andrew niccol Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Did you even know that Stephenie Meyer has another series that does not deal with sparkly vampires? It's called The Host, and sadly no, it's not about large, killer tadpoles that have to be brought down by a weird and dysfunctional family. Instead, it's about an alien race whose souls have taken over the planet, inserting themselves into their human hosts by erasing their minds and taking over. But there's a girl named Melanie Stryder who is not so willing to let the aliens take over her mind, and this Wanderer starts feeling what Melanie does, and wants "to locate the last pocket of surviving humans on Earth." Oh yeah -- and it's an adult novel.

Variety reports that producers Nick Wechsler, plus Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz, ponied up their own money to grab the screen rights to Meyer's novel, and have tapped Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, The Truman Show) to write the script and direct the feature. Turns out, Meyer had been refusing bids for The Host, but was charmed by "a significant offer, a strong vision for the project, and a collaborative spirit." It helped that Niccol was involved. It seems two of her top 5 sci-fi films are Truman and Gattaca.

Get prepared, Con geeks. If this does even half as well as Twilight, you can bet your bottom dollar that her presence at ComicCons will continue to grow. I mean, she's got vampires and aliens -- she's just one technopunk or wizard away from full-on geek love.

Think The Host will have the same impact as Bella and her supernatural creatures of the night?

For all that I Am Legend imploded with that awful doctored ending, it was actually really interesting for a while -- mostly because both Will Smith and director Francis Lawrence were willing to go surprisingly far in suggesting that isolation had actually driven Smith's Robert Neville to no-kidding insanity. It's the kind of bold move that can make an otherwise frivolous summer blockbuster into something special.

It's promising, then, that Lawrence and Smith are looking to team up on a project that reads like one enormous bold gesture. The City That Sailed, which Lawrence has signed on to direct and develop for Smith to star in, is about a father and daughter who live on different continents, he in New York and she in England -- until the daughter's wish for a reunion is granted in the form of the island of Manhattan breaking off from the U.S. seaboard and carrying dad across the pond.

I have a few obscure heroes in show business. One of them, as I note here from time to time, is Vincenzo Natali, best known for Cube, but also for an awesome little techno-thriller called Cypher, an offbeat, surreal comedy called Nothing, and the forthcoming Splice (which I would commit atrocities to see right now). He shares my fascination with the unknown and otherworldly, and expresses it on the screen in unfailingly creative and intelligent ways. Another example along the same lines is Don McKellar, whose Last Night is one of the most perfect little movies I've ever seen (though his participation in last year's godawful Blindness shall not go unpunished).

A third hero of mine is Andrew Niccol. I didn't think much of Lord of War, but all of his other projects have been conceptually brilliant in ways that are very much on my wavelength: The Truman Show (which Peter Weir directed from Niccol's screenplay) is probably my favorite film of the 90s (though that changes from week to week); Gattaca is deservingly becoming a sci-fi classic; and Simone is tragically underrated. He's smart, he's careful, and he has a wonderful imagination. Oh, and his just-announced next project, The Cross, is destined to rock my world.

The good parts keep coming for Cillian Murphy. The Hollywood Reporter tells us he will officially be starring opposite Al Pacino in the film adaptation of Dali & I: The Surreal Story. The book Dali and I was originally written by Salvador Dali's (you know, the guy who paints things that melt?) real life protege Stan Lauryssesn, who Murphy will portray in the film. The movie concentrates on the span of twenty years in Dali's life where he was already an established iconoclast in the surrealist world, and his eccentricities in both personality and appearance drew more attention to him than his work. Throughout these years is when Dali (Pacino) met Lauryssesn (Murphy), an art dealer and artist who looked to Dali as a mentor.

Bio pics are such a tricky genre of film. I definitely have my favorites (In Pollock, Ed Harris and Marcia Gay Harden were brilliant!) and ones I hated (Frida was beautiful, but like so many others it packed in every life detail, forgetting that the audience has no time to care about the person on screen.), but I'll give them a fighting chance before I see each film. I'm glad to see Pacino is finally taking on what could be a great role. It's been years since I've seen him do something worthy of his talents (S1m0ne, sigh) and I crave for something as candid and profound as in his youth -- another Dog Day Afternoon please, Mr. Pacino! Dali & I: The Surreal Story will be directed by Andrew Niccol and starts shooting in Spain and New York at the beginning of next year.

