Baltasar Kormakur Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Icelandic Thriller 'Jar City' Getting an American Remake
Filed under: Foreign Language », Deals », Telluride », Mystery & Suspense », Cinematical Indie »
Iceland has a more robust film industry than you might expect from a small island nation of only 320,000 people, but still, it ain't exactly Hollywood. So when an Icelandic film gains worldwide attention, it's newsworthy. Such is the case with Jar City, an excellent mystery thriller that Cinematical's Kim Voynar raved about last year at Telluride. It's the highest-grossing film in the country's history, from one of its most successful (and prolific directors), and it won a top prize at the 2007 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
And now it gets the ultimate honor: an American remake! (There may have been sarcasm in the word "honor.") According to The Hollywood Reporter, Overture Films has bought the remake rights and will employ the original writer/director, Baltasar Kormákur, as a producer. No word yet on who will direct the U.S. version, but a writer has been attached: Michael Ross, who wrote Turistas and who THR says is also penning the Near Dark remake.
The Icelandic setting will be changed, of course, to its logical American counterpart: Louisiana. No, really. I'm curious to see how the story transfers, since some of its details relate to the insularity of those small Icelandic communities. Also, I loved that the detective in the original was a total badass despite looking like a nerdy college professor. (That's him in the picture.) I hope they keep that element for the remake. William H. Macy would be perfect.
As far as I can determine, this is the first time an Icelandic film has officially gotten an American remake. If anyone knows differently, let me know. Otherwise, I'm marking this as a historic first for our friends in the North Atlantic.
Dermot Mulroney to Go Lung-Hunting in 'Run For Her Life'
Filed under: Drama », Thrillers »
Don't you hate it when your daughter needs new lungs and your only recourse is to head down to Mexico for some spare parts? That's what's going to happen to Mr. Dermot Mulroney, who has recently signed on to star in an organ-harvest thriller called Run For Her Life.According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Mulroney will play a district attorney whose daughter contracts a rare illness and needs new lungs. After discovering she's low on the official U.S. waiting list, he heads to Mexico to buy his way onto their list. But his ethical nature is put to the test when he has to choose between saving hundreds of children being killed for their organs or saving his daughter's life."
Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur will helm the flick, which begins shooting in New Mexico late next month. The screenplay comes from first-timer Christian Escario, with a re-write from John Claflin, whom you might remember from Fool's Gold and Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid. Or maybe not.
And good for Mulroney, says me. I've been a fan of the guy's work since Young Guns, and I hope that since his solid work in Zodiac, he's past the Must Love Dogs / Wedding Date portion of his career.
TIFF Watch: IFC Makes the First Buy, Snags 'Jar City'
Filed under: Foreign Language », Independent », Deals », Mystery & Suspense », IFC », Festival Reports », Distribution », Toronto International Film Festival », Cinematical Indie »
Good news for fans of Icelandic cinema: IFC has picked up the cop thriller Jar City in what is apparently the first buy of this year's Toronto International Film Festival. (Variety calls it the "first official buy"; The Hollywood Reporter calls it "one of the first sales." The point is, the fest only started yesterday and already the cash registers are ka-chinging.)Peter Martin told us last week about the film's fast-rising profile. It's Iceland's highest-grossing film of all time, and it won the Grand Prix competition at the Karlovy Vary fest in July. It picked up more steam when it played at Telluride last week. Based on a novel, it is the fourth film from writer/director Baltasar Kormakur, and the fourth to play at Toronto. I saw (and adored) his first two, 101 Reykjavik and The Sea; the third one, A Little Trip to Heaven, which I have not seen, was filmed in English and starred Forest Whitaker and Julia Stiles.
Kormakur returns to his native tongue in Jar City, which focuses on two connected plots. In one, a man tries to determine how his daughter could have contracted a rare genetic disease that no one in his family has ever had; in the other, a cop looks for a murderer. They cross paths; mysteries unfold; thrillarity ensues. IFC's First Take division will distribute the film theatrically in North America. No word yet on when that will be, or how much IFC paid for it.
Sundance Announces the 2010 US and World Competition Lineups!
3D Sequels for 'Zombieland' and 'Jackass' Confirmed_thumbnail.jpg)
Everything You Need to Know About Peter Berg's 'Battleship'_thumbnail.jpg)
Celebs Return to Their Most Iconic Roles for Photo Shoot
Check Out Concept Art From Marvel's Futuristic Theme Park
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
