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Verhoeven speaks! CRUSADES! Future SCI-FI projects! Working with Schwarzenegger! And more!!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a report from a spy attending the London Film Festival. He's brought us words from the mouth of Paul Verhoeven... Lots of interesting stuff below, squirts, especially if you're as huge Verhoeven fans as I am. I met the man once at Comic-Con and he was really down to earth, but just exactly the cartoon you'd expect. I treasure my autographed ROBOCOP 1-sheet hanging in my hallway. Enjoy the report! Heeeeeerrreee's Johnny!
I saw the Paul Verhoeven interview last night at the London Film Festival, which was very entertaining. He talked about his early career, working in the film unit of the Dutch military, directing TV, shows, including - to the audience's surprise and laughter - a kid's TV show which he said could be called a Dutch Ivanhoe. Even back then, he caused a strong reaction, with parents angry over the level of violence in a show for children.
The interview began with a discussion on BLACK BOOK. He said he had planned to make it in the 80s but there were script problems, mainly with the protagonist, who was originally going to be a man. He went back to it when his Dutch writer rewrote it and they changed the protagonist to a female.
A lot of the stuff he was asked about is on the record already and is well known (how he first thought the Robocop script was nonsense and it was only when his wife insist that he read it again that he agreed to do it; adding the infamous crossing the legs scene in BI, which he said Stone agreed to, etc.).
CRUSADES: He said this project may now be lost forever. He said Ridley Scott had done Kingdom of Heaven and even though they're different projects, no studio will put up $150-200million for another Crusades movie. He said it's a shame as it was a great script written by Walon Green. The script is owned by Schwarzenegger. As part of his pay or play deal, Schwarzenegger was to receive $10m. He was given $2m and for the rest, he was offered the script instead. But with him now in politics, Verhoeven said the movie is probably gone forever.
WORKING WITH ARNOLD: Although they have differences in their politics, he loved working with him on TOTAL RECALL. He said people might be surprised to hear that Arnold doesn't have an ego when it comes to his work. He's happy to go 40/50 takes to get something right. You can tell Arnold a take looked silly and he won't be offended by it. He'll watch the playback and say "let's do it again, I can do it better." Verhoeven said Arnold stood by him and supported him throughout TOTAL RECALL. There were times when the producers wanted to skip a scene because it was too costly and Arnold would say he wants it in and if they don't do it, he's going home! He also said Arnold has specifically wanted him for TR. He was aware of his Dutch movies and ROBOCOP. He heard he was developing BLACK RAIN with Michael Douglas. They were both in Aspen at the same time and when Arnold heard he was there, he immediately told the producers to get him for TR.
SCI-FI: Asked if he would make any more sci-fi movies, he said only if the script is good and only if he feels it's worth going through all the pain of making it. He said making sci-fi is long and hard but if it's worth it, he'll do it. He said he would have loved to do WAR OF THE WORLDS because it was his favourite movie as a child but Spielberg got there first.
HOLLOW MAN: To my surprise, as I didn't know he felt this way about it, Verhoeven apologised for this! He said "I regret HOLLOW MAN. It was the studio's movie."
BASIC INSTINCT II: He was offered it a number of times and was tempted. But he had told the producers he would only do it if they got a star on the scale of Michael Douglas. He said part of the reason why Stone was so good in the first one is because of Douglas, both as a strong character and actor. But the producers had paid Stone a lot of money for the sequel and didn't want to spend more on a big name actor, and he said he's seen BI II and he thought it didn't work because of that.
If you use this, call me Jack Torrance!
Thanks!
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finally!
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I was first and had nothing to say of relevance.
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There is always a market for epic movies, however it will be difficult to match the high bar set by Ridley Scott. FIRST I BELIEVE!
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DAMN YOU CGANIMATION!
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Being first is always relevant around here.
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Counting down...
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priceless
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Yay for Verhoeven!
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Too bad Verhoeven's Crusades will never happen because of Scott's turdfest. I wonder if Verhoeven's Jesus movie has any chance of happening since Gibson's turdfest made so much money off of the rubes.
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that's awesome about the arnie part... in fact if Milius won't direct King Conan and if Arnie getsout of politics, Verhoeven should direct King Conan!!!!!
btw the DC of KOH put the theatrical releaes to shame, blame the studio for cutting down Scott's film, and now refusing to highlight any more epics they; shot themselves in the foot and also the historical epic resurgence that WOULD HAVE BEEN @#%&&* POSSIBLE. -
Anyone seen it?
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Wow, I confused "Black Book" with "Little Black Book" (the Britney Murphy rom-com) at firs.
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I never thought I'd be able to say that again. ZWARTBOEK is my new replacement swear. Goodbye F-word, hello ZWARTBOEK...
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What rocks about Verhoeven is that he shows lots of T and A. Conan The Destroyer was stupid partly because their were no boobs. If they make another Conan movie, it should be with a director who isn't PC and isn't afraid to show tits. Verhoeven usually puts a rape scene in every movie and I can't think of another director who does that on a consistent basis. That's exactly the kind of director you need for a real Conan movie.