When we first told you about a Salvador Dalí biopic in the works, the project was to be helmed by Simon West (Con Air). Ten months later, we got more news on the film, which had seemingly replaced West with Andrew Niccol (Gattaca). But now it seems we may have been discussing two different pictures. According to producer Peter Rawley (1975's Ransom), there was once nine projects in the works based on the surrealist's life. Now there are only four (known about), including Rawley's Dalí, which so far has a script by Philippe Mora (Howling III) and for which Rawley is trying to woo Johnny Depp to play the title role. According to the producer, Dalí will also be about the artist's whole life -- unlike the other films, which he claims are more about Dalí's wife and art-dealers -- and will be shot in Barcelona and Prague as soon as a cast is in place.

I bet you didn't see that one coming. We've already told you about the planned Salvador Dali biopic on more than one occasion -- first, when it was announced and then again when Andrew Niccol thankfully took away directing duties from the guy who brought us Con Air and the remake of When A Stranger Calls (yes, I'm talking about Simon West). Based on Stan Lauryssens' book, Dali and I: The Surreal Story will primarily focus on the surrealist painter's latter years -- when it became less about the art and more about the money, the fame and the power.

Niccol, who wrote and directed the fantastic Gattaca, as well as Lord of War (he also penned The Truman Show), last teamed up with Pacino on S1m0ne (or Simone). Yeah, so I guess they're looking for -- what's the right word -- oh yeah, a do-over. I'm actually a huge fan of Dali's work (don't tell anyone, but a giganto print of Apparition of Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach currently hangs over my living room couch) and, though I'm not well-versed on the man's life, I am very curious to learn more about who he was and why he loved melting clocks ... aside from the fact that they look really cool on a dorm room wall.

But Al Pacino? Granted, I don't much about the man, but seeing as we've tossed around names like Antonio Banderas and Javier Bardem, the last person I imagined would figure into the mix would be Al "Whoo-ah" Pacino. Then again, stranger casting decisions have been made. (ie: Katie Holmes in, well, anything.)

When we first reported the news of a biopic about Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali, it was Simon West who was supposedly going to be sitting in the director's chair . Fortunately, it seems West has moved on and a director with far more talent and vision has stepped in to tell the story. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Andrew Niccol, writer/director of Gattica and Lord of War, is attached to helm Dali & I: The Surreal Story for Room 9 Entertainment and producers David O. Sacks, Daniel Brunt and Michael R. Newman.

The film, based on the book Dali and I by Stan Lauyssens, is being adapted by John Salvati (with Niccol doing a re-write himself) and will focus on Dali's later life from the 1960s to the 1980s. During this time, Dali achieved a great deal of commercial success but his painting output declined as his focus turned more towards money and flamboyant behavior. The story will be told through the eyes of Lauyssens, a young art dealer, who knew the artist during that time and became his close friend.

To be honest, I can't think of a director more suited to tell this story than Andrew Niccol. With him in the director's chair, I feel this film is in good hands. Of course, the other very important element that can make-or-break this film is who will be playing the role of Salvador Dali. At the moment, there's no word from producers or the director on potential casting. However, that won't stop me from making a few suggestions (as I often do).

For me, one potential Dali is the terrific Joaquim de Almeida who has distinguished himself in films such as Clear and Present Danger and the underrated Thanks to Gravity. Another potential Dali is Javier Bardem who has had an impressive career thus far in films like The Dancer Upstairs and Collateral. Finally, no list for this role would be complete without the exceptional Benicio Del Toro -- who would actually be my first choice. Del Toro would do a fantastic job and if you put him and Niccol together, this film has a real chance. That's the movie I would like to see. Andrew, I know we haven't spoken in awhile but are you listening?

What do you think of my casting choices?