Imagine if New Jersey mobster Tony Soprano suddenly became the Mayor of New York City? Variety is reporting that James Gandolfini, best known for his starring role in the long-running HBO series The Sopranos, will be joining The Taking of Pelham 123. Gandolfini is set to play Hizzoner (AKA The Mayor) in Tony Scott's remake of the 1974 thriller.

Gandolfini steps into the role inhabited by Lee Wallace in the original, a politician felled by the flu, stuck in bed, and motivated more by a selfish desire to be reelected than any altruistic concern for his fellow citizens.

Before The Sopranos, Gandolfini established himself as a colorful and versatile character actor (Crimson Tide, Get Shorty, A Civil Action). He was so supremely charismatic and memorably menacing as Tony Soprano, though, that his other recent roles have paled in comparison. Variety says he has other projects in development, based on writer Ernest Hemingway and basketball camp guru Sonny Vaccaro, that may showcase more of his range. Monika Bartyzel also noted recently that he's set to play Marvin Gaye's manager in Sexual Healing.

As Jessica Barnes originally reported, Pelham 123 will star Denzel Washington as a Transit Police officer charged with trying to foil a criminal gang that has hijacked a subway train. John Travolta will play the gang's ruthless leader. Production in New York City evidently began on February 7 and is scheduled to continue through July 4, according to the NYC Mayor's Office of Film Theatre & Broadcasting (PDF document). The film is due for release from Columbia Pictures in 2009.

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Josh Lucas will star in Tell-Tale, a psychological thriller directed by Michael Cuesta. Cuesta directed two very good indies -- L.I.E. and Twelve and Holding, and has helmed episodes of two of my favorite shows -- Six Feet Under and Dexter. The film's producers include big-time directors/brothers Tony Scott (Top Gun) and Ridley Scott -- who is currently tearing up the box office with the terrific American Gangster. The script was written by Dave Callaham, who also penned the video game adaptation Doom. (Had to look that up because THR managed to mention every aspect of the film but the screenwriter -- see why writers feel under-appreciated?)

Tell-Tale is a contemporary adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's classic story "The Tell-Tale Heart," (which was also reimagined as a hilarious Simpsons episode -- "Lisa's Rival"). Lucas will play a "single father whose recently transplanted heart leads him on a frantic search to find the donor's killer before a similar fate befalls him." I love the Poe story, so I'm up for this new take. Lucas was rumored to be playing Captain Pike in the upcoming Star Trek film, but we learned this morning that's not the case. What I really think Lucas should be doing is a movie where he, Matthew McConaughey, and Bradley Cooper try to tell each other apart for two hours.

True! -- nervous -- very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am! but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses -- not destroyed -- not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. After dealing with Edgar Allan Poe's literary Tell-Tale Heart, I wonder if the narrator's acute hearing can pick up this piece of news. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Ridley and Tony Scott, through Scott Free Productions, is cooking up a modern-day re-imagining of Poe's classic tale of loud hearts and floorboards.

It's said to be a psychological thriller on the backdrop of modern science, which makes me wonder if they're going the so-hot-right-now repo route and putting that loud, beating heart in the narrator. Then again, they've taken the "heart" part out of the title, so maybe they're going for a different organ/appendage. A stomping foot? A wiggling tongue? Whatever the case, Lisa Wilson, head of worldwide sales for Hyde Park, says: "Ridley and Tony are great storytellers. We feel that Tell-Tale will differentiate itself from other genre fare in its sophistication, quality, and commerciality. It is a thrilling blend of the supernatural and psychological mixed with riveting suspense and action."

So, what sophisticated pen could be behind this? How about Doom screenwriter Dave Callaham? This is where I really start to worry about the project. Sure, he might have written one hell of a script, and it'll be the sort of movie to knock all of our socks off -- but Doom isn't something that gives me confidence. His only other writing credit: the upcoming film called The Horseman. As for director, that honor has gone to Six Feet Under and Dexter director Michael Cuesta. So, what are the chances now that Michael C. Hall jumps on board?

