Academy Award-nominated actor Woody Harrelson (“People vs. Larry Flynt”) plays non-conformist men in back-to-back post-apocalyptic films.  In Roland Emmerich’s epic “2012,” he plays a radio talk show host who warns of the impending end of the world, while in the action comedy “Zombieland,” he’s the zombie-slaying badass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth.

Why does he think audiences are drawn to such tales of impending doom? “I think it’s probably some ingrained thing where we feel like we’re in those times,” he says. “Certainly a case could be made that ecologically things are pretty extreme.”

For Harrelson, the chance to play these characters was an opportunity too good to miss. “I read the script and I just thought to myself, ‘if they can pull this off it will be the most amazing movie,’” the actor says of “2012.”

Indeed, the first time Harrelson saw a finished version of “2012” he was awed. “I was completely shocked, but in a good way. Man, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing up there on the screen. It’s incredible.”

“2012” is set in the very near future when seismic shifts in the planet’s tectonic plates cause earthquakes and floods and threaten mankind’s very existence.  “I had no idea it would turn out as good as it has. The effects were incredible, better than I could have imagined. Roland is a genius with that stuff,” says Harrelson.

In the film, his character, Charlie Frost, is derided as an eccentric because he tells his listeners that the ancient Mayan Prophecies, which predicted that the world would face a cataclysmic upheaval in 2012, when the 13th cycle of Mayan calendar ends, are about to come true.

“Yes, my guy tries to warn everyone but no one takes any notice and they kind of regard him as a bit of a crank,” he says. “And I think that’s probably what would happen if you had someone telling you something you don’t want to hear, people would ignore you. But they sure find out that he was telling the truth.”

Harrelson is a committed environmentalist who has warned for years that our planet is facing ecological disaster – a theme that Emmerich tackled in an earlier film, “The Day After Tomorrow,” and is part of the subtext of “2012,” too.

“I have been talking about a lot of things, a lot of which I’ve been proven right on the money,” he says. “But it doesn’t really give me much satisfaction to say, ‘I told you so.’  And my friends, a lot of them tolerate me, but you can feel their eyes roll back when I get in my soapbox and start a diatribe.”

Both distributed by Columbia Pictures, “2012” opens across the Philippines on Friday, Nov. 13, while “Zombieland” follows on January 2010.  Columbia Pictures is the local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Visit www.sonypictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.

And what if the end of the world really was upon us?  Would you want to know?   What would you do?  Harald Kloser, screenwriter of Columbia Pictures’ new disaster epic “2012,” already knows his answer.  “I would do exactly what John Cusack’s character does.  I would grab my kids and take them to where it’s safe, as best I can.”

For Cusack himself, the answer is evasive.  “I’m not sure. It’s an interesting question.  Who would you call, what would be the last thing you do?  I think I might have a cigarette.  I quit smoking, but if the world were ending, I might have a cigarette.”

As the end of the Mayan calendar approaches, several researchers have studied the phenomena that are predicted to hit the earth in 2012.  Though these experts agree on several areas of their study – notably that the earth is expected to go through a moment of cataclysmic change – many areas remain in question or controversy.

LAWRENCE E. JOSEPH is the author of Apocalypse 2012: An Investigation into Civilization’s End.  In Joseph’s book, the Maya prophecy is just the beginning – he goes on to describe the calamities that some scientists are predicting, including solar activity, magnetic pole shift, and the Yellowstone supervolcano. The book examines the strange coincidence that both ancient Mayan prophecy and contemporary solar physics indicate that the year 2012 will be pivotal, perhaps catastrophic.

JOHN MAJOR JENKINS is the author of Maya Cosmogenesis 2012: The True Meaning of the Maya Calendar End-Date.  He has devoted his career to reconstructing ancient Mayan cosmology and philosophy.  With The New York Times hailing Jenkins as “applying academic rigor” to the 2012 theories, Jenkins has become a principal driver and clear explainer of the kinds of shifts that might await the planet.  He advocates studying 2012 from the Maya viewpoint, which state that cycle end-dates (like that in 2012, when a rare “galactic alignment” is predicted to occur) are times of transformation and renewal.  Jenkins’ most recent book is The 2012 Story: The Myths, Fallacies, and Truth Behind the Most Intriguing Date in History.

