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ALI Images!!!!

Published at:  Nov 20, 2001 7:04:20 AM CST

Hey folks, Harry here with a ton of images for Sony's ALI, which is headed to our theaters this Christmas, and depending on how spectacular or lame Will Smith is as Ali, that will partially govern my enthusiasm for a possible I AM LEGEND project for him over at Warners. I keep hoping that Sony will further expand their Ali website to include fight clips, Will Smith training with his trainer stuff.... I mean I'm geniunely curious as can be by the physical transformation that Will has undertaken here. Damn impressive! Well, doesn't look like we'll be getting that. Bummer...







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    Readers Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 7:09:23 AM CST

    first, i'm so lame!

    by fat lot of good

  • Nov 20, 2001 7:18:09 AM CST

    suspension of disbelief has to work overtime... but it may just

    by gah rides again

    Based on the trailer alone at http://www.apple.com/quicktime I think Will Smith will do a good enough job for this... The only major downside is that the voice is still unmistakeably Will Smith in parts. As much as I want to believe this is Ali, the Fresh Prince's voice is a not nearly as Ali as it needs to be in spots.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 7:52:03 AM CST

    Will Smith HAS A BEER AND CHEETS ON Ali ?

    by kingralphuk

    He might be trying to be Ali but all I can see is Will Smith.
    And as for his physical transformation, well from what I can see he is still looks like a scrawny geezer especially in the pic where he's dancing.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 8:40:19 AM CST

    face to oval to be ali

    by dirty_dishes

    Will Smith is not a very good choice IMO. From these pictures he still looks as thin and frail as the Fresh Prince. I mean, if you wanted someone from the fresh prince you should have gotten carlton, aka alfonso ribiero. Put some light makeup on him, make him wear high shoes, and there's your CC.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 8:55:34 AM CST

    Comparing LOTR with Ali? WTF?

    by vertigo93

    Man0waR - what particular drugs are you on? December isn't 'fantasy only' month - other films are out as well. Saying LOTR will kick Ali's ass is like saying eggs are better than concrete. I'll explain again, more slowly: Dont. Compare. Films. That. Can't. Be. Compared. Got it? Tell you what - why don't you take your head out of your fantasy fixated ass, where the only films that exist are LOTR, Spiderman and Star Wars Ep II and realise that with all those screens at your local multiplex, there might - just might - be other types of films playing that aren't competing with big blockbusters. And if you go see one, make sure you're not dresed as an elf.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 9:10:43 AM CST

    Big Willie Style

    by ozone

    I will not stand by idle whilst you diss Big Willie's Style. I heard The Greatest, himself, personally asked him to take this role.

    You all can wish for more movies by Taye Diggs. Me, I'll watch Smith play Ali anyday, and if I want reality, I'll throw on When We Were Kings.

    See you in the ring.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 10:24:08 AM CST

    Smith as Ali

    by larsii

    Granted, he looks like Will Smith in the photos, but let's wait until we see him actually act the part before we comment. It's quite possible that after we see the film, Will Smith will be Ali. King and Foreman look great, though.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 10:36:15 AM CST

    Will Smith sucks!!

    by uncle jay

    He was cool in "Men in Black" but thats it........he ruined "Independence Day" for me and "Wild Wild West" could of been something cool, but they had to put that idiot in there. Now comes "Ali"...Michael Mann directing, epic film......WILL SMITH........HE WILL FUCK THIS UP!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 10:46:20 AM CST

    Doubting is one thing . . .but why so mean?

    by moviet00l

    I admit I'm skeptical about Will's dramatic chops as well, but I'm at least willing to see the movie before I judge the man. And I love how brave everyone gets when they're safely anonymous. C'mon and say that TO THE MAN'S FACE, CHUMP!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 12:01:07 PM CST

    spindly legs

    by cenotaph

    legs are much too skinny for a heavyweight. looks like the classical mistake of many body builders.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 12:13:33 PM CST

    After his performance in Bagger Vance Will had better represent!

