Archive for the ‘Dreamworks’ Category
Filed under: Independent, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, 20th Century Fox, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Dreamworks, Remakes and Sequels
As you know, Hollywood loves trends. Be it meteor movies, ant movies, Ninth Legion movies, Easter Bunny movies, volcano movies, Greek mythology movies, they know there’s no project that’s not awesome enough to do in twos, threes or fours. Now we may get competing King Arthur movies because everyone in L.A. woke up and read Morte’d Arthur.
According to The LA Times, Sylvain White is currently negotiating to direct Pendragon for New Regency. Penned by Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy, the script is being described as “an origin story” that explains how Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot all meet in Camelot. I’m not sure how that’s different from every other Arthur story ever written, filmed, or sung by troubadours but ok.
Naturally, that’s not the only possible Arthur movie kicking around. Pajiba reported last week that Guy Ritchie is contemplating directing Warren Ellis’ Excalibur for Warner Bros, which is not the Captain Britain series he penned, but an untitled Arthurian project he announced on his blog last July. Ellis told Ain’t It Cool News that it was “differs from the prior 751 King Arthur movies in many ways, but perhaps most obviously in that it is very specifically about the gathering of the Knights.” Since most versions of the story (be they on paper or screen) do concentrate on what brings the knights to the Round Table, I’m not sure what’s unique about Ellis’, though he’s certainly not a writer to sneer at.
Continue reading Who Will Draw King Arthur’s Sword From the Stone? Take Your Pick
Filed under: Animation, Comedy, Independent, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Tribeca, Family Films, Dreamworks, Remakes and Sequels, Cinematical Indie
A big green ogre is set to invade New York City next month, as Shrek’s latest installment, Shrek Forever After has been announced as the opener of the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. The third sequel of the DreamWorks Animation series will debut at the downtown Manhattan festival on Wednesday, April 21, a full month before it opens nationwide. And yes, it will be presented in 3D.
The choice somewhat follows in the footsteps of Up being the first 3D film to open Cannes last year. Yet 3D is really becoming a staple of international film festivals lately. Venice premiered the 3D re-releases of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 3D and even inaugurated a special award solely for 3D films. Earlier this year, Sundance premiered the popular 3D nature film Cane Toads: The Conquest, though it wasn’t the fest’s first foray into 3D presentation.
Continue reading ‘Shrek Forever After’ Opens Tribeca Film Festival
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery & Suspense, Dreamworks, Home Entertainment
“It’s only a matter of time before the 2010s do for blogging what the 1930s did for newspapers.” That’s what I wrote yesterday in a Pitch of the Day post, and I didn’t realize how immediately prophetic it was. Only hours later The Hollywood Reporter announced a new HBO series in the works centered on a character who is … a blogger. Specifically the show, titled Tilda, will be about a “no-holds-barred” entertainment journalist who works online. And she’s female, so she’s being compared to real-life Hollywood bloggers Nikki Finke, Sharon Waxman and Anne Thompson.
Given the clear Finke connection, I just had to use her signature “TOLDJA!” in the headline, but in all honesty I had no idea anything like this was on the way, nor did I truly want it to be. It might be interesting, though, given that I can’t imagine it resembling my own bloggery life at all. Coming from wrier/director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls; Gods and Monsters — which would be a fitting title for a show about bloggers, IMHO) and writer/producer Cynthia Mort (The Brave One; HBO series Tell Me You Love Me), I expect something a little more glamorous than is the reality for most entertainment bloggers.
Continue reading TOLDJA! Hollywood Looks to Blogs for TV and Film Projects
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, Newsstand, Dreamworks, Steven Spielberg, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Western, Daniel Craig
I don’t know if the image of Daniel Craig in chaps left too many speechless, or if it was that no one was interested in Cowboys & Aliens once Robert Downey Jr. rode off the range, but few had much to say when the rumor mill put Craig in the saddle. Well, what do you say to the news that Craig is officially in, and that he’ll be joined by Olivia Wilde?
