survivor Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Well it may be dark and it may not be the most jaw-dropping image, but since this is the first official still from Chuck Palahniuk's Choke (one of my favorite books of all time), to me it's just as awesome as any photo of the Joker. Twitchfilm.net has posted the first still from Clark Gregg's (What Lies Beneath) big-screen version of Palahniuk's novel about sex-addiction, Alzheimer's, and a man who makes a living by pretending to choke in crowded restaurants. Sam Rockwell stars as Victor Mancini, the sex-addicted con man who is struggling to pay his mother's medical bills -- it almost sounds sweet if you leave out ... well, practically everything since usually when people think Palahniuk they definitely aren't thinking 'aww' (its usually more along the lines of; 'eww').

This seems to be my lucky day, since Erik just brought us the news that I Am Legend's Francis Lawrence is planning on bringing Palahniuk's novel Survivor to the screen as his next project. Like most of Palahniuk's novels, Choke is not going to be an easy sell to a lot of audiences. Let's just say that it takes a certain sense of humor to see comedy in lines like; "A good addiction takes the guesswork out of death. There is such a way as planning your getaway." Luckily, I think Rockwell and company just might be able to pull this one off. Gregg has long been a big fan of the book and has been pretty dedicated to making a feature film, combined with Rockwell's ability to play people just a little off center and I think it just might work. Choke will show at Sundance and is set for release in 2008.

Good news for Chuck Palahniuk fans everywhere: It seems his novel Survivor is finally working its way to the big screen. I haven't attended a Palahniuk reading in awhile (always a fun time, and I recommend it to anyone), but last time I did he fielded a bunch of questions about Survivor. Back before 9/11 hit, Survivor was gearing up to become Palahniuk's next big-screen adaptation following Fight Club. But seeing as the novel deals with a guy who hijacks a plane for the sole purpose of crashing it, plans to shoot the film were scrapped indefinitely. Now, however, it seems I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence has stepped up to the plate, and in a new interview over at Collider, he talks about finally bringing Survivor to the multiplex.

When asked about his future projects, Lawrence replied, "I'm working on a book "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk that I'm working on with a friend. It's a great book. I love that book. So we've been working on that." Sounds like it's just in the adapting stage right now, but it's definitely better than the development hell stage it's been stuck in for the past few years. Survivor is a weird story to adapt, and one that will most likely have to go the indie route (a la Choke): It revolves around Tender Branson, a "media-made messiah" and member of a suicide cult who uses his girlfriend's psychic powers to predict the future and become a star. I haven't read it in a long time, and I forgot most of it, but remember it being one of my favorites next to Choke, which will premiere this year at Sundance. Should be fascinating to watch this one develop, and we'll bring you the news as soon as it's available.

Although this is news that we've known for quite some time now, the trades have finally gotten around to officially announcing Sam Rockwell's participation in Choke; the big-screen adaptation of one of my favorite Chuck Palahniuk books. The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Rockwell will star alongside Anjelica Huston, with Clark Gregg (What Lies Beneath) set to make his feature directorial debut off a script he also penned. Kelly Macdonald and Brad Henke are also set to star, while Contrafilm and ATO Pictures will produce. Production is set to begin this week in New Jersey.

Choke marks the second Palahniuk book to hit the big screen, following the ultra successful Fight Club from back in 1999. Even though the guy has a massive fanbase, his books don't exactly feature the type of material Hollywood normally craves. They're dark, disturbing, and include characters who usually suffer from some sort of warped addiction. For example, in Choke, not only is the main character (Rockwell) a sex addict, but he also plots a scheme to literally choke in restaurants in order to feed off the sympathy of those around him. It's his hope that, in turn, these people will give him money (after he complains to them about fictional bills) that he can then use to pay for his sick mother's care at a private mental hospital. It's a nutty book with nutty characters, and I can't wait to see Huston as the sick mother. Rockwell should also shine as Victor Mancini, a guy who's so dirty, disgusting and conniving that you can't help but love him. It's a tough book to adapt, but I also thought the same of Fight Club. Survivor is another favorite of mine, but plans to adapt that book were shelved after 9/11 (it opens with the main character on a plane that he hijacked). No word on a release date for Choke, but I imagine it will hit theaters (or film festivals) sometime next year.

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.

Now that CBS is no longer part of Viacom (it happened early this year, where you been?), and thereby no longer affiliated with Paramount Pictures, it needs a movie studio of its own. The company's CEO, Les Moonves, discussed this need at a PricewaterhouseCoopers event on Wednesday, stating that they are looking into the prospect, which would consist of either the acquisition of another already existing company or the establishment of a brand new entity. The one thing that is for certain is that the studio will start off fairly small with 6-8 productions a year with lower budgets of $20-30 million each. No blockbusters just yet.

As surprised as I was about Viacom's split, I have been mostly curious about the CBS Corp. half of the deal being without a film division. After all, no media corporation is complete without one. CBS only came away from the split with the CBS and UPN networks (which will soon no longer exist, but CBS will own half of the new CW channel), the television studios of CBS, Paramount and King World, and the Paramount Parks. I guess with nothing but TV experience, Moonves might not be the greatest new hope for film production, but every time there's talk of a new studio, I always dream that it can become a saving grace for the quality of new movies. I imagine something along the lines of the Robert Evans era at Paramount, of course. Instead we're likely to get Survivor: The Movie.