    by brooklyn bred

    Everytime I think of that horrible movie and the image of him skipping off into the sunset I want to hurl! Will had better make us f get.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 12:26:29 PM CST

    Uncle Jay, are you all right?

    by rabbit stew

    Will Smith ruined Independence Day for you? Um, wtf?
    Independence Day was an abortion from start to finish and couldn't have been saved by Orson Welles directing, an original Louis Armstrong soundtrack and cameras from the Magic-Happy-Happy-Shop of-Shit-Films-but-you-will-fall-for-it-anyway-cos-u-is stoopid-moron-r-us.

    oh ok, so the cameras used in that heap of shit film where from the magic happy happy shop but who the fuck cares?

    Hated that, didn't care about Bad Boys, never saw WWW and didn't mind MIB. I'm going to give the Smithster a chance on this.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 12:30:49 PM CST

    OT: Those damn popups with auto download on AICN!? WTF?!

    by fredman73

    Ok, Harry, I know we all have to make a buck and advertising on your site is one way to keep AICN alive, but that EZ popup window that automatically loads an install window for some program we know nothing about is a real pain in the butt. Anyone else annoyed enough with these?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 12:58:59 PM CST

    ll cool j

    by cityofnight

    I wonder how LL Cool J would've done. Or Ice Cube (too fat). Not a big fan of rappers becoming actors, but I can't deny Ice Cube's perf in 3Kings. Besides, country singers really make the best actor conversions.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 1:24:37 PM CST

    RE: Man0waR

    by vertigo93

    So you rate films purely on the basis of box office returns as if that's the only thing that matters? So who's the dumbass?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 2:17:57 PM CST

    Will Smith is the only black actor who CAN play Ali

    by kentrel

    Will Smith may not be able to play Ali perfectly, but Ali is such an usual man, I doubt anyone can.

    He speak softly and then turn into a raging bull, just like Ali could. But most importantly of all, Will Smith is naturally boastful and full of ego, and expresses this comicly, just like Ali often did. This part of Ali's personality Smith wouldn't need to rehears for since he's already like that. (Ever listen to his songs? Not the crap he's been releasing lately but his earlier stuff when he was the Fresh Prince and not Will Smith.

    As for his build, he looks pretty close to what Ali looked like back then. Ali wasn't exactly the biggest guy in boxing. And its not a movie about Ali's muscles. Its a movie about his life.

    If Smith wasn't doing this I dont think this film would be made. Cuba Gooding Jr could play Ali, if he was a foot or two taller.


    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 2:54:32 PM CST

    Will Smith's body...

    by funnymanjake

    "Scrawny Geezer"?!? WTF? Maybe it's just me, but Will doesn't look like a scrawny geezer to me. Unless, of course, I'm mistaken, and everyone who posts on this talkback is as big as Arnold Schwarzenegger. Can we say jealous much?

    Reply to Talkback

  • And did a really good job too!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 4:29:09 PM CST

    Holy Shit! Is that Jon Voight in that second photo?

    by cash bailey

    As much as I hate to put a cent into Jon Peters' pocket I can never deny Michael Mann.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 5:00:48 PM CST

    Ali ASKED him to take the role?!

    by dream-endless-

    Uh, you DO realise that Ali probably has the coherency of a bar of soap? He's got frickin Alzheimers!

    Smith:"So you want ME right? No one else right Ali?"

    Ali:"..."

    Smith:"Allright man! I won't let ya down! Thanks for the endorsement!"

    Ali: "..."

