Cool News
Richard Kelly's SOUTHLAND TALES gets a piece of the Rock and Prudential isn't involved at all... I think!
Hey folks, Harry here... when's the last time you saw a studio press release that stated that The Rock, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Seann William Scott were making a film with a strange hybrid of Andy Warhol and Phillip K. Dick's sensibilities? This project is easily unlike anything you've ever seen. This script just never takes any of the expected turns - and from the 3 announced actors through all the others you'll hear about - they are all radically playing way against their established personalities and types. It is a shake the pillars of heaven cool.
JOHNSON HEADS TO “TALES”
UNIVERSAL PICTURES INTERNATIONAL HOLDS MOST FOREIGN RIGHTS; CHERRY ROAD FILMS AND DARKO ENTERTAINMENT TO PRODUCE
Los Angeles, CA (April 20, 2005) – Cherry Road Films and Darko Entertainment announced today that Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) will star opposite Seann William Scott (American Pie, The Dukes of Hazzard) and Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Grudge) in the science-fiction thriller Southland Tales for writer-director Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko). Sean McKittrick will produce under the Darko Entertainment banner he co-founded with Kelly. Cherry Road principals Bo Hyde and Kendall Morgan will produce. Executive producers are Matthew Rhodes and Judd Payne of Persistent Entertainment, Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel of Inferno Distribution, and Oliver Hengst of Academy Film Gmbh.
Principal photography is slated to begin on August 1 in Los Angeles. Cherry Road Films had officially greenlit the picture with co-financing from Universal Pictures International, Inferno Distribution and Wild Bunch, with Universal distributing in most foreign territories through the UIP banner, and Wild Bunch distributing in France, Benelux, Spain and Switzerland . Richard Klubeck of UTA is representing on the domestic front.
Southland Tales is an ensemble piece set in the futuristic landscape of Los Angeles on July 4, 2008, as it stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster. Johnson will star as Boxer Santaros, an action star stricken with amnesia whose life intertwines with Krysta Now (Gellar), an adult film star developing her own reality television project, and David Clark (Scott), a Hermosa Beach police officer who holds the key to a vast conspiracy.
“Dwayne, Seann and Sarah each have an adventurous spirit and I am honored that they have put their faith in me,” said Kelly. “ The film is going to be a strange hybrid of the sensibilities of Andy Warhol and Philip K. Dick. ”
Also joining the project are most of the key crew from Donnie Darko , including director of photography Steven Poster ASC , production designer Alexander Hammond, costume designer April Ferry and editor Sam Bauer. Critically acclaimed artist and producer Moby will compose the music for the film.
In addition to the feature film, an expanded version of Southland Tales will be presented as a nine-part interactive experience with the prequel saga to be published as six separate 100 page graphic novels, each written by Kelly. The graphic novels will be released over a six month period early next year leading up to the film's release with the feature film comprised of the story's final three chapters. In addition, the film's official website will be one of the largest and most elaborate ever designed for a feature film. “The graphic novels will work in tandem with the website, creating a more epic multimedia experience for those interested in taking the plunge," added Kelly.
UTA helped package the project. Glenn Feig of Reder & Feig is production counsel.
Richard Kelly is repped by CAA, The Firm and David Weber of Sloan, Offer, Weber and Dern, LLP.
Cherry Road and Persistent are repped by Linda Lichter at Lichter, Grossman, Nichols & Adler.
Inferno Distribution is repped by Phil Rosen of Rosen & Anderson.
For additional information, please visit the film's official website, SouthLandTales.Com
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I WANT SPOILERS! Someone please TELL US... what's the biggest premise surprises?
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let's hope not people. Still wondering why he would cast SMG, this chick CANNOT act.
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I mean, Donnie Darko did alright, didn't it?
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...if The Rock is actually participating in "Southland" count me half-interested. I'd tip my cap toward anyone who casts Rock, Amy Poehler, and Jason Lee in the same flick.
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Apr 21, 2005 2:54:32 AM CDT
Wow, if any of those 3 people had talent I would think it was co
by grabthars_hammer
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Apr 21, 2005 3:03:28 AM CDT
And in 2012, you will still be whining about "Batman Begins"...
by smarkjobber
...and probably with that trademark sarcasm -- your unique brand that lacks the basic building blocks of actual humor.
