Cool News
John Landis Directing William Gaines Biopic? Pinch Me!
Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
Holy shit, this is good news.
It’s good news because it sounds like material that will perfectly match the sensibilities of John Landis, a director I just plain dig. I know he’s been a punching bag for people in the past, and he’s certainly given people ammo over the years. But I don’t care. He seems to me like a guy who still has a lot of potentially good films in front of him, and in this case, I couldn’t be more interested.
Having said that, I fucked up. I should have run this story last night, but I was working on something else, and I missed it. Tonight, I saw several e-mails with Landis or Gaines in the header, and I opened one in particular from a source who said “I tried giving you this scoop last night. Sorry about that. Here’s the VARIETY link.”
And sure enough... here’s the VARIETY link.
So I went and checked in the e-mail box from last night.
And there it is. Which means I fucked up.
But hopefully I’ll have more on this one for you in the future, and fingers crossed it comes together smoothly. Have they talked to Philip Seymour Hoffman for Gaines yet? I hope Landis aims high. It’s that good a role.
JOHN LANDIS TO "GHOULISHLY YOURS, WILLIAM M. GAINES"
John Landis ("National Lampoon's Animal House," "The Blues Brothers," "Masters of Horror") has been attached to direct the authorized feature biopic, "Ghoulishly Yours, Wiliam M. Gaines." Landis will develop the project with Joel Eisenberg, who is penning the screenplay based on the life of the titular EC Comics' publisher ("Tales from The Crypt," "Mad Magazine" et. al.).
Pic will revolve around the banding together of an anti-establishment group of artists and writers, led by a reluctant Gaines, as they produce their controversial yet hugely popular line of comic books. At the peak of his success Gaines becomes an unwitting First Amendment figurehead, defending his livelihood against the U.S. government amidst accusations of perpetuating juvenile delinquency.
Landis most recently helmed "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project" for HBO.
Eisenberg is a partner in production concern EMO Films, LLC with Tim Owens and Eugene Mandelcorn.
-
+ Expand All
-
It's all there. The famous publisher of Mad magazine and the incredibly cool Tales From the Crypt
-
Be great to see this one-time filmmaking genius get his act together. All those 70's/80's crowd of Carpenter, Romero, Walter Hill, seem to have lost the plot - i'd love to see Carpenter back on form, showing the Ratners how to really make movies again.
-
Oh, he's the mook who just jumped into the Feedback to post something without actually bothering to read the article. Very smart...
-
I didn't realise that you were an illiterate mook. Now I just pity you. I hope that makes you feel a little better sir.
-
Love EC comics. Love Landis.
-
... that Jett is the manliest man who ever, errrrr, manned in Mandom? There. That should sort this whole ugly mess of a situation out. Problem solved.
-
... and the film should be called "What, Me Worry?"
-
Even if you hate Don Rickles, it gives you a good sense of what Vegas was like back in the day.
-
Not that I'm particularly interested in Mr. Friendly. I just couldn't have less interest in THIS movie....and of all the (many many) scoops you've been out-scooped on, THIS is the on you consider a "fuck-up"??!?
-
I don't know if they lost the plot or just lost the ability to get funding for their movies... I'd love to see them all at work at their fullest. But this is good news. Landis doing a Gaines bio. Might work and should be hilarious. I hope.
-
the film would have to stress founder Harvey Kurtzman, editor of MAD when it aws a comic book, as well as others like Al Feldstein. Probably a whole film on EC Comics in general and the censorship they (and other crime and horror publishers)led to would be more intersting.
-
Could be a good movie. No one will see it, but..
-
Ever see the footage of Gaines defending our right to enjoy gore and violence in art? It is positively moving. This man was the only publisher to stand up against the witch-hunting anti-comics movement while all the others caved and removed all of the adult content from their books. He's a goddamn hero. I don't normally like biopics, but if they limit themselves to the topic of Gaines vs. Censorship and throw in some Landis irreverance and some recreations of old EC stories, this should be a good one.
-
He better have a huge role in it.
-
No this sounds good. I've been waiting for a new Landis film for a long time.
-
Who the F is William Gaines? No disrespect to whoever he is, or anyone who is into him, but this sounds like a flick whose box office can only be rivaled by such blockbusters as Crumb and American Splendor - maybe good flicks, but very few people actually cared to see 'em.
-
ala Dream On? Visions of Alfred E and the Cryptkeeper dancing in his head? I'll always love the Simpsons episode when Bart visits the Mad magazine office. Nice touch Matt G.
-
...will an issue of Tales From the Crypt have CGI pants in the trailer?
-
The People Vs Larry Flynt..
-
well...?
