peter segal Tagged Articles at Cinematical

While Morgan Freeman has dabbled in comedy in his long and illustrious career, I don't think he's ever really gotten a chance to really cut loose. He certainly hasn't gotten to play in the raunchy end of the pool, but it sounds as though he's taking the leap in Dirty Old Men. The Hollywood Reporter says that he's attached to star as an aging playboy in the tentatively titled project, and we'll either be laughing or horribly traumatized by his efforts.

Men was penned by Josh Cagan and Greg Coolidge, and is said to be similar in tone to The Wedding Crashers and The 40 Year Old Virgin. It centers on two aging playboys who have been each other's wingmen for over 40 years. One of them meets the love of his life, leaving the other (played by Freeman) to chase skirts on his own. Well, that just won't do. The lonely playboy does everything he can to break up the new couple. I will bet money there's at least one I-hid-the-Viagra scenario. No, I don't like to think about it.

Peter Segal is in talks to direct, and the hunt is on for the playboy-husband-to-be. Warner Bros is hoping Jack Nicholson will take the part and reteam with his Bucket List buddy. But if he turns it down, may I humbly suggest they look to Freeman's real life wingman, Clint Eastwood? If Viagra jokes must be made, let them be the two that make them.

By: John Gholson

This movie should've happened fifteen years ago, and it should've starred Tim Allen. It didn't, so here we are in 2009 talking about whether or not a live-action movie based on Hanna-Barbera's animated "futuristic" sitcom The Jetsons will ever see the light of day.

Pajiba says yes, and they say that Peter Segal (Get Smart, Tommy Boy) is the director currently circling the long-dormant project. Director Robert Rodriguez (Shorts) was once enthusiastic about taking a crack at the material, but Warner Brothers wants to move on the project soon and Rodriguez keeps a full plate. Unlike Pajiba, though, I don't see this potential shift in directors as a huge step down.

Read the rest over at SciFi Squad

He may have lost the talents of John August, but Shazam! is still alive and well at Warner Bros, and here's the proof. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Peter Segal is still attached to direct, and the studio just hired actor-turned-writer Billy Birch to cowrite the script with Geoff Johns.

Captain Marvel is just one of many characters that Warner Bros and DC Comics is gearing up for a big-screen debut. Back in July, it was reported that the studio and comic company had reunited in a stronger, healthier relationship that both hoped would emulate the creative community at Marvel Studios. Johns, Grant Morrison and Marv Wolfman have been brought aboard to act as consultants, and Shazam! is just one of the properties benefiting from their influence.

The Shazam! movie has lacked the god driven powers of its hero, and has seen a lot of stops and starts in recent years, and finally seemed to be taking shape once August came on board as a writer, and Dwayne Johnson fueled fan buzz by having fans cast him in the film. (THR is mum as to whether he's still attached.) I really hope the sixth time(?) is the charm, and that Billy Batson finally gets his chance to transform. He's a character that has a lot of fans of all ages, and is poised to make a lot more in this superhero crazed era.

So remember that whole Shazam! movie, with John August writing, Peter Segal (Get Smart) directing and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson starring as the villain, Black Adam? Last year we talked about this project a lot, wondering which actor would eventually play Captain Marvel, as well as teenager Billy Batson. In fact, as recently as November of 2008, Variety had reported that Shazam! was part of Segal's first-look deal with Warner Brothers. (The project was originally set up at New Line, but moved to Warners when they went under.)

However, over on his blog, August says the project is now dead in the water after several re-writes, most of which came about after the studio wanted him to take the film from a lighter action-comedy to something much darker (a la The Dark Knight). And regarding the recent news that Segal would be directing, August notes that "press releases often have little relationship to reality." He does admit, though, that the movie may still happen ... just not with him onboard and not anytime soon. Which is a shame, because this pitch -- "Like Big, but with superpowers ..." -- definitely had potential.

Were you looking forward to Shazam!?

The Captain Marvel film seems to finally be moving forward again, if this Variety item is anything to go by. Get Smart's Peter Segal has set a first-look deal at Warner Bros., and as part of the deal the studio acquired the John August-scripted Captain Marvel which Segel is still in line to direct.

The film was originally set up at New Line, but we all remember what happened there, so Marvel fans will be relieved to know he's got a new studio to call home -- and one that all his DC friends are at. I'm curious about the title switch ... are they going to retitle it Captain Marvel, and risk everyone being confused as to which comic brand he belongs to?

The last word we had on the project was precisely a year ago, when Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson signed on to play the villainous Black Adam. Variety makes no mention as to whether he's still attached. I hope he is, the fans chose him! You can't recast after a stunt like that.

Considering it has a script, a director, a villain, and a studio, all Shazam/Marvel needs is its hero, and it could be on the big screen before Warner Bros decides what to do with Superman. I'm not the biggest fan of the character, but he's a perfect one for the kids, especially in this era of dark and gritty superheroes.

Tell me if this sounds familiar: The Hollywood Reporter posts that writers Ken Kaufman and David Agosto have sold an action-comedy pitch to MGM for $1 million. The project is tentatively titled Wardogs, and producer Michael Ewing says: "it's an action ensemble comedy in the vein of Ocean's Eleven, where the casting becomes an event. It is a bunch of these terrific actors getting together and having a good time, it's that kind of thing."

Did they keep seeing ads for Tropic Thunder while mourning the end of the Ocean's series? The film will be directed by Peter Segal, the man behind films like Tommy Boy, 50 First Dates, and most recently, Get Smart. So far, nothing is being said regarding Wardogs' plot, nor is there any word on when we'll start hearing about this super-cool group of actors.

