Cool News
5-25-77 Casting Rumors!!
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Boy, oh, boy, it's Chat Room day here at AICN. Steve Dallas is one of our chatters, as is Jed The Hutt. And now we've got news ABOUT one of our chatters, a writer/director named Patrick Read Johnson. You might remember SPACED INVADERS, a film he's proud of. Or DRAGONHEART, a film he's not. You may have heard his commentary on the just released BABY'S DAY OUT DVD, which is getting better reviews than the film itself. Or you may have read comments here on this site about a film Pat's been trying to make for a while now, 5-25-77, a nakedly autobiographical comic coming of age set on that day that looms so large in the collective memory of an entire generation of film geeks, the release date of the original STAR WARS.
Patrick comes into our chat room on a fairly regular basis, and is quite open about what he's up to. Sort of. He's been teasing me about the secret identity of his lead actor, and saying how he couldn't possibly tell, and it's obviously been delighting him to no end to have a secret.
Well, let's see if I know your secret, Patrick. Here's an e-mail I got a little earlier today:
Hi Harry,
I have long been a fan and loyal reader of AICN, but I have never had any news of note to contribute. That is, maybe until now.
Back in '99, I read a report on AICN about a project tentatively titled 5-25-77 by a guy named Patrick Read Johnson. It caught my eye, because the story is set in and around my home town, and I saw Star Wars in the same theatre on opening night.
I forwarded the info to a friend who works for the local daily newspaper, and he has been keeping an eye on the story. He e-mailed me today with the following info. I personally consider this an unconfirmed report, but from a reliable source. I don't know if you can do anything with it, but I thought I would pass it on. Anyways, FWIW...
Keep up the good work,
Artie Fufkin
---
Here's who he's trying to lineup: Carrie Fisher as the mother (she already has verbally agreed, it's not like she's been doing anything else of late); Joe Pantoliano (he's Guido the killer pimp in Risky Business and also been in Memento, The Fugitive and U.S. Marshalls) as the father; Christopher Lloyd as the manager of the Genesee Theater; Frankie Munoz from Malcolm in the Middle as the kid.
Supposedly, it's a go, he's already got several million in upfront money for producers to begin negotiating with actors, scouting locations, etc. He wants to premiere it at the refurbished Genesee Theatre (which is featured in the plot of the movie). The state gave Waukegan $20 million to put the theater back together.Hmmm... how accurate does the casting sound? Well, considering Patrick was in the chat room the other night telling everyone how delighted he was to have just finished directing Joe Pantoliano as his father, I'd say it sounds pretty accurate.
So... Frankie Muniz as your lead, eh, Patrick? Mr. BIG FAT LIAR/MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE himself, eh? Sounds like a strong commercial choice, and a nice role for Muniz to take his next step towards adulthood with. And that would certainly explain why you've been so gleeful about your big secret. I guess time will tell...
"Moriarty" out.
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+ Expand All
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BTW, I don't like to be 1st....
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Probably not...
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...told ya I wasn't first. Frist, maybe, but never first.
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Feb 28, 2002 9:29:34 PM CST
Risky Business, Memento, The Fugitive, US Marshalls, Bound, Runn
by llghtst0rmer
...oh, and some little movie that came out a few years ago about some guy who gets sucked into a computer or something and learns kung fu. The name eludes me at the moment.....
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Joe P.'s biggest role to date.
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O' course, it ain't a competition or anything, but... well, it's always a competition when you're a geek like me. ;-)
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Hello? It's called an Oscar-worthy performance? And there was a little ditty called the Matrix...sorry, I just can't believe the dude has to go back to Risky Business for his first Joe Pantoliano reference.
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Joe Pantoliano get the respect and good rolls he deserves? Kevin Spacy should be getting his passed on scripts.
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Feb 28, 2002 9:53:56 PM CST
"The Matrix" is not Joe P.`s biggest role to date. That, my fri
by elgyn6655321
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I hope they fit Mark Hamill in as the "older brother."
