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Some Insanely Cool Potential Casting News About The Zemeckis Version Of A CHRISTMAS CAROL!

Published at:  Jul 24, 2007 3:05:40 AM CDT


Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

Stephen Clark’s the guy who runs the very, very good BACK TO THE FUTURE fansite, and he’s definitely always out there looking for BACK TO THE FUTURE-related news.

I haven’t seen any of BEOWULF yet, but everyone who has seems excited by it, and I’ll admit... I like the notion of him doing his take on this particular oft-told tale. Zemeckis is sort of doing what Walt Disney did in the early days of his studio... telling stories people know, but telling them in a brand-new way. I like the notion of Jim Carrey playing Scrooge and the three Christmas Ghosts, since mo-cap lets him play these scenes opposite himself, seamlessly interacting. It makes thematic sense for one actor to play all four roles, in my opinion, but I don’t know if anyone else has ever done that when performing A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

And if the supporting cast shapes up the way this recent report on Jim Hill Media suggests it might... well, that’s pretty cool. That’s got me in the theater, curious, hoping for the best on opening night.



Drew;

Jim Hill Media has a very interesting report that Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Tom Hanks are all in talks to join Zemeckis' "A Christmas Carol"....

Sounds pretty plausible, given that Bob Hoskins has already admitted that Zemeckis wrote him in, and since Hanks works with Zemeckis on like every other movie, I can see Bob Z bringing Fox & Lloyd in as well, especially given the fact that he got Crispin Glover in for Beowulf.

Stephen



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    Readers Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 3:25:18 AM CDT

    Don't compare Zemeckis with Walt Disney!

    by derlanghaarige

    I like Zemeckis, yes, even his newer films, but he and his damn performance capturing are everything else than as imaginative as Disney!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 3:29:01 AM CDT

    sounds interesting..

    by bob oblaw

    still wary tho

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 3:30:48 AM CDT

    hhhmmmm...

    by june44

    who would Micheal J. Fox be playing?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 3:34:06 AM CDT

    This "mo-cap" is giving me the shits

    by jackthemime

    And haven't we learned yet that a little Jim Carrey goes a long fucking way? I can't even watch The Mask any more.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 3:36:31 AM CDT

    Anyway, you can't top The Muppets

    by jackthemime

    A Muppets Christmas Carol was the shit. Michael Caine like a motherfucker.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 3:48:29 AM CDT

    Michael J Fox is Tiny Tim!

    by paddyirishman

  • Jul 24, 2007 3:54:27 AM CDT

    What? No one bitching about another remake?

    by boondock devil

    All kidding aside, in theory this should be good. Zemeckis should do the story justice and I'm looking forward to his spin on the whole story.

    Of course it's going to have to go out of it's way to make me like it more than "Scrooged". To this day it's still my favorite version followed by the Disney version with Uncle Scrooge. That was pretty damned good in it's own right.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 3:54:46 AM CDT

    Glover

    by halfmoth

    is Grendel, not Beowulf. Ray Winstone is Beowulf.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 3:55:48 AM CDT

    Is the whole movie going to be mocaped?

    by boondock devil

    And could that mean another IMAX 3D version? Please let that be so...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 4:05:13 AM CDT

    it's 5am...

    by halfmoth

    i realize Stephen could have just meant Glover IN "Beowulf", and not necessarily AS Beowulf...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 4:11:44 AM CDT

    Patrick Stewart

    by filmcoyote

    I saw Patrick Stewart do Christmas Carol as a one-man show on stage and it was incredible how he brought all the characters to life with virtually no props, costume or gimmicks, just incredible acting. So this is very possible. Not sure the gurning Carrey mugging his way through multiple characters like in Lemony Snicket is the answer though. A real actor like Hanks would have been better. Or Stewart frankly, he'd be great. Oh, and this'll never be as great as the Muppet version, "a blue furry Charles Dickens!" genius!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 4:30:47 AM CDT

    I was going to mention Patrick Stewart...

