Jonathan Liebesman may direct Clash of the Titans 2?

Clash of the Titans has claimed over $486 million worldwide following its release in March, and Warner Bros. has since announced a sequel is in the works with a 2012 release in mind. Louis Leterrier will not be returning as director (he will take on a producing role instead), which means Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are on the lookout for a new director.

Well according to The L.A Times The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning director Jonathan Liebesman may be the leading candidate:

A number of filmmakers are in contention for the job, but one name that’s risen to the top of the list is Jonathan Liebesman. Originally a horror director — he made “Darkness Falls” and the 2006 “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” prequel — Liebesman has re-fashioned himself as an action director. The filmmaker has a movie called “Battle: Los Angeles” — about an alien invasion in this fair city — coming next year. He’s also onboard for another classic action tale (or an action tale set in a classic period) at Warner Bros: a re-imagining of “Odysseus” with the producers of “300,” which Liebesman helped conceive and then sold to the studio.

A quick glance at Rotten Tomatoes shows that Liebesman films have been poorly received. Neither Darkness Falls or Massacre has a rating above 13%, which isn’t very encouraging. Battle: Los Angeles, which follows a Marine platoon facing off against an alien invasion in Los Angeles, sounds promising. Liebesman may turn out to be a better action director than a horror one.

Warner Bros. are likely to confirm a director soon as they are aiming to begin shooting (actually in 3D this time, not converting) in January. James Cameron may call Sam Worthington to his New Zealand lair for Avatar 2 next year so they have to move quickly while Worthington is free.

source

2 writers hired for Clash of the Titans 2

Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have paired screenwriters Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson to write Clash of the Titans 2. Heat Vision reports that the two will work on the treatment with writer Greg Berlanti (Green Lantern) and then go off to write the screenplay. It’s rare to bring separate writers together for a project. Usually, a studio will hire one writer and then another writer with a different expertise to work on a particular aspect of the script. Mazeau is known for writing exciting set pieces while Johnson’s area of expertise is writing darker characters, like last year’s (widely-ridiculed) Orphan. The hope is that bringing them together will streamline the process and create a cohesive narrative.

Hit the jump for more on the project.

The larger question regarding Clash 2 is whether they’ll stick to the script. It was obvious that the first Clash had been hacked together along the way and the result was a mess. The shoddy 3D-conversion didn’t help, but at least this time around they’ll be shooting in 3D. The studio is also considering director Jonathan Liebesman (Darkness Falls) to take the helm since Louis Leterrier decided not to return for the sequel.

The rush to put all this together is because they want to release the film as early as spring 2012. They also want to get Sam Worthington before the actor fills his schedule with one of his many other projects. Gemma Arterton is also expected to return for the new film. No word yet if Clash of the Titans 2 will be releasing another kraken.

source

Sequel May Start Filming next January

According to the Los Angeles Times, Warner Bros. and production house Legendary Pictures are in talks to start shooting the sequel to Louis Letterier's remake of Clash of the Titans as early as next January with director Jonathan Liebesman (Darkness Falls, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, and the upcoming Battle: Los Angeles) as one of the frontrunners to take over the directing chores.

Clash of the Titans has grossed $486.8 million worldwide since opening a little over two months ago with roughly a third of that being in the United States, and like with Guy Ritchie's sequel to Sherlock Holmes, the studio is hoping to strike while the iron is hot, as well as to attain the services of returning star Sam Worthington before he's drawn back in to start filming James Cameron's Avatar Sequel later next year.

The "Clash" sequel will be filmed in 3D rather than converted after-the-fact, but so far, there's been no word whether any of the rest of the surviving cast (or any of the Greek Gods played by Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes et al) will be returning for the sequel.

source