News Retrospective, Part One

Well four months is a long time in the world of movie and TV news, so I thought I’d offer a blow-by-blow account of the major and not-so-major stories since March, with some of my patented asinine bullshit for good measure.

I began writing this thinking it would be a quick cursory exercise, but it soon turned into a mammoth endeavour that my perfectionism wouldn't let me bring to a halt despite the bleeding from my eyes. So, although this may revolt you in its thoroughness, I feel that my work needs to be seen in order for my horrendous injuries to be justified. Enjoy!

March (well, the stuff I didn’t cover in the real March)

- Zack Snyder reveals that he was talking to Tom Cruise about the role of Ozymandias in Watchmen, but that Cruise politely declined. While Cruise has the looks and charisma needed for this role, he just brings too much baggage. He could never really be Adrian Veidt.

- Daniel Radcliffe signs on for the final two Harry Potter movies. When the first film came out it seemed highly implausible that the cast would be kept together for seven movies. Six years later, in this age of the sequel and three-quel, it’s just a mild relief rather than a surprise.

- Director Joe Carnahan, in development on the fifth of James Ellroy’s LA crime novels, White Jazz, confirms that a separate L.A. Confidential 2 project is in the works, which would prevent him from using Guy Pearce’s Ed Exley character from that film and Pearce himself (assuming he would agree to reprise). It’s an especially egregious slight considering Carnahan was respecting movie continuity by keeping James Cromwell’s character dead when he played a major role in the novel, yet the project was very much striving to be its own entity – it would have been a refreshingly honest type of ‘sequel’. It even had – and still has – George Clooney attached as the lead. Still, leaving Exley out isn’t fatal, and it doesn’t look like L.A. Confidential 2 will beat White Jazz to theatres – hell, it may not even be made. And I wouldn’t complain in the slightest.
[For a sense of how nifty White Jazz could be, check out this photoshopped image that Joe Carnahan posted on his blog, indicating the fascinating visual style he’s going for. Scroll across for a glimpse of George doing his thing.]

- Variety confirms what webmasters had discovered weeks previously: Shia LeBeouf is in Indiana Jones 4. The studio is being coy about whether he’s playing Indy’s son though.

- Pixar announce that Toy Story 3 will be released in 2010. Although I don’t really need this movie, I’m eternally grateful that Pixar re-signed with Disney so that they could make it themselves, rather than audiences being inflicted with an in-house Disney production, as they threatened when Pixar was mulling a new alliance with another studio. John Lasseter has already announced that any sequels to Pixar films will be handled by Pixar themselves. Thank Christ.
And it’s funny how this is a rare case where a three-quel has to live up to the massive expectations set by the previous film fulfilling massive expectations as the follow-up to a hugely-loved first film. Fingers crossed. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are back BTW. I bet the latter wasn’t a hard sell. Poor guy…. Santa Clause 3 with Martin Short… yikes….

- Gerard Butler is to star as Snake Plissken in a remake of John Carpenter’s Escape from New York. After 300, this guy had it all. Was opting for a remake a bad choice, or indicative of how little else there is on offer in Hollywood for a rising star? Bloody remakes!!!

- Bryan Singer’s next film will not be a Superman sequel, but a World War II thriller written by Usual Suspects screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie. The deal is with the latest incarnation of United Artists, inexplicably resurrected by Tom Cruise and his Cruise/Wagner production company. It’s since been revealed that Cruise will also be the lead in Valkyrie, playing Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. Yep, Cruise as a German – I’m shuddering too. Also starring are Carice von Houten (from Paul Verhoeven’s recent homegrown comeback flick Black Book), Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Stephen Fry. Tom Wilkinson, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Eddie Izzard and Patrick Wilson – great cast, really. Oh, and it’s based on the July Plot, a real-life conspiracy to assassinate Hitler by German officers. Could be interesting. But Cruise as an actual German from history? Please no accent, PLEASE!

- Fernando Meirelles follow-up to The Constant Gardener is finally announced: an adaptation of Nobel Prize-winning Portuguese author Jose Saramago’s novel Blindness, about an inexplicable city-wide outbreak of blindness. Daniel Craig and Julianne Moore are in talks to star. However, Craig has since backed out, replaced by the far less stern and more vulnerable Mark Ruffalo – great choice.

- A while back, Warner Bros. put a Justice League movie into development, perhaps in response to Marvel’s announcement that their in-house movies like Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and the in-development Captain America and Thor will hopefully lead to an Avengers movie. If it gets made, it could be a catch-all flick for lesser DC heroes, or it could be a massive team-up movie featuring Batman and Superman, as seen in their solo flicks. Good idea? I can’t say at this point.
Anyway, rumours start to emerge that Warners will be putting a Superman sequel into turnaround and simply casting Brandon Routh in Justice League. After the disappointing critical and commercial response to Returns, this isn’t unfeasible. Since then, there have been conflicting reports about the sequel going ahead, even within the cast-iron Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Who the hell knows? But I very much doubt that Christian Bale would touch this with a 10-footer.

