Tarantino Two-Step—Quentin Tarantino is planning on releasing his long promised single-film cut of Kill Bill. Tarantino said he spent so much time working on the two-part film that he wanted to take a year off from it. Starting early next year, though, Tarantino will begin editing the two films, Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2, into one epic saga. The mega-version is expected to differ in several respects from the original releases and will hit theaters sometime late in 2006. A special DVD version, featuring plenty of supplementary material, will come out shortly after. … Of course, this is all on top of directing duties for the horror anthology Grindhouse, which Tarantino is splitting with pal Robert Rodriguez. Grindhouse is expected to begin official filming sometime in January.
Reel World
Game Over? No Way!—If, for some reason, you get suckered into plunking down dollars to see Bloodrayne on Jan. 6, you'll be treated to a trailer for another upcoming film by director Uwe Boll, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. Like Bloodrayne, Dungeon Siege is a mid-budget film based on a videogame of the same name. Coming as they do in the wake of 2005's Alone in the Dark and 2003's House of the Dead, this double feature pretty much cements the German-born Boll as the king of all videogames-turned-movies. If that's not enough evidence for you, check out Boll's upcoming slate of films: Hunter: The Reckoning, Postal, Hitman, Far Cry and Fear Effect. All of those are based on the videogames of the same names. Playstation/Xbox fans should be in heaven–unless, of course, they've actually seen House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark, in which case they will run screaming from the theaters. … Seriously, Uwe, when are you gonna lock down the rights for Tetris: The Movie?
Reel World
Bat Boys—The Internet has been buzzing for months, speculating who might come on board to do villain duties for the next Batman film. The latest rumor is a pretty good one, pegging surefire Oscar nominee Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) as the most likely candidate for The Penguin. Of course, with no script confirmed, it's hard to even say what villains might be appearing in the film. The Joker, of course, seems like a lock, with Sam Rockwell (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) allegedly campaigning hard for the part. Other unconfirmed rumors put Liev Schrieber in the role of Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Well, at least the rumors sound promising. The follow-up to Batman Begins is expected to be released sometime in 2008.
