Marc Platt Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Will Zachary Quinto Play Gershwin for Steven Spielberg?
Filed under: Drama », Music & Musicals », Casting », RumorMonger », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Dreamworks », Steven Spielberg »
Unlike Captain Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto hasn't gone crazy signing onto action films and franchise characters like Jack Ryan. That probably has something to go with his Heroes commitments, but perhaps he's just picky, or no one has sent him the kind of brawny material they've sent Pine. Or perhaps he was brushing up on his musical skills, because according to Deadline Hollywood Daily, Quinto may be playing the legendary George Gershwin in a biopic directed by Steven Spielberg.A Gershwin biopic would definitely be a quiet, melancholy kind of film. The famous composer studied piano up until the age of fifteen, and left school to sell songs on New York's Tin Pan Alley and briefly worked in vaudeville. His songs, classical pieces, and operas like Porgy and Bess are more striking than his life was, which ended at the tragically young age of 38 due to a brain tumor. But his wasn't the kind of dramatic, crazy life that usually produces biopics so it'll be interesting to see how they handle it.
As you probably know, trying to guess Spielberg's next project has been a twisty sort of game. He's dropped them as fast as we could write about them, and this one could be no exception. But he's reportedly quite eager to get back into the director's chair, and a Gershwin biopic is one of three projects he's very interested in. The project is basically set to go with a script from Doug Wright, with Marc Platt and Michael Feinstein producing. Apparently, nothing is official, but DreamWorks has been prepping Quinto for the role. They've hired accent and dialogue coaches for the actor, and shooting could begin in April. Providing this actually goes before cameras, do you think he'll be a good Gershwin?
Universal Picks Up '2 Guns'
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Deals », Universal », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
I was hoping that Universal was making a movie about me and my two lost Desert Eagles, but no dice. Instead, they've optioned Steven Grant's graphic novel 2 Guns, published by Boom! Studios, who is just optioning comic books left and right.2 Guns is about two thieves, Trench and Steadman, who get it in their heads to rob a local bank. They believe it's a mob bank, and that they'll be ripping off fellow criminals. But unbeknownst to the other, neither man is actually a criminal, they're both undercover cops. But that's not the only crazy secret they uncover, as they quickly realize that their bank heist is a mob set-up to rob the CIA of $50 million.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal is hoping to turn it into a buddy cop picture in the vein of Lethal Weapon and 48 Hrs, but with "a modern spin." (Once again, I feel like I should check myself into an nursing home at the very thought that Lethal Weapon is old and musty.) No director has been attached, but Marc Platt (who's clearly anxious to make even more bullets fly after Wanted) is producing alongside Boom's Andrew Cosby and Ross Richie. No one has been attached to direct or do the script yet.
Boom! has a preview of Grant's comic online -- and maybe I am getting old, because I can barely read the text. Maybe one of you young whippersnappers will have better luck and can give me a proper review. Meanwhile, I'm going to go work on a script about my two lost guns and hope I can sell it to Warner Bros. If I add more violence, it could be a Guy Ritchie vehicle.
Finally! 'Wicked' to Get a Movie Makeover
Filed under: Music & Musicals », Deals », Fandom », DIY/Filmmaking »
It wasn't too long ago that I was talking about how Jersey Boys should be adapted for the big screen. In that same post (and in another one as well), I said how Wicked was one of Broadway's best (if not the best) and yet it still hadn't gone the movie-musical route. Fans of the musical finally have a chance to rejoice, however, because Variety tells us that as part of producer Marc Platt's (Wanted) new, extended five-year contract with Universal, he'll be working on a movie version of Wicked, along with a sequel to Wanted and a remake of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. Here's what Uni's production president Donna Langley had to say about Wicked: "Our goal now is absolutely to make the 'Wicked' film, but much like Judy Craymer wouldn't give up screen rights to 'Mamma Mia!' until the stage show had reached its pinnacle, Marc and Stephen Schwartz are very mindful of the right timing. But we're dying to do it." Wicked, for those not in the know, is based on the best-selling novel about the two witches in the Land of Oz -- Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North -- and is set mostly before The Wizard of Oz, kinda like a prequel. It'd also be an interesting adaptation because there's that fantasy element that hasn't really been present in the last round of movie-musicals; thus, I'll be curious to see how they pull this one off.
What say you? Is it time for Wicked to hit the big screen? Down for Wanted 2? Itching for more Jesus Christ Superstar?
Film Adaptation of 'The Dark Is Rising' Now Has a Cast
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Fandom », Scripts », 20th Century Fox »
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A cast is falling into place for the project that will bring Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series of fantasy books to the big screen. Deadwood's lovable Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) will star, along with Frances Conroy and Alexander Ludwig. First published in the 60s and 70s, the series chronicles a struggle between two opposing forces, known simply as The Light and The Dark. The main character is a boy who learns that he is endowed with special powers that will allow him to do battle against The Dark and must accept training from an old mentor. (Did George Lucas pay someone royalties for this?)
McShane will star as Merriman Lyon, one of the 'Old Ones' who serves as the kid's mentor. The film will be one of the first to be handled under a new joint-venture between 20th Century Fox and Walden Media, and the team bringing it to the big screen includes director David Cunningham, previously known for helming the Path to 9/11 for television, screenwriter John Hodge, who wrote Trainspotting and A Life Less Ordinary (my favorite movie) and producer Marc Platt, whose credits include Legally Blonde, Legally Blonde 2, and the upcoming Untitled Kirsten Dunst Project.
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Full-Length 'Predators' Trailer Debuts
Frankenstein is 100 Years Old! Watch His First Movie Now!
Bryan Singer May Direct 'X-Men 4' and 'Wolverine 2'
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