PhillipNoyce Tagged Articles at Cinematical
WB Picks Up True Life Yakuza Story
Filed under: Drama », Thrillers », Deals », Warner Brothers »
It's kind of funny to think that with all the organized crime films made over the years, you can probably count on one hand the ones set in the hyper-violent world of the Tokyo underworld. Luckily, Warner Bros. (and VP Dan Lin) are helping to address this oversight, and have purchased the film rights to Robert Whiting's Tokyo Underworld: The Fast Times and Hard Life of an American Gangster in Japan. The true-life crime tale was published in 2000 and detailed the taped conversations between Whiting and a gangster by the name of Nick Zappetti. Zappetti came to Japan with occupying US forces after WWII, but stayed on to make a fortune on the black market. After a failed stint as a wrestler (and a botched diamond heist) Zappetti was deported, but returned illegally in the mid-60's to open a pizza place. For the next 15 years, Zappetti's place became the center of Tokyo's nightlife, and an integral part in the Yakuza's rise to power.
VP Dan Lin was given the book on a trip to Tokyo, and as luck would have it, the rights were up for option after the project had lapsed over at Dreamworks. WB wasted no time and hired Frank Baldwin to adapt the book for the screen. Baldwin already has the true-crime flick on the burner; The Art of Making Money with Philip Noyce for Dreamworks, but that project is still a long time coming.
Tokyo Underworld would seem to have it all: a dedicated producer who was responsible for one of the better gangster films of the last 20 years and great source material. As soon as WB lands their director everything should be on track -- might I suggest Martin Scorsese? After all, he was denied a Yakuza film once before, I think he's probably earned one of his own.
News Round-Up For Thursday, July 24
Here's a round-up of today's news:- Jamie Kennedy is going to produce an indie called In Northwood, which stars Nick Stahl as a man condemned to a mental hospital after committing murder. THR
- Cocaine Cowboys has picked itself up a scribe -- gonzo journalist and screenwriter Evan Wright. THR
- Everyone's favorite pot-smoking Jay, aka Jason Mewes, has nabbed a starring role in the indie slasher flick Silent But Deadly, which shoots in Ontario next month. Variety
- Phillip Noyce, meanwhile, is going to hit the plank and write the remake of Captain Blood. THR
- Check out Jennifer's blood-dripping lips, which just so happens to look like a certain television poster that was released recently. JoBlo
- Get ready for Robot Chicken: Star Wars: Episode 2! Coming Soon
- Posters: The Day The Earth Stood Still and Max Payne
Cruise Might Skip Playing President and Play a Spy Instead
Filed under: Action », Casting », Deals », Tom Cruise »
We reported several weeks ago that Tom Cruise was all but confirmed to play the U.S. president in The 28th Amendment, a thriller that was to be directed by Phillip Noyce and co-star Denzel Washington. But now Variety has delivered a hold-your-horses on that story, saying Amendment is being set aside in favor of something else: an espionage thriller called Edwin A. Salt.This one will star Cruise as a CIA agent accused of being a traitor. He has to go on the lam long enough to clear his name, find the real bad guy, etc.; you know the drill. The film has been in the works as a star vehicle for Cruise for some time, with Terry George and Peter Berg at various times attached to direct it. (The screenplay was written by Kurt Wimmer, author of the recent flop Street Kings.) Now it looks like the reins will go to Noyce, who previously made the action flicks Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger.
The 28th Amendment sounds fine, and no doubt it will still get made with a different director and co-star for Denzel. But I really like the sound of Edwin A. Salt. Noyce is a very solid director, with 2002's double-whammy of Rabbit-Proof Fence and The Quiet American still looming large in my memory, and he's generally made serious, respectable films (Sliver notwithstanding). We don't know yet how Cruise's troubled Valkyrie will turn out, but Edwin A. Salt -- a heroic role guided by a smart director -- could be a wise move for his next project.
Tom Cruise in Talks to Play President in '28th Amendment'?
Filed under: Thrillers », Casting », Warner Brothers », RumorMonger », Tom Cruise »
Luckily for Tom Cruise, the latest rumors surrounding him have nothing to do with Valkyrie -- for once, there's some good news for the much-maligned movie star (a round of applause, please, if you will). Yesterday, Moviehole confirmed reports that Cruise is in talks to star as the US president in Philip Noyce's DC thriller, 28th Amendment -- and according to their sources, an official announcement will be made as soon as the paperwork has been completed.Cruise would star opposite Denzel Washington as President Ben Cahill. Tom Cruise as President? Really? Plot follows the adventures of a commander-in-chief who learns that he has no real sway at the White House after uncovering a secret organization (run by Washington) that has been the 'power behind the throne' since WWII. Unfortunately for Cahill, this group has no qualms about bumping off presidents (grassy knoll, anyone?) and as he starts to put the pieces together, he becomes the next target -- which will probably give Cruise plenty of opportunities to show off that run of his.
Ryan Gosling Will Be the New Jack Ryan?
