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DEATH: HIGH COST OF LIVING tidbit; Now... UPDATED!
Hey folks, Harry here... Well so far the only word we've had about this project came from that stunning beauty of the manual typewriters, Dorothy Parker (Click here to read her review of the draft mentioned below!!!) But thankfully this sounds like better news than that.... So read on, and be in fear... apparently a director announcement is coming soon... WHO WILL IT BE? Given the recent rash of terrible director/project assignments, it'll probably be Paul Anderson.... Shit, I can't believe I put that out there.... ACK!
Today Neil Gaiman did a signing at Borders here in New York, and during the Q&
A someone asked him about the Death: High Cost of Living movie. It seems to
be proceeding nicely. It was due at the studio April 1, so he had to rush to
get it ready. When the execs reviewed it, they broke it down into what they
liked and didn't. Neil was pleased about this generally, since what they
didn't like were the things he had to fudge because the script was due on
April 1 instead of the 15th. So we are guaranteed a script Neil is pleased
with.
The big announcement is that today he was notifed who the director will be,
and declined to tell us because the press release will be made sometime this
week or next. But Neil was happy about the choice, and it's someone good.
~ Lampbane
Breaker of Lamps, Destroyer of Vases
Defender of the FaithFather Geek here with an update that just arrived here at Austin's GEEK HEADQUARTERS... Check it out...
Hey Harry, RENO here. . .
I saw Lampbane's report on the Gaiman signing last night in NYC and I'd like to clarify a thing or two that they wrote, by way of passing along a complete transcription of what Neil had to say about the film, the state of the script, etc. (Portable tape recorders are such a handy thing. . .)
When asked about the status film, Gaiman replied-
"I had handed in a script on the first of April. This was because there was going to be a writer's strike and we were really under the gun. It was 'Get the script in so that anything that needed to happen before the writer's strike could happen.'
"Warner Brothers loved it. They were meant to be doing it in collaboration with another production company, whom I'm not going to name, but are most famous for big slam bang action movies and who had said 'Oh, we like the idea of doing a cool little movie.' They read the script and said 'Hang on, this is not a big slam bang action movie.'
"And Warner Brothers, bless their little cotton socks, said 'OK, you can go now' to them. You have to be involved with films to understand how incredibly unlikely that is. Normally, they'd turn to ME and say 'OK, you can go now.' And then they'd get Shane Black in to write 'Death:The High Cost of Living.'
"So what had been going on backstage at Warner Brothers for the past month and a half is Warner Brothers has been having talks with various production companies to see who would be most appropriate for 'Death' to go and live at.
"They now have one which I'm not going to announce as they will issue a press release in the next day or two.
"I had today a long conference call with the guys from Warners and the guys from the production company and they were talking about what they liked and what they didn't like about the 'Death' script. What was nice about that was all the stuff they didn't like was the stuff where I was saying 'You know, if it hadn't of had to be on your desk on the first of April, that would have disappeared by the 14th of April.'
"It was kind of frustrating with 'Death.' What I wound up handing in didn't feel like a first draft, it felt more like a seven-eighths draft. It wasn't quite there yet, even at first draft. It was 110 pages long and ended with the words 'Fade to Black.' It was a script.
"I think its going to be fun going back into it. I want to stop Sexton whinning so much. He whines! I didn't mind so much in the comic because there's always stuff going on. But in the script you go 'Twenty minutes into this film the audience is going to want someone to kil him. And if he isn't shot by someone they'll be disappointed.' So I do want to make him less whiney."
"And Warner Brothers, bless their little cotton socks, said 'OK, you can go now' to them. You have to be involved with films to understand how incredibly unlikely that is. Normally, they'd turn to ME and say 'OK, you can go now.' And then they'd get Shane Black in to write 'Death:The High Cost of Living.'
"So what had been going on backstage at Warner Brothers for the past month and a half is Warner Brothers has been having talks with various production companies to see who would be most appropriate for 'Death' to go and live at.
"They now have one which I'm not going to announce as they will issue a press release in the next day or two.
"I had today a long conference call with the guys from Warners and the guys from the production company and they were talking about what they liked and what they didn't like about the 'Death' script. What was nice about that was all the stuff they didn't like was the stuff where I was saying 'You know, if it hadn't of had to be on your desk on the first of April, that would have disappeared by the 14th of April.'
