john stevenson Tagged Articles at Cinematical
He-Man Finds a New Home at Sony
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Sony », Warner Brothers », Fandom », Scripts », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Remakes and Sequels »
I told you that He Man and the Masters of the Universe would find a new home. Mere weeks after being booted out of Warner Bros, Variety reports that the once and future king of Eternia has found a new home at Sony. As you might remember, Joel Silver and Warner Bros were unable to agree on a direction for He-Man, and Mattel promptly took its toys and went elsewhere. But if you really dug everything to do with Warner Bros' version (which was reportedly titled Greyskull), you'll have some cause for lament. Sony plans on starting with an entirely clean slate, which means John Stevenson will no longer be directing, and that all the script work by Justin Marks and Evan Daugherty will be scrapped. All of those concepts belong to Warner Bros, not Mattel, who was only able to bring Sony the action figure.
One also has to be concerned with just who will be overseeing He-Man's latest incarnation. Escape Artists will be developing the project for Sony, and they've been responsible for The Taking of Pelham 123 remake, Knowing, Seven Pounds, and The Pursuit of Happyness. Without writers, a director, or cast attached, I don't want to predict doom and gloom but is that the kind of resume that screams success for He-Man?
Warner Bros and He-Man Part Ways
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Warner Brothers », Celebrities and Controversy », Scripts », Distribution », Family Films », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand »
He-Man will really have to call on the power of Greyskull if he hopes to get a movie made anytime soon. Variety has confirmed Latino Review's earlier scoop, and reports that Mattel and Warner Bros have parted ways on He-Man. All is not lost, as Mattel fully intends to shop the muscles from Eternia to other studios, and John Stevenson is expected to remain on board as director. Producer Joel Silver, who has been involved with developing He-Man since 2007, will have to say farewell as he's exclusive to Warner Bros.The last we heard about Warner Bros' Greyskull was that the studio brought newcomer Evan Daugherty to revamp Justin Marks' script. Clearly, not even the rewrite kindled any enthusiasm, as Variety notes that Mattel and Warner Bros just didn't see eye to eye on the film. They made a mutual decision to let the project lapse this month.
But all is not lost for a happy marriage between Mattel, Warner Bros, and Silver as they still have Hot Wheels in development. Between you and me if you were going to let an option lapse, it'd be a movie based on a line of little toy cars. I'm not knocking them, I had tons of them. But even in my wildest kid dreams, I never saw them as movie material. But He-Man? Definitely! It had swords, sorcery, and a promise of PG-13 bloodletting. Someone else will see that, and quickly snatch Greyskull up for a buff blonde boy to turn into a franchise.
Geek Daily: Quotes From 'Green Lantern', 'Priest', 'We3' and 'Thor'
Filed under: Fandom », Scripts », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
The news on anything from the world of comics has been painfully slow, and while I hate reporting non-news, it's such a slow day that I've dug up my old Geek Daily graphic and compiled a bunch of quotes from the pre-production world. Hopefully, there's something to get you talking about in here, even if all you want to do is complain that you still don't know who will play the Emerald Knight, or that you haven't seen a photo of Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow.
First, let's talk The Green Lantern -- or rather, read what Marc Guggenheim told Sci Fi Wire about it. He assures fans that the film is moving forward, and that he's written yet another draft of its screenplay. "You know I really can't [say anything]. I've sworn a blood oath of secrecy in relation to the project. But, you know, the thing I can tell you is that it is a very loving and respectful approach. The goal here is to do the best cinematic representation of the Green Lantern character. You know, there's no desire on anyone's part to completely change the character and just call this other character Green Lantern and try to ... draft off the name recognition. This is all about 'How do we bring the best version of this character to the silver screen?'"
SciFi Wire also caught up with Don Murphy for a We3 update. John Stevenson is still attached, the script is done, and now they're just looking for a studio that'll give it a home. "We're working with a director named John Stevenson. Don't be confused, though. Even though he directed Kung Fu Panda, the movie's going to be live action. It's going to be a combination CG, puppetry [and] real animals. We have a great script, a great director, and we're trying to figure out who's going to pay for it in this marketplace, but we're looking."
First, let's talk The Green Lantern -- or rather, read what Marc Guggenheim told Sci Fi Wire about it. He assures fans that the film is moving forward, and that he's written yet another draft of its screenplay. "You know I really can't [say anything]. I've sworn a blood oath of secrecy in relation to the project. But, you know, the thing I can tell you is that it is a very loving and respectful approach. The goal here is to do the best cinematic representation of the Green Lantern character. You know, there's no desire on anyone's part to completely change the character and just call this other character Green Lantern and try to ... draft off the name recognition. This is all about 'How do we bring the best version of this character to the silver screen?'"
SciFi Wire also caught up with Don Murphy for a We3 update. John Stevenson is still attached, the script is done, and now they're just looking for a studio that'll give it a home. "We're working with a director named John Stevenson. Don't be confused, though. Even though he directed Kung Fu Panda, the movie's going to be live action. It's going to be a combination CG, puppetry [and] real animals. We have a great script, a great director, and we're trying to figure out who's going to pay for it in this marketplace, but we're looking."
