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What does Warren Ellis think of this whole Keanu, Tilda Swinton, Rachel Weisz in CONSTANTINE thing!'!'
Hey folks, Harry here... I've remained fairly silent on this whole CONSTANTINE thing, mainly because I haven't read the script... Plus, I learned my lesson about thinking Keanu is inappropriate for a part ever since I read the script for the MATRIX, then hearing he'd been cast in the amazing part of NEO, then thinking the Wachowski's were on crack... only to find, years later, that Keanu was perfect for the part. Which well, made me humble when it comes to talking about Keanu for parts that I don't necessarily think he's right for. Personally, I would've killed to have Hugh Jackman play this character.... But hell... Warren Ellis spent the best years of Constantine's fictional life putting the thoughts and words into his head... what does he think? Read on...
Hi Harry... Along with thousands of others I receive a daily email/blog from comic book writer/all round genius, Warren Ellis.
He was recently attending the Edinburgh Film Festival to talk on a panel with Harvey Pekar, the writer of the recently released American Splendour, a fictional / factual movie about his life as a comic book writer.
While he was there he had a chat with actress Tilda Swinton who had some insights into the upcoming movie adaptation of the Hellblazer comics...
"Anyway. And then I ended up drinking with Tilda Swinton. This was one of
those weird moments; she kept saying "serendipitous," which is not a word I
would attempt after mixing that much whisky and beer. She's just been
offered the part of the angel Gabriel in CONSTANTINE, the film of the
comics series HELLBLAZER, which I wrote for a year. So we had an hour of
discussing the character, the book, the selection of Keanu Reeves (which is
actually a big part of her interest. I've always said that Reeves is a
better actor than anyone gives him credit for -- watch him carefully, and
you'll see him deliberately creating a space for other actors to work in),
and the possibilities in the role in relationship to America today. She
said something I found fascinating: in an America where a president again
invokes the term Evil in public statements, there's the potential to say
something very interesting in a major-studio film about Biblical good and
evil. To present the angel Gabriel as a figure of horror; there's space to
say something that in the mainstream of American culture is certainly
subversive. She characterised Reeves as an intelligent, "spiritual" man,
and thinks there might be the possibility, with Reeves there, to do
something challenging. This, by the way, is the answer to the almost-daily emails asking what I
think of Keanu Reeves cast as Constantine. First; the film is never going
to be the same as the comic. American or English, the film will succeed if
it's true to the core of the man, because that's what hooks people into the
book. Nicolas Cage, I maintain, would have made a good Constantine because
he can do the ravaged, shattered side of the man. I think Reeves is an
interesting choice because he can get at the other part of Constantine, the
part that demands social justice and exists in ethical turmoil. His
partner for the story is being played by Rachel Weisz, whom people seem to
have forgotten can act -- she broke out of British television in the same
piece as Ewan McGregor, THE SCARLET AND THE BLACK. With Tilda Swinton as
Gabriel, this is all far from a bad proposition. But, of course, I haven't read the script."
There we go ...hope this has proved interesting
call me Great Cthulhu
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I have nothing more to add. Sorry.
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or at least be able to fake the accent. The Beach is one of my favorite books and it lost a lot of flavor when they made the lead an american. I don't think that Keanu is tough or sleazy enough for this roll.
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In all the best possible worlds, Robert Carlyle should have been John Constantine, Hellblazer.
He has the look, the feel and the chops to pull the character off in perfect detail as originally outlined by Alan Moore.
Unfortunately, American filmmakers seem to think that popular British characters need to be 'Americanized' (most recent example: the League of Extrordinary Gentlemen) in order to be successful in films.
Our loss.
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I had heard or thought i had heard that they were going to make the charecter an American. That is my main problem with this film. Also the actor playing Constantine needs to have a air of cleverness and slyness that i just don't think Keanu can pull off.
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Painful as it is to admit this fellow Brits, unless you're happy enough to see Judge Dredd, Hellblazer, The League et al as ITV Drama Premieres or hear them as Radio 4 Play for Todays (wow, just think of any Alan Moore stuff done by Radio 4 - how cool would that be?) I'm afraid you have to go with the whole "you pays the piper you calls the tune" school of film making.
The Yanks got the bucks, they makes the films. Besides, you're never gonna capture the majesty of the comics unless someone with the cajones of say Peter Jackson steps up to bat and tells the studio to take a flying one.
