Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I know the way people think it works. They think I just pick up the phone and call Frank and say, “So tell me what you’re working on.” I get letters all the time asking me the details of what Frank is up to. The joke’s on me, though, because part of the friendship I have with him is an unspoken agreement that I won’t press him to discuss things that I know he can’t, like details about INDY 4. I can use this forum to print what I’ve heard, and I can always hope that the sheer desire to tell will overwhelm him in the middle of the night, and he will call and voluntarily divulge everything he knows.
Hasn’t happened yet, though.
Like many of the filmmakers I am in contact with, he loves to tease with information. People drop hints at me all the time, infuriating little taunts that imply all sorts of coolness that they aren’t going to tell me about. That’s why I go on fishing expeditions. There’s two of them on the site today... this story and the CALVIN & HOBBES piece. Every now and then, a number of little bits of information connect to paint a larger picture. In this case, I think I’ve finally figured out something Frank’s been completely tight-lipped about.
I know that Frank has spent time with Tom Cruise recently. Frank and Spielberg are in contact frequently, which is one of the reasons the whole rumor about Frank having rewritten MINORITY REPORT got started and spread, despite being completely false. I also know some of Frank’s greatest passions in film. He’s a fanatic fan of, among other things, FRANKENSTEIN (which magnified the heartbreak when Kenneth Branaghaghaugheh mutilated his faithful and moving screenplay), KING KONG, FORBIDDEN PLANET, and a little ditty called WAR OF THE WORLDS.
There have been many rumors about Cruise/Wagner Films developing a big-budget WAR OF THE WORLDS for Paramount. Recent rumors have also seen Spielberg’s name being tossed about as director. When I asked Frank directly about being involved in GHOST SOLDIERS, a historical drama that Cruise and Spielberg are both interested in, he denied any participation in that project. What he didn’t deny is the idea that he’s working with Cruise and Spielberg on something. And when Spielberg and Cruise were on OPRAH this week, Spielberg himself mentioned that they were working with Frank Darabont on something before they worked on INDY 4. Remember... Spielberg’s talking about a 2004 shoot on INDY. That leaves all of next year free for... what?
So am I sure about this? No. Take this as part speculation, part rumor. A lot of things connect that would make this make sense. Frank really wanted to do THE TRIPOD TRILOGY, based on the classic SF youth novels, but it didn’t work out for various reasons. Here’s a chance to do a great Tripod film of his own, especially if they stick close to the original HG Wells text.
I’ll continue to work to try and sort this one out. With no help from Frank. As usual.
*sigh* Secretive bastid.
"Moriarty" out.
