JonathanDayton Tagged Articles at Cinematical
When Stiller and Carrey Doesn't Work, Get Stiller and Witherspoon!
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting »
All the way back in 2006, Ben Stiller and Jim Carrey were headed to a future where women not only rule the world, they also "clone and trade men like used cars." Emily Mortimer was going to co-star as a woman whose unease over buying a cloned man leads to love with the cookie cutter Stiller. However, a few days later, the whole thing was scrapped ... but then it was back on the pre-strike priority list. And now, it's back on (again), with a whole new focus.The Hollywood Reporter posts that the sci-fi comedy has dropped Jim Carrey, and will now star Stiller and Reese Witherspoon. But this isn't a case of sex-changing characters. The project will now focus on Clone Ben, and his relationship with clone owner Witherspoon -- in other words, the character once played by Emily Mortimer. Little Miss Sunshine's Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton are in talks to helm the project, but no writer has been hired yet to change things up.
This makes perfect sense. When the economy is alright, the project is scrapped because it would be way too pricey. The economy tanks, and they decide to pay for a big re-write, and to hire another big-paycheck star. As for the why behind switching this from buddy comedy to romance, THR notes that "Fox hasn't yet successfully mined the new vein of guy-centric comedy," but have fared well with funny flicks aimed at women. Yay. Gotta love when films of the future go back to the stereotypical past. Couldn't this be aimed at us without making the central theme romance? I mean, it is about a women-leading future after all.
Cinematical Seven: From Music Videos to the Big Screen
Filed under: Music & Musicals », Shorts », Fandom », Cinematical Seven », Lists »
There was a time, long ago, when a single, solitary television channel was dedicated to the world of music. On said channel, before the citizenswent wild for "reality" and killed all that was right in the world, short films showcased every song that was played. Some were simply grainy concert footage or quick studio performances, while others stretched the boundaries of moviemaking, showcasing whole narrative stories for a simple, short collection of notes.
Unsurprisingly, these same directors then set their sights on the big screen, itching to stretch their talents from short, three-minute intervals to hours of material. They've given us everything, from men who like to destroy pretty things, to the warped creativity of the mind, to a woman who finds her late husband inside a little boy. They've offered mainstream hits, critical successes, and cult films we all love, and they symbolize that time when music meant videos, and the two went hand in hand.
Things have changed so much that we probably won't see a continuing influx of this sort of talent, but we can savor what the '80s and '90s brought us, and how some small screen vision led to big screen success.
The Sunshine Directors Want to Share a Little Abstinence
Filed under: Comedy », Independent », RumorMonger », Scripts », Cinematical Indie »
There once was an insidiously determined girl named Tracey Flick, who wanted nothing more than to be President, with her tireless energy, campaign buttons, and tasty cupcakes. Not even Matthew Broderick, with or without a painfully swollen eye, could control her determination. They lived in the confines of Tom Perotta's book, Election, and the great film, directed by Alexander Payne, of the same name. These days, Perotta's name has been buzzing around for writing Little Children, a film about intersecting suburban families, but he's ready to head back to high school.In September, Erik Davis shared the first bits of information to come out about his upcoming novel and screenplay -- The Abstinence Teacher. Now there is a little more plot to share, and two people who might make it come to life. Abstinence focuses on, no surprise, a small town in middle-America. A divorced sex-ed teacher and mother of two finds herself fighting conservative groups and trying to teach sex education while becoming interested in her daughter's soccer coach, who is born-again. The duo who wants to bring it to the big screen -- Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the husband and wife team who brought us Little Miss Sunshine. They sound like a perfect fit for Perotta's darkly comedic social commentary. If they land the gig, who would be cast? I can't help but think that Mary-Louise Parker and Martin Donovan should continue their on-screen flings, since the scenario treads on familiar territory.
Sundance Deals: Little Miss Sunshine goes to Fox Searchlight for $10 mil
Filed under: Comedy », Independent », Deals », Sundance », Cinematical Indie »
We
were so wrong. Though two
Cinematical bloggers heard rumors in the past 24 hours that Paramount had closed a deal for as much as $15 million on
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris' Little Miss Sunshine, word is now coming down the wires that
worldwide rights actually went to Fox Searchlight, for a more-reasonable but still somewhat outlandish $10 million.
Anne Thompson is reporting that John Sloss closed the deal for Cinetic in the wee hours of the morning – making
the rumor Kim heard last night a bit suspicious, and the one I heard this morning downright strange. The only thing I
can think of is that someone from the Fox camp sent an intern out to lead bloggers astray – and, great job, guys!
It totally worked. More details on this deal and others as they come in.
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