Gore Verbinski Tagged Articles at Cinematical
'Bioshock' Enlists '28 Weeks Later' Director
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Deals », Universal », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Games and Game Movies »
Earlier this summer, the brakes were put on Universal's adaptation of Bioshock due to its enormous budget, and a need for tax incentives were said to be pushing the film overseas. The budgetary crisis put Gore Verbinski into a bit of a pickle, and he was unsure he would continue with the film if it moved to London. Now it looks like Verbinski is officially off the project, and Universal has hired Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) to go under the sea instead.Variety reports that Fresnadillo is still in talks, and that it all becomes official if Bioshock's maker, Take-Two Interactive, agrees to the decision as they must approve the choice of director. But the decision indicates they are shaving that budget, and they are determined to make the film overseas. Universal is also determined that this won't turn into another Halo incident. (Although I think we all agree that any disappointment that caused District 9 was very much worth it, right?)
It has to be a huge disappointment for Verbinski, who dropped Pirates 4 to tackle Bioshock, and really seemed to love the project. (Perhaps Verbinski will find himself in a similar Cinderalla situation as Neill Blomkamp!) Of course, the big question remains as to whether all of this talk is even worth it, since we know what game adaptations are generally like. A lot of hopes are being pinned on Bioshock, and let's hope a few of them are fulfilled.
Rob Marshall to Direct 'Pirates 4'?
Filed under: Action », Disney », RumorMonger », Johnny Depp », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
Are you ready for singing and dancing pirates? Rob Marshall, the director of the Academy Award-winning Chicago and the upcoming musical Nine, is "on the verge" of helming the next installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, according to Variety. If all goes well, Johnny Depp will return as Jack Sparrow and production will start next year.
Of course, I was only joking about the "singing and dancing," since there's no indication that Disney or producer Jerry Bruckheimer want to make a musical version of their blockbuster franchise. But they do want to move forward as expeditiously as possible, and thus have been talking with a variety of directors recently, in the hope that Depp can do the next Pirates before starring in The Lone Ranger. The first Pirates movies were all directed by Gore Verbinski, who declined to move forward with the franchise in favor of pursuing a movie version of Bioshock. That particular project hasn't worked out so far, though it seems that Verbinski is ready to do something that doesn't involve pirates and high seas.
Meanwhile, this would be a strikingly sideways move for Marshall. Coming on board a successful franchise that has already grossed more than $2.6 billion worldwide is fraught with peril. And Depp's performances as Jack Sparrow have become iconic, so where will Marshall put his own personal stamp? Sources told Variety that the studio is so confident that he will sign on, they have already begun casting new characters that will appear in the next installment. Uh, shouldn't they wait for Marshall to sign on the dotted line?
Could Great Video Games Finally Get Great Movies?
Filed under: Action », Horror », Thrillers », Deals », Fandom », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Games and Game Movies »
There are plenty of fun, or at least serviceable, video games based on movies, and there have been plenty of abominable ones as well. I've paid cash money to see freaky skinless zombie dogs in Resident Evil and Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and Lara Croft swing from the ceiling in at least one of the Tomb Raider movies. I've wisely avoided the Uwe Boll poopfests, especially Postal, an adaptation of a game that was a cheaply made piece of crap when I first played it in, oh, the early '00s. Let's not even discuss the Mortal Kombat movies or the Super Mario Bros. movie that Harold Ramis wisely passed on. There are just so many mediocre games that have gotten way too much screen time.But perhaps the cinema will begin to shine for us video game/film nerds. (Not too brightly, though -- it's dark in here with all the monitors!) There are plenty of excellent games out there, and even if they don't all quite make it to the big screen, recent developments have got me hopeful that really cool directors are sitting up and taking notice.
