A future-set story where robot boxing is a popular sport and centered on a struggling promoter (Jackman) who thinks he's found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he also discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father. Real Steel movie is in hands of Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum 1 & 2, The Pink Panther) with Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Kevin Durand and Anthony Mackie.
Paramount is having a field day with their robots! Within the span of two months, both Transformers 3 and Real Steel will be unleashed upon theaters. And while the Transformers 3 trailer was less then satisfactory, this one I consider a success. Why? To be quite honest, I have no idea. Maybe I’m just connecting with both my masculine roots of people hitting each other and my sci-fi geek roots of robots, but still. This trailer was oddly entertaining, and I’m excited to see more. On a side note, I hope this trailer is attached to The Fighter because, quite honestly, what better film could you ask for? Both films feature boxing and robots, although I think Mark Wahlberg is a better model. Hey-oh!
DreamWorks Pictures has set new release dates for its 2011 slate.
On August 12, the studio will release The Help, the Tate Taylor drama starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Lowell, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney and David Oyelowo. The other film scheduled for that date is the Ruben Fleischer comedy 30 Minutes or Less.
A week later, on August 19, DreamWorks will release Fright Night 3D, the Craig Gillespie-directed remake starring Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Imogen Poots, Toni Collette, David Tennant and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. It will be facing Robert Rodriguez's Spy Kids: All the Time in the World.
The Shawn Levy-directed Real Steel, starring Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly and Dakota Goyo, has been moved up from November 18 to October 7, which currently also has the David Wain comedy Wanderlust and Gavin O'Connor drama Warrior.
DreamWorks has also moved back Steven Spielberg's War Horse from August 10 to December 28, which is just a few days after Spielberg's own The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, hitting theaters on December 23.
Read more: DreamWorks Sets New 2011 Dates - ComingSoon.net http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=70694#ixzz13C5OLbt4
You might think that since he’s already shooting near-future robo-boxing pic Real Steel that Shawn Levy would have collected all the cast members he needs by now. Apparently not: Speed Racer’s Karl Yune has just signed on.
Yune, who was also seen in the likes of Memoirs of a Geisha and (though he probably wants to forget it, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid), is on board to play Tak Mashido, a famed robot boxer designer.
The film, of course, finds Hugh Jackman as a former fist-fighter who was forced into retirement when human boxing faded into bankruptcy, replaced by a much more violent form of robot brawling.
Now, he’s trying to repair his reputation and the relationship with his estranged son (Dakota Goyo) by turning a seemingly junky robot into a champion.
Levy is cranking his cameras in Detroit right now, with the film arriving in 3D on November 18 2011.
DreamWorks unveiled offical plot synopsis for "Real Steel"
June, 15. 2010.
Hugh Jackman will find a new career as a trainer in the heavy-hitting sport of robot boxing in Real Steel, next year’s sci-fi drama from DreamWorks Studios. You can get an early look at the flick by checking out the new production stills and detailed plot description below.
Real Steel will star Jackman, Evangeline Lilly (Lost), Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker), Hope Davis, and child actor Dakota Goyo. Shawn Levy (Date Night) is directing the film, which was inspired by the short story “Steel” from author Richard Matheson (I Am Legend).
Here is the official plot synopsis for the sci-fi feature:
A gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near future [the year 2020], where the sport of boxing has gone hi-tech, “Real Steel” stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.
The first image from Shawn Levy’s robot boxing movie Real Steel has arrived it’s much more promising than I anticipated. Perhaps I joked about this being a film in which Hugh Jackman plays Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots so many times that that’s kind of what I was expecting to see. Clearly that’s not the case.
First off, this robot battle isn’t a tabletop activity; these things are huge. They’re also not as rickety as I imaged. They appear to be very high tech with seamless finishing, flexible joints and even some decorative lights. On top of that, the machine in this image has a name, Noisy Boy. But he isn’t Jackman’s top fighter in the film. That title goes to Atom, a hunk of junk Jackman and his son stumble upon and attempt to groom into a World Robot Boxing league champion.
You know what’s truly outstanding about this robot? It’s real. Yes, motion-capture animation is used when the bots hit the ring, but 19 real animatronic machines were built to use during live-action scenes. Levy explained, “There are some things only visual effects can pull off.” He added, “But when you give an actor a real thing, in this case a real 8-foot-tall machine, to interact with and do dialogue opposite, you get a more grounded reality to the performance.”
