shawn levy Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Another classic cartoon is getting ready for the feature treatment. This time, it's your friendly neighborhood bears. USA Today reports that Shawn Levy (director of the Night at the Museum flicks) is gearing up to produce The Berenstain Bears into a feature comedy with Walden Media. This cartoon family has been around since 1962, and have had a handful of television specials, a series in the mid-80s, and another in 2003.

But, like anything Hollywood, the family is getting updated. They won't just live in Bear Country this time around. Levy is planning a mix of live action and computer animation where "the comedy comes from this bear family coexisting in a more recognizably real world." That means updates on mom's polka dots, dad's overalls, and, presumably, interaction with humans. The plan is to incorporate details from popular books in the series, and Walden Media CEO Michael Bostick compares the clan to "outcast" families like The Beverly Hillbillies and The Addams Family.

While many redos get under my skin, I'd love a new addition to the Berenstain legacy -- but like this? When did they become outcasts? They're a friggin' metaphor for human, everyday families. The whole point of the series was to mimick everyday lives and share familial lessons. The Messy Room is the reason I'm always organizing things. I read about their Visit to the Dentist when it was time to have the teeth looked at, or get healthy when there was Too Much Junk Food, rethink lying with The Truth, or reel back on the boob tube when there was Too Much TV. And in between these lessons, I memorized The Spooky Old Tree and would recite it to myself every night before bed. (check it out after the jump)

It says a whole lot of childhood lessons and morals are considered "outcast" fare...

I would love to see Hugh Jackman in a boxing movie. It seems like he's long past due for one given his physical prowess, and he'd be a good fit for a Cinderella Man sort of tale. Unfortunately, he's decided to pursue the sport through robots and Shawn Levy, as Variety reports that he's in line for Real Steel.

Based on a story by Richard Matheson, Real Steel is probably best described as Rocky meets Wall-E and The Iron Giant. Jackman plays a professional boxer who has to hang up the gloves, and rearranges his life when human boxers are replaced by 2000 pound robots. Our obsolete fighter tries to go with the flow, and becomes a Robot Boxing promoter, but success constantly eludes him because all he can afford are crappy robot parts. Then one day, he discovers a discarded robot who has a distinct gift for winning. Wouldn't you know it, the ex-fighter also discovers he's the father of a 13 year old son, and they bond as their scrappy robot fights his way to the championship.

There's not going to be a lot of surprises with Real Steel (they'll be misfits who find each other, and build a family), and Levy's track record isn't particularly promising. Nor is Hollywood particularly good at adapting Matheson's work to the big screen. But with Steven Spielberg as executive producer (a job which reunites him distantly with Matheson), there might be some hope. Not much, but some. I really wish Jackman would take some time and pick another film like The Prestige or The Fountain, and steer clear of the goofy popcorn concepts.

We're about to get more sweet and bubbly Amy Adams. Variety reports that Twentieth Century Fox has grabbed the rights to Adena Halpern's The Ten Best Days of My Life for Adams to star in, and Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian) to potentially direct.

The book centers on a woman named Alex who gets hit by a car along with her dog and rises up to heaven. But it isn't just any heaven -- she's in Seventh Heaven, where all her dreams (fashion, family, and love) seem to be coming true. However, to stay there, she has to prove that she lived a worthwhile life by relaying her ten best days. If she can't, she goes to a lower level without dogs and slightly less desirable surroundings (condos and last year's clothes ... oh the horror!).

This could easily be fluff, but something about this is tapping into my love of Chances Are, and Robert Downey Jr.'s visit to heaven. I should probably nip this in the bud since a story that talks about heaven being based on this year's fashions isn't quite the same thing. But we shall see.

In anticipation of what's sure to be the first trailer (or teaser) for Night at the Museum 2, USA Today has unloaded the first official batch of photos -- most of which show off a few of the new characters, a couple of returning characters and a cameo from Jonah Hill (who plays a security guard). Above, you'll see Ben Stiller, returning as the bumbling guard, and Bill Hader, who's playing General George Custer. Director Shawn Levy and Stiller both chat up the film, claiming it's definitely better than the first one. And with a cast that includes Robin Williams, Dick Van Dyke, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais (all of whom are returning), Christopher Guest, Hank Azaria, Craig Robinson, Ed Helms, Eugene Levy, Bill Hader and Amy Adams, you can't really go wrong.