'Heavy Metal' Gets Heavier with Fincher, Cameron, and Verbinski
Filed under: RumorMonger »
Film School Rejects is reporting that Kevin Eastman, co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, has spilled some major beans on the remake of Heavy Metal, the totally over-the-top 1981 sci-fi flick full of boobies, violence, and, some might say, awesomeness.Eastman wrote Heavy Metal 2000, which stars former Penthouse Pet Julie Strain, who is also, incidentally, Eastman's ex-wife. She also voiced Heavy Metal 2000 and starred in the Heavy Metal F.A.K.K.2 video game. Eastman told FSR,
"I've got breaking news that Fincher and James Cameron are going to be co-executive Producers on the film. Fincher will direct one. Cameron will direct one. Zack Snyder is going to direct one and Gore Verbinski is going to. Mark Osborne and Jack Black from Tenacious D are going to do a comedy segment for the film. Three other directors have agreed but we haven't signed them, but they're equally as jaw-dropping. So we're on cloud nine to be working with such an amazing amount of talent."
Will Heavy Metal benefit from a high-tech remake? Or was part of its appeal the cheesiness of the original? More importantly, will Dio have a part in the Tenacious D segment?
Gore Verbinski Might Be Off 'Bioshock'
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Universal », RumorMonger », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Games and Game Movies »
Gore Verbinski and Bioshock just can't catch a break. Back in April, Universal put the breaks on the video game adaptation because of its swollen budget, estimated to be $160 million and rising. The studio was pushing Verbinski to move production to the U.K. and take advantage of the tax credits there.Even then, Verbinski seemed reluctant to uproot the production, and now he's told the LA Times that he may be off the film because of it. "The bottom line is it has to shoot out of the States for budget reasons and my schedule may be prohibitive. There's a great script and a really interesting cast. It really comes down to the financial model now. Big movies are just not being shot in the States. I'm weighing whether I can physically go the U.K. or Australia or one of those other places with a tax rebate for a year-and-a-half."
It's entirely possible Verbinski will walk, and Bioshock will go forward with another director who won't mind going overseas to shoot. In the meantime, we can wonder if "interesting cast" is a confirmation that Wentworth Miller is really to play Frank Fontaine (doubtful since his alleged Twitter account that produced the rumor has been suspended), wonder who could replace Verbinski, and lament that the U.S. ships its big movies overseas in this economic crunch.
'Bioshock' Gets the Budget Brakes
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Universal », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Games and Game Movies »
Weeks after Gore Verbinski abandoned Pirates to focus on Bioshock, Universal has put the freeze on the project, which was well into the pre-production stage. According to Variety the studio balked at the budget (which was estimated to be $160 million and rising to a cost described as "untenable"), halted production, and fired a few production staffers. Verbinski and Universal are currently debating how to make the film on a slimmer budget. One of their solutions is to move filming from L.A. to London. "We were asked by Universal to move the film outside the U.S. to take advantage of a tax credit," Verbinski said. "We are evaluating whether this is something we want to do. In the meantime, the film is in a holding pattern."Everyone involved is stressing that Bioshock is not being abandoned like Halo was, but just restructured and refinanced in order to come in at a lower budget. The studio also froze Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, allowing it to be rewritten from that Nottingham idea, and come in with a $130 million budget. (We also got State of Play out of the deal which is kind of nice.)
I suppose the big question is whether a tighter budget will make a better Bioshock by forcing the creative team to rely on story and not special effects, or whether it will actually hamper the adaptation by saddling it with cheesy CG. I still haven't played it, but I constantly hear about the look and design of the game. It'll be a shame if that's compromised.
Gore Verbinski Jumps the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Ship
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Disney », Family Films », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Johnny Depp », Remakes and Sequels »
If Pirates of the Caribbean really decides to weigh anchor and sail in 2010, it will have to be with a new captain. According to Variety, Gore Verbinski has officially informed Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer that he's no longer interested in swashbuckling, and won't be helming a fourth installment."I had a fantastic time bringing Pirates to life, and I am eternally grateful to Jerry, Johnny and the rest of the creative and production team," Verbinski said. "I'm looking forward to all of us crossing paths again in the future."
Instead, he's throwing all his attention to another underwater project -- his eagerly awaited adaptation of Bioshock, which is expected to be his next directing vehicle after he finishes on the Johnny Depp voiced Rango.
The fourth Pirates was being eyed for a 2010 start date, and it's not known if Verbinski's departure will affect that although it doesn't seem like Disney is racing to get into production any time soon despite all those Russell Brand rumors.
