the most anticipated...

[crippled_avenger]

Crows: Episode 0 flies to top of Japanese box office
Jason Gray in Tokyo
29 Oct 2007 22:41

 

Takashi Miike's Crows: Episode 0 grabbed the top spot at the weekend box office in Japan, knocking Fuji TV's Hero down to second place after seven weeks in the number one position.

Produced by Fuji rival TBS and released on October 27, Crows grossed $3.49m (Y400m) in its first two days on 259 screens, for a strong $13,474 per-screen average. Both Hero and Crows are distributed by Toho, which has predicted final earnings for Crows at over $26.2m (Y3bn).

Hero 's current earnings stand at $66.57m, making it the most successful domestic release this year, soon set to surpass last year's number one film Tales From Earthsea ($66.75m). However, the final tally doesn't look to reach Toho's original prediction of Y9bn-Y10bn ($78.52-$87.25m).

Shochiku drama Zo No Senaka, starring Koji Yakusho, opened in fourth place with $821,000 behind Gaga-distributed Hairspray. Warner Brothers' The Brave One bowed in fifth place with $744,700 on 294 screens, just ahead of new UIP release Stardust with $656,300.

Crows is based on Hiroshi Takahashi's manga which has sold 32 million copies. Rising star Shun Oguri (Sukiyaki Western Django) plays a newcomer to a tough high school who tries to navigate the various gang factions in place and take power.

Crows had its public and market world premiere at the Pusan International Film Festival earlier this month, with Germany 's Splendid Film acquiring all German and Benelux rights. This film had its Japan premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival last week.

[crippled_avenger]

Easternlight takes on Japanese project Sasori
Jeremy Kay in Santa Monica
31 Oct 2007 05:00

 

Easternlight has acquired worldwide rights excluding Japan and several 
other Asian territories to the Japanese martial arts film Sasori.



The saga about a vengeful sword-wielding woman is based on the 1970s
 comic books and cult film series and was the inspiration for Kill
 Bill.



Easternlight managing director Ying Ye acquired the film, which is in
 post-production, at the recent Pusan Film Festival, and will commence 
sales here at the AFM.



Joe Ma Wai Ho directed Sasori, which stars Miki Mizuno and was
produced by Junichi Matsushita.

[crippled_avenger]

HanWay takes on sales for Gorillaz feature Bananaz
Wendy Mitchell in Santa Monica
31 Oct 2007 05:00

 

HanWay Films has come on board for sales of Ceri Levy's new feature-length film about Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's band Gorillaz.

Levy started work on Bananaz when the band was formed in 2000, documenting the creation of the band's animated alter-egos, sales of more than 15m albums, and nominations for six Grammy awards, as well as unusual live gigs where musicians played behind a curtain. Levy shot more than 260 hours of footage over the six years.

Bananaz is currently in the final stages of editing, and the project has a running time around 90 minutes.

"It's more a documentary about musicians, it's been prepared in a way so that it comes across as a feature film, and isn't just for Gorillaz fans," Levy told Screen International. "There's no talking heads. There are stories, it's not just two blokes in a studio."

Levy thinks the project will travel well internationally. "Gorillaz are well known worldwide," he said.  "This is also a film about two people working on one idea and seeing that idea come to life."

Levy, a longtime friend of Albarn, previously worked on Blur's 1994 film Starshaped as well as BBC television documentaries and music videos.

Levy produced as well, with Slingshot's Rachel Connors.

HanWay's AFM slate also includes Battle For Haditha, Franklyn, The Red Baron and Genova.

[crippled_avenger]

Studios prep backup plan
Despite strike, many films ready to go
By MICHAEL FLEMING, PAMELA MCCLINTOCK
Fox's 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' is among the films ready to roll.

The studios have spent the better part of the last year trying to protect themselves from possible strike effects.
There are as many as 50 studio movies ready to go into production now if writers walk, and most of the majors have managed to muster together at least five pictures with scripts and plots strong enough to overcome the potential lack of a WGA member on set to execute revisions.

And that doesn't include films being made by studio specialty arms or projects funded by the likes of Media Rights Capital, which will spend $250 million to finance eight films that include the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy "Bruno," Ricky Gervais comedy "This Side of the Truth," Robert Rodriguez-directed "Shorts," and the Richard Kelly-directed thriller "The Box" with Cameron Diaz. Only "Bruno" has a distribution deal, made at Universal prior to the release of "Borat."

Studios say they have ready many scripts that could be slotted for production instantly if the right star becomes available. Tom Cruise, for instance, has been eyeing the Terry George-directed "Edwin A. Salt" at Columbia and the Todd Phillips-directed comedy "Men" at Warners, but he hasn't landed on a pre-strike film. If he does, someone will have a big picture.

Unlike in television, which is far more exposed, the natural cycle of making movies means studios have had ample time to prepare for a walkout, whether by writers, whose contract expires at midnight, or actors, whose contract is up next summer.

"For now, it's a television strike, not a movie strike. Everybody has done their films for 2008 and part of 2009. It would need a very long strike, six or seven months, to have an impact," said one veteran industry player.

If there's a strike, studios also can get out of producing deals under the force majeure clause included in almost all such pacts. Agencies, too, can shed agents under force majeure. Companies used that "out" plenty during the writers strike in 1988.

For the most part, most studio 2008 slates aren't an issue, since those movies are either done or safely along in the process, save for some of the late-year titles. The threat of a strike has meant that they are going into production sooner than they normally would have with 2009 films, or pics slated for release toward the end of 2008.

"We strongly hope (a strike) doesn't happen, but most feature companies have been preparing for over a year and are fully ready. And if a long strike eventually led to a reduction of the number of films made, that might be a good thing anyway," a studio source said.

Surprisingly few of the production starts are last-minute surprises. Mindful of past mistakes of rushing half-baked scripts into production to beat a strike or threat of a strike -- such as what happened during the de facto strike of 2001 -- studio prexies have been restrained.

Paramount, pleased with revisions done by scribe Stuart Beattie, has officially set a Feb. 13 start date for "G.I. Joe," an event-sized film that went from a pre-strike question mark to an anchor of the studio's summer 2009 release schedule. Paramount is in talks with up-and-comer Sam Worthington to star, and the studio was down to working out any scheduling overlap with Fox, which has Worthington starring in the James Cameron-directed "Avatar."

At Par, "G.I. Joe" joins the J.J. Abrams-directed "Star Trek," the Roger Michell-directed "Morning Glory," a redo of "Friday the 13th" and "Shutter Island," a late addition to the slate that has Martin Scorsese set to direct and Leonardo DiCaprio to star.

Twentieth Century Fox has several movies headed to the starting line. While Jamie Vanderbilt and Scott Silver have been honing the script, "Wolverine" is a definite go, with a May 2009 release date. Also on the launch pad for a Dec. 12, 2008, release is "The Day the Earth Stood Still," a Scott Derrickson-directed remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic that will star Keanu Reeves as the alien visitor Klaatu.

Fox also is plotting starts for the thriller "They Came From Upstairs," "Max Payne" and the comedy "Trouble Man." Regency will add "Bride Wars," and Fox 2000 expects to make the David Frankel-directed "Marley and Me" with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, and the Nicole Kidman starrer "Monte Carlo." Fox Atomic will put three films in production: "Brad Cutter Ruined My Life Again," "Ticket to Ride," and "Jennifer's Body."

While Universal was still firming up start dates, the studio has locked enough scripts to put as many as nine films into production by next March.

They include a new romantic comedy by director Richard Curtis called "The Boat That Rocked," the Kevin Macdonald-directed "State of Play" with Brad Pitt, the Brad Silberling-directed "Land of the Lost" with Will Ferrell, "Repossession Mambo" with Jude Law and Forest Whitaker, the Paul W.S. Anderson-directed "Death Race" with Jason Statham, the Benicio Del Toro starrer "Wolfman," the Tony Gilroy-directed drama "Duplicity," and "The Fast and the Furious 4" with Justin Lin directing Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Paul Greengrass has Matt Damon ready to star in his untitled Green Zone project.

