JordanKerner Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The director who gave us D2: The Mighty Ducks (aka The Mighty Ducks 2) is set to make another sports movie. But this one doesn't seem to be as comedic, and it doesn't deal with hockey. Instead, it's yet another uplifting basketball movie focusing on a team of bad news players who become champions. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sam Weisman is reuniting with D2 producer Jordan Kerner to make the movie, which is titled The Miracle of St. Anthony.

Based on sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski's 2005 book, the movie will be about a year in the life of Jersey City high school basketball coach Bob Hurley, Sr. -- father of former Duke point guard, and Sacramento Kings and Vancouver Grizzlies pro Bobby Hurley (who also appears in the basketball film Blue Chips). In more than 30 years as head coach at St. Anthony, a small Catholic school that educates children from extremely poor families, Hurley, Sr., has won 22 state titles. Yet at the beginning of the 2003-04 season, he had mostly players who weren't motivated or focused. I'm sure I'm not spoiling anything by saying that the team shapes up and goes on to great success.

Sure, it is easy to knock this movie as being more of the same as far as sports movies go, but Hurley's story is probably very interesting and could probably make a good film. However, it's much more fair to direct the project's potential problems to Weisman, who is certainly not the guy to make this into a great film. Since D2, he has directed such crap as Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, George of the Jungle and the terribly unnecessary Out-of-Towners remake (sorry Giuliani supporters who like a good Rudy cameo). To quote the title of another of Weisman's misfires, What's the Worst That Could Happen? Well, of course, the worst is that Weisman could make the lamest, most cliched, most generic basketball movie ever, but then, that probably isn't much different from the best that could happen. Am I being harsh? Maybe, but despite the fact that audiences like the familiarity of these uplifting sports movies, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say they'd at least like something fresh to go along with the stale. The Miracle of St. Anthony has been adapted by Josh Shelov, who wrote the screenplay for Hooligans, a fairly well-received soccer movie.

Frankly, I've no freaking idea how it took so long to happen, but it looks like a big swanky movie version of The Smurfs is scheduled to hit the silver screen within the next few years. I realize this is the sort of project that may make you roll your eyes and deliver a derisive snort from not one but both nostrils, but producer Jordan Kerner recently shared some insights and ideas with Moviehole.com ... and the guy does have some pretty cool concepts for the inevitably Smurfy blockbuster. Among the things promised by Mr. Kerner:

• The Paramount production will be done in 3-D style CGI, not at all unlike those Shrek flicks.
• The plan is to do a full trilogy, one that fills in all the "holes" of the TV series.
• The folks who presently run the little blue juggernaut originally created by the late Peyo -- "loved" the ideas that Kerner & Co. came up with. And since the guy was pursuing the movie rights for about half a decade, I guess one could take that reaction as a good sign. (Or at least a potentially profitable one.)
• The producer wants the Smurfs trilogy to feel like a lighter and goofier version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy: Epic and adventure-packed, but still sweet and silly.
• Regarding the nefarious Gargamel, we're promised a lot of backstory on the villain ... plus it seems that the fantastic John Lithgow is being considered for the role.

So there's what we have so far. As a guy who grew up during the crest of the Smurfenomena, I'm quite familiar with these little blue buggers -- even if I'm not exactly what you'd call a Smurficionado. But I'll be honest: My opinion of this burgeoning movie project has gone up just a little bit since hearing what Kerner's approach may be.

But then the guy had to go and kinda ruin it by promising the world a movie called The Mighty Ducks 4.