lorenzo di bonaventura Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Something tells me that the true-life movie about the infamous murderer Richard Kuklinski is about to take a turn in creative direction, judging by the latest to news to come from the NY Post. The Post is reporting that Mickey Rourke will be taking the role of Kuklinski in an adaptation of Phil Carlo's book, The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer. The scoop came courtesy of Carlo's himself, who told the Post "He's [Rourke] really looking forward to being the Ice Man, and I think he'll do a great job,...He's talking about it being his 'Raging Bull.' Originally, it had been reported that Channing Tatum of G.I. Joe fame would be taking the lead, but according to Carlo, Tatum is out and Rourke is in.

Richard "The Ice Man" Kuklinski was a notoriously brutal contract killer and serial murder, who claimed to have killed over 200 people in his lifetime, starting at the age of 13. Kuklinski put his 'talents' to good use by working with the Gambino crime family, and died in prison at the age of 71. The circumstances of his death were considered suspicious and it was rumored that he had been killed by a Gambino underboss by the name of Sammy Gravano.

Back in 2007, the Hughes Brothers had been attached to the project with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura in possession of the rights to Carlo's book, but unfortunately the project stalled in development and the rights have lapsed. Carlo was looking for a new producer, and according to him, that producer will be Rourke. Now it just so happens that Carlos in the midst of a publicity tour for his latest book, so we might want to take his announcement with some healthy skepticism.

After the jump: My top 5 recommendations for some other movies about hit men...

As a kid, you probably had one special stuffed animal that you were never without, or far away from. Maybe you were even one of those kids who carried more than one. If you (or a wee sprite you know) fits that description, you might get a smile out of Mike Bullock's Lions, Tigers, and Bears which has just been optioned by Paramount.

Bullock's series centers around a boy named Joey and a girl named Courtney, who discover that their stuffed animals come alive to protect them from a gang of monsters known as the Beasties. The Beasties can break into our world and kidnap children to devour ... but luckily they have their stuffed animals to protect them, a task which they have been performing "since the dawn of time."

According to Variety, Transformers' producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura is the man behind the scenes on this production, which kicked into gear with Joey Aucoin's spec script. The plan is to adapt it live action, and tell the story from the perspective of a grown-up Joey. Naturally, it will have a ton of CG effects to bring the Stuffed Animal Kingdom and its guardians to life.

The conceit is a little overblown, but it's a cute idea, and the comic is an enjoyable enough romp for the younger set. (Remember, they need comics too!) It's like We3 meets Toy Story. You can check out a preview courtesy of Runemaster Studios.

We already told you about IESB's little chat with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, but that chat also included a bunch of tidbits regarding the upcoming G.I. Joe flick. (Side note: Does anyone really care about this film? Yeah, I loved the action figures and all, but I'm not excited about this for some reason. Maybe the 2008 hype machine has finally worn me down?) Lots of stuff is talked about, including the decision to cast Marlan Wayans in the role of Ripcord. Bonaventura says, " A lot of people are fans of his from the comedic point of view obviously for all the right reasons, but what I think everybody forgets about is how damn good he was in Requiem for a Dream as an actor. And, when we were trying to figure out who would be the right element to make this combination work of Duke as the leader and Ripcord as the best friend who sorta gets Duke in trouble all the time and Duke has to bail him out all the time and have fun with him, we needed a guy who's gonna be funny and we needed a guy who was going to be a good actor."

On when we'll be hearing who was cast as Destro: "Within the next two weeks, I will comfortably tell you that. We don't have a guy chosen, we have the list down to about 4 or 5. All of them are of the English, Irish, Scottish persuasion shall we say." Same goes for the casting of Zartan, as well as Hawk. They then talked a bit about story, which Bonaventura described via this interesting analogy: "If you would you say the original GI Joe movie was like the original Batman movie with Jack Nicholson then I would say this is like Batman Begins." You can head on over to IESB to read more from their interview with Bonaventura; G.I. Joe is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters in August of 2009.

Ever since The Hollywood Reporter commented on the "as-yet-unslotted" release date for Transformers 2, the entire online community was buzzing with rumors the film had officially been delayed. While director Michael Bay continues to leave cryptic fanboy-ish messages on his blog ("Transformers 2 is coming soon!!!!"), IESB managed to sit down with robot producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to get the real scoop on where, exactly, the highly-anticipated sequel is at right now.

When asked whether they had a start date in mind to begin shooting, Bonaventura said they were currently targeting June 2. Seems pretty reasonable; things should be going along as planned, right? No so fast ... Bonaventura also claims work still has to be done on the script -- a lot of work, it appears -- and that cannot happen until the strike is over and done with. He says, "We're no where because of the strike, we won't know until we come back. We have a very fine outline and we know exactly where we want go with the movie but until this writers strike comes back, we'll find out exactly where we are. Michael is completely on top of every detail. He's designed a lot of great stuff already. He's got a lot of great sequences imagined but you know, he needs some writers to work with before he's ready to go, so I would say June 2nd is an unofficial start, it's the target date we'd like to go for but, you know, we've got to get some writers to help us."