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Damn you MCMLXXVI
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I don't know how Verhoeven could ever equal that one, even in a Conan film. Even Milius didn't show it in the first Conan, it happened off camera. Verhoeven would direct a better Conan movie than Milius, in my opinion. No one does sex and violence and violent sex better.
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Damn you Michael Bay
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This is all.
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Crusade movie when I was in High School. I thought it would have been the coolest thing ever. Now it looks like it will never to be. I was soooo very disappointed with Kingdom of Heaven. It's a shame. THis time period has so much potential for cinematic greatness, but noone wants to take a chance.
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I would love to own a SUX6000 in the future...
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...Is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Thank you crazy Dutchman.
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... On Hollow Man. Besides, he gave me Starship Troopers, I can never feel hate towards him. The bit about Arnie was pretty cool, but the reports from Last Action Hero were just a little more ego filled.
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Too bad about Crusades, though. Also, what's with the hate for KOH? Watch the director's cut, that was a fantastic flick aside from the block of wood they used as the "star". At least all the supporting players were great. Anyways, Verhoeven made some absolutely kickass movies in his time... Robocop, Total Recall, even Starship Troopers when taken as a massively entertaining satire was good stuff.
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Verhoeven, when given the right material, really shines. Total Recall, Robocop, and Starship Troopers are some of my favorite entertainment flicks of all time. Someone give him the helm of the Battle Royale remake please. I could totally see him doing an awesome job with the broadcast of the event.
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I know likely nobody will believe me, but, what the hell... Yep I worked in his office for 2 years a few years ago, and he's got a quirky side, no doubt, but overall he's one of the sweetest people you could ever meet. :)
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Q-Man, as a journalist, didn't you learn that its unethical to ask for autographs? It is bad form and now the person you are inverviewing has given you something of monitary value, thus tainting your journalistic integrity. However, you said you 'MET' him at Comic-Con, maybe you were there as a fan and not covering it for AICN? The funny thing is you clearly either have no idea its unethical or you don't care and have no shame. How many interviews have you had buy you lunch?
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Where can I find it ?
I want to read it for years -
Ethics? On a geek website? Jesus Tapdancin Motherfuck: get over yourself, jerkass. "Blah blah blah, what is the ehtical conundrum herin of your journalistic integrity if one does ask for someone to appease themselves in your eyes to exchange something of monetary yap, yap, yap, I can't stop talking self-important bullshit." Sheesh. Welcome to real life. Its Not That Important.
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Good lord, Hollow Man was absolutely terrible. Other than that, I'm a Verhoeven fan.
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Philosophy, social satire, morbid humor, action, hopeful cynicism, gore...it's got everything.
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Wasn't Crusade w/Arnie originally going to be Ridley Scott's project? I remeber reading about it like ten years before KOH. Weird that he ended up inheriting Black Rain from Verhoeven as well, that's an underrated flick. Can someone tell me, in all honesty, that th directers cut of KOH is actually an improvement? I've seen directors cuts of many a Ridley Scott film (Legend, Alien,The last half of Blade Runner,) , and often times, his having complete editotial control actually makes the move more incomprehensible. I know it's like insulting mohammed to say that the DC of Blade Runner is a little more hard to follow, doesn't mean I like it any less.
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I showed Robocop to my writer girlfriend recently- she had never seen it assuming it was rubbish- she was floored by just how brilliantly crafted that script is.
How I wish the old proposed corporate wars sequel penned by Neumeier could immediately be put into production with Verhoeven at the helm (it was set twenty years in the future after all). Of course, Weller wouldn't have a bar of it. What a crying shame we were subjected to that Frank Miller travesty in place of it. -
It's a hell of a DVD set- and the film itself is more real, more literate- Yes, it's an improvement, though I like both versions- KOH was a hell of a film production. As far as I'm concerned, it should've been nominated for a few oscars. I'm a big Ridley Scott fan, and still I have to say that LEGEND was a misstep for Sir Ridley. Maybe after working nonstop on the bleak, dystopian and awesome Blade Runner, Sir Ridley needed to make something totally opposite, something with fairies and fantasy and stuff- otherwise he probably would've slit his wrists. From that point of view, I can probably forgive him for Legend.
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KOH Director's Cut is a masterpiece from beginning to end. And, I know I'll get blasted for this, Orlando Bloom was fantastic in it. Liam Neeson was fantastic, as well. I'm still hoping that Ridley will do the Alien prequel that the writers and producers of Alien want to do. And Gladiator 2: Electric Boogaloo AKA Juba's Revenge. :)
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Like me Verhoven! Oh yeah
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...Or do someone else here think that Arnold must have had something better to threat with then going home? ;)
André Hedetoft
Geek Movie Director
Join my Fan Club so that I get to make my next movie over at http://www.andrehedetoft.com -
There is no better combination possible. If you're doing a violent, over-the-top, ridiculous yet brilliant satire, there's only one guy to call. As for the Alien prequel, I've never heard of this so someone should be supplying links to said writers/producers wanting to do it.
