tim burton

Audiences seem split right down the middle on Tim Burton's take on Alice in Wonderland. I'm in the camp that found it a tedious mess of production design with very little in the way of story or character for me to cling to, and this is coming from a lifelong Burton fan. What I thought would be a perfect marriage of director and material was not so perfect, so why am I willing to root for him to take on the wonderful world of Oz?

The L.A. Times reports that Warner Brothers is looking at L. Frank Baum's Oz series as the next big fantasy franchise, and while no director has been announced, Alice's $210 milllion worldwide opening weekend has probably put Burton on their short list of dream directors for the series. Warners has a couple of Oz screenplays at the ready, one a traditional tale and the other a post-modern spin that sounds an awful lot like the failed Lost in Oz pilot that Burton produced in 2002.

I don't want to be let down again, but Oz has a couple things going for it -- it's easier to adapt than Alice (due to stronger plotting) and there are more novels to pull from, so there's a much richer, established fantasy world to work within. No matter how boring I may have found Burton's 3-D Disney flick, I'd be there opening day if he signed on to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Of course, there's a part of me that realizes his original projects (Beetlejuice, Big Fish, Edward Scissorhands) are far better than his films based on pre-existing properties (Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mars Attacks).

What do you think? Is Tim Burton the man for the job or should he start exploring his own original material again?

It's been a long time since I've read Alice in Wonderland. Long enough that the details are fuzzy even if the big picture and the major events remain pretty clear. Hopefully some kind soul can email me or leave a comment below explaining why I'm a moron who needs to do his research before he writes anything because I don't remember Alice in Wonderland looking or feeling anything like what I'm seeing in the new trailer (watch it after the jump). Why are there epic Lord of the Rings battles? Outside of Johnny Depp's casting, why is the Mad Hatter so incredibly prominent? Why is Alice wearing armor and wielding a sword at one point?

I'm definitely not opposed to changing things up for the film. In fact, the story needs a cinematic kick to the butt if it's going to work on the big screen at all. The original book is little more than a series of events with no narrative drive and reverses or turns to keep the story interesting. So if Tim Burton wants to shake things up, I say go for it.

(Apparently a screen test shot dating back to that failed Superman project starring Nicolas Cage has arrived online, and we think we speak for all of you when we thank the heavens that this thing never made it out alive. Here's Monika Bartyzel reporting for Cinematical.)

I was always intrigued by the notion of Nicolas Cage as Superman. It seemed insane, but possibly brilliant, especially in a time before the craptastic fare that Cage has busied himself with recently. But man, if the above image is legit, we dodged the biggest bullet ever. Tim Burton JP revealed the above stunner, which is supposed to be one of Cage's costume tests for the production. It looks one teeny tiny degree away from rubber nipples. So much for my visions of Cage in stretchy cotton!

As IGN outlined, the Warner Bros. production of Superman Lives was gearing up back in the late '90s, with Cage playing Supes, and Tim Burton directing from a screenplay by Kevin Smith (that was rewritten by Wesley Strick). But the budget was expanding out of control, and after concept art and costumes were designed, the project was scrapped (Hallelujah!) and ultimately reworked into the less-than-stellar Superman Returns many years later.

I love The Burton, but he really would've rivaled Joel Schumacher for ridiculous superhero costumes if this made it to the big screen. Could this possibly be real? Could you have stomached Superman donning a cape and faux-muscled body suit?

At Comic-Con, legends come a dime a dozen, and those are just the ones on the printed pages of the comics on the exhibition hall floor. But in Hall H, the epicenter of the convention's surprises, revelations and exclusives, true groundbreakers and history-makers are in comparatively short supply. This year, however, there were several, including James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Hayao Miyazaki, and Terry Gilliam; but even in such rarified company, Tim Burton stands head and shoulder above in terms of providing memorable, specific, and ongoing inspiration to the folks who like to look up at these filmmakers' latest projects.

Suffice it to say that a checklist of his most iconic films would be redundant, since virtually all of them qualify, either because of their source material, or his interpretation of it. But the filmmaker has two high-profile projects coming out in the next year or so, each of which applies his inventive style in different ways: first, there's 9, Shane Acker's computer-generated post-apocalyptic odyssey, which Burton is producing; and in 2010, there's Alice in Wonderland, his adaptation of the classic novel by Lewis Carroll.

In between Hall H panels, Cinematical caught up with Burton to discuss his work on 9 and Alice in Wonderland. In addition to talking about the technological opportunities and challenges presented on both films, he offered a few secrets about the forthcoming spectacle of Alice, and reflected on the filmmaking style – and substance – that has made his idiosyncratic body of work a happy home for outsiders and mainstream audiences alike.

