NeilMarshall Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Is Peter Berg Departing 'Dune'?
Filed under: Action », Classics », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Paramount », RumorMonger », Scripts », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »
Last March, the trades confirmed that Peter Berg was the latest director brave enough (or foolish enough) to tackle a new adaptation of Frank Herbert's legendary Dune. News has been scarce since, though just last month Berg was assuring MTV that he was still involved, and that he was trying to crunch Josh Zetumer's 200-page script into something manageable "without offending the purists." Other than some intriguing Robert Pattinson casting rumors, there hasn't been much for fans to really discuss or rant about. But an intriguing story has popped up on Pajiba. Their inside source claims that Berg has dropped out of the Dune remake, and that Paramount is scrambling for a new director. The search is fraught with difficulty for Paramount, according to Pajiba's source. "The search, however, has run into two issues: 1) they're looking for a director who can put the movie together for under $175 million, which sounds manageable, but they don't want anything resembling the crap effects of the '84 film, and 2) they want a director who already has a preexisting passion for the novel and is enthusiastic about the project." But the search has allegedly landed on two splashy newcomers: Neil Marshall and and Neill Blomkamp. Marshall is said to be the frontrunner, championed by producer Kevin Misher. But the studio lukewarm on Marshall's resume and likes Blomkamp, who they feel has the "vision" for the film.
This is all rumor and speculation at this point, and nowhere is it stated why Berg dropped out of the remake. (A schedule conflict would be likely. Berg has one heck of a full plate.) There's also something a little too dreamy about those mentions of Blomkamp and Marshall. I'm very, very curious to see how this little rumor is played out, and if it could lead to a Dune adaptation that's palatable and faithful to Herbert.
The Squad's Horror Virgin Continues Her Descent
Filed under: Horror », Columns »
As a service to our weekend readers, I offer chapter 4 of Elisabeth Rappe's descent into horror cinema madness. For the rest of the pieces, hit HorrorSquad!---
Hey Scott,
I finally have my Internet access again! The cabin was out in the middle of nowhere, and not even the iphone was getting a signal.
The trip hasn't gone so well. When I got to the cabin, everyone was already here, and a bit wasted. I felt a bit out of place – I really only know Rebecca of the bunch, and I haven't seen her since I was in London two years ago, the rest of them I've only met once or twice. Apparently, plans changed while I was on my way out here, and they decided to go caving instead of camping. Everyone's a hardcore climber, and I guess they thought that since I was born and raised in the Colorado Rockies, I must be too. But I told them my only experience with mountain climbing was watching The Eiger Sanction and Cliffhanger. My inexperience pissed off Holly and Juno because, you know, it's all my fault. So, needless to say, I didn't go caving. I didn't even get a chance to really reconsider going, as by the time I got up, they had all left, and there was a note from Juno asking if I'd have dinner ready for when they got back. Even though I was freezing and more than a little depressed at being all alone, I made the most of it, and explored the woods a little bit. It's really pretty out here. It looks just like The Last of the Mohicans.
Anyway, no one showed up for dinner, but I figured they decided to drive into town to celebrate or something. It must have been 9 or 10 when I finally heard the car pull up. Here's where the story gets creepy – no one came in. The car just sat out there, lights on, running. Finally I went outside to see what the hell was up.
Neil Marshall in Talks to Direct 'Predators'
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », RumorMonger », 20th Century Fox », Remakes and Sequels »
My principles may be crumbling, just a little. Neil Marshall (pictured) is in talks to direct Predators, according to Bloody Disgusting, citing an anonymous tipster. At this point, it's very much a rumor -- for all we know, Marshall was visiting a friend in the commissary at 20th Century Fox and was seen in close proximity to an executive -- but of all the possible candidates to helm a sequel to the alien hunter franchise, I'd definitely be down with Marshall.
He has three features to his credit: The Descent is the best and most widely-acclaimed, a feverish nightmare in which a group of women explore a cave and discover deadly denizens, to their dismay. I got a huge kick out of the bloody, funny, pulse-pounding Dog Soldiers, featuring Scottish soldiers on a training run who encounter werewolves, and, though I was decidedly in the minority, really enjoyed the post-Apocalyptic action epic Doomsday. The latter was his first with a Hollywood studio (Rogue Pictures). Upcoming is his "old-style swords 'n' armor action epic" Centurion, which looks promising but doesn't yet have US distribution.
Robert Rodriguez is on board to produce. Predators is already set to be released on July 7, 2010, so Fox will have to make a decision soon. Marshall has always written his own scripts; if this rumor proves to be true, either he'll have to pound out a rewrite in a hurry or take what Fox gives him. Considering the track records of Marshall and Fox, there's reason for both optimism ... and despair.
