The Smurfs 2: The first trailer arrives for a sequel to one of the most successful films of 2011...

Not only was The Smurfs a big hit it was so big that it allowed Sony to plan not on, but TWO sequels at once. The Smurfs 3 will be hitting cinemas around the world in July 2015; This film will be with us on the 31st of July 2013. North America - $142,614,158; International - $421,135,165; Worldwide - $563,749,323! In this cynical age, it is worth remembering that as much as the critics loathed it, most kids absolutely adored the first film.

 First trailer... 

Star Trek Into Darkness: Full trailer arrives...OH MY...

The funniest thing about the run up to this trailer , and the film itself, is the way that the fan(atic)s have been speculating and insisting that this film was about Khan nonstop since day one; yet the film-makers have insisted time and again that it isn’t about Khan and he is NOT the main bad guy. Now, the fans are actually starting to complain about  being misled into believing it was going to be Kahn! Is it? Isn’t it? Why is it such a big deal I mean...KHAAAAANNNNN!!!!!!!

Synopsis...

“In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness. When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew. © 2012 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studio Inc.”

Full trailer...

Oblivion: Trailer for the Tom Cruise & Morgan Freeman, Post Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi film...

Well here’s yet another exciting looking Sci-Fi film for 2013. The film is based upon an original work by comic book writer Arvid Nelson  (Rex Mundi, Zero Killer) and Joseph Kosinski; William Monahan (Edge of Darkness (2010), The Departed) has also worked on the screenplay. Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine) put the finishing touches on the script.

Graphic Novel

Synopsis...

“Tom Cruise stars in Oblivion, an original and groundbreaking cinematic event from the director of TRON: Legacy and the producer of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man’s confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind.”

Trailer 1...

Pacific Rim: Trailer – “To fight monsters, we created monsters”..."Today, we are cancelling the apocalypse!"...

At last we get out first look at Guillermo Del Toro’s first film since Hellboy 2, way back in 2008;the Idris Elba starring Pacific Rim...

Synopsis...

“When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity's resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes--a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)--who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind's last hope against the mounting apocalypse.”

2013 does seem to be the year of Sci-Fi,with Star Trek, Oblivion, After Earth, Iron Man 3, Ender's Game, Man of Steel and much more heading our way; Pacific Rim is making sure we don't miss out on the fun.

Trailer 1...

G.I. Joe: Retaliation...New trailer for the 3D film with added Rock, Willis & Tatum...

G.I Joe: Retaliation may not have been top of too many people’s lists this summer, but when it got pulled for 3D conversion and reshoots (Allegedly to add more scenes with US box office star Channing Tatum) a lot of people did feel like little something was missing. That is saying a lot when you consider how mind meltingly awful the first G.I Joe film was. Let’s face it, the reason this film begins by getting rid of almost everyone who had anything to do with the other film (hence the need to put more of Tatum in the film now that US audiences have made his last few films hits)

Synopsis...

“Framed for a crime they did not commit, the G.I. Joes must not only fight Cobra but also vindicate themselves to a government that condemned them.”

“A follow-up to the 2009 release of G.I. JOE: RISE OF THE COBRA, which grossed over $300M worldwide, Paramount Pictures, MGM and Skydance Productions, in association with HASBRO and di Bonaventura Pictures, commences production on G.I. JOE: RETALIATION. In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence. The film stars D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, Adrianne Palicki, Jonathan Pryce, RZA, Ray Stevenson, Channing Tatum with Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson. Directed by Jon M. Chu, and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Brian Goldner, from a screenplay by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick based on Hasbro's G.I. Joe(R) characters, the film is scheduled to be released on June 29,2012.”

Trailer 3...

Pacific Rim: A look at the Mechas (giant Robots) that will be defending the world from giant monsters...

Chinese

The quality trailers keep coming thick and fast, but as we are still a day or so away from the Pacific Rim trailer, here’s some cool (or incredibly nerdy if you refer) artwork and  a few “official letters regarding the pilots of our monster fighting robots; which is is nice to see are from various countries around the world...

United States

Australia

Japanese

Russian

“News” report of San Francisco attack….

Man of Steel: Full trailer for the latest Superman film…

So here we have the trailer for the latest attempt to make another good Superman film. (Yes I know there good points to Superman Returns but, not so much as a whole film eh?) Once pretty much the only game in town, DC comic book characters haven’t had the best of times away from Gotham City, so an awful lot is riding on this cape.

From Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures comes "Man of Steel", starring Henry Cavill, directed by Zach Snyder. The film also stars Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Henry Lennix, Christopher Meloni and Laurence Fishburne.

Trailer...

The Lone Ranger: New trailer for Johnny Depp’s & Gore Verbinski’s western..."Something very wrong with that horse."...

So can Depp and Verbinski do for the Western what they did for Pirate films? We won’t know for sure until this film either does, or doesn’t, make over $600m next summer, but the trailer certainly seems to suggest they are giving it a very good try. Technically their last film, the Oscar winning Rango, was also a Western, and that was certainly a critical hit, if not quite a runaway box office hit.