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 6:14:43 PM CST

    Michael Mann

    by barron34

    Michael Mann is a great filmmaker who can get good, even great performances out of questionable actors. Give Smith a chance. Ali's story is certainly an epic real-life tale (see "When We Were Kings"). I hope and expect that Mann has translated that life into a good, if not great film. Also, whoever said that "The Insider" was robbed at the Oscars was dead on target. Great film. Barron out.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 6:21:22 PM CST

    Alzheimers???

    by street legal

    Ali's got Parkinson's Disease, not Alzheimers(sp?), so it's not his mind that's effected, it's his motor skills 'n speech, not his mind. Anyways, Mann is one of my fave directors, so I'm looking forward to this one big time. Any word on what Mann's next movie after this? (a Miami Vice movie would be cool... maybe)... Also, Smith- he'll be fine, I'm sure.
    (Any spelling errors- sorry)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 7:57:44 PM CST

    courage

    by ronin67

    Courage is standing up for your beliefs when people threaten to take away your freedom or call you a coward. No one can fill his shoes on the big screen but Wil smith may come close. For those who think he to small, Ali was not that big for a heavyweight in his early years, which is why he "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee". I hope this movie does him Justice.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 8:18:59 PM CST

    Will Smith's neck is too scrawny unlike Ali's

    by justice41

    Any real boxer would have a thick neck, Which Will does not have. Reason for thick neck? So your head doesn't snap back after every blow. He beefed up, they added a fake brow and wig but he still looks like Smith. When he spouts off the usual,"ynowhatimsayin", line, all suspension of belief will be lost.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 8:41:40 PM CST

    Word of advise to you dropkicks

    by theginger twit

    Of course it's will smith. Of course it's not the real Ali. But has no one here ever watched a film based on a true story? Usually actors play the parts or real people... and usually the actors look like the actors dressed up as the person they are playing. It's about letting your imagination go. But I was convinced a long time ago that almost no one on this site has an imagination so I'll just be quiet for now.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 10:25:51 PM CST

    tackleberry

    by ronin67

    He did lose his boxing career. He could have been even greater, but in his prime, he was stripped of his title and thrown in jail and lost 2 years of his life. The fact that he was able to come back and become champion again shows how great his fighting spirit really is. Also no coward would get into the ring with George Foreman. I am all for the military but forcing someone to do something they do not want to do is wrong. To say he played the race card is ridiculous. look at what happened to MLK and Malcom X. Not a good time to be an outspoken African American.

    Reply to Talkback

  • How come all these god-damn idiots who spout the stupidest shit here never come back and admit how much of an asshole they were after being corrected. You fucking moron. Trying to make somebody else look bad, and in turn only making your self look like a fucking shithead.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 20, 2001 10:50:22 PM CST

    You Don't Need to Popup Stopper

    by alphaalfa

    You Don't Need Popup Stopper... just disable Active Scripting in the security settings of Explorer.. Now I don't really mind popups.... because like everyone else I know you need to make money but that auto install thing really is annoying...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 1:28:53 AM CST

    Tackleberry. . .

    by sith lord jesus

    . . .why don't you do a little reading about what it was like for African Americans in that era before you shoot your mouth off? Segregation, bombings, COINTELPRO, riots, murder. There were places right here in America where Ali couldn't go just because of the color of his skin and yet Uncle Sam wanted to pack him off to slaughter some Vietnamese peasents who were not and never would be a threat to this country. Hell no he didn't go and I wouldn't have either in his place. I suppose you also think Martin Luther King was "playing the race card" when he stood up against Segregation. Sorry for going off-topic, people, but this sort of right-wing know-nothing horseshit really pisses me off.*************************To get back *on* topic: this film is gonna sho' nuff rock. I caught the trailer last weekend in front of THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE (excellent flick, btw) and was blown away. Smith has Ali *down,* not just the voice but everything. And with Michael Mann in the director's seat I have no worries on that end (unlike if it was Michael Bay. . .but that's a different talkback). This is one of the very few movies I've been looking forward to this year. Oh yeah, and one final flame: dream-endless, thanks for showing the entire planet that even single-helix genetic defects such as yourself can get on the web. Ali has *Parkinson's Disease,* Einstein, not Alzheimer's. May no one you care about ever come down with either illness.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 2:12:34 AM CST

    it's not a will smith movie, it's a michael mann movie

    by heywoodfloyd

    can't believe there's so much talk about smith and whether he'll look and sound the part or not--who cares? that is not nearly as important as whether mann makes a good movie or not, and i think he will. the preview before the man who wasn't there was impressive. whoever above said that the insider got robbed by that overrated freight train american beauty at the oscars was absolutely right--i root for michael mann like i used to for scorsese.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 2:25:16 AM CST

