russell gewirtz Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Hmm, does this newly-released photo from the film Righteous Kill remind you of anything? A scene from another film, perhaps? One that starred Al Pacino and Robert De Niro? Anyone? Anyone? Kilmer? Empire Online has the first batch of grainy stills (what's up with the quality?) from the flick Righteous Kill, starring "Say hello to my little friend" and "You talkin' to me" opposite one another for the first time since Heat. However, in this film they're on the same side, which means we'll get to look forward to tons of face-to-face "So, how much did they pay you for dis?" action.

In Righteous Kill, Pacino and De Niro star as two NYC police officers investigating a string of murders committed by a serial killer. Directed by John Avnet, and written by Inside Man's Russell Gewirtz, Righteous Kill also stars Carla Gugino (whose character has romantic ties to De Niro -- lucky old bastard!), 50 Cent, Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg (both of whom play fellow detectives). The film is currently in post production and no release date is set -- though I imagine we'll be seeing it hit theaters in March (maybe April) of next year ... I hope. Regardless of what people think about this film -- and what they think of the aging Pacino and De Niro -- I'm pretty stoked to watch both men together again on the big screen. How about you?

Ahem ........

Call me cynical, but I have a really hard time getting excited about any film that Brett Ratner is involved with. Although, I guess I should give him a break because he's done some good work on films like, um, wait a minute, ah, well I'm sure there has to be one. Oh yeah, I enjoyed X-Men: The Last Stand. He directed that one, right? Although, that film was pretty much director-proof at this point in the franchise and if I know my Brett Ratner (and I do) I'm pretty sure he phoned that one in.

However, It seems someone must like what he's doing because they keep giving him films to direct -- and now, he's got another one. According to Production Weekly, Ratner, who is currently shooting the much-anticipated Rush Hour 3, has attached himself to an as yet untitled heist drama cleverly known as The Untitled Brett Ratner Project. And that's not all. Try to follow me here and I promise to do my best not to let the sarcasm come through too much. Joining Ratner in this new film, which is being written by Inside Man scribe Russell Gewirtz and tells the story of two Trump Tower janitors who plan an elaborate heist to steal from the building's luxury tenants, are Chris Rock and -- wait for it -- Eddie Murphy. Yes, you read that right -- Eddie Murphy. Apparently, Murphy will be segueing into Ratner's film right after he finishes up starring in The Untitled Eddie Murphy/Romeo and Juliet Project. Yes, I'm serious.

I'll admit I'm a little conflicted here because I did think Inside Man was a very well written film so The Untitled Brett Ratner Project has that going for it. And, I'm a fan of Chris Rock's stand-up and HBO show. However, when you throw Brett Ratner and Eddie Murphy into the mix and combine that with a story ensuring the inevitable cameo appearance by Donald Trump and his bad rug -- all I can say is "Ratner, you're fired!" The UBRP (which sort of sounds like "burp", doesn't it?) is scheduled to start production this March in New York with an inevitable appearance at your local Blockbuster soon after.

When I first saw this headline, I immediately felt a tingle creep up my spine and couldn't help but cry out, "Yes! They're remaking Labyrinth! Bowie! Bowie!" However, after reading the story, cringing as Variety ripped out my heart and diced it up sushi-style right in front of my eyes, I realized we're talking a different Labyrinth here. Boo!

Oscar-winner Hilary Swank is set to star in a remake of the 2003 French thriller Labyrinth, with Russell Gewirtz (Inside Man) penning the script. Pic is described as a psychological thriller about a "mental patient with multiple personalities who holds clues to the whereabouts of a serial killer." I've never seen the French film, but based just on that description, it appears to be a mix of Silence of the Lambs and Don't Say A Word, with the latter kind of, well, sucking. I assume Swank will play the mental patient (Ahem, Oscar nom? Anyone?), but what about the serial killer? Do I even need to say it? Bowie! Bowie!