Friday afternoon Hall H attendees were treated to their second chance to speak to Tim Burton (following his appearance Thursday for Alice in Wonderland), and their first look at the new film 9. Directed by Shane Acker, the film is produced by Burton and Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov, both of whom offered a few insights about their own work as they showcased the results of the first-time filmmaker's adaptation of his own animated short film.

Among the details revealed during the 9 panel:

From Cinematical

The first teaser trailer for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland has arrived online via IGN, and the thing just looks bloody brilliant. Of course they save the best parts for the end, including a re-introduction to the Mad Hatter -- played this time by Johnny Depp, doing his best whimsical British accent. Starring Depp, Anne Hathaway (as the White Queen), Helena Bonham Carter (as the Red Queen), Alan Rickman (as the Caterpillar), Michael Sheen (as the White Rabbit), Stephen Fry (as the Cheshire Cat), Christopher Lee (as the Jabberwock), Crispin Glover (as the Knave of Hearts) and Matt Lucas (as both Tweedledee and Tweedledum), this version of Alice in Wonderland picks up ten years after Alice's original visit. This time she's a 19-year-old who decides to return for another magical adventure and embarks on a journey to find her true destiny and end the Red Queen's reign of terror.

Burton really looks like he was in his element with this one, and after watching this trailer and looking at all the images and concept art, I think I'm anticipating Alice in Wonderland more than his last few big-screen efforts. What about you? Did Burton succeed here, or does it look like the film spent too much time making itself pretty instead of focusing on story and substance? Check out the teaser trailer after the jump and let us know what you think.

Alice in Wonderland hits theaters on March 5, 2010.

UPDATE: The trailer will return online tonight at 10pm EST where Moviefone will be among only a handful of sites debuting it in full, glorious HD fashion. We'll return at that time and bring it back to you ... so stay tuned ...

By: Peter Martin

Though it's still months away from release, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland has already generated considerable interest. Johnny Depp's star power can properly be credited -- who doesn't want to see him play The Mad Hatter? -- but I think most people would concede that the project wouldn't be 1/10 as promising if it wasn't Tim Burton at the helm. Burton has created more fantastical, wildly different worlds than most any other filmmaker, so the prospect of him unleashing his imagination on the world of Lewis Carroll is enough to make me giggle like a little boy.

All that to say that the official site for the filmmaker has a teaser gallery for The Art of Tim Burton, a massive book coming this fall that will provide "a comprehensive look at the personal and project artwork of Tim Burton," featuring more than 1,000 illustrations and 400 pages. A host of collaborators and friends, including Depp, Winona Ryder, and Christopher Lee, are contributing text to the book, which will have a number of fold-outs. Both standard and deluxe editions are promised.

Read the rest at Cinematical

Though these new images look a lot like the ones that were recently released, we thought you'd want to see them anyway. Featured in the upcoming edition of Vanity Fair are full-body images of Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter's Red Queen and Mia Wasikowska as Alice. Directed by Tim Burton, this version of Alice in Wonderland -- which picks up during Alice's teenage years, 10 years after her original trip to Wonderland -- will mix live-action and motion-capture, and arrive in 3D.

Personally, I've always felt Burton was at his best when he tackled an original story, instead of adapting someone else's work. Yes, this will be an original Wonderland tale, but it's still based on existing characters. I'd love to see Burton pull off another Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands -- a film that takes place inside a completely original (and creative) universe. In the meantime, we have Alice in Wonderland arriving on March 5, 2010. Check out the new images below and the rest over at Cinematical's gallery.

Welcome to Captain's Log -- your (semi) daily round-up of sci-fi randomness from around the web. Here's what's happening today:

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City will be holding a Tim Burton exhibition from November 22, 2009 through April 26, 2010 that will feature a gallery exhibition and a film series. The MoMA website says they will feature "artwork generated during the conception and production of his films, and highlights a number of unrealized projects and never-before-seen pieces, as well as student art, his earliest non-professional films, and examples of his work as a storyteller and graphic artist for non-film projects."[MoMA]

More for artsy New Yorkers: From July 10th through July 16th, Film Forum will be screening a new 35mm print of Ridley Scott's Alien. Showtimes daily are 2:00, 4:30, 7:00 & 9:30. If you're anywhere near New York and you're a fan of Alien (who isn't?), then I'd take this opportunity to see the film on the big screen. Tickets will be available beginning July 3rd. [Film Forum]

Jay Baruchel told MTV that Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse will go before cameras within the next year and a half. Originally, Baruchel and Seth Rogen shot a trailer for the film that Rogen and his writing partner Evan Goldberg (Superbad) wrote together with the hopes that someone would fund it, make it and put them in it. Well Mandate Pictures secured the rights, and they've got the all clear, but because Rogen and Goldberg are so busy with The Green Hornet, it's being shoved to the back-burner. I'm dying to see this flick; their very NSFW trailer can be seen over on YouTube. [MTV]

More sci-fi awesomeness after the jump