- We’re getting another Hayao Miyazaki film!!! Ponyo on a Cliff is announced for release in 2008. From Wikipedia and Variety:
“The plot centers on a goldfish princess named Ponyo who desperately wants to be a human. In pursuing her goal, she befriends a five-year-old human boy, Sōsuke. Work began on the film in 2006 [that explains the startling imminent release date]. The film will have an animation style heavily based on watercolours, a first for Miyazaki's films.”
Oh YEAH! And unlike Howl’s Moving Castle, this is an original story, straight from Miyazaki. And Sōsuke is based on his grandson, a personal touch that may make Ponyo even more whiplash-inducingly charming than his prior work.

- Emile Hirsch is cast as the lead in the Wachowski Brothers’ live-action version of 1960s anime Speed Racer. Interestingly, the film’s going to be rated G – not only are the Wachowskis making a family film this time, they’re doing so aggressively. It could be a great test of their range, or a dismal failure that proves that they really did lose the plot after the first Matrix. Hirsch is later joined by John Goodman and Susan Sarandon as Speed’s parents, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox as villain Racer X (Jack may not get nearly as much Lost love as Sawyer, but Fox is doing a lot better in film than Josh Holloway – weird), Richard Roundtree, Friday Night Lights’s Scott Porter, and Hiroyuki Sanada (loves me some Sanada). Fantastic cast – the Wachowskis still have some love. V for Vendetta no doubt helped.

- Steven Spielberg taps Prestige and Dark Knight screenwriter Jonathan Nolan to write his wormhole SF project Interstellar. Good choice.

- Robert Rodriguez says he’s glad Johnny Depp couldn’t take the part of Jackie Boy in Sin City (ultimately taken by Benicio del Toro) because he thinks he’s perfect for Wallace in an adaptation of Hell and Back, which, being the longest Sin City yarn, would have to comprise a third film (the second will adapt A Dame to Kill For). He is, I agree, but since both Rodriguez and Miller now have a film apiece to make first, who knows when the first sequel will even get made?

- The Fountain director Darren Aronofsky signs to helm The Fighter, a boxing drama starring Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg. This may well be a ‘for them’ movie, but if it bolsters his status in the biz, it could pave the way for other, personal, Fountain-esque projects, which is only a good thing.

- Radcliffe is followed by Emma Watson and Rupert Grint in signing for Potter 6 and 7, despite momentary panic that Watson would bail. Good stuff.

- Helen Mirren follows her Oscar for The Queen with National Treasure 2 – WHAT. THE. FRAK?

- After an Oscar nomination, Mark Wahlberg signs for M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening, despite several studios rejecting it, Lady in the Water failing miserably, and Shyamalan’s apparently ever-inflating ego. WTF, etc etc.

- After an Oscar, Jennifer Hudson signs for Rowan Woods’ Winged Creatures. However, this choice by a recent Oscar pick I do not disdain. Woods is a quality Australian director who also contributed many episodes of the delightful Farscape, and with the moderate critical success of Little Fish he has now snagged an American directing gig with a powerhouse cast. Sure, it’s yet another ensemble drama with a traumatic event serving as catalyst, but if the execution is great, I can forgive another trip to this well. Woods has also snagged fellow 2007 Oscar winner Forrest Whitaker, 2007 Oscar nominee Jackie Earle Haley, Guy Pearce, Kate Beckinsale, Dakota Fanning, and Jeanne Tripplehorn. Woods is doing well.

Sweet jesus, this is turning out far longer than I expected. Stupid comprehensive CHUD archives. Stupid interest in numerous different things.

April

- Heroes outrages surprisingly few by blatantly stealing from Watchmen for the revelation of Linderman’s plan (thank you to Devin Faraci at CHUD for alerting us to this in March when he saw preview clips at a Heroes event). While the method and ultimate outcome differed, the rationale and intended consequences were disgracefully similar. Hopefully Heroes’ limp conclusion in May puts the scenario out of people’s minds when watching Watchmen.
The New York Post followed up with a story on this after the episodes aired, but still not too many people minded. Fanboys must really, unconditionally, blindly love Heroes to overlook such plagiarism of a sacred text.

- In the announcement of Joe Penhall (Enduring Love) as writer of the movie adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer-winning novel The Road, Variety also confirms that John Hillcoat, director of the astonishing Aussie western The Proposition, will indeed be at the helm. Hillcoat is a perfect choice for McCarthy (the tone of The Proposition is wonderfully reminiscent of Blood Meridian), so this is a much-anticipated project.

