tulia Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I can't stand movie titles that do not, in any way, seem to coincide with the film's plot. Case in point: Variety tells us John Singleton has signed on to direct a thriller called Executive Order: Six, which will be financed by Relativity and is based off a script written by Philip Eisner (from a story he wrote with Robbie Consing). Lawrence Bender and Karen Barber will produce. Based on the title, it sounds like some corporate-themed flick, where guys in suits do bad things. It also begs the question: What happened to Executive Order one through five?

So what's it actually about? Well, Executive Order: Six follows "residents of a small, snowbound town, who band together to fight a mysterious horror that turns out to be an alien being unleashed by a plane crash." Sounds sort of like 30 Days of Night ... with an alien instead of vampires. I'm sure the whole Executive Order: Six fits into the script somehow, but you're telling me there weren't any other title suggestions? Like Snow Alien? Like ... The Secret Lives of Aliens? Or ... Crash Aliens? A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila? Wait, scratch that last one. Anyway, kudos to Singleton for finding another project to helm; the director has had a rough few months -- first he was involved in a car crash that killed someone, and then Tulia, the Halle Berry/Billy Bob Thornton flick he was supposed to direct, was postponed due to Berry being preggers (lingo you pick up after hanging around with way too many pregnant women). Do you like the title? What would you have called it?

My first thought should be to congratulate Halle Berry on her pregnancy, which she finally, officially announced on Access Hollywood Tuesday. But instead, I'm thinking primarily about John Singleton, who stands to lose by the news. The Boyz n the Hood director is having some bad luck of late -- in case you didn't hear, he accidentally killed a woman recently -- and Berry's bun in the oven has unfortunately affected Singleton's latest project. He was set to direct Tulia, a Southern courtroom drama with Berry and Billy Bob Thornton, but now, thanks to the actress' unavailability for the next six months or so, the film has been postponed -- if not canceled. According to TMZ, Lionsgate has definitely halted production, which was scheduled to begin shooting in October, with no word on when it would resume. The gossip news site did learn, though, that the project hasn't been shelved entirely.

I had been excited for Singleton when he took over Tulia from Carl Franklin. Here, I was thinking he could work with the reunited Berry and Thornton, who paired up on Monster's Ball, and direct the actress to another Oscar nomination (she won for Ball). And then his career would pick up again, proving that his status as youngest director to ever be nominated for the directing Oscar was not a fluke. Maybe it wouldn't get him another nomination, but it would hopefully get him enough respect to finally get him his Luke Cage greenlight. Now, even if Singleton does remain attached to Tulia, it won't be bringing him to any Academy Awards until at least 2010. Currently, Singleton is also having trouble as a producer. He worked with filmmaker Franc. Reyes on the new release Illegal Tender, which has only made $2.5 million in its first two weeks -- most of it earned opening weekend before a near-60% drop. Considering Reyes' previous film, Empire, grossed seven times that amount, Singleton could be blamed.

[via WENN]

Now that Carl Franklin has chosen The Maintenance Man as his next project, he is no longer attached to Tulia, the project reuniting Oscar-winner Halle Berry with her Monster's Ball co-star Billy Bob Thornton. Too bad, since it also would have reunited Franklin with his One False Move screenwriter/actor -- again, Thornton. Filling in for Franklin, according to Blackfilm.com, is John Singleton. While this isn't officially confirmed yet, it does make sense for the Boyz n the Hood director to take over a ready-made production while he waits and waits for that Luke Cage greenlight. If it is true, I wonder if Singleton will do another re-write of the screenplay, which was originally adapted by Karen Croner (Franklin's One True Thing) and then supposedly rewritten by Franklin.

As we told you back in March, Tulia is based on Nate Blakeslee's book Tulia: Race, Cocaine and Corruption in a Small Texas Town, which tells the true story of 46 racially profiled men arrested in a drug-less drug bust in Texas in 1999. Berry will play the lead attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense, a character Blackfilm.com notes is Indian, not African-American (it's true). Thornton also joined the project back in March, but we still don't know his role (Erik imagines he'll be the racist cop who aids in the conviction of the 46 men) and Blackfilm claims that Columbus Short (Stomp the Yard) may be added to the cast. The film was set to begin shooting back in April, but Thornton supposedly had a scheduling conflict. Hopefully Singleton, who is no stranger lately to race-based legal battles, won't need too much time to become acquainted with the project and it can start lensing soon.

Back when I first told you about Tulia, Halle Berry had signed on to star and it appeared as if the actress was attempting to find a role that proved her Best Actress Oscar was not some random fluke. Well, what a better way to convince people than to bring on your Monster's Ball (the film for which she won that Oscar) co-star Billy Bob Thornton. The two will reunite on the big screen for the first time since Ball on Tulia; yet another racially-charged drama that will hopefully help people forget all about that silly Catwoman picture.

Based on Nate Blakeslee's book Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town, pic revolves around an ACLU lawyer (Berry) who fights to expose police corruption after 46 black men are arrested and convicted following a sting operation where no drugs, money or illegal weapons were ever found. Carl Franklin (Out of Time) re-wrote Karen Croner's script and will direct. There's no word on who Thornton will play, but I imagine he will take on the part of corrupt racist cop -- a role that's similar to the racist prison guard he played in Monster's Ball. A co-production between Element Films and Lift Films, shooting is set to begin next month in and around New Orleans.

After appearing in a string of thrillers and superhero flicks, it looks like Halle Berry is itching to get back to where she was after winning a best actress Oscar for her role in Monster's Ball. Though it's been sitting in a vault for some time now, Lionsgate is finally ready to move forward on Tulia with Berry attached to star. Essentially a courtroom drama, Tulia is based on real-life events surrounding the arrests of 46 black men during a Texas drug bust -- a sting operation where, in the end, no money, drugs or illegal weapons were found. However, the men were convicted solely on the testimony of one crooked cop.

Berry will play the lead attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense; a group that immediately got involved and helped to ultimately free the wrongly accused. Based on the Nate Blakeslee's book Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town, Carl Franklin (Out of Time) is in talks to direct while Karen Croner penned the script. Tulia isn't the only straight-up drama Berry is working on; in fact, two of her next three films are potential awards contenders. In Things We Lost in the Fire, Berry plays a widow who invites her troubled best friend to come live with her and her children; Class Act find Berry portraying another real-life figure -- this time, it's a Nevada school teacher who uses her sixth-grade students to help boost her congressional campaign. While it's a bit premature for us to say Berry is officially back, it's nice to see she's adding a bit more meat to her roles instead of settling for the big paycheck and a Catwoman franchise.