Bonaventura was also asked about the sequel's budget, but didn't divulge much except for saying that "Michael wants to deliver a bigger experience for everybody." Am I the only one afraid of Michael Bay wanting to deliver a "bigger" anything? So there you have it: They're working on it, but until the strike is over, not much can be done.

There will probably be no monsters in the live-action G.I. Joe movie, but that isn't stopping Stephen Sommers from taking the job as its director. Yes, IESB called it last week, but now it is confirmed: the guy who gave us The Mummy, The Mummy Returns and Van Helsing is helming the adaptation of our beloved toy/cartoon. And hopefully Sommers won't find any excuse to insert his usual surplus of bad CGI.

Maybe I have a bad memory, but I can't think of any reason why a G.I. Joe movie would even need special effects. Sommers could try to make Destroy completely computer animated, or put in an unnecessary giant cobra somewhere -- one with The Rock's face badly superimposed on it. I know, I'm giving not giving Sommers any credit at all, but I never saw any of his pre-Mummy pics (unlike Scott, who likes his Deep Rising), so I'm going to remain an admittedly unfair cynic about the news. I also don't know how well a live-action war-type movie for kids will really work out; and as far as Sommers' efforts with kid-friendly adaptations go, The Adventures of Huck Finn and The Jungle Book don't seem to have been well-received.

G.I. Joe has been given a new release goal, too. Paramount aims to bring the movie out in 2009, rather than in 2010, and is looking to begin production come February. The studio is also going to work with a new script. Apparently Sommers pitched his own idea for the movie Wednesday night, and Paramount loved it. The new version of the G.I. Joe, according to Variety, will actually be more X-Men and James Bond than war movie. Also, the title now stands for "Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, and COBRA is an evil arms-dealing organization. I guess the "real American hero" tag has to be eliminated to appeal to international markets, too.

A previous script was written by Skip Woods (Swordfish) that reportedly wasn't very good; it is unclear whether David Elliot and Paul Lovett (co-writers of Four Brothers) are still the new screenwriters for Sommers version (Variety says the studio is hiring a writer immediately -- presumably someone(s) new. According to another unconfirmed IESB scoop, the new scribe is actually Collateral's Stuart Beattie). It also wasn't announced whether or not Jason Statham is in fact appearing in the movie. Sommers and his Sommers Company partner Bob Ducsay now join Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Transformers) and Hasbro's Brian Goldner as producers.

What with Rocky, Rambo and John McClane making late comebacks, it only makes sense that we'd get a new visit from Axel Foley. If producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has his way, we'll be seeing Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop 4 some time relatively soon. (Yes, even after that third one. Ugh.)

The producer told ComingSoon.net that while they haven't officially hired any writers yet, they've been consulting with folks and trying to hash out what the infamous cop's next adventure might be like: "We have not hired a writer yet, but we've been analyzing the franchise and asking lots and lots of people about Axel Foley. 'What do you love about Axel and what would you want to see with an Axel Foley movie?' I think we have enough information now that we'll probably be hiring a writer in the next four to eight weeks and taking a good shot at it."

The original Beverly Hills Cop (1984, Martin Brest) still stands as one of the mega-blockbusters of all time ($234 million, domestic). The first sequel (Tony Scott, 1987) was more of the same, right down to the profit margin ($153 million). The wholly unnecessary and frankly terrible second sequel (1994, John Landis) pretty much killed the franchise ($43 million) ... until now, it seems. Despite the fact that I only like the first BHC flick, I'd probably be open to a third sequel. If I have to choose between Beverly Hills Cop 4 or Norbit 2, well, that's not a very tough decision. (Knowing Eddie, we'll probably get both of those movies.)

Variety is reporting that Hasbro is switching agencies -- from CAA to William Morris -- just as Transformers (based on a line of one of Hasbro's most successful toys) gears up to arrive in theaters on July 3. The article, which goes on to say that William Morris will "work on contemporizing" Hasbro brands like Monopoly, Ouija, Candy Land, Clue and Trivial Pursuit, also includes one juicy nugget regarding a live-action G.I. Joe movie. According to Variety, "[WMA] reupped Hasbro's deal with Paramount Pictures to turn G.I. Joe into a live-action feature with Lorenzo di Bonaventura to produce. An initial pact had expired."