And this whole "first" thing? Does no-one realise this is the most annoying "The First" can be since Buffy kicked it's butt? Just let it get on with it. At least it's not goading us into suicide...
Waitasec... Stallone in a Dredd sequel you say? Aaaaaaaagh!!! -
...I think Tilda Swinton is sexy as hell!!!!
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Aug 26, 2003 6:48:33 PM CDT
"Dude. There's an angel holding a sword over the battlefield.
by happyhamster
hehe, I agree that Keanu's lack of acting ability is often overplayed (he needs to fire the person who picks "Sweet November" level scripts for him), I couldn't help myself.
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I agree that Constantine needs to have an air of cleverness about him. You need to get the feeling that he's always one step ahead - Reeve's can't pull that off. And I don't even think it comes down to acting ability...he simply can't put that feeling across. Just the same way as someone ugly can't play the part of a super model.
And for mine, Garth Ennis wrote the best episodes of Hellblazer and defined the character for me. Is there still a Preacher film in the works.
Regardless of casting, I hope they don't pull any punches in the comic to film transition. I want good Christian folk threatning to burn dowm movie theatres! What we don't need is another End of Days pile of crap. -
I think that the Angel Gabriel should be played by Gabe "Gabe Kotter" Kaplan -- star of TeeVee's "Welcome Back Kotter." he could probably use the work and he's proven proficient at answering to the name "Gabe."
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Paul Bettany should have been cast as John Constantine. Making Constantine an American ... well ... outside of the black magic angle ... what makes this Hellblazer?! They've changed the name of the story and changed the character ... so where's the equity in it all? It could have been called "Joe Blow" and it still would have as much to do with the original Hellbazer as this Keanu Reeves version of Constantine. What a complete conceptual missfire right from the start. They should have cast a fresh and talented actor like Paul Bettany and it would have been on the right track. What a waste.
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Aug 26, 2003 7:29:02 PM CDT
I think the sequel should be called Hellblazer 2: Hellblazer On
by chaffro
"Cor blimey, gav'nar! S'end of the world, innit, brother?"
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and rachel weisz is pretty good too, but i still haven't been sold on keanu, who i've only enjoyed in bill and ted and parenthood. he doesn't have much range otherwise; see cringe-inducing sweet november in which he says "more sweeter." he also admitted once to being told his lines before each take rather than memorizing oftentimes, in a hardball blurb from a junket i caught flippin channels, hehe. in the matrix, he's ok only because neo doesn't have to be multifaceted, just your typical solemn messiah.
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Aug 26, 2003 7:47:28 PM CDT
If Ellis isn't talking about getting a bunch of white stuff on R
by vikingkitty
Can't say I'm interested in his opinions, unless he's going to give me another gem of a line like that one.
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See THE GIFT. He scared all hell out of me there. He ain't no Tony Hopkins, but he can get down with the right director. Ok, so he sorta sucks, but he's in it, so we might as well be optimistic.
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this sounds extremely interesting to me and I am in no way put off by Keanu being in the role. Maybe for true Hellblazer die hards this might be offensive, but I can't think of single movie adapted from another medium where some segment of the fanbase didn't complain or have reservations. And here in recent film history, I think alot of people have either been proven wrong in their criticisms of castings or have found their reservations unfounded. For example, I remember complaining about Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Imagine someone else in the part now. The list of these examples goes on and on. I think the best course of action in these situations is to give the film a chance. You either want to see it when it is released or you don't. (Kind of a Captain Jack Sparrow mentality huh?) I'm sure there are plenty of other things we can get upset over.
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i don't think anyone wants to try that again... especially england. furthermore, i think you brits need to get off your high horses and come to the realization that americans and englishmen are the same thing except for the accent... do you think you're somehow better than us and that having one of your english characters being played by an american will somehow cheapen it? maybe keanu should just knock a couple of his teeth out, look down his nose at everyone and say "arse" a bunch of times... then he would be officially british and you people would stop crying.. hell, maybe he'll even get knighted.
it blows my mind that everywhere you look today someone's crying "racism", but at the same time we have this shit going on.
i can almost see people not being able to get over skin color, but to not be able to get over an accent? -
Ultimate hottie.
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Aug 26, 2003 8:16:09 PM CDT
"Keanu Reeves (which is actually a big part of her interest. I'
by irc-hollywood
is simply the greatest way of saying an actor is awful i have ever read. ever.