Real Steel will hit theaters on November 18th, 2011.
Davis, Rebhorn and Fonda joins in for "Real Steel"
June, 2. 2010.
Hope Davis, James Rebhorn and Olga Fonda are joining the cast of DreamWorks Pictures' Real Steel, which director Shawn Levy starts shooting later this month.
The previously-announced cast members include Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Kevin Durand, Anthony Mackie and Evangeline Lilly. The movie is scheduled for a November 18, 2011 release.
In the film, Jackman plays an ex-fighter who becomes a promoter when human boxing is outlawed for being too violent. The new gladiators are 2,000-pound robots with human qualities. The ex-fighter's access to sub-standard robot parts hampers his hopes for glory in Robot Boxing, until he discovers a discarded robot that always seems to win. The ex-fighter has also discovered he's the father of a 13-year old son, and they bond as the robot brawls its way toward the top.
The premise is based on a short story by Richard Matheson that was adapted into an original "Twilight Zone" episode that starred Lee Marvin.
John Gatins wrote the script. Don Murphy, Susan Montford and Levy are producing.
Anthony Mackie and Evangeline Lilly joins Jackman in "Real Steel"
May, 12. 2010.
Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker) and Evangeline Lilly (Lost) have been cast in Shawn Levy’s futuristic robot boxing movie Real Steel.
The film, set to hit theaters on November 18th 2011, tells the story of a father and his estranged 11-year-old son who enter the world of robotic boxing. You see, in the future, human boxing has been outlawed, replaced with sports combat between human-trained 2000-pound heavy steel robots. Levy has described the story as “rousing sports movie”.
Hugh Jackman will play an ex-fighter who has “to reinvent himself when human boxers are replaced by robots” and finds that he has an 11-year-old son. He decides to become a promoter , but “access to sub-standard robot parts hampers his hopes for glory in Robot Boxing, until he discovers a discarded robot that always seems to win.” He bonds with his son over the robot fights.
Mackie and Lilly join 11-year-old Canadian Dakota Goyo , who plays the lead role — Max, described as “a street-smart, tough, charming kid with a hard, untrusting outer shell which hides a warm enthusiastic spirit beneath. He is a complicated, strong-willed and resourceful boy.” Kevin Durand also co-stars as a Texan promoter of robot boxing.
Mackie will play a boxing promoter, and Lilly will portray a friend of Jackman’s character.
Having recently been linked to play the main antagonist in DreamWorks' "I Am Number Four", actor Kevin Durand (TV's "Lost," "Robin Hood") is now in negotiations to join “Real Steel" for the same studio reports Variety.
Set in the near future when boxers have been replaced by human-controlled two-ton robots, Hugh Jackman portrays a former boxer-turned-manager who reunites with his estranged son to take his fighter to the championships.
Durand would play the Texan promoter of robot boxing. He and Jackman previously worked together on "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".
The roles would essentially be shot back to back with 'Four' kicking off filming this month and 'Steel' next month. Durand would shoot 'Four' first and then immediately segue into shooting 'Steel'.
Shawn Levy talks about influences for "Real Steel"
April, 8. 2010.
Shawn Levy's been hitting big over the past few years, what with the success of his two "Night at the Museum" movies and now, tomorrow's "Date Night," starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell. He hasn't always done straight comedies, but most of his work to this point has had a humorous bent. That's going to change with "Real Steel," a robot boxing movie that promises to deliver more than just boxing robots. MTV's Josh Horowitz spoke to Levy on the "Date Night" record carpet earlier this week, and it's clear that the director is excited about doing something a little different with this project.
While doing his rounds promoting "Date Night" director Shawn Levy exclusively spoke to Comingsoon.net about his next project, "Real Steel" the futuristic action movie he's directing for DreamWorks.
The project is based on a short story by Richard Matheson and will star Hugh Jackman. In the film Jackman is an ex-fighter who becomes a promoter in a new form of Robot Boxing involving 2,000 pound cyborgs.
Here is what Levy says about the project:
ComingSoon.net: What's the vibe of the movie going to be? Will it be like the original Rollerball?
