a-team Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I'm not going to pretend like I had any kind of a reaction to the initial news that Joe Carnahan was remaking The A-Team. I have no sentimental attachment to the original show from the '80s, nor do I have much affection for Carnahan's filmography. That said, once the film cast Liam Neeson, 'Rampage' Jackson, Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley as its crew of wrong war vets doing good while on the run, I was in. However, those who weren't too fond of the news of yet another pop culture staple getting re-manufactured by Hollywood might like to know that the original "A-Team" will be popping up in the reboot.

Well, at least one of them will. The Official Dwight Schultz Fansite is reporting the actor, who played the original 'Howling Mad' Murdock, has been on location in Vancouver filming his undisclosed role in the picture, which will be out in June of 2010. They're giving no hints as to who Schultz is playing this time around, but they have relayed his take on the District 9 star filling the same shoes he once did, "Sharlto Copely, the South African actor who plays Murdock, is according to Dwight: 'brilliant beyond words'. Dwight has seen his screen test and he stated: that honestly, if Sharlto is given an opportunity to do what I saw in that test, "Murdock" will be better than ever!"

That should be a sigh of relief to fans who were worried about the handling of their beloved characters. There's no mention if any of the other originals will pop-up in the new A-Team. George Peppard, who first played Liam Neeson's Hannibal, passed away in 1994, but Dirk Benedict and Mr. T could still join Schultz on screen. What say you fans of "The A-Team"? Would you like to see the remaining crew cameo or are they better left confined to '80s nostalgia?

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?

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.

You might have noticed that The A-Team news front has been pretty quiet lately. Back in March, the film got a June 12, 2009 release date, but that was it -- no cast, no news, no nothing. Now Variety reports that the film's release has been pushed back to June 2010 and that director John Singleton has left the project due to the studio wanting more rewrites on the script. I guess this gives them more time to figure out who, exactly, will make up this cast. Mr. T's pretty handy with computers, hacking into WOW and the like. Maybe he could save the day and get this beast moving forward!

When it comes to finding the right actors for a project Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, one should look no further than Mr. Crispin Glover. And yup, The Hollywood Reporter tells us Glover has indeed signed on to play the freaky Knave of Hearts. Seeing as the film will be a cross between live action and performance-capture -- with the Wonderland stuff most likely dabbling in the latter -- it would appear Glover is heading back to familiar territory following his work in the performance-capture flick Beowulf.

Finally, a British film has scored one heck of a sweet cast. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Cillian Murphy, Jim Broadbent, and Brendan Gleeson are starring in the comedy thriller Perrier's Bounty, which focuses on "three unlikely fugitives on the run from a gangster kingpin." Unfortunately it doesn't look like these three are the exact trio (which is unfortunate). Murphy will play the lead, Broadbent will play his long-lost father, and Gleeson will play Perrier.

Great, now I have that damn theme song in my head. A big-screen A-Team movie had been rumored for awhile now, with series creator Stephen J. Cannell championing the project for the past few years. Last we heard, some unknown writer had been tapped to throw together a script, and now Latino Review reports the new and improved A-Team flick might have snagged a director: John Singleton. Oh yes. Because when you can't remake Boyz in the Hood, you settle for the next best thing -- a group of guys in a kickass van who go around blowing sh*t up. I pity the fool who thinks this is a bad idea.

But don't think you'll be getting a lot of the cheese from the old show. Cannell has said that he wants to update the A-Team, and instead of all of them being Vietnam vets, they'll most likely be vets of the Iraqi war (or the writer's strike ... or something). And it'll be darker in tone; people will actually die in this film, unlike the TV show. LR says it will be in the vein of Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. Okay, so will we see any cameos from the original cast members? As recently as this past May, Mr. T body-slammed the idea of a cameo, as only Mr. T would. He said, "We don't do cameos! You don't disrespect us, or 'Pow! Pow! 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." Aside from A-Team, Singleton just signed on to direct the oddly titled Executive Order: Six. We're not sure whether one will come before the other, or if this rumor is any true, but we might as well start debating: Who would you like to see in the new A-Team movie. For ideas, check out our dream cast, including Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.

Now that we know what this whole Hollywood strike is about, a new list has been circulating which details all of the films (and their directors) the various studios and production companies have fast-tracked. Not all of these films will wrap production by June 1, 2008, but it does give us a clear indication as to which movies are taking priority. Interestingly enough, the list also confirms some details that (as far I can recall) weren't previously known -- for example, Guy Ritchie is directing a remake of The Dirty Dozen? For real? Another fascinating tidbit is that Fox lists the A-Team as one of their top priorities, however I thought that flick was stationed way toward the bottom of development hell. Also on that list for Fox is Used Guys, directed by Jay Roach -- although we were told production had stopped due to scheduling problems. Is it back on?

Some other stuff worth pointing out: Dimension lists Eli Roth's Cell as a pre-strike priority, even though Roth has said the script still isn't done and that it may be awhile before the film takes shape. They're also fast-tracking a Porky's remake, with no director currently attached. You superhero fans should be happy to know that both Magneto and Wolverine are on the list, as well as Justice League, Thor and Punisher II. Those that love Martin Lawrence in a fat suit, well, they're fast-tracking a Big Momma's House 3, without a director attached. And hey, Fletch Won is on there too -- with Steve Pink at the helm. Random sequel time: The Birdcage 2? Really? There's a bunch of untitled stuff on there (including one from Cameron Crowe and one from Jon Favreau), so who knows how many of these will manage to get things going in time. Regardless, it's a good chance to see what the next year will look like at the movie theater. I've included the full list after the jump (courtesy of FilmJunk); let us know what you think.