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Cinematical Seven: Famous Hollywood Hoaxes

Filed under: RumorMonger », Fandom », Cinematical Seven »



If you are the type of person who believes what you are told, then the release of James Gray's Two Lovers is probably your last chance to see Joaquin Phoenix 'the actor' before he takes the hip-hop world by storm -- but that's only if you believe what you've been told. For every person who is convinced that Mr. Phoenix has gone around the bend (and you can't blame them with footage like this floating around), you will find another person who thinks that the whole thing is a big hoax...and it wouldn't be the first time we've been taken for a ride by a celebrity. But until Casey Affleck releases that 'documentary' of his, we won't know for sure, and I decided it might be worthwhile to look at other Tinseltown hoaxes to remind us that you can't always believe what you read -- especially in Hollywood.

1. Stanley Kubrick Fakes the Moon Landing
It's been a popular conspiracy theory that the director provided most of the footage for the Apollo 11 and 12 Moon landings; and as the story goes, Kubrick was right in the middle of post-production on 2001: A Space Odyssey, when he was approached by NASA to create footage of a moon landing since his was so realistic. Over the years, most of these theories have been debunked, but defenders of the 'Kubrick connection' love to remind us that Kubrick later used lenses for Barry Lyndon that were developed by NASA -- which they say is the proof of payment for faking the lunar adventure.

After the jump: the birth of 'Bigfoot' and hoaxes that ended with hard time...

The Latest on Live-Action 'Cowboy Bebop' and 'Robotech' Movies

Filed under: Animation », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Warner Brothers », RumorMonger », Scripts », 20th Century Fox », Comic/Superhero/Geek »



It was just last week that anime fans the world over breathed a sigh of relief that Leonardo DiCaprio's live-action Akira was no more. But, that doesn't mean Hollywood has lost its taste for anime, and there are still plenty of other reboots headed our way. So while most of them have stayed in development limbo, two of the more popular titles: Cowboy Bebop and Robotech have started to make new ground, and some of the people involved are starting to talk.

Cowboy Bebop:
When the live action film of the beloved anime was first announced, fans were not thrilled with the idea. Plus, it probably didn't help that Keanu Reeves was taking the role of Spike. But, maybe we shouldn't count out the film yet, because when it comes to the film's screenwriter, there is good news and some bad news. But, let's start with the good news. In an interview with Anime Vice, Craig was asked about whether or not he was familiar with the series, and to his credit, Craig went into full fan-boy mode, telling them about some of his favorite episodes and that both he and Reeves have been meeting with Sunrise studio (the creator of the anime) to make sure that the original 'feel' of the show remains intact. According to Craig, "they [Sunrise] were very specific about their vision for the series, and how it might convert to a live-action film." -- sounds promising, right? Well, the bad news is that Craig has zero experience with sci-fi, and made his name writing about con-men and dysfunctional families. But, I'm going to remain hopeful that with Sunrise watching over the flick, there might be a chance we get something a little better than expected.

Read the rest over at SciFi Squad

Keanu Reeves: The Next Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Filed under: Classics », Casting », Remakes and Sequels »

Following in the shoes of actors like John Barrymore, Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Matt Keeslar, and Sean Young, Keanu Reeves is going to tap into his dark side. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is getting a modern re-telling, and Reeves is going to star as the iconic character.

No, this is not the Guillermo del Toro picture -- he's got his hands full with Katie Holmes and hobbits. However, it is being made by the same studio (Universal). They must really love the story. As we all know by now, Stevenson's story focuses on a doctor whose science unleashes a darker and more evil side of himself (although I think it was there to begin with -- Jekyll is a damn creepy name). Obviously, this won't be a gender-bending story like Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde, but Universal isn't sharing what it will be, so make your best guess.

Personally, I'm quite intrigued by Reeves as the choice. While I would pick a very subtle and versatile actor like Gary Oldman, they picked the guy who most comfortably settles into the goofy and solemn. Could he really handle the transformation? Weigh in below!

Keanu Reeves Confirmed For 'Cowboy Bebop'

Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Deals », 20th Century Fox », Comic/Superhero/Geek »

If you were one of the many fans out there that was not loving the idea of Keanu Reeves remaking Cowboy Bebop; you might want to brace yourself. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Twentieth Century Fox is officially bringing the beloved anime to the big screen with Reeves attached in the lead. Now if you are a fan of the original show, you can guess just who I'm talking about when I say the lead -- that's right; Reeves will play Spike Spiegel, the interstellar bounty hunter who is *captain of the ship known as The Bebop.