Studio was less certain about several other films that included "Nottingham," the revisionist adventure that has Russell Crowe poised to play the Sheriff of Nottingham for director Ridley Scott. Both of them are in Morocco shooting the WB film "Body of Lies" with DiCaprio.

Disney plans to put seven movies in production by March. Studio starts with "Shopaholic" in early January, followed by the Adam Sandler-Adam Shankman comedy "Bedtime Stories," a reinvention of "Witch Mountain" that stars Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, two transfers of Disney Channel hits in "High School Musical 3" and "Hannah Montana," Sandra Bullock starrer "The Proposal," and "Christmas Carol," the Robert Zemeckis-directed film that features Jim Carrey in numerous roles. Most of those films were long planned, and not stimulated by a strike deadline. Studio had hoped to move forward with another tentpole, "Prince of Persia," but likely will have to wait until a labor resolution.

DreamWorks, which just began production on the Peter Jackson-directed "The Lovely Bones," scheduled November starts for the Emma Roberts/Don Cheadle starrer "Hotel for Dogs" and the DJ Caruso-directed Shia LaBeouf starrer "Eagle Eye."

DreamWorks starts production of the Jamie Foxx-Robert Downey Jr. starrer "The Soloist," the Brian Robbins-directed Eddie Murphy comedy "A Thousand Words" and "Wednesday," a thriller directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ("28 Weeks Later"). Not on the pre-strike list is "Transformers 2," a sequel that is still being written. Labor talks will determine whether the visual effects-heavy film makes its projected June 26, 2009, release date.

Columbia Pictures had finalized starts on "Bond 22," penned by Paul Haggis, "Da Vinci Code" sequel "Angels & Demons" with Ron Howard directing and Tom Hank starring, a Tony Scott-directed remake of "The Taking of Pelham 123" that just got John Travolta to star alongside Denzel Washington, and the Will Smith starrer "Seven Pounds," directed by Gabriele Muccino. Studio is just getting under way with the Judd Apatow-produced comedy "Year One" with Jack Black, Michael Cera and director Harold Ramis.

While Warner Bros. has set a start date on the Jim Carrey comedy "Yes Man," the studio was still working out several production start possibilities on several tentpole-sized films. The studio has been working with screenwriter Eric Roth and director Mira Nair to trim the budget on the adventure drama "Shantaram," with the film's producer, Johnny Depp, standing by to star. Also, Warners is hoping to begin production in the spring on "Justice League," with George Miller directing.

After making a distribution deal with financier Halcyon, WB has McG prepping "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," a film it has slotted for summer 2009. Warners also is looking to put Todd Phillips' "Hangover," "Observe and Report," "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" and "The Jetsons" into production.

New Line has "Four Christmases" with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" with Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, "Seventeen" with Zac Efron and Leslie Mann, and "My Sister's Keeper," the Nick Cassavetes-directed drama with Cameron Diaz and Dakota and Elle Fanning.

Focus Features will go into production with "A Serious Man," directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, "Vanished" and "Curveball." Production is under way on "Sin Nombre."

The Weinstein Co. starts production in January on the Kevin Smith-directed comedy "Zach and Miri," "Shanghai," and "Nine," the Rob Marshall-directed adaptation of the stage musical. Dimension Films starts production late in the year on the Fred Durst-directed "Comeback," with Ice Cube starring.

(Diane Garrett, Dave McNary and Tatiana Siegel contributed to this report.)

[crippled_avenger]

Paramount Pictures has acquired Matz's 1988 French graphic novel series "The Killer" with plans to develop it as a directing vehicle for David Fincher reports Variety.

Allesandro Camon ("The Chancellor Manuscript") will write the script, about a top assassin suddenly plagued by his conscience and a highly competent cop hot on his tail.

The feature will be produced by Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment and Alexandra Milchan.

[crippled_avenger]

Peter Jackson and director Neill Blomkamp are planning the live-action sci-fi actioneer "District 9" which the latter co-wrote and will make his directing debut on reports Variety.

The storyline is being kept under wraps, but production begins this spring in South Africa, and Jackson's WETA Workshop facility is standing by to provide the visual effects.

The pair were previously planning an adaptation of the highly successful "Halo" video game franchise that has since collapsed.

[---]

jebo ih pas da ih jebo pas! pa ja sam Killera pre 6 meseci nudio Phoenixu, ali oni nisu imali sluha - i to sam strip dobio od meha krljića i malo smo pričali da li bi to mogao biti film, složili se da bi mogao, pa sam ja čak išao da kupim taj strip za Phoenix, i još su imali Finčera pred nosom, ali ništa, nestalo u haosu, i sad eto - meho i ja smo mogli da utapamo svoj konsultantski talenat u galone holiudskog liquora i brda kokaina, a život nam se surovo osvetio... tja.

[Meho Krljic]

Stvarno svinjarija  Rado bih napisao da će ovo biti težak flop (francuski strip noir, prebačen u holivud 21. veka? No way Jose!!!), ali Finčer... hmmm.

[crippled_avenger]

Momci, ne brinite se. ja ne verujem da će vaj film uopšte biti snimljen, a ako bude snimljen, iako nisam čitao strip sigurno će biti flop upravo zbog Finchera koji već dobrih osam godina nije u stanju da snimi dobar film. Stoga, samo ostaje žal za nekom provizijom koju ste mogli ostvariti.

[DušMan]

Cult TV fans, set your emotions to thrilled: Joss Whedon is finally returning to the tube. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind has just signed a deal with Fox to create a drama series called Dollhouse. Better yet, he's chosen a very familiar face to inhabit it: she of Faith fame, Eliza Dushku.

The show, which boasts a seven-episode commitment for 2008 and a hefty license fee between $1.5 million and $2 million per ep, will chronicle the exploits of a group of individuals who are "imprinted with personality packages" — meaning that they can assume a variety of indentities (language skills, physical talents, memories, etc.) to be used for all types of tasks. When these missions are over, the individuals have their memories erased and reside in a guarded laboratory known as the Dollhouse; Dushku's Echo, however, is slowly coming of consciousness. "We call it a suspense-drama-mythology-comedy-action-horror musical," Whedon half-jokes of the show, which will bend and blend genres in typical Joss fashion. "The main thrust is the thruline of Echo as a sort of newly born character who goes, 'Wait a minute — I exist. Wow. So who would I be? And how dangerous is it for me to let anybody know that I know that I exist?' Not unlike the Frankenstein myth, it's, 'Who made me, who am I, and why am I?'"


Sounds like Dushku has already bonded with her alter ego. "She's fierce and she's hot, but she's also so complex, and she's going to be so tripped out because she's in this world, which I can identify with, where there are people who can click a button and succeed in making you be what they want you to be. It's this whole mindtrip of objectification," she says. "It's going to have sex and heartbreak and violence and hilarity. That, to me, is a hot show."

So when did construction on Dollhouse begin? The two were having a friendly meal last month — Dushku was seeking some project guidance after signing a deal with Fox — when inspiration hit the pair. "In the middle of the lunch, I said, 'Oh, s---, I made up a show, and I have a title,'" recalls Whedon. "And that's when you know you're dead, when there's a title." Dushku, who'll also serve as a producer on this 20th Century Fox TV series, was more than thrilled to reteam with her mentor. "I've always said from the Buffy days, 'I'll follow that guy anywhere,'" she notes. "I just had to find him and pluck him out of his supposed retirement from television."

The timing of this project is somewhat fortuitous for Whedon. (Except, of course, for that whole impending strike mess.) The latest rewrite of his supernatural triller Goners for Universal "was not incredibly well-received," he says. "Nothing's happening with it right now. It's not good news, but one door closes, and then there's a draft, and another one opens."

[crippled_avenger]

Latino Review reports that Warner Bros. Pictures is interested in having "Sin City" and "Spy Kids" director Robert Rodriguez in charge of the "Clash of the Titans" remake.

Rodriguez had previous been in talks at Warner to helm either a live-action "The Jetsons" movie or a big screen version of "Land of the Lost" before he latched onto "Barbarella". With the camp sci-fi remake now on hold for a while, this offer comes as little surprise.