In the sequel, Stiller's Larry Daley goes in search of his friends (and museum pieces) Octavius (Coogan) and Jedediah (Wilson) after they're mistakenly shipped to the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. On whether this will turn into a franchise for the studio, Levy says, "There are rumblings of another installment. We would love to take this premise (further). But even to say there's a likely third film is premature. We're not going to jinx things." We've included a few more images below, then feel free to hop on over to USA Today for the rest.

Night at the Museum 2 hits theaters on May 22.

First the good news: Steve Carell and Tina Fey, who I consider two of the funniest people currently on television, are going to star in a film together. It's called Date Night, and it's about a married couple whose attempt at keeping the romance alive leads to an evening of hilarity and merriment and shenanigans and whatnot.

Now the bad news: It's going to be directed by Shawn Levy, whose previous films -- Big Fat Liar, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther, and Night at the Museum -- do not inspire a great deal of confidence. I'm seeing a lot of implausible slapstick and embarrassing pratfalls. I'd like to think Carell and Fey are smart enough to avoid something that will humiliate them -- but I used to think that about Steve Martin, too, and look where we are now.

According to Variety, Date Night came from an idea by Levy and was written by Josh Klausner, who did some writing on Shrek the Third and has worked as a second-unit director on several Farrelly Brothers films. (He also wrote and directed the 1999 thriller The 4th Floor.) Levy is making the Night at the Museum sequel right now, but Date Night will come immediately after that, most likely next summer, when Carell and Fey are both on hiatus from their NBC sitcoms.

Both performers are quick-witted, smart, and adept at improvising. I think their sensibilities mesh well, and I'd love to see them in a film that matched their style. (Ooh, what if Michael Scott visited NBC Studios on one of his New York trips, and ran into Liz Lemon? Would that be cheesy, like when Arnold from Diff'rent Strokes visited Ricky on Silver Spoons? It would be, wouldn't it? Damn.) What do you think: Will Date Night be a good fit? Or is it too soon to tell and we're all just talking out of our butts right now?

If the sequel to Night at the Museum wanted to retain the level of accuracy seen with the original, it would have a Chinese actor playing Russian Czar Ivan IV (aka Ivan the Terrible). But while I'm sure there will still be historical errors abound in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, the honor of playing Ivan has gone instead to pale-enough actor/filmmaker Christopher Guest (Best in Show), according to the Hollywood Reporter. And since Guest is actually a far more serious man than you'd expect, despite all those silly mockumentaries he writes and directs, here's hoping he studies his Eisenstein for inspiration.

A bunch of other actors have also joined Ben Stiller in the fantasy film, including Jon Bernthal (World Trade Center) as Al Capone, Bill Hader (Superbad) as General Custer, Alain Chabat (The Science of Sleep) as Napoleon and the franchise's screenwriters, Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, as the Wright brothers. This makes for a very packed cast, considering most of the first movie's co-stars are apparently returning, including Robin Williams, Steve Coogan, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Dick Van Dyke, Jake Cherry and Patrick Gallagher, the guy who looked all wrong for the part of Atilla the Hun. Other newbies to the series include Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart and Hank Azaria as Egyptian pharaoh Kah Mun Rah.

The sequel is currently filming in Vancouver, which seems a bit far away from the actual Smithsonian Institute, but reportedly the production will have access to shoot a few scenes in the actual museum, which is located in Washington, D.C. Maybe it will actually look like it takes place there, too.

Although the Justice League of America film still doesn't have a firm cast, it looks like we have a director for the first official JLA spin-off. MTV Movies Blog reports that they've spoken with David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers), and he's confirmed to them that he's taken over directing reigns on The Flash. Not only that, but he also says his version of The Flash will exist in the JLA universe, the same as the upcoming live-action film. The film has already gone through two different directors; first it was David Goyer, and then it was Shawn Levy (who was going to use elements of Goyer's script). Now it's Dobkin ... who's never directed a comic book film before. But neither had Christopher Nolan when he did Batman Begins, or Bryan Singer when he did X-Men, or George Miller, who's directing Justice League -- so, really, does it matter?

When asked which Flash would be The Flash (there have been four of them), Dobkin replied, "Wally West." West took over for Barry Allen, his Uncle, when Allen died. As MTV pointed out, recent rumors over at AICN suggest the new live action JLA flick will open with Barry Allen's funeral. Dobkin even threw out the following tagline when asked about his vision for the film: "You can't outrun yourself." Deep. No word yet on when this film will begin, but you bet whoever signs on to play The Flash in JLA will most likely do so under the condition that they star in the spin-off. What do you think about Dobkin? Is he better than Levy? Goyer?

