this issue of the Grand Cinemas movie guide.

Online Guide

November 20, 2008 - For film fans, there's plenty to check out online about the biggest upcoming movies. Here's your smart guide.

TERMINATOR SALVATION

Follow the post-production process with the director on T4's official website. “Christian [Bale] and Sam [Worthington] bring power to the rolls of John Connor and Marcus Wright,” says McG. This is a story of two destinies colliding. Connor is part of a resistance comprised of the ethnicities that make up the globe. This film is so much more than just Los Angeles. It reflects the global crisis of man, all of man versus machine."

out May 2009
web TerminatorSalvation.com

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet blister on the big screen as they search for fulfillment in an age of conformity.

out January 2009
web RevolutionaryRoadmovie.com

TWILIGHT

Find trailers, TV spots and new footage, and sample tunes from the rockin' soundtrack. For more, check out our story in the November issue of the Grand Cinemas Movie Guide.

out December 2008
web thetwilightmovie.com

CHANGELING

To find her son, she did what no one else dared. True story from Clint Eastwood, starring Angelina Jolie.

out February 2009
web Changelingmovie.net

THE SPIRIT

Starring a slew of Hollywood's finest femme fatales, The Spirit is directed by the man who created 300, Frank Miller.

out TBA
web mycityscreams.com

FRIDAY THE 13TH

“Did you know a young boy drowned here? ... His name was Jason.” The chilling new teaser is now online.

out March 2009
web Fridaythe13thmovie.com

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

The new HP will leave jaws hanging, and the goosepimple-inducing teaser is just the beginning.

out July 2009
web HarryPotter.com

WATCHMEN

“The world will look up and shout, ‘Save us,’ and I'll whisper, ‘No’.” Watch the chilling trailer and read the biographies.

out March 2009
web watchmenmovie.com

W

Watch trailers and TV spots on the movie’s official website. We talk to visionary director Oliver Stone in the November issue of the Grand Cinemas Movie Guide.

out December 2008
web Wthefilm.com

First look: Monsters vs Aliens

November 13, 2008 - DreamWorks has released a first look image of the upcoming animated adventure Monsters vs Aliens, starring the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland and Paul Rudd.

Slated for a spring 2009 UAE release, Monsters vs Aliens reinvents the classic '50s monster movie into an irreverent modern day action comedy. When California girl Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall. Alerted to the threat of this new monster, the military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of other monsters. Their confinement is cut short, however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. In a moment of desperation, the president enlists the motley crew to combat the Alien Robot and save the world from imminent destruction.

Click on the image to view a larger version, and find out more at the movie's official website

www.monstersvsaliens.com

New epic from makers of 300

November 6, 2008 - Relativity Media has announced the start of production on the upcoming epic War of Gods, brought to us by Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton, producers of 300, the colossal hit that grossed more than $450 million in worldwide box office.

War of Gods is a mythological tale set in war-torn ancient Greece where the young warrior prince Theseus leads his men in a battle against evil that will see the Gods and Men fighting against the Titans and Barbarians.

At the helm of this massive action piece is visual master Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) whose ground-breaking techniques will take the cinematic scope and beauty of War of Gods to unprecedented levels. The casting process is underway.

Twilight release announced!

October 30, 2008 - Gulf Film has announced the UAE and Lebanon release date for the highly anticipated movie Twilight; the romance thriller hits theatres in these territories on December 4th.

Based on the #1 New York Times bestselling series by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight brings to life a modern, visual and visceral Romeo & Juliet story of the ultimate forbidden love affair - between vampire and mortal. Fans of the book series, which has taken the world by storm, eagerly await the big screen adaptation.

Check out the trailer at grandcinemas.com or visit the film's official website at twilightthemovie.com

Star Trek look revealed

October 23, 2008 - Star Trek fans worldwide have been flocking online and to newsstands for their first look at the new images from director JJ Abrams.

The stills - and an eye-catching cover shot - were revealed in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, which features the upcoming film and talks to its makers.

