joe penhall Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Yes! John Hillcoat Returns to the Literary World of Nick Cave
Filed under: Casting », Deals », RumorMonger », Scripts »
Now that The Road is making its way to audiences -- with a solid review from our Eugene Novikov -- word of future features is starting to pour in, and man, the news is sweet. Variety starts off their post-Road piece with the news that screenwriter Joe Penhall is gearing up to remake the Gallic heist film La Bonne Annee, and wants Daniel Craig to star in it. But the better news follows that. While Road director John Hillcoat always works with Nick Cave (who scored the Viggo Mortensen-starring drama), he is now gearing up for another Cave-penned piece.This is a fresh breath of cinematic air to anyone who has seen The Proposition -- the film Cave penned in less than a month, and one that single-handedly made me rethink my distaste of westerns. Unfortunately, this is a mixed blessing: The gig in question will be an adaptation of Cave's novel The Death of Bunny Munro, but there's no word on who will adapt this. Considering the achievements Cave made with Proposition, we can only hope that it's him. But just to bring things around full-circle to the first bit of news, Hillcoat is also talking to Daniel Craig for the project. (Not to mention another project between the writer and filmmaker -- a big screen adaptation of Penhall's play, "Landscape with Weapons.")
Mike Nichols to Direct 'Deep Water'
Filed under: Drama », Thrillers », Deals », Scripts »
Having faced Charlie Wilson's War, Mike Nichols is gearing up for his next film, and this time, there's a good dose of murder. Variety reports that he's going to direct Joe Penhall's adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel Deep Water. Set in an American suburb, the book reveals the life of a loveless marriage between Vic and Melinda -- one that survives only because Melinda is allowed to take on as many lovers as she pleases (as long as she doesn't pack up and go). However, then her lovers start to die.Penhall, you might recall, adapted Cormac McCarthy's The Road, while Highsmith was the novelist behind Strangers on the Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley. But it's the magic of Nichols that really makes this appealing. While he's had a quite varied film career that extends from Catch-22 to dolphin assassins, Nichols has always excelled the most with dysfunction and drama -- from the early days of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Graduate to Closer and Charlie Wilson's War. Add some kills and thrills into the mix and this should be interesting.
For me, he's the director who helped warm me to the world of film criticism. I believe The Graduate was one of the first films where I began to notice how cinematic flairs make a film all the better. And hey, he's also the man who revealed a whole different depth to Julia Roberts with Closer.
But how about you? What's your favorite Nichols film?
From Page to Screen: 'The Road'
Filed under: Drama », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Columns », From Page to Screen »
One of my concerns when I started doing this column was that each forthcoming adaptation I covered would equate to a new movie losing the ability to surprise me. What more effective way to strip oneself of the thrill of cinematic discovery, I thought, than to pore over the source material before watching? Ultimately I decided that the prospect of literary discovery along with the chance to write the column more than compensated for that risk, but here's some evidence that maybe I shouldn't have worried at all: having read Cormac McCarthy's The Road, I'm more excited to see John Hillcoat's adaptation – coming this November -- than I ever would have been otherwise.
Theron Joins Viggo on 'The Road'
Filed under: Drama », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », The Weinstein Co. », Newsstand »
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At last count, it looked like Guy Pearce might have been replacing Viggo Mortensen in the upcoming adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Fortunately (and no offense, Guy) it looks like Viggo is still on board ... plus he just got a gal named Charlize Theron as a co-star. According to Variety, the Oscar-winning blonde will play the main character's wife, a small but important character who will appear mostly through flashbacks.An admitted fan of the source material, Ms. Theron will be working alongside director John Hillcoat (of the excellent The Proposition) and screenwriter Joe Penhall (of the strangely entertaining Enduring Love). The adaptation, which is being produced by 2929 Entertainment and distributed by the Weinsteins' Dimension Films, tells the story of "a man who embarks on a nightmarish road trip after a nuclear explosion in an attempt to transport his son to safety while fending off cannibals." Awesome.
And thanks also to Variety for the reminder: I need a good book for my Sundance flight -- and The Road is definitely going to be it. I think that will be the first "Oprah's Book Club" selection that I've ever read. (No offense, Oprah.)