Growing up, Steve Martin was my favorite comedic actor, no contest. The Jerk, All of Me, The Man With Two Brains, Three Amigos!, Little Shop of Horrors, Roxanne, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Parenthood, LA Story, Father of the Bride, Bowfinger...you'd be hard pressed to find someone who's appeared in as many modern classic comedies. And he's obviously still a hilarious man (anyone see him on Letterman last night?). That is why his recent career path is so troubling to me. I can't fault the guy for wanting to make big lazy blockbuster family movies, and obviously there are people who enjoy them. I just wish that one of the greatest comedic minds in film history would take some more chances in his twilight years. I love his novels (read The Pleasure of My Company ASAP), and I adored the film version of Shopgirl, I sincerely hope he can bring us more interesting material like that.

But for right now, we're stuck with Pink Panther 2. Variety has announced the supporting cast, and I must say, it's pretty impressive. The great John Cleese is playing Inspector Dreyfus (perfect casting), memorably brought to life by Herbert Lom in the Peter Sellers films. Also on board are Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, and "The Queen of Bollywood" Aishwarya Rai, often referred to as "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World." The three will play "detectives and experts who join forces with Clouseau to catch the thief who has been stealing artifacts around the world." In addition to the new gang, Jean Reno and Emily Mortimer are returning to their roles. Pink Panther 2 was written by no less than five screenwriters: first-timers Scott Neustadter and Mike Weber, big-time comedy scribes Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (Splash, Parenthood, City Slickers), and Martin himself. Shawn Levy directed the 2006 Pink Panther, Harald Zwart (One Night at McCool's, Agent Cody Banks) will helm this one. Look for Pink Panther 2 just in time for Valentine's Day -- February 13, 2009.

Since I was celebrated for being one of only a handful of my friends who actually went to college, it's hard for me to relate to the pressures some kids face today as they prepare to leave high school for a little bit of higher education. Just being accepted to a college (any college) was enough for my parents to breathe out a sigh of relief. However, that's not the case elsewhere. Universal Pictures is interested in adapting Alexandra Robbins' new nonfiction book, The Overachievers, for Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) to produce through his 21 Laps. Though he hasn't yet signed on to direct the pic, there's a chance Levy might do so as the project starts to come together.

The book, which was published in August, chronicles the lives of several students in a Bethesda, Md. high school as they obsess over the whole college prep process. Based on what I read off Amazon, all the stress causes one girl to lose her hair, while others try to cheat their way into a great college. Then, of course, you have the nutty parents who treat their kids like soldiers heading off to war. Says Levy, "I read the book while I was at the tail end of the 'Night at the Museum' shoot, and it really spoke to certain experiences I had had as a 16-year-old, virtually killing myself to get into Yale." Once again, since I don't even know someone who knows someone who went to Yale, I can't relate. But it does sound fascinating. The goal for Uni and Levy is to transform Robbins' book into a John Hughes-type comedy; one that, I assume, will feature a crop of hot young talent and a hip soundtrack. Personally, I'd rather see this issue addressed on a more serious platform; I've heard stories of kids who attempt suicide because of the pressures they face during this crucial period in their lives. Then again, suicide doesn't sell tickets.

Seems like every week we have news of a new Shawn Levy project, but the director's Night at the Museum follow-up is absolutely, definitely going to be ... a "smaller" comedy for Fox Searchlight called The Way Back. (Probably one of those wistful coming-of-age things that probably has something to do with summer camp or defeating a bully or learning how to properly remove a girl's bra without acting like a dork.) According to The Hollywood Reporter the script (as penned by Jim Rash and Nat Faxon) is about a kid who withstands those growing pains during one fateful summer spent in a beach house during in his fifteenth year.

The cynic in me seems to think Levy snagged this smaller (quicker) project while the wheels start turning on that Tom Cruise / Ben Stiller comedy he's set to direct, but that cynic is just remembering how Shawn Levy subjected me to movies like The Pink Panther, Cheaper By the Dozen and Just Married and is still a little cranky about it. Fox Searchlight production chief Claudia Lewis seems pretty ebullient about the whole thing: "He brings such vim and vigor to his comedies ... And this project really hearkens back to some of his earlier work." So it's a coming-of-age comedy that hearkens back to ... Big Fat Liar? Or are we hearkening back as far as Levy's work on Animorphs?

On the plus side, these Rash and Faxon guys have done a lot of work with the Broken Lizard and Reno 911 folks, so they could definitely be very funny guys. There's something positive to focus on.