    by bones

    ...but filmcoyote beat me to the punch! His one-man show was AMAZING. And his TNT-produced movie version was very good as well. But for me, the George C. Scott version is best (outside of the musical "Scrooge", with Albert Finney) and the most annoying (yet strangely likable) is "Scrooged" with Bill Murray...Ugh, Yuppie Christmas Carol...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 4:47:54 AM CDT

    dream casting

    by ray gamma

    i hope that's true

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 5:33:16 AM CDT

    IMAX 3D

    by iwontwin

    Its amazing. I am so excited for Beowulf, seeing a computer generated film in IMAX 3D is completely immersive. Harry Potter 3D was so beautiful. I still want to see Polar Express, and hopefully A Christmas Carol is in 3D as well.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 5:39:17 AM CDT

    Scrooged

    by virtual satyr

    Best "Christmas Carol" ever. Muppets was good too, can't beat Beeker flipping Scrooge off.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 5:53:20 AM CDT

    The Whole Stable

    by playhouse

    That's kinda cool Zemeckis is bringing in his whole stable of actors.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 6:19:28 AM CDT

    Isn't it about time Zemeckis made a good movie again?

    by kwisatzhaderach

    He'll never top the original Back to the Future though, that's just an insanely perfect movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 6:35:40 AM CDT

    Polar Express was creepy

    by bizarrojerry

    the characters were just unnerving.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 7:24:26 AM CDT

    Playing

    by filmcoyote

    Apparently Fox is Tiny Tim, Hanks is Bob Cratchit (sic), Hoskins is Fezziwig. Presumably Lloyd would be young Scrooge's schoolmaster?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 7:40:17 AM CDT

    What the Dickens?

    by uncle stan

    This will suck.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 8:04:37 AM CDT

    Michael J. Fox for Shakes The Clown remake!

    by sledge hammer

    What? No one remembers the 'classic' Bob Golthwaite original? For shame, talkbackers, for shame...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 8:11:58 AM CDT

    Saw this on Jim Hill Media already...

    by anna valerious

    Maybe they could just have someone else do motion capture for Michael...or just cast a kid in it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 8:13:58 AM CDT

    Sledge Hammer

    by wee willie

    That is in really, really poor taste, bro. So of course I laughed out loud and sprayed coffee all over my keyboard. A Christmas Carol looks interesting.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 8:48:05 AM CDT

    Michael J Fox said his is playing the role of...

    by redfist

    ffjkdklkdlkdjlkdjkjlkjlkjjvklkvkvkljlkjjdsfiueuiiuojidjfjjlkfjdjjjjdjfjjdjfjdjjk BOOOOB CRACKET jkfjdjfkjdsatdjfj say yes to stem cell research.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 9:30:55 AM CDT

    NOTHING CAN MATCH THE '51 "SCROOGE"

    by thegreatwhatzit

    Bow to Alastair Sim as SCROOGE (aka A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 1951), one of the best fim performances of the past century. He rendered the character into a tormented soul, not a miser. All other adaptations are but pale imitations (Scott and Stewart were quite competent but Sim is powerful, his transformation is quite cathartic).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 9:32:29 AM CDT

    Marty & Doc are going to be...

    by the shyster

    the gay lovers they were meant to be in BTTF III. j/k

    They're going to be the two gents that come knocking @ Scrooge & Marley, asking for donations.

    You read it here first!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 9:34:51 AM CDT

    Oh and BTW...

    by the shyster

    nothing... NOTHING tops "Mickey's Christmas Carol"

    http://imdb.com/title/tt0085936/

    "Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum... I smell... I smell ?! I think I do...*sniff*, Yeah.. I do !!"

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 9:37:48 AM CDT

    In fact, here's the current Top 5:

    by the shyster

    5. George C. Scott's A Christmas Carol
    4. Patrick Stewart's A Christmas Carol
    3. Muppet's Christmas Carol
    2. Scrooged
    1. Mickey's Christmas Carol

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 9:44:16 AM CDT

    "MAKE LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE AND GET OUTTA HERE, TIM!"

    by darth bauer

    Tom Wilson needs work.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 9:49:17 AM CDT

    51 Scrooge...

    by idahomer

    Is the measuring stick. Superb performances.
    Next is "An American Christmas Carol" with The Fonz (just kidding on that one).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 9:49:33 AM CDT

    "Mr. Scrooge, I'm From the Future!"

    by kevinwillis.net

    "I came here in a pathos-fueled time machine that you invented! And now I need your help to get me . . . back to real Christmas Spirit!"