DANIEL PINCHBECK is the author of 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl and editor of Reality Sandwich (www.realitysandwich.com). He argues that the end-date of the Maya’s Long Count Calendar indicates a potential paradigm shift in human civilization, as we face ecological crisis. The transformation, he believes, could lead to an integration of modern science with mysticism. This change is represented by Quetzlacoatl, the feathered-serpent deity of Mesoamerican myth, representing the unity of heaven and earth, spirit and matter.

Opening across the Philippines on Friday, Nov. 13, “2012” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Visit www.sonypictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.

As an actor who has made his name as a champion of independent movies, often playing the anti-hero or the unconventional outsider, John Cusack’s name at the top of the credits for Roland Emmerich’s end-of-the-world epic “2012” might raise a few eyebrows.

A special-effects laden movie is new territory for a man who has carved out a uniquely individual career with whip smart comedies like “High Fidelity,” or the gloriously surreal “Being John Malkovich” or the hip thriller “1408.”

But Cusack applied the same critical criteria to the script for “2012” as he does for all the rest that drop on to his doormat. Quite simply, he asks himself, is it any good?

“And it was,” he says. “Really good. In a way, it sort of chose me. I was just at home doing my thing and I get a call saying ‘Roland wants you to do this movie.’  “I met him and I read the script and it was actually very well written and surprising in lots of ways. It wasn’t like a genre disaster movie, it was very different to what I expected and so it was a kind of easy choice for me. “

And the thing is, Cusack is never predictable. “2012” represents new territory and that’s exactly what he’s always looking for. “That’s part of the fun, to try new things. At least that’s how I look at it. And this was something new for me.”

“2012” does indeed feature extraordinary effects. But it’s also a story about basic human emotions – love, redemption, the desire to survive and protect your family. And the characters are extremely well drawn, says the actor.

Cusack plays Jackson Curtis, a writer who has become obsessed with his work to the extent where it’s cost him his marriage and separation from his two children. “His wife has left him because he’s too focused on his writing,” says Cusack. “They have two kids together, but she’s now with a doctor, and so you really get sucked into the family drama.  Actually the script was all about these very simple, family things and Roland was very focused on telling that story with all of this other, amazing stuff happening as well.  When everything starts to happen and the world is facing the ultimate disaster, his own over-riding instinct to get to his family and try, somehow, to save them. That’s a powerful emotion – it’s a family literally trying to stay alive as these cataclysmic events are happening all around them.”

On the film’s end-of-days premise, Cusack says “No, I don’t think the world will end. I think maybe it will just be a change in consciousness in 2012.  I think there will be a big shift in consciousness. Either that or it really will be the end,” Cusack laughs. “I obviously hope it’s not.”

There’s a worldwide fascination for prophecies that foretell doom and disaster and Cusack admits that, as a child growing up in Illinois he was transfixed by stories of apocalyptic nightmares. “I think a lot of people are already kind of obsessed with the Mayan Prophecies. There’s a real fascination for that kind of thing,” he says. “I know when I first read about Nostradamus it hooked me.  Who doesn’t want to read that – it’s endlessly fascinating, right?  It just trips you out.  It’s great. No matter if you want to believe it or you think it’s all crackpot stuff, I think it’s undeniably compelling.”

Opening soon across the Philippines, “2012” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Visit www.sonypictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.

Centuries ago, the Mayans left us their calendar, with a clear end date and all that it implies.  Since then, astrologists have discovered it, numerologists have found patterns that depict it, geologists say the earth is overdue for it, and even government scientists cannot deny the cataclysm of epic proportions that awaits the earth in 2012.  A prophecy that began with the Mayans has now been well-chronicled, discussed, taken apart and examined.  By 2012, we’ll know – we were warned.

Columbia Pictures presents the Roland Emmerich film, “2012” starring John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, with Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson.