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Best Hellblazers were written by Brian Azzarello. Carey's good, too. Ennis, to a lesser extent. Delano, ehh. The other guys were shit.
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Aug 26, 2003 8:33:10 PM CDT
I liked Wolverine better in the 1st movie. In the second movie,
by eraser_x
he seemed a little too civilized and sensitive.
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that people can have opinions that differ from Harry's without being labeled movie haters"? Just wondering.
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Then again...I don't read these fucking things any more. Let the inmates run the asylum. Good to see you and Chaffro yet survive.
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Aug 26, 2003 8:43:04 PM CDT
Why didn't they offer the role to Sting? I thought that was who
by darth phallus
At least in likeness? Sting's not a bad actor either. He was an excellent Faid Rautha (sp) in DUNE.
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Aug 26, 2003 8:44:30 PM CDT
Rachel Weisz looks quite yummy in Ridley Scott's RUNAWAY JURY.
by monkey_king
John Cusack needs a martial arts pic already. Love that Rachel.
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You know who I bet could play the SHIT out of it, though? Tim Roth. C'mon- you know I'm right. Tim Roth looks like he could outwit a demon. Keanu Reeves looks like he's just barely able to remember to keep his eyes open in every performance he's yet turned in. He's not offensive as an action star- mostly because you can get by as an action star if you can project grim determination, which, in terms of facial set, is just a few notches over from dumb-as-a-hammer-and-trying-not-to-show-it. But, Christ, he can't even suppress his surferdude speech mannerisms under a passable English accent for ninety minutes (remember Keanu Reeves's Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula?).
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Well he was. Seriously.
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Ya know! No offense, but is it me or is it obvious that Harry has a obsessive compulsive geekish reason to somehow mention "Matrix" in every single post on AICN reguardless of his, at first, so-so reviews of both films. I think it's funny, not tryin to make fun but I've loved them more than all the SW films myself so it's no suprise older generations grasp onto these films harder. Back in 99' Mori glowed about the film just like he did about Reloaded, but Harry gave the first Matrix a so-so review and by the time Reloaded came out the first Matrix was now "brilliant" but again Reloaded was so-so. All this mentioning of Matrix now.. he's trying to get Reloaded on that "brilliant" status before Revolutions arrives because he only has 6 months this time rather than 3 years. Just proves how great these "popcorn flicks with a brain" are, especially the more they sit in your head. Every person that I've talked to that didn't like them... didn't understand/get them. Therefore I don't feel a need to constantly defend them on here all the time because I KNOW the true messages of these films. Why? Because the films are really pointing their fingers at you and laughing because you fail to use your imagination and free your mind to it's deep rooted concepts and principles. It's not just about explosions, cgi, bullet time, kung fu, and oscar-ish screenwriting. Oh yea... I try not to talkback off subject so umm... yea I think Keanu is perfect for this role as well. I'm familiar with the story and his personaity traits are again perfect for this role. Sometimes bad acting traits still get you roles playing bad actors in real life... like George Bush.
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If you ask me one of the bad signs of an actor is if you can see him do something deliberately that doesn't have anything to do with acting! Such as hitting his marks which are marked with scotch tape on the floor.
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Nice to see you, you old crank. When I realized that AICN is just gossip and fan-mongering and bad writing, I lowered my expectations and started enjoying myself. Don't post here, much, since intelligence is not required. But I seem to fit in when I say things like "Keanu rules" or "Keanu sucks." Peace.
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let's see, Do not put keanu in a movie, check. Do not put Cornell West in a movie(even for 10 seconds), check. Comic Books are for big fat fags, check. Can't go wrong with Christian Bale, check......
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Harry and Ted Williams use the same cryogenics place.
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You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, Nuno. Americans and Brits are the same except for the accent?? Are you fucking insane? Have you ever been outside the States? Spend one bloody minute in fucking england and you'll see that the two cultures are totall fucking opposites, and the same goes for their citizens.
The English may have bloody colonized your country, but that's where the similarities end. The only significant connection I see is Tony Blair's tongue lodged permanently in george bush's arse.
Oh, and Reeves as Constantine? This movie is fucked. "People underestimate his acting abilites?" Bullshit. He's stuck fast in the level of talent it took to perform "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure." -
...that studios don't give the audience ANY credit.Why is it that they must Americanize characters to appeal to the masses?Do they think we're all morons?Oh wait-we are.Nevermind.