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Feb 28, 2002 11:08:26 PM CST
Hmmm...his opinions should be reversed with Spaced Invaders and
by lenny nero
Hell, I was like 13 when Dragonheart came out. It was cool enough.
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Frankie Muniz as an actor can not hang with the rest of his family on "Malcom in the Middle". I'm not saying he's particularly a bad actor, just not as strong as the rest of the cast or the wonderful writing. I think the kid from "Jurassic Park 3", "The Glass House" and "The Sixth Sense" has some promise, just too bad I can't remember his name.
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Ya know what... Star Wars has already cast a big enough shadow over the past 25 years or so of filmmaking. While this sounds like a good idea, I have mixed feelings about it. I'm not sure why... just that Hollywood only seems to reference itself and nothing else in many recent films. I guess it's a 'Let go of the Past' kind of thing. I don't want to sound pretentious, but if, as a filmmaker, you are still hung up on Star Wars, maybe you need to grow up a little. I can see wanting to do something LIKE it, but so many people nowadays never even seem to make it to other directors like Scorsese, Kubrick, Peckinpah, etc. They just have they're DVD changer loaded with Spielberg and Lucas and those discs aren't going anywhere. Maybe there's nothing wrong with it... anyone else see what I'm trying so hard, (and probably failing), to get across? Here's an idea... READ A FEW CLASSIC NOVELS!!! I don't want to sound artsy or pretentious... you know what, f--k it, I DO want to sound that way. Everyone is so damn afraid to say that maybe some of these people should get more of an education and READ a little instead of watching Jaws 900 times in a row. Does everyone know that Spielberg actually once said he WISHES that he had taken all of his general education classes seriously in college? And that he wishes he'd gotten a proper, more well-rounded education? I know what some people are gonna say about Spielberg not needing it and he's a genius and blah, blah, blah... well you know what? If you think that way, you all belong at a little film school in Orlando, FL called FULL SAIL. Read the filmmakers.com LOAFS film school surveys if you don't know what I'm talking about.
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Joe P. was the bees knees in that movie
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Is it just me or does this little bastard annoy the hell out of you. He just seems to me like an arrogant prick pretending to be on the same level as everyone else. Now on the topic of the movie sounds lame, can't people just create original ideas instead of biting off the greatest movie ever. Ok so not the greatest movie ever in my humble opinion, but a damn fine one.
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Mar 01, 2002 2:57:42 AM CST
Pantoliano is great. His best acting was last season on The Sop
by ralph cifaretto
Joe has always been cool. He was even good in The Fugitive.
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You ARE pretentious and full of shit for assuming that someone can't have a passion for Star Wars and be well-read at the same time. There's no need to be so pompous and above everyone else. ALL BROAD GENERALIZATIONS ARE FALSE!
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...the film about the day I graduated High School. Personally, I always thought there had to be some fantastic, cosmic connection, seeing how I graduated exactly 17 years to the day after the most influential film of my life hit the screen. As it stands, I think the only similarity they had was the fact that, before the dates in question passed, people responded to the notion of me graduating with the same incredulity as someone hearing about a movie with character names like "Luke Skywalker" and "Obi Wan Kenobi" becoming the biggest film of all time.
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I can't help but giggle like a sexy 12 year old schoolgirl when i hear the name "Joe Pantoliano." Heeheeheeheeheehee!!!! sk
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I saw SW at the Genesee in 1977. I didn't see it on opening night, but one week after release. We went to the theater because it was air conditioned and we were sweltering in our un-airconditioned house. It didn't expect to be blown away but I was. I was eight years old and the images of the x wings flying down the trench have stuck with me since then. Beautiful theater, can't wait to see the renevation.