According to THR’s Heat Vision, Wilde will play Ella, a woman who joins Craig’s mysterious gunslinger to fight off the aliens. (Is the gunslinger now mysterious and no longer named Zeke Jackson? Curious.) I’m not sure if Ella appeared in the original graphic novel / web-comic. There was a female gunfighter named Verity who traded bullets with the Apache right alongside Zeke. Perhaps she’ll be a variation on that character, or she’ll be a pioneer woman with a rifle, or she’ll be one of the West’s soiled doves like Megan Fox in Jonah Hex. (Cue the fervent wishing of many male readers for Wilde in similar attire.)
Jon Favreau is directing, and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci of every-script-under-the-sun-fame have penned the screenplay with Damon Lindelof. Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, and Brian Grazer are producing alongside Scott Michael Rosenberg, the author of the graphic novel. Shooting is expected to begin this summer. Between this and Tron: Legacy, I think Wilde may be destined to be summer’s geek goddess.
Filed under: Drama, Music & Musicals, Casting, RumorMonger, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Dreamworks, Steven Spielberg
Unlike Captain Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto hasn’t gone crazy signing onto action films and franchise characters like Jack Ryan. That probably has something to go with his Heroes commitments, but perhaps he’s just picky, or no one has sent him the kind of brawny material they’ve sent Pine. Or perhaps he was brushing up on his musical skills, because according to Deadline Hollywood Daily, Quinto may be playing the legendary George Gershwin in a biopic directed by Steven Spielberg.
A Gershwin biopic would definitely be a quiet, melancholy kind of film. The famous composer studied piano up until the age of fifteen, and left school to sell songs on New York’s Tin Pan Alley and briefly worked in vaudeville. His songs, classical pieces, and operas like Porgy and Bess are more striking than his life was, which ended at the tragically young age of 38 due to a brain tumor. But his wasn’t the kind of dramatic, crazy life that usually produces biopics so it’ll be interesting to see how they handle it.
As you probably know, trying to guess Spielberg’s next project has been a twisty sort of game. He’s dropped them as fast as we could write about them, and this one could be no exception. But he’s reportedly quite eager to get back into the director’s chair, and a Gershwin biopic is one of three projects he’s very interested in. The project is basically set to go with a script from Doug Wright, with Marc Platt and Michael Feinstein producing. Apparently, nothing is official, but DreamWorks has been prepping Quinto for the role. They’ve hired accent and dialogue coaches for the actor, and shooting could begin in April. Providing this actually goes before cameras, do you think he’ll be a good Gershwin?
Filed under: Comedy, Family Films, Dreamworks
Two weeks ago, we heard news that a pregnancy guidebook, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, is being turned into a film. In my response, I predicted that we’d also eventually get an adaptation of the book’s sequel, What to Expect: The First Year. But now it seems someone will beat Lionsgate to the punch on that idea, because DreamWorks is already developing a movie based on a parenting guide.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio bought the rights to an upcoming book called Eat, Sleep, Poop: A Common Sense Guide to Your Baby’s First Year. The guide will be adapted by Four Christmases scribes Matt Allen and Caleb Wilson as a comedy (as opposed to a horror film, which some of us might presume it to be). And just so you know, this has some prestige attached: three-time Oscar-nominee Walter F. Parkes (Awakenings) is producing with Laurie MacDonald (The Ring).
Like What to Expect, this has franchise potential. Pediatrician Scott W. Cohen, who wrote Eat, Sleep, Poop, plans to continue with a series of follow-up books. The first book comes out of his experience raising a child of his own, which drastically changed the way he practices his profession. So it seems the film’s plot could come more out of Cohen’s story than from impersonal instructional steps, as What to Expect appears to be doing.
Continue reading Another Guidebook Adaptation: ‘Eat, Sleep, Poop’
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Family Films, Dreamworks, Remakes and Sequels
As it turns out, Michael Bay will not be directing an adaptation of the upcoming young adult sci-fi novel I Am Number Four, which he bought the rights to last summer. Instead, Heat Vision reports that D.J. Caruso, best known for his Shia LaBeouf-headed Hitchcock homages Disturbia and Eagle Eye, will be at the helm. Sadly for comic book fans, this does mean another obstacle in the way of Caruso’s long-planned film of Y the Last Man.