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Keanu fans will go see this movie. I don't know anything about this Constantine person but will go. Isn't this pg13 instead of R . How do the fanboys feel about this?
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Funniest post I've read all week. Thanks for that.
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Aug 27, 2003 12:46:43 AM CDT
You are full of Shite if you think this is Constantine. One Ame
by redbox
No! Some things are sacred!!! Fuck This shite!!! Tim Roth, Ewan, take your pick of good British actors. And if your going for an American, if you have to take an American, its Dennis Leary. Constantine is going down like Swamp Thing and The League of Ex Gentlemen, and it pisses me off. Reeves was picked for one reason, because he said yes. And all the rest is just calling it suntan lotion and rubbing it in, they're making the best of a bad situation that the studios have forced them to deal with it. The Kingpin can be Black, its not important to his character what background he has as long as its tough. But making Conjob an American is like casting Clint Eastwood as Gleek. Every time I hear of this project, since Nick Cage has had it, I wished it would collapse. No Hellblazer fan will see this movie. So those who are looking forward to it, enjoy. Another Alan Moore betrayal. Yeah its a comic revolution, but we can't even do honor to Comics greatest writer. Can't wait till they make Watchman a western and cast Justin fucking Timberlake!! I am so pissed you don't want to know. Cheers -Redbox
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He WAS perfectly cast as Neo. Arguing over his being American is pointless (although I doubt that this movie will be any more about the Bush administration than people want to make it). As far as acting goes, it's all relative. Sometimes having an actor like Reeves isn't a bad thing. It depends firstly on what you're looking to get out of each scene and then on what you're looking to get out of the character (although I doubt his being cast as John Constantine will be any more about "the character" than you want to make it). Tell us some more lies, Schuler-Donner.
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You're a putz! Everybody knows comics are a growing form! Watchmen! Hellloooooo! Ultimates! They're bad-ass wifebeaters! Stop beating off to porn in your mom's basement and telling us to stop taking comics seriously if you want us to take you seriously, you Living-In-Mom's-Basement-er-type-person! Comics ROOOOOOOLLLLL!!!!!!!!! Stupidhead. Showed you.
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why the insult? because you're treating Ellis like shit. Herc already ran some of Ellis' columns. but he asked the man first. http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=15492 Ellis told Herc that: "You're perfectly welcome to it. All I ask is that you run it in its entirety without editing, you credit me, add a copyright tag to me and note you're using it with permission, and run a link to http://www.warrenellis.com. Do all that, and I'm glad to help out." But you, Harry, with your oversized ego, did everything the man asked not to do. and then credited the story to one of your "spies". maybe you think that this will add to your renegade hero image, living only by your own rules, but i say that this is in disgustingly poor taste.
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...And hire some Canadian.
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The sentence which contained the phrase 'passable English accent' also included the word "CAN'T". And if you like Costner's English accent a little better than Keanu's, then maybe he should play Constantine... Now here's a funny line: "...there's the potential to say something very interesting in a major-studio film about Biblical good and evil." Yeah- there certainly is, and I'm taking bets on whether that potential will be realized in the movie, which they should probably just go ahead and call 'Heckblazer' so as not to mislead anybody.
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I vaguely remember the writer of the screenplay saying that he was sorry he made Constantine American and he desperately wanted to make him British again, i just dont know if he ever made those changes. I dont think that Keanu is as bad as everyone thinks he is, but he is not, and could not ever be john constantine. Because Hellblazer is my favorite comic character I will most likely see this movie, but i know i wont be satisfied. Ever since Tarsem left the project I have been very skeptical of this movie. Hopefully, the rest of the cast may give the movie some credibility. Although, Tim Roth may have been the popular choice for Conny, I think Hugh Grant had the charm and the accent down, as well as enough box office appeal.
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Spoken like a gentlemen. It's good, decent people like you that make these talkbacks the paragons of civility and virtue that they are...
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Doesn't anything with Keanu instantly make is a 'must miss' experience?
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Face it. That would have been on hell of a Constantine. 2nd Choice? Guy Pierce. Keanu isn't even on the list.