Huge star ensemble comedies can be fun, but it kind of rubs me the wrong way when the only thing mentioned about the project is the plan for superstars, with no time given to the story. But here's your chance to dream up the ultimate star cast. What "terrific actors" would you cast in a film called Wardogs?

During the opening of Get Smart, the new big-screen re-visitation of the '60s spy spoof TV show created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, we're shown a montage detailing the mighty workings of the modern intelligence apparatus; covert microphones, satellite communications intercepts, frantic translation, secretive meetings. As top analyst Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) walks the streets of Washington to the hidden headquarters of the secret agency where he works, listening to intercepted conversations to better understand the plans and thoughts of America's enemies, his iPod switches over ... to Abba's "Take a Chance on Me." Spies, it seems, are people too.

And pause here to think about the challenges facing any director who wants to make a spy comedy in our modern times. If you depict spies as too competent, the audience unconsciously fears for their civil liberties; depict spies as too incompetent, the audience unconsciously fears for their lives. Make the film's threat to the free world too credible, and the film's more scary than silly; make the threat to the free world too fantastic and foolish (as in the earlier Get Smart big-screen project, 1980's The Nude Bomb) and the film's more goofy than gripping. The makers of the new Get Smart seem to have thought about this, and have transformed the character somewhat from Don Adams's nasal know-nothing in the '60s TV show; as played by Carell, Smart is a bright, dedicated, insightful analyst for the secret agency CONTROL who dreams of being a field agent. And Max learns he's passed the field agent's exam with flying colors; still, his boss The Chief (Alan Arkin) rejects Max's request for transfer to field work because he needs Max behind a desk.

I'm still itching for big-screen Venture Brothers, but for now I'll have to settle for one of the main influences for that show -- Jonny Quest. Young kids, scientist dad, super-tough agent of protection, Quest had all that, plus one of the brothers was an adopted Indian boy, and they had a bulldog named Bandit. Erik posted that the story would head to the big screen last year, with Dan Mazeau (Land of Lost Things) penning the script.

Now IESB has a big Warner Brothers post up, and in it they might have stumbled upon the director of the film. They talked with Peter Segal, director of 50 First Dates, The Longest Yard and Get Smart recently, and he seems to know an awful lot about this production for someone who isn't attached. It seems that he was once set to direct the adaptation, and even now, he's read the most recent draft of the script, talked about how good it was, and has ideas about who should play who (he thinks Bannon should be played by The Rock).

Again, this is all just a rumor right now, but there's some pretty solid reasoning behind it. Either that, or Segal is just obsessed with all things Jonny Quest for some odd reason. Are you happy with this news? Or should Jonny Quest stay on the small screen?

Though his role in the film isn't official yet, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson told MTV that he's in the process of working on playing Black Adam in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the popular comic Shazam! Not long ago, MTV sat down with The Rock (who's been a frontrunner to star in Shazam! for quite awhile now), and the actor asked fans to choose which role they'd rather see him in: the hero, Captain Marvel, or the villain, Black Adam. Fans overwhelmingly picked The Rock to play Black Adam (probably because they're itching to see the tough guy take on a villainous role for once), and Rock confirmed to MTV that the role is currently being shaped to suit him. While out promoting Southland Tales, The Rock said he'd be meeting with director Peter Segal later that night to discuss the part further.

Now all they need to do is find their Captain Marvel, aka Billy Batson, and it will be interesting to see if they attempt to pull off both with one actor. Batson is a regular old teenager who's chosen by a wizard named Shazam! to the the champion of good. And every time Batson utters the words "Shazam!" a lightening bolt strikes and transforms him into an adult by the name of Captain Marvel. So do they get an actor in his early 20s, try to pass him off as a teen and then age him up to play the Captain? Early rumors suggested Jake Gyllenhaal was up for the part, but screenwriter John August squashed that. Who would you like to see play Captain Marvel and/or Billy Batson? Should they try to work around one actor, or bring on two? Shazam! is set to hit theaters at some point in 2009.

Though Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has dabbled in video game adaptations (Doom) and big-budget fantasy flicks (The Scorpion King), surprisingly, he has yet to try on a superhero costume. But that might change, as the actor has expressed interest in playing Captain Marvel for the upcoming big-screen adaptation of Shazam! And while I'm certainly curious to see how they plan to take some scrawny 10 year-old kid and turn him into The Rock after muttering that oh-so magical word, I do think the dude is a much better choice than, say, Jake Gyllenhaal. (Of course, there are thousands of teenage girls who might think otherwise -- Jake, we love you!!)

In speaking with IGN, Rock admits that director Peter Segal has already lodged the Captain Marvel nugget in his head. He says, "Listen, John August is writing the script. He's a tremendous writer and [I'll] wait for the script to come in. But I would love to work with Pete [Segal] again, and certainly I've loved everything John August has written so it's a strong possibility." I love how he opens the sentence with "Listen ...," as if he's going to follow it up with "And if you have a problem with that then we can step outside." For those who aren't aware, The Rock is currently starring alongside Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway in Get Smart; a film that is also being helmed by Segal -- hence the reason why the question was asked.

When asked whether Captain Marvel would be a "man in tights" or if Segal was going to update the superhero's look, The Rock lifted one eyebrow (okay, I'm not sure that he did this, but it makes the story sound better) and replied: "Well, knowing Pete he would update [it]. [Segal]'s very excited about the project and understandably so, and he talks about it with passion. Pete also understands the importance of making sure to get that right. He's a big comic book fan. I don't know if you know that." Actually, I didn't know that; then again, there have been other directors who were so-called "big comic book fans," but their movies didn't exactly turn out so great. However, I have faith that John August will a) turn in a fine script and b) let us all know, through his blog, whether or not The Rock rumor is a valid one.