Timur Bekmambetov

The Darkest Hour promises aliens who are truly alien

We got a sneak preview of Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov’s new production, an alien invasion flick set in Moscow called The Darkest Hour. Directed by Chris Gorak and starring Emile Hirsch (Speed Racer) and Max Minghella, the movie is about five Americans stranded in Moscow when a seemingly unstoppable alien invasion decimates the city and…

Movies Annalee Newitz Jul 24

Apollo 18 release date changes yet again — now it’s coming this summer!

Apollo 18, the lunar “found footage” horror film, has changed its release date several times. Originally, it was set to come out in March 2011, to preempt the other “found footage” horror film Area 51. (Which was also delayed.) Then Apollo 18 kept getting pushed back further and further, until it had a release date…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders May 2

First Apollo 18 Poster: “There’s a reason we’ve never gone back to the moon”

We’re pretty excited about Timur Bekmambetov’s moon mystery movie Apollo 18. If the ominous tagline doesn’t pull you in, this alien footprint (presumably on the Moon) poster should. Take a closer look. IGN has the first exclusive poster from the Bekmambetov produced and directed by Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego. The movie will be shot shaky-cam style as…

io9 Meredith Woerner Nov 24

Can you really make a Moon landing movie in just three months?

The race to cash in on the found footage movie craze has just hit a new peak of hysteria, as the Weinsteins are determined to film their Moon astronaut movie, Apollo 18, in time to release it in March. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Weinsteins (and producer Timur Bekmambetov) want to rush Apollo 18…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Nov 18

Monsters director teams up with Timur Bekmambetov for a post-human adventure

Gareth Edwards, writer and director of indie monster movie Monsters,is readying his next film, and he wants Timur Bekmambetov to produce. No plot description or title has been released, but the duo describe it as “an epic human story, set in a futuristic world without humanity.” [Deadline]

io9 Meredith Woerner Sep 14

An Alien Invasion Flick From the Director of “Wanted”? Yes, Please

Sure, there are tons of “take me to your leader” movies on the horizon, but the news that the hyper-stylish Timur Bekmambetov is saddling up to produce The Darkest Hour is good indeed. Hollywood is overflowing with alien-invasion movies in development, but The Darkest Hour sounds particularly intriguing. Nightwatch and Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov will…

Movies Marc Bernardin Apr 6

Tim Burton And Timur Bekmambetov To Make Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter?

Rumor has it that 9 producers Burton and Bekmambetov are joining together again to film the new Abraham-Lincoln-vs.-vampires novel, making it the second genre-fied classic to become a film. Deadline Hollywood is reporting that: Burton and Bekmambetov are aboard to produce a movie adaptation of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, the Seth Grahame-Smith novel that Grand…

Movies Meredith Woerner Mar 2

Children of Men Director Saves Us From Wanted 2

Two bits of awesome news! First there will be no contrived Wanted sequel, thanks to Angelina Jolie. Instead she’s going to star in Gravity from Children Of Men director Alfonso Cuarón. Which is definitely the second bit of good news. New York Magazine is reporting that Angelina Jolie pulled out of Universal’s Wanted 2 picture,…

Movies Meredith Woerner Feb 26

Shane Acker’s 9 Rules For Creating Great Post-Apocalyptic Movies

Shane Acker’s animated movie 9 features nine plucky ragdolls facing an army of beast machines after the human race has died off. We talked to Acker a while back, and he told us nine rules for great post-apocalyptic films. By now you’ve had a chance to see 9 for yourself, and appreciate its lush visuals…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Sep 11

If Nice Machines Battle Evil Machines After You’re Dead, Will You Care?

In most post-apocalyptic movies, we bring destruction on ourselves with our advanced science, and there’s a cautionary message about trusting technology. But the lyrical 9 may be the first film that shows good machines fighting evil ones, after we’re dead. Oh, and there are definitely spoilers in this review, although I try to avoid giving…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Sep 9

Timur Bekmambetov: 9 Is About Your Coworkers

You may think that 9 is all about ragdolls surviving the end of the world — but actually it’s about the people you deal with every day, says producer Timur Bekmambetov. Plus your first look at his Russian superhero film! We got a chance to sit down with Bekmambetov, director of Night Watch, Day Watch…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Sep 8

“Wanted” Director Hunts a Superpowered White Whale

Timur Bekmambetov will be revisiting superpowered assassins with his sequel to Wanted, but he’s already looking to his next project, a contemporary adaptation of Moby Dick. But this being Bekmambetov, his whales and whale hunters will have their own superpowers. Universal Pictures bought Bekmambetov’s reimagining of Herman Melville’s classic last fall, and the director promised…

io9 Lauren Davis Aug 10

Timur Bekmambetov Explains How Angelina Jolie Could Be In Wanted 2

So Wanted ended with a pretty final resolution for Angelina Jolie‘s character. But she’s supposedly coming back for the sequel. We asked director Timur Bekmambetov how she could return, and his answer was as simple as curving a bullet. Spoilers… So yes, Fox shot herself (and a ton of other people) in the head at…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Jul 25

