gordon gekko Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Making unnecessary sequels and cashing in on current events are two of Hollywood's favorite things. So when an opportunity arises to do both at the same time, you better believe they're going to do it! Hence the long-rumored sequel to 1987's Wall Street, which Variety reports is being fast-tracked to capitalize on the stock market's new relevance in ordinary people's lives.

The sequel will focus on Gordon Gekko, the slick-haired, suspender-wearing corporate-raiding devil played by Michael Douglas in the original, newly released from prison as the sequel begins. Variety says 20th Century Fox intends for Douglas to star, though he hasn't signed on yet. But why wouldn't he? The last time he played this part, he got an Oscar for it, and it's not like he's super-busy making super-awesome movies these days. The sequel reportedly doesn't involve the Charlie Sheen character at all, which is probably just as well. The other one and a half men would get lonely without him.

The screenplay is being written by Allan Loeb, who wrote 21 and who also happens to be a licensed stock broker. He knows his greed and his card-counting and his shady gambling practices -- he sounds like a good fit. A director hasn't been assigned, but it's safe to assume it won't be Oliver Stone again.

Does any of this sound like a good idea to you? Yes, people are talking about Wall Street (the financial market, not the movie) again -- but they're talking about how much they hate it, and how angry they are at those greedy bastards for contributing to the economy's current screwed-up condition. The sequel is going to be a tough sale if it tries to make Gekko's "greed is good" mantra seem appealing or exciting again. On the other hand, if Gekko is humbled and chastened now, will he still be interesting? What direction do you think the Wall Street sequel should go?

Twenty years have passed since 1987's Wall Street taught America that "Greed is good." The film won Michael Douglas a Best Actor Academy Award for his blistering performance as Gordon Gekko, a high-powered corporate raider. I re-watched Wall Street recently. It is definitely a product of the 1980's (ginormous cell phones, etc.) but still holds up, and has spawned a lot of imitators, like the very good Boiler Room. And now a sequel is on the way -- 20th Century Fox has just sealed a deal to bring the character of Gekko back to the big screen. At the end of Wall Street, Gordon Gekko had been busted with the help of his protege, played by Charlie Sheen. His fate was left up in the air, but the sequel confirms that he went to jail. The new film will take off with Gekko out of jail and "resuming his machinations on a global scale in the hedge-fund era." The title will be Money Never Sleeps -- which is one of Gekko's mottos.

Douglas is returning to the role and as for Gekko, he says "I don't think he's much different. He's just had more time to think about what to do." The new film's writer, Stephen Schiff (The Deep End of the Ocean, True Crime), says Gekko will be restyled and might just have an influence on big business fashion all over again -- "If you weren't wearing suspenders before Wall Street, you were certainly wearing them after." (I hate to contradict the man, but I've never worn suspenders in my life). Master of machismo Oliver Stone co-wrote and directed the original Wall Street, but will not be back for the sequel, despite having been begged for months by Douglas and Schiff. Schiff doesn't think Bud Fox, Charlie Sheen's character, will return either, and that surely rules out Martin Sheen as well. Remember that scene in Hot Shots! Part Deux where Martin and Charlie Sheen pass each other on the river, point, and yell "I loved you in Wall Street!" That was hilarious.