The trailer for The Taking of Pelham One Two Three looked really cool way back in 1974: all barked dialogue, subways slamming down rails, and a distinct New York disdain, as I recall. It was so cool it motivated me to borrow a copy of the book it was based on from the public library. (I was too young to sneak into R-rated movies back then.) John Godey's novel was a rocking good read; it seemed like the smell of the subway emanated from its pages. Of course, that could have been from the previous reader, but the salient point is this: when I finally saw the film, I was more than impressed by the solid craftsmanship displayed by screenwriter Peter Stone and director Joseph Sargent. They effectively translated the insane idea at the heart of the story -- How do you hijack a subway train in the middle of New York City and expect to get away with it? -- and delivered a nail-biting mystery thriller.

Last month, Jessica Barnes told us of a report that Denzel Washington and Tony Scott would be reuniting for a remake of Pelham, with Washington stepping into the scuffed shoes of the jaded Transit Police lieutenant originally played memorably by Walter Matthau. Now Variety is reporting that John Travolta is in negotiations to play the leader of the gang that hijacks a subway train and threatens to kill the passengers unless a ransom is paid. In the original, that role was played by the menacing Robert Shaw.

Travolta was brutish and cool as the lead villain in John Woo's Broken Arrow, so he could do a good job with the part. The script for the remake was written by David Koepp, which is another mark in its favor. But will Tony Scott be able to capture the authentic flavors of New York that helped make the original so distinctive? And will he be smart enough to cast people who actually look and sound like New Yorkers? Here's hoping he can cast the modern-day equivalent of original cast members Dick O'Neill, Kenneth McMillan, James Broderick, Julius Harris and Jerry Stiller (all on the side of the law) and Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo and Earl Hindman (the other members of the gang, all referred to by colors, which may sound familiar). Production starts early next year.

Director Tony Scott has already got a flick about a British aid worker in Sudan (Emma's War) and a remake of The Warriors on his plate. What could be next? Variety reports that he's now looking into cigarette boats. No, he's not planning a speed-filled vacation, but rather a project based on the inventor of the cigarette boat, Don Aronow. This should provide quite the change from overseas suffering and punk warriors. The script is currently being written by Michael A. M. Lerner (Deadlines), who optioned the rights to the story, with Jeff Shapiro and Alan Hecht, from the man's surviving son, Michael.

You might be wondering what could be so interesting about the creation of the speedboat, other than shots of it in action. Aronow was a millionaire businessman who moved to Miami in the '60s and began racing boats as a hobby, which ended up becoming a business. But it's not like he just made and sold boats -- he was a close friend of George Bush (who would help him test them), and he made speedboats for people like Bush and the Shah of Iran. Having created the cigarette boat, things got tricky when they became the go-to vehicle for drug runners. In 1987, he was gunned down by one suspected of just that. See? There's speedboats, sea, drugs, bullets, and intrigue.

It seems that director Tony Scott can't get enough of remakes -- and Denzel Washington, for that matter. Sources for Entertainment Weekly are reporting that Washington and Scott are in negotiations to re-team for the remake of the 1974 action thriller, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. The original film starred Walter Matthau and Jerry Stiller, and was based on the novel by Morton Freedgood (under the pseudonym John Godey). The story centered on a grizzled New York Transit cop sent to stop a group of terrorists who have hijacked a subway car for a million dollar ransom. Washington would reportedly play Matthau's role of the cop. This would be the second attempt at a remake for the film; the first was a made-for-TV movie in 1998 with Edward James Olmos and Vincent D'Onofrio.

So far, Sony has stayed quiet on the rumored Pelham negotiations. But, Washington and Scott have made three previous films (Crimson Tide, Man on Fire, and Deja Vu), so they must enjoy working with one another. Scott still has his other 70's remake reportedly in production; Walter Hill's, The Warriors. Although, it has been a while since anyone has heard a peep out of that project. Washington, on the other hand, has American Gangster (directed by Tony's big-brother, Ridley) headed for theaters on November 2, followed by the family-friendly drama The Great Debaters on Christmas Day. So providing everyone can coordinate their schedules, I wouldn't be surprised if Pelham joins the growing slate of productions headed for the fast-track before the dreaded "Hollywood Strike" begins.