''All my smart friends liked Star Trek,'' says Abrams. ''I preferred a more visceral experience.” And so the creator of hit TV series Lost and the recent thriller Cloverfield demanded freedom to re-invent the Star Trek mythos as needed. He may have to face the ire of old fans, but so far they have been comforted by the familiar look of the characters and scenery in the reveals. Readers of the EW feature were also treated to the first synopsis to date.

Star Trek's time-travel plot is set in motion when a Federation starship, the USS Kelvin, is attacked by a vicious Romulan (Eric Bana) desperately seeking one of the film's heroes. From there, the film then brings Kirk and Spock center stage and tracks the origins of their friendship and how they became officers aboard the Enterprise.

With Star Trek, the film world may see a change in landscape, in more ways than one; for Abrams, a movie must carry a note of hope.

''In a world where a movie as incredibly produced as The Dark Knight is raking in gazillions of dollars, Star Trek stands in stark contrast,'' says the director. ''It was important to me that optimism be cool again.''

Star Trek is slated for a May 2009 release.

Transformers 2 coming to IMAX!

October 16, 2008 - Following the colossal success of The Dark Knight on the IMAX screen, IMAX, DreamWorks and Paramount recently announced that director Michael Bay will shoot key sequences of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with IMAX cameras.

This comes as exciting news for Transformers fans, who will be looking forward to the release next spring. Bay will integrate the IMAX footage with state of the art CGI to create an unprecedented look and feel for the highly anticipated sequel to last year’s box office hit.

“The extraordinary level of detail and intensity captured by the IMAX camera creates many exciting possibilities for us with this film,” said Bay. “IMAX’s all-encompassing format will take this story to a new level, and I am once again very excited to share the IMAX Experience with Transformers fans around the world.”

UAE moviegoers will be able to catch the IMAX experience of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen at Grand Megaplex, Ibn Battuta Mall.

Pipeline

October 9, 2008 - Here's a snapshot of some of the buzz-worthy films on the horizon, including the latest from Oliver Stone, JJ Abrams, and Viggo Mortensen.

W
A LIFE MISUN_DERESTIMATED “I was fascinated with him from the get_-go, when he was governor,” says Oliver Stone of George W Bush, the man about whom he has just made a movie, starring Josh Brolin as W. “I always thought he would be presi_dent. It's an incred_ibly Capra_esque story -_ he comes from being a fail_ure at 40, and having nothing, to being the most powerful man in the world.” Stone reassures that it was not his aim to tear anyone down. We’ll see for our_ selves this fall.

STAR TREK
“Lost” creators J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk are boldly going where few dare to go. The powerhouse team bring an 11th installment of the pop_ular “Star Trek” franchise to the big screen_ due out next spring. In the run_up to the launch of StarTrekMovie.com, teaser posters were released of Captain Kirk, Uhura, Nero and Spock that form the delta emblem Trekkies know so well.

SAW V
YOU WON’T BELIEVE HOW IT ENDS In the fifth installment, Hoffman is seem_ingly the last person alive to carry on the Jigsaw legacy. But when his secret is threatened, Hoffman must go on the hunt to eliminate all loose ends.

THE HURT LOCKER
“A near_-perfect war film,” says Time magazine of The Hurt Locker following its world premiere at the recent Venice Film Festival. Telling the oft_-told story of the Iraq occupation with sharp_-edged sim_plicity, this one is not to be missed.

THE WOMEN
Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett Smith get together for gos_ sip and treachery.

VINYAN
When a couple lose their son in the 2005 tsunami, their search plunges them into paranoia and betrayal.

APPALOOSA
“Feelings get you killed” reads the tagline of this Western in which Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen must save a town from a conniving rancher.

Sequels rule

September 25, 2008 - Dreamworks has announced plans to make follow-ups to two of its biggest animated hits. CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said that Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was merely “the second chapter in one story.” He also spoke of plans for a sequel to summer smash Kung Fu Panda, hardly surprising considering the film has grossed over $550m worldwide.

As previously announced, plans are underway for a spring 2010 release of the sequel to Iron Man. Now that Tony Stark has gone public with his alter-ego, fans are eager to discover how the sage unfolds. Robert Downey Jr will soon start filming the Guy Ritchie-directed Sherlock Holmes before moving on to the shoot for Iron Man 2.

