HarrisonFord Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I can't help but make the obvious joke here, so I'll just go ahead and say it: Boldly going where no man has gone before, Chris Pine is not only Unstoppable, but he also knows The Art of Making Money. How? By attaching himself to every iconic reboot he can. Variety reports that Pine has entered into talks with Paramount to become the next Jack Ryan. "Talks" seems a fancy way of putting it, as Paramount president Adam Goodman is already talking him up as Ryan: "Tom Clancy created an unforgettable character with Jack Ryan. With Chris in this role, we've taken our first step in creating a re-boot that lives up to the successful lineage of the franchise."

Paramount has been shaping a Jack Ryan reboot for some time. Last year, they were in negotiations with Sam Raimi to come on board to direct or develop a franchise, but he returned to the webslinger instead. Last December, Hossein Amini came aboard to write a new installment, which remains the draft Paramount is working with. There's no director attached yet.

Stepping into the CIA shoes of Jack Ryan really puts Pine well onto the Harrison Ford track. Not many actors can land one iconic character in their careers, let alone two. Of course, "iconic" is a loose compliment for Ryan as he's really more of a cool name than a strikingly memorable character. (Admit it -- the movies are cool, but Ryan is like Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt --he's just kind of moving things along in a bad-ass fashion.) Perhaps Pine can change that, and reboot Ryan into something clear and present in pop culture.

J.J Abrams seems like the busiest man in Hollywood. Thursday morning during a promotional appearance for the release of his franchise relaunch for Star Trek, he updated reporters on what's next for him. "Jeff Pinkner and Joel Wyman are running Fringe very well. We're still very involved in that, but they're running that," he said of the popular sci-fi series. "We have a new series that we just sold to NBC that we're going to be producing. It's a pilot. And, there's a movie that I'm writing that I would love to direct, early next year, so we'll see if that comes to fruition."

In addition to his television work, Abrams highlighted a few of the projects he's working on in the next several months both as a producer and director.

Rejoice! It's time for another one of those rare moments where we get to talk about Brendan Fraser acting in a drama -- one that should get him a little more recognition than the smaller dramatic bits and thrillers he's taken on recently. See, he's co-starring with Harrison Ford in a pic called Extraordinary Measures, and the still above is the first from the film (via Cinema Blend).

Based on a true story (optioned by Ford), the film follows a couple whose two youngest children were diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder called Pompe disease. Rather than take things as they were, John Crowley quit his job and created a startup research company to help make advances that could help his children. (The C.B. link has a whole featurette sort of deal on the family.) Fraser plays Mr. Crowley, Keri Russell has the role of his wife, and Ford plays a researcher who might have a cure.

It's no Gods and Monsters, but I'm happy to see Fraser getting dramatic again, and Ford in something a little more serious as well. Here's hoping the Extraordinary Measures leads to some extraordinary filmmaking. Then again, this is coming from the man who just gave us What Stays in Vegas. Sigh. One day, my prince will return!

I like to pride myself on having a pretty good memory for classic films, but man, my powers of recollection are nothing up against a dedicated film fan by the name of whoiseyevan. A couple of weeks ago I brought you his reworked Ghostbusters trailer as a 1954 classic starring Bob Hope and Dean Martin, and now he's back at work making trailers for Raiders of the Lost Ark and Forrest Gump as if they had been made in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

First up is Raiders, which was an ode to adventure serials of the '30's, but for the remake we've jumped ahead about thirty years. Now, it stars Charlton Heston as Dr. Jones, Anthony Quinn as Sallah, and the great Peter Lorre as everyone's favorite melty-face Nazi, Toht. Once again, you have to marvel at whoiseyevan's ability to find the perfect clips, and if you're as familiar with Raiders as I am, you will spot plenty of scenes that are almost identical -- right down to the monkey.

Now, transplanting Forrest Gump back to 1949 might have been a little bit easier, and it should come as no shock that Jimmy Stewart is standing in for Tom Hanks (especially since Hanks as been called our generation's Stewart on more than one occasion). Which would also explain how whoiseyevan might have selected some of these clips, because Stewart played a lovable man-child more than once during his career. For Gump, most of the clips look like they were taken from It's a Wonderful Life, but there are a few surprises to be had, including who gets to take over the role of Lt. Dan -- which I won't spoil for you because, frankly, it's genius.

After the jump: a trip back in time with Dr. Jones and Forrest Gump...

You can't turn around in a movie without bumping into a professor. If it's not Nicolas Cage as the unlikeliest astrophysicist to be granted tenure at M.I.T. in Knowing, just released on DVD, it's the passel of professors that will undoubtedly be presented in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, due out in theaters next Wednesday. Which kind of professor do you prefer?

My early impressions were formed by seeing the distinguished, imposing Harvard law professor John Houseman dress down Timothy Bottoms in James Bridges' The Paper Chase: "Here is a dime. Take it, call your mother, and tell her there is serious doubt about you ever becoming a lawyer." My impressions changed dramatically when I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones may have been more of a thrill-seeker than an academic, but he was driven by his love for archeology -- and a desire to share his knowledge with his students, no matter how distracted they were by his dreamy looks.