Why mess up a good thing? The trio that made Casino Royale work so well is now in place for the sequel. We already brought you news that the script for Bond 22 has been turned in by original scripters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, but now comes word that, just like last time, Paul Haggis is being brought on board to inject his own voice and do some re-working. The LA Times speculates that with all of the projects he has going on, including editing In the Valley of Elah, Haggis might have asked for a hefty raise to do this again, but I personally can't imagine that it's really a chore -- who wouldn't want to take a more or less finished Bond script and add their own changes to it? The Times goes pretty far in giving Haggis credit for the success of the last Bond film, saying that his writing "helped to revitalize the aging franchise and give it the edgier credibility it needed to hook a new generation of fans." Wow -- sounds like someone is a fan.

Further down in the article, the Times goes the Variety and HR route of re-hashing what has been reported on the online movie sites, when they tell us that four directors are now in contention to helm Bond 22. The "whisperings" --as they call them -- have Tony Scott, Jonathan Mostow, Marc Forster, and Alex Proyas being in talks for the chair, although what LatinoReview actually said is that an offer is already out to Forster, and that makes a lot of sense to me. There's no way Barbara Broccoli is going to go toe to toe with Tony Scott every day on the set -- she wants someone she can keep a lid on. Jonathan Mostow? It's possible, but Forster sounds so right that I'm digging around right now to see if I can confirm it. Stay tuned to Cinematical for updates.

The producers of the James Bond series have historically taken on very traditional directors -- guys who got the job done solidly, with little innovation or originality. It seems, though, that the huge success of Casino Royale has the producers understanding that shaking (not stirring) up the formula can be a good thing. LatinoReview is reporting a rumor (and it is, at this point, still a rumor) that an offer has gone out to Marc Forster to helm Bond 22. Forster made his name with Monster's Ball, solidified his status as a major player with the entertaining but overrated Finding Neverland, and his last project was the interesting Stranger Than Fiction. According to LR, several major directors have met about the possibility of directing Bond 22, including Tony Scott (Top Gun, True Romance), Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City), and Jonathan Mostow (the excellent Breakdown, T3).

This isn't the first time Forster has been offered a major franchise. He was asked to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but chose to work on Finding Neverland instead. I would imagine taking on a Bond film creates the same concerns in a director that it does in the actor who steps into the tuxedo. You don't want to get pigeonholed. But each of these guys has established himself, and each would bring a completely different take to the material. Considering all the love for Casino Royale, it's a little strange Martin Campbell is not in the running, but I think fresh blood is definitely the way to go. Out of the candidates above, I personally would want to see Tony Scott's take most, just because his trashy pop sensibilities might just be what the often stuffy Bond series needs. And I know it's wishful thinking, but wouldn't you love to see what Spike Jonze, Darren Aronofsky, or Alfonso Cuaron would do with the superspy?

After collaborating with documentary filmmaker Pat Dollard on his series, Young Americans, Tony Scott wants to bring the man's story to the big screen. It's a pretty interesting story to boot. The guy was a big, Hollywood talent agent who came from a staunchly liberal family. He was wrapped up in drugs, hookers and many ex-wives, while professionally, he helped Steven Soderbergh rise into a successful, Oscar-winning director. But that's only the first half of the story. If you're familiar with Young Americans, you'll know that Dollard made a big switch from Hollywood liberal to conservative, pro-war filmmaker, one who some consider him to be the right wing Hunter S. Thompson.

Now, Dollard seems pretty taken with the Domino director -- on his blog, he describes Scott as "a bad-&ss visionary motherf---er." It isn't surprising, therefore, that he'd close a deal that allows Scott to make a movie about his life. The feature will be based on a Vanity Fair article entitled Pat Dollard's War on Hollywood, and also include his life rights. But that's not the kicker. The biopic will be written by the article's writer, Evan Wright, and Dollard himself. Oh yes, he's writing his own biopic! It sounds a smidge self-masturbatory, but then again, maybe that will bring a new spin to his crazily sensational story. If it is truly based on the article, it should have all the juicy bits. And I mean that, literally -- he also went off the wagon for a bit after sobering up, went to rehab, hired an ex-con to keep him sober, fell off the wagon again by smoking meth with the guy, and made a meth-hazed porn movie with the ex-con's girlfriend. So yeah, while the guy might have become conservative in some ways, he's, umm, unique.