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...fuck knows what this Constantine shit is, never heard of it, but in the right role (not roll!) he's perfect. Granted that role is the not to bright action hero, but I defy you to find anyone who would have done better in Point Break, Speed and The Matrix (or Bill and Ted for that matter). He's even called dumb in the latter three, not something many Hollywood types would allow. And that's without mentioning the Gift. Granted he can't play Einstein, but the guy rocks.
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Grow up redneck!
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...Never, ever say another man "rocks."
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Aug 27, 2003 5:23:01 AM CDT
Whatevere he is..at least Keanu is a better actor than Asston Ku
by bong
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I think Reeves did some interesting work early, River's Edge comes to mind, but the more I see him the more I think he is becoming a poor man's Burt reynolds for the 21st century.
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For your info, Mark Wahlberg was in one of this Summer's surprise hits " The Italian Job" ($97 mil.) so he's hardly box office poison at this time. And considering he has no albums coming out in the near future, it's insulting and stupid to refer to him as "mawky mawk."
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Jamie Delano wrote the best Constantine, by a long shot. Even better than Alan Moore's.
Trouble is to film JD's JC would involve more brains, more skill and more genuine horror than Hollywood pricks can manage. -
"Bloody wolves chasing me throught some blue inferno!" Funniest. Dialogue. Ever.
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If you don't know anything about Constantine, look at it this way. What if they changed things so that Spider-man wore a wetsuit and a motorcycle helmet. That's about as revolting a departure as making John an American. Every nuance in John's Character has to do with his Englishness. An ex-punk rocker, an enemy of Maggie Thatcher, drinking Guinness and smoking fags (silk cuts that is) I heard someone say that this movie would be "Dirty Harry" with Demons. Sounds like that was the pitch. But the fact that someone finds Dirty Harry in John Constantine is sick. John is the fool and the trickster: he's a conman with demons and angels, walking that fine line between the two. He is no macho hero. He wins because he's smarter, not stronger. He's man's brilliance and potential versus the powers that be. He's Iggy Pop or David Bowie in a trench coat. So I don't think that being a fan for over 15 years, I am making a big deal about a "little" change. This is akin to James Bond coming from Kentucky. To Batman's Icon being a Baseball Bat, To X-Men being about successful transsexuals, To Swampthing chasing bad guy in a Jeep with Heather Locklear...Oh.... Man! Fuck Hollywood! (cue the Public Enemy Music) Cheers Redbox
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However if he smokes Silk Cut he can't be that tough...
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After all, the characther was inspired by him originally.
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He's more of a character out of Lock Stock and Two smoking Barrels or Snatch. Damn! Anyone of them could have play him better!
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Jimmy was his name. Hands up who remembers that one? Perhaps you purists do have a point.
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Aug 27, 2003 8:29:42 AM CDT
It's not anti American to be pissed that Constantine has had a c
by vertigo93
It's just that his Englishness (more to the point the fact he's from Liverpool) has always been a central part of the comics. It's made the story arcs where he's been in America better because there's a sense of an outsider looking in - Ennis in particular wrote the US stories brilliantly because he's an outsider who loves the US. Consider it this way: if the centre of the film industry were, say, France, I can't see any of the US talkbackers keeping quiet is Superman were suddenly growing up in Provence rather than Smallville. This isn't Yank bashing, it's just to say why make changes like that if you don't really have to? If a Scouse Constantine sucks at the cinema it'll be because the story sucks, not because he's an English character.
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Aug 27, 2003 8:57:16 AM CDT
John Constantine should be British, the title of the film should
by spyguy
"Dangerous Habits" is the ultimate John Constantine story and should be the template for the movie. Don't believe me? Read HELLBLAZER #45, "The Sting." Otherwise, Azzarello's run was way overrated, Ellis' run was a disappointment, Delano's run doesn't hold up well over time, and nobody apparently gives a fig about Paul Jenkins. Mike Carey is handling the book nicely at the moment, as long as Marcelo Frusin does the art. And I'm constantly amazed that there isn't a trade paperback for the Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison issues...