-
Hey, I just picked up the 25th anniversary of Thriller, which has Landis' hands all over the place (even the front cover...nice zombies). Anyone else think that was his best work? Seriously? Thriller rocked...I want my old-school Landis back!!
http://tinyurl.com/ysm7hg -
Don't fuck it up Landis.
-
and show how he and the other corporate hacks pushed congress to go after ec as they were cutting into the profits of the more mainstream comix industry
-
Overrated directors. Their stuff is B-movie shlock at best, which does have its place for campy fun, but dont go trying to call them great filmmakers.
-
used to be so great...have you seen an issue recently...ads, colour, crass (yes crass, MAD had a certain subtle class to it..it never, to my memory, printed the work "fart" for instance..and didnt need to...anything goes now.) BLECCH!
-
I don't like you very much now.
-
Potrzebie.
-
LOL, not really. I just wanted to sound like every second poster on his IMDB page. But seriously. He's not a good director. At all. RIP Vic Morrow.
-
Who should play Stan Lee?? That guy on G4 who does "The Stan Lee Experience"..."So I've got Jack Kirby's wife bent over my desk, and I'm fucking her up the ass..."
-
hollywood should only make movies for the masses...so next year all films will be tranformers or xmen movies...god, you are such a tool
-
I can distinctly remember you making a post here where you asserted (and rightly) that Landis was responsible for what happened on his TWILIGHT ZONE set. Your unmistakable point was that John Landis has blood on his hands, and I'm not sure you didn't use those words exactly. And you said so for the record. And with your unabashed endorsement of the artist, not just his work, you conveniently leave that behind you. More significantly, you consciously allow Landis to leave it behind him, a luxury that he doesn't deserve.
-
Landis' involvement, HBO, sounds like a telemovie. I think American Splendour was at some point too, so thats not a problem. Back in the day, I think Landis could have nailed this, but not anymore. Its too much like a real film. I really dont think this will be anything worth watching.
-
MAD taught me how to not trust advertising. Once it went color with ads, it became ball-less and resorted to the kind of gross jokes that only moronic Americans love. "Hee fart jokes!"
-
This is awesome. Simple as that.
-
I'm sick of everyone defaming Landis. Who cares if someone died on his set, no offense to those who died, but the bigger point is...shit happens. Landis is one of the greatest genre filmmakers ever. And he's seen more and knows more about movies then almost all of the armchair film critics on here bashing him. If anyone's ever bothered to read an in-depth interview with him, such as the one in the movie issue of Twilight Zone Magazine, you'd find out he loves movies more than almost anyone, more than Harry, more than you. The bottom line is, Landis is great, EC Comics are some of the best ever all-around, therefore this movie could be great. To all those who just don't get it, go watch one of your crappy pseudo-indie flicks like Rocket Science or Squid and the Whale. Now that's schlock! The bad kind. Want to see some good intentional schlock, well...watch SCHLOCK! by who else? John MF'n Landis.
-
HARD TIMES, THE DRIVER, THE WARRIORS, THE LONG RIDERS, SOUTHERN COMFORT, 48 HOURS, EXTREME PREJUDICE...those, my friends are manly movies made by and for manly men. Plus he got an awesome performance out of Mickey Rourke in JOHNNY HANDSOME. That's it. Tonight it's a double bill of SOUTHERN COMFORT and EXTREME PREJUDICE. Powers Boothe for President in 2012.
-
...Didn't Moriarty say he wouldn't watch a Landis film again or something along those lines? Forgive and forget I suppose.
-
OK, yeah, I think I have a stiffy right now. Done right this could be amazing, especially considering the Gaines family history and the absolute clusterfuck that was the HUAC hearings and the creation of the Comics Code.
-
fucking less!!
-
I completely agree. Except for the bit where you badmouth The Squid And The Whale (it's a pretty awesome movie, in my opinion). But, yeah, Landis' movies have influenced just about every genre filmmaker alive. The man deserves more respect. And Three Amigos rules!
-
Reagan was president, right? Beverly Hills Cop III is one of the worst movies of all time. I think it would be more exciting news if Landis retired.
-
directed AMC's Emmy winning Broken Trail with the great Robert Duvall. Never saw it but it looked like a great old scholl western.
-
Joe Dante would have been good, too.
-
Get Jason Lee to play Stan Lee; not too sure who to cast as THE KING
-
Yes, he was a genius and Henson deserves every laudatory review that he earned. A true renascent man. But he was a dick. My former girlfriend, who was (literally) breathless about meeting with Henson, negotiated a couple of 10-minute windows for a rendezvous. And the guy was mean-spirited, really cruising on ego. I was disappointed but she's still shattered. In regard to the Landis movie, check-out the hardcover book, "The Mad World of William M. Gaines" (1972). Gaines' life had a bit of ANIMAL HOUSE hubris, what with censorship, et al. I think Landis can pull if off...
