'The Three Musketeers' To Swashbuckle Again
Filed under: Action, Classics, Independent, Deals, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
There must be a Hollywood rule that stipulates a new version of The Three Musketeers every ten years or so. The last outing of the gallant Frenchmen was 1998's The Man in the Iron Mask, so they are right on schedule. Variety is reporting that Millennium Films is the latest to tackle the tale. Details are scarce, but what sets this new take apart is that it will be an origin story for Aramis, Porthos and Athos. As their backgrounds were shrouded in mystery, this means it will not really be using much that is actually written by Alexander Dumas.
The film is intended to be a franchise, with D'Artagnan appearing in the second or third installment.
The Musketeers are the latest established characters to be gathered under Millennium banner. The studio also has plans to revive Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja, Hercules, and Buck Rogers, and is also responsible for the return of Rambo.
I'm not entirely opposed to reviving the Musketeers every ten years. I just wish the movies would be good. I loved the book as a kid. It was an eye-opener for me, as the characters openly engaged in wenching, which is not something one usually encounters in classic books. They have had a fond place in my heart ever since. Somehow, I think this installment will merely be a showcase for up-and-coming boys like Adam Brody and Michael Angarano. Nothing personal against either one, mind you, it would just be nice to see a Musketeer movie cast up -- or if it does, like The Man in the Iron Mask, let it have a script equal to the actors.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-11-2008 @ 1:36PM
Eric said...
Aren't you forgetting 2001's The Musketeer?
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6-11-2008 @ 2:12PM
Joe said...
Yeah, I think it's closer to a new musketeer movie every 5 years. The live action Disney Three Musketeers came out in 1993 and the Mickey, Donald, Goofy version came out in 2004.
6-11-2008 @ 3:09PM
btk said...
Indeed. The one with Tim Roth as the villain.
6-11-2008 @ 7:23PM
Moo said...
haha, that movie sucked!! I forgot about it until now.
Three Amigos was a closer adaptation to Dumas' novel than The Musketeer was...
6-11-2008 @ 1:44PM
Joseph J. Finn said...
Hey, that's the cover to the edition of Three Musketeers that I have! It's the Grosset & Dunlap Illustrated Classics edition for kids, that I got as a Christmas present from my late grandmother back in the 1980's. Some pretty good watercolors inside, as I remember.
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6-11-2008 @ 4:08PM
wondercat said...
I adored the three musketeers as a kid, and I totally agree with Elisabeth - to have a GOOD version would be NICE. My fave - and frankly, the last ones worth the time to watch - was "The Three Musketeers" and "The Four Musketeers" scripted by George MacDonald Frasier. Since then, it really has seemed to be an endless parade of pretty boys playing with swords. I didn't walk out on the Disney version with Charlie Sheen and Chris O'Donnell because I just had to see how much worse it could possible get. The Musketeer in 2001 got close... but that also came at a time when there was a fascination swimming around in the cinematic zeitgeist for both martial arts AND fencing in period costumes, wherever that came from.
Let's face it - there's a good chance that most modern film makers don't have the maturity/patience/commitment to make a Musketeers that is not just swords and "sa-has!" but includes the rich texture and pithy characterizations of Dumas' original text. All chocolate, no cherry.
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6-11-2008 @ 8:23PM
Jason said...
No body has yet to touch the quality of the 1948 version of Three Musketeers with Gene Kelly. I for one am very excited about the potential of a new franchise. I think it's failed enough that they should know how to fix it.
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