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Paul Thomas Anderson Announces Next Film, Starts His Own Religion
Filed under: Casting, RumorMonger, Scripts, Religious
Rejoice! It's time for Paul Thomas Anderson and Philip Seymour Hoffman to work together again. After Sydney, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch Drunk Love, Variety reports that the two are teaming up for a new feature about a man who creates his own religion. But don't celebrate too much -- this news is still in the early stages. Anderson is said to be planning to submit a finished script to Universal, who will then decide whether or not they will greenlight it (um, yes please). AND, the trade couldn't get comment from the studio, or either man's reps.But here's what we do know. Should this go into production, there will be a $35 million price tag with Hoffman finally getting center stage playing "the Master" (as in master of ceremonies), a charismatic man who starts "a faith-based organization" in the 1950s. He teams up with a twentysomething drifter named Freddie who becomes his "lieutenant" until the kid finds himself questioning the faith he's gotten himself involved in.
For those of you foaming at the mouth at the thought of a Scientology/Mormon critique, hold on. Variety says: "The drama does not so much scrutinize self-started churches like Scientology or the Mormons, as much as it explores the need to believe in a higher power, the choice of which one to embrace and the point at which a belief system graduates into a religion." Nevertheless, it's about time PTA let PSH grab the full reigns of his vision. Let's hope the whole thing comes to fruition.
The Kinks Get a Biopic
Filed under: Drama, Music & Musicals, Scripts
The Kinks will soon have us! The English rock band (aka the dudes behind the song "You Really Got Me") are getting a feature biopic. ScreenDaily reports that British director Julien Temple is collaborating with frontman Ray Davies on a film that will focus on the relationship between Ray and fellow bandmate and brother Dave Davies. The two were the only steady members of the band, and as Temple explains: "At the heart of [the feature] is the extraordinary love-hate relationship between these two brothers: love/hate, sibling rivalry is at the core."Right now Temple and Davies are sussing out the approach before any screenplay is started. Of course, that also means that there is no cast yet, but Temple will require the actors to be able to play The Kinks music: "I think you would want to have the music played by the actors ... that is believable and real while miming is problematic." His words to Hollywood god's ears! On that basis alone, I'm psyched to see this come together. (She writes, while trying not to eagerly expect another perfect beauty like Control.)
But there is a reason to anticipate this, besides the subject, since Temple is the man behind flicks like The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, plus a whole bunch of music videos, like, oh, Van Halen's Jump. But who could possibly pull off the acting and music chops of The Kinks? Sound off below with your casting choices ...
Summit Moves From Sparkly Vamps to an Assassin's 'Alibi'
Filed under: Action, Deals, Scripts, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Back in September, I wondered what Summit would spend their big wad of Twilight cash on. They're primed to rake in a couple billion by the time this is all over. The company made almost $385 mil at the box office with the first installment (having spent only $37 mil), and so far $476,334,668 with the second (having spent only $50 mil). And now they're turning their attention toward assassins. Variety reports that Summit Entertainment has signed on to bring the comic Alibi to the big screen -- a production that kicked into gear back in August. Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov and illustrated by Jeremy Haun, Top Cow's Alibi focuses on the classic socialite-with-a-secret-job scenario. But instead of just putting on a flimsy mask and getting to work, this assassin's got the perfect cover -- a secret twin brother. See, one is the assassin and one is the socialite, and they both work under the same identity. John Hlavin, who will write the next Underworld installment, has been tapped to pen the script.
I think Summit is on the right track -- grabbing a big action film that is in high contrast to the teen-led vampire and werewolf world, and also has the ability to make some good cash. And, let's hope, they continue to find the ways to make big movies cheaply, rather than soaring to new heights with a franchise before seeing it all wash away (yes, I'm thinking about New Line).
'Green Lantern' Will Choose Adventure Over Origin
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Warner Brothers, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Every day, I hope we'll get another big piece of The Green Lantern casting (and not just an open casting call) such as Sinestro or Carol Ferris, or even Abin Sur. This is a movie we're all really eager to see take shape. But for now, we'll have to be content with hints about the script, which Ryan Reynolds gave to the MTV Splash Page. Reynolds revealed that Hal Jordan won't be the beneficiary of a very intense origin story: "It is [an origin story] to a certain degree, but it's not a labored origin story, where the movie [truly] begins in the third act. The movie starts when it starts. We find out Hal is the guy fairly early on, and the adventure begins." That probably comes as a surprise to anyone even remotely familiar with Lantern mythology, as the intergalactic world Hal comes to inhabit is pretty complex and detailed. It would be an easy thing to bog the movie down in that, though, and maybe giving it a more cursory approach is better. This is intended as a franchise after all, and they can always go deeper with subsequent films.
