Hawk The Slayer To Return In A Sequel

Terry Marcel prepping Hawk The Hunter

Clearly it's a week for unexpected and belated sequels. A day after the news that Robin Hardy is prepping the final part of his Wicker Man trilogy, comes the revelation that Hawk The Slayer is also set to return, 35 years after his first adventure. Original director Terry Marcel, in cahoots with 2000AD publishers Rebellion, is about to launch a crowdfunding campaign for Hawk The Hunter.

Much beloved of VHS-era schoolboys, the 1980 Hawk starred John Terry (the guy from Lost, not the footballer) as the titular adventurer, with Jack Palance as his scenery-chewing evil older brother Voltan. Casting support came from Brit stalwarts like Bernard Bresslaw and Roy Kinnear. Voltan kills his father and kidnaps a nun. Hawk mounts a rescue mission with a sorceress, a dwarf, an elf, a giant with a big mallett, and the ancient power of the Sword Of Mind.

The details of Hawk The Hunter are sketchy at present, pending a full announcement by Marcel later today. We know that Marcel will be delegating the directing duties this time, but it's unclear who's replacing him; whether any cast is yet in place (although Ray Charleson seems possible - see below); or if this is the same film as Hawk The Destroyer, the unrealised sequel Marcel was already talking about thirty years ago. All - or at least more - will no doubt be revealed in due course.

"Hawk the Slayer was important to me as a boy," says Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley, "and has remained an important touchstone for me now as an adult. It blazed a shining path of true sword and sorcery movie magic for others to follow. I am delighted, and slightly awed, to be part of the team helping to create more adventures for Hawk and his friends." 

"This is a dream come true," says Marcel. "I’m delighted to be working with a true fan of sword-and-sorcery whose talent means the possibilities for Hawk are endless – keep watching Hawk fans!"

Rebellion have also snapped up the games and publishing rights to the property. With exquisite timing, a new Hawk The Slayer Blu-ray is out on Monday from Network. We'll update on Hawk The Hunter shortly, following the kick-starting of the Kickstarter.

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The Edinburgh International Film Festival 2015: Highlights And Round-Up

Inside Out and 45 Years take a bow

The sun has set on this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival, meaning that it's time for a spot of reflection. In general, there was a lot to like about the 2015 programme, which featured plenty of interesting titles and a variety of well-received choices. One Scottish film was given a critical kicking across the board — clue: it rhymes with 'Mottish Scussel'* — but aside from that, there were very few duds.
 
In terms of highlights, there is little doubt that this year’s most popular film was Inside Out, the latest animated feature from Pixar. Revolving around a young girl named Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias), it tells a lovely story that cuts between the real world and the inside of Riley’s mind, which is visualised as a control room of sorts. Referred to as “Headquarters”, this area is populated by five personified emotions — including Joy (Amy Poehler) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) — who try to guide Riley through the perils of everyday life.
 
What follows is a joyous feast of creativity and wit. Accompanied by a beautiful score from Michael Giacchino, Inside Out is surprisingly moving at times — witness Joy skating as she watches an old memory of Riley doing the same — while the story is dotted with clever gags. At one point, for example, Joy says that Facts (which are represented as small blocks) are easy to confuse with Opinions (also represented as small blocks) because they look extremely similar. Moments like this are scattered throughout, helping to create a funny, heartwarming experience that might just be Pixar’s finest film to date.
 
Speaking of fine films, the second festival title worth highlighting is Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years, which is best described as a slow-burning, low-key relationship drama. Set in the Norfolk countryside, it follows Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and Geoff (Tom Courtenay), a childless couple who are about to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary. As the party approaches, Geoff receives a letter about his long-dead ex-girlfriend — whom he dated before Kate — as it turns out that her body has finally been found. Kate is supportive at first, but after one or two upsetting revelations, she becomes consumed by feelings of resentment.
 
At this stage, it’s important to note that 45 Years isn’t the kind of film that involves shouty, melodramatic confrontations. Building towards a quietly devastating climax, it is a subtle, elegant, understated piece of work, which benefits from beautiful direction and two remarkable performances. Together, Rampling and Courtenay make for a compelling screen duo, offering a wholly convincing portrait of an ageing couple who have been together for a very long time. Rampling, in particular, has rarely been better, conveying an outwardly composed individual who is falling apart under the surface.
 
While we’re on the subject of composed individuals, it should be mentioned that this year also marked the arrival of new artistic director Mark Adams. Could his first EIFF have been better? Perhaps. But at the very least it was a solid, promising start to his tenure, and on the basis of the films mentioned above, next year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival can’t come soon enough.

Written by Stephen Carty

* Scottish Mussel

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Exclusive First Look At Nicholas Hoult In Kill Your Friends

How to get ahead in the record industry

One of our fastest rising young actors, Nicholas Hoult mainlined Mad Max: Fury Road with crazed energy as the shiny, chrome-faced Nux. He has X-Men: Apocalypse and Eran Creevy’s intriguing Autobahn on his dance card, but before either of those, Kill Your Friends will offer a showcase for his talents for black comedy. Here's a first look at him as Steven Stelfox in the upcoming adaptation of John Niven’s ‘90s-set novel, courtesy of the nice people at StudioCanal.



