The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Tagged Articles at Cinematical
If Not Heath Ledger ... Get Jack Black?
Filed under: Casting », RumorMonger »
Casting choices can sometimes be shocking, and if the same character makes it to the big screen more than once, chances are the casting choices will be quite diverse. I mean, we've already had Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Christian Bale as Batman in recent years. But how about Jack Black in place of Heath Ledger?MTV had a brief chat with Gus Van Sant, who is getting ready to bring Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test to the big screen. The director admitted that his ideal choice for Ken Kesey is the late Ledger, but since that can't happen, Van Sant said: "There's the opportunity that it could be Jack Black." But first, he's waiting to get the first draft from screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (who penned the wonderful Milk for Van Sant).
As much as I've gotten used to casting twists, this is about the last replacement I'd ever think of. Jack Black? Really? That just seems silly. And as much as Dustin eases my Van Sant worries (I'm not a fan of his previous Cowgirls and Paranoid adaptations), because Milk was so great, the thought of Black as Kesey does nothing for my hope. If this is the direction Van Sant is leading towards, maybe we should help him out.
Who would you cast for these folks? Ken Kesey. Hunter S. Thompson. William S. Burroughs. Allen Ginsberg. Timothy Leary. Plus, musically-inclined folks like Jerry Garcia, The Beatles, and Jefferson Airplane?
Updates on 'Footloose' Remake and 'Electric Kool-Aid'
Filed under: Music & Musicals », Deals », Remakes and Sequels »
I usually don't heavily rant here on Cinematical, but one of the stories that fired me up was the news that Footloose was getting remade into a cinematic musical with Zac Efron. No, this isn't a remake of the live musical a la Producers, but rather a straight remake from the film. Now, Variety reports that the project is being fast-tracked and could start production this spring. First, however, Peter Sollet (the director of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) is penning a rewrite of Jon Hartmere's script. Then we can watch our beloved '80s classic get Efronized. In the meantime, the songs are being cooked up -- ones that will combine new tunes with some of the old favorites. Yeah, I'm still not sold.In more drug-centric news: It looks like The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, which Gus Van Sant grabbed in June of last year, is still moving forward. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Fox Searchlight has picked up the project. However, they're not sharing any news about when the film will get made or released. Maybe never? Yes, I'm bitter about this project too, but that's just because I was not happy with how he handled Tom Robbins and Blake Nelson's work, so I really don't want Tom Wolfe added to the mix. What do you think? Can Van Sant handle the lives of Kesey and the Merry Pranksters?
Gus Van Sant Drinks 'Kool-Aid', of the Electric, Acid Variety
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Deals », Scripts »
I'm really, really trying to remain positive about this little bit of news. Now, I know that Gus Van Sant was responsible for Drugstore Cowboy and To Die For -- both solidly interesting book adaptations, but he really singed a sore spot into me with Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. I had missed the movie originally, but was determined to see it after reading the book; it wasn't at my local video store, so I ended up over-paying for a copy and regretting it ever since -- and I even like Uma Thurman! Between that experience and James Rocchi's questionable review of Van Sant's Paranoid Park, I just don't know what to think about his next adapted feature -- Tom Wolfe's classic The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.At the very least, this will get him out of the kid rut James spoke of, but does Van Sant still have the chops to pull it off? Could this be anywhere near as good as the adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (which came out a few years after Acid)? Dustin Lance Black (Big Love writer ) is going to pen the script, and the pic will be produced by Richard Gladstein. If you're not familiar with the book, it's Wolfe's attempt to capture, on paper, the drug-addled minds of Ken Kesey (writer of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) and his Merry Pranksters. It follows the group as they drive across country, from California to the World's Fair in New York, in a DayGlo-painted bus while on psychedelic drugs like LSD.
A little background: the rights to Acid Test were bought by Alfred Roven years ago. While filmmakers met with him to try and get the text on-screen, the attempts failed. After his death, Gladstein was introduced to Roven's children and the rights were finally opened to a producer. Why, oh why Mr. Gladstein, isn't Terry Gilliam behind this, especially after Fear and Loathing? Sigh -- what's done is done. Are you excited about this latest adaptation? Or, does it make you want to cower between the pages of Wolfe's writing or hunt wildly for psychedelics to wipe the memory away?
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