Universal Studios has just released a massive preview of their 2008 slate of movies, and due to the number of films, I’ve divided it up into two parts. If you missed part 1 – which had the first images of Edward Norton as Bruce Banner – click here.  

Anyway, here’s part 2. Actually there is a lot of cool stuff below… like the first images from Death Race, The Express, Frost/Nixon, Changeling and Flash of Genius. For the movies that already had images released…I just included one above the synopsis. As I said in part 1, Universal has a ton of movies scheduled for release in 2008. During parts of the year they actually have a new movie coming out about every two weeks. It’s crazy.

Towards the bottom of the article you’ll see that some of the movies don’t have release dates. This is due to Universal not announcing one. Obviously in the coming weeks this’ll change. And on that note…enjoy the 2008 Universal preview.

MAMMA MIA!                                                     

July 18, 2008

Genre:                             Musical Romantic Comedy             

Cast:                               Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski

Directed by:                      Phyllida Lloyd

Screenplay by:                  Catherine Johnson

Based on the Musical MAMMA MIA! With Music by: ABBA

Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast in the feature-film adaptation of the beloved musical that has been seen by more than 30 million people in 160 cities and 8 languages around the world.  Bringing the timeless lyrics and melodies of iconic super group ABBA to movie audiences, Summer 2008 is the season for Mamma Mia! 

The three women who created the worldwide smash stage hit—global producer Judy Craymer, writer Catherine Johnson and director Phyllida Lloyd—repeat their roles in bringing this joyful, musical story to the big screen.  The Mamma Mia! film is produced by Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman.

Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper join Streep in this celebration of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads. 

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna (Streep) is about to let go of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the spirited daughter she’s raised alone.  For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends—practical and no-nonsense Rosie (Julie Walters) and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski)—from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos.  But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own. 

On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna’s past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier.  Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities. 

Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA’s songs from “Dancing Queen” and “S.O.S.” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Take a Chance on Me,” Mamma Mia! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR

August 1, 2008

Genre:                             Supernatural Adventure      

Cast:                               Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle Yeoh, Anthony Wong, Luke Ford, Isabella Leong

Directed by:                      Rob Cohen

Screenplay by:                  Alfred Gough & Miles Millar

The blockbuster global Mummy franchise takes a spellbinding turn as the action shifts to Asia for the next chapter in the adventure series, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.  Brendan Fraser returns as explorer Rick O’Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li) in an epic that races from the catacombs of ancient China high into the frigid Himalayas.  Rick is joined in this all-new adventure by son Alex (newcomer Luke Ford), wife Evelyn (Maria Bello) and her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah).  And this time, the O’Connells must stop a mummy awoken from a 2,000-year-old curse who threatens to plunge the world into his merciless, unending service.

Doomed by a double-crossing sorceress (Michelle Yeoh) to spend eternity in suspended animation, China’s ruthless Dragon Emperor and his 10,000 warriors have laid forgotten for eons, entombed in clay as a vast, silent terra cotta army.  But when dashing adventurer Alex O’Connell is tricked into awakening the ruler from eternal slumber, the reckless young archaeologist must seek the help of the only people who know more than he does about taking down the undead: his parents. 

As the monarch roars back to life, our heroes find his quest for world domination has only intensified over the millennia.  Striding the Far East with unimaginable supernatural powers, the Emperor Mummy will rouse his legion as an unstoppable, otherworldly force...unless the O’Connells can stop him first.  Now, in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, the trademark thrills and visually spectacular action of the Mummy series will be redefined for a new generation.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is helmed by director Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious, xXx) and written by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar (Spider-Man 2, television’s Smallville).  Reprising their roles as producers in the series are Bob Ducsay, Sean Daniel, Stephen Sommers and James Jacks.

DEATH RACE       

September 26, 2008

Genre:                              Action-Thriller         

Cast:                               Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane

Directed by:                      Paul W.S. Anderson

Screenplay by:                  Paul W.S. Anderson

Jason Statham leads the cast of an action-thriller set in the post-industrial wasteland of tomorrow, with the world’s most brutal sporting event as its backdrop.  A penitentiary full of felons has inspired the jailers to create a grisly pastime ripe for lucrative kickbacks.  Now, adrenalized inmates, a global audience hungry for televised violence and a spectacular arena come together to form the Death Race. 

Three-time speedway champion Jensen Ames (Statham) is an expert at survival in the harsh landscape that has become our country.  Just as he thinks he has turned his life around, the ex-con is framed for a gruesome murder he didn’t commit.  Forced to don the mask of the mythical driver Frankenstein—a crowd favorite who seems impossible to kill—Ames is given an easy choice by Terminal Island’s warden (Joan Allen): suit up or rot away in a cell.

His face hidden by a metallic mask, one convict will be put through an insane three-day challenge.  Ames must survive a gauntlet of the most vicious criminals in the country’s toughest prison to claim the prize of freedom.  Driving a monster car outfitted with machine guns, flamethrowers and grenade launchers, one desperate man will destroy anything in his path to win the most twisted spectator sport on Earth.

THE EXPRESS

October 3, 2008

Genre:                              Drama

Cast:                              Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown, Omar Benson Miller, Clancy Brown and Charles S. Dutton

Directed by:                      Gary Fleder

Written by:                        Charles Leavitt        

Based on the Book “Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express” by: Robert Gallagher 

Based on the incredible true story, The Express follows the inspirational life of college football hero Ernie Davis (Rob Brown), the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.  Following his draft by the NFL, tragedy struck the star athlete and he was never able to take the professional field.  But his tale would forever change the face of professional sports.

Raised in poverty in Pennsylvania coal-mining country, Davis overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to become an unstoppable running back for the Syracuse Orangemen.  Under the guidance of coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid)—a hard-nosed surrogate father with an obsession for winning a national championship—Davis would develop from an impressive high-school athlete into a legend.

While everyone agreed Ernie Davis was a miracle player, few thought this quiet young man would become an icon for the burgeoning civil rights movement dividing America in the early 1960s.  Refusing to play by the unspoken racist rules of the day, Davis broke through one barrier after another to alter the way fans looked at men of his color.

Though struck a terrible blow in the prime of his life, his spirit soared when most would crumble.  Forcing his bull-headed coach to re-examine a life lived in color-based privilege, Davis would join the ranks of black pioneers who inspired a movement that smashed barriers on and off the playing field.

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