"It was kind of frustrating with 'Death.' What I wound up handing in didn't feel like a first draft, it felt more like a seven-eighths draft. It wasn't quite there yet, even at first draft. It was 110 pages long and ended with the words 'Fade to Black.' It was a script.
"I think its going to be fun going back into it. I want to stop Sexton whinning so much. He whines! I didn't mind so much in the comic because there's always stuff going on. But in the script you go 'Twenty minutes into this film the audience is going to want someone to kil him. And if he isn't shot by someone they'll be disappointed.' So I do want to make him less whiney."
"They now have one which I'm not going to announce as they will issue a press release in the next day or two.
"I had today a long conference call with the guys from Warners and the guys from the production company and they were talking about what they liked and what they didn't like about the 'Death' script. What was nice about that was all the stuff they didn't like was the stuff where I was saying 'You know, if it hadn't of had to be on your desk on the first of April, that would have disappeared by the 14th of April.'
"It was kind of frustrating with 'Death.' What I wound up handing in didn't feel like a first draft, it felt more like a seven-eighths draft. It wasn't quite there yet, even at first draft. It was 110 pages long and ended with the words 'Fade to Black.' It was a script.
"I think its going to be fun going back into it. I want to stop Sexton whinning so much. He whines! I didn't mind so much in the comic because there's always stuff going on. But in the script you go 'Twenty minutes into this film the audience is going to want someone to kil him. And if he isn't shot by someone they'll be disappointed.' So I do want to make him less whiney."
"It was kind of frustrating with 'Death.' What I wound up handing in didn't feel like a first draft, it felt more like a seven-eighths draft. It wasn't quite there yet, even at first draft. It was 110 pages long and ended with the words 'Fade to Black.' It was a script.
"I think its going to be fun going back into it. I want to stop Sexton whinning so much. He whines! I didn't mind so much in the comic because there's always stuff going on. But in the script you go 'Twenty minutes into this film the audience is going to want someone to kil him. And if he isn't shot by someone they'll be disappointed.' So I do want to make him less whiney."
Please note, Harry, that Neil did not make mention of a director (And I listened to the tape again this morning.) for the film. (I didn't get a chance to ask him myself as when he was signing my copy of his new book "American Gods" and my copy of the script he wrote for "Babylon 5" we got into a short discussion about Penn and Teller and I was whisked away by store personnel before I could ask.)
On a side note for Bruce Campbell fans: The MAN himself will be at the same Boarders at theWorld Trade Center this Friday (his birthday) to sign copies of his new book "If Chins Could Kill." Groovy.
RENO out.
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+ Expand All
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A great comic book, a great character. Now lets wait for Hollywood to suck the life out of it, add a bit of sex and some meaningless CGI, some gunplay and bad acting. Give it to a talentless shit like Paul Anderson and wait for a massive disappointment.
-
..That Giaman was supposed to direct this himself.Those were the reports a few months ago.
I saw SLCPunk recently and thought what a great Death Jennifer Lienb would make, much better choice than Balk.
I just dont get excited over Death news anymore-this movie will NEVER be made!
-
Jun 20, 2001 6:13:26 AM CDT
PROOF INSIDE! CONFIRMED Director of DEATH: HIGH COST OF LIVING i
by bannlust
Kevin Smith!
Nah, actually I don't have fuckin clue! So hey, jus' a guess ... a shot in the dark, a poop in the storm. Damn, Paul Anderson filmed over here in Berlin a few weeks ago ... I HAD THE CHANCE TO BREAK HIS NECK. But now? Now, he's outta my reach again ... and if he's doin DEATH just like Mr Knowles predicted, he'll RUIN it. -
Jun 20, 2001 6:52:35 AM CDT
You Know, I'm Gonna Have To See Some Of This Anderson Guy's Movi
by buzz maverik
to see what the fuck everybody is talking about. He must be pretty bad to be singled out of all the talentless hacks currently making movies. Makes you wonder and hope, though, do we have a guy here who's so bad that he's good? That would be cool
-
Jun 20, 2001 7:20:14 AM CDT
Why must *every* comic book be considered fodder for movie adapt
by martinblank
For that matter, why are books, plays, musicals, even frickin *video games* seen in terms of "It's good for what it is, but it'll make a GREAT movie!" It's as if movies were the final, ultimate, be-all-end-all medium. News flash, they're not. It's not like a story well told in a book or a comic just hasn't reached its *full potential* until it has become a Hollywood movie with an A-list star. Some stories simply work better in other media. 'Death' I suspect is one of them. Why is Neil Gaiman dicking around with a character he basically put behind him ten years ago? Why isn't he doing original screenplays? (Maybe he is, I don't pretend to be sitting in Gaiman's back yard monitoring his activities) Didn't Hollywood learn anything from 'Watchmen'? It's natural for comics fans who are also movie fans to want to see the two united, but...Most movies inspire *laaame* comic-book adaptations (check out the Marvel versions of the 'Indy" movies, which capture *none* of their magic, or for that matter the pallid 'Indiana Jones' series they did in the early '80s)... and some comics are great as comics and should just stay comics! Movies and comics *can* blend occasionally, but for the most part they are two different animals! Dammit! I have spoken.