Movies have produced so many memorable professors that it's hard to narrow down the list, but here are my other favorites, and why:

• Gary Cooper, Ball of Fire (Good-hearted and modest).
• Orson Welles, The Stranger (Cold-hearted and scary; an alluring phony).
• Jerry Lewis, The Nutty Professor (Makes you feel better about yourself).
• Peter O'Toole, Creator (Zestful and enthusiastic; encourages free thinking).
• Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society (Funny, if a bit too manic and pushy).
• Michael Douglas, Wonder Boys (Wounded, but can still teach life lessons).

Who are your favorite movie professors?

I guess this is the news that nobody was waiting for, but the threat of another Indiana Jones film has been inching closer to reality by the day, and now The Insider has received reports that Harrison Ford will be polishing off the fedora and the whip one last time. There have been rumblings about a fifth film ever since Crystal Skull first hit theaters, but now we've gone past rumblings and finally started to hear some details. Both Shia LaBeouf and producer Frank Marshall have recently confirmed that a film is in the works, and now, Insider's sources are saying that, "...filming will not start until next year, and it will not be released before 2011." Now, if you happen to be mathematically inclined, you might notice that Ford will be almost 70 by the time the film starts production, which would probably make for a slightly less 'active' Indy this time around.

I won't waste your time recounting all the ways that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a let-down for fans -- you know things are bad when an unflattering 'buzz-word' is created as a tribute. But maybe it's possible that a fifth film could correct some of those mistakes. Call me naive, but there is a very (and I mean, very) small part of me that thinks George Lucas and Steven Spielberg may have learned their lesson, and will go back to what made the original films so great. Maybe this time they could capitalize on the relationship between Indy and his son Mutt to try recapturing some of that Last Crusade vibe? But, I guess we can take comfort in the fact that no matter what those two come up with this time, it certainly couldn't get any worse than what was ... or can it?

Mere days after Shia LaBeouf gleefully announced that Steven Spielberg had "cracked" the story for Indiana Jones 5 comes another confirmation that it'll rear its ugly head. Empire Online caught up with Indiana Jones' longtime producer, Frank Marshall, who didn't go so far as to green-light it, but revealed that they'll start hashing out ideas before too long.

"It's really about the script," said Marshall. "Once we see that, we'll see. We're not going to wait another 20 years. We'd all love to make another one. I'm anxious to hear the idea!" But he quickly added that he really didn't know what Spielberg was cooking. "Until there's a script, nothing's definite. I haven't heard the idea." (He should ask LaBeouf. I bet he knows.) Marshall also confirmed that Lucas, Spielberg, and Ford were equally eager to return for a fifth outing. "Yeah. We had a great time making the last one and, as Harrison said, we need to make this one soon. We're not getting any younger."

While talk is talk, and plans vanish, bear in mind that they were already chattering about a fifth outing before Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hit theaters, and were still dreaming of it after, despite the negative reviews and fan backlash. I have no doubt it'll happen regardless of what the fans say or think. When it does, that shrieking sound you hear? That'll be the death cry of my fangirl soul ... and I'm sure it won't be the only lament visited upon the heavens.

Ah, the sequel no one is clamoring for has reared its head again. To be fair, some people enjoyed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and with worldwide gross receipts totaling nearly $800 million, the only question that remained was when Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford would be ready to give it another go. (Our own poll last year suggested that it was time to retire the franchise.) Reportedly, Lucas favored the idea of continuing with old Indiana Jones as the lead character rather than handing things over to young Mutt Williams, played by Shia LaBeouf. Research was being conducted to find an artifact that the movie could be based on.

In the UK to promote Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, LaBeouf talked to the BBC and revealed that he had spoken recently with Spielberg about another Indiana Jones movie: "Steven just said he cracked a story on it before I left. I think they're gearing that up." Spielberg is busy filming The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, so maybe he talked with Lucas between shots: "Hi, George, it's Steven. What if Indy searches for a shabti?" "Steven, what's a shabti?" "You know, George, the Sorcerer's Apprentice, the inspiration for that segment with Mickey Mouse in Fantasia?" "Of course, Steven, who do you think you're talking to?" "Well, George, the shabti was a figurine that was buried with the dead and performed hard labor for the deceased in the afterlife." "Ooh, I know, Mutt could try to get to it first, so he would never have to do manual labor for Indy any more!" "George, I think we've cracked it."

We'll wait to see if an official confirmation seeps out. Are you holding your breath for Indy 5?

The cast for the cheekily titled Morning Glory (aka "that film where Harrison Ford is going to try and be funny!") really is shaping up nicely. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they've nabbed themselves the second Nite Owl, Patrick Wilson.

"The film that Ford is going to try and by funny in" centers on an up-and-coming news producer played by Rachel McAdams. She has to save a struggling morning show, and get its antagonistic anchors (Ford and Diane Keaton) under control.

Trying to save McAdams from losing the will to live is Wilson, who will play her boyfriend. While Wilson is clearly trying to earn some comedy cred (Morning Glory is the third comedy he's signed for, he's also got The Baster and Barry Munday in the works),
I sincerely hope there's a little more to his part than just "the boyfriend." Wilson is quite talented, and playing a boyfriend, even to McAdams, seems like a waste of his charm. Then again, how many actresses have been stuck in such a thankless part? Maybe the tide is turning.

There really is a lot of talent here on both sides of the camera: Roger Michell is directing from a script by Aline Brosh McKenna, and J.J. Abrams is producing with his Bad Robot banner. Let's hope they can bring us a film of the witty, fun Ford (yes, he does exist) and not another Hollywood Homicide.