Based on a recent script review over at Latino Review, it may have been best for all parties to let that sucker expire. The draft they reviewed was apparently one penned by Skip Woods (Swordfish) and, without going into too much detail, lets just say the main villain in the film is a guy named Cool Dude. Seriously. Way back when it was reported that di Bonaventura wanted to make a buddy flick featuring Action Man (based on the British toy) and G.I. Joe -- I believe the reasoning here was to make it so the film appealed to international audiences. We're not sure if this is still the route they're leaning toward, whether or not Woods is still attached, or if an entirely new script (and writer) is currently being sought. Rarely have I seen LR bash a script like this ("I hated what Skip Woods did to G.I. JOE so passionately that I burned the script in my barbecue over the weekend. I am trying to erase the memory that I wasted two hours reading the biggest and most disrespectful piece of sh*t script I have ever reviewed for this column), and so I'm hoping Paramount and di Bonaventura do a little bit more homework before messing with these iconic characters in a way that could completely ruin the brand. Fingers crossed.

If you're as addicted to those mini courtroom drama/mystery docs on channels like A&E, Court TV and MSNBC as I am, then you most likely caught the one-hour special on Richard "Ice Man" Kuklinkski. For awhile, he was a contract killer working with the Gambino crime family and, by his own account, did away with as many as 200 people. If you managed to catch the TV special, you immediately know why they call this guy Ice Man; he's cold, calculated and could care less about any of the lives he took. To make matters worse, the man kept his job a secret from his wife and three children. (Right now, some therapist is making a lot of money off those poor kids.)

Producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Jason Blum have picked up the rights to Philip Carlo's book The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer, for brothers Allen and Albert Hughes (From Hell) to direct. Prior to his death in prison (while serving two life sentences), Kuklinski openly talked about his murders to folks like Carlo and his book is primarily based on those conversations. Currently, both producers are searching for a writer and, though they have first-look deals with Paramount, they are waiting to fully package the pic before setting it up at a studio. It will be interesting to see how everyone involved goes about tackling this story -- I mean, do they expect us to feel sympathy for their main character? I imagine they will work the whole FBI angle into it, and also focus on those who finally caught up with Kuklinsky. If not, get ready for one heck of a downer, folks -- this guy is (or should I say, was) one rotten dude.

I've always thought that producers are the best folks to interview. Not only do they know everything about anything, but more often than not they're the ones who will open up and spill the beans on stuff. Latino Review recently sat down down with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and threw a slew of questions his way. Bonaventura is a producer on the upcoming Shooter starring Mark Wahlberg, and he's also involved with Transformers, Beverly Hills Cop IV and G.I. Joe -- three projects we're just dying for more information on. Oh, and you bet he talks; there's none of this "I'm not allowed to say, but it's totally awesome!" stuff -- LR certainly goes at him, and the man does not back down.

On Beverly Hills Cop IV, Bonaventura says "they're developing a couple different takes right now" and that Eddie Murphy plans to make it his third film after he completes two more he's signed on to. The producer also is not down with bringing Judge Reinhold back, and would rather move Axle to a different area, surrounding him with (I imagine) a new set of characters. On the G.I. Joe front, Bonaventura told us that Skip Woods (Swordfish) is penning the screenplay, and that the idea is to work in the international version of G.I. Joe, Action Man (who apparently goes by the name Alex Mann) and to wind up with a buddy movie between Duke and Alex. Bonaventura reiterated what we previously told you -- that Wahlberg could play Duke.

With Transformers, the film still isn't completely finished. Bonaventura stressed that they're using "some of the most sophisticated FX that have ever been executed by ILM." He then provided an example, saying one frame during a Transformers fight sequence took roughly thirty-eight hours to execute. Damn. He goes on to talk about a few of the characters -- including Optimus Prime -- who he says we've never really seen a picture of. "The good news for us is that you really haven't seen it because everyone thinks what's been on the Internet is what is going to be final, but it's not the final versions." Feel free to swing by Latino Review for more ...

Is Mark Wahlberg a real American hero? Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura apparently thinks so. IESB is reporting tonight that at the press junket for the Wahlberg vehicle Shooter, di Bonaventura said that as soon as his other project, Michael Bay's Transformers, wraps, he will "immediately" jump onto a G.I. Joe film, hopefully with Wahlberg on board as Conrad "Duke" Hauser. IESB also reports that the film will be set before the rise of COBRA, and focuses on how the future COBRA Commander started his terrorist group. COBRA villains Destro and Stormshadow will also apparently be featured in the film, while Hawk and Snake Eyes are slated to stand in for the good guys.

Wahlberg recently wrapped shooting on the crime drama We Own the Night, co-starring Joaquin Phoenix and Eva Mendes. He also has his name attached to a couple of other forthcoming projects, including a sequel to The Italian Job and The Fighter, which is the biopic of boxer Irish Micky Ward that will co-star Matt Damon. There's no further indication at this time how solid plans are to fast-track the G.I. Joe film, but it doesn't seem like the kind of project that sits on the back-burner for long.