Cool News
Elston Gunn's WEEKLY RECAP
Father Geek here, fresh from a preview screening of K-19, immediately afterwhich I had to deal with a flat tire in the rain, then I get home and my tail lights won't go out so I have to disconnect the battery and of course its still raining. Then I get into Geek Headquarters to discover the light in my office area is out and I have to screw with that, buuuuuut at least I don't have radiation burns... Here's Elston and the latest edition of his weekly column that fills you in on all the Hollywood news you may have missed during the last work week...
TAKEN FROM VARIETY AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
CASTING
CASTING
* Colin Farrell will star opposite Samuel L. Jackson in Columbia Pictures'
S.W.A.T., rooted in the 1970s ABC series, for director Clark Johnson and
producers Oliver Stone, Dan Halsted, Chris Lee and Neal Moritz. David Ayer
(TRAINING DAY) wrote the most recent draft of the script. Michelle
Rodriguez is in talks to join the cast.
* Vin Diesel will star in Revolution's HANNIBAL, based on the novel by Ross
Leckie about the third century B.C. Carthaginian general who rode an
elephant across the Alps to attack Rome.
* Sharon Stone is in talks to star with Rupert Everett in A DIFFERENT
LOYALTY for director Mark Kanievska (LESS THAN ZERO) as well as THE LIAR'S
CLUB for director Nadia Tass. The first project is written by Jim Piddock
and tells the true story of Eleanor Philby, whose husband, superspy Kim
Philby, infiltrated British intelligence for the Russians before defecting
in 1963. LIAR'S CLUB, penned by Robert Schenkkan, is about a dysfunctional
Texas family that splits up, gets back together, splits again and reunites
again.
* Heather Locklear joins the MGM/Greene Street Films comedy MOLLY GUNN,
starring Dakota Fanning and Brittany Murphy, for director Boaz Yakin. It's
about a young socialite who has never grasped the concept of money. When
her parents die in a plane crash and her inheritance is stolen, she must
earn an income by working as a nanny for a precocious girl.
* Maggie Gyllenhaal is in talks to join the cast of Lions Gate's SHATTERED
GLASS, starring Greg Kinnear and Hayden Christensen.
* Sandra Oh (ARLI$$) is in talks to join Diane Lane in the romantic comedy
UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, based on the bestseller by Frances Mayes.
* Nate Dushku (ANTITRUST), Marina Black ("Six Feet Under") and A.J. Buckley
(BLUE CAR) star in the indie pic REVERIE about two young men whose lives are
changed forever when they make a documentary about the homeless. Anthony
Perretta will direct from his own script.
* Benicio Del Toro will produce and star in TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT, a modern
thriller based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway. Tod "Kip" Williams (THE
ADVENTURES OF SEBASTIAN COLE) will script and direct for Universal Focus.
Del Toro will play a fisherman in the Florida Keys who isn't making enough
money to feed his family and becomes involved with unsavory smugglers.DIRECTOR/WRITER ATTACHMENTS
* Karen Moncrieff (BLUE CAR) is in talks to rewrite and direct the period
thriller THE ROSE for Miramax. It's based on the Martin Cruz Smith novel
about a scandal in 1872 in an English mining town centering on the
disappearance of a young cleric. An American mining engineer is brought in
to investigate, going into the underworld of violent miners and their "pit
girls."
* Ron Howard has turned his attention away from Disney's THE ALAMO, due to
the time it's taking to get the project into production, and is focusing on
other projects which may include CINDERELLA MAN and THE BURIAL. Meanwhile,
Stephen Gaghan is rewritng John Sayles' ALAMO script.
* Wolfgang Petersen (THE PERFECT STORM) will direct Warner Bros.' BATMAN VS.
SUPERMAN for a targeted 2004 release. Andrew Kevin Walker (SEVEN) has
written the script about the two superhero allies who come to mighty blows
over differing philosophies.
* German director Oliver Hirschbiegel (THE EXPERIMENT) is in talks to direct
BLADE 3 for New Line Cinema.
* Martin Weisz will direct Halcyon Entertainment's THE SETT, written by
Danny Taylor (THE SCORE) and Scott Roberts (K2), about the journey of a man
who is falsely accused of the murder of his family. It's based on the novel
by Ranulph Fiennes. Meanwhile, Halcyon has also tapped David Denneen to
direct the heist thriller BREAKBACK.
* Jessica Stevenson will write and star in the adventure comedy DOUBLE AU
PAIR for New Line. It's about the black sheep of a spy family who gets a
job as a British Ambassador's au pair. She then uses her job as a way to an
imaginary mission, taking the children on an unforgettable spy adventure
that leads them to real life intrigue.
* Lightstorm Entertainment has picked up Aaron Mendelsohn's comedy pitch
TWICE IN A LIFETIME about a man who is accidentally regressed to the age he
was when he first met his wife. As he progresses back to his normal age
over the course of 10 days, he and his wife get to relive their relationship
and make it better.
