jonathan tucker Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The Ruins opened on Friday like most horror films, with a single, late Thursday night "promo" screening, to which the press was gamely invited in full knowledge that it would be too late for review, even for any reasonable web deadline. What's different about The Ruins is that it's not a remake or even a copy of any horror film of recent years. We're talking first-class material, adapted from a novel by Scott B. Smith, who wrote both the mesmerizing 1993 book A Simple Plan as well as Sam Raimi's masterful 1998 film of the same name. It's a terrific airplane novel, surprising and gripping, and Dreamworks could have made an outstanding film of it. But they threw it away, perhaps deliberately, hoping for some of that fast opening weekend green, and little caring about making something worthwhile or lasting (like A Simple Plan).

That kid who loved those suicidal virgins is really starting to make a name for himself. Jonathan Tucker, who played Tim Weiner in The Virgin Suicides, has been farting around for a while, finding both starring horror roles like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and supporting bits like John C. Reilly's indie flick, Criminal. Now things are starting to spin for the actor, who just had a stint as a Black Donnelly, and he just might make a more mainstream name for himself. He's already wrapped up his role as the disappeared son in Paul Haggis' upcoming In the Valley of Elah, and now he has signed on to star in the upcoming horror-thriller, The Ruins.

In February, I brought you word of the adaptation of Scott Smith's novel (the man who also wrote and adapted A Simple Plan). With Smith confirmed as the screenwriter, this should have more promise than Tucker's Chainsaw stint, since Plan earned the writer an Oscar nomination. If you haven't read Ruins, it's about two couples who head to Mexico on vacation -- Jeff/Amy and Eric/Stacy. They meet a German traveler who is desperate to find his brother, who has disappeared on some archaeological dig with a girl. Tucker will be playing Jeff, who The Hollywood Reporter says convinces the rest of his group to join this stranger on the remote dig in the middle of a jungle they're not familiar with. Of course, in typical horror fashion, something evil lurks in the jungle, and the scary horror commences. With one star tied down and principal photography to begin next month in Australia, we should have more casting news soon.

I have to admit, when I first read the names Tucker and Sarandon together, I had this amusing day dream about Chris Tucker teaming up with Susan Sarandon. The lights would dim, and then a Luhrmanesque explosion of color would soon reveal the pair surrounded by music. He would run around screeching with a strange bouffant while she would croon about her desire for dirty touching. At the end, they would share a passionate embrace, bringing the actress back to her campy roots while giving the actor a new film theme that didn't include cars. Alas, it's just a pipe dream.

Instead, Susan Sarandon and Jonathan Tucker have been added to the cast of In the Valley of Elah, the Paul Haggis-headed film also starring Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, and Jason Patric. While I was a bit off with the above love scenario, she's still getting an interesting match, playing the wife of Tommy Lee Jones. You might recognize Tucker as one of the obsessive teens watching the Lisbon girls in The Virgin Suicides.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, this won't be a biographical account, but a fictionalized one, where Haggis' screenplay is based on a story he wrote with Mark Boal, the writer of the original article, "Death and Dishonor." I don't know if that means he helped with the original piece, or if they wrote a story based on the article together before Haggis started on the screenplay. It will be interesting to see if he focuses more on the politics of the story, or on the thrilling mystery.