The A-Team Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Another A-Team Cameo Confirmed: Dirk Benedict
Filed under: Action », Casting », RumorMonger », Fandom », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »
Just a few weeks ago, Peter Hall brought you the news that Dwight Schultz, aka the original Howlin' Mad Murdock, had earned a cameo in Joe Carnahan's remake of The A-Team. Obviously, you can't invite Schultz and not invite the rest of the surviving team, and it seems Faceman will also be getting some facetime. According to Dirk Benedict Central, Dirk Benedict will also be appearing in the film in an unspecified role. Remember when this kind of thing stayed secret? I'm not losing sleep over the production of The A-Team or anything, but it makes me nostalgic for the days down the long haul and into history back when you didn't know anything about secret cameos until you were in the dark theater. Then you could nudge whoever you were with and say "Oh my gosh! That's Dirk Benedict! Ha ha!" If you had your head bitten off when you started blabbing about the Zombieland cameo, this is the reason why. People like surprise cameos!
So, who do you think Benedict will be? Bradley Cooper's father? Someone helpful they meet along the way? One of the commanding officers coordinating the task force that's hunting them down? Or will Schultz, Benedict and Mr. T (you know he'll be the next one confirmed) all have a scene together where they hand over keys to the iconic van?
The First Official Photo From 'The A-Team'
Filed under: Action », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Movie Marketing », Remakes and Sequels », Images », War »
We've had a lot of unofficial parparazzi shots of The A-Team and their van, but now you can go into your weekend having seen the real deal, courtesy of Salon Del Mal. Try to contain your excitement, as no one around you is going to understand it. Just keep the joy to yourself, and then when a coworker or friend says "Oh my God, did you see that official photo of The A-Team?", you can talk freely.
In all seriousness (well, as serious as one can get), this photo is kind of creepy. I have to echo Drew McWeeny of HitFix, who declared that Liam Neeson looked like he was wearing a George Peppard Halloween costume. I have to extend that to the entire cast, especially Sharltro Copley as Howling Mad Murdock. With all their talk of going dark and gritty, I expected the cast and crew of this would make this A-Team their own characters. The names would be the same, there'd be a few nostalgic nods, but they'd go in a unique direction. Instead, they just shrugged and made an exact replica of Mr. T. They really do look like a group of dedicated costumers that youd meet at DragonCon.
I don't mean to sound disappointed or negative. I'm not invested enough in the original to mind, and I like the cast Joe Carnahan has assembled. I think this could be fun. Even if it's not, at least I can gaze at Bradley Cooper and his leonine hair which is still very much intact. Never trust those grainy paparazzi images that say otherwise.
Sound off what you think of your official look. A bigger photo is included in the gallery.
New A-Team Set Footage: 'More Muscle, Less Gold'
Filed under: Action », 20th Century Fox », Remakes and Sequels », Trailers and Clips »
Feelings are mixed about The A-Team movie, and Entertainment Tonight's on-set visit doesn't shed a whole lot of light on the plot. Naturally, one of the team members (Bradley Cooper as the old Faceman) and the one lady in the movie (Jessica Biel as Amy Allen) used to date, and there's some undercurrent of drama between them. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, who is taking over Mr. T's star-making role as Bosco Baracus, does sport the Mr. T hairdo (I pity the fool who calls it a hairdon't) but claims there will be "more muscle, less gold." And Bradley Cooper gives us some diet tips."No salt or sugar. That's been greeaaat. I just eat what they put in front of me, but it's a lot of, like, boiled chicken and brown rice and broccoli."
I'm going to go eat a hamburger in his honor.
Two stand-out people they didn't talk to include Liam Neeson and District 9's breakout star Sharlto Copley. I'm very curious to see if Copley can parlay his first role in a big-budget US movie into stardom. I hope so, because I thought he rocked in District 9, as anyone who has ever heard me screech "PRAWNS!!!" in a restaurant can attest.
Did this video make you any more or less excited about the movie? Personally, I'm going with no.
Watch ET's set visit after the jump along with an inspirational YouTube video of Mr. T's song "Treat Your Mother Right." Just because.
'The A-Team' Is Up and Running!
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », 20th Century Fox », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels », Images »
Whenever these first images leak, I can't decide whether to say "Awesome, I love the Internet!" or feel sorry that the process of movie making is laid bare in the first weeks of shooting. While you ponder that, you can also gaze at the second unofficial photo from The A-Team, courtesy of Coming Soon. (The first was the van, remember?) Take your time, the first glimpse of the reassembled team comes only once. You probably thought it would contain blazing guns, or grim determination, but our unknown photographer caught the team looking rather sad. Did B.A. Baracus ever take a moment during the show to just sit down and have a good cry? He should have. They were accused of a crime they didn't commit! They were ostracized from their military comrades. If that's not worth a good, manly breakdown, I don't know what is.