* Jeff Nathanson is in talks to direct the Walt Disney Co. comedy PROVIDENCE
from his own script. It's about two young filmmakers who are given $3
million to make their first movie by a mysterious benefactor on the
condition that they shoot it in Providence, R.I. Once they get there, they
discover that they have been unwitting players in an FBI sting operation.
* Todd Phillips has made a three-year first-look deal with Dimension and
Miramax, and will direct at least one film under the pact. Phillips will
write, direct and produce a remake of the 1960 British comedy SCHOOL FOR
SCOUNDRELS after he directs STARSKY AND HUTCH for Warner Bros.
* Chap Taylor (CHANGING LANES) will adapt Robert Ludlum's THE SIGMA PROTOCOL
for Universal, director Antoine Fuqua and producer Paul L. Sandberg.
* Mark Rydell (TNT's "James Dean") will direct THE LOCKED ROOM based on the
third novella in Paul Auster's THE NEW YORK TRILOGY. It's about a young
writer who, on the death of his best friend, takes over his friend's life,
wife and career, throwing his own life into a maelstrom. Lem Dobbs (THE
LIMEY) and Chloe King (B. MONKEY) wrote the screenplay.
* Disney grabbed the pitch THE GUARDIAN from writer Ron Brinkerhoff (D-TOX)
for Firm Films to produce. It's described as TOP GUN in the Coast Guard in
a story that follows a and follows a legendary rescue swimmer who, after
losing his crew in a fatal crash, mentors a young recruit, teaching him the
meaning of sacrifice.
* Phoenix Pictures has optioned the romantic comedy spec KISS & TELL,
written by Kevin O'Hare, for Underground Films to produce.
* Mitchel Katlin and Nat Bernstein have sold an untitled pitch to Columbia
Pictures with wrestling superstar-turned-action star the Rock attached to
star. The buddy actioner is described as a comedic take on the 1985 pic
WITNESS.
* Electric Entertainment has purchased the sci-fi pitch NOAH from Jan
Skrentny and Neal Tabachnick. It takes place in the near future and centers
on a young scientist's battle for survival.
* Eric Wald will write a contemporary remake of the 1948 comedy feature
MISTER BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE for director Steve Carr and RKO
Pictures. The original centered on a couple who live in a New York
apartment and decide to move to the country and build a home, which is
easier said than done.
* Michael Arndt will adapt Glen David Gold's novel CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL
for C/W Prods. and director Robert Towne. It's set in 1920s America and
follows Charles Carter, aka Carter the Great, a stage magician known for
outrageous stunts carried out on elaborate sets. He runs into major problems
when he puts on the most outrageous stunt of all, using President Harding.
* Rod Lurie will direct the romantic comedy BEAT THE EAGLE, about a beloved
two-term president who retires to a small East Coast town to write his
memoirs. When asked to becoming the town's mayor, he finds himself
challenged for the post by a local hardware proprietor and the election
escalates into a battle royal. Tom Schulman (DEAD POET'S SOCIETY) wrote the
script.
* Rick Famuyiwa (THE WOOD) will write and direct FEELING ARETHA about a
father and son in the world of college basketball coaching.
* Tracey Jackson (upcoming THE GURU) will write three new projects with
Warner Bros. Pictures, MGM and GreeneStreet Films: INTO THE FRYING PAN is
the Warners project-a romantic comedy about a spoiled young woman who's left
at the altar and tries to comfort herself with a week in Tuscany but
accidentally registers for a boot-camp cooking school; MGM has tapped her to
rewrite a remake of the Claude Lelouch film ONE FOR ALL about three
beautiful actresses who hatch a lot with a vengeful airline attendant; and
GreeneStreet grabbed Jackson's untitled romantic comedy pitch, with Fisher
Stevens eying it as a directing project. It's about a long-distance love
affair between a telemarketer and the would-be customer.
MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCTION TIDBITS
* Warner Bros. will release THE MATRIX RELOADED domestically on May 15,
while THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS will be released during the holiday season of
2003.
* Miramax Films is developing its first computer-animated feature for
children. targeted for a 2004 release. The project is based on the Lego
Co.'s Bionicle line of action figures and will center on six heroes, known
as the Toa. They join forces to collect legendary artifacts the Masks of
Power and defeat Makuta, an evil ruler who has taken over the island of Mata
Nui.
* Nimbus Films has optioned MALDONNE, a 1962 novel by Pierre Boileau and
Thomas Narcejac. It's the story of a down-on-his luck musician hired to
pose as a rich look-alike to procure an inheritance, who ends up serving as
the decoy for an assassination.
Until next week.
Elston Gunn
elstongunn@hotmail.com
elstongunn@hotmail.com
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+ Expand All
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i'm so funny.
fuck you all. -
why is batman v. superman being made? why? it's just so useless. batman year one would be cool - but imho the superman franchise is dead and does not need a patriotic/sentimental revival. also, i think knives are a good idea, big fuck off shiney ones.
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I seem to remember Tom Cruise was attached to this one, wasn't he? Or just was interested?
