Future movie releases: "Diana", "Need for Speed" and "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

A sneak peek at the upcoming biopic “Diana” is giving fans a first look at Naomi Watts as the late Princess of Wales. The movie is directed by German film director Oliver Hirschbiegel, who shot to fame with the 2004 film “Downfall,” depicting the final ten days of Adolf Hitler under his reign in Nazi Germany. The focus this time is on Diana’s life after her divorce from Prince Charles. It follows Diana’s relationships with a heart surgeon and Dodi Fayed, her charity work with landmines in Africa and her difficulties with the media, until her sudden tragic death in Paris in 1997 as the result of a high-speed car crash. “Diana” is released on 20th September in the UK. “Need for Speed” is another future release. Based on a video game, actor Aaron Paul presented the film project at the Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 in Los Angeles and told the enthusiastic audience: “As a gamer myself, it’s really cool to be here at E3 to share a peek behind the scenes at our movie “Need for Speed”. Just like the game, we are looking to give you an adrenalin rush that puts you on the edge of your seat.” A powerful Ford Mustang sports car stars alongside Paul in the movie, which takes its cues from the game of the same name and appeals to high-octane speed junkies. The thrills and spills certainly come thick and fast in the film, with spectacular car chases and crashes. Director Scott Waugh spoke about his aims with the film: “My job as a director is I am going to allow you that thrill and put you into the seat and let you drive at 230 miles (370 km/h) an hour.” “Need for Speed” is still in production in California but is due for release next year. From video games to fantasy land, director Peter Jackson returns for the second installment of “The Hobbit” trilogy. The Hobbit is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy saga and set 60 years before the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy – also directed by Peter Jackson over a decade ago. Despite this, Jackson stresses that the film benefits from being done this way around. The movies have been filmed in 3D and at 48 frames per second (fps), compared with the standard 24 fps, which Jackson compared to jumping from vinyl records to compact discs in terms of quality. “The Desolation of Smaug” premieres this December about a year after the first installment “An Unexpected Journey.”