Nevertheless, they look pretty good, don't they? I'm strangely transfixed by their hair. Liam Neeson's is an incredible, glowing shade of silver. Bradley Cooper has sacrificed his leonine mane to the service of Faceman, whereas Sharlto Copley was allowed to keep his. It's just now occurred to me that average moviegoers are probably not going to recognize either one of them, and that The A-Team will lead to them being called overnight sensations for the second summer in a row.
A bigger version of the photos is below. I imagine it won't be too long before paparazzi photos capture a leering look at a uniformed Jessica Biel. The A-Team is scheduled to hit theaters June 11, 2010.
80's Fever: New 'A-Team' Van, 'Karate Kid' Remake Images
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Drama », Fandom », Images »
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Is it just me, or are there any other children of the '80s out there experiencing a strange case of Déjà Vu right about now? As we speak, those brilliant Hollywood innovators are currently churning out remakes and re-imaginings for films like Footloose, The Karate Kid and Red Dawn, while old TV shows like The A-Team are also feeling the big-screen love. And because it's our job to sicken (or, heck, excite?) you on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we've brought with us some bodacious images from The A-Team and The Karate Kid, both of which are now right smack in the middle of production and due out next year.
We'll begin with the first image from off the set of The A-Team (courtesy of Splash News, see above), and, naturally, it's a shot of the new A-Team van, which, thankfully, greatly resembles the old A-Team van. Growing up I had a toy version of the A-Team van (with its awesome sliding side door), but lost it at some point -- so I'm actually looking forward to a potential A-Team van toy comeback, if only to watch my kid play with (and enjoy) something that's so totally mid-80s.
This new version of The A-Team is due in theaters on June 11, 2010, and stars Liam Neeson as John "Hannibal" Smith, , Sharlto Copley as Capt. "Howling Mad" Murdock, Bradley Cooper as Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as Sgt. "B.A." Baracus. Joe Carnahan (Smokin' Aces) directs, and Jessica Biel also stars as a general/love interest on the hunt for the renegade team, while Entertainment Weekly tells us that Patrick Wilson has joined the cast as a CIA operative.
Images and art from The Karate Kid remake after the jump.
Jessica Biel and Sharlto Copley Join 'The A-Team'
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Thrillers », Casting », 20th Century Fox », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels », War »
Once the talks are done and the ink is dry, Joe Carnahan and Ridley Scott will have their The A-Team assembled. According to Variety*, Sharlto Copley (better known as Wikus Van De Merwe in District 9) and Jessica Biel have been enlisted into the cast, which already includes Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.If you know your A-Team, you can probably guess who Copley is playing: Howling Mad Murdock. He was the team's edgy and unpredictable helicopter pilot, always freshly escaped from the mental asylum just in time for an adventure. It was never clear if he was truly mentally unstable and friends with an invisible dog, or if it was all an act. (Somewhere, there is a student who did a paper comparing Murdock to Hamlet, and somewhere a teacher flunked him unfairly.) If you saw District 9, you know Copley is perfect for the part, so there's no need to say anything more other than "That's so cool! May he become a big star!"
Biel's character is actually quite interesting. While she's the "former love interest" of Cooper's Faceman, she's not just the obligatory girl who is only there to remind you that their love is just brotherly. She's actually a general in the U.S. Army bent on capturing our heart-of-gold mercenaries. Will her love for Cooper's blue eyes and just-so hair win her back, and see her actually join the A-Team for the inevitable sequel? Will she always be the villain of the series, finding them just when they think they're safe? We'll know soon, The A-Team begins shooting later this fall in Vancouver, and will hit theaters June 11, 2010.
[*We have to give a shoutout to Blackfilm, who first landed the Copley scoop. Good work, gang.]
UFC Fighter to Play B.A. Baracus in 'A-Team' Movie
Filed under: Casting »
The rumors of casting B.A. Baracus started months ago, but I'm honestly a bit confused as to why it has taken as long as it has for UFC champion Rampage Jackson to be crowned the official replacement of Mr. T in Joe Carnahan's relaunch of the '80s action series The A-Team. He already looks the part, he even acts the part both on and off stage, but most importantly, the man's handle is Rampage. I'm fairly certain fulfilling the role of a soldier of fortune who destroys everything around him and shouts dominating one-liners at anyone who gets in his way was always this man's destiny.And yet the news of Rampage's casting as Baracus still hasn't come from an official source. Instead, the Vancouver Sun has done all kinds of sneaky detective work to put two and two together: On August 19th he was in Vancouver, where the A-Team is filming, to talk to Carnahan and his producers. Now Rampage Jackson is back in town and can be seen signing autographs for fans when not walking around the A-Team set. It's also been learned that he pulled out of an upcoming UFC fight to free up his schedule.