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mack you arent funny.
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Apr 21, 2005 3:40:05 AM CDT
Is this movie in any way about 7-11, Oak Farms milk, or the evil
by serious black
Just curious.
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You guys have NO idea what to expect, but when I heard THE ROCK was playing Boxer, I was very happy....although I had kinda pictured Brad Pitt in the role. Good news about MOBY too. I reckon this could be Kelly's second CLASSIC soundtrack. The songs in DARKO were fantastic.
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Okay I got no idea what the fuck this movie is but I'm glad to see The Rock doing something weird and adventurous instead of another forgettable studio movie. The guy could definitely be great if he starts getting better roles. He even made Walking Tall somewhat watchable, and that movie was terrible. I want to see Soderbergh figure out what to do with him, but until then this sounds promising.
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Apr 21, 2005 5:01:58 AM CDT
Let's wait for the movie before we talk about bad acting.
by derlanghaarige
Yes, none of them is really talented, but it wouldn't be the first time that bad actors become great with the right director!
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http://www.lookatentertainment.com/v/v-7.htm
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Apr 21, 2005 6:19:42 AM CDT
Wasn't SOUTHLAND TALES supposed to start filming LAST summer??
by godoffireinhell
This flick better be damn freaking awesome considering how long it's taken it to get in front of cameras. And there could still be further delays. Wouldn't surprise me at all.
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"Johnson will star as Boxer Santaros, an action star"
...He just so happens to be an 'action star' and wrestler. He can't get it wrong, he just has to be himself!
"Krysta Now (Gellar), an adult film star developing her own reality television project"
...She just has to play the ditzy self obsessed semi-anorexic film star that she is.
"David Clark (Scott), a Hermosa Beach police officer who holds the key to a vast conspiracy"
...I submit not being able to tell how he'll fit this role, but if it involves a pair of aviators and some futuristic cop lingo, then count me in!
seriously though, I think Kelly knows exactly what he's doing. I thought the same as most of you - why cast big actors that are crap? Unless... you use them as characters very much like their real personas.
You'll never make an unknown actress come across like a real star on film easier than actually using a real star. Makes sense to me.
(sorry, that was terribly worded).
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Eh, sounds like something I'd watch.
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But there was nothing to suggest he had this in him...wow, sounds amazing and I love the Rock's character name.
Shame we don't have more to go on. -
You are very very correct sir. I wonder how Domino will play out, if we'll see more of Kelly's Kool-Aid psyche.
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For those who have read the script: I don't want detailed spoilers, but I'm trying to wrap my brain around what this movie is going to be like, and I'm wondering if you could at least fill us in on the setup for this movie--why is it set just three years in the future? What does "Southland Tales is an ensemble piece set in the futuristic landscape of Los Angeles on July 4, 2008, as it stands on the brink of social, economic and environmental disaster." mean? What is the "futuristic" aspect of this?
Also, I didn't see if this was mentioned already, but you should check out the very trippy website for this movie:
http://www.southlandtales.com
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Apr 21, 2005 2:18:25 PM CDT
The Rock was the best thing about Be Cool. Granted, that's not
by barry egan
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I mean, come on! This movie will rock, but I have not a fucking clue what it's about. And I don't want to! I want to go to the theater, sit down and plunge myself in the brilliant mind-fuck that Kelly has given us. And for those SMG bashers among you in this TB: Watch some Buffy episodes (The Body for instance) and see for yourself. The website for this movie is fucking awesome!
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. . . I read about a script/idea that I think was Kelley's, in which a time capsule is found under an old-ass school & inside it are little kids' drawings. Each drawing depicts monumental disasters that happened after the time capsule was closed & buried. Only one of the pictures depicted/predicted something that hadn't happened yet & the race to prevent it from happening ensues from there. . . Anybody else heard of this?
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. . . pretty sad that the Rock sounds like the best part of this thing. Buffy sucks, hasn't done anything worth a shit in film & I never watched her TV show. And Stiffler just needs to go away.