Bebop was the story of a group of bounty hunters set in a time of interstellar travel and astral gates. When a lunar explosion decimated most of humanity, criminals were flung far and wide into the solar system -- enter the rag-tag crew of the Bebop to track them down. Peter Craig has already been tapped to write the script (who only has a few comedy shorts on his resume), but there is no word yet on who is going to direct.

Talk of a live action film has been floating around for a while now, but the press really started to take notice when Reeve's name was attached last summer. When Reeves spoke to MTV about the project earlier this year, most of us knew that the flick had gone well past the talking stage, and the idea of a 2010 release date suddenly didn't seem so unlikely.

So now that we have our Spike, sound off below and tell us who you would like to see fill out the rest of the crew of The Bebop.

*Correction: Spike was not top dog on the Bebop, that honor went to the ship's owner, Jet Black.

Details on David Fincher's 'Chef'

Filed under: Comedy », Paramount », Scripts »

I'm going to try to not blame David Fincher for choosing to work on Chef (a comedy with Keanu Reeves) over the crime flick Ness -- but I'll be real honest with you: it ain't going to be easy. MTV recently spoke with the director, and Fincher finally opened up about the cooking comedy, and provided some tidbits on what he has in store for the flick. Fincher tells MTV that "It's like a celibate sex comedy if that means anything. It's really about the creative process," the filmmaker explained. "It's truly an aromatic art-form, making food. I love that idea. And I love Keanu's passion for that world."

There had been some speculation that Fincher was going to be working on an adaptation of Anthony Bourdain's best-selling memoir Kitchen Confidential, but it looks like Chef will be an original script. Fincher tells MTV, "They decided to go ahead and make 'Kitchen Confidential' as a [television] series. This is an original script that's very funny." There's been speculation that Reeves has been developing this project for some time, and that he might have also written it -- although Michael Kalesniko's name has also been tossed around as the possible writer -- and, as to be expected, the typically secretive Fincher isn't talking.

So even though I consider Fincher a bona fide genius (and hey, I've got nothing against Keanu Reeves), there's just something about Chef that smells a bit funky. It might be the combination of Keanu and comedy, or maybe I just can't see Fincher keeping it light -- and perhaps the idea of a "celibate sex comedy" isn't very ... well, sexy. Hopefully, they're both going to prove me wrong.

Keanu Reeves Talks 'Cowboy Bebop'

Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », RumorMonger », 20th Century Fox », Comic/Superhero/Geek »

The last time news about Fox's live-action version of the classic Anime Cowboy Bebop popped up, it seemed like most fans weren't exactly thrilled with the whole idea. So, I'm awfully curious to hear what they think of Keanu Reeves' latest comments over at the MTV Movie Blog. Reeves recently spoke with MTV about the project and he told them, "We've got the rights, we've got a writer" -- which could lend a bit of truth to the rumors that Fox was fast-tracking the project for a 2010 release.

Bebop premiered in Japan in 1998, and followed the adventures of a group of bounty hunters in the year 2071. The series was renowned for its complex stories and characters, and it's inventive use of classic rock and pop songs in the narrative. Reeves tells MTV that the outline for the film is "currently focusing on the origins of the fictional "Bebop" drug developed by the military, which provides its users with a brief surge of superhuman reflexes and awareness. "We're taking the Red Eye [story], the beginning part of the series, and then we'll deal with the end of the series. We're trying to figure out [the time frame]. We're looking at the story right now" (which, if you know anything about the fractured and complex stories of Bebop, is going to be no easy task).

Review: The Day The Earth Stood Still

Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Theatrical Reviews », 20th Century Fox », Remakes and Sequels »



This may sound silly, but there's no way that The Day The Earth Stood Still would exist today in any sort of proverbial vacuum. To get the most obvious reason out of the way, we wouldn't have the 1951 original to lift from, in which an extraterrestrial visitor advises Earthlings to knock off their paranoid Cold War aggression, or else. Secondly, this incarnation is so transparently indebted to the likes of Twentieth Century Fox's other PG-13 sci-fi actioners, Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, that it's hard to imagine the same studio putting out this film first. Better yet, try seeing this particular re-imagining come about without the success of Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds bolstering the profile of other '50s sci-fi efforts (new variations on Forbidden Planet and When Worlds Collide loom still on the horizon).