The man who will be Hal Jordan also stressed that the film won't be just about the green and black suit, but about the man who inhabits it. "I think you walk away from this first film, and the moments that you remember and the moments that mean so much to you, not unlike Iron Man, are the moments where the guy's not in the suit. That to me is the tough thing to get right."
Disney Remaking 'The Black Hole' With 'Tron' Team
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Disney, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
It's a new day at Disney with their new studio chief, Rich Ross, and everyone has been rather eager to see what new direction the studio moved in, and what projects they fast tracked. It turns out that their new vision is a rather old one. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney has dug deep into the vaults and decided to remake The Black Hole. They've put Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski and producer Sean Bailey on the project, hoping that they can make The Black Hole as cool as they've made all things Tron. I feel terrible, but I have absolutely no memory of this film. I know I probably saw it at some point, but its lovable droids have been wiped out by multiple viewings of Star Wars, so allow me to recap. The 1979 original centered on a group of space explorers discover the lost USS Cygnus, floating dead on the edge of a black hole. Logically they haven't seen Event Horizon, so they happily board the ship to what's become of the crew. There they meet a scientist and his group of robot friends (some cute, and one mean, red, and named Maximilian), and he claims his crew deserted him when he tried to travel through the black hole. Of course, he's not telling the truth. The robots are the former Cygnus crew, and the scientist has no intention of letting them leave. Dun dun dun ...
Naturally, the remake won't be a straight-up retelling, and Disney is keeping the plot a secret. The only thing they're willing to reveal is that the menacing robot Maximilian will return, and that the black hole will be more of a plot point. Science will also be involved, and I imagine a little Star Trek too. Will it inspire the instant excitement of Tron: Legacy? Or will it be an entirely new concept to most moviegoers?
Ben Kingsley to Build the Taj Majal
Filed under: Drama, Casting, Scripts
In 1982, Ben Kingsley became Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi. The film instantly became a classic and went on to dominate the Oscars, earning Best Picture, Director, Actor, Writing, Editing, Costume Design, Cinematography, and Art Direction. And even though those are ridiculously enormous shoes to fill, the Guardian reports that Kingsley is heading back to Indian history to play Shah Jahan, the emperor who built the Taj Mahal.Back in the mid-1600s, Shah Jahan was a Mughal Emperor who was devastated when his favorite (third) wife Mumtaz Mahal died while giving birth to their fourteenth child. In her honor, he decided to erect a grand mausoleum that would not only be epically impressive and beautiful, but also so glorious that sins would be washed away. It took roughly 21 years to create and has been included on some Seven Wonders of the World lists.
Titled Taj, the script was written by British novelist and playwright David Ashton, and is still looking for a director. Alongside Kingsley will be Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who will play Mumtaz Mahal. This won't, however, be her first stab at the object of such desire: The former Miss World and Bride & Prejudice star played Mumtaz in the 2007 short musical, Journey Across India.
SBK Pictures is hoping to start production in the fall of 2010, but for now: Do you think Kingsley can make Indian history win in Hollywood once again?
'Funny People' Star Aziz Ansari Getting His Own 'Randy' Spin-off
Filed under: Comedy, Scripts, New on DVD, Newsstand, Home Entertainment
If the sound of the name "Ruh-Ruh-Ruh-Raaaaaaaandy!" partnered with a few DJ effects and the sight of comic actor Aziz Ansari jumping maniacally around a stage made you tingle in Judd Apatow's Funny People, then prepare yourself for what I'm about to say: Randy is getting his own movie. To paraphrase Randy himself, if you fine folks are prepared to chortle until your genitals become disconnected from your body, let me hear you say "Yes!"
Variety reports that Ansari and fellow Human Giant collaborator Jason Woliner pitched the Randy spin-off to Apatow along with two other intended Ansari vehicles, a buddy road flick about motivational speakers and an astronaut comedy. While Apatow's production company will produce all three, the report doesn't mention which of the projects will happen first.