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I love Muniz and he would be cool for Patrick... if he was old enough. I read the script. He can't play Patrick, especially if Sara Tanaka is playing Linda Augustyniak, Patrick's girlfriend. I mean... she's done with college in real life, and Muniz is only 15. However, I did remember that Patrick had a kid brother, Eric, who's 15 in the script. So maybe Muniz is cameoing as him (though that seems a tad strange since the kid was supposed to be husky, but I suppose that's a minor detail).
Oh, and by the way, I posted my review of the script on my Star Wars site. It's a tad out of date since Linda's now cast and, near the end of the review, I made suggestions about who should be cast as her, but the info about the script is solid. I dunno, I think the best part about this movie is going to be the soundtrack. The script is just like American Grafitti's, lots of songs mentioned. Check out my review at my site. -
Mar 01, 2002 11:41:35 AM CST
I give this title about a 0.01% chance of making it to the tease
by parallax
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How reliable can this be, coming from someone who thinks he's out of Spinal Tap?
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I have mixed feelings about it. I'm not sure why... just that Hollywood only seems to reference itself and nothing else in many recent films. I guess it's a 'Let go of the Past' kind of thing. I don't want to sound pretentious, but if, as a filmmaker, you are still hung up on Star Wars, maybe you need to grow up a little.>>this isn't about Star Wars. it's about a shared event that had a lasting effect on a lot of people.it's about an event that changed the way people look at films beond the initial rush of Sci-Fi movies.suddenly people were as interested in how movies were made ( remember that show with Tom Bosley as host that featured special F/X ?and it always had Star Wars footage in it. )as the movies themselves. I think it's goona' be hard to do without some studio wanting to turn it into Trekkies.( which was cool , but not what this movie's about ) But I'll keep my fingers crossed that this can capture a fun time in my, and others , lives.and why any time some one says"I don't want to sound pretentious, " they really, really sound pretentious. and I liked SPACED INVADERS,nice little fun movie. and DRAGONHEART which would have been better if the villain didn't look like a Martin Short charicter from SCTV. and on Joe Pantoliano ,....
Piece of My Heart, A (2002) .... Louis Carbonelli
Adventures of Pluto Nash, The (2002)
Majestic (2001) (VG) .... Tim Pritchard (Episode 4)
Grand Theft Auto III (2001) (VG) (voice) .... Luigi Goterelli
... aka Grand Theft Auto 3 (2001) (VG) (USA)
Cats & Dogs (2001) (voice) .... Peek
"Sopranos, The" (1999) TV Series .... Ralph Cifaretto (2001-)
Better Way to Die, A (2000) .... Flash
Pray for the Cardinal (2000) .... Nicky
Silver Man (2000) .... Norbert
Memento (2000) .... Officer John Edward 'Teddy' Gammell (aka John G)
Ready to Rumble (2000) .... Titus Sinclair
"Sugar Hill" (1999) TV Series .... Joe
New Blood (1999) .... Hellman
Olive, the Other Reindeer (1999) (TV) (voice) .... Martini
Taxman, The (1999/I) .... Al Benjamin
Life Before This, The (1999) .... Jake Maclean
Black and White (1999) .... Bill King
Matrix, The (1999) .... Cypher/Mr. Reagan
"Godzilla: The Series" (1998) TV Series (voice) .... Animal Palotti
"Lionhearts, The" (1998) TV Series
"Hercules" (1998) TV Series (voice) .... Pan
... aka "Disney's Hercules" (1998) (USA)
Hoods (1998) .... Charlie Flynn
U.S. Marshals (1998) .... Deputy Marshal Cosmo Renfro
Tinseltown (1997) .... Arnie
