News

Mario Kassar (Best of, Part 1 of 2)

2024-06-17

Mario Kassar (Best of, Part 2 of 2)

2024-06-17

Industry Standard 40: Mario Kassar

2024-06-17

From Barry Katz's podcast.

John Lithgow Funny Cliffhanger story

2024-03-21Cliffhanger

Her Controversial Scene in Basic Instinct Gave the Crew a Little Extra

2024-03-07Basic Instinct

Rambo mania hits town of Hope, B.C.

2024-02-13First Blood

Greeting from Oliver Ojeil

2023-10-09

Analysis | How AI comes to life through movies - Washington Post

2023-10-04Terminator 2: Judgement Day

"Stories about artificial intelligence have been with us for decades, even centuries. In some, the robots serve humanity as cheerful helpers or soulful lovers. In others, the machines eclipse their human makers and try to wipe us out."

Read the full article (The Washington Post).

Birthday wishes from Hélène Lénoir

2023-10-04

Automat Pictures "RAMBO" Interview with Mario Kassar

2023-09-03First Blood

The following paragraph is an excerpt of a transcript from an interview Automat Pictures did with Mario Kassar on January 27, 2002.

How did you meet Andy Vajna?
MK : I met Andy Vajna about, God, 25 years ago, maybe? He
start a company in, um, in Hong Kong, uh, called PanAsia, where he
was releasing, um, fore-- uh, foreign, uh, films like from the --
from Europe or for -- from the States in the Far East, and I was
at that time based in Europe. And then I was working, uh, for,
um, another person in the Far East called Arthur -- the Arthur
Davis Organization, something like this. And then I met Andy
Vajna and I was not very happy where I was -- uh, with the person
I was working with, so Andy asked me, he said, "To -- do you wanna
do something together? Do you want me -- you -- can you find me
movies for, um, the Far East, Hong Kong, Thailand," you know, all
those places. I said, "Sure, why not?" And then, you know, from
that day on, then I introduce him to everybody in Europe and got
him the movies for Hong Kong, and that's how I met him.

Read the full interview here (PDF, 22 pages)

Mario Kassar visits Egyptian Media Production City

2023-08-22PROJECT EGYPT

James Cameron fought with Mario Kassar over the ending of Terminator 2

2023-08-09Terminator 2: Judgement Day

The best sci-fi action movie ever made celebrates its birthday today

2023-07-04Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Read the article at THE DIGITAL FIX.

Milton Mendes » Film Retrospect; remembers the good old days

2023-06-20

Visit the post on Facebook.

RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD (1982) What Happened To The Cast After 40 Years?! (Then And Now 2023)

2023-04-03First Blood

Tribute to Movie Producer Mario Kassar - VHS Tape Collection

2023-03-21

Arnold Schwarzenegger on Total Recall (GQ)

2023-02-28Total Recall

Arnold Schwarzenegger on Terminator 2: Judgement Day (GQ)

2023-02-28Terminator 2: Judgement Day

The troubling legacy of the Lolita story, 60 years on

2022-06-29Lolita

"The dubious aesthetic of Kubrick's film has endured in pop culture. But is it the film or the original book that is to blame for this perplexing phenomenon, asks Steph Green?"

Read the article on BBC.com

Rambo First Blood 40th anniversary website

2022-06-29First Blood

Visit the website

Cinema's Next Quantum Leap

2022-05-27

An interesting article about the industry and its potential next quantum leap, read it at Alpha1Media

Universal Soldier - publicity stunt @ Cannes '92

2022-05-24Universal Soldier

This took place at the screening of Robert Altmans The Player after Jean-Claude Van Damme had an idea to generate publicity for Universal Soldier a few months before the release.


Read the full story at Screenrant

Mario featured in a video about the 100 most famous lebanese people

2022-05-16

StudioCanal: The special effects of Total Recall

2022-05-11Total Recall

Adrian Lyne on the ending of Jacobs Ladder

2022-04-15Jacob's Ladder

Collider Adrian Lyne interview Jacobs Ladder

"What you see is unique in the world"

2022-04-12PROJECT EGYPT

Alan Parker's website for Angel Heart

2022-04-10Angel Heart

Visit website

Mario Kassar Visits the Egyptian Media Production City

2022-03-24PROJECT EGYPT

Interview

2022-03-11PROJECT EGYPT

Egypt trip

2022-03-07PROJECT EGYPT

headtopics.com

amalnews.com

osoulmisrmagazine.com

dostor.org

shorouknews.com

msr2030.com

ahram.com

almasryalyoum.com

anbbaa.com

akhbarelyom.com

youm7.com

Why JACOB'S LADDER Nearly Broke Me

2021-12-17Jacob's Ladder

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Carolco (1995)

2021-10-06

Top 8 Underrated Gems from Carolco Pictures

2021-09-27

PERSPEKTIF - Produser Foxtrot Six Bongkar Rahasia!