So really, it's not sneaky detective work at all, it's just common sense on the part of the Sun. Then again, it's common sense for the universe to have someone who goes by the name Rampage play a character whose initials stand for Bad Attitude. I'm not trying to downplay the importance of a casting department, who already nailed down Bradley Cooper and Liam Neeson as the biggest tentpoles of Carnahan's elite A-Team, but I'm confident casting anyone but Rampage would have been a metaphysical impossibility.
The Game to Play B.A. Baracus in 'A-Team'?
Filed under: Action », Casting », RumorMonger », Fandom », 20th Century Fox »
Set the bar low enough, and it can only be exceeded. That's how I feel about the upcoming big-screen version of The A-Team, a 80s television series entirely beholden to the staid formula of the day and ripe for reinvention. I didn't hate the series so much as I found it routinely mediocre. My colleague Monika Bartyzel loved the series as a kid, yet still questioned the casting choices that were being entertained: Liam Neeson as Hannibal? Bradley Cooper as Face? Adding fuel to the fire, rapper The Game is being considered to play the role of B.A. Baracus, according to blackfilm.com, which quotes "a very highly reliable source in the entertainment industry."
For me, the only thing that made The A-Team watchable was the bantering between the characters, and the choices so far all indicate that director Joe Carnahan is aiming for a more straightforward action picture, based on a script by Wanted's Michael Brandt and Derek Haas. Which is crazy, like moving Miami Vice to Seattle or transforming the lead character in Get Smart into a fairly bland, somewhat competent secret agent. (Even though the latter still made money.)
The mistake would be in confusing brand recognition with brand loyalty. If you're promising fans of the TV show that you're going to deliver the same thing, only bigger and better, then you damn well better deliver something in the same spirit. I haven't seen The Game's work as an actor (Waist Deep, Street Kings) yet; is he any good? If this rumor is true, could he wear the mohawk of the immortal Mr. T?
Discuss: Are You Happy with How 'The A-Team' is Being Cast?
Filed under: Action », Casting », Remakes and Sequels »
I could never get enough of The A-Team as a kid, because, well, it was one of those shows that was so much better than the damned cartoons everyone else watched. Because of that, I've been keeping a close eye on the whole A-Team remake through its many incarnations. (Catch up here.)
I was pretty psyched in the beginning of the year, all because of the excellent reader suggestions. Jason Lee or Sam Rockwell as Murdock? Both sounded so splendid that I don't think anyone could compete with these choices -- pure perfection. George Clooney as Hannibal? Yes, please. Brad Pitt as Face? Why not? They're not all hugely original choices, but it's quite easy to see each actor sliding into the action-packed world with a sarcastic smile on their faces.
But the casting isn't going according to our early hopes. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Bradley Cooper is in talks to play Face. Cooper is far from a terrible choice, but it just doesn't have that magic. Surprisingly, I say the same for the other casting notice: Variety reports that -- believe it or not -- Liam Neeson is in talks to play Hannibal. I love the guy, but in this instance, my brain just keeps shouting: "No!"
Maybe there's a brilliance to this that I haven't latched onto yet, but as it stands, it all sounds like a misfire. But what do you think? Is Joe Carnahan onto something with Cooper and Neeson, or do you have better choices?
From Captain Kirk to Howling Mad Murdock?
Filed under: Action », Casting », RumorMonger », Fandom », Remakes and Sequels »
There are times when shocking casting twists can work. If studios listened to fans and naysayers, we probably wouldn't have had the fortune of seeing Michael Keaton as Batman. But that doesn't mean that every shocker is a good idea.According to MTV, our illustrious new Captain Kirk wants to fulfill his childhood fantasies and enter The A-Team fold. It seems that Chris Pine really loves the show, and is so keen on being a part of the big-screen adaptation that he's actually talked with his Smokin' Aces helmer Joe Carnahan about the possibility. Any A-Team fan would immediately think: Face -- Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck is the most obvious choice, Pine being a looker and all. But oh no. He wants someone else. He's not crazy enough to tackle a little BA, so that leaves two -- a cigar-chomping leader or a mad man. Pine's choice: "Howling Mad" Murdock: "Murdock is my man. I love Murdock."
I can't fault anyone for loving the show that much, but I don't think anyone would pick him for Murdock. (And wouldn't fandom make you prefer to have the best actor for each part rather than just selfish fantasy fulfillment?) Last time I wrote about the project, you guys had a number of great Murdock possibilities: Jim Carrey, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Jason Lee, Steve Carell, and Bruce Campbell.
Could Chris Pine fit into those ranks? I think not. Just take a look here. If we cute-boy up this feature, we'll get nothing more than a disappointing Dukes of Hazard.
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