It looks like Tony Scott is fully committed to his updated remake of the Walter Hill film The Warriors. Back in November, Monika Bartyzel had news that Scott was ramping up for a full on re-invention of the film (If you prefer the original, there is always the Director's Cut on DVD). Scott was promising a new time and place for the story of gang warfare on an epic scale

While at the British premiere of his latest film Déjà Vu, Scott spoke with Empire Magazine to drum up some press for the project. Scott says that his vision of the remake is "The Warriors meets Kingdom Of Heaven. It's a very simplistic story -- that's the connection. I'm going to shoot it in L.A and all the gang members have said, if I get it on, they'll sign a treaty for the duration of the shoot." He also confirmed that he had already spoken to some members, but nothing was for sure. So, it could be a bit of manufactured buzz, especially since he has quoted numbers in the tens of thousands. If not, I can't imagine what the insurance bill for this film is going to be.

Scott confirmed that the film was aiming for a 2008 release, so we'll soon get the chance to see whether or not Scott was all talk about his gangland opus.

New Line decided to push back the release of Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny by one week in order to steer clear of Casino Royale and Happy Feet's openings, as well as to capitalize on a five-day Thanksgiving weekend. Did the move pay off? Hardly. Pic, which debuted on Wednesday, fell short of even landing in the top ten taking home a measly $3.3 million (counting Friday through Sunday only). So much for that whole destiny part, huh?

The big winners this weekend were, not surprisingly, Happy Feet ($37.9 million) and Casino Royale ($31 million) -- both of which finished number one and two respectively. The animated penguin flick crossed the $100 million mark in only 10 days, grossing an estimated $51.5 million over the course of all five days. Bond was not far behind, racking up $94.1 million throughout its first 10 days. The names Tony Scott, Jerry Bruckheimer and Denzel Washington were enough to land Deja Vu ($20.8 million) in third place, while the abysmal (according to Kim, at least) Deck the Halls captured the fourth spot with $12 million. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan continued to impress, as it too jumped into $100 million territory -- pic rounded out the top five with $10.4 million, for a grand total (so far) of $109.3 million after four weeks. As expected, Darren Aronofsky's latest trippy adventure, The Fountain, didn't do too well in its opening weekend, yet managed to snag the ten spot from Tenacious D with $3.7 million.

Full numbers (Friday through Sunday only) after the jump.

I've always been a big fan of director Tony Scott. While his big brother Ridley is the one who seems to get all the awards and respect (which is what'll happen when you direct Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator), Tony seems more than content to keep churning out his own distinct brand of hyper-stylized, ultra-slick and testosterone-heavy action flicks. Two of Tony Scott's biggest hits, Top Gun and Days of Thunder, rank among my least-favorites examples of the man's work, but if you look back through his filmography you'll notice titles like Man on Fire, Spy Game, Enemy of the State, Crimson Tide and True Romance, all films that improve upon repeat viewings and always have a welcome home in heavy rotation on HBO and Showtime. Even the guy's relative failures (The Last Boy Scout, The Fan, Domino) are entirely watchable and strangely compelling failures.

So when I noticed that the latest Denzel Washington cop flick was directed by Mr. Scott, I immediately switched over from mildly interested to actively intrigued. Toss in the fact that Deja Vu was co-written by one of my favorite Popcorn Movie scribes (Terry Rossio, of Shrek, Zorro and Pirates), and I was officially looking forward to Deja Vu -- and that's even before the trailers switched over from "cop thriller" to "cop thriller with a sci-fi twist." (Rossio's co-writer, Bill Marsilii, makes his big-screen debut here.) Also helping to stir the pot is producer Jerry Bruckheimer, which basically means a movie might be really dumb, but there's very little chance it'll be dull.

