MarkGordon Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Let's begin by saying that Josh Brolin can do no wrong, and if there's one man who could be trusted with a John Brown biopic, it's the man who didn't shy away from playing George W. Bush or Dan White. Cinematical caught up with Brolin on the set of Jonah Hex, and he revealed that one of his next projects may be producing and starring in a biopic about the radical abolitionist.

"It's a great, great project. The script was already out there; I read the script, I loved it. It would be a very tough character for me to play. We're going to do some tests once I'm done with this, but it's a great script and story. Somebody who I know, because of Howard Zinn's thing [The People Speak], and I know the character really well. Mark Gordon and I had a conversation, and we said, 'Let's do this, let's get this done.' People have been wanting to do it forever and there's a lot of directors who'd love to be involved, so I think now's the time."

Hopefully, you didn't sleep your way through American history and remember that John Brown was the man who launched a violent raid on Harper's Ferry in a bid to start an armed slave revolt. That was only one of many violent skirmishes he was involved in, and he remains a controversial figure to this day. It's the kind of story just begging to be told on the big screen (why Hollywood continues to reboot and remake the 1980s and 1990s instead of digging up stories from the previous century, I'll never know), and frankly it touches on a historical era that has had a lot of relevance this year. Let's hope it happens.

[via Edward Douglas at ComingSoon for transcribing the quote before the rest of us could get to a computer]

We knew it was coming. With the current trend of adapting '80s cartoons/toys into movies, Voltron: Defender of the Universe was a logical property to bring to the big screen, and we'd already heard that producer Mark Gordon (Talk to Me) was developing something based on the series for awhile (and it wasn't Cloverfield). Thanks to the enormous success of Transformers, though, the project now has the interest of 20th Century Fox, whose New Regency wants to put the project on the fast track. As we've previously known, Justin Marks, who is also penning the new Masters of the Universe and Street Fighter movies, is working on a script. So far, the only thing revealed about Marks' plot is that Voltron will be set in post-apocalyptic New York and Texas following an alien attack. To defend the Earth, five "ragtag" survivors get together to pilot different-colored lion-shaped vehicles, which unite to form a giant robot.

Personally, I always preferred the Voltron made up of vehicles, even before the lion-comprised version started reminding me of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. But then, my preference had more to do with the toys than the cartoon, because I really liked toy cars -- especially transforming toy cars. I doubt I ever saw the vehicle Voltron (aka Voltron of the Near Universe) on TV. Maybe if the first Voltron movie does well, they can add the other Voltrons to the sequels (obviously Fox wants a franchise). Would that even make sense, though? Also if this is successful, I'd like to see the following giant robot movies made: Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots: The Movie; a remake of Robot Jox; a new Ultraman; GoBots; Robotech; Gundam. And I'm still missing a lot of other great anime that could be adapted.

We should pray that Fox doesn't simply want to cash in on the Transformers popularity by doing this half-assed and cheap. The effects need to be as good as those in Michael Bay's blockbuster. Also, the thing needs to be as entertaining; there should be a young cast as enjoyable and talented as Shia LaBeouf, not just some hot faces and bodies who would be more appropriate on a soap opera. And I'll just throw this out there: the third act should be less confusing than Transformers. Just because it looks cool and thrills and entertains us, that doesn't mean we have to blindly ignore logic and reason (maybe I'm just an idiot, but I still don't know why Transformers' climax takes place in a metropolis -- and I haven't found anyone to explain it to me, other than "for more damage").

They might have looked like a bunch of "squares," but The Beach Boys were one of the most influential groups of the 1960's. The legend of founder Brian Wilson and his breakdown has been fodder for both musicians and filmmakers alike, but it was always in the hushed tones of gossip and veiled references. Now Wilson has gotten in on the act and has made a deal with producer Mark Gordon for his life story. Variety reported that Wilson has teamed up with David Leaf, who directed the Wilson documentary Beautiful Dreamer; Brian Wilson And The Story of SMiLE, and they're putting together a package including rights to use Wilson's music for the film.

The story of Wilson's confinement by his shrink/guru Eugene Landy has almost become a rock-and-roll urban legend. His isolation combined with stories of Wilson's troubled relationship with his father, drug issues and mental health problems, there's a lot of ground to cover. The timing couldn't be better -- look at the success of films like Ray and Walk The Line at the box office. And don't forget the probable Oscar nomination for any actor who gets the part (troubled musicians seem to be a guarantee of a nod it not the win itself). The project is still looking for a writer so it looks like we're going to have to wait for a while for the finished product.

[via ComingSoon.net]