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Now admittedly I don't know the character well, but I have better things to do than get my knickers in a twist about so small a change as nationality. If that is the smallest change they make, bring it on. As for Brit- or Euro-bashers (nuno75 and enigmall) please learn something about other cultures before attacking. It is an interesting fact that in most quality British or European papers, the international section is at least as large as the national news section, whereas in most American papers it is significantly smaller - and this is even more true on American TV news (factoids from a survey quoted by Bill Bryson once). In fact, the amount of time the American media spends on international affairs has declined sharply in the past 20 or 30 years. The British do generally know a little more about the US than the US knows about Britain - and that is an appalling generalisation, but get off the damn high horses gentlemen. As for Royal Tenenbaum only seeing the Matrix for the first time, while I can applaud your screen name and your apparent aversion to following close behind the crowd, it does seem like you kinda missed the Matrix. The impact which it had at the time is inevitably lessened by the passing of the years and the slew of rip-offs, not to mention the 5 year build up and hype to which you have almost certainly been subjected. I doubt very much could live up to that press, therefore I must conclude that you have missed the window. You'll never enjoy it as much as someone who saw it come out of nowhere and take over the world.
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I rate Keanu. Sure, he comes across as a big doofus, but he's far too successful to be a talentless himbo. He has made at least four (sub)genre defining films - Bill & Ted, Point Break, Speed and Matrix - as well as taking on ambitious left-field projects - Little Buddha, Much Ado, Hamlet onstage, etc. Even if one concludes that he fell short of the hurdle on those projects (and I'm not sure I do), he gave it a pretty good shot, and you got to respect him for trying.
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"Keanu Reeves looks like he's just barely able to remember to keep his eyes open in every performance he's yet turned in. He's not offensive as an action star- mostly because you can get by as an action star if you can project grim determination, which, in terms of facial set, is just a few notches over from dumb-as-a-hammer-and-trying-not-to-show-it. But, Christ, he can't even suppress his surferdude speech mannerisms under a passable English accent for ninety minutes (remember Keanu Reeves's Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula?)."
i KNOW i've read those exact words somewhere else recently - you plagiarized your post! now please admit it, and tell me where you got that from before i go nuts trying to remember. thanks. -
DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION NOW?
IMHO, I think Brandon Lee would have been perfect for Neo, but thank's to the Lee family curse that is no longer possible, RIP... -
Aug 27, 2003 11:19:53 AM CDT
I know I'm coming in late to this discussion, but YOU'RE ALL WRO
by mortsleam
Fact is, Keanu can be a good actor, but only in movies where the director forces him to rise to the challenge, like the aforementioned River's Edge and Parenthood. Also, he was fairly convincing in otherwise crappy mid-90's romantic comedies like Feeling Minnesota and A Walk In The Clouds. But anyone saying he was perfect for the Matrix is fooling themselves. Sure, he did actually manage to use his surfer-isms and stoic blank stare to good effect in creating the character of Neo, but others could have been much better. Just think how amazing Brandon Lee would have been had he not died. I know, I know, that's like saying James Dean would have made a great Michael Corleone, but seriously, there are other actors who could have been Neo. I do however think there's a chance he might surprise all of us in his portrayal of Constantine. This is a type of character he's never attempted before, which may be why he wants to do it in the first place. Still, it's a shame they had to go the typical Americanization route. I concur wholeheartedly that Tim Roth and/or Jude Law would be better choices. I hear the sequel to "LXG" will feature an all-American team made up of Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain, and the time traveling duo of John Steinbeck and Earnest Hemingway.
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you are bitter, uninsightful, crass, and down right fucking stupid.
I do agree with you on Christian Bale- he is a great actor (American Psycho and Equilibrium). He is stuck in all of these cult roles but I hope the studios will give him a chance with a big role- hopefully Batman Year One.
Neo can act. He has done some Shakepere and was pretty good in a liitle flick called Much Ado About Nothing with Denzel Washington and Michael Keaton. Good film. I think Keanu gets a bad rap from fanboys because they think its cool to call him a bad actor
Dick, don't take it personal, I'm angry. -
That's some wierd synergy there. Although I did first postulate my Brandon Lee as Neo theory in a Talkback a couple years ago, so technically I win. Seriously though, I think the saddest thing about Lee is that, after he'd outlived his father for a year or two, he would have given up on his sick death fixation and actually become a major star. Plus, Crow II just might not have sucked so bad. ggg'j (;{=
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And I think Ellis is right: The film will never be like the comic book. And that's okay -- I can live with it. I think Ellis touched on something with religion. It will be very interesting to see a big studio release this subversive film in a time when America is stuck with a rather devout/zealous President. It's really wonderful when the film industry exercises its First Amendment rights to the fullest. Bravo for Warner Bros. having the balls of steel to make CONSTANTINE. May it become a powerful franchise.