The original 1984 classic is an adaptation of the classic Greek myth of Perseus and his quest to battle both Medusa and the Kraken monster in order to save the Princess Andromeda. Harry Hamlin, Maggie Smith, Laurence Olivier, Burgess Meredith, Ursula Andress, and a bunch of Ray Harryhausen stop motion animated creatures starred.

"Raiders of the Lost Ark" screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and Travis Beacham ("Killing on Carnival Row") have both penned drafts of the script.

[Tex Murphy]

E to je već lijepa vijest! Kao mali sam jako volio Clash of the Titans, ali očigledno je da u njemu ima prostora za popravke. Osnovno:
1) Malo harizmatičniji glavni glumac od Herija Hemlina
2) Više grudi
Režiser kao što je Rodrigez sigurno će da nam priušti oboje    (nadam se samo da će zadržati scenu sa kupanjem, ali bez badi dablova)

[crippled_avenger]

Twitchfilm reports that one of the big reasons for the six-month delay of Vin Diesel sci-fi flick "Babylon A.D." is because of editing.

The article indicates that "Europeans are getting a longer cut of the film in theaters in early 2008 while Fox, which holds rights in most non-European regions, have requested a significantly shorter version of the film."

The Euro version of the Mathieu Kassovitz directed tale is said to run for a whopping 160 minutes, a number Fox will likely want cut by at least half an hour. The US release is presently scheduled for August 29th 2008.

[crippled_avenger]

Jack Nicholson has revealed to MTV News that an outline for a second sequel to "Chinatown" is sitting at writer Robert Towne's place and if Paramount wanted to actually make the film, Nicholson would attach himself to the project.

Nicholson says "I can tell you it was meant to be set in 1968 when no-fault divorce went into effect in California. The title was to be "Gittes vs. Gittes." It was to be about Gittes' divorce. The secrecy of Meg Tilly's character was somehow to involve the most private person in California, Howard Hughes. That is where the air element would have come into the picture."

Would he do it? "I certainly would consider it. I would imagine Bob would as well... I don't know how Paramount would be. The timing is about right."

Meanwhile Nicholson isn't happy that someone else is taking over the role of The Joker in "The Dark Knight", saying that "I'm furious... They never asked me about a sequel with the Joker. I know how to do that! Nobody ever asked me."

[crippled_avenger]

Damian Chapa will write, produce and direct "Polanski," an unauthorized biopic about the tragedy-filled life of legendary film director Roman Polanski being produced by Amadeus Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter.

The film will include passages about the director's childhood in Poland during the Holocaust; the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, by followers of Charles Manson in 1969; and his conviction for sex with a minor that has kept him out of the U.S. for decades.

Chapa himself will play Polanski's early collaborator, Polish producer Eugene Gutowski. The title role will be cast in the next few weeks. Shooting will begin principal photography in January in Belgium, Poland and the US.

[crippled_avenger]

Surf's Up! Point Break 2 Closer to Filming
Source: ComingSoon.net October 31, 2007


ComingSoon.net learned at the American Film Market (AFM) today that shooting for Point Break 2 will begin mid-2008 in Southeast Asia. The sequel will be financed and executive produced by Singaporean company RGM Entertainment. It will be written and directed by Peter Iliff, who also wrote the first movie.

Point Break 2 picks up from where the original film left off more than 15 years ago. The story will revolve around an ex-professional surfer who enlists in the US Navy and is recruited to track down a criminal gang based in Southeast Asia. The audience will also discover the fate of Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), the surfers' charismatic leader who was swallowed by a giant killer wave in the final scene of Point Break. Did he really die?

The follow-up is budgeted at $20-30 million.

"I wrote 'Point Break' in 1987 when I was still a struggling writer waiting at tables in Malibu," Iliff said earlier this year, "'Point Break' was the turning point and it made my screen writing career. 20 years later, I'm thrilled to have been given the opportunity by RGM Entertainment to write the sequel and to make my directorial debut with 'Point Break 2.'"

[crippled_avenger]

Mickey Rourke has joined the Darren Aronofsky-directed indie drama "The Wrestler" reports Variety.

Aronofsky and Robert Siegel wrote the script for "The Wrestler," about an over-the-hill grappler who returns to the ring for one last shot at glory.

Rourke will play Randy "The Ram" Robinson," a role that Nicolas Cage had reportedly been set to play. Shooting is scheduled to begin in January.

[crippled_avenger]

In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Pixar head John Lasseter revealed one tidbit about the studio's upcoming top secret third entry in the "Toy Story" film franchise:

"We have Toy Story 3 directed by Lee Unkrich and Lee co-directed Toy Story 2 with me. Lee was part of the original creative [team]. I didn't let go of the reins. We're still doing it and Lee was a part of the original creative team on Toy Story and then he co-directed Toy Story 2 with me."

Pixar has currently slated the release of TS3 for Summer 2010. Still no word on story details as yet.

[crippled_avenger]

Paul Verhoeven ("Basic Instinct," "Total Recall," "Black Book") has revealed to Dutch radio program "Met Het Oog Op Morgen" that he will direct the sequel to 1999's "The Thomas Crown Affair" reports Hollywood News.

Entitled "The Topkapi Affair," Pierce Brosnan is set to reprise his role of the gentleman thief who this time sets out to steal a valuable object from the famous Turkish palace in Istanbul.

Eric Ambler's novel "The Light of the Day" and MGM's 1964 feature "Topkapi" will be used as the basis for the script.

[Ghoul]

evo nečeg zanimljivog u vladinom svemirskom brodu:

VUK MITROVIĆ SNIMA FILM O MARTIJU MISTERIJI
   
film

Strip junak Marti Misterija, čuveni detektiv nemogućeg, uskoro bi mogao da oživi na velikom platnu, zahvaljujući našem mladom beogradskom režiseru Vuku Mitroviću, prenosi novina 24 sata. Vuk je nedavno diplomirao na Kolumbija koledžu u Čikagu, a već je dobio nagradu za najbolji film za septembar prestižnog filmskog kanala IFC (International Film Chanell).
   

- Radim scenario za adaptaciju jedne epizode iz italijanskog stripa "Marti Mistreija", i to epizode koju pamtim još iz detinjstva.

Ugovor je potpisan sa kompanijom koja je zastupnik originalnog crtača i pisca stripa Alfreda Kastelija - kaže reditelj Vuk Mitrović (36).

Vuk će sledećeg aprila ponuditi scenario holivudskim studijima, a kako je kompanija sa kojom sarađuje upravo prodala prava za strip "Dilan Dog", po kojem bi uskoro trebalo da bude snimljen film, izvesno je da će i Marti postati filmski junak. Vuk kaže da planiraju što glamurozniju produkciju i da će pokušati da dobiju Džordža Klunija za glavnu ulogu.

Za uspešnu karijeru Vuka Mitrovića u Americi "najzaslužnija" je sekretarica na beogradskom Fakultetu dramskih umetnosti koja ga je odgovorila od upisa. Rekla mu je da su vrlo male šanse da bude primljen jer "na režiju primaju samo petoro, od kojih je jedan talentovan, a ostali sa pedigreom".

Iako smatra da je teško biti emigrant, Vuk je ipak uspeo da se prilagodi životu u Americi jer je, sudeći prema njegovom iskustvu, tamo mnogo lakše naći posao u struci. Planira da se jednog dana vrati u Srbiju, ali tek kada osvoji Holivud.

bravo care, tako se razmišlja!
još samo ako je epizoda koju hoćeš da radiš - KUĆA NA GRANICI SVETA...  

[Tex Murphy]

Vrlo lijepa vijest, ali DŽORDŽ KLUNI kao Marti Misterija???  

(Doduše, možda glavni junak u tom filmu neće biti Marti nego neko treći. A možda će Džordž Kluni da glumi Javu   )

[crippled_avenger]

Cinema Blend reports that Sylvester Stallone recently met with Viggo Mortensen and has offered him the role of Edgar Allan Poe in an upcoming feature.

With "Rambo" wrapped, Stallone's next project will be helming the tale of the famed tortured poet behind such famous works as "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart."

Mortensen is apparently consdiering the role although he wants some slight revisions in the script. Robert Downey Jr. was previously rumored to be up for this part.

[crippled_avenger]

Neil LaBute ("In the Company of Men," "Your Friends and Neighbours") will write and Taylor Hackford ("Devil's Advocate," "Ray") will direct New Line's remake "The Woman Next Door" reports Variety.

Based on the 1981 Francois Truffaut film "La Femme d'a cote," the original starred Gérard Depardieu and Fanny Ardant as former lovers, now married to other people, who rekindle their affair when one of the couples ends up moving into the house next door to the other.

This marks the first time LaBute will pen a script for another director, but he won't begin the assignment until after the writer's strike is resolved.

[crippled_avenger]

MTV News reports that Matt Frewer -- best known as the stuttering, sarcastic, 80's icon Max Headroom -- has joined the cast of the eagerly anticipated "Watchmen" film.

The 49-year-old thesp will suit up as Moloch the Mystic, a satanic super villain and magician. The character is noted for his devilish appearance, which includes elfish, pointed ears.

In the graphic novel, Moloch clashes with famous "masks" like Nite Owl, Ozymandias, and Doctor Manhattan, before giving up his life of crime sometime before the action of the novel begins.

Rehabilitated, the former vice lord moves to New York City, where he lives alone until his murder in 1985. His dead body is discovered by Rorschach, who is framed for Moloch's death.

Frewer is currently filming his scenes. The film is scheduled to open on March 6th 2009.

[Ghoul]

ovo mi zvuči kao moćno crnohumorna verzija HARDWARE-a sa još naglašenijom satirom, a to nikako ne može da bude loše - bar u teoriji: jedva čekam da vidim praxu:

Richard Clabaugh's EYEBORGS. The basic concept of omnipresent surveillance robots unleashed by Homeland Security going rogue and killing off the general populace is fun enough but throw in Danny Trejo as one of the leaders of the anti-robot revolt and have him shout lines like "Silicone psychos!" while beating them off and you have a recipe for instant cult gold. Seriously, when was the last time you saw a movie like this? THEY LIVE, maybe? The producers are seriously hoping for a theatrical release in advance of the coming presidential election but whether that happens or not the trailers are available for your pleasure and enjoyment.

Are government surveillance cameras intended to keep us safe actually killing people? Is it a plot by the government to suppress the opposition, or have our terrorist enemies secretly gained control of our security system and are now using it against us? Following another major terrorist attack the US instigates an intense government surveillance program in which every camera in the country is linked into a single, all-seeing network called the ODIN system (for Optical Defense Intelligence Network). The system includes millions of mobile, robotic surveillance cameras known as "Eyeborgs," which watch everyone for suspicious behavior, all in the name of security, law enforcement and keeping America safe. An agent for the Department of Homeland Security (Adrian Paul) grows suspicious of the system after a series of odd murders in which the physical evidence doesn't match up to what the video records show. Now he must work outside the system to find out who is really controlling the Eyeborgs. With the help of a broadcast journalist (Megan Blake) and a purple haired Punk Rocker (Luke Eberl) who turns out to be the President's nephew, he must stop a plot to assassinate the President during the final debate of the election.

[crippled_avenger]

Bruce Willis will star in the sci-fi thriller "The Surrogates" which Jonathan Mostow will direct for Touchstone Pictures reports Variety.

Based on a graphic novel, the story is set in the near future, where humans live in isolation and interact vicariously through surrogate robots who are better-looking versions of themselves.

Willis plays a cop who, through his surrogate, investigates the murders of others' surrogates. The cop is forced to venture from his own home for the first time in years and unravels a conspiracy.

Michael Ferris and John Brancato ("Terminator 3") penned the script, and the studio is aiming for a February production start in Boston.

[crippled_avenger]

Dean Parisot ("Fun With Dick and Jane," "Galaxy Quest") is in final negotiations to direct the supernatural action-comedy "Weekend Warrior" for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Reuters.

Said to be in the tone of Ghostbusters, the story follows a high school teacher and armchair home repair enthusiast who unwittingly becomes a superhero.

Actor-turned-screenwriter Bill Birch ("The Pre-Astronauts") penned the script.

[crippled_avenger]

Joel Silver and Leonardo DiCaprio are set to produce the thriller "Orphan" for Warner Bros. Pictures says ShockTillYouDrop.com.

The story follows young mother Kate Coleman who is devastated by the loss of a baby and her inability to conceive again. She and her husband John decide to adopt another child who turns out to be anything other than what they'd hoped for.

Principal photography is expected to begin mid-December in Toronto and Montreal.

[crippled_avenger]

David R. Ellis ("Final Destination 2," "Cellular") has signed to direct and develop a fourth "Final Destination" says The Hollywood Reporter.

This new entry in New Line's popular horror series will be shot in 3-D and will be a stand-alone feature with a group of new teenagers facing death.

"Final Destination 2" co-scribe Eric Bress is penning the script.

[crippled_avenger]

Brad Pitt pulled out of his pay or play deal for Universal's thriller "State of Play" this morning due to script concerns reports the trades, throwing the whole project onto shaky ground.

The departure comes after a fortnight of meetings and delays which prevented the film from kicking off its original start-of-shooting date last Thursday (15th).

The studio will now try to find a star to replace Pitt and has until next Thursday before other actors start leaving the project, with both Johnny Depp and Russell Crowe being mentioned as potential candidates.

Edward Norton, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman and Robin Wright Penn remain committed to the adaptation of the acclaimed 2003 British mini-series. Kevin Macdonald ("The Last King of Scotland," "Touching the Void") will direct and Matthew Michael Carnahan ("Narc") has scripted.

Pitt was playing a politician-turned-journalist who spearheads a newspaper's investigation of a murder, a trail that leads to a fast-rising politician (Norton) whose campaigns were once masterminded by Pitt's character.

[crippled_avenger]

Ain't It Cool News reports that Batman himself Christian Bale is to become a part of the Terminator franchise next year.

The site indicates that Bale has been cast as John Connor in the upcoming fourth feature film "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" for Warner Bros. Pictures.

McG is helming the project which begins shooting early 2008 and hopes to kick off a new trilogy of future-set films covering the war between humanity and the robots of Skynet.

The project is on target for a Summer 2009 release.

[crippled_avenger]

New Line Cinema has acquired the $60 million animated feature "Planet 51" from Handmade Films International and Ilion Animation Studios reports Reuters.

Penned by Joe Stillman ("Shrek"), the story is set on Planet 51, whose inhabitants live in fear of an alien invasion. Their paranoia is realized when astronaut Capt. Charles "Chuck" Baker arrives from Earth.

Befriended by a young resident, the astronaut has to avoid capture in order to recover his spaceship and return home.

Directed by Jorge Blanco (videogame "Commandos") is co-directiong with Javier Abad and Marcos Martinez with production set to wrap in March 2009 for release later that year.

[crippled_avenger]

Mark Ruffalo will star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's drama "Shutter Island" for Paramount and Sony Pictures reports Reuters.

Based on Dennis Lehane's 2004 novel, Ruffalo will play U.S. Marshal Chuck Aule, who travels with his new partner (DiCaprio) to the eponymous Massachusetts island in 1954.

As they investigate the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, they encounter a web of lies, a hurricane and a deadly inmate riot that leaves them trapped on the island.

Laeta Kalogridis adapted the script with filming set to begin shooting in March.

[crippled_avenger]

Cusack signs up for a serial killer flick at Dark Castle!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I don't know what it is this week... yesterday it was two Sam Jackson movies being announced at the same time and this week it's two Dark Castle movies. A few stories down you'll find info on a Peter Sarsgaard/Vera Farmiga Dark Castle flick called ORPHAN and here you'll find info on one starring John Cusack called THE FACTORY.

It's about a cop chasing down a serial killer in New York. When his daughter disappears, the cop drops all pretense of civility and goes whole hog after the killer. Much like OPRHAN, not the most original concept in the world, but seeing John Cusack play that character will be interesting enough.

The flick was co-written (with Phil Leydon) and will be directed by Morgan O'Neill, winner of Australia's PROJECT GREENLIGHT.

[crippled_avenger]

Sarsgaard, Farmiga join 'Orphan'
Collet-Serra directing horror film
By TATIANA SIEGEL, DIANE GARRETT
Sarsgaard


Farmiga

Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga will star in the horror film "Orphan" for Joel Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment.
Warner Bros. is distributing the pic, which marks helmer Jaume Collet-Serra's follow-up to "House of Wax," also a Dark Castle title. Appian Way, which developed the material and brought it to Silver, is also producing.

Story revolves around a husband and wife (Sarsgaard and Farmiga) who lose a baby and then adopt a 9-year-old girl who is not nearly as innocent as she claims to be. David Leslie Johnson penned the screenplay, which is based on a story by Alex Mace.

Shooting is scheduled to begin next week in Toronto and Montreal.

Silver, Susan Downey and Erik Olsen are producing. Don Carmody and Steve Richards exec produce.

Sarsgaard most recently appeared in "Rendition" and "Year of the Dog." His upcoming credits include "Elegy" and "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh."

Farmiga co-starred in Martin Scorsese's "The Departed." She next appears in Mark Herman's "The Boy in Striped Pyjamas."

[crippled_avenger]

Gooding, Winstone, 4 more in on the action
By Gregg Goldstein

Nov 30, 2007

Cuba Gooding Jr. (Getty Images photo)
NEW YORK -- Cuba Gooding Jr., Taryn Manning, Ron Perlman, Henry Rollins, Valerie Cruz and Ray Winstone are starring in the action thriller "Untitled Gehenna Project."

Sean Connery's son, Jason Connery, is directing the tale of an elite group of soldiers (Gooding, Manning, Jason London, Franky G, Zack Ward, Stephanie Jacobson and Brandon Fobbs) sent on a covert mission by a government agent (Cruz) to retrieve a missing scientist (Perlman) from an underground lab.

They encounter a priest (Rollins) who tells them that an "ancient evil" has been released, causing their greatest fears to come to life. Their former leader (Winstone) plays a pivotal role in uncovering what is actually taking place at the facility. Bill Moseley and Sarah Ann Morris play members of the compromised research team.

Former Universal Pictures head Sid Sheinberg, his sons Jon and Bill Sheinberg ("Slappy and the Stinkers") and Steve Harris are producing the film from a screenplay by Keith Kjornes. Connery has acted in more than 30 films and television roles, and recently made his directing debut with "Pandemic."

Gooding is repped by CAA and 3 Arts Entertainment. Manning is repped by WMA and Insomnia Media Group. Perlman is repped by Kritzer Levine Wilkins. Rollins is repped by Evolution and 3AM. Cruz is repped by Innovative Artists and John Carrabino Management. Winstone is repped by ICM.

[crippled_avenger]

Fox 2000 is turning the story of the Gucci fashion dynasty into a directing vehicle for Ridley Scott says Variety.

Charles Randolph ("The Interpreter") will write the drama which chronicles the wild and glamorous story of the Gucci family in the 1970s and '80s, when its 153 shops moved $500 million in product annually.

Much of the focus will be on Maurizio Gucci, grandson of founder Guccio Gucci, who was the unlikely winner of a bloody power struggle to run the family business. On the verge of his greatest success - a daring fashion show debuting the clothes of newcomer Tom Ford - Maurizio was gunned down in front of his Milan apartment in 1995.

Scott is presently in Morocco, directing "Body of Lies" with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe for Warner Bros. Pictures. He'll follow that up with Universal's Robin Hood drama "Nottingham" in March.

[crippled_avenger]

Paramount Pictures plans to turn the life of intelligence operative Kathi Lynn Austin into an action thriller vehicle for Angelina Jolie reports Variety.

The studio has acquired life rights to Austin, who has undertaken field missions in Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia and Central America.

The 'Bourne Identity' style thriller will focus on the hunt for a fictional arms dealer inspired by Victor Bout, the shadowy Russian who is considered one of the world's most prolific traffickers in illegal munitions.

Austin most recently worked on contract for the U.N. Security Council. The studio is putting together a shortlist of scribes and aim to set one as soon as the writers strike ends.

Jolie is currently shooting the Clint Eastwood-directed drama "The Changeling" for Universal Pictures.

[crippled_avenger]

Jason Bateman tells Collider that writer/director Joe Carnahan is penning a new project with him in mind.

Bateman says the project is entitled "Remarkable Fellows" and is "basically 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' meets 'The Bourne Identity' with the premise following "these brothers who have a revenge business internationally."

Bateman says that once the writer's strike is over, Carnahan will finish that up and hope to shoot that next year - depending upon his schedule with "Killing Pablo" and "White Jazz".

[crippled_avenger]

Talk has it that Johnny Depp and "Collateral" & "Heat" director Michael Mann may be teaming up for a film about the Depression-era crime wave.

Mann has long pursued plans for a screen adaptation of Brian Burrough's nonfiction book "Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34" for Universal Pictures. Leonardo DiCaprio was in fact previously attached to the project.

Now though according to The Hollywood Reporter, both Mann and Depp have holes in their schedules and are sitting down this week to discuss the possibility of joining forces. If it all comes together, Depp would play the role of bank robber John Dillinger and production would kick off in March in Chicago.

Mann has considered helming Sony's spy thriller "Edwin A. Salt" but has not committed because he believes it needs a rewrite. Depp was originally slated to shoot both "Shantaram" and "The Rum Diaries" but both projects were delayed last month.

DiCaprio is almost certainly no longer involved due to his commitment to Scorsese's "Shutter Island."

[crippled_avenger]

"Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" producers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Christian Bale is to play John Connor in the first film of the new trilogy.

Whilst the role of John Connor is that of an "ongoing, very central character throughout the next trilogy", another lead character who is a new figure is just as important. Anderson says that "it's questionable if he's an enemy or not. That's not necessarily resolved."

Is it a Terminator character? "Well, it's hard to say. It is a new character introduced in the mythology that's not replacing Arnold [Schwarzenegger]. It's not like he's stepping into Arnold's shoes. It's a completely new character."

He adds that "It's a really interesting time in the franchise because it's where all the fans have always wanted the franchise to go, and it hasn't to date, which is the post-apocalyptic world. It's after judgment day. So because we're in a different time in the mythology, it introduces a whole new set of circumstances and characters."

Will Schwarzenegger return? "It still hasn't been determined, but if he does, it would be a very small cameo." Shooting is slated to start on March 15th in either Australia or Budapest with a budget "north of $150 million."

[crippled_avenger]

Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Oliver Platt, David Cross, Vinnie Jones and Juno Temple will team for producer Judd Apatow's "Year One," a Sony Pictures comedy set in biblical times reports the trades.

The studio is keeping quiet about the story line, which was generated by the film's director Harold Ramis. Jack Black and Michael Cera headline the cast.

Platt is in talks to play a platform-shoe-wearing high priest in the comedy, while Jones is on board to play a head palace guard named Sargon. Cross and Temple's roles are not known.

Filming is set to begin in January in Louisiana and New Mexico.

[crippled_avenger]

"X-Men" and "Star Wars" actor Ray Park has been cast as Snake Eyes in Stephen Sommer's big screen live-action adaptation of "G.I. Joe" reports Slashfilm.

Snake Eyes is one of the original members of the GI Joe series although not much is known about the ninja master's real identity as it has remained classified throughout the series. The U.S. Army Sergeant First Class (E-7) is known for his stealth like movements and extensive knowledge of multiple forms of martial arts.

Snake-Eyes is romantically involved with fellow G.I. Joe member Master Sergeant Shana M. O'Hara, a.k.a. Scarlett. The project will hit theaters on August 7th 2009.

[crippled_avenger]

Will Smith is set to produce the horror feature "Monster Hunter" for Sony Pictures reports Bloody Disgusting.

The story follows a child psychologist (Kevin James) who can actually see the monsters that torment kids from closets and under beds. He uses that skill to vanquish the beasts until he meets a particularly nasty one.

David Dobkin ("Wedding Crashers," "The Flash") will direct from a script by Robert Baird and Daniel Gerson, no word on a start date.

[crippled_avenger]

Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation SKG have announced plans to join forces on a new, 26-episode, CG animated comedy series tentatively titled "The Penguins of Madagascar," based on the beloved penguin brothers in DreamWorks Animation's hit feature film "Madagascar" and its upcoming sequel.

The series, which tells the story of a group of penguins who believes it leads an elite strike force from its Central Park Zoo headquarters, will be produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, California and is scheduled to premiere on Nickelodeon in early 2009.

The series will feature the all-new adventures of Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private, four penguins who rule the roost at their Central Park Zoo home. While the brothers have their flippers full keeping their multi-species zoo neighborhood happy, at times their secret missions beckon them to venture out onto the busy streets of New York City.

Just as the team thinks it has its urban acreage under control, a new neighbor moves in next door: Julien, King of the Lemurs, a party animal with an entourage and an overactive ego. Much to the penguins' exasperation, King Julien and his friends are there to stay, proving once again that opposites do not attract.

The series will be executive produced by Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley, (Disney's Kim Possible, Disney's Hercules, Sky High) and feature the voices of Tom McGrath as Skipper, Jeff Bennett as Kowalski, James Patrick Stuart as Private and John DiMaggio as Rico, with Danny Jacobs starring as Julien, King of the Lemurs.

[DušMan]

Imagi Animation Studios' big screen rendition of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy couldn't be more off my radar, but now that I've seen this splendid first image of the legendary character... I now know an Astro Boy movie is being made! And that Astro Boy will look like Astro Boy. And that there's going to be a giant robot something doing vaguely robotic things while Astro Boy stands around in swim trunks beaming like a jackass.

This Westernized take on Astro Boy is being directed by visual f/x veteran Colin Brady (he earned an Oscar nomination for his work on Ang Lee's Hulk), who will work from a screenplay by Michael Lachance (his only other writing credit is for that direct-to-DVD Christmas movie featuring the penguins from Madagascar). Though I'm sure both Brady and Lachance are talented guys, all we've really to go on with this Astro Boy movie is the property itself (beloved in Japan), which is essentially a futuristic reworking of Carlo Collodi's The (Non-Erotic) Adventures of Pinocchio (in Tezuka's telling, a heartbroken scientist creates a robot boy in the image of his deceased son, and things get complicated from there). Until I read a script, this'll be filed under "Projects I'd Rather See Done in Live Action with Roberto Benigni".

Brady's Astro Boy (or is it AstroBoy?) is slated for a 2009 release, where it will struggle to distinguish itself among the 3D animated likes of Monsters vs. Aliens and whatever Pixar's got going that year. Warner Brothers and Miramax will split up the global distribution.

[crippled_avenger]

Robert Pattinson ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") has joined the cast of Summit Entertainment's teen-vampire thriller "Twilight" says The Hollywood Reporter.

Based on Stephanie Meyer's best-selling young-adult novel, Pattinson will play the role of Edward, a teenager who leads a double life as a vampire and becomes romantically involved with his nonvampire high school classmate Bella (Kristen Stewart).

Catherine Hardwicke ("Thirteen") is directing the film, which begins filming early 2008 from a script by Melissa Rosenberg ("Step Up"). The company hopes to turn the film into a potential franchise.

Pattinson recently wrapped shooting on "Little Ashes" in which he played a young Salvador Dali and follows the intense relationship that supposedly developed between the artist and Spanish dramatist and poet Federico Garcia Lorca in 1920s Madrid.

[crippled_avenger]

Zanimljiv fan intervju na Carnahanovom blogu:

Guys:

I've reprinted the questions below. The answers follow each one.

JC


POSTED BY: MIKE 12/05/2007 AT 07:05 AM
I'M JUST CURIOUS WHEN WE CAN EXPECT ANY MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS WITH KP OR WJ?

Mike:

As soon as I know one way or the other on either WHITE JAZZ or KILLING PABLO,
you guys will be the first to know. I can tell you this: There are two actors that
I'm interested in for WJ. Both are available and both are apparently keen on the
script. But it's all speculation at the point. KP on the other hand, seems likes it's
about to blow and blow big. I've got somebody. We met for an extended period
when I was in NYC and he is my absolute first and only choice for the film since
that meeting. This enthusiasm is mutual. If I was a betting man, I would go with
KP happening quickly. But I'm repeatedly waylaid by the twists and turns of this
business, so to pretend like I know or could even gauge an outcome is pretty
preposterous.

POSTED BY: ANONYMOUS 12/05/2007 AT 07:23 AM

QUESTION- IT SEEMED ON THE (NARC) DISC THAT YOU AND JASON PATRICK REALLY CLICKED, MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT. I REALLY DUG WHITE JAZZ, WHY ISN'T HE YOUR KLEIN? SEEMS PERFECT FOR THE GIG. ACTUALLY WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT THE PROJECT, ALL I PICTURED WAS YOU TWO BANGING OUT ANOTHER CLASSIC. F CLOONEY, YOU CAUGHT A BREAK. ANY CHANCE YOU GUYS ROCKIN THIS THING?

Dude:

I remain a steadfast, albeit frustrated fan of Jason Patric. As an actor he possesses an extraordinary skill set. He's probably the smartest, funniest guy in the room at any given moment. He also has a very firm personal and professional mandate and it's marked him as a tough guy to work with. I'm certainly no picnic either and I think it was that grist between us and that constant grind it provided, that made Narc work so well. It's a shame because of all the actors, custom-tailored to play somebody like Dave Klein, Jason has to rank up there at the top. But in this business, they bank on the guys that go along and get along and that just ain't Jason. For that, he has my enduring respect. Regardless of your thoughts on him and his career (and his should have been the biggest of them all) he has seldom ever sold himself out. He did one sequel and I think he regrets it to this day. I'm still hopeful we can find something. He's only 40 years old and in the prime of his life and in the age of the dwindling leading man and when guys like Josh Brolin are getting (deservedly so) a shot to carry movies, Jason's reappearance on the scene is long overdue.

POSTED BY: MIKE WILSON 12/05/2007 AT 07:27 AM
HAVING HAD SO MANY PRODUCERS ON NARC DID YOU FIND IT HARD TO MAKE THE MOVIE YOU WANTED TO MAKE AND KEEP EVERYONE WITH THE MONEY HAPPY? OR DID YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM TO DO MORE OR LESS WHAT YOU WANTED?

Mike:

In a situation like Narc, when the lack of money and the almost pathological level of lying practiced by the 'producers' creates a personal rift between you and everybody else, it was wonderful. There were actual producers on that film that were of great benefit but I think they felt hamstrung so they did what they could behind the scenes. Nobody from the money-side bothered us and in retrospect, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Had the financiers been responsible and forthright, it would've instilled a 'proprietary' sense in them, thus giving them more access to me and the movie...but because they were such unilateral c*cksuckers both during and after the shoot, they steered clear and that was exactly what we needed to make that film the way we needed to make it. I'm not complaining either. I'm really not. I owe them a huge debt for standing down, whatever the reasons behind their actions.

And I dug The Kingdom. I think it was a singular vision and Pete didn't deter from that.

Haven't seen P&G and I'm chomping at the bit. I'm trying to host a screening with Ed Norton here in a few weeks.


POSTED BY: DANV 12/05/2007 AT 07:42 AM

DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS THAT JUAN PABLO ESCOBAR COULD BE A MOLE FOR ROBERTO ESCOBAR REGARDING YOUR PRODUCTION OF "KILLING PABLO"? HAVING PABLO'S SON AS RESOURCE OF INFORMATION, PHOTOS AND MEMORIES WOULD BE AWESOME BUT WHERE DOES THE NEPHEW VS UNCLE RELATIONSHIP STAND TODAY? SINCE JUAN PABLO CONTACTED YOU I WOULD GUESS HE JUST WANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT HIS SIDE OF HIS FATHER STORY IS HEARD BEFORE YOU BEGIN PRODUCTION. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW IF JUAN PABLO HAS READ MARK BOWDEN'S BOOK "KILLING PABLO" AND HOW ACCURATE HE FEELS THE BOOK IS TO HIS FATHER'S STORY.