-
Yeah, like ED WOOD, the Gaines film will not be a blockbuster (the movie can be shot on the cheap). But, similar to ED WOOD, it will likely develop more than cult adulation. And Gaines was much more of a pioneering influence than that asshole, Larry Flynt. Gaines fought from the gut, he was impassioned about eroding the whole "Seduction of the Innocent" facade. Flynt fought for the pocketbook, he loves the limelight. Fuck Flynt.
-
Just as long as it's not like your typical Hollywood biopic, what with their hardscrabble childhood incidents, misunderstanding first wives and girlfriends, ridiculous celebrity cameos, and soooo many montages collapsing soooo much time. I'M TALKIN' TO YOU SCORCESE, MANGOLD, HACKFORD, etc., etc., etc....
-
I mean now, dangit!
-
I've seen the footage of Gaines before Congress too, and you would not believe that this is the same man behind MAD Magazine. Gaines on the stand was positively eloquent and steadfast. Yeah this could easily turn into a rehash of The People vs Larry Flynt if the whole movie focuses on that aspect of Gaines' career but I hope they cover more ground, especially how hard he went to bat for MAD against Warner Bros after they had taken over ownership. Long story short: after the Warner execs saw how crazy the MAD staff was and how tight-knit they were with Gaines, they pretty much let Gaines do whatever the heck he wanted with his magazine. This movie NEEDS the scene where the MAD writers and artists sing "F--- You Bill" to the tune of "Over There"!
-
Loser kid whose industry founder father dies in accident. Kid inherits failing crappy Educational Comics business. Hooks up with Feldstein, who helps save it with horror and SF. Kurtzman lurking in backround playing 5th wheel, whining that he doesn't make enough money on his low-sales war books. Gaines offhandedly says "start a humor mag". Mad takes off while the rest of business crashes in witchhunt. Everything dies but Mad. In despair, Gaines forced to lay-off Feldstein, who brought him his former riches, while keeping Kurtzman because of Mad. Kurtzman, kicking Gaines while he's down, demands 51% of Mad. Gaines fires him, and bring backs Feldstein. Success again! Mad now rockets to enormous success! Kurtzman reduced to low-grade porno.
-
that the Vic Morrow story directed by Landis gets pushed back even farther?
-
Seth Rogen might be able to pull this role off. Good call.
-
Vic Morrow's head on an M-1 tank! "Aw-right! Move out!"
-
Google it. See Landis' contribution to on set mortalities. Vic Morrow was decapitated by a chopper blade on the set of the Twilight zone movie. Shocking and sad. The actual death is on you tube. It is shocking beyond words.
-
And no, for the record I couldn't and would never watch the footage of his death. The description I read in the court case was enough. Jennifer Jason Leigh is Vic Morrow's daughter for the record.
-
Much love, Mr. Landis, much love. This will be a great story and good history lesson. An entire mode of telling stories was almost completely annihilated. How could you not love the EC reprints? Nice.
-
watch dave lee travis play macbeth
-
The HBO Peter Sellers with Geoffrey Rush was pretty sweet...
-
the copter pilot to crash into morrow...it was negligence, but it wasnt murder...and the story of what happened to ec comix and the comix industry is a very important story, especially in our times where the christian right and the fcc are running ruffshod over the media...
-
Vic Morrow for halloween. I was decapitated and had two decapitated child size dolls. My friend went as Landis.. all he did was put blood on his hands and scream about how it won't come off.
Seriously, F Landis. -
Landis came in to speak to classes at NYU when Iw as there and we were instructed not to ask him about the Twilight Zone movie.
Then he showed footage from Blues Brothers 2000 and talked about how it was ruined by the studio. -
Yeah, I'm last you fuck.
Fuck you, you fucking fucked fuck. -
Seth Rogan.
-
Cus of your face!
-
Seth Rogan. Gayer, though.
-
he died in 2000.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 273 total posts 271 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 92 total posts 92 posts
- AVENGERS enemy revealed as pink boardgame pieces... You might suffer some form of elation... SPOILERS!!! -- 160 total posts 69 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 151 total posts 63 posts
- Does ‘SNL’ Rhyme With ‘Deschanel’?? Learn Which SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Vet Hosts After Sexy Zooey!! -- 67 total posts 59 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 60 total posts 57 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 484 total posts 49 posts
- Here's The Red Band Trailer For Drafthouse Films' THE FP! -- 69 total posts 42 posts
- Friday Brings SWEEPS DAY NINE!! Gab Here About Tonight’s FRINGE!! Plus Einstein on TIM, Wiig On PORTLANDIA, MAHER, CLONE, GIFTED, GRIMM, SPARTACUS, SUPERNATURAL, GOLD RUSH And More!! -- 120 total posts 32 posts
- SPACE 2099!! -- 183 total posts 24 posts