Over at the MTV Movies Blog, Christopher Campbell notes that just last week, Apatow indicated some hesitation on Ansari's part to revisit the character of Randy. "Aziz may be concerned that more people think he's Randy than Aziz," Apatow explained. And that may be a legitimate concern for Ansari, who currently co-stars on "Parks and Recreation." His Randy characterization is so subtle, even in its bombastic raunchiness, that it's an entirely believable comic persona -- kind of a douchebag persona, but a hilarious one nonetheless. (Personally, if Ansari did nothing but "Randy" for the rest of his life, I'd be satisfied.)
More on the Randy spin-off and a video from Funny People after the jump.
What a Surprise: 'The Howling' Gets a Remake
Filed under: Horror, Deals, Scripts, Remakes and Sequels
What a complete non-surprise! Now that New Moon is raking in the cash, and doing what very little it can for the werewolves of the world, the vamps are gearing up for some further sharp-toothed competition. Variety reports that The Howling will return to the big screen by the hands of indie producers Joel Kastelberg and Etchie Stroh under the name The Howling: Reborn. Since it's been over three years since we first heard rumors of a remake, my guess is that this is a whole new can of worms.A former marketing executive for studios like MGM and New Line, Joe Nimziki wrote the script and will direct it when the feature starts shooting this February. Once that's all done, they're hoping to get this howler into theaters for Halloween. The plot is being kept under wraps, but the original followed a TV newswoman who goes on a retreat after an ordeal with a serial killer, only to be thrust into a world of
Now here's where I say this is a missed opportunity. It's inevitable that each old-school horror flick will get rebooted. But why not try to up the ante, or at least insert wow-factor? We've seen the increased interest in Elm Street since Jackie Earle Haley took over, and that's a pretty mainstream franchise. Now imagine what The Howling could be if they coerced John Sayles into writing it again -- maybe not to be campy like the first, but a well-written piece of horror. That man is a pro at taking characters and situations and spinning an intricate web, so imagine if he intermingled his indie talents with his old-school horror ways. At the very least, it'd make the project immediately buzz worthy to a larger audience.
As it stands, do you want more Howling?
Mike White Starts a Santa Claus Civil War
Filed under: Comedy, Deals, Scripts
Not pleased with the likes of our latest serving of A Christmas Carol? Want a little more originality served with your ho-ho-ho's? This might be the answer: Variety reports that Paramount Pictures has tapped Mike White to write the script for a new comedy called Santa Wars. Oh yes, it's just like you'd imagine.This project will follow the story of two rival factions that emerged within a group of professional Kris Kringles, and how they "became arch enemies during a Santa Claus civil war." And I should probably point out -- this concept is based on a true story. It all stems from a segment on Ira Glass' radio show This American Life, which aired last December and talked about how two professional Santas formed the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, only to become bitter rivals.
Talk about picking the perfect pen. White is the writer of all things weird, whether that be with creepy stalkers, transcript trouble, discontent with mundane life, rock 'n' roll classes, strange wrasslers, or dog obsession. Furthermore, he's jumped back and forth between mainstream and edgy indies, which means the potential for a film that will appeal to more than just the casual, family fare moviegoer. Let's just hope Paramount ignores this year's strange release schedules (Valentine's Day in the summer, Christmas before Thanskgiving) and serves this puppy up during the right season.
Sam Worthington Gets Gritty in 'American Crime'
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Casting, Deals, Noir, Scripts, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek
Few of us have had the chance to read Rick Remender's upcoming series, The Last Days of American Crime, but it's already tapped for the big-screen treatment. To sweeten the deal, American Crime already has a face. An Australian one. Mania is reporting that Sam Worthington has signed on to play the series' star criminal, Graham Brick. American Crime is set in a near-future where the government has found a way to kill the criminal impulse in its citizens. That's good for everyone but the criminals, and chaos erupts as the unsavory element goes mad trying to get in one last job. One of these men is Graham Brick, who is in the midst of planning a big heist, and gets to watch all his best laid plans fall apart in a bloody fashion. I read the preview Radical handed out at Comic-Con this year, and like all previews, it was too short to really get a handle on the story. But the art was incredible, it was ridiculously violent, and it had that slimy feeling of Sin City. You can check out three pages here, and Radical has 15 pages up on MySpace. The first issue is scheduled to hit stands in December.
Remender will be penning the screenplay himself, and Radical will be producing it under their film shingle. We'll supposedly be getting a studio, a director, and more cast-members very soon, but it's tough to get excited without having read issue #1. Still, if this is really the mix of James Ellroy and David Mamet's Heist that Remender promises, Crime will be something to look out for.
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