Filed under: Action », Casting », RumorMonger », Remakes and Sequels »
Back in November of 2006, I blogged about how Phillip Noyce, director of Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, had heard that Paramount was going to use the Jack Ryan character in stories not written by Tom Clancy, because of some legal loophole. Now, all these months later, there's more scoop. Noyce just talked with Moviehole and claims that while neither he nor Harrison Ford is returning to the world of Jack Ryan, there is, indeed, a film in the works -- a film starring Ryan Gosling.This comes from the man himself, after Moviehole posted a story that Harrison Ford could be returning to the franchise. Now, this is just what he's heard. Since Noyce isn't involved, this is far from concrete, but it sure puts an interesting spin on things. As you can tell from the last time I wrote about this whole thing, I'm not a big fan of taking characters and running wild with them outside of the author's context. On the other hand, Ryan Gosling is a flipping great actor, and I'd probably check him out in just about anything -- even (or especially) a Breaker High reunion.
But that's just me. What do you think? Can Ryan Gosling pull off Jack Ryan?
Rachel Weisz and Colin Farrell Will Make Dirt Music
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Romance », Casting », Cinematical Indie »
Depending on your point of view, if you were a fan of Tim Winton's novel Dirt Music, you were either crushed or relieved when casting fell apart for the big screen adaptation last November. The first casting change came when Nicole Kidman left the film and was replaced by Rachel Weisz. Then, Heath Ledger dropped out of the project to focus on his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. It would seem that everything is now back on track for the film, since Variety has reported that Colin Farrell has taken over from Ledger to co-star with Weisz in the Outback drama.
The novel centered on the relationship between a middle-aged alcoholic single mother and a local poacher, set against the backdrop of rural Australia. Philip Noyce, who also helmed To Catch A Fire and The Saint (although I'll try not to hold that against him) is directing and also co-producing the film. Shooting is set to begin this August in North Western Australia. You can't help but notice that there is a touch of a "Hollywood makeover" at work when the role of middle-aged alcoholic is transformed into Rachel Weisz and a grizzled bushman turns into Colin Farrell.
The Faux Return of Jack Ryan
Filed under: Action », RumorMonger », Remakes and Sequels »
Oh, the plight of the writer, who exists so low on the
Movieweb has reported that Phillip Noyce, director of Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, has heard that there are plans to bring Jack Ryan back to the big screen. The loophole allows
Why bother? Sure, Harrison Ford's Jack Ryan was a box office success, but that was as part of the film versions of Clancy's novels. If you have to go to all the effort to create a new story for an old, established character, why not just use that creativity to write up someone new? In any medium, once the original creator's vision exits stage, the audience starts murmuring sounds of protest. Eh, forget it. We should just throw all the classic icons into new settings, and I'm not talking about super heroes. How about Raskolnikov in a new college comedy, or a dead Emily Webb in a ghostly thriller?
TIFF Interview: Catch a Fire Director Phillip Noyce
Filed under: Drama », Romance », Thrillers », Telluride », Universal », Festival Reports », Interviews », Toronto International Film Festival »
Phillip Noyce's political-apartheid thriller, Catch a Fire, tells the tale of real-life hero Patrick Chamusso (Derek Luke), a foreman at an oil refinery, falsely accused of sabotage amid the political heat of the rise of the African National Congress (ANC). After he and his wife are interrogated and tortured at the hands of Nick Vos (Tim Robbins), a colonel in the Police Security Force, and his men, the previously apolitical Chamusso, who had always toed the line of apartheid, leaves his beloved family to fight against apartheid with the ANC. Noyce sat down with James Rocchi during the Toronto International Film Festival to discuss his film. You can download the video here ( 20MB, 9:49 minutes) or watch it over on Netscape.
Weisz, Ledger Getting Dirty
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Casting », Newsstand », Cinematical Indie »
After the success of Rabbit-Proof Fence, Aussie director Phillip Noyce (who, in his non-indie moments, used to hang out with Jack Ryan) immediately went searching for another, Australia-based story to bring to the screen. He quickly settled on Dirt Music, a Booker Prize-nominated novel by Tim Winton, picked up the rights, and started the arduous task of signing stars who can both act and attract investors with the sparkly trail of Hollywood stardust they trail behind them. And, according to Variety this morning, Noyce's quest is almost at an end: He's got Rachel Weisz and Heath Ledger just inches away from signing on the dotted line.Though Variety describes Winton's novel as being a two-character story, a look at Amazon reveals there are actually three people involved, which makes it hard to be sure exactly who Ledger is negotiating to play. The story takes place in "a remote fishing village in Western Australia," and was described by Publishers Weekly as "a tale of three characters' perilous journey into the Australian wilderness in efforts to escape and atone for their pasts." Oh good -- so it's uplifting. Weisz will play a former nurse who likes to both take risks and drink (a lot), while Ledger will be either the widowed lobster fisherman with whom she ends up living (in an arrangement that sounds more like roommates than romance) or a fish poacher in the village "who breaks the law to keep his mind from tragic memories." It's the latter character (his name is Luther, for the curious among you) who gives the story its name: His family (all of whom seem to be dead) once played country blues, AKA dirt music. Got all that?
Production on the film is entirely dependent upon Noyce's ability to track down financing, so it'll likely be quite a while before we get to see it.
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Alec Baldwin Becomes Latest to Threaten Retirement
The First 'Iron Man 2' Poster Appears!
The Return of Jessica Alba?
Now 'New Moon' Prevents Skin Cancer!_thumbnail.jpg)
Discuss: Who Would be the Most Profitable Director if ...
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