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 10:14:36 AM CDT

    Damn straight, thegreatwhatzit!

    by docpazuzu

    Sim's Scrooge owns all. I watch it every year.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 10:15:44 AM CDT

    Agree with you 200%, idahomer

    by thegreatwhatzit

    In addition to Sim (glorious!), the Brit repertory of actors are flawless, e.g. Kathleen Harrison ("Mrs. Dilber"), Mervyn Johns, Jack Warner, Miles Malleson, et al. This '51 version wasn't a (Hollywood) Hallmark card, it was undiluted Dickens. Years ago, a regional station televised a colorized version--I kicked the TV off the desk (luckily, it was one of those disposable Best Buy portables).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 10:19:26 AM CDT

    Thanks, DocPazuzu

    by thegreatwhatzit

    I'm quite impassioned with this film...I could watch the Sim version all year but reserve it exclusively for Yuletide.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 10:32:54 AM CDT

    Ah, the joys of the public domain

    by mraig

    Every five years, a new Christmas Carol, Dracula, and Sherlock Holmes. Honestly, I'm a little ambivalent about Jim Carrey. In my book he's a little bit like Robin Williams: when it's a straight role I think he's pretty good; when it's all-out comedy, he gets insanely annoying insanely fast. And Scrooge is certainly a character that would be easy to go over-the-top with (not to mention the ghosts!).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 11:15:42 AM CDT

    We all know the best was A Muppet Xmas Carol

    by allpowerfulwizardofoz

    and the best Scrooge ever was Alastair Sim. Really do we need yet ANOTHER movie?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 11:27:10 AM CDT

    My top list

    by bloo

    1) Muppet 2) Mickey 3) Sim aka 51 version --I remember stumbling across this version when I was like 10 around midnight, 1am on Christmas eve, freaked me out 4) Patrick Stweart 5) George C Scott honorable mentions) flintstones and Mr. Magoocan anyone tell me did Aleck Guiness do a version?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 11:37:00 AM CDT

    CAUTION:

    by tophat

    AICN WILL SUPPORT ANY FILM THAT IS: MO-CAP, IMAX, HI-DEF, CGI, DIGITAL. NO MATTER HOW MEDIOCRE THE FILM IS. DO NOT BE LED ASTRAY, MY FRIENDS. THESE ARE NOT LEGITIMATE ACHIEVEMENTS IN MOTION PICTURES. THEY ARE EXCUSES FOR DOING THE SAME STORIES, THEMES, AND CHARACTERS OVER AND OVER. BECAUSE, THAT IS BUISNESS; SELL THE CONSUMER THE SAME THINGS AGAIN AND AGAIN WITHOUT THEM REALIZING THEY ARE THE SAME. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. GOODNIGHT AND GOOD LUCK.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 11:37:48 AM CDT

    Jim Carrey does kinda look like

    by cherryvalance

    Scrooge McDuck. I don't know if I need another version of A Christmas Carol though. But wait, I'm supposed to have turned over a new anti-anti-remakes leaf. I keep forgetting...

