Cartel Tagged Articles at Cinematical

In Milk, Josh Brolin got to play the man who wanted Sean Penn's Harvey Milk out of the way. Now, Brolin gets to be the acclaimed actor's replacement. Variety reports that Brolin has signed on to star in Asger Leth's Cartel -- the role that Penn vacated back in June when he decided to take a break from Hollywood and focus on his personal life.

Inspired by the early '90s Italian film called La scorta, Cartel follows Ed Marker (Brolin) -- a man who "journeys to protect his son after his wife is brutally murdered in the gritty world of Mexican cartels." This is a big jump from the original film, which focused on the struggles of four cops trying to keep a prosecutor safe while mob bosses were brought to justice. So much for a remake!

But what do you think of the switch? I think it goes without saying that Brolin's talents are certainly worthy, but how do you think the change in actors will affect the film? Considering the gritty beauty of Leth's Ghosts of Cite Soliel, I think Brolin's the perfect match. It's no stretch to imagine him sliding into Leth's visual style whilst battling drug-dealing baddies, although it would've been nice to see Penn take on a rough gig like that. Production begins this January in Mexico City.

I've got nothing against the thought of Sean Penn getting funny. In fact, I wished for that very thing earlier this month. But grabbing the funny by becoming one of the Three Stooges? Sean Penn as Larry Fine? Surely Mr. Penn had fallen on his head, partook in the drugs, or entered into some other type of shenanigans to become that crazy. Luckily, while he may not have come to his senses about the project, he's also no longer involved. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Penn has dropped The Three Stooges as well as his much more desirable project, that crime thriller called Cartel.

Ideally, this would the result of the actor taking a cue from Happy Harry Hard On and saying: "Hey wait a minute, what is wrong with this picture?" But no, this Nicole Kidman-like move has nothing to do with the parts themselves. It turns out that he wants to leave the movie biz for a while to focus on his family. I imagine that he wants to work things out with Robin Wright Penn so that he doesn't have to keep filing and rescinding divorce proceedings. The man is most definitely confused. There's no definitive word on how long this will last, but THR sources say it'll be a year.

One can only hope that this will mean the end of the dreaded Stooges, but hopefully Asger Leth's Cartel won't be as hurt by the sudden decision. What do you think of Penn's sudden au revoir from Hollywood, and can the Farrellys find a suitable Fine replacement? And who should fight Mexican drug cartels?

If there's a project to watch over the next few years, it's this one.

Variety reports that Sean Penn is in talks to star in a new movie called Cartel. That's noteworthy on its own, but it's downright irresistible when you know who is directing it: Asger Leth -- the man behind the beautifully gritty and stunning documentary The Ghosts of Cite Soliel. This project isn't new, however. This is the La Scorta remake that Leth boarded all the way back in 2007 -- and it looks like things have changed a bit.

The film was originally intended to be a close remake, focusing on cops struggling to guard a prosecutor who is about to go up against the mob. However, it "evolved into an action vehicle for Penn." Now, the Peter Craig script will focus on "Ed Marker as he journeys to protect his son after his wife is brutally murdered in the gritty world of Mexican cartels." It's a bit of a jump, but one that should work well for this duo -- Penn's Oscar winning acting chops merged with Leth's directorial eye -- one that should move smoothly from Haiti's slums to the gritty areas of Mexico. And hey, any diversions from a spot-on remake are a good thing.

If Penn officially signs on, production will start by summer. My fingers are crossed!

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Stepping into David Ayer's hotel room, for the first time in my life I felt as if I was shaking hands with a screenwriter who could literally snap me in half without even flinching. It's not that he's muscular, menacing or intimidating -- in fact, he's none of those things. However, as my eyes met his, I could tell the man had traveled (mentally and physically) to some dangerous places. And, although he managed to survive a tough childhood, going on to become one of the most sought-after screenwriters in Hollywood, his gritty past was written all over his face.

While I was a big fan of Ayer's script for Training Day (a film which saw Denzel Washington take home an Oscar for Best Actor), as well as interested in talking about his directorial debut Harsh Times (opening this Friday), I really wanted to know more about Ayer, and what attracted him to such dark, rough material. Here's a guy who grew up on the streets of South Central, Los Angeles, who somehow found a way to escape by joining the Navy and then wound up writing Hollywood screenplays. How does that happen? Well, I did my best to find out ...

Cinematical: What was it about the story and the idea behind Harsh Times that made you so determined to get this thing made? I know you took out a mortgage on your home to finance it yourself -- I mean, what was about it that spoke to you that way?

David Ayer: Well, I wanted to direct and I wrote it with the intention to direct. I know the world, I know the characters and I know how to do it right. And there's also a uniqueness to it because it's so personal and I knew I could really duplicate some of what I've seen in my experiences and thoughts. I couldn't hand it over to someone else, and it was just time for me to direct -- it was time for the career change. I believed in it. It was a Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab Script, and we ended up doing a table reading at the silent movie theater for like 350 people. People were crying at the end, and I'm like okay -- this is a movie. I have no doubt now, this thing could be a movie. So I was just determined to get it to the screen.