- Friday Night Lights wins a Peabody Award, probably a more impressive accolade in the grand scheme of things than the Emmys ever could be. While the rest of FNL’s first season was a little disappointing in the soapy aspects that had very little social commentary value (Lyla Garrity shits me off), it’s still impressive TV. I don’t diss this award, but I don’t fully grasp it either.

- Tarantino and Rodriguez’s Grindhouse tanks at the box office, opening in third place with a mere $12 million, and word of mouth obviously doesn’t bring in more custom in subsequent weeks. Much is written about its failure, and, most heinously, international territories will receive expanded versions of the two films as separate releases, rendering the grindhouse experience – ie: the very point of the film – obliterated. What a shame. Oddly I don’t know if I can be arsed paying two ticket prices for these films, despite being pumped for Grindhouse. Maybe I feel subliminally ripped off to reject a new Tarantino.

- Blissfully, hallucinogenically creative comics writer Grant Morrison is announced as screenwriter of Area 51, an adaptation of the video game. If it’s made, this will be Morrison’s first produced film work, and if his vision emerges unscathed, will be a delightful smack-in-the-face to moviegoers with its rampant weirdness, and perhaps the very first decent video-game movie (although Hitman, with Deadwood’s Timothy Olyphant in the lead, sounds kinda promising). Or it will be a massive waste of a seemingly inexhaustible reservoir of talent and originality.

- Sin City may spawn a Rodriguez and Miller-sanctioned TV show. Hmmm……

- Woah! How did I miss this the first time?! After an eon complaining about Harrison Ford’s crappy movie choices, the potential redundancy of Indiana Jones 4, and his refusal to play anyone but a clear-cut hero (with a side order of grouchy), I find that he’s signed to play a corrupt border enforcement agent in Crossing Over, an immigration drama from Wayne Kramer (The Cooler, Running Scared). Wow, I’m shocked he’s actually making another movie apart from Indy, let alone one with actual creative promise. Come on Harrison, you can do it! I just hope he’s also changed his tune on Blade Runner for the upcoming re-release. He’s agreed to and already sat for interviews for the DVD, so maybe he’s come around to it at last. Ray Liotta, Cliff Curtis, and Ashley Judd also star, along with an uncharacteristically brief role for Sean Penn.

- In what is still one of the most gob-smacking announcements of the year, Edward Norton is announced as the lead in The Incredible Hulk, next year’s sequel/reboot of the franchise. Until this point, the Louis Leterrier-directed pic looked to be a glorified straight-to-video sequel, but the signing of Norton transformed all expectations. Sure, Norton hasn’t been in many pics over the last few years, but one got the impression that that was his choice rather than because of a dearth of offers. And he did have quite the word-of-mouth hit last year with the otherwise execrable The Illusionist, so Hulk was probably not a move made out of desperation.
Since then – and perhaps due to Norton signing on –Tim Roth, Liv Tyler, and William Hurt have joined the cast. It’s quite remarkable for a franchise to be restarted in such spectacular fashion a mere five years after the last attempt. The script apparently takes the Hulk’s origin as writ and tells a Fugitive-type story of Banner on the run, akin to the 70s TV-show but allegedly largely inspired by Bruce Jones’ eerie, skilful, but drawn out run on the comic a few years ago.

Ya know, if this film succeeds, I wouldn’t be surprised if Marvel has another crack at Daredevil, similarly ignoring the critically panned last film and starting afresh. Granted, the Hulk has a great deal more name recognition with the general public so the merchandising opportunities may have made a new film financially viable, whereas Daredevil has very little sway with the masses. That is, until the first film’s DVDs just kept on selling and selling for years in re-issues and reprintings, here in Australia at least. Maybe it wouldn’t be fruitless…. As uninspired a character as he may have seemed in the 2003 Ben Affleck starrer, the character actually has a very distinctive tone in the comics that could be well serviced on-screen. Mark Steven Johnson had his heart in the right place, but the execution completely failed to do the character justice. This is, after all, a superhero that Frank Miller crafted the definitive take on. And Hollywood sure does love him right now…

- David Mamet’s next film will be Redbelt, a look at the underground fighting scene in Los Angeles starring Chiwetel Ejiofor.

- Tom Hanks and director Ron Howard have signed for the Da Vinci Code prequel, Angels and Demons – oh PLEASE!

