deadwood Tagged Articles at Cinematical

In a battle between East Coast gangsters and West Coast cowboys, a New York-based company has sided with the Mob. Erik has just posted about HBO's desire to make a movie based on The Sopranos, despite the reluctance of creator David Chase. However, HBO has shot down even the possibility of making any movies based on Deadwood, despite the past enthusiasm expressed by creator David Milch.

This might sound like old news. After all, Cinematical first broke the story last September that HBO had scrapped their plans to make two movies to wrap up the storylines explored in the show's three seasons. Fans -- and the actors themselves -- were not happy about the decision. HBO danced around it, with a publicist saying there were "no current plans." (Italics added.) In an effort to hammer the final nail in the coffin, Richard Pepler, co-president of HBO, now says "the likelihood of a Deadwood movie happening is slim to none," according to Zap2it. Michael Lombardo of HBO claims that talks never got past the "discussion stage." Milch, however, said in January 2007: "We have every intention of going forward."

The "slim to none" HBO statement may not be a big surprise, considering the two years that have passed since the unceremonious end of the show's third season, its setting in the Old West, and Deadwood's (relatively) low profile in modern pop culture, at least as compared to The Sopranos or Sex and the City.

Chicago Tribune television critic Maureen Ryan has done a follow-up piece on Cinematical's story about the decision of HBO to scrap the series-ending Deadwood movies it promised fans after the show's abrupt termination. Ryan, crediting Cinematical as a source in her article, contacted representatives at the network about the move and got a long-winded response. Here's the relevant portion: "There are no current plans to make the movies," the HBO publicist admits, before adding a never-say-never caveat. "The dismantling of the 1878 set is irrelevant because Milch has indicated that the story for a Deadwood movie would resume after the Deadwood floods and fires, which changed the face of the first settlement." As Hugo Jarry would say, the statement continues ... "HBO has renewed its deal with David Milch, who is currently developing another series for the network. It's a drama set in the New York police department during the 1970s, when the Knapp Commission was formed to ferret out corruption in the force."

In other words, 'please stop thinking about Deadwood and start thinking about Milch's new show'. And if you're holding on to that sliver of hope they tossed out, I've got a bridge to sell you. I would consider it unlikely in the extreme that, having dismantled the old show sets, HBO would shell out for new ones for any reason, although that's just a layman's speculation. In conclusion, I'll repeat what I said earlier: at this point, it's a Deadwood theatrical film or bust. If Sex and the City can get a theatrical film, why in the world wouldn't a show that's actually good get one?

Two days after Cinematical broke the news of HBO discarding plans for a pair of TV movies to send the popular Deadwood series off in style, the series regulars have started to get wind of the move, and no surprise, they aren't happy about it. Jim Beaver, who played the luckless prospector Ellsworth on the show, spoke with Remote Access and had this to say: "I saw the McShane quote. I don't doubt it. I have no insight or special knowledge, but my sense of things is that it's over ... My gut tells me that if the movies or a fourth season were going to be made, the announcement would have already been made. That's just my gut. But Ian's remarks don't surprise me in the least."

Remote Access also got in touch with W. Earl Brown, who played Dan Dority, Al Swearengen's sidekick for three seasons, and he had this to say: "I called Ian, it seems that it's true -- the sets are being dismantled ... I guess the horse is dead." He went on to say that the timing makes sense, because HBO's lease for the sets is about to expire anyway, but nevertheless, he wants his props back. "I called both producers this morning about getting the Dority hat, knife and gun belt," Brown said. "I haven't heard back from either. Once I talk to either of them, I'll know where things stand. But I'm figuring that it's over." He also compared the Deadwood ending to the way The Sopranos went out, saying that the latter was "either great or awful (depending on one's interpretation of it) but at least it got people talking. Deadwood -- it just stopped. Just stopped. It's like never finding out that 'Rosebud' was his sled or that Darth was Luke's father. F*ck."

Oh, well -- as McShane said, that ship is sailing, and nothing can be done about it. However, given the way 3:10 to Yuma and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford have been positively received by critics and the public, is a theatrical film out of the question? I can't imagine why it would be.

Yeah, I'm not happy about it either. Earlier today, I got a call from Ian McShane to talk about his new family fantasy movie, The Dark is Rising, and I asked him the big question Deadwood fans have been wanting to know for a while now -- was HBO just blowing smoke with its promise to wrap up the series with a couple of made-for-TV movies? Well, the answer is yes, McShane revealed to us. "I just got a call on Friday from ... a dear friend of mine, who told me that they're packing up the ranch," McShane said. "They're dismantling the ranch and taking the stuff out. That ship is gonna sail. Bonsoir, Deadwood." He went on to say that even if the movies were happening, there would be the strike to consider, and on top of that, he's committed to a filming schedule that would prevent him from doing them anytime before late next year anyway.

