Avi Arad Movies

The world of treasure hunter Nathan Drake makes its way from video-game consoles to the big screen with this Columbia Pictures release. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Genndy Tartakovsky brings the beloved spinach-eating sailor with a heart of gold to the modern era with this computer animated picture for Sony Pictures Animation. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Masamune Shirow's hit manga-turned-anime series, Ghost in the Shell, is adapted for Western audiences with this big-budget 3-D action film from DreamWorks. Street Kings' Jamie Moss adapts the screenplay, with Avi Arad, Ari Arad, and Steven Paul producing the tale of a beautiful cyborg agent who ponders her own existence while investigating a master hacker. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Debuting in the fall of 2001, the syndicated sci-fi/fantasy series Mutant X was created by Avi Arad and Rick Ungar, both of whom had worked on the animated version of the stylistically similar X-Men. John Shea initially headed the cast as Adam Kane, former employee of the top-secret government research lab Genomex, which was covertly involved in developing genetically enhanced, superpowered human mutants. Upon discovering that his boss Mason Eckhart (Tom McCamus) was entertaining delusions of ruling the world with his creations, Adam quit Genomex and formed his own organization, Mutant X, dedicated to rescuing the synthetic mutants from Eckhart's clutches and helping them fit into the "human" world. Many of those assisted by Mutant X were the results of botched experiments, so Adam really had his work cut out for him. Meanwhile, Adam and the renegade mutants were hunted down like animals by Eckhart's Genetic Security Agency under the cover of "Project Recall." Headquartered in Adam's safe harbor, known as the Sanctuary, were his chief mutant assistants: Shalimar "Shadowfox" Fox (Victoria Pratt), a feral mutant with cat-like characteristics and physical talents; Brennan "Fuse" Mulwray (Victor Webster) a lightning-powered "Elemental," who could absorb and emit electricity; Emma "Rapport" deLauro (Lauren Lee Smith) a psychic who used force bolts to control and monitor the emotions of those around her; and Jesse "Synergy" Kilmartin (Forbes March), a "Molecular" who, by rearranging his own chemical structure, could make himself immune to injury, dematerialize, and even pass through solid walls. With Eckhart effectively neutralized at the end of the series' first season, the Mutant X team was pursued by the new leader of the Genetic Security Agency, deranged super-mutant Gabriel Ashlocke (Michael Easton). Once Gabriel was destroyed by the Mutant Xers, they were able to focus less on helping their own kind, and more on do-gooding for the human race in general. At the climax of season two, Emma was killed, to be replaced the following season by another Elemental, Lexa Pierce (Karen Cliche). At the same time, Adam faked his own death and went into hiding to work surreptitiously on behalf of his mutant comrades. Like many another science fiction "syndies," Mutant X was generally broadcast on weekends by local stations, usually in late-afternoon and after-midnight timeslots. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Marvel Comics' vigilante character The Punisher gets another big-screen outing in this third film incarnation of the character, this time from Green Street Hooligans director Lexi Alexander. Fueled by revenge and aided by his trusted weapons expert, Microchip (Wayne Knight), vigilante Frank Castle (Rome's Ray Stevenson) turns the New York City streets red with blood as he takes down each and every member of the crime syndicate responsible for the death of his wife and two kids. As the law-appointed "Punisher Task Force" closes in on him, the antihero does battle with Billy Russoti (Dominic West), aka Jigsaw, a nickname given by him to reflect the disfigurement handed to him by Castle. With the help of his psychotic brother, Loony Bin Jim (Doug Hutchison), Jigsaw recruits the criminals of the city to band together to bring down The Punisher, using the wife (played by Dexter's Julie Benz) and daughter of a slayed FBI agent as bait. Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Nick Santora provide the screenplay for the Lionsgate release. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Wesley Snipes returns as legendary vampire hunter Blade in this, the third film inspired by the popular Marvel Comics character. A fearless warrior immune to vampires, Blade (Snipes) has become a hated enemy of the bloodsucking community, and as they gather in their desert compound, a group of vampires is plotting to eliminate Blade once and for all by turning the mortal community against him. The vampires have concocted a misinformation campaign that paints a picture of Blade as a ruthless murderer and has sent the FBI on the vampire hunter's trail, led by the relentless agent Cumberland (James Remar). At the same time, the vampires have brought their founding father, Dracula, back to his undead state, renaming him Drake (Dominic Purcell) and investing him with special powers that allow him to walk unharmed in daylight. After a dangerous encounter with Cumberland, Blade and his ally, Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), form an uneasy alliance with a scruffy team of human vampire slayers, the Nighstalkers, led by Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds), and Whistler's daughter, Abigail (Jessica Biel. While Sommerfield (Natasha Lyonne), a biologist working with the Nightstalkers, researches a scientific answer to the vampire problem, Blade and his comrades take a more hands-on approach against Drake and his minions, including Danica Talos (Parker Posey), Asher (Callum Keith Rennie), and Grimwood (Triple H). Blade: Trinity was directed by David Goyer, who also wrote the screenplay for this film, as well as the first two movies in the series. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Four years after scoring a box-office touchdown with Blade (1998), actor Wesley Snipes returns to portray the Marvel Comics character again in this sequel that teams him with Mexican horror director Guillermo del Toro. A half-vampire, half-human hybrid, Blade (Snipes) is a merciless vampire hunter bent on destroying the bloodsuckers that feed on humanity. The keys to Blade's success are a serum that allows him to resist the urge for blood and an array of inventive, deadly weapons, both of which were once supplied by his mentor, Whistler (Kris Kristofferson). Since Whistler's death, Blade has relocated to Prague and recruited the pot-smoking slacker Scud (Norman Reedus) to take the place of his father figure, but then he discovers that Whistler's not dead after all: He's been infected with the vampire virus. Reunited with Whistler, Blade is dealt an even bigger surprise: His greatest enemy, vampire leader Damaskinos (Thomas Kretschmann), wants to make peace with him. It seems that the vampires are facing a greater threat than Blade and hope to persuade him to fight the Reapers, a mutated super-race of vampires on a rampage of murder, indiscriminately killing both humans and their fellow bloodsuckers while sucking their victims dry. Blade agrees to a truce and joins the Bloodpack, an elite squad of commandos originally formed to fight Blade himself. Soon, the vampire soldiers discover that the virus responsible for creating their enemies is spreading rapidly and can be traced back to a mysterious "Patient Zero." Blade 2 (2002) co-stars Ron Perlman, Leonor Varela, Donnie Yen, and Matt Schulze. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) wrestles with inner demons while contending with monsters of his own creation in this sequel from writer\director Shane Black. The story in Iron Man 3 picks up shortly after the events of The Avengers. Having previously entered another dimension in order to save New York City, Tony remains deeply haunted by the experience. Unable to sleep, he throws himself into his work with such intensity that it begins to take a heavy toll on both his mental health and his relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Tony has only started to appreciate the gravity of his problems when an enigmatic terrorist named the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) hijacks the airwaves and threatens to bring America to its knees with a painful series of "lessons" that even President Ellis (William Sadler) won't be able to ignore. When Tony's former security guard Happy Hogan (Favreau) is badly injured in an explosion caused by one of the Mandarin's agents, the vengeful playboy issues a public threat that results in his home being completely destroyed in a devastating attack, leaving him to face his enemy with only one badly damaged prototype suit. Fortunately, Tony isn't on his own, and with the help of Col. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and a young boy named Harley (Ty Simpkins), he pieces together the mystery of the Mandarin, whose final "lesson" promises to be the most painful of all. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Typical teenager Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) embraces his incredible destiny after uncovering one of his father's most carefully guarded secrets as Columbia Pictures reboots the Spider-Man franchise with the help of director Mark Webb ((500) Days of Summer) and screenwriter James Vanderbilt (Zodiac). Sally Field, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, and Emma Stone co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

From Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures comes Iron Man, an action-packed take on the tale of wealthy philanthropist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), who develops an invulnerable robotic suit to fight the throes of evil. In addition to being filthy rich, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark is also a genius inventor. When Stark is kidnapped and forced to build a diabolical weapon, he instead uses his intelligence and ingenuity to construct an indestructible suit of armor and escape his captors. Once free, Stark discovers a deadly conspiracy that could destabilize the entire globe, and dons his powerful new suit on a mission to stop the villains and save the world. Gwyneth Paltrow co-stars as his secretary, Virginia "Pepper" Potts, while Terrence Howard fills the role of Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes, one of Stark's colleagues, whose military background leads him to help in the formation of the suit. Jon Favreau directs, with Marvel movie veterans Avi Arad and Kevin Feige producing. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi