Posted Dec 3rd 2008 10:03AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Lionsgate Films, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Religious, Western
There are some great things to discuss, today, so let's just jump right in. But take a moment to admire the art , because I couldn't let
Scott Weinberg outshine me anymore!
- Rendering my Tuesday column somewhat obsolete, George Miller has informed the world that he is still attached to Justice League Mortal, and that the film is still very much alive. Apparently, he was never even on the Australian television show to make such fatal statements. Oh well. We can still talk about whether or not you can ever make a Justice League movie, right? [via SuperheroHype]
- Kevin McKidd told IGN that he is in the running for Thor -- and not for a secondary character, as he previously said, but as the god himself. Nothing is definite, there's just a lot of talk back and forth, but he's very excited that Kenneth Branagh is on board. It's a deal I'd like to see done, as the combo of McKidd and Branagh seems like a winner to me. (I particularly like that IGN caught McKidd at the Punisher: War Zone premiere -- Titus Pollo and Lucius Vorenus, together again!)
- Lexi Alexander might replace Neveldine and Taylor as the director of Jonah Hex. She told Latino Review that she had been sent the script, and really liked it. "I like it even more that Mr. Josh Brolin is still attached. Who knows if he'll stay, but it's more exciting than I thought. You get a story like this you think, 'Oh God, I'm going to be doing the same thing over and over again.' but it's really, really interesting." I haven't seen Punisher: War Zone yet, but all the reviews are positive, and indicate she'd have a similar take to Neveldine and Taylor. Go for it, Alexander!
- Also wanted -- one director for Magdalena. Gale Anne Hurd is looking. She has her cast lined up, and now she just needs a director. They'll have a very prepared star in Jenna Dewan, who Hurd says has "steeped herself" in the character. [via ShockTillYouDrop]
- The running time for Watchmen currently clocks at 2 hours, 35 minutes. Zack Snyder envisions the director's cut to be 3 hours and 10 minutes. And he's putting Tales of the Black Freighter together as you read this. [SciFi Wire]
Posted Dec 1st 2008 12:40PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Drama, Deals, RumorMonger, Scripts, Newsstand, Religious, War
Maybe all roads
do lead to Rome. According to
The Hollywood Reporter and creator
Bruno Heller, there's actually talk of continuing the brilliant HBO series on the big screen to wrap up all the historical loose ends caused by the series' abrupt cancellation. (Something which HBO now thinks was a big mistake. Between that and
passing over Preacher, they're rather low in my esteem right now.)
Heller admits the talk is, at the moment, just talk. "It's moving along. It's not there until it is there. I would love to round that show off." Heller wouldn't discuss movie plot plans, but the next step for
Rome was Augustus Caesar having to deal with a certain carpenter from Judea -- with a twist typical of the series.
Fans of the show will probably weep a little at Heller's unrealized plans -- Lucius Vorenus' off-camera fate wasn't as definite as we might have thought, and we would have gotten a whole season of Egyptian debauchery. "I discovered halfway through writing the second season the show was going to end," Heller said. "The second was going to end with death of Brutus. Third and fourth season would be set in Egypt. Fifth was going to be the rise of the messiah in Palestine. But because we got the heads-up that the second season would be it, I telescoped the third and fourth season into the second one, which accounts for the blazing speed we go through history near the end. There's certainly more than enough history to go around."
A
Rome movie is probably nothing but a dream -- anything more than a whisper, and it will vanish, it is so fragile. But cancellation is no longer a death knell, and while they can't give me back the lost season of Antony and Cleopatra, I'm
always up for more bread and circuses.
Posted Nov 7th 2008 8:03PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sony, RumorMonger, Scripts, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Religious, Western
I should have known better than to start
writing columns and dreaming too much about a
Preacher movie. Apparently, the project is just as iffy as its ever been.
EmpireOnline caught up with newly appointed director
Sam Mendes to find out that things aren't as definite as they seem.
"I'd love to make
Preacher. But there's no script. This is a typical
Variety announcement, 'Mendes to direct
Preacher' – I wish! Basically they should have written, 'Mendes in development with
Preacher'. What I'm doing is, I've gotta find a script. I've just got to get it written." To be fair,
The Hollywood Reporter did say that Mendes would "lead the search" for writers, but the directing job didn't seem so questionable.
Mendes does sound pretty enthralled with the material, so at the very least he'll have a good go at it. "It's brilliant, it's an incredible twisted vision. There's so much of it you couldn't possibly fit it all into one movie. It's just about what you keep and what you leave out, and how you structure the story. But just to have that toy set again, being able to paint on a big canvas and to say 'I am gonna do crazy crane shots and massive action sequences again because I want to,' it's exciting."
But enthusiasm doesn't always get movies made. Plenty of people have fallen for the material in the past, and this adapting it for the big
or small screen always falls short of the finish line. I fully expect this to slip back into the purgatory of pre-production, the rights to the series collecting dust on a Columbia shelf.
Posted Oct 30th 2008 11:35AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Sony, Scripts, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Religious
This is officially my favorite news story of the week! Remember when HBO dropped
Preacher from their slate, and rumors swirled that
a big name was interested? Turns out, that interested party was none other than
Sam Mendes, and according to
Variety, he's bringing the long-awaited series to the big screen.
Let's slow down and savor that: Sam Mendes is going to direct Garth Ennis'
Preacher for Columbia Pictures. Ahhhh. Yes, doesn't it feel good?
For the unconverted,
Preacher is a 75-issue series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillion -- and it was the kind of dark, brilliant insanity that comic book fans see maybe once or twice in their lifetime. It centers on the Reverend Jesse Custer, who becomes inhabited by the offspring of an angel and a demon, and gives him a little power called the Word of God. Upon learning that God has officially retired from the Heavenly Father business, Custer goes on a hunt to bring the Lord to justice, accompanied by his ex-girlfriend, Tulip, and a vampire named Cassidy. And that's all I'm going to tell you, because I'm not about to spoil any more of it. After you finish reading this, go to Amazon and buy the first volume. You'll love it. It's a good old fashioned western, mixed with horror, comedy, and blasphemy.
I'm not sure how they'll get most of it onscreen (Arseface, Grandma, and the Allfather plot immediately spring to mind), and I'm not sure if Mendes has the twisted touch to bring it to life. But it's the kind of story you love or you hate -- it's difficult to imagine
any director signing on for
Preacher without being utterly committed to its depravity. There's no halfway with it.
For me, it all hinges on what man's man they cast as the not-so-good Reverend. I can't wait to see who gets to wear the collar, and I'll drop my support if he doesn't meet my exact specifications.
Posted Sep 5th 2008 1:40PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Drama, Independent, Casting, Deals, Celebrities and Controversy, Scripts, Newsstand, Religious
Acting couple
Paul Bettany and
Jennifer Connelly must have decided that life would be too calm after November 2008 -- so they have signed to play Charles and Emma Darwin in
Creation. Yes,
the Darwins. According to
The Hollywood Reporter, the film will be directed by
Jon Amiel, from a script penned by
John Collee, and based on Randal Keynes' book
Annie's Box. (Keynes is Darwin's great-great grandson.) The film will portray Charles Darwin as a man torn between his love for his deeply religious wife, and his growing belief in a world where God has no place.
I hope that they explore Darwin's personal struggles and belief more deeply than the plot description suggests. To sell him as an athiest smacks of wanting to stir up controversy -- Darwin always called himself an agonostic, and his rejection of Christianity stemmed as much from the tragic death of his daughter, Annie, as his research. It's a complex and fascinating biography, one that, as a lover of science and the history of it, I would love to see done with real justice.
The cast is certainly more than capable -- Bettany and Connelly are both wonderful, and they'll be joined by
Jeremy Northam,
Toby Jones, and
Benedict Cumberbatch. Annie Darwin has yet to be cast. (I can't help but be amused by the fact that Bettany and Northam have played Darwin-inspired characters before, in
Master and Commander and
Possession, respectively. Pet interest, perhaps?)
I know the merest mention of Charles Darwin is enough to cause an epic flame war in the comments. If it's possible, try to keep discussion only to the film, the actors, the book, and Darwin's biography. That may be too much to hope for, but I beg you to remain respectful and tolerant of one another.
Posted Sep 3rd 2008 2:03PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Newsstand, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Religious
It's so creepy when something you just found yourself chatting about with a fellow geek pops up in your newsfeed -- proof that
Magdalena does answer to a higher power! If you were praying for an update,
MTV has not one, but an entire week they're devoting to the spear-wielding superheroine.
MTV has a video interview up with the lovely
Jenna Dewan, who's playing Patience, the most recent inheritor of the Magdalena powers. According to her, they're following the comic book pretty closely except for one touchy area -- while honoring Magdalena's heritage and bloodline, they're sidestepping the religious element of the book. "When I started this I said I didn't want it to be a religious movie - the Catholic Church versus everyone else. I wanted it to be somebody who knows she has something inside bigger [than herself], this spiritual want to help people," Dewan said. "That's really what we're focusing on - fighting the darkness for the light, rather than the Catholic Church and religion. There is that element of it but it's more about fighting people who are evil in this world."
Now, I always thought of the Magdalena as the girl version of Stephen Sommers' Gabriel Van Helsing and not particularly controversial, but we do live in touchier,
Golden Compass censoring times. As Dewan points out, Patience is one of the only Magdalenas who questions the authority of the Church and decided she would work independent of its control. Wouldn't it have been cool to see that religious conflict onscreen? Ah well. My previous jokes about chastity and skimpy costumes aside, I'm happy to see
Gale Anne Hurd bringing another tough chick (and one from the comics, no less) to the screen -- with or without the sacrilege.
Posted Aug 27th 2008 7:03PM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Celebrities and Controversy, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Religious, Western
It
really seemed like we were finally going to get Garth Ennis'
Preacher this time -- the dark, funny, and controversial comic book series seemed perfect for HBO. Isn't that what they
do, after all?
Apparently not.
Mark Steven Johnson told
Comics Continuum that they've passed on the series. "We were budgeting and everything and it was getting really close to going. But the new head of HBO felt it was just too dark and too violent and too controversial. Which, of course, is kind of the point! It was a very faithful adaptation of the first few books, nearly word for word. They offered me the chance to redevelop it but I refused. I've learned my lesson on that front and I won't do it again. So I'm afraid it's dead at HBO."
But, Johnson says that he's heard that someone is trying to obtain the rights for a big screen adaptation, and that he hopes it happens -- and that whoever nabs it can do the stories justice in a series of films. "Someone" doesn't narrow it down much, but shall we let our imaginations run wild? Frankly, in this world where the legendarily un-filmable (
Lord of the Rings,
Watchmen) is being made every day, I can't believe
Preacher remains untouched. Isn't every studio dying for its own mature comic franchise? Isn't there a daring young filmmaker who's just dying to be boycotted, picketed, and harassed? Aren't we constantly hearing that all publicity, no matter how bad and hysterical, is desirable? Let's put it to the test. Whoever that "someone" is that's angling for the rights, may they succeed, and get
Preacher on the big screen.
Posted Aug 14th 2008 11:32AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Noir, Mystery & Suspense, Warner Brothers, Scripts, Newsstand, Johnny Depp, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Religious
It's been a while since we heard anything about Johnny Depp's second foray into the world of comic book adaptation, otherwise known as
Rex Mundi. Back in 2006, Depp purchased the rights to Arvid Nelson's Dark Horse series under his Infinitum Nihil banner, with the intention to star as Dr. Julien Sauniere.
To refresh your memory,
Rex Mundi is set in an alternate history where Martin Luther was assassinated, the Reformation never took place, and the Catholic Church still reigns supreme. The comics take place in the 1930's, in a world where the Inquisition still runs rampant, Europe is ruled by monarchs, but magic manages to exist. Into this walks Dr. Sauniere, who finds himself investigating the disappearance of a medieval scroll, and a trail of horrific ritual murders. You can find out more on
its official site, if you're interested. Depp was drawn to the project not because he's a comic reader, but because he's keenly interested in the Templar Knights, and "loves that kind of research" according to
Barry Levine, who's co-producing.
According to
MTV, Rex now has a script, penned by
Jim Uhls, and is looking for a director. Depp has been right in the thick of all the decision making, says his co-producer Barry Levine. "The second draft is now coming in from Jim, and Warner Bros. is pretty excited about it. They came up with a couple of names for directors, so now we just need Johnny to look at the list. It all begins and ends with Johnny. He's got to be happy with the script, and he gave his notes, so we'll see what happens next."
Continue reading Johnny Depp's 'Rex Mundi' Has Script, Needs Director
Posted Jul 31st 2008 8:02AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Drama, Casting, Deals, Celebrities and Controversy, Religious
It can be a challenge just to work with people you clash heads with, but imagine going back to work after a big lawsuit? Back in
April of 2007,
John Goodman started off the Pope Joan plague by backing out of the project and getting sued. Then there were those
director kerfuffles, and then star
Franka Potente had to back out because the film was taking too damned long to come together. But now at least one drama is righting itself.
Variety reports that the case between Goodman and Constantin films has been settled, and he is once again starring in the film as Pope Sergius. But that's not all.
David Wenham has also signed on to the film and will play Gerold, "a kind knight who becomes Joan's greatest love" as she disguises herself as a man and takes the papal throne. Too bad he's not playing a creepy guy again. He was excellent as Eden Fletcher in
The Proposition.
With the cast now in place, the film is finally schedule to begin production next month in Germany and Morocco.
Posted Jul 30th 2008 6:02PM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Comedy, Celebrities and Controversy, Politics, Religious
One time's shocking boundary-breaker is a future time's child's play. That's just the way things go. What shocks us one day will usually become common place (or at least not controversial) at some point in time. But some towns, they know how to be stubborn.
According to the
BBC, it seems that a little UK town called Aberystwyth really doesn't appreciate Monty Python's
Life of Brian, and it's been banned for the last 29 years. But that's not the kicker -- one of the actors in the film is now the mayor.
Sue Jones-Davies, who played Judith Iscariot/Brian's girlfriend, is now the mayor of the town and is on a mission to get the ban lifted.
Meanwhile, Reverend Stuart Bell is completely against the idea, claiming that every Christian he talks to in the town wants the ban upheld. He then goes on to talk about how he loves Jesus more than his wife and how he wouldn't go see a film that makes fun of his wife either. Of course, he's never seen the film (just "a small clip, that's all").
Will Mayor Sue be the town's Kevin Bacon? We'll have to wait and see.
Posted Jul 23rd 2008 11:32AM by Elisabeth Rappe
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Deals, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Religious
Top Cow is on a roll! I never actually thought a week would come in which I would have
two stories about that publishing company -- but here it is. Who thought sexy, weapon wielding chicks were such a draw for the movie business? Not I! (Yes, that's sarcasm.)
The latest book to be optioned is
Magdalena. It's rather similar to Witchblade except with a much more distinguished lineage. The Magdalena is descended from Sarah, the daughter of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. She's the supernatural defender of the Catholic Church, and can look into the human heart to show people the error of their ways. And because no heroine is complete without a weapon, she wields the Spear of Destiny (the spear which pierced the side of Jesus at the Crucifixion) against the forces of evil. Luckily, nothing in the Magdalena's Catholic contract stipulates that she dress conservatively, so she's allowed to wear the crop tops of a Top Cow heroine.
And according to
The Hollywood Reporter, it's already further along in production than
Witchblade. No director has been set, but the leads have been cast.
Jenna Dewan is currently in talks to play Patience, the spear-wielding holy heroine. (There's been a few, it looks like they're going with the most recent incarnation.)
Luke Goss is set to play Kristof, an agent sent by the secret organization that protects the lineage. In the comic, these are cardinals, but somehow I bet Kristof won't be one because that would require way too much chastity -- and the stars are way too hot. Both actors are going to be at Top Cow's panel at ComicCon this weekend. If you're going, you can ask them all sorts of pressing
Magdalena movie questions.
Posted Jun 16th 2008 6:10PM by William Goss
Filed under: Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Sony, Celebrities and Controversy, Remakes and Sequels, Religious
On June 5th, production began on Angels and Demons, the sequel (wait, wasn't the book a prequel?) to tepid religious mystery/global mega-hit The Da Vinci Code.
On June 9th, Jessica Barnes brought to our attention a couple of photos from said shoot.
And as of June 16th, the Vatican has formally denied the long-awaited request on behalf of the filmmakers to film crucial scenes within the critical churches of Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria.
