New release dates for upcoming films have been arriving at a fast and furious pace and in the past few days, on top of the updated Universal release schedule there have been several new dates announced and or shuffled around. I have detailed six of them directly below along with accompanying information for each.
Title: 21 Jump Street
Release Date: March 16, 2012
Films Releasing the Same Day: Contraband
Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Cast: Jonah Hill
Storyline: The film, based on the TV series that launched Johnny Depp, follows a group of baby-faced cops who go undercover at high schools.
Title: Conan
Release Date: August 19, 2011
Films Releasing the Same Day: Fright Night and Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World
Director: Marcus Nispel (Friday the 13th)
Cast: Jason Momoa, Bob Sapp, Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Ron Perlman, Said Taghmaoui, Rose McGowan
Storyline: The story opens on the battlefield where Conan is born and tells the origin story that sets the stage for what will be the first of multiple films.
Title: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Release Date: June 22, 2012
Films Releasing at Same Time: Brave (6/15) and Untitled Star Trek Sequel (6/29)
Director: Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted)
Cast: TBA
Storyline: Adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel of the same name reimagining Lincoln as an axe-throwing, highly trained vampire assassin, promising to give new context to real historical events such as the Civil War and Lincoln’s ascension to the White House. It begins with his mother’s murder when he was still a young boy and his vow of revenge.
Title: Casino Jack
Release Date: December 17, 2010
Films Releasing the Same Day: Frankie and Alice, How Do You Know, Rabbit Hole, Tron Legacy and Yogi Bear
Director: George Hickenlooper (Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse)
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Kelly Preston, Jon Lovitz, Barry Pepper, Spencer Garrett, Rachelle Lefevre
Storyline: Two–time Academy Award Winner Kevin Spacey gives the performance of a lifetime in CASINO JACK, a riotous new film starring Spacey as a man hell bent on acquiring all that the good life has to offer. He plays in the same game as the highest of rollers and resorts to awe–inspiring levels of conning, scheming and fraudulent antics to get what he wants. Inspired by true events that are too over–the–top for even the wildest imaginations to conjure, CASINO JACK lays bare the wild excesses and escapades of Jack Abramoff. Aided by his business partner Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper), Jack parlays his clout over some of the world’s most powerful men with the goal of creating a personal empire of wealth and influence. When the two enlist a mob–connected buddy (Jon Lovitz) to help with one of their illegal schemes, they soon find themselves in over their heads, entrenched in a world of mafia assassins, murder and a scandal that spins so out of control that it makes worldwide headlines.
Title: Drive Angry
Release Date: February 25, 2011
Films Releasing at Same Time: The Eagle and Hall Pass
Director: Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine 3-D)
Cast: Nicolas Cage, William Fichtner, Amber Heard, Billy Burke, David Morse, Christa Campbell, Tom Atkins
Storyline: Drive Angry stars Nicolas Cage as Milton, a hardened felon who has broken out for one last chance at redemption. Hell bent on stopping a vicious cult of fanatics who murdered his daughter, he has three days to stop them before they sacrifice his infant granddaughter beneath a full moon. Milton must us his anger to go beyond all human limits in order to save his last connection with humanity.
He’s joined by Piper, a young sexy-smart waitress who liberates her ex-boyfriend’s cherry red muscle car in order to help Milton. Now, the two of them are hot on the trail of the charismatic Jonah King and his murderous followers. King will throw every one of them faithful under the wheels of Milton’s turbo-charged Black ’71 Challenger, to fulfill hist destiny and unleash hell on earth.
But the bloodthirsty cult is the least of Milton’s problems. The police are after him, too. And worse. An enigmatic killer known only as “The Accountant.” The Accountant knows what Milton is trying to and and simply doesn’t care. With wicked cunning and hypnotic savagery, the Accountant will relentlessly pursue Milton at high speed across the forgotten back roads of the American south.
Fueled by high octane and pure rage, Milton and Piper must battle the onslaught of King’s disciples, avenge his murdered daughter, and save his granddaughter before his last chance at redemption is revoked.
Title: The Vow
Release Date: February 10, 2012
Films Releasing the Same Day: Safe House
Director: Michael Sucsy
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Scott Speedman, Jessica Lange, Sam Neill
Storyline: Centers on a young woman who loses all recent memory in a car accident and struggles to rebuild her identity, while her husband tries to win her heart for the second time.
On a side note, I feel it’s important to mention George Hickenlooper, the director of Casino Jack, which is listed above, passed away over the weekend at the age of 47. It’s being reported he died of natural causes while in Denver for the premiere of his new film.
My only association with Hickenlooper is having seen Hearts of Darkness, which documents the making of Apocalypse Now, and Factory Girl. I would often see him commenting over at Hollywood Elsewhere, and even this past June he sent me an email with some information regarding Casino Jack and inviting me to a Los Angeles screening of the film. While living in Seattle made that impossible, I was looking forward to seeing it in hopes of discussing the film with him in the future. I can now only imagine how that conversation would have gone.