Danv:

I've got it on pretty reliable information that the 'Roberto Escobar' associated with that other project, may be a fake. He might not be the actual Roberto. Now the same might be said for the man purporting to be Pablo's son and that's why a face to face meeting is the only situation I'll accept if I choose to move forward and sit down with him to hear his side of things. The letter I read was obviously written by someone of marked intelligence and a keen understanding of both his father's role in the world wide drug trade and his larger legacy as an enduring, historical icon. Juan Pablo's words don't betray any bloodline, familiar delusion or devotion or attempt to portray his father with anything other than an honest, open context. That's pretty promising but I won't really know any more than that until I sit down with the man himself.

POSTED BY: JD 12/05/2007 AT 07:45 AM

I READ YOUR POST RECENTLY RE: LIONS FOR LAMBS AND, WHILE I APPRECIATED YOUR DESIRE TO STAND-UP FOR YOUR BRO, I ACTUALLY THINK YOU WERE DOING HIM A DIS-SERVICE. I READ THE LFL SCRIPT A WHILE BACK AND I THOUGHT IT WAS TERRIFIC, BUT I THINK ROBERT REDFORD DROPPED THE BALL IN A BIG WAY. HIS APPROACH WAS SO OBVIOUS, CONVENTIONAL, AND ONE-NOTE. HE DIDN'T CAPTURE THE SENSE OF NUANCE, AMBIVALENCE OR AUTHENTICITY OF THE SCRIPT AND HE SENSELESSLY UNDERMINED THE DARK ENDING BY GOING FOR FALSE HOPE AND CUTTING AWAY IN A MOMENT OF INDECISION, RATHER THAN MAKE THE MORE TRUTHFUL, DISTURBING, AND RESONANT POINT THAT THE SCRIPT MADE (IE. BASED ON THE "INSPIRATIONAL" CONVERSATION HE HAD WITH HIS PROFESSOR, THIS CHARACTER INADVERTENTLY DETERMINES THAT AMERICAN SOCIETY WILL ULTIMATELY REWARD HIM FOR HIS COMPACENCY). ANYWAY, THIS IS A LONG WAY OF ASKING IF A) YOU FEEL REDFORD WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE TO DIRECT LFL AND B) DID YOU EVER CONSIDER DIRECTING THIS SCREENPLAY OR ANY OF YOUR BROTHER'S OTHER SCRIPTS (BESIDES WHITE JAZZ, OBVIOUSLY)?

JD:

I think the point of my post was, regardless of your feelings about the film, it deserved to be viewed,
digested and discussed. I thought the amount of vitriol unleashed on the film was bulls*it. I was a bunch of bitchy critics who couldn't wait to dump all over it and take it task for being 'liberal' or 'preachy' or any of the other wonderfully vicious kidney shots they could sneak in. It never even got out of the gate. They took it off at the neck before even giving it a fair shot. I was a big fan of the script and felt, even though I would have handled some of the material differently, Robert Redford did a great job making something cinematic out of what could have been, in lesser hands, a very rote, blackbox theater production of a one act play. That was always the inherent danger with that script. It took balls and foresight to see it through and like one of the producers said to me. "If it had starred Ed Harris and Marcia Gay Harden' it would've been called 'bold' and 'unique' and I couldn't agree more. They had their blades whetted for LFL and they couldn't wait to start carving. The targets were just too tempting. And let's face it: Losers love to sh*t down their betters.

POSTED BY: AJW 12/05/2007 AT 07:45 AM

I WAS JUST WOUNDERING IF YOU EVER PLANNED ON DOING ANOTHER PROJECT WITH JASON PATRIC OR RYAN REYNOLDS AGAIN. THEY SHINED IN YOUR FILMS AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU WORK WITH THEM AGAIN.

AJW:

I kind of answered this one already. I would love to work with both, should the situation present itself. Getting them in the same flick would be an awful lot of fun too.

POSTED BY: CASEY MOORE 12/05/2007 AT 07:47 AM
IS THERE A FRANCHISE YOU WOULD LOVE TO DIRECT AND IF YOU GOT THE CHANCE HOW WOULD YOU DO IT? I AM THINKING IN TERMS OF BOND OR INDIANA JONES OR ANY OF THE OTHER FRANCHISE CHARACTERS OR SERIES OUT THERE.

Casey:

I'd kill to do something as great as the Indiana Jones series. I think it's tough to commit
to something like that though because it represents such a big chunk of your creative life
and unless you're somebody like Spielberg who has this incredible machine in place that
allows him to function at that level and be able to do something like 'Jurassic Park' in the
same time frame as 'Schindler's List', it's a big sacrifice. That said, I will still love to be
able to do some kind of trilogy and find a character that intrigues me enough to do so.
I have a spec that I'm writing right now that might do the trick. It's a gigantic movie in
terms of scope and scale, so it's not something I could approach lightly. All things being
equal, I would prefer to control the material myself as opposed to going into a situation
like the 'Bond' series. Although I'm a fan of that franchise.


POSTED BY: KEVIN 12/05/2007 AT 07:58 AM

HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR CAREER AS A FILMMAKER AND YOUR DUTIES AS A FATHER? AND HAVE YOUR CHILDREN EVER SEEN ONE OF YOUR FILMS YET? WOULD YOU CONSIDER A FILM IF THEY BEGGED YOU TO TAKE IT ON? WHEN I GO AWAY ON LOCATION, IT PAINS ME TO NO END TO NOT BE AN ACTIVE PART OF MY DAUGHTER'S LIFE FOR THAT SHORT PERIOD OF TIME OUTSIDE OF TELEPHONE CALLS AND WHAT HAVE YOU. ALSO THE OTHER THING I FIND SOMEWHAT TRICKY IS EXPLAINING EXACTLY WHAT IT IS I DO FOR A LIVING TO HER. I SUPPOSE I COULD TELL HER THE TRUTH...I SHOOT PEOPLE AND BLOW UP BUILDINGS/CARS FOR A LIVING. BUT SOMEHOW I DON'T FEEL THAT WOULD GO OVER REAL WELL WITH THE OTHER KIDS ON THE PLAYGROUND, WHO WOULD GO HOME AND POSSIBLY TELL THEIR PARENTS ABOUT MY CHOSEN VOCATION.

Kevin:

Thanks for hanging the whole year bro! To imagine how much time you've wasted on my senseless bullshit is to ponder the meaning of the cosmos...HA! Listen, I don't have to tell you how tough it is because you work in this business, so you know the inate hassles and compromises that accompany it like an unwanted rash. I made a deal with myself a long time ago that I was not going to be that absentee asshole that saw his kids before 'Action' and after 'Cut' and in doing so, it put my life into a fairly manageable framework. I wake almost every morning and make my kids breakfast and pack their lunches, all by my lonesome. As I sit here and type this, my son is lying in bed with a bad stomach, still recovering from the chicken pocks...and I wouldn't trade it away for the world. It sounds trite but it's not. There's nothing you or I are ever going to accomplish professionally that will trump your kid throwing their arms around your neck and telling you they love you. All you can do, day to day, is try to connect with them in any way you can. In the most minute fashion, in the most fleeting of moments, these things still matter. You can't help spending time away from your daughters. It's a fact of this business. What you can help is never allowing your connection with them to weaken or flag. And you know what, if my dad did what you do, I would've thought that was the coolest thing in the world. I wouldn't shy away from that one bit. You should be deeply proud of what you do and let your kids know that. Make them a part of that, rather than shielding them from it. I think we try to put blinders on our kids, hoping to spare them from what we view as life's 'harsher realities' and the way I approach that is to take topics that I know might be troubling and explain the hell out of them, while slowly exposing them to whatever that is. Where my films are concerned, no. The only one they've been allowed to view is the short I did for BMW: 'Ticker'. That one I thought was age appropriate. They'll have to wait to see the rest, much to my daughter's displeasure...she just turned twelve you see and twelve is apparently the new 30.