A Peek Around the Set of Neil Marshall's 'Centurion'
We here at Cinematical have been big fans of Neil Marshall since we discovered the scrappy-yet-slick charms of his Dog Soldiers. And then came The Descent, which most people think is horror brilliance supreme (I sure do), and that one was followed by the "Romero meets Carpenter" action stew Doomsday. So what is Mr. Marshall cooking up next? Our own Jessie Barnes gave us a quick pic from Centurion a few weeks back, but now (thanks to Rotten Tomatoes UK), we have 90-some seconds of footage from the UK / Scotland shoot.The old-style swords 'n' armor action epic (written by Marshall) ponders what might have happened to the legendary "9th Legion," which was widely regarded as the ass-kickenest bunch in the whole of the Roman Empire before they fell off the face of the Earth. Bankrolled by Cloud Nine and Celador, the film hasn't snagged a U.S. distributor yet, but they can probably worry about that when the movie is finished. Thanks again to RT for doling out this video clip. If you'd like to hear just a bit about Centurion from Marshall and his stars Dominic West and Olga Kurylenko, then you don't need to go very far.
First Look: Olga Kurylenko in Neil Marshall's 'Centurion'
Filed under: Action », Images »
.jpg)
I guess Olga Kurylenko has decided to make a career out of playing chicks with an ax to grind. I mean, is it just me or does she have a thing for revenge? In the world of action, women usually have two choices: damsel or butt-kicking femme fatale, and Kurylenko has seemingly found her niche as the ridiculously hot tough chick -- which is just fine by me because unlike some of her co-stars, at least Kurylenko looks like she could take you in a fight. But for those of you out there hoping she would be donning another skimpy outfit for Neil Marshall's ancient action flick Centurion, keep your pants on, because in Empire's first look the gal is all covered up wearing freaky makeup (if I know Kurylenko, however, it won't be for long before she reveals a little skin regardless of this whole Clan of the Cave Bear look she has going on).
Centurion centers on the famed 9th Legion fighting for their lives behind enemy lines after a devastating guerrilla attack, and joining Kurylenko for the hacking and slashing are Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds), who plays the title character, Dominic West, and Noel Clarke. Marshall spoke with Empire during a set-visit and he described Kurylenko's character Etain thusly: "Her family were butchered by the Romans, she had her tongue cut out by the Romans, she's had a hell of a time and she's out for Roman blood." In reality, the 9th Legion were Cesar's most faithful soldiers who were believed to be lost during their stay in Britain while fighting the Scots -- a theory that while the inspiration for plenty of historical novels, has since been debunked. But, true or not, I won't hold it against Marshall, because it probably made for a much more interesting story than the truth.
Centurion is currently filming on location in Scotland, and is expected to arrive in theaters with Kurylenko in all her avenging glory later this year.
An Early Look at 'The Descent: Part 2'
Filed under: Horror », Lionsgate Films », Remakes and Sequels », Images »
.jpg)
No matter what I say, I think most of us out there are never going to believe that the follow-up to Neil Marshall's The Descent could ever live up to the original. But, these latest stills from the sequel certainly make me feel a little better about the whole idea -- well, that and the fact that Marshall acted as a 'hands-on' producer for the flick. Still photographer Ollie Upton recently released a whole whack of still photographs from the flick on his website (check them out below) and it looks like things certainly haven't gotten any better for our heroine since we last saw her.
James Watkins' (My Little Eye) script centers on Sarah Carter (Shauna Macdonald), who has emerged from the Appalachian cave covered in her friend's blood, and borderline catatonic. When she is forced to go back down in the caves to help locate her missing companions, she is haunted by visions of what had happened, and as the rescue party ventures further into the caves, Sarah starts to lose her grip on reality. Of course, you can count on the 'Crawlers' making another appearance, and from then on you know things are going to go bad ... very, very, bad.
The Descent: Part 2 will be released in the UK on May 15th, but so far there have been no dates announced for North America. Stay tuned to Cinematical for any updates on a US release, otherwise, those of us on this side of the pond might have to wait for the DVD.
The Lowdown on 'The Descent 2'
Filed under: Horror », Lionsgate Films », Movie Marketing », Remakes and Sequels »
Usually when an original creator walks away from a sequel, it is a good sign that maybe a sequel isn't the best idea to begin with. Well, that's exactly what happened with the follow-up to Neil Marshall's 2005 horror-hit, The Descent. But it is not all bad news because Shock Till You Drop got the chance for a set-visit, and by the sounds of things it's looking pretty good for our group of traumatized spelunkers. (You can read the about the full visit over at Shock.)The sequel picks up where the first film left off (that is if you are following the events of the North American release of the original film). The story follows the return of a mute and unbalanced Sarah as she heads back down to the caves with a rescue party to locate the rest of her group. Of course, this being the ricketiest cave on earth, the group is soon trapped and left to deal with the nasties down below.
