Tag: Will Smith

The first trailer for next summer’s “Men in Black 3″ reveals that a lot of time traveling is going on. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back as Agents J and K, running around after all kinds of aliens on the loose in New York City. But this time, Smith’s Agent J travels back in time to the 1960s, where he encounters a much younger version of his partner, played in the past by Josh Brolin. Viewers may also find themselves time traveling a bit, as “Men in Black 3″ is scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend of 2012, almost 10 years after the previous film, “Men in Black 2.” Can Smith, Jones and returning director Barry Sonnenfeld  recapture the magic spark that made the MiBs so cool back in the Clinton era? The third film in the franchise ...

No movie dreams bigger this summer than “Inception,” and Ben Fritz has a cover story Tuesday in the business section of the Los Angeles Times about the commercial risks of the epic. During his reporting, he came up with an interesting tidbit about casting …   There was never any doubt at Warner Bros. that “Inception” would star one of the world’s biggest stars. The only question was which star. In early talks with writer/director Christopher Nolan, the studio considered both Brad Pitt and Will Smith for the lead role as a dream thief, Warner Film Group president Jeff Robinov said in an interview about the movie. Of course, the role ultimately went to Leonardo DiCaprio — a decision that certainly seems to sit well with early reviewers. Casting DiCaprio, who is recognized by moviegoers around the world but has a mixed box-office record, may ...

Rachel Abramowitz is back on the Hero Complex with a look at the past and the future of “The Karate Kid.”  The writer of 1984′s “The Karate Kid“ isn’t flipping for this summer’s remake starring young Jaden Smith, the son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. “It’s weird to have your films remade in your lifetime,”  says screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen, who has watched an Internet backlash against trailers for the June movie. “Two-thirds of the comments out there are negative: ‘Why are you remaking this classic?’ ‘It was the movie of my childhood.’ ‘It was my inspirational movie.’ ‘Why are you remaking it? Just because Jaden is a little rich kid?’  I’m wondering if those people are going to go see it.” Kamen is best known these days as French writer-director-producer Luc Besson’s go-to collaborator on projects such as “Taken,” “The Transporter” films and ...

Recent L.A. Times addition Steven Zeitchik has another casting scoop for Hero Complex: Josh Brolin could be going from “W.” to K. With “No Country for Old Men,” “Milk,” “W.,” and, of course, “The Goonies” on his resume, Brolin’s filmography speaks for itself. Now he may be adding “Men in Black 3” to that estimable list. The actor is being considered for a role that would have him donning the black suit and shades for the third installment of the sci-fi comedy franchise. His exact part is a matter of discussion, but in recent days there’s been chatter in Hollywood development circles of a few possibilities: He could play a new single-monikered government agent, with Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K passing the baton to Brolin’s character. Or he could play Agent K as a young man. Or something else entirely. ...