Shawn Levy: It's like "Rocky." It's basically a father / son drama set in the future. Hugh Jackman is a boxer, but in the 2020 people have gotten bored with watching human fighters fight each other so they built robots to basically whale on each other for human spectacle. Hugh is a boxer. He can't do the only thing he was ever good at anymore. So he travels the United States buying and selling these robots looking for fights. Into his life comes the son he walked out on at birth. It's about a return to grace. It's about father, son and this robot they find in the junkyard getting a shot at redemption. It's my first non comedy. It's big special effects. We're creating this pantheon of robots not based on toys, not based on comic books - based on nothing but our own animation. Steven Spielberg is executive producer, me directing and producing and it's really cool doing my first drama. It's very different. It's with Hugh Jackman who is an awesome guy.
CS: Who else besides Hugh Jackman is in the film?
Levy: Right now it's just Hugh and this kid we discovered out of Toronto named Dakota Goyo.
CS: So the story is mostly centered on Hugh, Dakota and the robots?
Levy: That's right. It's in the landscape of America and it's in the fight venues some of which are gritty underground robot fight clubs others are Madison Square Garden. It literally shows the journey from underground--no rules, everything is allowed vicious fights--and as they rise through the ranks they get a shot at a big time fight at a major venue.
The part of Hugh Jackman’s son in futuristic drama Real Steel has been won by 11-year-old Canadian actor Dakota Goyo.
DreamWorks Studios launched a Statewide search for a young actor for the role, visiting Chicago and New York to find the perfect star to play the “street-smart, tough, charming kid with a hard, untrusting outer shell which hides a warm enthusiastic spirit beneath”.
Real Steel is the first movie to be produced by both DreamWorks and Disney, and is situated in a futuristic world where robot-boxing is the sport of the day.
A former human boxer (Jackman) is given a second chance at the ring when he and his estranged son unite to train an unusual robot to fight in the championships.
The flick will be directed by Shawn Levy, who helmed kid hits Night At The Museum and Cheaper By The Dozen, and steered Tina Fey and Steve Carell in this year’s comedy jaunt Date Night.
Goyo also starred in 2007’s Resurrecting The Champ alongside Samuel L Jackson and Josh Hartnett.
Hugh Jackman has announced that he is holding an open casting call for his new movie Real Steel.
The film, set in a world of robot boxing, follows a promoter who thinks an old machine could be successful. The promoter, played by Jackman, also discovers that he has an 11-year-old son.
In a video for Access Hollywood, Jackman said: "I'm starting work on my new film Real Steel with my friend and the film's director Shawn Levy."
Levy added: "We're actually looking for a young actor to play Hugh's son in the movie from DreamWorks, so if you think you're maybe our guy go to realsteelcasting.com for more information on how to audition. It could be you."
Jackman then joked: "But if you're over 25, don't bother."
DreamWorks announces open casting call for "Real Steel"
February, 4. 2010.
DreamWorks Studios is in the process of casting a 'lead role' in their upcoming sports drama Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman, directed by Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum 1 & 2), and written by John Gatins (writer/director of Dreamer). The studio's looking for an actor to fill the part of Max, described as a 10-14 year old kid who's "street-smart, tough, charming kid with a hard, untrusting outer shell which hides a warm enthusiastic spirit beneath. He is a complicated, strong-willed and resourceful boy."
The studio says no acting experience is required and anyone interested can submit a videotaped audition at www.realsteelcasting.com. DreamWorks will also be holding open call auditions in Chicago and New York in the next two weeks. All the details are available at realsteelcasting.com.
Real Steel is set in a world in which robot boxing is the new in thing in sports. Jackman plays a former boxer (non-robot, of course) who gets one more shot at glory when he partners up with his son, Max, to train a robot boxer.
Don Murphy, Susan Montford and Shawn Levy are producing the film, with Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Steve Starkey, Josh McLaglen, and Mary McLaglen executive producing. Filming is expected to begin this June with DreamWorks aiming for a November 2011 release.
Production Weekly reports via its twitter feed that Shawn Levy’s Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman will commence filming this coming June in Michigan. This “action-drama” will see Jackman playing a washed-up pugilist who trains robot boxers. It’s being produced by Steven Spielberg and is currently scheduled for release on November 18, 2011. The project was first announced back in September and, with this news, we can now officially confirm that it was not, in fact, a joke…did not see that one coming.