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It's the location. From what I have read they will be basing this in Los Angeles. Oooh, that will be really gothic and scary. I mean the best thing about the series to me was all of the reference to the old black magic in London. Which makes sense because it is a freaking old city and old culture. I mean what evil is going to run into in LA. The ghost of Fatty Arbuckle searching for his Coke bottle ( I know he was acquited. It's a joke.) Anyway, thats gonna piss me off.
Paul Bettany would be a great choice. Robert Carlyle should be busy playing Cassidy over on the Preacher set. -
Bite your tongue! I plagiarized my own earlier post to the weekly recap talkback. I felt a bit silly posting almost exactly the same thing twice, but nobody was talking about Constantine in there- all too busy oohing and aahing about Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka.
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ok, so it wasn't plagiarism. i just knew i saw those words somewhere. if it means anything, i thought it was a really well written comment the first time around, which is why i remembered it.
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Keanu is supposedly balking at dying his hair blonde to play Constantine.
What's the point of doing the movie if you're not going to do the character? Why don't we have him smoke American Spirits instead of Silk Cuts? How about a black duster instead of the trench coat? Great casting of Tilda Swinton as Gabriel, though. She'll make a great Snob! -
She used to take her clothes off all the time. I think we're due.
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Aug 27, 2003 1:29:14 PM CDT
Heleno, Its not a small detail, its the only friggin detail!!!
by redbox
Look, this isn't like changing brands of cola. This is a completely different character. John Constantine is more English than Captain American is...well you get the point. I understand that some of you have never read the book, I understand that some of you don't give a flying fuck. I usually don't either. But John Constantine is the one consistent pleasure I have had in comics since the eighties. While everything else turned to shit or if it was good, it was cancelled, John was there. Although not every story was "Rake at the Gates of Hell", which I hear may be part of this script (Damnit!), John always kicked up the dust of counter culture into the eyes of authority. You make him American and you change the character and all of his slang, language and motivation. Its like making everyone in the Godfather Swedish. I try to be a voice of measure and sanity, but everyone has their buttons. Those of you who think its not important have your own buttons and you know it! Personally, I can sum up my feelings with this statement: I would like to be locked in a room for five minutes with the producers of this fine film project. That would give me the time to show them what Constantine is really about. heheheheheh Cheers Redbox (Chas warm the taxi up)
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Regarding bitching about changes: You're not necessarily right, you know. Not to mention some of you have a bit of a bias. Please, knee-jerl reactions aren't SUPPOSED to be put into words. Somebody could put an eye out with that thing.
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I agree this movie premise is not changing, unless some terrible disaster befalls the production like Don Quixote. I can only hope. But I will ask those who love this character one question. What would Constantine think of this? You know he would rather be boiling in Hell's lowest oil pit than be an American. Nuff Said. Screw you Shuller Donner! Cheers redbox
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>if it means anything, i thought it was a really well written comment the first time around, which is why i remembered it> Well, thanks- that makes it less embarassing to have posted it twice. Vanity, all is vanity...
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We're getting into meta here. That's just the point: there is no real Constantine.
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We do share one thing in common: our wariness of Lauren Shuler-Donner's involvement with the project. Check out this quote from her discussion of Keanu Reeves I pulled off the archives at SHH!: "He's hot in the role, he's perfect for Hellblazer because he has that innocent quality about him, a bit naive, but someone you like," Donner says to Zap2it.com. "He's a bit like Tarzan, or a hero like that. But this time, he sends demons to hell." Sounds like words from a Christopher Guest mockumentary.
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I mean the Hulk Hogan thing wasn't even funny the first time, or the first 100 times, and now after the 1000th time its just grating. And that other people have picked it up makes me weep for the future of humanity. By the way Hellblazer is a fairly average comic.
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It was more innovative when it first came out
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Aug 27, 2003 3:51:33 PM CDT
Stick around long enough and sure enough some poor cunt will say
by steve_zodiac
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what about guy pierce done up memento style with the blonde hair? cuz seriously... i don't care WHAT Ellis thinks... Keanu Reaves is a shit actor, and it works for the Matrix, because while it's somewhat creative and has amazing special fx, and it worked for the Bill and Ted movies because well, they're as dumb as Keanu acts, he won't be able to pull this movie off, at least not as well as it could be done. guy pierce can actually act. Alas, it won't be so, because Keanu has been chosen... how the hell does this guy keep getting cast in movies? Probably because people think he'll bring in the big bucks, but didn't that one movie where he played the serial killer opposite spader tank?
