Django Unchained
First up is an exciting first trailer - for Quentin Tarantino’s new film Django Unchained. The film follows a slave-turned-bounty hunter (Jamie Foxx) who, with the help of his mentor (Christoph Waltz), sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner (LeonardoDiCaprio). Introducing us to these leading men, the new trailer sets up the plot very well. Following QT's last film, Inglourious Basterds, I’m positive that we're in for a treat with this. Whatever the case, with the charismatic Waltz in the lead role as the film’s bad guy, it almost definitely cannot be bad!
Bourne Legacy
Another big trailer this week is for the latest Bourne instalment, Tony Gilroy’s Bourne Legacy. With Jeremy Renner now in the lead, the film carries on the franchise with his character whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films. With a supporting cast headed up by Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton and Stacy Keach, as well as Albert Finney, Oscar Isaac, Joan Allen, Scott Glenn, and David Strathairn reprising their original roles, the film is set to be released on 13th August.
Les Miserables
On a musical note, we have the first trailer for Tom Hooper’s big screen adaptation of the epic musical drama, Les Miserables. Adapted from the hugely successful stage show based on Victor Hugo’s classic 1862 novel, the film is set in 19th century France and follows paroled prisoner Jean Valjean(Hugh Jackman) who seeks redemption. The new trailer features the voice of Anne Hathaway as Fantine and, having not seen the theatre production myself, I think it looks pretty good. Also starring Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Samantha Barks, the film is set to be released on 11th January 2013.
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
One of my favourite new trailers from the past couple of weeks is the first for Steven Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, an adaptation of his acclaimed novel of the same name. Following Logan Lerman in the lead role, the film follows his character as an introverted high school freshman who finds acceptance in two senior students, one played by Emma Watson and the other by Ezra Miller, as he is caught between trying to live his life and escape it. The trailer looks like a bit of light-hearted fun, but it’s the casting that is something we might have to get used to, with two of the leads – Watson and Miller – playing very different roles from what we have grown used to from them. Watson, best known for the innocent and hard-working Hermione from Harry Potter, plays much more of a rule-breaking character here, whilst Miller, recently seen as the murderous and creepy son in We Need To Talk About Kevin appears to be someone we will have to get used to laughing along with. Also starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Rudd and Mae Whitman, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is set to be released on 14th September in the US, but has no UK release date as of yet.
Wreck it Ralph
Another great first trailer is the first for Disney’s Wreck it Ralph. With a voice cast including John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch, the film is directed by Rich Moore and follows game character Wreck-It Ralph (Reilly) who longs to be as beloved as his game’s perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix (McBrayer). But nobody loves a Bad Guy, so when a modern, first-person shooter arrives featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (Lynch), Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. He sneaks into the game with a simple plan—win a medal—but soon wrecks everything, and accidently unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade. The new trailer looks absolutely fantastic. Set to be released in the US 2nd November, the film is currently awaiting confirmation for a UK release date.
Branded
A trailer that has intrigued me this week is for sci-fi thriller Branded. Starring a decent cast including Ed Stoppard, Max von Sydow, Leelee Sobieski and JeffreyTambor, the film is set in a dystopian future where corporate branding has run amok. Co-directed and written by Jamie Bradshaw and Aleksandr Dulerayn, the film looks at a radically changed world where visions of bizarre and terrifying creatures with the ability to influence people’s thoughts, desires and actions are used as part of a company’s advertising campaign. The trailer reminds me of the upcoming Cosmopolis with the weird visuals and futuristic nature; I’m not sure what to think yet but I definitely won’t be able to get this one out of my head. Set to be released in the US on 7th September, the film has no UK date as of yet but it’s sure to get one soon with all its promotion.