    lotr vs ali at the box office

    by heywoodfloyd

    all that whinning about box office take is pointless if you're not going to talk about it in terms of the per screen average. sure, lotr will make more than ali, it'll be on half the fuckin screens in the counrty to accomodate all of the aicn dorks who feel compelled to see it 20 times. hp was released on no less than 25% of the screens in the country, somewhere around 3700 total. what choice did anyone who wanted to see a movie last weekend have? off course it made 90 mil. check the per screen averages of lotr and ali a month after they've been released and then you'll be able to tell who kicked who's ass, and i bet ali comes out on top.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 3:14:04 AM CST

    When We Were Kings

    by street legal

    I know a few people have already mentioned this documentary here, but I have to do it again... AMAZING. It's about the big "jumble in the jungle" fight in Africa (Ali vs Foreman)and it not only has great fight footage, interviews, p.r. type of stuff,- it's got some amazing music! The James Brown stuff is priceless. The dvd also had a little documentary about THIS documentary, and it's soooo damn moving. I was an infant when this stuff went down, but it's interesting to see how people viewed Forman back then (the Big Bad, so to speak) and the image of the Big Sweetheart he has now. Can't wait to see how they handle it in "Ali"... (BTW- someone already said it, but the foreman and don king they have on that top pic looks great!)... S/L

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 3:19:37 AM CST

    Is Howard Cosell melting?

    by cruel shoes

    Ali, DON'T LOOK AT THE LIGHT, KEEP YOU'RE EYES SHUT! Oh, and Amelie will kick Harry Potter's ass!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 3:37:41 AM CST

    Jon Voight as Howard Cosell -- best makeup since POTA

    by hung-wei lo

    Damn, I had no clue that was Jon Voight! Totally convincing makeup. Now if only he can pull off a better impersonation than that asian dude in Better Off Dead...hands down the best impersonation to date!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 4:20:45 AM CST

    Will is great!

    by lemu

    Shit Man! look at how he's beefed up for the part. He deserves a lot of credit for his effort. He's not the lean rapper of the early nineties, or the gung ho pilot from ID4. He's ALI. It's a shame that ALI has to go face to face with LOTR (LOTR is gonna kick serious ASS!), but I'm sure it'll grab a couple of nominations (thanks to Michael Mann).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 4:40:49 AM CST

    Apologies all around.

    by dream-endless-

  • Nov 21, 2001 4:45:56 AM CST

    Apologies all around (goddamn enter key)

    by dream-endless-

    Right. Parkinson's. Not Alzheimers. And the intention of my post was not to make some else look bad (okay DocBosch?)

    I'm willing to be civil and apologise here only because im wrong. i didnt post an apology earlier cause im not fricking online all the goddamn time.

    So to 'Possibly', i apologise. To DocBosch, you COULD be a little nicer in the way you phrase things. Your kind of hostility (to someone you dont even know) is what gives Talkbackers a bad name. Who are you to judge? Like YOU havent made any mistakes?

    Asshole.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 6:46:44 AM CST

    Parkinsons Disease???

    by coldsoup

    Actually Ali has Parkinsons Syndrome which paradoxically means he has the symptoms of Parkingsons Disease without actually having the disease itself.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 9:18:56 AM CST

    Tribute to Ali from Will Smith?

    by ozone

    In Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy With It," there's a line:

    "No love for the haters, the haters,
    Mad cause I got floor seats at the Lakers,
    See me on the fifty yard line with the Raiders,
    Met Ali, he told me I'm the greatest."

    Just a little goofy trivia.