    What a great idea! I can't wait to see it. :D :D :D I hope Jim Carrey makes lots of funny faces. I think it would be cool if they got him to play Tiny Tim as well. Maybe even the Christmas turkey. :D

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 11:41:28 AM CDT

    He might be Dicken's around with you...

    by yeti

    oh come on someone HAD to say it..might as well be me.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 12:19:23 PM CDT

    Flip63hole

    by skimn

    I wholeheartedly agree. Zemeckis needs to film flesh and blood perfomances, not digital recreations, no matter how lifelike. Remember the early stuff like I Wanna Hold Your Hand or Used Cars....the camera doesn't have to fly about like a bird, to make compelling movies.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 12:21:55 PM CDT

    PLOT for BTTF IV...

    by therealseveren

    Personally, Id like to see them go back in time and erase the two sequels... still, Id love to see MJF and CL in a scene together after all these years...even it is in the virtual world. I had a couple of Teen Beat pics hung up on my wall of MJF when I was a kid, I wont lie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 1:04:05 PM CDT

    TopHat

    by selfsentered

    I agree with you on most points but High-Def is just a medium. Like 35mm, 16mm, DV, BetaCam, or what-not. A medium, not a gimmick. This Zemeckis obsession MOCAP stuff is preposterous, though. It is a tool, not a medium, and I agree with all the people who say that if he wants 'life-like' performances, maybe he should just film some actual fucking actors.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 1:10:39 PM CDT

    The Darjeeling Limited trailer is out....

    by rocklobster800

    Aint It Cool hath not reported as yet (they're doing a lot of that lately). Looks class. Im up for Christopher Lloyd in anything-although my pitched tv show starring him and Jeff Goldblum as room mates (thats right-just imagine how fucking BRILLIANT that would be)fell on deaf ears-so this will have to do....

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 1:24:58 PM CDT

    some thoughts

    by tonamania

    perfect casting would be to get Jim Carrey out of the movie. How much can scrooge & ghosts mug for the camera (or mo-cap or whatever the hell)? This will be absolute trash.

    about Patrick Stewart. the TNT movie was a piece of junk - his one man show was astounding.

    best movie versions ever - with Simm and Scott. Murray comes next in the less than dramatic but much UNDER rated Scrooged.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 1:30:03 PM CDT

    The only version to ever win an Academy award

    by ardee-el

    Also featured Alistair Sim as Scrooge, but was an animated version from 1971. Based on John Leech's illustrations for the original edition, it packs more of Dicken's story in its 28 minutes than any other version. (Anyone familiar with the lighthouse scene?) Still MIA on DVD.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 1:38:40 PM CDT

    Now all we need is Biff and Billy Zane and Flea

    by jimbojones123

    Soundtrack by ZZ Top!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 1:40:43 PM CDT

    Nobody better touch

    by guy gaduois

    the reboot of "It's a Wonderful Life" that Marlo Thomas did. That was the "Citizen Kane" of all Christmas movie reboots. Did I mention I don't like "Citizen Kane", by the way? I know, I'm a Philistine. Fortunately, I don't care.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 1:50:22 PM CDT

    Citizen Kane

    by tonamania

    saw it about a month ago - didn't much care for it. Maybe it was the bad mood I was in over the Die Hard4, PG13, mass audience appeal thing.

    Can't bring myself to give an Orson a 2nd viewing, either . . .

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 2:37:46 PM CDT

    Casey Siemaszko, anyone?

    by beamish13

    No Three O'Clock High fans here? He was great as '3-D' in BTTF

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 3:39:54 PM CDT

    Sledge Hammer

    by secretcylon

    "I got that peanut butter p*****! Brown, smooth, and easy to spread!"

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 4:16:44 PM CDT

    Michael J?????

    by junkhouse gargamel

    Alright, cut the crap.
    What on Earth will J Fox be doing in the movie?
    I'm mean, all the power to the guy, he's great.
    But in his current condition, the only character I can see him is a playing, is a f****'d up Marley.
    Don't wanna be mean, but his condition will be distracting and take people out of the movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 4:35:14 PM CDT

    And I still don't care.

    by demosthenes2

    Bring on as many people as you want, but what more could you possibly do/say that hasn't been done/said with A Christmas Carol? The Polar Express was only interesting for the IMAX 3D effects; otherwise, that was never meant to be more than a 15-minute movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 5:11:09 PM CDT

    This isn't insanely cool at all

    by inwosuxred

    If you were to ask me who was going to play all those roles, Jim Carrey would have been my first guest with Mike Meyers and Eddie Murphy being my next too picks, not because I think they would be good, but because it just seems so predictable and boring. I would be shocked as shit if this turns out to be something I can watch all the way through on cable one time.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 5:27:19 PM CDT

    Moriarty, Meet Patrick Stewart

    by vonbismarck

    "I like the notion of Jim Carrey playing Scrooge and the three Christmas Ghosts,.... but I don’t know if anyone else has ever done that when performing A CHRISTMAS CAROL."