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Jul 17, 2002 1:03:04 AM CDT
Beat the Eagle: Is this what George Bush does instead of spankin
by spab2
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Bionicle. Cool. I've got all six toa, all six DC comic book adaptations, and so on and so on.......... This could be a really cool project if done right. I'm serious. And I'm not just saying this 'cause I like the material. This could be really cool. I'm getting giddy just thinking about it. ACTION EVERYWHERE YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope they do it right. Don't see how they could screw it up real bad......... Anyway. -
I know they're two entirely different stories, but won't MGM raise a "confusion in the marketplace" legal stink?
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a movie being made from the book MEG. It was a good book. I'm new to ATCN. Just wondering.
And a question. Batman and Superman are DC correct. Wouldn't it be better to see a Batman vs. Spiderman movie?
Seems like Superman would wipe the floor with Batman. Any word of the actual villans in the movie? I guess a Spiderman vs. Batman will never happen because of all the legal bullshit. -
"LIAR'S CLUB, penned by Robert Schenkkan, is about a dysfunctional Texas family that splits up, gets back together, splits again and reunites again." Tenenbaums anyone? Double Au Pair sounds ass - imagine the pitch: "It's Mary Poppins crossed with Spy Kids!" "Bwaaaa, okay, have some money." P$
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I saw them at B&N and I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT THEM!! At least, I think there are two. Also, how do you all think the two Matrix movies will do coming out that close together? Has anything like that happened before in cinema history? Let the flaming begin...
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Carter Beats the Devil is a fantastic novel. Well worth reading. It could, possibly, make a decent film too, but Tom Cruise is utterly wrong for the part. Probably someone like Edward Norton would be good (or is it Edward Furlong, I can never remember...) - that guy from Fight Club and American History X anyway... (Sorry, coffee hasn't kicked in yet this morning...)
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WTF??! Hey, you candy ass! You ain't come around to get no kid. You came around to get the smackdown, amish-style! Good job, brother Rock.
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Scorsese, Scott and Gibson (Mel) have all expressd a great deal of interest in doing something about Hannibal. Is this Vin Diesel thang connected to any of those? Also, FrostyCDN, Batman has beaten Superman before, both in 'regular' continuity and 'elseworlds' (so to speak) stuff like DKR. Batman vs. Spider-Man is the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard. Marvel and DC don't mix.
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It was great! The two don't mix at ALL and the writers played that angle well. Spidey is the fun-loving, free-lance reporter, while Batman is the hard-nosed detective (to point out the obvious to everyone!). They clashed, they squabbled, and it made for good comics! Batman vs. Spider-Man--- WHO WINS?! Hit me!
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Jul 17, 2002 6:51:02 AM CDT
Yes, CleverMovieName, sequels have been released six months apar
by discogodfather
Back to the Future II and III a mere 12 years ago. Both did quite well. How soon we forget.
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I think the legend is rolling in his grave thinking about this. Maybe Arnie?
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(1) Is Vin Diesel going to snowboard an elephant down the Alps in Hannibal? Are we going to hear some snappy Carthiginian one-liners? (2) Damn, Ron Howard isn't going to screw up "The Alamo". I am catatonic with disappointment. (3) Remember, that's "Se7en"! Batman v. Superman should actually be pretty boring, especially if they flesh out their crime-fighting "philosophies". (4) "Top Gun in the Coast Guard". Holy Christ. The Iceman Re-cometh. (5) A "comedic" take on Witness? Wasn't that Kingpin? (6) MOre Maggie Gyllenhaal news!
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those mastabatory fanboys who write 'SE7EN' make me want to fart mucus.
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Do-gooders do battle over differing philosophies in ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN VS. SUPERWEASEL. Sir Anthony Hopkins loves in when in a plan comes together in the big screen A-Team movie HANNIBAL.
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Jul 17, 2002 9:42:01 AM CDT
great, more vomit-indicing Liberal propaganda from Rod Lurie.
by cash bailey
THE LAST CASTLE was nothing more than a vastly inferior version of Lumet's THE HILL and almost stunk up the cinema with it's bleeding-heart bullshit.
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"THE GUARDIAN from writer Ron Brinkerhoff (D-TOX) for Firm Films to produce. It's described as TOP GUN in the Coast Guard ". What the HELL? Didn't they already try this with that crapass Bruce WIllis/Sarah Jessica Parker flick? More and more, movie news is getting worse. If it weren't for LOTR and comic book movies (and Spielberg), I'd be having a crisis of faith.
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As for MEG- Yeah, the book rocked in a 'brainless blockbuster' kind of a way. But alas, it has been stuck in development hell for years, which wasn't helped by the sheer ass-ness of DEEP BLUE SEA (making it the second genre Renny Harlin has fucked up for us all, along with pirate films). As Kevin Smith once said: "We need more big shark movies".
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Wasn't "Mr. Blandings" already remade as "The Money Pit"? Lem Dobbs; what a great name for a movie character. What is this "Blue Car" thing that everyone's in?
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That's just sick
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Mark Whalberg will portray Charlemagne in...never mind, best not to give them anymore ideas. Christ in a handbasket, I don't dislike Vin but this is fucking ridiculous.
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