But those of us who are fans of Jon Cryer’s ’80s classic Hiding Out can rejoice with this news. Because if you are indeed a fan of Hiding Out, it’s probable that you’d also enjoy a science fiction version of the movie — even one that’s unofficially so. See, I Am Number Four, which was written by James Frey (of A Million Little Pieces infamy) and Joby Hughes, is about a group of aliens who escape their planet just before it’s destroyed by other aliens and head to Earth. The title character (that’d be “Number Four”) does his hiding out as a high school student.
Continue reading D.J. Caruso to Helm James Frey’s Sci-Fi Version of ‘Hiding Out’
Filed under: Drama, Dreamworks, Steven Spielberg
Timely news comes on the heels of Martin Luther King Jr. Day: DreamWorks has tapped a screenwriter for its biopic about the civil rights leader. Ronald Harwood, who won an Oscar for penning Roman Polanski’s Holocaust drama The Pianist, will handle the task of adapting MLK’s life once again for the screen, this time with the authorization of part of the King Estate. While other films and miniseries about or involving the Reverend Doctor have been made in the past, none have been approved by any members of his family or had access to his intellectual property (such as the “I Have a Dream” speech). This as yet untitled biopic will also be a bigger deal than past efforts due to the fact it’s being produced by Steven Spielberg.
Harwood is also a pretty significant player. In addition to winning an Academy Award, he’s been nominated for his scripts for The Dresser and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Other films he’s written include Australia, The Browning Version and Polanski’s film of Oliver Twist. He also has experience with civil rights subject matter. A native of South Africa, Harwood wrote the adaptation for the apartheid drama Cry, the Beloved Country and the made-for-TV biopic Mandela, starring Danny Glover as the anti-apartheid activist (and South African president-to-be). He’s also covered the apartheid subject in novels and plays.
Continue reading ‘Pianist’ Scribe Writing Spielberg’s Martin Luther King Biopic
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Filed under: Casting, Dreamworks, Steven Spielberg
One of the constants of movie blogging is receiving comments from unknown actors (and non-actors) who think they’re perfect for such and such part. This is mostly the case with announcements of high-profile biopics and other similar projects based on a true story. For example, last year when news came out that Steven Spielberg is planning a film about Martin Luther King Jr., I wrote on potential casting ideas at another site and got comments from a few people who would rather see themselves in the role of the civil rights leader rather than some A-list actor.
One guy included his phone number in his comment, while another man linked to his website. The latter, a “motivational performer” who recites Dr. King’s speeches across the nation, does indeed deserve to star in a film. But not Spielberg’s. Instead, I propose that he play himself in a meta movie about his wish. It would obviously be called…
I Have a Dream
This movie could work with any kind of biopic, but the MLK angle obviously fits with the holiday. and the title. It’d be kind of a cross between Harmony Korine’s movie about celebrity impersonators, Mister Lonely, and that episode of Growing Pains in which Mike and his girlfriend naively hope to be cast in a Broadway revival of Our Town after starring in their high school production of the play.
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, RumorMonger, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Dreamworks, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Western, Daniel Craig
Losing Robert Downey Jr. didn’t slow down Cowboys & Aliens for very long, and it didn’t even get to jump into the rumor pool. According to Collider, Daniel Craig might just be the man who fills Downey’s boots. He’s still in negotiations and has not been officially cast, so don’t start dreaming of leather chaps just yet.
I certainly hope Craig is the man who takes the part. As James Bond, he’s one of the undisputed action leaders right now, but he still hasn’t gotten to make a name for himself outside of 007. I think it would be wonderful to see him cut loose in something lighter, and to pair him up with Jon Favreau would be ideal. I don’t think this is going to be a Wild Wild West by any means, so I don’t think it’ll hurt Craig’s upward climb at all.
The only reason I could see Craig unable to take the part would be a conflict with Bond. Craig and Judi Dench have hinted Bond 23 would film late this year, and aim for a 2011 release. Cowboys & Aliens is aiming for a summer 2011 release date as well. So schedule conflicts could derail Cowboys & Aliens a little longer, or it could find another brawny fellow riding the range altogether. Hollywood is certainly chock full of guys I’d like to see in a ten gallon hat …