I told McShane that as a fan, I felt completely cheated by this move on HBO's part. "You feel cheated? Imagine how I feel!" he replied. "We all do. We all do. It was one of those one-off jobs that you do which has got an extraordinary creative brain behind it, and it kept getting better, and the actors were great. It was a fabulous place to be and work. It was a workshop cum theater cum film. It was an extraordinary time. But everything has to come to an end, babe." So, there you have it.

Just a few weeks after the launch of a teaser trailer for the video game flick Hitman, Twitch has a look at a new French poster for the film (there are also a few stills, but it doesn't look like anything we haven't seen already). The film version of the best-selling Eidos Interactive game is the first English-language feature for director Xavier Gens, and the script was written by Swordfish scribe Skip Woods -- but I will try not to hold that against the movie. Back in January, when Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant was confirmed as Agent 47, I wasn't sure he was the right choice for the part. But, after catching the trailer, I will admit he's a pretty good match -- and the Ava Maria was a nice touch. Olyphant stars as the precise and genetically engineered assassin, Agent 47, who is caught up in political intrigue in a chase across Europe -- with plenty of killing along the way. Rounding out the cast is Dougray Scott, Robert Knepper, and Olga Kurylenko.

Now, I never quite managed to get though the 2nd game back in 2002; since it turns out I am not as adept at systematic murder as I thought. But, I definitely gave it points for the "creative' violence and cinematic visuals of exotic locations; both of which are a pretty solid foundation for any good action movie. The production took its time to get rolling, and fans probably remember the seemingly endless stream of conflicting casting reports before Olyphant finally scored the part. Despite Hitman's slow start, the film hasn't wasted any time since; the production began shooting last March, and is already slated for release on October 17.

Timothy Olyphant has been a scene-stealing character actor for years now (go see Go), but he seems poised to take his stardom to the next level. Of course, he's the villain in Live Free or Die Hard, which opens today and which I am still struggling to get excited about. He's got a major role in Kimberly Pierce's long-awaited follow-up to Boys Don't Cry -- Stop Loss, with Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, and Jay Hernandez (Is that a movie or a Tiger Beat shoot?). He'll appear with the unreasonably attractive Jessica Alba in Bill, about a guy who mentors a rebellious teen. He also just signed on to play Agent 47 in Hitman, an adaptation of the much-loved video game (a new trailer for the film will play before LFODH). Even with all that going on, many still know him best from Deadwood, the wonderful HBO western drama that ran for three seasons, and was -- sigh -- taken off the air to make room for -- sigh -- John from Cincinnati. Deadwood's many fans (myself included) didn't take the cancellation well, but at least we've been able to calm ourselves with the news that creator David Milch planned to make Deadwood movies to give the series closure. Well, get ready to flip the freak out, Deadwoodians.

In an interview with comingsoon, Olyphant is asked about the status of the Deadwood films. And his response doesn't exactly inspire confidence: "I have no idea. There's been ongoing talk about those things for a long, long time. I, for better or worse, have the perspective of 'don't hold your breath.' My feeling is that the fact that show existed at all for as long as it did was a miracle of sorts. It was an incredible experience, and I'm very, very thankful, and as a fan of the show like everybody else, it would have been nice to see it end in a different way or have more life to it, but as far as I'm concerned, they don't owe me anything. It was a tremendous experience, I look at it that way. I walk away going, 'I must be a better actor because of that show.' Three years on TV is better than seven years on TV, you know?" So, ah...yeah. Pretty terrible news, huh? I suppose anything can happen, but I think it's becoming more and more likely that we're not going to see those movies. Really, HBO? Really, Milch? You replace my Deadwood with a show about a floating surfer, and now this?

Despite garnering as much acclaim as a television show can possibly garner, The Sopranos has yet to see its cast members emerge as Hollywood players. Sure, Jim Gandolfini has the odd project lined up here and there, but many of the show's supporting actors got caught up early on in a weird loop of unintentionally hilarious Soprano rip-off movies, while others, like Drea De Matteo and Michael Imperioli, are snorkeling in a sea of bad television and worse. Meanwhile, the cast of a far superior show that HBO treats like a red-headed stepchild -- Deadwood -- is pretty much taking over Hollywood in 2007. If you're a fan of the show, you've probably already noticed your favorite players popping up in recent films like Miami Vice and Scoop. More Deadwood-approved fare such as The Wicker Man and Hollywoodland is opening in the next couple of weeks, and that's just the beginning. I count over 20 major, buzzed-about, A-list type films slated to open between now and the end of 2007 that will feature Deadwood denizens.