No, I'm afraid that it was fated to be that the Earth would stand still once more, albeit in Manhattan instead of Washington D.C., because that's how Roland Emmerich would've done it, and with a robotic threat adjusted from the height of Yao Ming to something several stories taller. Who needs flying saucers when giant orbs will do? And why bother with a pesky still-relevant message against the tolls of war when environmental concerns are all the rage? If anything, TDTESS '08 shares most characteristics with the aforementioned metallic menace: it's sleek, loud and incapable of expressing emotion beyond some big booms.

Keanu Reeves is a Samurai

Filed under: Action », Casting », Deals », Universal »

Keanu ReevesDo you want to see a visitor from another planet wielding a sword? Keanu Reeves, who plays the alien Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still (opening on Friday), will play a samurai swordsman in 47 Ronin, an epic action tale of 18th century vengeance, according to Variety.

Described as mixing elements of The Lord of the Rings (fantasy) and Gladiator ("gritty battle scenes"), the film aims to tell a stylized version of a true story that took place at the beginning of the 18th century in Japan. A group of samurai became ronin (samurai without lord or master) after their master was forced to commit ritual suicide because, after repeated insults to his honor, he assaulted a court official. The 47 ronin eventually avenged the death of their master, even though they knew that they, in turn, would be required to commit suicide. Traditionally, the tale of the 47 ronin has been held up as an example of honor and other noble qualities. The story itself has been told numerous times in movies and television, and it's also served as loose inspiration for many other projects, such as John Frankenheimer's terrific Ronin (1998), with Robert DeNiro.

Keanu's 47 Ronin is being scripted by Chris Morgan, who co-wrote Wanted. Morgan is also the writer of the upcoming Fast & Furious and previously did The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Sakura: Blue-Eyed Samurai, about a 19th century woman training to be a samurai, so he has a track record of projects set in Japan, for whatever that's worth. 47 Ronin intends to start production next year, but a director must be selected first. Whoever else comes on board, this is being pitched as a very, very loose interpretation of the classic tale.

Keanu Reeves to Return for 'Speed 3'?

Filed under: Action », Casting », RumorMonger », Fandom », DIY/Filmmaking », Remakes and Sequels »



I really loved the first Speed movie. You had Keanu before he became Keanu, and Bullock before she became Sandra Bullock -- it was simply a nice, refreshing on-screen duo featuring two actors we didn't quite know yet and a villain played by one we already loved. Speed 2: Electric Cruise Ship Boogaloo? Not so much. And even though the sequel wasn't nearly as successful as the first (partly because the story was absurd, and partly because Keanu was replaced by Jason Patric), folks still talked about a third installment in the series -- so much so that The Guardian even announced last year that Dennis Hopper had a role in it. Weird, I know, considering the ending of the first flick, but who knows what these Hollywood types have up their sleeves.

Which brings us to today and yet another Speed 3 rumor. This time, AICN has received a message from one of their sources that says a scriptment for the sequel is floating around and it reintroduces the Jack Traven character, played by Keanu Reeves. And yes, the studio would like to talk Reeves back into starring. No word on whether Bullock would play leading lady (what else does she have to do?), but something tells me folks would rather Keanu if they had a choice between the two, hence Speed 2: Keanu-less Water Park Nightmare.

What say you? Speed 3 with Keanu? You down for it? And did the film Crank already give us the best possible Speed 3 premise?

David Fincher Directing Keanu Reeves in 'Chef'?

Filed under: Casting », Deals », RumorMonger », Fandom », Newsstand »

It's always fun when some tasty bit of news gets tossed out online, especially when there's only a few tiny little pieces -- like a director, an actor and a title. That seems to be the case with this piece of news, via Production Weekly, who tell us that Sony has picked up the rights for a film called Chef, which will be directed by David Fincher and star Keanu Reeves. That's it. That's all we have to go by. No genre, no premise, no additional cast -- nada.

As far as Fincher and Reeves go, each appears to be available as the former is finished with Benjamin Button and is attached to only direct an animated segment of Heavy Metal, and Reeves just finished The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. The only flick that comes to my mind is the remake of Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe, but the titles are different and it doesn't seem like the kind of project Fincher would direct. So who is this chef? Where does he come from? Tell us more about this movie! If anyone out there has more info on it, definitely let us know.
 

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