In this business, sometimes interviews are scheduled and sometimes they're not. I remember attending a party last year, and while outside at one point I found myself standing next to Paul Haggis. Of course I had nothing prepared, but those of us who do this for a living know it's important to get info when you can, however you can. Something similar happened to Frosty over at Collider, who wound up standing next to director John Singleton while both were waiting for their cars at a hotel valet. Frosty jumped at the opportunity to get the scoop on Singleton's planned A-Team flick, based on the popular TV show, and surprisingly Singleton was willing to offer up some good stuff.

Most importantly, Singleton said he really wants Woody Harrelson for the part of Murdock. During the on-the-spot interview, he noted, "And I don't know who is in the cast yet...but I do know that the only person I want right now is, that I really, really want is Woody Harrelson to play Murdock – the guy who is crazy but he's kind of real smart, a jack of all trades. That's the only person I really, really want." Excellent choice if you ask me, and one I'd really like to see happen. Additionally, Singleton said that they'll be asking all cast members to sign onto multiple films, which means they'd like this one to go the franchise route. Right now, the only other potential cast member is Ice Cube, who's in talks to play B.A. Baracus. As far as tone goes, the director said: "It's not a comic movie farce like Starsky and Hutch, it's kind of in the tradition of the 80's action pictures, the man's movies like Die Hard, Predator, Commando, or even Lethal Weapon – more so than anything else. The action is very serious, but there is humor. That's what we are going for."

I dig it. You can head on over to Collider to read the rest of the interview, which briefly touches upon budget and a few other things. How do you feel about this A-Team movie? Is this the type of film that will come down to its cast, its script -- or is it all a complete waste of time? Sound off below ...

[via Slashfilm]

When Variety first announced (though it had been confirmed earlier) that John Singleton would be directing a big-screen version based on the popular television series, The A-Team, they also mentioned that Ice Cube was in talks to star as B.A. Baracus -- a role once owned (and, some would argue, still owned) by Mr. T. Sure, the man has been busy churning out kiddie fare, like Are We There Yet (and its sequel), but if you ask me Cube is the only guy I see taking on this role, while also making it somewhat believable. He's loosened up a bit, but I'd like to think the dude still has some edge left.

BlackFilm recently sat down with Ice Cube while he was out promoting his latest "comedy" First Sunday, where they asked him about the role of B.A. Baracus. On whether he's considering it: "Hell yeah, especially with John Singleton directing!" On what he would bring to the character: "I wouldn't try to duplicate what Mr. T did, but I will have the same impact on you when you were little watching the TV show. I'm going to bring my own flavor to it and I am going to do the mohawk." Great -- sounds like he already has the role. So does he? "I don't know. They want me to do it if all the business works out right. I was a fan as a kid and that would be, not a dream come true, but it's definitely a good thing to do and I would put it on my resume for sure."

So, Ice Cube with a mohawk? Would Mr. T pity that fool? And who else could you see joining this film?

Though it still hasn't hit the trades (I imagine an official announcement will come tomorrow), BlackVoices has spoken with director John Singleton, and he has confirmed to them that he will indeed direct a big-screen version of The A-Team, based on the popular '80s television series (Latino Review first posted the A-Team rumor earlier this week). IESB also confirmed the news through their sources at Fox. Additionally, Singleton said he will not be directing Executive Order: Six, as previously announced through the trades, and we imagine he'll instead concentrate solely on bringing The A-Team to the big screen ... and not completely pissing off all its fans in the process.

This feature film version has been in development for a long time, and for awhile we never thought it would happen. I mean, how can you re-cast someone like Mr. T? And if you do re-cast Mr. T, then wouldn't it be weird to see someone else acting like Mr. T? I love Ving Rhames too ... but c'mon! According to Latino Review's original post, "Stephen J. Cannell, who created the show, will produce the movie with Spike Seldin. Mark Silvestri will exec produce. Alex Young will oversee the pic at Fox. The new "A-Team" will be updated from the Vietnam era and reflect contemporary issues and politics. Tone of the film will be less cartoony and more serious, in the vein of "Die Hard" and "Lethal Weapon." But the van stays, right? The black van with the red stripe has to stay? And who do you get to play The A-Team? Do they go older (Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames) or younger (Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson) ... or younger and older (Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, Mark Wahlberg and Ving Rhames)? In your opinion, what needs to happen in order for this film to succeed?