2021-08-26Foxtrot Six

Justis Greene on Mario Kassar's picture First Blood (1982)

2021-08-25First Blood

Total Excess: How CAROLCO Pictures changed Hollywood

2021-08-24

Analyzing Evil: Asami Yamazaki From Audition

2021-07-18Audition

@movieweb: Terminator 2: Judgment Day Was Released in Theaters 30 Years Ago Today

2021-07-03Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Terminator 2: Judgment Day Was Released in Theaters 30 Years Ago Today

The Tin Man Gets His Heart: An Oral History of 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day'

2021-07-01Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Michael Pohorly sent a greeting and a link:

Reading about how you changed the future of Cinema:

The Tin Man Gets His Heart: An Oral History of 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day'

#1675 - Quentin Tarantino (The Joe Rogan Experience)

2021-06-29

Listen to the episode now

The Billionaires Secret: Fantastic article about Mario Kassar's Cutthroat Island

2020-12-26Cutthroat Island

Read the original tweet

Read the linked article on Forbes

From a friend and a great italian director.

2020-08-04

Thank you for the kind words my friend.

Terminator 2 hype trailer mentioned

2020-08-04Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Read the original tweet

Great article (and artwork) in the latest @empiremagazine on @MKassarOfficial and Carolco Pictures!

2020-07-12

Read the original tweet

Arnold Schwarzenegger says original Total Recall producer didn't want him in lead role

2020-06-14Total Recall

Verhoeven: "We shook hands, Arnold and I, and said, 'We're going to do this.' And that was it.

"No talk about money or anything. It was just looking at each other and believing that Mario could finance it and that Arnold and I were a good team."

American trailer for Foxtrot Six released

2020-03-06Foxtrot Six

Read and comment on Wanyi Pratiknyo's tweet here

Mario interviewed on American Badass - A Michael Madsen retrospective

2020-03-05The Doors

Foxtrot Six (USA Trailer)

2020-02-13Foxtrot Six

When MAVO meets Mario Kassar - the interview

2019-05-20

TEN Hollywood: Mico Saad Mario Kassar episode

2019-04-18

Teaser: GODDESS - The Fall and Rise of Showgirls

2019-04-16Showgirls

LIFE Beyond Borders 2019

2019-03-18

Hasta la vista, Andyska

2019-01-30

Mario Kassar Interview Teaser - In Search of The Last Action Heroes

2018-12-12

In Search of the Last Action Heroes

2018-11-20

Mario's work is featured in a new crowdfunded documentary, read more on Rediscover the 80s.

Direct link to the Kickstarter IndieGoGo campaign.

Mario Kassar to exec produce english language adaptation of Audition

2018-06-26Audition

Terminator, Rambo, and Basic Instinct exec producer Mario Kassar is assembling an English-language adaptation of Audition, the infamous 1997 novel by Japanese author Ryu Murakami about a lonely widower who gets more than he bargains for when he puts out a fake casting call to find a new girlfriend. Audition was, of course, adapted in 1999 into a cringe-inducing cult film in its own right by Japanese helmer Takashi Miike. The new Kassar-produced version is based on the original Murakami novel and will transplant the story to an American setting.

In this version, Audition's unlucky protagonist is Sam Davis, who lives alone with his son following the death of his wife seven years prior and is convinced by a filmmaker friend to stage the fake auditions. The former ballerina with a mysterious past he falls for is now named Evie Lawrence, but otherwise details fall closely in line with Murakami's best-seller.

They adapted the script and will tackle a fall shoot for Audition after filming wraps on his current project, thriller Sugar Mountain starring Jason Momoa. He also helmed and produced the Justin Long crime thriller The Lookalike, which Well Go USA is releasing this summer.

Audition (2000, Japan) on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235198

Original article on Deadline: https://deadline.com/2014/06/audition-remake-mario-kassar-murakami-miike-797419/

T2:Judgement Day 3D

2017-08-25Terminator 2: Judgement Day

The updated blockbuster super hit Terminator 2 3D is set for worldwide theatrical release august 24-25 2017!

Under preparation: Nocturne In Black

2017-05-26Nocturne In Black

Nocturne in Black tells the story of a young man who rebuilds his piano after it is destroyed by Jihadists while showing his community the strength and uplifting power of music in times of hopelessness.

The feature-length version is based on the Award-winning short film Nocturne in Black winner of the Gold Medal in the 2016 Student Academy Awards and the D.G.A. student film awards.

Nocturne in Black was also shortlisted for the 2017 Oscars in the Live Action Shorts category as well as the 2017 BAFTA Awards.

Work in progress: Foxtrot Six

2016-06-28Foxtrot Six

The first ever Southeast Asian Hollywood-style franchise, developed with Rapid Eye Pictures and East-West Synergy.
Production to take place in Indonesia and the US.

Work in progress: Audition

2016-03-28Audition

A remake of the 1999 horror by Takashi Miike, Director TBA.

When the 1999 film was screened at the Rotterdam Film Festival 2000 it had a record number of walkouts. At the Swiss premiere a member of the audience passed out and needed emergency room attention.

Work in progress: The Wall

2016-03-28

The story is set in the middle kingdom, China and takes off when a roman legion reaches the Great Wall.

Work in progress: Ataturk

2012-07-09

A beautiful story about the father of modern day Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.