A Dark Cyborg Bird Of Prey Attacks, In A 5-Minute Clip From Shane Acker’s 9

A new clip from Shane Acker‘s 9 shows us the harrowing confrontation between the last remnants of human society — a clan of rag dolls — and a nightmarish cyber-bird. This is the clip that blew our minds at Wondercon. The new clip also gives us more of a sense of the chaos that rag…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Jun 22

Ando And Tiffany “Running Just As Fast As They Can” From Cannibal Ghosts

This week in Cult, Heroes’ Ando and 80s pop sensation Tiffany take on a bunch of flesh-eating ghosts, we show you commercials from the Eraser Children future, and a better look at Timur Bekmambetov‘s flying car. Blood Snow formerly Necrosis A groups of buddies go skiing and end up resurrecting the Donner party. I want…

io9 Meredith Woerner May 24

Discover The Secret Origin Of 9’s Deadly Machines

An explosive trailer for Shane Acker‘s 9 just premiered on Attack Of The Show. It gives the origins of these post-apocalyptic ragdolls… plus why the terrifying red-eyed machines are so determined to wipe them out. 9, produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, comes out on Sept. 9. (And that other movie called Nine comes…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders May 19

Post-Apocalyptic Ragdolls Meet A Deadly Machine Predator, In New 9 Clip

Shane Acker‘s animated movie 9 already impressed us with its blend of action and gothy postapocalyptic-ragdoll imagery. But a new clip underscores how scary the film, produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmabetov, will be. Watch it in high-definition here. That weird cyborg bug with the decoy/lure creeps me the hell out, and I don’t…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Apr 20

Wanted 2’s Writer Has Resume For Violence, Audience Disdain

A follow-up to an ultraviolent comic book movie being written by a former Winnie the Pooh writer from an idea by the creator of Fast and Furious? Wanted 2 sounds like must-see car-crash cinemagoing. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t doubt that Furious scriptwriter Chris Morgan (also one of the writers of the original Wanted…

Movies Graeme McMillan Apr 18

A Flying Car Chase We’d Love To See

Check out this new concept art from Black Lightning, the next project from Wanted’s Timur Bekmambetov. It’s like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, only with a thousand percent more bang. In Black Lightning, a student at Moscow’s Institute of Higher Education gets hold of a used car, which turns out to be able to fly. And…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Mar 19

New Footage From 9 Tore Our Stuffing Out

We’ve been excited about the animated film 9 since we saw the trailer, and we got a chance to see some footage and hear from animation director Joe Ksander and star Elijah Wood. Spoilers! https://gizmodo.com/forget-john-connor-a-straw-man-is-our-only-hope-again-5117511 Writer/director Shane Acker made the post-apocalyptic ragdoll odyssey 9 as a short film while he was a student at UCLA,…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Mar 12

The Darkest Hour promises aliens who are truly alien

Apollo 18 release date changes yet again — now it’s coming this summer!

First Apollo 18 Poster: “There’s a reason we’ve never gone back to the moon”

Can you really make a Moon landing movie in just three months?

Monsters director teams up with Timur Bekmambetov for a post-human adventure

An Alien Invasion Flick From the Director of “Wanted”? Yes, Please

Tim Burton And Timur Bekmambetov To Make Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter?

Children of Men Director Saves Us From Wanted 2

Shane Acker’s 9 Rules For Creating Great Post-Apocalyptic Movies

If Nice Machines Battle Evil Machines After You’re Dead, Will You Care?

Timur Bekmambetov: 9 Is About Your Coworkers

“Wanted” Director Hunts a Superpowered White Whale

Timur Bekmambetov Explains How Angelina Jolie Could Be In Wanted 2

A Dark Cyborg Bird Of Prey Attacks, In A 5-Minute Clip From Shane Acker’s 9

Ando And Tiffany “Running Just As Fast As They Can” From Cannibal Ghosts

Discover The Secret Origin Of 9’s Deadly Machines

Post-Apocalyptic Ragdolls Meet A Deadly Machine Predator, In New 9 Clip

Wanted 2’s Writer Has Resume For Violence, Audience Disdain

A Flying Car Chase We’d Love To See

New Footage From 9 Tore Our Stuffing Out

Amazon Is Sticking With ‘Rings of Power’ to the End

Trump Is Reportedly Going Full Steam Ahead with the Golden Dome

‘Kamen Rider’ Is Ready to Take on the World

Twitter Just Can’t Stop Leaking Movies

The ‘Mass Effect’ Show is Getting Rewritten to Get Greenlit

See the Early Stages of How ‘Project Hail Mary’ Brought Rocky to Life

‘Cognitive Surrender’ Is a New and Useful Term for How AI Melts Brains

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