Since its too early to tell how substantial many of these parts will be -- Robin Weigert, who channels the drunken pistoleer Calamity Jane, has admittedly small roles in upcoming films like The Good German and Things We Lost in the Fire -- I'm confining this rundown to the projects that you might say are among the most buzz-worthy. So here's a selective preview of where to look for your favorite soon-to-be-unemployed Deadwood thespians. Enjoy, hoopleheads.

No Country for Old Men – This hotly anticipated Coen Brothers adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's violent Western thriller [with almost no coherent punctuation] about a cowboy versus a gang of drug dealers will feature Deadwood's resident changeling, Garret Dillahunt. After playing the droop-eyed, illiterate assassin of Wild Bill Hickok in the first season, Dillahunt made a stealthy return to Deadwood in season two as the bowler-wearing dandy and rank amateur prostitute murderer Mr. Wolcott. He's been conspicuously missing in action for season three so far and with only two episodes left to go, his return is not looking likely. Guess we'll have to wait for those miniseries things. In No Country, he plays a character named Wendell, whose very name sounds intriguingly Coen-esque. This one should be good.

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass – This is the only Ian McShane title I'm including in the list, since he already has seven films scheduled between now and the end of 2007. Needless to say, his role as the armor-plated blacksmith polar bear Iorek in the first part of Philip Pullman's dark trilogy about daemons and deicide should make for some of the most interesting voicework to come down the pike in a while. Watch for a hopefully awesome polar bear duel to the death between Iorek and Bear King Iofur. I'm personally mystified as to how this trilogy will survive the adaptation to film in the first place. Actually, I'm not -- word is they've completely scrubbed that little plot point about the children breaking into heaven and killing God.

Wow, I just saw the words "dark" and "western" together in a story in Variety. And the story's not about a remake, or a pitch studios rejected as a movie no one will ever see! Look out for flying pigs, friends, because Warner Bros. just bought themselves a nasty western, and they claim they're going to make it into a movie -- could it be that someone in Hollywood actually saw The Proposition, and is watching Deadwood?

The script in question -- entitled The Brigands of Rattleborge, written by Craig Zahler -- "revolves around three ruthless men who rob, rape and maim [a] town's wealthiest residents during a torrential rainstorm." When the dust settles, the town's sheriff and doctor (since he's described as "vengeful", I'm guessing his wife or daughter suffered something horrible at the hands of the bad guys) head out to "seek retribution." Can I get an "Amen!" from the congregation?

I know I'm getting excited about something that could easily never happen (and that is years down the road if it ever does), but holy crap this sounds awesome. And if it's a sign that major studios are starting to accept that the western is still a valid genre? I will be a very happy girl indeed.

Ian McShane, whose image in the popular imagination has recently taken a rather drastic turn -- "He used to be such a nice antiques dealer, but now it's 'c*cksucker' this, and 'f*ck' that ..." -- will be going in yet another new direction with his newest movie role. According to this morning's Variety, McShane will appear in the upcoming Lonely Island (AKA SNL -- and Lazy Sunday -- team Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone and  Akiva Schaffer) project, Hot Rod. As we reported earlier, the film -- in which Samberg stars -- tells the story of "an accident-prone daredevil who plans to jump Snake River on a moped in an effort to emulate his hero Evel Knievel and win over his hard-to-please stepfather." (Because, you know, most adults are impressed by idiotic stunts from their kids.) McShane will play the stepdad, which should give him a chance to both swear copiously and be funny, something Al Swearengen does mostly unintentionally. Plus, he'll get to wear clean clothes for once.

Though there's no indication of a start-date in Variety's latest update, when the film was originally announced the intention was to get to work next month, after SNL finished for the summer. Assuming McShane will be done shooting We Are Marshall by then, one assumes the project is still on the same schedule.

• Doogal - A saccharine, cheap-looking CGI import from Britain about a lazy, cowardly, sugar-addicted pooch (with a mullet cut) who must find a way to save the world from an icy death is not the follow-up to Hoodwinked that Disney escapees Bob and Harvey Weinstein hoped for...or we asked for. At least they've got the swell Over The Hedge in theaters this week. Formerly titled The Magic Roundabout and re-dubbed (Doogal, that is. Not Over The Hedge.)

• Duma - With most arthouse films rated "R", it is always a pleasure when one comes along that culture mavens can take their kids to, and The Black Stallion director Carroll Ballard's latest nature trek -- a visually lovely adventure -- certainly does fit that bill. It is about a 12-year-old South African boy (Alexander Michaletos) who must return his pet cheetah to the wild, encountering and overcoming a number of obstacles along the way, the biggest one being our initial reluctance to accept its premise.