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Nice Marmot-
The movie you're thinking of is called KNOWING:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448011/
Unlike both DARKO and SOUTHLAND TALES, the script for this one was not written by Kelly. But he was going to direct it, and it was to be his first movie post-DARKO. Then at the last minute, it was snatched away from him, and they later handed it off to Alex Proyas. So Kelly moved on to SOUTHLAND TALES...
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Unfortunately it looks like it is necessary for an expert of the films of badass cinema to step in here and explain that you kids are all wrong. I mean I can understand it. The guy was a wrestler, he was in that Scorpion movie, etc. I never understood either, I avoided movies that he was in and I assumed he was a jackass. But then somebody talked me into seeing THE RUNDOWN. It's a sometimes clever movie and sometimes just annoying, the latter part mainly due to the Sean William Scott guy who is also apparently gonna be in SOUTHLAND ADVENTURES or whatever this one is called. Christopher Walken was pretty funny in it and I liked the way it slyly connected the extravagant lifestyles of NFL players to the horrors of the diamond trade. There were good things about this movie but the one GREAT thing was this guy The Rock. He's so charismatic, so likable and also happens to be a large and intimidating dude. He's both suave and menacing. You don't usually get those qualities in the same guy. After THE RUNDOWN I'm willing to watch The Rock in anything. I am positive that he is going to be beloved and respected by all you motherfuckers within the next five years or less. Except for one or two of you but nobody likes you two anyway because of shit like this.
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Thanks! Well, I would have deemed this great news, pre-I Robot. Aw shucks, I'll still have high hopes, its not like this story calls for all the big budget gloss & CGI. Proyas has a chance to return to his old gritty settings w/ this one.
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Can't wait to read the graphic novels, but why the hell do some of you fools keep insisting SMG cannot act?! Don't let your hatred of FPJ blind you into thinking Gellar is just another WB actress. She was a great bitch in Cruel Intentions and her performance in the Body and the Gift should have won her an Emmy or a Golden Globe, if those two award shows weren't such a joke.
Big fan of the Rock, though I'm not sure about SWS and his shit eating grin. Southland Tales looks really interesting so far though. -
Is it a future where the South won the Civil War? Is California teetering on the brink of a catastrophic earthquake/fault line... or about to secede from the US? I know RK is much more multi-layed than M. Night Flash-in-the-Pan, so I'm very optimistic. This will be his home-run, and, I assume because of the delays (demands/control of the deal), he's gunning for big back-end rewards. After its huge success he will move to a Lucas-like echelon. If the script is as bold as it sounds, he'll deserve it. So will somebody PLEASE give it away??!!!
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Apr 21, 2005 6:22:47 PM CDT
I've heard this movie takes place during some type of celestial
by skenzin
kind of like a cross between this movie http://imdb.com/title/tt0156729/ and Magnolia with abig 4th of Juky picnic at the end.
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forget her movies. they never really give her much to work with. but on buffy, she took a character that was a ditzy, dumb blonde and over the course of 7 seasons, turned her into a woman. i dare any of you to watch the season 2 finale and not feel her heartache. and let's not forget, she won an Emmy at the age of 12. how many of you can claim that?
ps...donnie darko was a great film.
"Sometimes, I question your commitment to SparkleMotion!!" -
Which of The Rock's movies have you seen? Seriously, I want a list. I'm curious if you really watched him in The Rundown or something and still don't like him. I don't care about this "he's a star! he's the new Schwarzenegger!" type horse shit but I think he has a genuine charisma and presence the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time. I don't think he has had a great role yet but he has truly shined in his bad ones, and I'm ready for his George-Clooney-in-Out-of-Sight type breakthrough. Let me know your thinking on this bud, thanks.
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It's interesting news at least. I have a feeling that this is going to be one of those movies where you "suck" or have the "emotional integrity of a dung beetle" or whatever sounds degrading enough if you're not psyched for it.
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How can it fail? And is the whole thing with LA collapsing into ruin a subtle dig at the Governator? I hear he ain't doing so well. "I don't do zis verrk!!"
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