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Michael Bay the talkbacker was really Michael Bay the director. Exact thy Vengeance, Mike!
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Let's see...Arnold was the star of the movie. To make a movie, you need to have the star. The star has to be in the scenes of the movie. If the star threatens to go home, there's no star to film the scenes for the movie. I'd say that's the ONLY viable threat he could make. Anything else would be a joke.
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I'd love to see verhoven do a sci/fi film that was full of space shit not planet shit but space shit. Space ships dog fights barrel rolls cool robots from 50s comic books.All the stuff lucas forgot to put in ep123.
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Fuck you! ////// On a different matter, if you think Verhoeven's movies are badass, then try to watch his ductch movies me made before he went to Hollywood. Of all his dutch movies, The Soldier Of Orange is his least violent and overtly sexual, and still it's pretty darn strong compared to the average american production. There's this movie he made, his last dutch spoekn movie before Flesh & Blood, called Spatters, where this guy, one of the heros, gets gang raped by bykers, and the byker, before rapping the guy, spits on his asshole so it can slide better. And the two guys homo kiss in The Fourth Man would send even the most hardned of you action-movie violence junkies scream out of the room in sheer hysterics. Back in Holland, hthough he did movies with very violent scenes, it was more emotional and sexual charged then the openly blood and guts of his american movies. If anything, Verhoeven mellowed when he went Hollywood, believe it or not! And yes, Verhoeven movies rules, dutch or american. Hell, i rather take a bad Verhoeven movie over the so-called "good" movies of so many Hollywood hacks, like that fucking no-good-for-anything anti-talent Michael "Shit" Bay, or Ronnie "Only Good Thing I Ever Done Right Is My Daughter" Howard. Even when he makes a bad movie, there's still fun to have from a Verhoeven movie, which is much more then can be said about most other filmmakers.
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Starship Troopers is indeed a darkly funny satire, and it's not even an hidden or subtle one. That many people didn't noticed it is a suprise. And after 9/11 and what went afterwards, Starship Troopers resonates even stronger... and funnier! It was almost prophetic in a sort of like a prediction of things to come... but without the big space bugs. I have to say, when i saw President Bush speach and his decisive actions after 9/11, i though i was watching a scene from Starship Troopers, as if the USA was now playing the movie for real... only without tits!
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Sci-Fi, Action, Aliens, Martial Arts, Gore, Nudity....It's all there. Just don't do it for any of the major studios(No matter how many testicles they claim to have).
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I didn't realize Flesh and Blood was a Verhoeven movie. What I DO remember was that JJ Leigh (Jennifer Jason Leigh) actually fought Verhoeven to keep MORE of her several hundred nude scenes in the movie.
She's been nuts since her dad died. Her father was Vic Morrow, the actor that got decapitated by the helicopter during filming of the Twilight Zone movie.
The story goes that Morrow left JJ's sister several thousand dollars in his will. And for beloved daughter Jennifer? One hundred dollars. -
People keep saying how good it is, and yet no one can tell us where we can read it. DOES THIS THING EVEN EXIST???
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is all I have to say. I read that he's a fan of ERB's stories. Why hasn't Harry sought out someone who the geeks love, trust, and respect? Also, 'War of the Worlds' by Verhoeven would have rocked the short hairs.
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I liked Hollow Man. Damn.
I've been a Verhoeven fan for years now. Seen most of his Dutch films (Soldier of Orange is a stunning film), and I adore Robocop, Starship Troopers, Total Recall and Flesh + Blood. I didn't really enjoy Basic Instinct or Showgirls (like so many others...) though. I'm hoping Black Book will be good, being a return home of sorts. Nice to see Derek de Lint in it, but I was hoping Rutger Hauer would be there too. Ah well. Can't have everything. -
They used to be big buddie,s but their relationship soured, and when they made Flesh + Blood they barely tolerated each other. nowdays, they have a cold tolerance for each other, always being polite when they talk about the other, but they basically avoid each other.
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He's a gutsy director who isn't afraid of using the barbeque sauce to spice up his films. His sci-fi triumverate of Robocop, Starship Troopers, and Total Recall is awesome. In lesser hands they would have been pussified PG-13 kiddie flicks, but Verhoeven brought edge and social commentary to all three. I even have to give him points for Showgirls. It wasn't a good movie, but at least he was willing to take on dicey subject matter.
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...best quote in movie history. Sad that he'll always be remembered as the dopey dad on "That 70's Show".
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Interesting rumors in Holland these days about FAAMWAAN (illusion of fame), an 'extremely dark religious sci-fi thriller' by Verhoeven and.... Rutger Hauer - their first cooperation in XXX years. Hope to send more details in a few days...
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