-
Jun 20, 2001 7:22:54 AM CDT
What up with the Bobby Flay Iron Chef rematch banner still on th
by dinozoot
HELLO?!?!?!?
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I think i've said this before, but the lovely and talented ms. dushku would be the perfect choice for death. Balk is such a bad choice, and before anyone even mentions her, i will also say that Angelina Jolie is also a very bad choice (what with all the tomb raider stuff out there lately, i'm sure she will be mentioned as "perfect" ) Anyway, Eliza Dushku, that's my two cents
here is a photo i think make my case:
http://www.edushku.com/Photos/Buffy/miscbuffy09.jpg
thank you :) -
ok that other one was good, but this one is perfect. couldn't find a non-autographed version, but it doesn't distract from her beauty and perfectness for the part
http://www.edushku.com/Photos/Autographed/signed03.jpg
:) -
It was announced AGES ago. Gaiman himself is to direct, much as he is the movie he has in development at Miramax, the Confessions... one about the Shakesspeare manuscripts (full name escapes me)
It's simply a production studio he was referring to. We've known for ages he is attached to this script as a director -
The character of Death ISNT frightening remember? thats the whole point! Thora Birch is my pick.
-
As of only a week ago, Neil has been claiming he is directing. He's written quite extensively about how he will be directing this movie, and how he is looking forward to it. It's even a subject on his contract for this movie that he will be directing, unless they pay him oodles of money if they want someone else to direct. But so far, Neil hasn't claimed this has happened. So as for now, we should all be assuming that Neil is directing this movie.
You'll be sure to hear it first, from Neil's own mouth, whether someone else is directing at www.neilgaiman.com in his journal. -
i can only admit to having seen Faruza (?) in a few roles, but like you say, she really seems to come across as mean. perhaps it's just she hasn't been given the chance to be a "good" girl. aside from the look, i also don't think she has the acting chops to pull off the part.
but hey, i'm biased on this one :)
-gg -
Yeah, it was production company, not the director. Sorry, sorry. This is what happens when you're trapped in a small, humid bookstore for three hours. The brain starts to melt.
And I do remember then saying something about Gaiman directing, but who really knows? What I really wanted to know is what was up with the rights to Miracleman, a question I didn't ask because I know he's probably sick of it.
And I know I shouldn't send in stories seeing how my memory ain't that great, but someone had to. Now, where are all those reviews of Final Fantasy we should be getting?
-
but it _really_ isn't. Anderson's not one of those so bad he's pitiful in a fun kind of way; he's more of the so bad you want to vomit after witnessing what he's created kind. To demonstrate: call to mind the concept for the movie Soldier, which, while unoriginal is still quite good; now allow yourself to remember the movie which was made form that concept. Yeh.--Hmm, Warner Bros. actually doing something right? It comes directlky from Gaiman's mouth, yet still I am skeptical. Well, if it comes down to it I suppose raising my opinion of them a tad won't destroy my perception of the world.
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Asia Argento...but thats just my opinion....heh
-
Weather she's chosen for the role or not, Goddess Faiuza-chan would make the PERFECT death! Those eyes! That face! The lovely coal-black tresses of her hair! Plus she can act the ass off of any of the contenders, a fact not to be overlooked. If you're reading this, Gaiman-sama, PLEASE choose Ms. Balk as death! Thank you.
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yeah the brunette from Popular... so what?
you doubt me?
http://www.carlypope.nu/mm/mags/images/carlypope-mxg-winter99_04.jpg
http://www.carlypope.nu/mm/mags/images/carlypope-fhm_apr2001_03.jpg -
Stop with this who should play Death stuff! They should find a fresh face with great talent instead of forever attatching a previously stereotyped actress to it.
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