Edgar Wright
Date of birth
18th April, 1974
Occupation
Filmmaker
Sex
Male
Height
1.73
Edgar Wright Announces New Documentary Film About Pop Duo Sparks
By Ed Biggs in Movies / TV / Theatre on 22 June 2018
The director is planning a feature-length film about cult Seventies pop duo Sparks.
Film director Edgar Wright has revealed that his next project will be a feature-length documentary about cult pop duo Sparks.
The British-born filmmaker, best known for helming Shaun of the Dead and the so-called ‘Cornetto Trilogy’ of films with comic actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, is coming off the huge success of 2017’s Baby Driver.
Now, Wright has revealed that he’s planning a biopic about Sparks, the L.A.-based band formed by brothers Ron and Russell Mael and who found huge success in the mid-Seventies. He caught their recent gig at London’s O2 Kentish Town Forum back in May in order to use live footage in the movie, and he’s currently searching out archive material.
Continue reading: Edgar Wright Announces New Documentary Film About Pop Duo Sparks
War For The Planet Of The Apes Beats Of Competition At Box Office
By John Tindale in Movies / TV / Theatre on 17 July 2017
War For The Planet of the Apes fends of the competition of Marvel's Spider-Man to take the no.1 spot in the US Box Office
It was a busier weekend than usual at the box office with two monumental blockbusters going head-to-head. This weekend was dominated by 'War for the Planet of the Apes' and 'Spider-Man: Homecoming', with the former taking the no.1 spot.
The latest installment in the Apes franchise still underachieved compared to early predictions with the film grossing $56.5m from 4,022 locations, after being predicted to be around the $60m mark. This puts the film at the same level of 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes', but below the intermitting 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' which scored a huge $72.6m domestic opening.
Continue reading: War For The Planet Of The Apes Beats Of Competition At Box Office
Baby Driver Review
Very Good
Wildly energetic and so cool it hurts, this action movie has been put together in the style of a colourful movie musical, but with the songs playing in the background. Everything is choreographed to the tunes, as the cars veer across the road dodging bullets fired in sync to the rhythm. It's pure candy for the eyes and ears, impeccably staged by writer-director Edgar Wright. And we don't mind much that there's not much more to it than that.
The title refers to Baby (Ansel Elgort), a young man who doesn't talk much. Hiding behind sunglasses and earbuds, he's an expert driver raised by his deaf foster dad (C.J. Jones) after his parents died in, yes, a car crash. He's also in debt to Doc (Kevin Spacey) a criminal mastermind who orchestrates elaborate heists with a variety of low-life goons, all with Baby at the wheel. And things are looking up for Baby when he falls for diner waitress Debora (Lily James) just as he pays off his debt to Doc. But first he has to do one last job, working this time with the loved-up Buddy and Darling (Jon Hamm and Eliza Gonzalez) and the unpredictable, trigger-happy Bats (Jamie Foxx).
Scenes play to the beat of the songs on Baby's iPod, and Wright adds clever touches everywhere. Shooting in long takes with elaborately planned-out mayhem, the film ricochets from one sequence to the next, looking seriously stylish every step of the way. It quickly becomes clear that even the super-efficient Baby is soon going to be in over his head, which helps us root for him as the carnage escalates. The likeable Elgort has a lot of fun with the role, enjoying Baby's wordless swagger while including a touch of emotion here and there. No one else gets a chance to add much depth to his or her role, but at least Foxx gets to steal his scenes simply because no one has a clue what he might do next.
Continue reading: Baby Driver Review
Is 'Baby Driver' Another Sure-fire Triumph From Edgar Wright?
By Holly Williams in Movies / TV / Theatre on 13 March 2017
Ansel Elgort and Kevin Spacey star in this comedy thriller.
Filmmaking genius Edgar Wright has returned with another crime comedy epic entitled 'Baby Driver', starring Ansel Elgort and Kevin Spacey. Based on a previous music project of Wright's, the film is his first US venture and is set to arrive in August.
The film follows a young man named Baby (Elgort) who happens to be an excellent getaway driver. He also has another unusual quirk; when he was a child, he was in a car accident that left him with a permanent ringing in his ears and as such constantly listens to music through his earphones to combat the sensation. It doesn't affect the way he works, however, and he's an indispensable part of Doc's (Spacey) criminal gang.
Continue reading: Is 'Baby Driver' Another Sure-fire Triumph From Edgar Wright?
