Rome Tagged Articles at Cinematical
'Rome' Movie Moves From Rumor to Reality?
Filed under: Action », Drama », RumorMonger », Scripts », Newsstand », War »
Remember a little story we ran back in December where Rome writer Bruno Heller revealed plans to bring the series to the big screen? According to Ray Stevenson and MovieWeb, it's actually gone from "a smoke and mirrors rumor" (his words) to something that's actually happening: "The script is in full development. As you are probably aware, this is a pretty strange process. We could go into production in a year, or it could be as quick as six months. Who knows? It will happen. At least it is no longer a rumor. From what I have heard, they are nearing the end of script development. We shall see. We shall see."Granted, scripts are written every single day and never ever filmed, but they're supposedly eying a release date of 2010. Even without Heller's script in hand, Stevenson is aboard and ready to play Titus Pullo again. "I can't wait to dust off the cobwebs of old Pullo. The guy is going to come in with a high body count. I love Pullo. I love him to pieces. I had such a great time playing him. And I got to do it in Italy and Rome. He is very special to me. He is a very special part of my history. I was very blessed to get that part."
I would love it if this became a reality, but I'm perplexed as to what it would tackle historically, as the rest of Augustus Caesar's reign was relatively calm. Titus Pullo could certainly help expand the Empire (and the gory mischief he would get into would be a movie in and of itself) but it would lack the political punch of the series. Perhaps they can fudge the years a bit (hey, it's Hollywood history) and put Pullo in Palestine after all ...
A 'Rome' Movie? Hail, Caesar!
Filed under: Action », Drama », Deals », RumorMonger », Scripts », Newsstand », Religious », War »
Maybe all roads do lead to Rome. According to The Hollywood Reporter and creator Bruno Heller, there's actually talk of continuing the brilliant HBO series on the big screen to wrap up all the historical loose ends caused by the series' abrupt cancellation. (Something which HBO now thinks was a big mistake. Between that and passing over Preacher, they're rather low in my esteem right now.)Heller admits the talk is, at the moment, just talk. "It's moving along. It's not there until it is there. I would love to round that show off." Heller wouldn't discuss movie plot plans, but the next step for Rome was Augustus Caesar having to deal with a certain carpenter from Judea -- with a twist typical of the series.
Fans of the show will probably weep a little at Heller's unrealized plans -- Lucius Vorenus' off-camera fate wasn't as definite as we might have thought, and we would have gotten a whole season of Egyptian debauchery. "I discovered halfway through writing the second season the show was going to end," Heller said. "The second was going to end with death of Brutus. Third and fourth season would be set in Egypt. Fifth was going to be the rise of the messiah in Palestine. But because we got the heads-up that the second season would be it, I telescoped the third and fourth season into the second one, which accounts for the blazing speed we go through history near the end. There's certainly more than enough history to go around."
A Rome movie is probably nothing but a dream -- anything more than a whisper, and it will vanish, it is so fragile. But cancellation is no longer a death knell, and while they can't give me back the lost season of Antony and Cleopatra, I'm always up for more bread and circuses.
James Purefoy Signs as 'Solomon Kane'
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
While everyone was busy fighting over the rights to Conan the Barbarian, another Robert E. Howard property has been quietly chugging along toward production. Variety reports that James Purefoy (Rome) has signed to star in the adaptation of Solomon Kane. The story focuses on a 16th century swordsman who has been cursed because of his bloody past. Kane vows to never fight again, until he is forced out of retirement to battle evil just one more time -- so I guess, in this cast, he really would be "too old for this s**t". The film underwent a personnel change last year when Michael J Basset (Wilderness) was hired to write and direct with no mention of the film's previous producers, Don Murphy and Gregg Hoffman. Kane will now be a joint production between Wandering Star and Davis Films (Brotherhood of The Wolf) and according to Variety, the producers are planning on a trilogy.When Purefoy's casting was announced, Basset told ComingSoon.net, "Purefoy's ability to embody Kane's complex heroism, struggles and failings as he wages a mortal battle, made him the perfect modern hero in this epic fantasy". Like so many other English actors, Purefoy started his career with The Royal Shakespeare Company, so the man knows his way around a period piece. His face might ring a bell as 'The Black Prince' in 2001's A Knight's Tale with Heath Ledger. Purefoy was most recently on HBO's Rome as the famous Marc Anthony, but this summer HBO announced that the show was on its final season. Once Purefoy finishes his commitments for two upcoming TV projects, he will have plenty of time to start work on Kane.