According to Variety, the proper permits require cooperation between the Italian government and the Vatican. However, since "the film pursues a type of fantasy that damages common religious sentiment," they were not approved. The production has already relocated to near Naples in an effort to double the needed interior shots, and the film is still scheduled to open on May 15, 2009.
Tom Hanks' hair could not be reached for comment at the time of this post.
Posted Jun 13th 2008 9:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Independent, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Trailer Trash, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels, Religious, War, Trailers and Clips
There have been war movies pretty much for as long as there have been movies. If and when we finally get to see Tarantino's long-promised
Inglorious Bastards, and if it proves to be a hit, I'm betting we see a surge of war flicks. For now, though, we've got five trailers for war-related movies, starting with...
Punisher: War Zone
Between
Iron Man and
The Incredible Hulk, Marvel properties are pretty hot these days, but I just don't see this one coming anywhere near that kind of success. Much like Batman, The Punisher started his career driven by vengeance, but instead of fighting crime with his fists, he selected the admittedly more practical weapon: guns, lots and lots of guns.
Thomas Jane chose not to return for this sequel and this time we have
Ray Stevenson wearing the skull emblem and firing the automatic weapons. His delivery is particularly stump-like, but there's only so much that can be done with lines like "sometimes I'd like to get my hands on God." I've never liked the comic book and I haven't seen any of the other
Punisher movies, so maybe fans of the character will find this more interesting.
Miracle at St. Anna
This new one from
Spike Lee should be worth waiting for. In 1983, a postal employee named Hector Negron gives a customer a look of recognition before shooting him in cold blood. Police find an ancient Italian artifact worth $5 million in Negron's apartment as well as a purple heart from World War II. The details are told in flashback as we see him and several other black American soldiers in 1944 trapped behind enemy lines in Italy. This is based on a novel by James McBride and it opens on September 26. Here's
Christopher's take.
Continue reading Trailer Park: War is Hell
Posted Jun 9th 2008 5:32PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Sony, Religious, Images
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Having been one of the ten people on earth who hasn't read
The Da Vinci Code or
Angels and Demons, it's no surprise that I'm not terribly amped for the follow-up flick from
Ron Howard. But, I know I am in the minority here, so feast your eyes on
a new batch of photos (courtesy of Trovacinema) of
Tom Hanks and company hard at work on the big-screen
Angels and Demons. Most of the cast is pictured in the photos, and by the looks of it, everyone seems to be having a grand old time on location in Rome.
Demons will center on Robert Langdon (Hanks), who's smack dab in the middle of a fight between The Vatican and The Illuminati. Once again, the Harvard professor will have to take down an ancient conspiracy, but this time they have an eye on assassinating high-ranking members of the church. Casting finally finished back in April with the
addition of Ewan McGregor (which is a good thing for me, because if anyone can make me sit through a
film I normally wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole, it's McGregor), and
Ayelet Zurer as the daughter of a CERN physicist looking to solve her father's murder.
Shooting on the picture just began last week, and Howard will finish up location shots in the next three weeks. Then the production will move back to the states where they can complete interior shoots on the Sony lot. So as long as a
SAG strike can be avoided, Howard should be able to get the production in on time.
Angels and Demons is scheduled for release on May 15th, 2009.
Posted Jun 7th 2008 3:32PM by William Goss
Filed under: Documentary, Lionsgate Films, Celebrities and Controversy, Movie Marketing, Religious, Trailers and Clips
Being one not entirely fond of controversy for controversy's sake, I cannot deny that the prospect of 'Politically Incorrect' host Bill Maher working with Borat director Larry Charles to make a documentary regarding religion in any respect and having it distributed by a studio all too proud to remind you of the hand it had in releasing Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 wasn't one that had me eager to line up around the block for it any time soon.
However, all things considered, while the new trailer for Religulous fails to dilute any notions that this thing is a lightning rod in waiting, I found myself unexpectedly consoled by the fact that Maher and Charles appear to be covering every faith and denomination that they can in making a film about the seemingly ridiculous nature of any one belief to another.
If Ben Stein can both cause an old-fashioned ruckus with his doc on the exclusion of creationist thought in public schools and rake in some relatively decent grosses while doing it, it'll be interesting to see just how much attention this film will inevitably garner come this October 3.
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