Oh, and before you start wondering about casting -- Singleton's last film, Four Brothers, starred both Wahlberg and Gibson. So I'd like to think they'd be his first choices ...

[via Coming Soon]

Of course, the A-Team movie is still very much active. Heck, if Transformers does well, I think that we're going to see a lot more of 80's television on the big screen. As Erik Davis told us last September, Stephen J. Cannell, the series creator, was cooking up the remake and picked some unnamed screenwriter to pen it. Before that, back in 2005, Mark Beall mused about who would or could be cast. The top choices: Bruce Willis as Hannibal, Brad Pitt as Murdoch, Matt Damon as Face and B.A. would once again be Mr. T. Since T still looks the same, it would make sense, right? I mean, you can replace a lot of actors in remakes, but the minute you try to mimic Mr. T, I'm betting that the whole thing will fall flat.

But the mohawk-man himself wouldn't do it without his whole team: "If you ain't gonna have the main guys, like [Dwight Schultz] as Murdoch and the guys that I grew up with, [forget it]." But what about a cameo? I would say that's the worst idea ever. After they finally find a Mr. T replacement, they'd actually think of placing them both in the same film? That sounds like movie suicide to me. Not that it matters anyway -- Mr. T pities the fool who tries to get him in a guest spot: "We don't do cameos! You don't disrespect us, or 'Pow! Pow!'" The icon went on to say: "it's insulting me to ask me to be in it [as someone else]. It's just like my ex-girlfriend saying 'Why don't you come out to dinner with my new boyfriend?' You see what I mean? I am not going to do that." Well, the remake has that going for it. Personally, I'd rather see the old guys all back if anything at all, but if not, I see no way around this Mr. T hurdle. Sure, you could throw in Ving Rhames, but anyone who tries to be The T will just be a weak caricature. Is the movie doomed?

I always assumed that when a studio bought a script on spec alone, it meant that the idea was so great that they just couldn't stand to miss out on it, or that it was a guaranteed moneymaker. The latest purchase by Warner Brothers, however, has me wondering what the big rush was, because if Jayson Rothwell's Invaders is a diamond in the rough, I'm just not seeing it from where I'm looking.

Variety announced that Warner Bros. has bought the spec script by Rothwell for Thunder Road and Pierce/Williams Entertainment to produce. Rothwell has a pretty short resume; he has a script for an Alice in Wonderland re-imagining titled Malice in Sunderland in production and is also on board to write The A-Team big-screen remake.

Invaders is the story of a gang of thieves forced into service for a U.S. government agent to retrieve a sex tape starring the president and the wife of an Arab sheik (yes, we're serious). Now, I know that action flicks don't always rely on the most logical of plot devices but I can't help but think the premise of this one is not only goofy but also downright tacky. I doubt the film is going to win any UN awards, but Warner Bros. seems pretty keen on the idea, so I doubt they'll waste much time getting the film into production.

After sorting through a half-dozen writers (including one who never even watched the original TV show), a big-screen version of The A-Team is slowly taking shape. Series creator Stephen J. Cannell spoke with Empire and provided us A-Team fanatics with a brief update on the film, which probably will not arrive in theaters until at least 2008.

While Bruce Feristein was brought on to pen a draft back in 2004, he has since been replaced by an unnamed writer in the hopes that someone will finally get the damn thing right. Regarding plot, Cannell noted the film will be updated for the new millennium and may focus on recent conflicts in the Middle East. He says, ""I want to create it as taking place today. So the Gulf War could be a great angle. In the original, the A-Team were on the run after robbing a bank under orders just as the war ended. In this, maybe the four would raid Saddam Hussein's bank or whatever."

As far as cast goes, Cannell admitted he would like the original TV cast to play a role in the pic, whether that be behind the scenes or in some sort of brief cameo appearance. Also, he feels Bruce Willis would play a wonderful Hannibal ... and I totally agree. However, how in the world do you replace Mr. T as BA Baracus? Are there any actors out there worthy of taking on the role?