Set in the murky, often chemically enhanced world of the music industry circa the Britpop era, Kill Your Friends follows Hoult’s A&R man as he rides the Cool Britannia wave through its Blur vs Oasis high point and down a deep, dark hole. A sort of Filth or American Psycho for the music biz? Maybe. It’s just possible that Stelfox is as lacking in the milk of human kindness as Patrick Bateman and Bruce Robertson. Things definitely take a turn for the bloody when the 27 year-old hotshot turns to murder to get ahead of his peers.

It’s adapted by Niven himself, so expect none of the book’s acidic flavour to be diluted, with Black Mirror’s Owen Harris debuting behind the camera. Jim Piddock, James Corden, Austenland's Georgia King, Da Vinci's Demons' Tom Riley, Submarine's Craig Roberts, Half Of A Yellow Sun's Joseph Mawle and Bunny & The Bull's Edward Hogg also appear.

Kill Your Friends lands in the UK on November 6.

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Gattaca's Andrew Niccol Writing Monopoly

As Lionsgate takes over the rights to the game adaptation

Can Andrew Niccol succeed where Ridley Scott has apparently thrown in the towel? Lionsgate and Hasbro appear to think so, as the studio and the toy company have handed scripting duty on the Monopoly adaptation to the Gattaca man.

Scott had been trying for several years to use the game as a launching point for a fantasy adventure, but to no avail. Script drafts have come and gone. The closest effort appeared to be producer Frank Beddor’s pitch for a Jumanji-style story about someone sucked into the game and forced to battle corrupt money types.

Now, though, Hasbro has taken back the rights to the game and handed them to the Hunger Games company in the hopes that it – and Niccol – can find a workable concept. In their idea, set within the game’s buildings and streets, “a boy from Baltic Avenue (a square on the American version of the game), uses both Chance and Community in a quest to make his fortune, taking him on an adventure-filled journey. It's about making your own luck, what makes you truly rich and avoiding jail time.” Or so says the press release, covered by The Hollywood Reporter.

"Hasbro is a partner with incredible global reach, one of the most compelling brand portfolios in the world, and a signature brand in Monopoly that has multigenerational appeal," says Lionsgate motion picture group co-president Erik Feig. "Andrew Niccol is the ultimate world creator. He is an inspired choice to develop this timeless property into a big, crowd-pleasing event film that will appeal to kids, families and anyone who has ever played the Monopoly game." They’ll need plenty of luck if they’re going to collect at the box office.

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Stephen Colbert Interviewing Eminem on Public Access Is Pure Magic

Stephen Colbert still has some time before he has to be behind the desk at The Late Show, but he's not just sitting around twiddling his thumbs. He's already taken to the internet to document shaving his beard and address the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage decision, and now he's hitting the

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Andrew Niccol Writing Monopoly

As Lionsgate takes over the rights to the game adaptation

Can Andrew Niccol succeed where Ridley Scott has apparently thrown in the towel? Lionsgate and Hasbro appear to think so, as the studio and the toy company have handed scripting duty on the Monopoly adaptation to the Gattaca man.

Scott had been trying for several years to use the game as a launching point for a fantasy adventure, but to no avail with script drafts coming and going. The closest effort appeared to be producer Frank Beddor’s pitch for a Jumanji-style story about someone sucked into the game and forced to battle corrupt money types.

Now, though, Hasbro has taken back the rights to the game and handed them to the Hunger Games company in the hopes it – and Niccol – can find a workable concept. In their idea, set within the game’s buildings and streets, “a boy from Baltic Avenue (a square on the American version of the game), uses both Chance and Community in a quest to make his fortune, taking him on an adventure-filled journey. It's about making your own luck, what makes you truly rich and avoiding jail time.” Or so says the press release, covered by The Hollywood Reporter.

"Hasbro is a partner with incredible global reach, one of the most compelling brand portfolios in the world, and a signature brand in Monopoly that has multigenerational appeal," says Lionsgate motion picture group co-president Erik Feig. "Andrew Niccol is the ultimate world creator... He is an inspired choice to develop this timeless property into a big, crowd-pleasing event film that will appeal to kids, families and anyone who has ever played the Monopoly game." They’ll need plenty of luck if they’re going to collect at the box office.

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Fatal Attraction Miniseries In The Works

Hop for your lives, bunnies!

In its continued effort to raid the archives for films it can rework for the small screen, Paramount TV has turned its eye towards one of the most influential psychosexual thrillers of the 1980s. Fatal Attraction is taking aim at our tellies.

Adrian Lyne’s 1987 film starred Michael Douglas as Dan Gallagher, a married man who cheats on his wife for a one-night stand with Alex Forrest (Glenn Close). But when Gallagher decides that’s all it’ll be, Forrest becomes obsessed with him, and starts stalking both Dan and his family, including wife Beth (Anne Archer). Things turn violent, and especially unfortunate for the Gallagher family rabbit, which ends up boiling in a pot on the stove.

The film launched a raft of imitators and now Mad Men veterans Maria and Andre Jacquemetton are on hand to figure out stretching the concept across what US TV refers to as an “event” series made up of hour-long episodes. No plot details have emerged yet, but it’ll likely focus on a similar situation in which a married man finds that his infidelity comes with a dangerous price. The embryonic show has attracted the interested of the Fox network in the US, and the first script is already underway.

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