The sequel explosion continues with news of re-igniting Jack Black’s School of Rock and bringing back the Ghostbusters. This was followed by an announcement of a sequel to Spike Lee's Inside Man. The first film centered on a standoff between a bank robber (Clive Owens) and a hostage negotiator (Denzel Washington). Lee says he foresees that the new film will continue the relationship between the two main characters but in a new high-tension situation, adding that Owens and Washington are interested in reteaming.

Friday the 13th First Look!

September 18, 2008 - "You're just not going to believe the first 12 minutes! It's a twist in itself."

That's what producer Michael Bay had to say about the upcoming remake of one of the most watched horror movies in history - Friday the 13th. Most famous for directing such mega-hits as Armageddon and Transformers, Bay knows a thrilling scene when he sees it.

First look images were recently unveiled from the spine-chilling new production, and we have them right here on grandcinemas.com. Click on the thumbnails for a larger view of your first peek at Friday the 13th.

Releasing early next year, the film follows a group of young adults who discover a boarded up Camp Crystal Lake. There they soon encounter Jason Voorhees and his deadly intentions.

Sequels rule

September 11, 2008 - There's no stopping Hollywood's sequel train - either get on or you'll miss the ride. Here's a round-up of the latest news on Iron Man, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, Transformers, and much more.

Dreamworks has announced plans to make follow-ups to two of its biggest animated hits. CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said that Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was merely “the second chapter in one story.” He also spoke of plans for a sequel to summer smash Kung Fu Panda, hardly surprising considering the film has grossed over $550m worldwide.

As previously announced, plans are also underway for a spring 2010 release of the sequel to Iron Man.

The sequel explosion continues with news of a follow-up to Spike Lee's Inside Man. The first film centered on a standoff between a bank robber (Clive Owens) and a hostage negotiator (Denzel Washington). Lee says he foresees a continuation in the relationship but in a new high-tension situation, adding that the stars are interested in re-teaming.

Other recent movies to catch the sequel bug are School of Rock (Jack Black's hilarious foray into musical education) and Ghostbusters, which will see the old heroes teach a new generation of goo-emitting criminals.

And while Shia LaBeouf's recent hand injury has been in the news, information about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen remains top secret. When asked about the future of the franchise, director Michael Bay said: "When we were writing the script, I said to the writers, 'I hate sequels that try to make it to the third movie. Pretend like we’re never having a third movie, so let's go for broke on the second one.'"

Facebook film unfolds

September 4, 2008 - Writer/producer Aaron Sorkin has announced that he will be writing a film about the popular social networking site Facebook.

The acclaimed writer of A Few Good Men, The American President, Charlie Wilson's War and TV series The West Wing made the revelation on his newly-created Facebook page:

"I've just agreed to write a movie for Sony and producer Scott Rudin about how Facebook was invented. I figured a good first step in my preparation would be finding out what Facebook is, so I've started this page."

The film will follow the site's evolution since it was created in 2004 by Harvard sophomore Mark Zuckerberg and how it changed the lives of the young people who built it. Facebook now has over 60 million members and is valued at $16 billion.

Much more furious

August 28, 2008 - The first trailer for Universal's Fast & Furious has blasted its way onto cinema screens and straight to your home on MySpace. Log on now and get your heart rate up to speed.

Scheduled to hit theatres next June, Fast and Furious is the fourth installment in the franchise that showed us what you can really do with a car. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker rejoin Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert in the new highoctane action-thriller.

You can watch the trailer here: www.myspace.com/fastandfurious

Death Race

August 21, 2008 - Bone-crunching action is in store for us in the upcoming Death Race, starring Jason Statham, and you can get in the driver's seat at deathracemovie.net. Log on to watch incredible clips and take your very own "Death Race".

The film is set in the post-industrial wasteland of tomorrow, with the world's most brutal sporting event as its backdrop. A penitentiary full of felons has inspired the jailers to create a grisly pastime ripe for lucrative kickbacks. Now, adrenalized inmates, a global audience hungry for televised violence and a spectacular arena come together to form the "Death Race."