Top of the World (1997) .... Vince Castor
... aka Cold Cash (1997)
... aka Showdown (1997)
Natural Enemy (1997) (TV) .... Stuart
Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Ice (1996) (TV) .... Det. Meyer Meyer
EZ Streets (1996) (TV) .... Jimmy Murtha
"EZ Streets" (1996) TV Series .... Jimmy Murtha
Bound (1996) .... Ceasar
Immortals, The (1995) .... Pete Tunnell
Scenes from Everyday Life (1995)
Steal Big, Steal Little (1995) .... Eddie Agopian, Ruben's Lawyer
Congo (1995) (uncredited) .... Eddie Ventro
Bad Boys (1995) .... Captain Howard
"Beethoven" (1994) TV Series (voice) .... Sparky
Flight of the Dove, The (1994) .... Attorney Brezner
... aka Spy Within, The (1994)
Last Word, The (1994) .... Doc
... aka Cosa Nostra: The Last Word (1994)
Teresa's Tattoo (1994) .... Bruno
Baby's Day Out (1994) .... Norby
Dangerous Heart (1994) (TV) .... Barclay
Calendar Girl (1993) .... Harvey Darpinian
Fugitive, The (1993) .... Cosmo Renfro
Three of Hearts (1993) .... Mickey
Me and the Kid (1993) .... Roy
Used People (1992) .... Frank
Through the Eyes of a Killer (1992) (TV) .... Jerry
... aka Master Builder, The (1992) (TV)
Zandalee (1991) .... Gerri
One Special Victory (1991) (TV) .... Daniel
"Fanelli Boys, The" (1990) TV Series .... Dominic Fanelli
El Diablo (1990) (TV) .... Kid Durango
Short Time (1990) .... Scalese
Last of the Finest, The (1990) .... Wayne Gross
... aka Blue Heat (1990)
... aka Street Legal (1990)
Downtown (1990) .... White
Nightbreaker (1989) (TV) .... Sergeant Jack Russell
... aka Advance to Ground Zero (1989) (TV)
In Crowd, The (1988) .... Perry Parker
Midnight Run (1988) .... Eddie Moscone
Rock 'n' Roll Mom (1988) (TV) .... Ronnie
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) .... Sy Swerdlow (segment "Hairlooming")
... aka Cheeseburger Film Sandwich (1987)
Empire of the Sun (1987) .... Frank Demarest
La Bamba (1987) .... Bob Keene
Scenes from the Goldmine (1987) .... Manny
Squeeze, The (1987) .... Norman
Destination America (1987) (TV) .... Lt. Mike Amico
L.A. Law (1986) (TV) .... Rob Cabinero
Running Scared (1986) .... Snake
Goonies, The (1985) .... Francis Fratelli
Mean Season, The (1985) .... Andy Porter
"Robert Kennedy & His Times" (1985) (mini) TV Series .... Roy Cohn
Making of 'The Mean Season', The (1985) (TV) .... Himself
Mister Roberts (1984) (TV) .... Insigna
Eddie and the Cruisers (1983) .... Doc Robbins
Final Terror, The (1983) .... Eggar
... aka Bump in the Night (1983)
... aka Campsite Massacre (1983)
... aka Forest Primeval, The (1983)
Risky Business (1983) .... Guido the Killer Pimp
Monsignor (1982) .... Musso
Idolmaker, The (1980) .... Gino Pilato
Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story (1980) (TV) .... Ray Neal
... aka Alcatraz and Clarence Carnes (1980) (TV)
"From Here to Eternity" (1979) (mini) TV Series .... Angelo Maggio
More Than Friends (1978) (TV) .... Ralph
... aka Love Me and I'll Be Your Best Friend (1978) (TV)
"Free Country" (1978) TV Series .... Louis Peschi
so cut it out.
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who reads this crap?
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Mar 02, 2002 8:08:34 AM CST
Oh, I thought this was one of those indie SW fan things, like GL
by drath
This is going to be a big release? With actual actors we've all heard of, and TV spots and lukewarm reviews from critics who resented having to watch a piece of fluff? Oh. I thought it would be different. But who knows, maybe it'll be really funny. Don't go with Frankie Muniz though. His show is a hit, but he's the least funny person featured on it. He's the Fred Savage of the 00's.
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