Aug 4 2009 Portrait of Destro's Metal Head
With less than a week before the release of G.I. Joe, director Stephen Sommers has decided to slap up with some concept art to show that Destro, the character traditionally depicted as a man with a metal head, will indeed look like a man with a metal head (and apparently less like the Legends of the Hidden Temple face than previously thought). Now let's just hope the faithfulness of keeping him in the metal headpiece won't detract from the realism of militant ninjas and guys in super-suits jumping through buses.
Jul 31 2009 Disney's 'Rapunzel' Looks Like... Concept of Rapunzel
Disney Animation has released some concept art for their forthcoming animated project, Rapunzel. Seems like they're going for sort of a "beautiful princess with long hair that may be used to scale castles" thing. Interesting.
Jun 19 2009 'Up' Color Script: Colors Pretty!
A less heartstring-tugging Up item: Pixar's Lou Romano has posted Up's color script--colored storyboards used as a reference for tone and visual ambiance (via Drawn). Just scrolling through them, you can plainly see how the color and saturation visually parallel the film's dramatic and comedic highs and lows. Or, if you're completely color blind, you can see how there are nice drawings of things. Fun for everyone.
May 14 2009 Some of the Art of the 'Coraline'
Illustrator Jon Klassen did some visual development for Coraline, and now, to the joy of preliminary art lovers everywhere, he's started posting some of the work he did on his site. It's all the joy of reading one of those fancy "The Art of [Movie Title]" books, but without the guilt of spending half-an-hour flipping through it in the back of a Barnes & Noble knowing full well you'd never purchase it.
Feb 2 2009 Terminator Hydrabots Hate Humans in the Worst Way
Thanks to Junkyard Dog for pointing out a McG interview at Wired with some new information and concept art--like this portrait of a Hydrabot murdering this guy via his mouth hole. This is the exact equivalent of what it's like when a man hacks a computer. This is how it feels for the computer. Think about that when you start your next Operation: Swordfish, hackers.
Jan 23 2009 Double M Working on 'The Hobbit'
I hope you're as into the amazing-yet-predictably-stylized art of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola as much as I am (did you rent Disney's Atlantis just to see his production designs in the special features?) because then you'll be excited that Guillermo del Toro has revealed he'll again be working with the artist on The Hobbit:
With work on “The Hobbit” really starting to move forward, Guillermo del Toro updated MTV News this week with exclusive scripting, casting and pre-production news, including confirmation that “Hellboy” creator Mike Mignola will be coming aboard for early visualization.“We are sketching and designing with Weta’s John Howe, and [Adam Lee],” del Toro offered. “Mike Mignola is coming soon. He’s going to do a stint on the design team.”
Now you'll know what's up when Middle Earth is suddenly filled with floating crowns, statues set amidst showers of falling leaves, blocky shadows of dense blackness, and Nazi zombies.
Trust me, that was a really witty comment if you're intimately familiar with his art.
Dec 1 2008 So Many Star Wars Photos
Michael Heilemann has a ridiculously large collection of Star Wars production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and concept artwork, and rather than just brag about it at comic conventions, he's shared it online. Neatorama pointed me to Heilemann's Flickr photostream, a collection of nearly 3,000 Star Wars-related images, most of which I've never before encountered (or looked for in any way), such as the above shot of George Lucas invasively prodding a Death Star model.
It's really great how the internet affords us such a division of geek labor. Instead of everyone scrambling and fighting to get their own Star Wars pictures, we can have this guy work on gathering this sci-fi photo treasury while someone else works on constructing life-size replicas of cast of Dr. Who out of Lego, and in the end we all share the triumph of minutes of idle entertainment.
Nov 21 2008 Three Reasons I'm Lovin' 'Piranha 3D'
1. This concept art (the concept being "a slightly more threatening piranha"):
So carefully straddling the line between menacing and singing ragtime tunes. Classic.