A lot of people are fried on the Pirates franchise and while I should be one of them (Jack Sparrow is still alive and well in this house), I'll always be a sucker for high seas adventure. Maybe a change-up behind the scenes will breathe some new life into the series, and avoid another muddy plot like At World's End.
Does Gore Verbinski Have a 'Clue'?
Filed under: Deals », Mystery & Suspense », Remakes and Sequels »
Nothing is sacred. Get ready, because I'm sure Gin, The Movie is on its way, as well as remakes of Gone with the Wind and Citizen Kane, plus someone with enough cojones to try and replicate Bruce Campbell's Ash.
The Hollywood Reporter posts that following in the footsteps of Monopoly, Candy Land, and Ouiga Board, we're getting Clue. Or, rather, more Clue, since I'm sure you all know that we've already had an amazingly wonderful adaptation of the board game starring the likes of Tim Curry, Michael McKean, and the late, great Madeline Kahn.
Undaunted (or perhaps even enthused by the first flick's cult status), Universal is moving ahead with a new Clue feature, and Gore Verbinski is in final negotiations to direct and produce the project. That means it won't be a modest feature of murder, ropes, candlesticks, and intrigue, but some sort of rip-roaring big budget murder movie. But even if Verbinski did rein in the post-Pirates urge and make a low-scale project, it's still been done. Sure, there are lots of directions Clue can go, making use of the locations, guests, and murder weapons, but there's simply no group of comedic minds that can compare to the original. Perhaps they can go the more serious route, and I hope they do, because I'll cry if they try to replace my Madeline.
Do you like the original? Are you interested in a sequel? Do you want to throw your box of Clue at Universal?
Isla Fisher Joins Johnny Depp in 'Rango'
Filed under: Animation », Comedy », Casting », Paramount », Family Films », Newsstand », Johnny Depp »
This fall, Johnny Depp rejoined his Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski for Rango, which casts him in the role of household pet. (Yes, you can drool here, girls.) Last week, he was joined by Abigail Breslin, though her role was left unspecified. It was also unclear whether the film would be a combination of live action and stop-motion CG, or completely computer animated.MTV got the scoop as to what we're in for -- and met a new castmember. The lovely Isla Fisher has joined the cast, and will be voicing a lizard that Depp's critter encounters on his travels. Ian Abercrombie and Hemky Madera have also joined the cast.
Fisher also revealed that the entire film will be filmed in a pretty unusual manner. The actors will film their performances, but rather than serving as the basis for motion capture, they'll merely serve as aide to the animators capturing their movements and facial expressions. It's something more elaborate than the usual camera-in-a-sound-booth approach that has been used for decades -- and really, might be some combination of motion capture and animation. Earlier, Verbinski described it as cutting-edge animation techniques that "will allow us to capture and translate every aspect of Johnny's performance, using it to drive the computer-generated character in a way that has yet to be seen in an animated feature." It's one to watch out for -- and we'll find out what they're talking about sometime in 2011, when Rango is set to be released.
Gore Verbinski Jumps Into the World of Second Life
Filed under: Drama », Deals », Scripts »
When he's not busy with killer tadpoles wreaking havoc on the population, it looks like Gore Verbinski is going to chill out with some RPG action. Variety reports that Universal and Verbinski are teaming up to bring a 2007 Wall Street article about online role-playing to the big screen. Unlike Ben X, however, there won't be a fantasy world come to life.Alexandra Alter's article, "Is This Man Cheating on His Wife?", follows a married man who spends most of his free time on the virtual world of Second Life, creating an alternate life for himself -- one that includes a virtual spouse who is not his wife. His IRL wife feels that he is cheating, while he does not.
Verbinski plans to use this story as the basis for a film that follows how online RPGs can negatively affect people's real lives, and is prepping this as a directing vehicle. This might prove troublesome since his non-blockbuster work doesn't go over nearly as well as his pirates and rings. However, in a move that bodes particularly well for the film -- Steven Knight will pen the script, and he wields the pen behind Eastern Promises, Amazing Grace, and Dirty Pretty Things. Now I wonder: Will Gore nab Johnny Depp once again to play the lead? The real guy might be a burly biker, but Hollywood always likes to pretty things up.
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