Is Guy Pearce Going on 'The Road'?
Filed under: Drama », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », RumorMonger »
What a difference a month can make. Back in September, Viggo Mortensen seemed pretty confident when he told MTV Movies Blog that he was in talks to star in a big-screen version of Cormac McCarthy's, The Road. Now, Shock Till You Drop is reporting that Guy Pearce could be replacing Mortensen in the film. Mortensen was never officially confirmed, so Pearce as a replacement would seem to be the most likely scenario -- especially since the story isn't exactly teeming with characters. The novel focuses on a father and son who are survivors of an apocalyptic event and are trying to make it to 'the coast' while surrounded by fellow survivors who have reverted to cannibalism. If you haven't read the book, I really recommend picking it up, although be warned: don't let that Oprah Book Club selection sticker lull you into thinking this is a feel-good story. Nothing could be further from the truth. John Hillcoat is already set to direct the Joe Penhall adaptation and since Hillcoat worked with Pearce on the revisionist western, The Proposition, back in 2006, that could tip the scales in Pearce's favor. The film could be a bit of a hard-sell with audiences to begin with. There is some truly disturbing stuff going on in the story, and for those of you who have read the book, you probably know what I mean. Luckily, no matter which actor they go with, I think either would be more than capable of handling the role, don't you? The Road is tentatively scheduled for release in 2009.
John Hillcoat Will Drive Latest Oprah Book Club Pick, 'The Road'
Filed under: Drama », Deals », Scripts », Cinematical Indie »
Fresh off the arid desolation of the Australian Outback in The Proposition, director John Hillcoat is going to dip his cinematic toes into another bleak landscape by taking on some Cormac McCarthy. Although the author has been writing for over 40 years, his work is only hitting screens recently. Although the first attempt, Billy Bob Thornton's All the Pretty Horses flopped, there are three more waiting for their shot. First, we've got the Coen Brother's No Country for Old Men, which will be released later this year. Then, there is Blood Meridian, which Ridley Scott is still attempting to get filmed. And now, Hillcoat will be taking on McCarthy's most recent novel -- The Road, which Joe Penhall will adapt (as previously reported here).This could be Hillcoat's break into mainstream, not as much due to the material, but due to the fact that the novel was just picked for Oprah's Book Club. Whoever would have thought that Oprah fans might fall in line to see a Hillcoat movie? The novel is set in a post-apolcalyptic world where a father and son have to travel for months to try and get to what was the Southeast U.S. Unfortunately, the world is over-run by cannibals that they have to protect themselves from, as well as surviving in a world where most life is gone -- both plant and animal, the sun and moon are blotted out and ash covers the earth. Hillcoat is pretty talented at making dusty grime look stunning, so he's a pretty perfect choice to helm the picture. With a spot-on choice for director, I wonder who they will get to play the father and young son. Any suggestions?
Penhall to Adapt Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road'
Filed under: Drama », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Mystery & Suspense », Scripts », Newsstand »
Though I've never read a book that's appeared as a selection of the Oprah Winfrey book club, I do know that every book she recommends immediately sells, like, a billion copies. Since when did Oprah become the God of literature? That's what I want to know. Regardless, now that Cormac McCarthy's The Road has won a spot in Oprah's club (and here I thought no boys were allowed), the planned big-screen adaptation has garnered a lot more heat. In fact, Joe Penhall has been hired to pen the script, and producers Nick Wechsler, Steve Schwartz and Paula Mae Schwartz are looking to get this puppy up and rolling.
The book (which I still haven't read) takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, and revolves around a father who attempts to allude hoards of starving cannibals in order to transport his son to safety. It sounds pretty awesome, and I keep meaning to pick the book up. Hopefully, by the time they cast the father (which they'll do as soon as the script is finished, then search for a distributor) I'll have read it. This isn't the first McCarthy novel to get the big-screen treatment; his All the Pretty Horses was adapted back in 2000, and the Coen Bros. are currently wrapping up work on No Country for Old Men. Another one of his books, Blood Meridian, is also in the development stages. For those that have read the book, who do you see playing the father? And, is it different enough so that we don't immediately start thinking War of the Worlds meets Dawn of the Dead?
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