    Happy Thanksgiving, Harry et al.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 9:25:52 AM CST

    LOTR VS ALI

    by rabbit stew

    Yeah, it's the fight of the century! Apparently.
    Couple of things:
    A) Why is everyone using the word "baby"? Is it an Austin Powers style throwback? If so, stop it, you sound stupid.
    B)I love Mann and Jackson, Gandalf and Ali, therefore I am going to see both these films. Does it mean I am not in anyone's gang?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 1:35:39 PM CST

    tackleberry's "courage"

    by ronin67

    An annonymous post on a website full of film geeks. I'm impressed.
    Boy you really got the best of me.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 9:06:57 PM CST

    *Sigh.* Yet another no-life loser Troll. . .

    by sith lord jesus

    . . .I might have known. But hey, all is not lost--this gives me yet another opportunity to call for a Slashdot-style moderation system on this site! (Pause for screams). Yes friends, under such a setup, posts are scored by relevance, intelligence, etc., meaning that on-topic posts are usually moderated up--+1, +2, +3, for example--while off-topic posts (such as those of brain-dead Trolls, eh, Mr. Swanson?) are moderated down (-1, -2, -587,649). People can post whatever the hell they want, but since users get to set their own personal preferences they can arrange it so that they themselves never see the Trolls, flamers, "first-p0st!" vegitables and the like. Anyone who *wants* to see that crap an set their pref's to 0 or -1. So comeon, Harry, start the upcoming new year right! With a Slashdot style system you won't even have to ban people like that "Aryan Avenger" zero of a few days back. In case yer interested, the current slahcode (2.2.0) is right here: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=4421&release_id=60424 It's the only way to blog! Well, a happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans, and remember--don't feed the Trolls. No, not even some dressing. Or a drumstick.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 21, 2001 10:34:06 PM CST

    The truth about Ali

    by clark clay

    Okay, my friends, time to clear up a couple of things up. Please heed my words because I wrote my history seminar paper on Ali at the University of Central Arkansas. First of all, Cassius Clay did in fact lose his medal. The myth that he threw it in the Hudson River because he wasn't allowed into an all-white restaurant was made up for his Nation of Islam-advocated autobiography "The Greatest." Second, Ali never said "No Vietcong never called me nigger." But he did in fact say, "I ain't got no quarrel with no Vietcong," in a moment of spontaneous frustration to a reporter asking him about Vietnam. Thank you, each and every one, for your time.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 23, 2001 8:50:39 AM CST

    Its those WS ears, man.

    by temuera_morrison

    Will Smith's ears should've been pinned back or something. Ali never had ears that made him look like Dumbo the Elephant. Apart from that, well, yeah, I can see a vague resemblance. It might be worth seeing, but man, those lugs....they stick out a mile.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 24, 2001 11:11:13 AM CST

    boom boom sh-shake the room

    by i_am_a_wookie

    i think he looks quite good. tyhe prince isnt exactly wrong for the part, wesley snipes is a big guy, hes got potential as an actor, and i think he cuold have done agood job, but th only man who could play the cassius-clay, in the great one himself, he's faught the best, sly stallone, Roddy piper, the hulkster, he could only be ------MR T!!!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Nov 24, 2001 1:29:27 PM CST

    dream-endless

    by docbosch

    Thaks for apologizing. Most people wouldn't have. I'm not one to normally flame, but I've seen so many times people who proudly and unapologitically boast "facts", trying to correct somebody else, but are never around after somebody corrects them (and always on AICN) in conjunction that somebody close to me had Alzheimers ("the coherency of a bar of soap"!) just made me want to say something hateful in return. And though my outburt is unbecoming, i think what gives backtalkers a bad name is more characterist with what you did. You obviusly didnt have your facts straight. You weren't sure if Ali had Parkinsons or Alzheimers. You could have said "Ali told him? But I thought he he had Alzheimers." and then you could have even tacked on your little joke at the end. In that case, i would have been the first one to say "No, Ali has Parkinsons." But instead you desided to say: "Ali ASKED him to take the role?! Uh, you DO realise that Ali probably has the coherency of a bar of soap? He's got frickin Alzheimers!" Which made eveybody else who read your post think "You DO realize your an idiot." But we all do make mistakes, idiots an all. But the fact that you came back and aplologized proves your not one.

    Reply to Talkback

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