You’ll remember director Shawn Levy from his work on Cheaper by the Dozen, Night at the Museum, and the third-best Frankie Muniz movie ever, Big Fat Liar. This flick will be a departure into more dramatic (though still family-friendly) territory for him…or, at least, that’s the plan. But honestly, seeing words like “drama” and “robot boxing” in the same sentence, along with a title like Real Steel, makes it sound pretty damn funny to me…which, I suppose, would also represent a change of pace for Levy.
DreamWorks Pictures and Disney's Touchstone Pictures are targeting a November 18, 2011 release for director Shawn Levy's Real Steel, the studios' first project together under their new deal.
In the sci-fi action-adventure, Hugh Jackman will play an ex-fighter who becomes a promoter when human boxing is outlawed for being too violent. The new gladiators are 2,000-pound robots with human qualities. The ex-fighter's access to sub-standard robot parts hampers his hopes for glory in Robot Boxing, until he discovers a discarded robot that always seems to win. The ex-fighter has also discovered he's the father of a 13-year old son, and they bond as the robot brawls its way toward the top.
The premise is based on a short story by Richard Matheson that was adapted into an original "Twilight Zone" episode that starred Lee Marvin.
Nov. 18, 2011 is also when Warner Bros. was planning on releasing George Miller's Happy Feet 2.
Back in September we heard that Night at the Museum and Date Night director Shawn Levy might be doing a movie called Real Steel, which depicts a world in which people get their kicks watching robots beat the hell out of each other. Then we heard that Hugh Jackman was the frontrunner as the lead role. Now Levy is out promoting Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian on DVD, and he’s confirmed that Jackman is who he wants for the lead. He’s also talking more about the plot, which he says is “more Rocky than Transformers.” Robo-Rocky? Oh, joy!
The script, originally by Dan Gilroy, but rewritten by Leslie Bohem and then John Gatins, is based on the same Richard Matheson short story that became a Twilight Zone episode called Steel, starring Lee Marvin. Levy says they’re staying true to the original prose story, and that he’s putting as much emphasis on the characters and sports-movie aspect as on the robots. “It’s faithful to the story,” he tells SciFi Wire, “in that that story was very much about a down-on-his-luck, slightly desperate journeyman who works in this robot boxing sport and who is desperately needing redemption and one last shot.”
He says the robots aren’t based on what we’ve seen in most movies. They’re not like the Terminator, and not cute like Wall-E. “These are human built, human-scale fighting machines. They are built for human spectacle. People in this movie have gotten bored with human carnage and human violence. So in the quest for more, more, more, this sport has evolved to this.”
The human-scale thing is important. I haven’t read Matheson’s story, but in the Twilight Zone episode (below) Lee Marvin disguises himself as a robot to fight and earn money. So we’ll likely get to see Hugh Jackman getting into the ring with a robot, and possibly getting his ass handed to him.
It seems that Shawn Levy's robot movie has found a viable human lead actor. According to Variety, Hugh Jackman has signed on as the lead of Real Steel.
The film, based off a short story by Richard Matheson, revolves around a world where human boxing is outlawed because of excessive violence, and replaced by robot boxing with 2,000-pound robots duking it out. Jackman would play an ex-fighter-turned-fight-promoter who finds an abandoned robot that somehow seems to always win.
Shawn Levy is directing the film, from a script by Dan Gilroy, with rewriters by Les Bohem and John Gatins. Steven Spielberg is also executive producing alongside Levy.
No production schedule was given, but it was said that the studio was hoping to go into production before next summer.
DreamWorks has tapped Shawn Levy to direct its robot boxing movie Real Steel.
Levy, who most recently helmed Night At The Musuem 2, will steer the futuristic action film, which centres on a father and son training a humanoid robot to fight in the ring.
John Gatins penned the script for the project, the producers of which include Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis and Don Murphy.
"Steven's passion for this project was absolutely infectious and I'm so excited to bring this story to life," Levy told The Hollywood Reporter. "In a movie filled with these mechanical warriors, at its core Real Steel is an incredibly human story."
You might think that since he’s already shooting near-future robo-boxing pic Real Steel that Shawn Levy would have collected all the cast members he needs by now. Apparently not: Speed Racer’s Karl Yune has just signed on.