Enter ex-con Jensen Ames (Statham). He says he's innocent, but so does everyone else. In order to clear his name and get back to his daughter, Ames must survive the most brutal race ever.

While driving the tricked out cars - "we've got napalm, smoke ejector seats, General electric mini guns that fire out 4,000 rounds a minute" - was a potent experience, Statham had to make some sacrifices in order to become the beast behind the wheel. "I had to stop eating the pies and stop drinking the beers and start getting into prison shape," says the action star.

Death Race is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and brings Statham together with Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, Natalie Martinez and Jason Clarke.

Coming soon to a theatre near you.

The real experience begins now at Grand Festival Cinemas

August 7, 2008 - A new age in digital and 3D cinema unfolds today in Dubai as Grand Cinemas, the Middle East’s most renowned cinema chain, launches its new, cutting-edge Grand Festival Cinemas. The first of its kind in the region, the new state-of-the art cinema offers movie-goers a host of Grand Services, including RealD and Digital Cinema, whilst redefining the concept of theater luxury.

Home to 12 screens, and with a capacity to seat up to 2200 moviegoers, Grand Festival Cinemas comes replete with a host of exciting new fea-tures, guaranteed to exceed expectations. In addition to RealD, which uses advanced 3D technology, and Digital Cinema, which offers unparal-leled picture quality and sound, its new features include Grand Class, the ultimate in theater luxury, and other top of the range Grand Services from ticketing to concessions. Unlike other cinemas, Grand Festival Cinemas will also be accessible to corporate entities for a wide range of events from workshops to seminars and forums.

“We are extremely happy to announce the launch of our 19th multiplex located at the square of Dubai Festival Centre. Our ongoing vertical expansion in the cinematic industry across the Middle-East is paralleled by our vision of transcending the characteristic qualities of entertainment,” said Jean Ramia, Group Operations Director, Gulf Films L.L.C / Grand Cinemas.

More movies, more choices with Digital Cinema

Grand Festival Cinemas will house the first digital cinemas in the Middle East, replete with cutting-edge digital projectors to offer unparalleled picture quality and sound, as well as the most comprehensive selection of movies and documentaries from around the world. Digital Cinema uses digital technology to distribute and project motion pictures, and because these movies can be distributed via hard drives, DVDs or satellite, rather than rely on conventional film reels, cinemas equipped with digital technology have access to a much larger selection of movies.

First Look: Terminator Salvation

July 24, 2008 - “I wanted to protect the movie and protect all of you by hiring the most credible actor of his generation: Christian Bale,” said director McG at Comic Con this week when he presented the first footage from Terminator Salvation.

Hot on the heels of a record smashing week for The Dark Knight, the T4 panel may have been preaching to the converted. Visitors were rewarded with an extended three minute trailer, which set crowds screaming and resulted in several reporters describing the visual feast as “jaw dropping”. Fans have also been treated to a first look photo of Bale squinting down his rifle at the remains of one of his cyborg enemies.

Though the Caped Crusader himself was on an international release tour for his latest blockbuster, Bale did have this to say: “Unlike Batman Begins, this would be something where we would be respecting the previous mythology. But what has ultimately made me make the choice to make it, is that I see the same potential for reinvention and for breathing new life into the mythology.”

Bale will play the adult John Connor in the post-apocalyptic world portended in the James Cameron-conceived movie series. Terminator Salvation is slated for a May 2009 release.

The T4 teaser trailer was shown in US theatres before the release of The Dark Knight. To read the director's blog and view the teaser, visit

http://rss.warnerbros.com/terminatorsalvation/

Dark Knight breaks US box office record

July 24, 2008 - In its US release this past weekend - and thanks partly to a record-breaking simultaneous IMAX release - The Dark Knight smashed previous box office highs with a jaw-dropping $158 million take in its first three days alone.

The actioner, which opens in UAE and Lebanon theatres on July 24, beat previous US record holder Spider-Man 3, which took in $153m last year. High praise went to the late Heath Ledger, whose tantalising performance as The joker has raised the possibility that he might be the first actor since Peter Finch in 1976 to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination.

UAE and Lebanon moviegoers will be able to judge for themselves this weekend. And for IMAX fans it gets even better - The Dark Knight will be showing on the region's biggest screen in Grand Megaplex, Ibn Battuta Mall.