The idea for “2012” first occurred to writer/producer/ Harald Kloser, Roland Emmerich’s writing partner.  “Every civilization on Earth has a flood myth,” says Kloser.  “Things are going wrong, society isn’t working anymore, and the planet starts over.  Some people get a second chance to start a new culture, a new society, a new civilization.”

The idea crystallized as Kloser and Emmerich discovered a compelling hook on which to hang their contemporary flood story.  The Mayan calendar is set to reach the end of its 13th cycle on December 21, 2012 – and nothing follows that date.  That, of course, leads to the question – if the calendar doesn’t continue, what will follow?

The key for the director, who is well known for box office hits such as “Independence Day” and “The Day After Tomorrow,” would be to find a way to set “2012” apart from those disaster epics.  “The more I talked with Harald about the story, the more I realized this is really something people today can relate to.  There are a lot of philosophical and political elements, which I think add to the disaster element.”

Central to that was creating characters that would experience those philosophical and political upheavals, in effect creating the disaster on a human scale.  At the very highest reaches of the world’s governments, there is a plan.  They will not be able to save the entire human race, but they will be able to save some, and those few will have the chance to begin society anew.

The screenplay that Kloser and Emmerich wrote is in many ways the largest scale that Emmerich has yet attempted.  To bring it to the screen, he combines special and visual effects, which, the director says, allowed him the freedom to choose how best to bring a scene to life.

“2012” ended up being an enormous production, even by Emmerich’s scale.  According to actor John Cusack, “The scope of it is bigger than anything I’ve seen.  Every page of the script was a scene where you wondered just what Roland had in mind, because it seemed so ambitious, so huge.  It’s pretty wild!”

Opening soon across the Philippines, “2012” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Visit www.sonypictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.

Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments than 2012. Columbia Pictures’ new epic “2012” tells of a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and the heroic struggle of the survivors.

Centuries ago, the Mayans left us their calendar, with a clear end date and all that it implies.  Since then, astrologists have discovered it, numerologists have found patterns that depict it, geologists say the earth is overdue for it, and even government scientists cannot deny the cataclysm of epic proportions that awaits the earth in 2012.  A prophecy that began with the Mayans has now been well-chronicled, discussed, taken apart and examined.  By 2012, we’ll know – we were warned.

Directed by Robert Emmerich (“Independence Day,” “The Day After Tomorrow”), “2012” stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson.

The original idea for “2012” was inspired by an ancient story. “The movie needed something beyond disaster, something which really makes it worth doing,” he says. “And in this case, it was the modern telling of Noah’s Ark because I thought it would be very interesting.

“I said to myself, ‘if somebody knows the world is going to end, it would probably be some scientist…’ And then government officials would know, and some very high level politicians. And you know what, they would probably keep it a secret…”

That, says Emmerich, poses the ultimate moral dilemma. “It becomes this worldwide conspiracy between governments and it gets bigger and bigger and I was interested in the combination of people who know and who don’t know.

Emmerich concludes, “The movie has a quiet, interesting, intellectual discussion going on while you are seeing normal people trying to save their lives.”

Opening soon across the Philippines, “2012” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Visit www.sonypictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.

Columbia Pictures unveils three in-theater banners of its upcoming epic film, “2012” which were designed to be displayed in cinema lobbies around the Philippines.

The eye-popping banners depict global cities Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Rio de Janeiro verging on catastrophic collapse.

Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments than 2012. The new film tells of a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and the heroic struggle of the survivors.

Centuries ago, the Mayans left us their calendar, with a clear end date and all that it implies.  Since them, astrologists have discovered it, numerologists have found patterns that depict it, geologists say the earth is overdue for it, and even government scientists cannot deny the cataclysm of epic proportions that awaits the earth in 2012.  A prophecy that began with the Mayans has now been well-chronicled, discussed, taken apart and examined.  By 2012, we’ll know – we were warned.

Directed by Robert Emmerich, “2012” stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson.

Opening soon across the Philippines, “2012” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Visit www.sonypictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.