    Despite the blazing Genius that Jim Carry can be/has been at times, itmight bemuse Mori and others to be introduced to Mr. Patrick Stewart;
    Other than being associated with one demensional portrails of expositional comic book characters, and deeply diplomatic space navigators has been well regarded for a One Man Play (in London and on Broadway) in which he portriad ALL of the characters in Dicken's Chrismas Carol. Got an award or three for it. Even did a free performance for 9/11 Family Charities.

    Classy and talented guy. Probably not a talking butt impression, spit take, slap gag or slow motion running scene in the whole thing. Other than the ones Dickens had in the original draft. And no CGI.

    So Mori, now you know, and knowing is....half the battle at Richenbach Falls.

    (And if someone else posts this before I can....sorry for the redundancy.)

    Viva Von Bismarck!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 6:39:59 PM CDT

    Albert Finney's Scrooge is my favorite...

    by otter

    Then Patrick Stewart, Alaister Sim, and the very little scene animated Ghostbusters episode where they went back in time and "captured" the 3 ghosts, and therefore destroyed Christmas from then on, since Scrooge never learned his lesson and wrote a best seller called "A Christmas Humbug". Luckily, they go back in time, perform the "visions" for Scrooge themselves, while Egon goes into the Ghost Depository tank to retrieve the Christmas Ghosts.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 24, 2007 6:42:37 PM CDT

    Little "seen", that is.

    by otter

  • Jul 24, 2007 6:47:40 PM CDT

    Little "seen", that is.

    by otter

  • Jul 24, 2007 9:48:47 PM CDT

    Exciting as my grandma's smelly farts

    by little beavis

    ...only this burns my nostrils even more.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 25, 2007 1:08:17 AM CDT

    The ONLY Glimmer of hope...

    by kissman24

    The only way this film can be good is if they can manage to recruit these co-stars for Carrey -- although I'll bet the house that the only one they'll manage to score is Lloyd.

    This is a concept that has been beaten like a dead horse. Haven't we have had enough Scrooge movies?

    Furthermore -- why doesn't Jim Carrey do anything original and/or good anymore??

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 25, 2007 8:37:12 AM CDT

    Albert Finney Rules All

    by captaintripps

    The scene in "Scrooge" where he gets plastered with the Ghost of Christmas Present is beyond classic!By the way, Bloo, Alec Guinness didn't play Scrooge. He played Jacob Marley in the wonderful Albert Finney version.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 25, 2007 8:46:26 AM CDT

    Scrooge and Back to the Future

    by tylermo

    Love the idea about Doc and Marty getting Scrooge back on the right track, but I think you've missed the big picture here. Might as well throw in the kitchen sink. Not only Doc and Marty, but Jeffrey and Phineas Bogg from Voyagers! And, Doctor Who. All of them working together in the ultimate crossover! Speaking of Voyagers...go out and buy that great recently released series on dvd. On a serious note, I'm not sure if we need another Christmas Carol. I agree with those who say Sim is the best. As for the serious, non-comedic versions I'd have to go with Sim, then Scott, and perhaps Stewart. Other honorables include Murray, Muppets, WKRP, Mr. Magoo, and Rich Little.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 25, 2007 10:13:42 AM CDT

    Polar Excretia

    by filmfunk

    'Citin! Not!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 25, 2007 12:45:41 PM CDT

    '51 Scrooge the TOPS

    by gernblanston67

    Alistair Simm cannot be outdone. Simply the best Scrooge.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Jul 25, 2007 1:25:20 PM CDT

    no thanks

    by deadpanwalking

    I'd rather watch Scrooged again for the 200th time (it still holds up well.)

    Reply to Talkback

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