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Pitch of the Day: 'Fast and the Furious' in Space
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Bond, Remakes and Sequels
It's day-old if not month-old news that there's another Fast and the Furious sequel on the way. It's called Fast Five, which cuts out the "furious" this time so as not to get sued by Grandmaster Flash or Kung Fu Panda. But I'd like for Friday installments of the Pitch of the Day to be unofficially "Franchise Fridays." This means that all pitches on Fridays will be suggestions on what to do with a franchise. This is different from "Part Two Tuesdays," which will only be pitches for a first sequel -- a part two -- of a film. So with that clarified, let me present my preference for the next F2F film to be...Fast and Furious in Space
Guess what it's about. I'll give you one hint: there are no cars this time. Give up? Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are racing space ships! How'd their characters get into outer space and the future? Maybe they're cryogenically frozen? Maybe Paul Walker is really an immortal android? It doesn't really matter. It's science fiction, after all. And whatever method of explanation used won't be any more ridiculous than the rest of the series anyway. And the audience won't care as long as they get to watch some awesome space ship-racing action.
Doc Talk: Why Remake a Documentary as a Dramatic Film?
Filed under: Documentary, Drama, Independent, Steven Spielberg, Remakes and Sequels, Columns, Cinematical Indie, War
What constitutes a remake of a documentary? Would you consider Milk to be based on The Times of Harvey Milk? Rob Epstein, who directed the latter, was thanked in the credits of the former and his film was surely an inspiration. His footage was even lifted or recreated for parts of Gus Van Sant's dramatized version. But Milk was ultimately deemed an original work, at least as far as the Academy Awards are concerned.
If you were to argue the case that the biopic is based on the documentary, where then would you draw the line? Is Monster based on Nick Broomfield's first Aileen Wuornos film (he too is thanked)? Is part of Munich based on One Day in September? And speaking of films by Kevin Macdonald, is The Last King of Scotland at all a remake of Barbet Schroeder's General Idi Amin Dada? It does feature footage from the doc, after all.
There's no denying Cate Blanchett's segment of I'm Not There is lifted from D.A. Pennebaker's Don't Look Back, but it's easier to say the latter was merely used as reference. Frederick Wiseman meanwhile insinuates Stanley Kubrick stole much of the first half of Full Metal Jacket from his own boot camp film Basic Training, which was indeed used by Kubrick as uncredited research material. The later fiction film is considered solely based on an autobiographical novel by Gustav Hasford.
Olivia Wilde Saddles Up For 'Cowboys & Aliens'
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Newsstand, Dreamworks, Steven Spielberg, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Western, Daniel Craig
I don't know if the image of Daniel Craig in chaps left too many speechless, or if it was that no one was interested in Cowboys & Aliens once Robert Downey Jr. rode off the range, but few had much to say when the rumor mill put Craig in the saddle. Well, what do you say to the news that Craig is officially in, and that he'll be joined by Olivia Wilde? According to THR's Heat Vision, Wilde will play Ella, a woman who joins Craig's mysterious gunslinger to fight off the aliens. (Is the gunslinger now mysterious and no longer named Zeke Jackson? Curious.) I'm not sure if Ella appeared in the original graphic novel / web-comic. There was a female gunfighter named Verity who traded bullets with the Apache right alongside Zeke. Perhaps she'll be a variation on that character, or she'll be a pioneer woman with a rifle, or she'll be one of the West's soiled doves like Megan Fox in Jonah Hex. (Cue the fervent wishing of many male readers for Wilde in similar attire.)
Jon Favreau is directing, and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci of every-script-under-the-sun-fame have penned the screenplay with Damon Lindelof. Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, and Brian Grazer are producing alongside Scott Michael Rosenberg, the author of the graphic novel. Shooting is expected to begin this summer. Between this and Tron: Legacy, I think Wilde may be destined to be summer's geek goddess.
Will Zachary Quinto Play Gershwin for Steven Spielberg?
Filed under: Drama, Music & Musicals, Casting, RumorMonger, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Dreamworks, Steven Spielberg
Unlike Captain Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto hasn't gone crazy signing onto action films and franchise characters like Jack Ryan. That probably has something to go with his Heroes commitments, but perhaps he's just picky, or no one has sent him the kind of brawny material they've sent Pine. Or perhaps he was brushing up on his musical skills, because according to Deadline Hollywood Daily, Quinto may be playing the legendary George Gershwin in a biopic directed by Steven Spielberg.A Gershwin biopic would definitely be a quiet, melancholy kind of film. The famous composer studied piano up until the age of fifteen, and left school to sell songs on New York's Tin Pan Alley and briefly worked in vaudeville. His songs, classical pieces, and operas like Porgy and Bess are more striking than his life was, which ended at the tragically young age of 38 due to a brain tumor. But his wasn't the kind of dramatic, crazy life that usually produces biopics so it'll be interesting to see how they handle it.
As you probably know, trying to guess Spielberg's next project has been a twisty sort of game. He's dropped them as fast as we could write about them, and this one could be no exception. But he's reportedly quite eager to get back into the director's chair, and a Gershwin biopic is one of three projects he's very interested in. The project is basically set to go with a script from Doug Wright, with Marc Platt and Michael Feinstein producing. Apparently, nothing is official, but DreamWorks has been prepping Quinto for the role. They've hired accent and dialogue coaches for the actor, and shooting could begin in April. Providing this actually goes before cameras, do you think he'll be a good Gershwin?