Without any prior knowledge of the film, a savvy moviegoer might guess that Deja Vu is about time travel from the opening sequence, which provides one of those attention-grabbing visuals that can serve as a tether-pole around which to swing lots of different time lines. The visual is a New Orleans river ferry filled to capacity with uniformed sailors and their families. They are either returning from duty or having a celebratory twirl around the river before heading out -- I can't remember which. But in the midst of their revelry, no one notices a creepy Tim McVeigh clone, played adequately by Jim Caviezel, who parks a Range Rover laden with explosives on the boat and then splits. The cosmic ripple in this otherwise terrestrial act of terrorism comes when the investigator assigned to the case, Denzel Washington, finds after arriving on scene that one of the victims attempted to contact him by phone hours earlier. It's a nice setup, but unfortunately director Tony Scott has no rabbits to pull out of his famous red ballcap this time.

If you pair up Scott with a good screenplay, watch out. Through his collaborations with Shane Black, Quentin Tarantino, and Jim Harrison, we know that he has no interest in ruining a good thing once it lands in his lap. But without the grounding a good script provides, Scott invariably goes off on an aimless visual tear, as with films like Domino and Man on Fire, or pours gallons of energy into badly conceived tech-fantasy films like Enemy of the State. He also grabs at opportunities to nurse his own strange compulsions, like the need to emasculate sophisticated machinery -- to bust it down to size. In Top Gun, a jet fighter is juxtaposed against a motorcycle, to show that both are just something you throw a leg over and kickstart. Days of Thunder has a scene where the dueling drivers abandon their fancy stock cars and hop into civilian cars to go race down the highway. In Deja Vu, Denzel does everything short of give a wedgie to a nerd who tries to explain to him the mechanics of a time machine.

What is hot today is gone tomorrow. However, sometimes a cult following will ensure some extra love, as is evident with Ash, his Evil Dead, and his Army of Darkness. The loyal Raimi/Campbell following allowed for the creation of a game, too many DVD re-releases, and a musical. Yet no one has dared to try to replace Ash on film -- Bruce Campbell is too epically cheesy. The same cannot be said for 1979's The Warriors, which also has a video game and following. The actors were unknowns -- with no Snake Plissken among the bunch.

Last year, Jette Kernion covered the release of a "Lucased" Warriors DVD, with added unnecessary effects, wishing that the rumours of a Tony Scott re-do wouldn't happen. It seems that Jette won't get her wish, and the film will not remain Scott-free. IGN recently talked with the director, who confirmed his plans for a re-make.

Scott is ready to up the ante for the film. Where the original had a few gang members, he wants thousands, and not hordes of extras or CG'd heads. He's currently schmoozing with gangs to get real members on-screen. Oh, and he's also moving the story from New York to LA. Why bother adapting the story from another film? It's refreshing to hear that he'd rather shoot it himself than do a shot-by-shot remake, but will enough of the story survive to actually call it a re-make?

Maybe I'll just wait for the musical. I can see it now -- Rent meets West Side Story!

One night my friends and I were walking by a university dorm discussing Things to do in Denver When You're Dead. I asked my friends why it couldn't have been called something shorter. Suddenly, a booming voice echoed me and said: Dead in Denver. Lately, there's some sort of obsession with long titles. We've got Borat: Cultural Learnings on for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and the upcoming The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. They could be titled Borat, Studio Sixty, and The Assassination of Jesse James, but then culture reviewers wouldn't get as much finger exercise.

Regardless of the long title, the curious have been reaching out to see the film. Originally set to come out in September, Warner Brothers pushed the release back to an ambiguous date in 2007. Now, producer Tony Scott has told Kevin Williamson of the Calgary Sun that the film will be released in February.

The ever-elusive date doesn't bode well for the movie about Robert Ford, a man who joined the outlaw Jesse James' gang, disliked living in James' shadow, assassinated him, and then had to live with the consequences. The star-studded cast includes Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Mary Louise Parker, Zooey Deschanel and Sam Shepard, but it's anyone's guess whether this will be a curse, or a blessing.

And, on a side note, check out the Wikipedia entry on Jesse James. Doesn't he bear an uncanny resemblance to Chris Eigeman?

[via canoe.ca]