POSTED BY: SHEDRIC BRAGG 12/05/2007 AT 08:06 AM
HOW DID U GET INTO THE BUSINESS BECAUSE I KNOW IT JUST DOESNT FALL IN YOUR LAP YOU HAVE TO BE ON YOUR GRIND 24/7... I'M JUST CURIOUS BECAUSE MY BROTHER AND I ARE INSPIRING FILMMAKERS AS WELL.

Shedric:

We've never found a suitable substitute for hustle and drive and I don't see that ever changing. That's exactly what you have to do...stay on the grind, day and night. When I was working the most miserable, back-breaking job I ever had, at 21 years of age, working from 5pm to 5am, every night, I would sleep for a few hours and then force myself to get up and write. I wrote three scripts in the ten months I had that job. I wish I could pull off that feat today. You have to have the ability to push past the bulls*it and get it done. You have to be ruthless in your intent, not in your personality or your being. As*holes don't pass muster most of the time. Conduct yourself with class and dignity and go after it as hard as you can...and always be thinking. Always, always think of what you're going to do next. If a plan falls apart (And take it from a guy who knows about that as well as anybody) then what are you going to do next? The line of demarkation between the haves and have-nots is pencil thin. It really is. The ones who can suffer the greatest setbacks and not allow the train to leave the tracks are the same ones that will win out in the end. Stumbling and falling is all part of the growth process. Don't try to deny these things and don't try to change what you can't. In a word? ADAPT. You can't do anything better for yourself than that.

POSTED BY: JV 12/05/2007 AT 08:08 AM
QUESTION - GIVE ME ONE PIECE OF ADVICE THAT YOU REALLY WISH SOMEONE WOULD'VE GIVEN YOU AS A FIRST TIME FILMMAKER - SOMETHING THAT AIN'T IN ALL THOSE SHITTY BOOKS, SOMETHING THAT PEEPS IN THE INDUSTRY WON'T TELL YOU, SOMETHING SO TRUE THAT IT'S RARELY SHARED VERBALLY, BUT THAT MADE YOU A BETTER FILMMAKER.

JV:

All I heard was how sh*tty the business was and how bad it was and how nobody ever made it, blah, blah, blah and when I look back now, I realize that all that disparaging crap came from the clowns with no talent. It came from guys who had either washed out, or who had never got wet in the first place. And I'll tell you something. If you really bust your ass and dedicate yourself to your success, then it's not difficult, it's just another step in your professional and artistic growth. You're filling out, the way an athlete does, or a musician. You're trying to reach peak performance. We all are. And if you don't go at it with both hands and an indefatigable heart, then no amount of advice will do. It's meaningless without the will behind it. It's words you put up in a locker room. It has to inspire something deeper than that. Don't be shy. We're going around this rock once for all we know. Kick f*cking doors down and don't you dare apologize. I shudder to think how many careers have been sidelined by social mores or 'doing the right thing' as opposed to following a dream. Don't let that happen to you. And don't let anybody around you talk sh*t about you or what you're attempting. Cut those useless f*ckers loose, TODAY.

POSTED BY: BANA 12/05/2007 AT 08:09 AM
JOE, WHO ARE FIVE ACTORS AND FIVE ACTRESSES YOU WOULD LOVE TO DIRECT IN YOUR LIFETIME?

Bana:

I'll give you five, all in bro. Actors and Actresses, just off the top of my head: Paul Newman, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Gena Rowlands, Joaquin Phoenix.


POSTED BY: KENNY 12/05/2007 AT 08:11 AM

I'M CURIOUS WHAT KIND OF WORK (SHORT FILMS, NO-BUDGET FEATURES, ETC) YOU DID BEFORE BLOOD, GUTS, BULLETS & OCTANE, AND HOW THAT FILM LED TO BEING ABLE TO DO NARC.

ALSO, YOU MENTIONED SOME TIME AGO YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO POST STORYBOARDS FROM YOUR TAKE ON MI:III. DID THAT HIT A LEGAL SNAG, OR IS THERE STILL A CHANCE WE MIGHT GET TO SNEAK A LOOK AT THOSE?

Kenny:

Practice makes perfect. Well, it actually doesn't but it does prepare you in a variety of ways and even though BGBO and NARC were as dissimilar as two films could be, the techniques that went into each were very much of the same species. I spent a lot of time doing stuff for ZERO budget and that training, most of it self taught, was huge in helping me navigate the potential pitfalls of a film like NARC. You develop a way or working quickly and efficiently when you're doing it sans funds and you are also able to make critical command decisions when they arise because you know that a failure to do so means a lost day and one you might not recover.

I wish I could show you the MI3 stuff. I probably can now because so much time has passed. Let me work on that one again.

POSTED BY: JEFF R 12/05/2007 AT 08:15 AM

THE BARES BONES OF HOW YOU STARTED YOUR CARRER.

1. WHATS THE VERY 1ST PROJECT YOU EVER DID? WEDDING VIDEO? SHORT MOVIE? ETC.

First thing I ever did was a short film called 'NOOSE' right out of high school before entering
college. I wasn't one of those kids lucky enough to get an 8mm camera when I was a kid.

2. THE FIRST EDITING SYSTEM YOU EVER LEARNED? ADOBE PREMIERE? FINAL CUT PRO?

I learned on a German system called the FAST. It was 1995 and digital editing was making it's first appearance.

3. DID YOU ATTEND/GRADUATE FILM SCHOOL? IF SO, WHICH ONE?

I went to SF State and Sacramento State. No reputable film school would have me and to say my grades were middling would be doing a disservice to the word 'middling.' I sucked in high school. SEE KIDS! THERE'S ALWAYS HOPE! BUT GET THAT G.E.D.!

4. TOP 5 FAVORITE FILMS OF YOURS.

In no particular order and since it changes so much. Right now:

Raging Bull
Hara Kiri
The Insider
Raiders of the Lost Ark
8 1/2


POSTED BY: AMAR 12/05/2007 AT 08:16 AM

MY QUESTION IS, WHAT REALLY ATTRACTS YOUR EYE TO A PROJECT? WITH WHITE JAZZ AND KILLING PABLO YOU'RE OPENING YOURSELF TO MORE EPIC FILMS (I.E. 50'S NOIR AND INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE). DO YOU SEE EACH FILM AS A PROGRESS FOR YOU TO CONTINUE TO PUSH YOURSELF AS A FILMMAKER? IF SO, WHAT'S THE ULTIMATE GOAL IN TERMS OF CINEMA FOR YOU?

Amar:

I think the goal for any artist is hopefully, self exploration and from that, education and edification. I know that sh*t might drip with pretense but it's really the the most plain way to put it. If you're not pushing yourself and your craft, then what the f*ck are you doing out there? Why waste your time. I understand the need to make money and commerce creates that but if all we did were big blockbuster movies (which has become an alarming box office trend) then were would our more subtle forms of art come from? With both White Jazz and Killing Pablo I felt as though I was taking myself out of my comfort zone.

[crippled_avenger]

Variety.

Rhett Reese-Paul Wernick penned the script which centers on the most frightened guy on Earth who leads a motley crew of survivors in a world overrun by zombies.

The title refers to an old funeral home that is turned into a morbid attraction called Zombieland. The studio is eyeing to start filming around April.

[crippled_avenger]

Director Peter Berg ("The Kingdom," "Hancock") is being courted to helm Sony Pictures espionage thriller "Edwin A. Salt" reports The Hollywood Insider.

The Kurt Wimmer-scripted drama follows CIA officer Edwin A. Salt who is fingered by a defector as a Russian sleeper spy. Salt must elude capture by his superiors and sets out to reunite with his family and prove his innocence.

The project is being developed as a star vehicle for Tom Cruise and the studio is aiming to get into production by March to beat the pending actor's strike deadline should it go into effect next June.