The Day the Earth Stood Still Movie Trailer
“My name is Klaatu Reeves and I have come to Earth to warn you of Hancock.” The first trailer for December’s big budget remake of 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still is now online after premiering in front of Will Smith’s ne’er-do-well superhero flick. Under an icy blue tint, the preview quickly evokes Close Encounters, The Abyss, Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, Contact and Langoliers before closing in on the modern green message, an aspect that Keanu Reeves has mentioned briefly in the press….
“The version I was just working on, instead of being man against man, it’s more about man against nature. My Klaatu says that if the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the earth survives. I’m a friend to the earth.”
The special effects by Weta Digital—the emphasis here is on a large alien orb and apocalyptic destruction—seem crisp and foreboding enough. Glimpses of a cast that includes Jennifer Connelly, Mad Men’s Jon Hamm (his first major movie role) and Kathy Bates, give the impression that director Scott Derrickson (Exorcism of Emily Rose) may have crafted a classier Day After Tomorrow. If so, that would slightly exceed most fanboys’ early expectations for the film. Alas, do you see Gort? Check out the comments.
Watch the trailer in high resolution on filmweb.no.
Synopsis: Updating the 1951 sci-fi classic’s Cold War and religious themes, Keanu Reeves stars as Klaatu, a mysterious man from another world who warns Earth’s humans that unless they change their gluttonous and harmful ways and pay more attention to the planet’s needs, aliens will swoop down and destroy them for good. :0
The Day the Earth Stood Still opens on December 12th.
Johnny Depp Sings in Sweeney Todd
Johnny Depp Sings in Sweeney Todd
New York City was the place to be for “Pirates of the Caribbean” alumni last night! While Keira Knightley was across town for the premiere of “Atonement,” Johnny Depp was over at the Zeigfeld Theatre hamming it up for his new flick “Sweeney Todd.”
Depp was looking dapper for the cameras, which begs the question, “Do the clothes make the man, or is it the man that makes the clothes?”
In “Sweeney Todd” Johnny teamed up, once again, with Tim Burton. Despite their frequent collaboration, Burton says this is the first time he’s heard Depp sing. Tim told press, “He did surprise me. It was better than I thought so that is always an exciting surprise.”
Meanwhile, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” hunk told press his role in “Sweeney Todd” was therapeutic. “With every character you play there is some opportunity for therapy in a sense. There is exploration to some degree, exorcism in a way.”
Keanu Reeves Talks Environmental Message, Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still
Due in December, nothing substantial or even trivial has leaked from 20th Century Fox’s big budget remake of sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still starring Keanu Reeves, John Cleese, Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates. Reeves, who will next be seen in Aprils’s LAPD actioner Street Kings and plays the alien Klaatu in the holiday tent pole, talked to MTV about the enigmatic project and how it will differ from the 1951 original. While the movie’s premise will still revolve around aliens telling Earthlings to figure out world peace (and pronto!), director Scott Derrickson’s (Exorcism of Emily Rose) take will be updated for the Prius and metal water bottle set…
“The first one was borne out of the cold war and nuclear détente. Klaatu came and was saying cease and desist with your violence. If you can’t do it yourselves we’re going to do it. That was the film of that day,” Reeves explained. “The version I was just working on, instead of being man against man, it’s more about man against nature. My Klaatu says that if the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the earth survives. I’m a friend to the earth. …what we are doing and who we are as a species. We’re trying to reach beyond the idea of [just] environmentalism.”
Yeah, that’s cool Keanu, but what about the film’s signature robot Gort? Will it still look like a trophy statuette for “Greatest Rave Act 2002″?
“Hey man, don’t put that tin man down! That was iconoclastic!” Reeves protested. “[But] yes, we have another version of the [robot].”
Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates Join The Day The Earth Stood Still
I’m not sure who exactly is excited about The Day The Earth Stood Still remake. Maybe Keanu Reeves, who will be taking home another huge paycheck for another lackluster sci-fi film. And now it has been announced that Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates have joined the Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) remake. Connelly and Bates are both great oscar-winning actresses, who will surely bring a new level to this project. But we also must remember that Connelly was involved in that horrible American remake of Dark Water, and Bates now makes 5 movies a year (4 of which usually aren’t good).
Connelly will play Helen Benson (played by Patricia Neal in the original), an employee of the United States Department of Commerce who meets Klaatu (Reeves), an alien who arrives on Earth with a warning to world leaders that their continued aggression will lead to annihilation by aliens watching from far away.
The original 1951 Robert Wise film was considered one of the best Science Fiction films of all time (#7 on Arthur C Clarke’s List) and was debated for it’s religious symbolism and many interpretations. Bernard Herrmann score is also notable, partly because of its use of two theremins. The film is currently ranked #187 of all time on IMDb, with a 8.1 rating.
Production begins December in Vancouver. The Day The Earth Stood Still will hit theaters on December 12th 2008.