Read the preview, check out the awesome photos and download wallpapers on your grandcinemas.com home page.

Law Abiding Gerald Butler

July 17, 2008 - Gulf Film has secured the rights to the upcoming psychological thriller Law Abiding Citizen, headlined by Gerard Butler.

The star of last year's war actioner 300 will play a successful assistant district attorney who finds himself at the centre of a vigilante plot. From his prison cell, a criminal mastermind traumatised by an unjust legal system weaves a deadly web of conspiracy that threatens the safety of the city. It's up to the assistant DA to find the culprit and end the cycle of terror.

Law Abiding Citizen is directed by Frank Darabont, who previously helmed Stephen King's The Mist, The Green Mile and the award winning prison drama The Shawshank Redemption.

In related news, Legendary Pictures has confirmed that a follow-up to war epic 300 is in the works. Frank Miller, the creator of the first outing, is currently working on the graphic novel the project will be based upon. As of yet, it is unconfirmed whether the story will be a prequel or spin-off of the original, and whether or not Butler will have a part to play.

G.I. Joe sneak peak

July 10, 2008 - Visitors to the recent Cinema EXPO in Amsterdam have spotted a G.I. Joe poster featuring Channing Tatum as Duke, and heralding the title "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra". Could this be the film's full title? Fans are eagerly awaiting.

Paramount Pictures and Hasbro, whose previous collaboration was the worldwide blockbuster Transformers, reunite for another extraordinary action-adventure. From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. Joe team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organisation to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos.

Check out the cool character shots from the film, which co-stars Dennis Quaid, Sienna Miller, Ray Park, Rachel Nichols, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Said Taghmaoui, Marlon Wayans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Arnold Vosloo and Christopher Eccleston.

G.I. Joe is directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns) and is expected to storm theatres August 2009.

DiCaprio plays Atari

July 3, 2008 - Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to star in Atari, a Paramount Pictures film about the godfather of the video game industry, Nolan Bushnell.

An engineering student, Bushnell worked on pinball machines before launching Atari Corp, a video game manufacturer, in the early 70s. Millions played its first product - a game called Pong. Within a few years, Bushnell sold the company to Warner Communications for $28 million.

Although the rights to Bushnell’s story have long been sought after, writers Brian Hecker and Craig Sherman persuaded the gaming pioneer that they could do his unique story justice.

DiCaprio is currently shooting Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island.

Femmes Fatales unveiled

June 26, 2008 - Lionsgate has recently unveiled four new posters revealing the Femmes Fatales of the upcoming action adventure The Spirit.

Fans of the legendary comic book series created by Will Eisner - on which the movie is based - will recognise the stunning Eva Mendes as Sand Saref, Scarlett Johansson as Silken Floss, Jaime King as Lorelai and Sarah Paulson as Ellen Dolan.

Directed by Frank Miller (creator of 300 and Sin City), the film tells the story of a former rookie cop (Gabriel Macht) who returns mysteriously from the dead as the Spirit to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. The Spirit is expected in theatres end 2008.

Sharif back to his roots

June 19, 2008 - Good news for Arabic film enthusiasts. International film star Omar Sharif has signed on to appear in a number of Arab projects in the coming months.

For starters, Sharif will star as Libyan revolutionary leader Omar Mukhtar in $50 million project Dhulm (Years of Torment) financed by Libyan president Moammar Gaddafi. The film will detail the three-decade Italian occupation of Libya from 1911-43. Mukhtar led the Libyan uprising before being executed by Italian forces in 1931. Dhulm will mark the feature film debut of Syrian director-producer Najdat Anzour, famous across the Arab world for his Ramadan shows.

“Mr Gaddafi asked me to play the part and sent his ministers to come and see me so I said OK,” said Sharif. “It’s well-written but in classical Arabic so I’m learning right now.”

The star has also teamed up with Adel Imam on Hassan and Morcoss, a comedy that pokes fun at religious bigotry. Sharif is hoping the film will help curb some of the religious tensions in the Middle East.

YOU GOT TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT

June 12, 200