- Ridley Scott puts Child 44, about a secret police officer in Stalinist Russia into development, another addition to a truly mammoth slate for anyone, let alone a guy about to turn 70. After this year’s American Gangster, he also has Body of Lies with Leonardo DiCaprio, and an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian in the offing, which for me seemed to come from nowhere about six months ago but apparently has a script by William Monahan ready and waiting. Yet as of the present day, it has no firm slot in Ridley’s schedule.
Will it happen? It’s been mooted for years, so who knows? I wonder if Ridley’s right for it? But then I can’t even reconcile Blade Runner’s moody awe with his recent style, as good as some of those films can be. If he can recapture that arch stylism, he could well do justice to Blood Meridian.

- Clive Owen signs for The International, Tom Tykwer’s American film debut.

- Michael Apted (the 7UP documentary series, The World is Not Enough, Amazing Grace) will direct The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third Narnia film. This series is getting Harry Potter-esque in its advance planning. I may be in the minority, but I think Prince Caspian is still a wild card in the box office department. Whereas Harry Potter has never really left the cultural conversation since the films began, Narnia has been little discussed since the first film came out. We shall see…

- Brad Pitt will join George Clooney in the Coen Brothers’ Burn After Reading. With these huge signings and the massive acclaim for No Country for Old Men at Cannes, it seems that the Coens are back in business, and I’m damn relieved. Burn is about a CIA agent whose memoirs are stolen by a man who believes he can blackmail him with the secrets it contains. An inauspicious concept, but the Coens and the cast (also including Frances McDormand) make this a must-see. Plus, the Coens are working for the first time in over a decade without cinematographer Roger Deakins. However, they’ve got one hell of a replacement with Emmanuel Lubezki (Children of Men, The New World).

- JJ Abrams confirms the worst-kept secret in a long time: his Star Trek film does indeed feature Captain Kirk.

- Robbie Coltrane and Maximilian Schell join Rian “Brick” Johnson’s The Brothers Bloom, adding to an already astonishing cast comprising Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz, and Rinko Kikuchi. It’s interesting how Johnson has got his second script up-and-running with little trouble soon after his debut with a stellar cast, yet Richard Kelly endured endless strife to get his second effort filmed, and that strife has continued long after filming concluded. Poor guy….

- Sam Mendes is making a Middlemarch film. Given the astounding intricacy of that novel, all I can say is ‘good luck’.

- Chow Yun-Fat follows Tony Leung Chiu-Wai’s lead and departs John Woo’s ancient Chinese epic, The Battle of Red Cliff. Shortly thereafter, Leung returns, possibly to take Chow’s role, since Takeshi Kaneshiro took his original one. Tumultuous is the word.

- Very convincing photoshopped ‘test’ shots of Heath Ledger as the Joker appear online. The craving to see what Ledger will look like is insatiable, which is odd given that we know what the Joker basically looks like. Yet I was as hungry to see the final design as everyone else. Quite unfathomable really. We fanboys are a funny lot.

- Wow, yet more Coens news. They have the project-after-next sewn up too. Called A Serious Man and dubbed “a dark comedy in the vein of Fargo”, the flick is set up at Focus Features. Is there no stopping these men now?

- Ubiquitous comics-to-film guy David S. Goyer is announced as the director of the Magneto spin-off. Should it be made, of course.

- Frank Langella is confirmed to reprise his stage role as Richard Nixon in Ron Howard’s movie version of Frost/Nixon, about the revealing televised interview with Tricky Dicky conducted by David Frost in 1977. Michael Sheen plays Frost, and Langella only secures the role he originated after Warren Beatty (?!) turned Howard down. Beatty would have a hell of a star persona to overcome in order to play a major historical figure, but he has a knack anyway for turning down big, attention-grabbing roles after similarly rejecting Tarantino for the David Carradine role in Kill Bill. He would have been absolutely dynamite in that, but Carradine was tremendous too so I’m not complaining. And why oh why has Carradine’s career returned to shit (cf: Epic Movie) after such a great, revitalising role? What a world.

- Joanna Cassidy announces on her website that she is shooting new material for the Blade Runner: The Final Cut DVD. Cue much fanboy panicking about Scott messing with a classic, Lucas-style. Thankfully, the reshoots are later revealed as merely an endeavour to cover up two shots that should have looked like Cassidy but clearly weren’t, with the goal to make the overlay as seamless as possible. No complaints here. Perhaps Zhora’s death will be more powerful now that we can clearly see Cassidy throughout the sequence instead of a stuntwoman in a bad wig.

- Darren Aronofsky wants to make a Biblical epic about Noah.

- Ridley Scott will direct Nottingham, a Bizarro Robin Hood tale where the Sheriff is the hero, to which Russell Crowe was already attached. These guys just love each other, don’t they?

My god, this is masochism, it really is. Yet it’s also so weirdly fun….