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it will
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Aug 27, 2003 10:05:35 PM CDT
Christopher walken, would make a great American constantine.
by rusty baby
I've followed Constantine since day one in the American Gothic run in Swamp Thing. If they must have an American playing John, He must be able to play Irony. Walken can do this, and look scarier and more dangerous than any demon in hell. Gary Oldman would of been good too. Unfortunately I won't be rushing to see this film. I am after all a hellblazer fan. Reeves is not John, end of story.
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i don't know anything about this storyline (though it does sound very interesting), but i can see that having an american james bond would be kind of silly... so, i can understand why having an american constantine might kind of suck too. my actual point though, was that i got the sense that making him american would be lessening or worsening more than changing the character, which i was offended at. for instance, if someone made a movie where superman were british, i might find it to be a senseless change made to an established character, but i would not feel that a british superman would be any less than an american one... just an inaccurate portrayal. i would probably laugh and not take the movie very seriously, but i would not be offended at the thought of a british person playing the part, as many of you are offended at the good name of your english character being soiled by us brutish americans.
one more question though:
with all this scandal surrounding a british character being played by an american... why is it that i have not heard one word about the Kingpin in Daredevil being played by a black man, when he has always been a white man in the comic books? to me, that is a much bigger difference (again, not necessarily a negative difference) than a brit character being played by an american. it just makes me wonder about political correctness... and in this world of absolute freedom of speech... why so many people are so quick to attack a person for the country they live in, but everyone is afraid to even mention the color of a person's skin. -
There are a couple of reasons: 1)Because Michael Clarke Duncan earned the job. Although his acting abilities weren't really put to good use in the film, there was no one more qualified than him in terms of physicality or talent to take the role. There are at least a dozen British actors that one could name off the top of their heads that are arguably better-suited to play the part of Constantine than Keanu Reeves. 2)People identify with their countries. Obviously, some people identify with race as well, but transplanting the character into an inevitably different culture makes it seem like the experience you're sharing with the character on screen is not one that could have happened if he were raised under the same conditions you were. 3)There are other reasons as well, but I'm not sure of what those are yet. I'm not entirely sure that Americans feel the sting of a Tom Sawyer or Yank Constantine the same way (SOME) Brits do. Perhaps they're just appalled at the lack of respect paid to the source material.
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Aug 28, 2003 4:24:36 AM CDT
Well Dick, the slow motion on your VHS must be clearer than mine
by earthworm_
...props for spotting the body double in shitty movie that I watched once with one eye on the football highlights. Seriously. Anyway, OK, other *could* have played the roles filled by 'Numbnuts' (witty nickname btw, well thought up), but the movies would have suffered. He doesn't act poorly, he acts dumb, there's a difference, and in all those roles mentioned he does it more effectively than anyone else I've seen.
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Aug 28, 2003 4:26:03 AM CDT
And the American James Bond I referred to also had an MI6 agent.
by earthworm_
...named Clarence Leiter. Cool name, no?
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Here's why there's a problem, it is not that the notion of an american playing a british character is distasteful it is just that it seems to serve no real point, and is just there so the US audience can better empathise with the character.
Hollywood does not like to make movies with Brits as good guys unless it is a guaranteed earner ie 007 instead preferring to cast them as the bad guys with a superiority complex so it must be particlarly galling to the fans when they see them change what sounds like a quintissential English character into a Yank just please the hicks who don't care about anything outside the US of A.
To add insult to injury they cast someone who is completely unsuitable.
Your Kingpin analogy does not apply here because his culture was never that defined, only his demeanour which is not race or nationality dependant so anybody could play him so long as they had the physical presence. -
Aug 28, 2003 4:22:04 PM CDT
Typical Warren Ellis bullshit: there`s chick involved and he bec
by chien_sale
Kennu a good actor? FUCK YOU ELLIS!
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Keanu? hmmm... though he was perfect for Neo, who is anyone to say he's not? But Reloaded, Revolutions. Ugh... it's soooooooooooo very troubling, what happened to the beautiful plot??*sobs*
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