JoeStillman Tagged Articles at Cinematical

As voiced by Dwayne "the artist formerly known as The Rock" Johnson, astronaut Chuck Baker is the paragon of all-American achievement -- that is, until he conquers a far off world with an unexpected population, one inexplicably steeped in our '50s-era culture and terrified by the prospect of an alien invader in human form. More unfortunately for us, Chuck has landed smack-dab in the middle of Planet 51, a short-sighted assembly of sci-fi references and scatalogical humor that should nonetheless placate undemanding tots and, by extension, their undiscerning parents for ninety minutes or so.

Move over, Ted Danson and Richard Harris -- there's a new Lemuel Gulliver in town! I guess going all the way back to Year One wasn't enough for Jack Black, because Variety reports that Twentieth Century Fox has grabbed the actor to star in a remake of the classic Gulliver's Travels, getting all tall in Lilliput. Rob Letterman (Shark Tale) is directing the film, from a script by Nicholas Stoller and Joe Stillman.

This incarnation is said to be a "contemporary reimagining," which means -- Lemuel will be "a free-spirited travel writer" rather than a surgeon, who goes on assignment to the Bermuda Triangle, only to wash ashore on the hidden island of Lilliput. There, as we all know, he comes across "a population of industrius, yet tiny, people."

With Black on board, and being all "modernized," I think it's safe to assume that this will be more slapstick and silly than Swiftian social commentary. But really, I don't get the appeal. Is the material really asking for a reimagining, and when did old-school stories better left in the past suddenly become such hot property? (Three Stooges)

I'm not so sure about all of this, but what do you think? Will Black make a good, modern, Lemuel Gulliver? And moreover, if they're reimagining this sucker, shouldn't he get a more modern name?

It seems a bit late, but New Line has finally joined the animated film business. Fortunately for them, they've avoided the attempt to set up something in-house, choosing instead to acquire something already in the works. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has picked up Planet 51, which is being produced by Spain-based Ilion Animation Studios. Scripted by Shrek and Shrek 2 co-writer Joe Stillman, the film is about the titular planet, which is visited by an "alien" from Earth. I guess it's kinda like a reverse E.T., where NASA astronaut Chuck Baker befriends a young native of Planet 51 and must avoid capture. According to the film's IMDb page, in which it's titled Planet One, Stillman is co-directing with Jorge Blanco. However, The Hollywood Reporter lists the co-directors as Blanco, Javier Abad and Marcos Martinez, all of whom apparently worked together on a video game titled Commandos.

Planet 51 is currently in production but doesn't seem too far along. Ilion hasn't yet cast the voices, which typically come first. Considering that at first glance I thought the promo image was of Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear (yeah, my eyesight is bad), I suggest they just go ahead and get Tim Allen for the lead. And then they should cast Henry Thomas as the alien kid, because all animated films these days need to be full of referential jokes. I also have to add another suggestion to New Line and Ilion: make the film in 3D. With an expected release date of March 2009, Planet 51 is teetering on the edge of the future, as Dreamworks Animation has already declared 2009 to be the year it begins releasing all its films exclusively on 3D screens. It's first, Monsters vs. Aliens, is even set to come out that same month. Now, Planet 51 may not need to be too competitive if it can hit theaters a few weeks earlier (MvA is set for end of month), though chances are audiences will forget about a lame-old 2D release once the real attractions arrive. With a budget of $60 million, Planet 51 probably can't afford to be so easily dismissed.

Whether you are a fan of the Shrek franchise or not, you can't deny that the fairy tale satires are some of the more successful animated films in recent history (I've always enjoyed a good fairy tale subversion, so I've been a fan of the series in spite of their flaws). That success might have sealed the deal for Shrek writer Joe Stillman's latest script. Variety reports that Handmade Films International and Madrid's Ilion Animation Studios are on board to finance Stillman's Planet One, a CGI sci-fi comedy.

The film is the story of an alien world whose idyllic 50's-style civilization (right down to interstellar drive-ins and malt shops) is thrown into upheaval with the arrival of a human astronaut who crash-lands on their planet. Directed by Jorge Blanco (lead artist for the Commandos video game series), the production is set to start this May and they are already eying the family-friendly release dates of either Christmas 2008 or Easter 2009. Also on board to produce is former Nickelodeon head of TV and film production Albie Hecht and already there are plans for a video game and a promotion for mobile phone networks as tie-ins for the film. Shrek The Third opens this May, so until they see the box office receipts; Handmade is going to have to go on faith that Stillman's script is worth Planet One's $50 million price tag.