During the visit, Shock spoke with writer James Watkins (My Little Eye) as well as the production designer Simon Bowles. Watkins told Shock that they went to Marshall to "get his feedback and discuss which direction he wanted the story to go, what he thought was good, how we should develop the characters" -- not to mention there was the promise of plenty of more gore this time around, and in the end isn't that what we're paying for? Scott told us back in 2007 that Marshall hadn't completely washed his hands of the whole thing, and would still produce the flick. Well, I guess he's a little more hands-on than expected -- which is probably a very good thing, don't you think?
The Descent 2 will arrive in theaters in 2009.
Original Stars are On Board for 'Descent' Sequel -- Now with Plot Description!
Filed under: Horror », Casting », Lionsgate Films », Fandom », Remakes and Sequels »
Warning: This post contains some spoilers for the original Descent.It's been a while since we've heard anything about the promised sequel to Neil Marshall's The Descent, and fans of the film who rolled their eyes at the initial announcement may have gotten their hopes up. But no: the sequel is still going forward with Descent editor Jon Harris making his directorial debut, and James Watkins (My Little Eye), who had nothing to do with the first film, writing the screenplay. The new info is that Shauna McDonald and Natalie Mendoza, who played protagonists Sarah and Juno, will reprise their roles in the sequel. The cast will also have some Y chromosomes this time around, in the form of Gavan O'Herlihy, Joshua Dallas and Douglas Hodge.
The plot will involve "the survivor" -- that would be Sarah -- "forced back into the system of caves she battled her way out of in the first film, in a bid to locate the rest of her group." Shockingly, this probably means that the sequel will take the American "Lionsgate ending" (in which Sarah gets out) as canon, rather than the original ending, where Sarah's escape is a dream sequence and the final shot shows her remaining in the cave. I suppose this could be explained to overseas viewers (who were, after all, responsible for more than half of the first film's $57 million box-office) by claiming that she got out later, in some other way. But it'll be tough.
Neil Marshall Driving Hugh Jackman
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Casting », Deals », Universal »
Variety reports that Neil Marshall has joined up with Universal to direct James Sallis' novel Drive, with Hugh Jackman attached to star and produce. Jackman will play a Hollywood stunt driver, who brings in a little extra money by driving getaway cars during heists. But he finds himself jolted out of this calm and peaceful existence when a contract is put out on his life.
Marshall has become a really hot property at Universal since Doomsday was released. (Read what our own Eric Snider thought of it here. Scott Weinberg liked it too. ) He was just signed on to direct Sacrilege, a horror movie set in the Old West, which sounds all kinds of cool. He is pretty excited about Drive, and his enthusiasm is very infectious. "This is something I haven't done before, and I've wanted to bring a British sensibility to an L.A. shoot and a scorched classic film noir concept. [Screenwriter Hossein Amini) is a fantastic writer, and he's written three amazing car chases in the film. He's turned them into dramatic scenes as opposed to the usual crash, bang, wallop. I would like to be shooting it this summer."
Scheduling may force Jackman to drop out, but I sincerely hope not. I'm sold at the combination of him and "scorched classic film noir," because it sounds like a great thrill ride -- plus I'm envisioning Jackman as a kinder, gentler Stuntman Mike. But I'm ridiculously easy to please sometimes.
Review: Doomsday
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Theatrical Reviews »
British filmmaker Neil Marshall earned a legion of new fans with 2005's The Descent, a genuinely scary flick that put me, for one, off spelunking forever. And for his next act? An energetic but derivative apocalyptic adventure that Rogue Pictures has unceremoniously dumped into theaters without press screenings or even much promotion.
Being one of Hollywood's Shameful Secrets™ (movies not screened for critics before they open) gives a film a certain stench, and it's too bad that Doomsday is stuck with it. It's not great -- I'm not even sure I'd call it "good" -- but the studios have certainly screened films that were worse. Heck, the studios have screened films that were worse this week (including one whose name rhymes with Mever Mack Mown). Doomsday is perfectly acceptable as a C+ movie, the kind that you don't see on purpose but that will certainly amuse you if you happen to stumble into the theater accidentally.
It begins with florid narration by Malcolm McDowell, who tells us that a horrific virus -- subtly called the Reaper Virus -- wiped out much of England. Then a wall was built to divide the infected northern half of Britain from the clean southern half, and all the sick people up north were left to die in chaos. "Social order decayed along with the corpses," McDowell says.
Black Friday Movie Deals: Best Buy
Sex and Nudity Don't Draw You to the Movies?
What Makes a Real Vampire?
Robert Downey Jr. Wants to Retire?
Jaycee Dugard's Horrific Story to Get a Sleazy Adaptation
_thumbnail.jpg)