2. This dialogue from the film included in the press release:
"What do they really eat?""You mean besides flesh and blood?"
Clearly just a well-written script. Really makes you ask what could be next. Probably either, "Yes, what else?" or "No, I was just asking if they really eat flesh and blood. Why, do they eat something else?"
3. The studio-released summary:
A new type of terror is about to be cut lose on beautiful Lake Victoria. After a sudden underwater terror sets free scores of prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers, including hot local cop Julie Forester, must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the area's new razor-toothed residents. But out heroine is seriously outnumbered, and with only one chance to save the lake and her family from totally being devoured, she must risk everything to destroy the aquatic carnivores herself.
Whenever a lead character is described as a "hot local cop", you know you're in for something special. Those "razor-toothed residents" are definitely going to shred her clothes in just the wrong (or right!) places.
Concept Art from Alex Aja's Piranha 3D [Shock Till You Drop]
Nov 10 2008 'Terminator: Salvation' Concept Art is Dressed in Tattered Rags
Over at Filmonic, they've posted some concept art from Terminator: Salvation movie. The Terminator motorcycles are pretty good (why wouldn't there be a Terminator motorcycle?), but this T600 looks just a shade too close to my designs for a robo hobo.
(Thanks, Joe.)
New Terminator Salvation Concept Designs [Filmonic]
Sep 5 2008 'Green Lantern' Concept Art Explained
Illustrator Brian Murray has posted a series of Green Lantern images he made as a pitch package with writer/director Greg Berlanti, which eventually won them the project. Murray didn't include any of the written portion of the pitch, but fortunately for you, I did some digging and found the descriptions that accompanied the drawings. You're welcome.
Above: OK, so it starts off with Green Lantern on this street, but instead of buildings, the street is, like, lined by mountains. But there's still like a gas station and bar--so he can fill up his sweet Green Lantern car and get drunk. Suddenly, his ring starts shooting out green shit, and Green Lantern is all like, "Whoa, shit, I'm Green Lantern!" It's awesome.
Aug 8 2008 'Dark Knight' Concept Art: It Turns Out Joker Could Have Been More Freakish
It's 2008. No one likes books (yeck!), let alone buy them (we download them if necessary, then read them on those electronic tablets that everyone uses to read books now). So how are we, as a society, supposed to see The Art of the Dark Knight book without spending money on a book? The internet, obviously. /Film has graciously posted some scans of early concept art of the Joker, which you can see here. The designs range from disturbingly graphic to "hey, is that Scott Weiland?"
Jul 30 2008 Rob Zombie Pretends More High School Notebook Drawings are 'Concept Art'
OK, Rob Zombie, we get it. Tyrannosaurus Rex will completely follow the aesthetic of a troubled 15-year-old's margin doodles from his high school notebooks. You can cancel the poster where a barbarian cuts through the Megadeth logo. And the one where it sort of looks like someone threw ninja stars into the lined paper. And the one where a savage woman's boobs are scribbled out, because that's where you messed up. We get it.
Thanks, Brad.
Tyrannosaurus Rex Art Show Continues [Shock Till You Drop]
Jul 11 2008 Gort News: See the Gort That Could Have Been
Earlier this month, The Day the Earth Stood Still director Scott Derrickson revealed that, before deciding to go with the original design for Gort--the iconic robot and most-recognizable element from the 1951 film--he had experimented with needlessly updating the look to closer match today's aesthetic of awesome. But what would this new design have looked like? Someone pondered this, leading them to the website of Lorin Wood, a concept artist for the film, and revealing this reimagined design. Basically, New Gort would have looked like the hulking robot oaf who beat up Original Gort for refusing to take off his shirt in gym class. Not all of us have broad, ridiculously short torsos, OK?
To Gort or Not to Gort [AICN]
Jul 11 2008 3D Tyrannosaurus Rex Concept Art!!!
