mark burnett Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I generally have no patience with "reality shows," although I freely admit to harboring a long-standing and secret love for Survivor. (I also saw a few great seasons of The Amazing Race on DVD, but let's stay focused here.) Arriving on May 22 is a reality series that just about every true-blue movie nerd will want to check out (for at least the first few weeks anyway, just to see how thing kick off.) From producers Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg comes On the Lot, a series that Fox would probably love for me to describe as "American Idol Goes to the Movies." And so I will.

If you head on over to the official On the Lot website, you'll be able to pick through a whole bunch of movies and filmmakers vying for a spot ... On the Lot. Log in, cast your votes and then tune in at the end of May to see who made the very first cut. The judges for the first few episodes will be Brett Ratner (director of Rush Hour), Garry Marshall (director of Pretty Woman), Jon Avnet (director of Fried Green Tomatoes) and actress / author / script doctor Carrie Fisher. Much like Idol, On the Lot will feature two episodes a week: a one-hour competition called "Film Premiere," and a half-hour nail-biter called "Box Office."

It all sounds pretty slick and nifty, but we've been burned by shows like this before. What helps a whole lot are the names Burnett (who produces the highest-end reality shows) and Spielberg (who, admit it, is a god among directors), plus Fox is already in a full-court marketing press for the series, which means it's bound to last more than four or five episodes. Since I'm already planning to devour this series with both fists, I thought it'd be fun to cover the show on a weekly basis, not at all unlike the recaps penned by the tube-addicted wizards over at TV Squad. So check back after week one and join in the fun. I promise there will be a Lot of 'em. Oh be quiet, puns are awesome.

Apparently, no one can resist Mark Burnett when he sets his mind to something. Burnett, as anyone who hasn't been living on an island will know (well, maybe a few island dwellers know as well) is the producer of reality shows like Survivor and The Apprentice, who did what most people in Hollywood say never to do -- he used his own money to snag the rights to Michael Scott's series of fantasy novels The Immortal Nicholas Flammel (as our own Erik Davis reported in September) and was then going to shop them around looking for a home.

Well, it appears Black Friday deals have come early for Burnett because according to a recent Sci-Fi wire article, New Line Cinema has made a deal with Burnett and will be putting down its cash to finance the films adapted from the series. Once the deal is completed, Burnett and New Line will begin looking for a writer to adapt the first book of the series, The Alchemyst, which begins the story of two teenage twins who find themselves on a quest to save humanity when a book belonging to the legendary alchemist Nicholas Flammel, containing secrets that in the wrong hands could spell the end of humanity, is lost. The boys must then race against time to find it before its too late.

As a fan of these kinds of movies, this sounds like a series of books that could be turned into some good, entertaining movies. Obviously, New Line and Burnett think so too and, of course, New Line is most definitely looking for a new fantasy franchise now that The Lord of the Rings is done and The Hobbit adaptation is up in the air. In the end, even if the books do turn out to be good source material, the movies relative merit will ultimately rest most heavily with who ends up handling the writing and directing chores. Hey, now that Peter Jackson appears to have some free time on his hands, maybe he would like to jump on another fantasy franchise? Now those would be some movies worth watching. Oh wait, first he and New Line would have to kiss and make up. Forget that.

If you've ever watched Survivor or The Apprentice, then you're most likely familiar with the name Mark Burnett. The man behind some of televisions more successful reality shows has now decided to take a chance on the big screen, snagging the rights to the children's fantasy book series, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.

This isn't the first time Burnett has dabbled in the film world; two years ago he optioned the rights to a pair of Da Vinci Code-esque books, as well as hinted at a few other "secret" projects he has lined up. Regarding Flamel, the first book in the series (dubbed The Alchemyst) will be published by Random House in May, with the second being written now. According to Burnett, he feels the books "have the scope of Lord of the Rings and the charm and intrigue of Harry Potter." Sounds sweet, but of course he's going to mention two blockbuster franchises when hyping this deal -- I mean, who wouldn't?

As is the theme with these kinds of books, the story revolves around a pair of teenage twins who find themselves caught up in a fight between good and evil, fighting monsters and traveling here, there and everywhere in order to solve clues and, I imagine, save the world -- all while following the teachings of the immortal, 600-year-old Flamel. Within the next few weeks, Burnett plans to pitch the series to potential studios, so I guess we'll see how strong its legs really are.

As more details emerge, it appears as if Hollywood's biggest director will be teaming up with reality television's head honcho. That's right, Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett are going all Filmmaking Idol on us... and I have a real sour taste in my mouth. The name of the show will be On The Lot, and will combine elements from shows like American Idol, The Apprentice and Project Greenlight.

The format will work like this: Each week, the contestants (all aspiring directors) will be split into teams, assigned genres and asked to produce an original film. Afterward, the films will be shown on a Spielberg-created movie theater set, while three judges bash, er, critique them. Oh, and here's the best part: Like Idol, America gets to vote off who they feel is the worst director. I trust America will make the right decision when it comes to the movies they choose, right?

As expected, Spielberg won't really be seen on camera. The three judges will be comprised of a movie company executive, a film critic and a special guest who will vary from week to week based on whoever feels like showing up. If the show is a hit, we could get Ron Howard. If not, then expect Ron Jeremy. And about that grand prize? Well, the winner will receive a "studio deal" with Dreamworks. FOX will potentially start airing the show next summer.