ChuckRussell Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Scheherazade Takes a Backseat in 3D 'Arabian Nights'
Filed under: Action », Animation », Independent », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Family Films », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand »
Are sandstorms and magic lamps going to become the next swashbuckling trend? I think it's possible. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time lurks on the horizon (and is receiving a very mixed reception) and now Variety reports that Scheherazade and her thousand and one tales are about to get a 3D makeover. Chuck Russell is set to direct a reworking of 1001 Arabian Nights from a script he co-wrote with Barry P. Ambrose. It's not clear whether this will be live action 3D or animation, but I'm guessing live action due to the emphasis on "action adventure" in the trade article. In Russell's Arabian Nights, Scheherazade will become a damsel in distress instead of a brainy, tale-spinning bluestocking.Apparently it's a young commander who is the hero, as he joins forces with Sinbad, Aladdin, and his genie to rescue Scheherazade and her kingdom from unspecified dark forces. I see shades of Russell's The Scorpion King.
Now, I like the idea of adapting Middle Eastern tales. It's good for kids to be exposed to world cultures, and to encounter other races and religions even if it's through animation. But there are a thousand tales worth telling that are undoubtedly more exciting and interesting than something cobbled together out of the most recognizable characters. As a kid, I was always very taken with The Sisters Who Envied Their Younger Sister because it was full of magic objects and starred a princess who took matters into her own hands. But Russell's deserts are where girls aren't muscle-bound enough for adventure, though I'm sure we'll see a very scantily clad Scheherazade in 3D. Maybe 3D skin is the next trend, not Middle Eastern settings ...
'T.J. Hooker' to Get the Movie Treatment
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Deals », Scripts », Remakes and Sequels »
When we rant about remakes and reboots, it's easy to hide in hyperbole. It seems like there are a lot of them, but maybe we're just really sensitive to Hollywood's bouts with unoriginality. But then Peter wrote the piece "Which Remake/Reboot Are You Looking Forward to the Least," and when my eyes hit his list of those announced in only one month, it hit me: No, we're not exaggerating. There's a lot of frakking reboots and remakes out there. And now we've got one more on the way.Variety reports that T.J. Hooker is going to head to the big screen as an action comedy with Short Circuit scribes Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson writing it, and Chuck Russell (The Scorpion King and The Mask) negotiating for the directorial spot. Producer Ryan Heppe says: "The series was the poster child for cop TV shows in the 1980s with great stunts, so we think there's a fun movie to be made from it." Hmmm, think they were inspired by Kevin Smith's A Couple of Dicks? It seems a little more than coincidental.
Whatever the case, I'm currently in the "not another Shat-free remake!" phase, but I fully admit that's from watching both his meddling cameo in Fanboys and part of a Star Trek episode with some classic Shatner acting over the weekend. In reality, I imagine that it'll be a non-offensive law-filled diversion. Think Adrian Zmed will pop up?
UFC fighter Randy Couture Joins 'Mandrake The Magician'
Filed under: Drama », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Deals », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
Well, it looks like Ultimate Fighting champ Randy Couture has caught the acting bug. Couture is a multiple title holder in the UFC, and is making his acting debut in David Mamet's Ju-Jitsu flick, Redbelt. Now, The Bad and Ugly is reporting that Couture told Columbus Ohio radio station, QFM 96.3, that he was on his way to China in the next few weeks to begin work on the big screen version of Mandrake the Magician. The film is based on the 1934 comic strip about a magician with lightening fast hypnotic powers who, along with his partner Lothar, would battle the usual crew of comic strip bad guys (just your usual array of crime lords and mad scientists). The film will be directed by Chuck Russell, and will star Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Mandrake. According to Ugly's tipster, Couture told the DJs "...he had quite a few scenes in the movie, and that it was being billed as a cross between James Bond and Harry Houdini." The bad news -- Russell is also the director behind some fairly crappy flicks including Bless the Child and The Scorpion King -- so we should probably keep our fingers crossed that Meyers is up to the task of carrying the movie.
Back in June there had been talk from celebrity magician Criss Angel that he was in the midst of making his own movie about the hypnotist/crime fighter, but it looks like Russell and company have beat him to the punch. I wouldn't count on another magician movie battle a la The Prestige and The Illusionist -- mainly because there hasn't been a peep out of Angel's Crow-inspired adaptation since June. Mandrake has yet to find a release date, but we are bound to hear something as soon as shooting has wrapped in China and the States.
[via ComingSoon.net]
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