OK, it's not a 3D Tyrannosaurus Rex. But when Brad sent over the link, I thought that's what the email said, and I was pathetically excited. "Someone improved the design of a Tyrannosaurus!? What could they have done? Dear god, more mouths!? In 3D!?" As it turns out, it's just the 3rd piece of concept art from Rob Zombie's Tyrannosaurus Rex movie, which is not nearly as exciting.
This is the second piece of concept art to imply there will be giant, fire-based dinosaurs in the film's background. This needs to actually happen. Here's a way to implement it:
"We've got you now, Rex."
"I don't think so--I brought back up."
"You wha--oh shit! Tyrannosaurus Rexes made of pure flame are coming! From the background!"
Third Piece of art from Rob Zombie's Tyrannosaurus Rex [Shock Till You Drop]
May 20 2008 'Hellboy II' Discarded Concept Art: Awful Dog Thing
At the New York Comic Con panel, when Guillermo Del Toro announced he'd be posting concept designs of a three-headed dog that had been cut from the film, I had foolishly pictured the animal as a traditional Cerberus--something with three distinct heads emerging from a single body. It had never occurred to me that it might be a far more grotesque creature--one with three wrinkled faces stretched across a single head, and a body equal parts Zuul from Ghostbusters, Popeye, and Britney Spears Birthing Monument. That's probably why I'm not a Hellboy II designer, and why I'm not haunted by constant nightmares. At least until now.
Yrdrig Concept Art [Official Site]
May 6 2008 Harven Dent with What One Might Almost Call a 'Second Face'
What is supposedly concept art of Aaaron Eckhart as Batman villain Two-Face has started showing up around the cyber-world last night, and Jax and Dan (individually) were nice enough to send it here. I've hidden it under the cut for those who want a surprise or with sensitive stomachs. It looks something like a disgusting cross between Tim Sale's gruesome depiction in Long Halloween and a horribly charred anatomical musculature model. Strangely, it looks almost nothing like Tommy Lee Jones with some pink latex turning half of his face into a Dr. Seuss villain.
Continue Reading " Harven Dent with What One Might Almost Call a 'Second Face' "
Nov 26 2007 'Avatar' Alien is Sexy, Day-Glow
Supposedly, this is a piece of concept art from James Cameron's Avatar portraying lady-alien Ney'tiri, and it would make sense considering the previous shot we've seen. I'm describing it as Tron meets Cats meets atomic varicose veins. Thoughts?
Ney'Tiri Exposed? [MarketSaw]
Oct 18 2007 'Hellboy 2' Site Serves a Purpose
Instead of a "coming in 2009" message or a carefully crafted pumpkin, director Guillermo del Toro has provided us with a Hellboy 2 site that appears to actually serve a purpose. Hellboymovie.com has just been updated to provide a blog, in-character video welcome (which was stupid and over-gesticulated), and more importantly, an amazing gallery of design sketches, some by creator Mike Mignola. This may be your only chance to see a cephalopod fishmonger all day. Make sure it happens.
Hellboymovie.com [Official Site]
Jul 30 2007 New Hulk Concept Image
This piece of concept art for the new Hulk with Edward Norton was unveiled at ComicCon this last weekend, showing a somewhat darker direction for the character. My only complaint is that they had to show it to the ComicCon crowd, where Lou Ferrigno was surely charging for autographed pictures in some back corner. It's his one time of the year to receive any amount of positive recognition, and they had to go and remind him that each coming Hulk film pushes his old role further into cultural obscurity. Soon he'll less of a former Hulk, more of just a muscular freak with the occasional stint on King of Queens.
Mar 1 2007 Prince of Persia Concept Art
Even on horses, the Persian in the middle is said to be "riding bitch."
Following rumor that a movie based on the video game Prince of Persia is being developed, supposed concept art has now been released, depicting how Disney would like the film to look. That look is apparently like a painting you'd find at a garage sale.
Two more here.