'Pianist' Scribe Writing Spielberg's Martin Luther King Biopic
Filed under: Drama, Dreamworks, Steven Spielberg
Timely news comes on the heels of Martin Luther King Jr. Day: DreamWorks has tapped a screenwriter for its biopic about the civil rights leader. Ronald Harwood, who won an Oscar for penning Roman Polanski's Holocaust drama The Pianist, will handle the task of adapting MLK's life once again for the screen, this time with the authorization of part of the King Estate. While other films and miniseries about or involving the Reverend Doctor have been made in the past, none have been approved by any members of his family or had access to his intellectual property (such as the "I Have a Dream" speech). This as yet untitled biopic will also be a bigger deal than past efforts due to the fact it's being produced by Steven Spielberg.Harwood is also a pretty significant player. In addition to winning an Academy Award, he's been nominated for his scripts for The Dresser and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Other films he's written include Australia, The Browning Version and Polanski's film of Oliver Twist. He also has experience with civil rights subject matter. A native of South Africa, Harwood wrote the adaptation for the apartheid drama Cry, the Beloved Country and the made-for-TV biopic Mandela, starring Danny Glover as the anti-apartheid activist (and South African president-to-be). He's also covered the apartheid subject in novels and plays.
Pitch of the Day: Time and Again
Filed under: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery & Suspense, Steven Spielberg
Today's pitch is more of a request for a greenlight. Jack Finney's illustrated novel Time and Again has been slated for the screen ever since the book was published 40 years ago, but I can't find any news on its development since 2002, when the long-attached Robert Redford had reportedly gotten Kenneth Lonergan to script the film version. Eight years later I've read the book and become a fan, and like many other of its fans I'd love to see someone finally get moving on...Time and Again
The book is about an artist recruited for a government experiment in time travel, in which the man is sent back to the Manhattan of 1882, where he falls in love while investigating the mysterious circumstances behind a suicide. It's somewhat a cross between 12 Monkeys and Gangs of New York (which was co-written by Lonergan) and involves a mix of romance and historical tragedy that might also lump it in with Titanic. Another more obvious film connection is with Somewhere in Time, which features a character named for Finney (who also wrote the basis for all the Body Snatchers movies).
Pitch of the Day: I Have a Dream
Filed under: Casting, Dreamworks, Steven Spielberg
One of the constants of movie blogging is receiving comments from unknown actors (and non-actors) who think they're perfect for such and such part. This is mostly the case with announcements of high-profile biopics and other similar projects based on a true story. For example, last year when news came out that Steven Spielberg is planning a film about Martin Luther King Jr., I wrote on potential casting ideas at another site and got comments from a few people who would rather see themselves in the role of the civil rights leader rather than some A-list actor.One guy included his phone number in his comment, while another man linked to his website. The latter, a "motivational performer" who recites Dr. King's speeches across the nation, does indeed deserve to star in a film. But not Spielberg's. Instead, I propose that he play himself in a meta movie about his wish. It would obviously be called...
I Have a Dream
This movie could work with any kind of biopic, but the MLK angle obviously fits with the holiday. and the title. It'd be kind of a cross between Harmony Korine's movie about celebrity impersonators, Mister Lonely, and that episode of Growing Pains in which Mike and his girlfriend naively hope to be cast in a Broadway revival of Our Town after starring in their high school production of the play.
Discuss: Which Movie Should Be Re-Released in 3D Next?
Filed under: Action, Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Exhibition, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Home Entertainment, Peter Jackson
Now that Avatar is the second-highest-grossing film of all time, 3D is finally confirmed as the future of movies. In a way, it's as if The Jazz Singer hadn't really harked the arrival of talkies and instead it took until Frankenstein arrived four years later to prove converting to sound was truly worth it. Anyway, just as films in production in the late 1920s were quickly turned into talkies, this year we keep hearing word of upcoming blockbusters being turned into 3D releases. For example, The Sunday Times is certain Ridley Scott's Robin Hood will indeed be available, as rumored, in both 3D and 2D versions when it opens this May (UPDATE: Universal says the Times is incorrect in this information).
The Times additionally reports on what we've been expecting for years now, that theatrical favorites like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings will now definitely receive 3D-version re-releases. The LOTR trilogy could apparently be out in the format by Christmas 2012, timed to follow the release of the second part of The Hobbit (which may end up being 3D after all, too). Action sequences from the films have already been tested in 3D by the effects company Weta and are quoted as being "gob-smacking." The Times believes the Star Wars trilogies will be retrofitted for 3D even sooner, with George Lucas already spending $10 million for the conversion.
The Best of the Decade: Action Flicks
Filed under: Action, Foreign Language, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Disney, Lionsgate Films, Magnolia, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Sony Classics, Universal, Warner Brothers, Focus Features, 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks, Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Johnny Depp, Peter Jackson, James Bond, Lists, Miramax, Best/Worst, War, Daniel Craig
Cinematical is about to launch into our best-of-the-'00s series, with a different writer tackling a different genre over these last few weeks of the aughts (or whatever it was we decided to call this decade). Yours truly has been tasked with sifting out the most exciting action flicks these years have had to offer, and in the list-making equivalent of flinching, I've decided to divide them up by superlative instead of ranking them in order of awesomeness.
Oh, and before you comment away about what's missing (which we do want), I have left off The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, X2: X-Men United and The Incredibles, so they may be included in any superhero or animated list to come. If those movies are left off those lists, then by all means, give them hell. I might even join you.
New to Me: Twilight Zone: The Movie
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers, Mystery & Suspense, Warner Brothers, Steven Spielberg, Columns
I'd seen enough episodes of "The Twilight Zone" as a kid to get the gist of it - bite-sized morality tales that always came with a twist and often gave me the willies. However, I hadn't caught up with 1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie until just last night.Now, I was looking for pictures to go along with my reaction when it became apparent that our own Eric D. Snider had already written about the movie at length two years back. Never content with just keeping my thoughts to myself, I've decided to instead streamline them into a nice, no-nonsense list of bullet points past the jump...
Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams Reunite for 'Mission Impossible 4'
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
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