John Stevenson Gives a Minotaur a Cigarette Break
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Independent », Romance », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Scripts », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand »
Just when it seems like we're being buried in remakes and reboots, and that Hollywood won't take risks on original ideas, a story pops up in the trades to give you a little hope. This is one of them. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Gotham Group is putting Steven Sherill's novel The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break into production. They bought Mike Jones' script back in March, and has now hired John Stevenson (already attached to Grayskull and We3) to direct. If you're going "What, so this is really about a minotaur?" the answer is yes, it's about a minotaur ... and not just any minotaur, but the one Theseus famously slew in King Minos' labyrinth. Only he managed to survive having his throat slashed and now works as a short-order cook at a North Carolina eatery called Grub's Rib. He's no longer wild and angry, but calmly accepting his physical limitations (poor speech, limited vision, horns, and a body ill-suited for human clothing) and struggling instead with his attraction to an epileptic waitress named Kelly. He's not the only Greek myth kicking around in the South, either as apparently Medusa and Hermaphroditus appear.
The movie will be a mix of live action and CGI, and no start date is given. But as Grayskull is in the process of being rewritten, maybe we'll get this sooner than later. In the meantime, I'm going to grab a copy of the book for summer reading, as the cover and the concept has me hooked, and I also want to know if he has issues cooking hamburgers and steak for customers.
Geek Daily: Batman 3, G.I. Joe, Hyperion, Black Widow and Robocop -- Read On!
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Casting », Deals », MGM », Warner Brothers », RumorMonger », Scripts », 20th Century Fox », The Weinstein Co. », DIY/Filmmaking », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek », Remakes and Sequels »
UPDATED: Check out the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine poster below ...
Gallery: X-Men Origins: Wolverine Poster
UPDATED: G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra card images removed upon request.
Dan Mazeau is reportedly writing a script for The Flash, although no one involved with the property would confirm it. Considering the DC-Warner Bros record so far, we shouldnt hold our breath. Also, Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer have apparently begun their work on the script for the next Batman movie, according to a source over at IESB. No other details are available. [IESB.net]
Don't hold your breath for Hellboy 3 -- Guillermo del Toro says there aren't any solid plans for a third film. "We're three, four years away from anything happening-so I don't think anyone is, you know, in a big hurry." Except the fans, of course. Maybe del Toro will hand the reins over to someone else while he's in Middle Earth? Or maybe the energetic director can film it while on his Hobbit lunch break! [MTV Splash Page]
And speaking of setbacks, Emily Blunt may not be Black Widow after all, thanks to her joining the cast of Guilliver's Travels. Blunt's representatives are trying to work out the schedule conflict, but Fox holds an option on her and may exercise it in order to make sure she's in Travels. Come on, Marvel and Fox -- work it out! [Variety]
Dan Mazeau is reportedly writing a script for The Flash, although no one involved with the property would confirm it. Considering the DC-Warner Bros record so far, we shouldnt hold our breath. Also, Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer have apparently begun their work on the script for the next Batman movie, according to a source over at IESB. No other details are available. [IESB.net]
Don't hold your breath for Hellboy 3 -- Guillermo del Toro says there aren't any solid plans for a third film. "We're three, four years away from anything happening-so I don't think anyone is, you know, in a big hurry." Except the fans, of course. Maybe del Toro will hand the reins over to someone else while he's in Middle Earth? Or maybe the energetic director can film it while on his Hobbit lunch break! [MTV Splash Page]
And speaking of setbacks, Emily Blunt may not be Black Widow after all, thanks to her joining the cast of Guilliver's Travels. Blunt's representatives are trying to work out the schedule conflict, but Fox holds an option on her and may exercise it in order to make sure she's in Travels. Come on, Marvel and Fox -- work it out! [Variety]
John Stevenson Directing 'We3'
Filed under: Action », Horror », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Thrillers », Deals », Scripts », Newsstand », Comic/Superhero/Geek »
It's really creepy, but the moment I start wondering about We3 again, it pops up in the press. Back in August, Grant Morrison had used the project's downtime to write a screenplay that he claimed was better than the original graphic novel. The screenplay was so good, it was attracting all kinds of interest, and Morrison hinted that "a big, hot director" was attached. The possibilities were kind of endless, and I was secretly hoping for Zack Snyder due to the copious amount of blood and guts.According to ShockTillYouDrop, though, it turns out that director is none other than ... John Stevenson of Kung Fu Panda fame. Part of me is going "Really? That's, um, not a very big name." But I've heard some very good things about Kung Fu Panda (I still haven't seen it, as Netflix just keeps teasing me), and Stevenson certainly has some amazing art direction credits. You could do a lot worse than someone who has some fighting animals under his belt. Though it has a director, it's still looking for a studio to call home, so we have some waiting and fidgeting to do.
Producer Don Murphy assures fans that the film will be live action, not animated, and it won't be "cutesy." The book is pretty impossible to make cutesy (a rat is disemboweled in the first few pages) so, Kung Fu Panda or not, I'm not too worried about that. I just want it to leave everyone in the theaters crying their eyes out, wondering about the nature of empathy. (By the way, have you bought the book yet? No? Well, there's still time. It's the perfect stocking stuffer.)
Indie Roundup: 'Sweetgrass,' 'Clarkworld,' 'Broken Embraces'
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Watch: Famous 'Matrix' Scene Re-Created with LEGOs
Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...
Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
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