Synopsis...

“From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, comes Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films' "The Lone Ranger," a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice--taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.”

 Westerns remain a box office gamble (interestingly The Lone Ranger is classed as a super hero?) especially when it comes to international takings, which films with budgets this big (approx $215m shooting budget) have to hit it big with, so credit to Disney for finally having the guts to make the film. The film stars Johnny  Depp, Armie Hammer,  William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson , Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, James Frain and Helena Bonham Carter.

Trailer 2...

After Earth: Impressive trailer for the Will & Jaden Smith film hoping to return M. Knight Shyamalan to decent film making...

There’s already been a lot of talk about the similarities between After Earth and Oblivion; but that should just be window dressing. Both films are set in the future on a devastated and, apparently, abandoned planet. Other than that the driving forces appear quite different. What this film has going for it is the pairing of double superstars Will & Jaden Smith. It also has the supreme advantage of not being written by its director. The fact remains that Shyamalan has lost almost all of his credibility with many film goers (When his name appeared as the writer of Devil it was infamously booed!)  and I’m not sure what it would take to make my kids  forgive him for his destruction of the superb Last Airbender story. But what appears to have become his greatest weakness, his writing, is not a factor here. The screenplay credits are shared, and yes Shyamalan is listed as one of the writer, but Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, syriana) and Gary Whitta (The Book of Eli) are doing the heavy lifting here – (we hope). This is Jaden Smith’s first film since the hit, and superior, Karate Kid in 2010, and his pops, Will Smith, has already reclaimed his position as box office Titan (after a 4 year break) with the $624m Men In Black 3.


Synopsis...
"A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home."

International trailer (HD)...

Star Trek Into Darkness teaser trailer…”…I have returned, to have my vengeance!”

Well it feels like it has been forever since JJ Abrams gave us the most successful Star Trek movie so far. The increasingly impressive Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) is the key villain this time around…

 Synopsis…

“In Summer 2013, pioneering director J.J. Abrams will deliver an explosive action thriller that takes Star Trek Into Darkness. When the crew of the Enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis. With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction. As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.”

Everyone is back:- Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Benedict Cumberbatch & Peter Weller. Look out for some very familial "Star Trek ": The Wrath of Khan" imagery in the Japanese version.

Teaser 1…

More "star Trek 2" references in the extended Japanese version...

The Croods: 2nd trailer for Dreamworks Animation’s latest film…

I’ll be honest and say I’m a little underwhelmed by this one, but there is some decent pedigree behind it with Co-Directors & Co-Writers by Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How To Train Your Dragon) and Kirk De Micco (Space Chimps). But here’s the film we can expect from Dreamworks around March next year.

Synopsis…

“The Croods is a prehistoric comedy adventure that follows the world’s first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always shielded them from danger is destroyed. Travelling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures -- and their outlook is changed forever.”

Voice talent includes Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke and Cloris Leachman.

Trailer 2…

Pacific Rim: Get a glimpse of Guillermo Del Toro’s giant Monsters VS giant machines film…

This is a part of the pretty cool viral marketing for Pacific Rim, ahead of the trailer debut in 14 days. So hard to believe it has been 4 years since Del Toro last directed a film: mostly because his version of The Hobbit was so delayed by legal hassles he had to hand it back to Peter Jackson. Hellboy 2 was brilliant piece of entertainment and (Hellboy 3 please) I’m very much looking forward his next film. Pacific Rim stars Idris Elba and should be out everywhere in summer 2013.

“News” report of San Francisco attack….

X-Men: Days Of Future Past. Finally it’s official, Sir Ian McKellan & Sir Patrick Stewart return to X-Men for the First Class sequel…

So after months of torrid speculation, you heard it here 7,200,721^st! Bryan Singer isn’t the only person from the “original” X-Men film returning. The director will have his 2 leading mutants, the Malcolm X & Martin Luther King of Mutant kind (it’s a very loose analogy OK) , acting in the same films as James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. That’s some pretty heavyweight talent right there. Bryan Singer confirmed the news via Twitter (where else in 2012 eh?)

“I’d like to officially welcome back James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and Nicholas Hoult to X-Men: Days Of Future Past. Also thrilled to announce Sir Ian Mckellen and Sir Patrick Stewart.”

I simply cannot wait; So in the same way that The Avengers is and isn’t sequel to the previous 5 Marvel Studios’ films; Fox’s X-Men: Days of Future Past IS a sequel to X-Men: First Class and Is / Isn’t a sequel to X3 – oh and is / isn’t a prequel to The Wolverine. Confused yet?…

The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones. First trailer…

Here’s the first look at the trailer for next year’s adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s best-selling novel. I'm sure there will be the usual cries about this not being a 100% “original concept” (like there are so many of those around) but as always this is a story with a sizable fan-base and we shall see if the film(s) work or not.

Synopsis…

“Set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother (Lena Headey), Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures. Based on the worldwide best-selling book series.”

Trailer…