The Mayor Of Rome Is Getting Into The Movie Business
Filed under: Documentary », Foreign Language », Music & Musicals », Thrillers », Deals », Cinematical Indie »
Roman mayor Walter Veltroni doesn't seem to be your run of the mill public servant. He lunches with celebrities, writes best-selling books and has even done some cartoon voice work.Variety announced that Veltroni has made deals for film versions of four of his books; three features and one documentary about Africa have been planned for 2007. The first will be the doc God Isn't Feeling Well and is based on Veltroni's own diaries during a trip to Africa. Veltroni's collection of short stories Senza patricio, which is set in Argentina, was also optioned and will be directed by Gianni Amelio. Other projects include a biography of Italian Jazz great Luca Flores (who played with Chet Baker) with Kim Rossi Stewart in the lead and a thriller about international terrorism based on the best-seller La scoperta dell'alba. There have been some grumblings that Veltroni uses a ghostwriter for his books, but Veltroni (a former editor of the lefty Italian daily L'Unita) claims the books are entirely his own creation.
Luckily Veltroni says he is an insomniac -- which is a good thing -- because between his new career in the movie business and his political ambitions, it looks like he is going to be a busy man in the new year.
Fill-in-the-Blank: Tuesday, April 18th 2006
Filed under: Tribeca », Podcasts », DIY/Filmmaking », Tom Cruise », Movie Marketing », Politics », Remakes and Sequels », Fill-In-The-Blank »
Today on the 'cast: various
Men o' God use Easter sermons to speak out against Tom Hanks' new
haircut; Mission:
Impossible III goes global, and Mel Gibson falls victim to global warming. And have you voted for your favorite
name for the podcast yet? Do it!
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Hosts
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Music
Love as Laughter - I'm
a bee
Format
4:51, 27.4 MB
Program
00:00 -
What better way to celebrate Easter than protesting the Da Vinci Code?
02:00 - Apolcalypto
delayed till Winter
02:57 - Impossible possibly (actually, for sure) debuting in Rome 10 days prior to
Tribeca premiere
03:57 - Kodak bumping up the price of film
Rome vs. Venice: festival death match?
Filed under: Newsstand »
With at least one film festival in every city these
days, it should come as no surprise to learn that Rome (Italy, not Georgia) is planning a brand-new film festival starting in
October this year. Watching films in Rome in the fall sounds pleasant enough...unless you're involved with the ailing
Venice Film Festival - the world's oldest - which takes place in September. Rome's mayor claims that the two film
festivals will not be competing for funds, films, or audience members but should be able to work hand-in-hand to grow
together. Personally, I can't imagine celebs and festival attendees traveling to one Italian city one month and a
different one the next, unless they already lived in nearby parts of Europe.However, the mayor has that covered too. He says the Rome festival will focus on more "popular" films, with a jury comprised of non-celebrity filmgoers, as opposed to Venice's more "high-brow" programming. In other words, there shouldn't be much overlap. Unfortunately, the Venice festival is so short on money that it may not be able to continue at all, and scheduling a second festival nearby, less than a month later, could further jeopardize its survival.
Which would you prefer: Venice in September or Rome in October? That's assuming you could afford to jet over to Italy at all in the autumn months. I notice that Rome's festival dates overlap with Austin Film Festival, which is practically in my backyard, so you know where I'll be. (Hint: not Venice, unless someone else is paying.)
Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...
Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 11/24_thumbnail.jpg)
Exclusive 'Nine' Poster Premiere!
Exclusive: Title Track for 'The Road' Soundtrack
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