Ant-Man Review
Excellent
The increasingly stale Marvel formula gets a blast of fresh air in this rollocking adventure movie, which combines a steady stream of character-based comedy with action sequences that are integrated seamlessly into the plot. Like last summer's Guardians of the Galaxy, the film departs from the usual tired structure to joyously tell a story that's more than pure escapism.
Released from prison after a stint for burglary, Scott (Paul Rudd) is struggling to restart his life when he has an unexpected encounter with Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), an inventor who needs his help. Hank's technology company is being steered away from his original vision to help mankind by his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) and his protege Darren (Corey Stoll), who see a chance to make a lot of money by selling Hank's ideas to the highest bidder. Hank's biggest breakthrough is a suit that shrinks the wearer down to ant-size, allowing for all kinds of unexpected possibilities. Pushed into a corner, Scott starts learning how to master the suit. But his ex-wife (Judy Greer) is now engaged to a cop (Bobby Cannavale) who's keeping his eye on Scott.
One of director Peyton Reed's main challenges was to sell the whole idea of an insect-sized warrior, and he does that fairly effortlessly, revealing an increasingly cool series of possibilities in each action sequence. These set-pieces emerge organically from the story, combining comedy and exhilaratingly coherent action to push the narrative forward. One of the best moments is an encounter with one of the Avengers (Anthony Mackie's Falcon), which offers a strong hint about how Ant-Man can liven up the franchise as a whole. And the climactic sequence is an inspired collision of mind-bending effects and inventive humorous touches (Thomas the Tank Engine nearly steals the whole film). Plus two post-credit stings for the fanboys.
Continue reading: Ant-Man Review
So Here's Why Edgar Wright Pulled Out Of 'Ant-Man'
By Michael West in Movies / TV / Theatre on 04 December 2014
Evangeline Lilly suggests Edgar Wright's 'Ant-Man' was far different from Peyton Reed's version.
With Edgar Wright on-board, Ant-Man was easily one of the most anticipated movies in recent years. Paul Rudd in the lead role was an intriguing and creative casting decision and support from Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas hinted that Wright and his collaborators were cooking up something special.
Reed is most notable for Yes-Man, the 2008 comedy starring Jim Carrey, but his most critically acclaimed work is 2000’s Bring It On. His highest grossing film is The Break Up, starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn.
Continue reading: Ant-Man's Yes-Man Is Peyton Reed. He's Directing The Film, Okay?
Are Nicholas Stoller And Michael Dowse The Frontrunners For The Ant-Man Chair?
By Jack de Aguilar in Movies / TV / Theatre on 05 June 2014
Why doesn't anyone want to tell Paul Rudd where to stand?
The Internet has definitely sided with Edgar Wright since he and Ant-Man unceremoniously split on May 23. That probably has something to do with Joss Whedon’s Twitter salute to the ex-Ant-Man man, but either way, a running joke has prevailed: no one wants to direct Ant-Man. Did we say Ant-Man enough? Ant-Man.
It’s not exactly a desirably gig; the film already has a ridiculous amount of hype behind it, and whoever gets the job will have to stick to a tight schedule with a script that is still in flux. It’s the kind of situation the phrase ‘deep end’ was first uttered for.
Continue reading: Are Nicholas Stoller And Michael Dowse The Frontrunners For The Ant-Man Chair?
Will Marvel Ever Find The Right Man To Take Over ‘Ant-Man’?
By Stephanie Chase in Movies / TV / Theatre on 03 June 2014
The hunt for Edgar Wright’s replacement continues as Adam McKay drops out.
So Adam McKay is not directing Ant-Man. The Anchorman and Step Brothers director was said to be in ‘advanced’ talks with Marvel over the weekend, but by Monday he had taken himself out of the running, tweeting that he had “other projects”, he was committed to and he was “not sure it can work.” Sadly, we might have to echo McKay's words, since the departure of Wright we're not sure Ant-Man can work now either. Really, without Wright, is Ant-Man destined to be a doomed project?
So, where does 'Ant-Man' go from here? Does Marvel spend time sifting through candidates hoping to find one that's willing, or do they just give up and decide to can the film entirely? Though it’s a drastic measure, it’s safe to say that 'Ant-Man' isn’t exactly the most desirable or profitable superhero around, and there’s no telling how the movie could perform at the box office. If Marvel did scrap it, perhaps they could focus their efforts on a new flick for one of their other characters: what about She-Hulk or a Ms. Marvel movie? Chances are it’s not going to be scrapped and a new director will be announced eventually, but who’s best fit for the position?
Continue reading: The 5 Directors That Could Rescue Marvel's 'Ant-Man'