Heath Ledger Found Dead

Heath Ledger: 1979 - 2008

Source: The Associated Press

January 22, 2008

Heath Ledger was found dead in his Lower Manhattan apartment on Tuesday. He was 28. The Australian-born actor was nominated for an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain. In 2005, he met Michelle Williams during the filming of the drama. The two had lived in Brooklyn and had a daughter, Matilda, but split up last year.

There was no obvious indication that Ledger had committed suicide, New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said.

Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the SoHo apartment, Browne said. The massage therapist and a housekeeper found his naked body in the bed at about 3:30 p.m. They tried to revive him, but he was already dead.

"We are all deeply saddened and shocked by this accident," Ledger's publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said in a statement Tuesday night. "This is an extremely difficult time for his loved ones and we are asking the media to please respect the family's privacy and avoid speculation until the facts are known."

An autopsy was planned for Wednesday, medical examiner's office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

Ledger appears as The Joker in Warner Bros.' highly-anticipated summer 2008 comic book adaptation, The Dark Knight. Alan Horn, President and COO of Warner Bros. and Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group made the following statement:

"The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news. The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to his family and friends."

Cloverfield monster you betcha

AWWW! What a Shame!!!. Uwe Boll finally gets fucked! Thank God!

Uwe Boll Loses German Tax Shelter Funds 

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

January 15, 2008

German director Uwe Boll will return to low-budget filmmaking now that his latest and biggest production, the $70 million fantasy epic In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, bombed at the box office.

The $3 million opening marked the third flop in a row for Boll, whose BloodRayne and Alone in the Dark also failed to deliver theatrically.

Reached at his home in Mainz, Boll said the results from "King" mean he will be unable to continue with big-budget productions.

"In the future, I will focus on small films such as (the video game adaptation) 'Postal' or (the Vietnam war drama) 'Tunnel Rats,' " he said. "These are films that represent my true passion, and they can be done with small budgets."

Despite a number of critical and commercial drubbings, Boll has been able to finance bigger budget films through German tax shelter funds. But "King" marked the last film to be bankrolled by his fund, which, like all similar tax shelters, has been banned in Germany.

Boll will now have to finance films the old-fashioned way -- with presales. Given the director's record, that could prove difficult.

The German director has also lined up a decidedly pulpy title for his next adaptation -- the video game shoot 'em up Zombie Massacre.

GEORGE ROMERO'S DIARY OF THE DEAD TRAILER

Diary of the Dead Trailer Premiere

January 11, 20

The official MySpace page for George Romero's Diary of the Dead posted an exclusive look at the trailer today.

The Weinstein Company releases the film on February 15th; it will screen before then at the Sundance Film Festival. View the trailer here and get the scoop on how to get your very own short horror film on the DVD release of "Diary." When you're done, come on back here and peruse our newly updated gallery where we've posted six new stills.

With a story mixing elements of "The Blair Witch Project" and the long-running "Dead" series, the film will follow a group of college students shooting a horror movie in the woods who stumble upon a real zombie uprising. When the onslaught begins, they seize the moment as any good film students would, capturing the undead in a "cinema verite" style that causes more than the usual production headaches.

Yoda and Vader

Cloverfield Monster?

DiVad Movie Update:New Indiana Jones Photos and Interviews

New Indiana Jones Photos and Interviews! 

Source: Vanity Fair

January 2, 2008

Vanity Fair magazine has published a big feature on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull that includes new photos by Annie Leibovitz (see video of the photo shoots here), including a first look at Cate Blanchett, along with new interviews with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.

To check out the full article and interviews, click here!

DiVad's Movie Update: The Hancock Teaser Poster

The Hancock Teaser Poster

Source: IMP Awards

December 29, 2007

Columbia Pictures has revealed the new teaser poster for Will Smith's superhero dramedy Hancock. Directed by Peter Berg, the July 2 opener co-stars Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman and Johnny Galecki.

Even More Cloverfield TV Spots!

Even More Cloverfield TV Spots!

Source: Paramount Pictures

December 30, 2007

Paramount Pictures has revealed two more TV spots for the highly-anticipated Cloverfield, directed by Matt Reeves and produced by J.J. Abrams. In the action-thriller, opening January 18, five young New Yorkers throw their friend a going-away party the night that a monster the size of a skyscraper descends upon the city. Told from the point of view of their video camera, the film is a document of their attempt to survive the most surreal, horrifying event of their lives.

You can watch the new spots plus previous ones here!