Archive for the ‘New Line’ Category
Filed under: Classics, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New Line, Universal, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
With re-imaginings and reboots being the keyword for every movie being churned around Hollywood’s grist mill, it’s no surprise that they’re turning to L. Frank Baum and The Wizard of Oz for some fresh content to churn around. According to The LA Times, Warner Bros and New Line (blood brothers) are both looking at remakes of The Wizard of Oz in the hopes of grabbing some of that sweet cash that Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is raking in.
Warner Bros’ Oz is very much taking the Alice route. Written by Josh Olson, and produced by Basil Iwanyk, it centers on a granddaughter of Dorothy returning to Oz to vanquish evil. Todd McFarlane is involved somehow, either as producer or consultant which suggests they’re really inspired by his Twisted Land of Oz series. (That link is a bit NSFW.) Who wants to see S&M Dorothy and a monster, flesh-hooked Toto? Hollywood might! Wheee!
New Line’s project is a lot more mysterious. It has a script by Darren Lemke, but no title and it doesn’t come up on his IMDB credits at the moment. It’s also being produced by Temple Hill who has made a killing with Twilight. Could it be something focusing on the later books of Baum’s Oz series? Could they be attempting a more faithful adaptation of Baum’s book? There’s a difference between doing that and a straight-up remake of MGM’s iconic film. For now, at least, no one is looking at doing that.
In the meantime, those who favor Broadway’s re-imaginings over Hollywood’s still have Wicked to look forward to. It’s still in the works at Universal with producer Marc Platt, and all this fervent interest in all things Oz might just give it the fuel injection it needs to make it to the big screen.
Filed under: Horror, Mystery & Suspense, New Line, Warner Brothers, Remakes and Sequels
Several journalists were invited to the Chicago-based set of Platinum Dunes’ remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street last June, and at this point, we’re all standing in the trailer where an uncomfortable Jackie Earle Haley has been sitting for the better part of what will take more than three hours.
“We’ve gotten [the process] down to three hours and twenty [minutes],” said make-up artist Andrew Clement. “Every day, we shave a couple minutes off of it. It had started at six hours; we were working it all out, didn’t have the coloring and all of our choices done, so it was just seeing what it was all about.”
When asked if he ever wanted to just run around the neighborhood with the make-up on, the future Freddy Krueger said no. “There is a strong temptation to just rip it off my face, though.”
Filed under: Horror, Mystery & Suspense, New Line, Warner Brothers, Remakes and Sequels
Several journalists were invited to the Chicago-based set of Platinum Dunes’ remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street last June, and at this point, we’re all standing in the trailer where an uncomfortable Jackie Earle Haley has been sitting for the better part of what will take more than three hours.
“We’ve gotten [the process] down to three hours and twenty [minutes],” said make-up artist Andrew Clement. “Every day, we shave a couple minutes off of it. It had started at six hours; we were working it all out, didn’t have the coloring and all of our choices done, so it was just seeing what it was all about.”
When asked if he ever wanted to just run around the neighborhood with the make-up on, the future Freddy Krueger said no. “There is a strong temptation to just rip it off my face, though.”
Filed under: Comedy, Romance, New Line, Remakes and Sequels
Earlier this week, New Line announced that the new romantic comedy Valentine’s Day will be spun-off into a semi-sequel titled New Year’s Eve. The news provoked groans, especially from those who’ve seen the first film, but isn’t it a fresh idea for Hollywood to attempt a franchise in this genre? The whole point of romantic comedy is that there’s a conclusion of two characters brought together in the end. Where else can they go? Maybe into family comedy, but then there’s a change of genre.
However, with ensemble romantic comedies, such as Valentine’s Day, I can imagine a progression that’s similar to horror series. Let’s pretend that all the characters in the first film ended up married, as traditional comedy would dictate, except for one. That character would then be the bridge to the next film. He or she would then finally fall in love and get hitched in that film (the equivalent of being killed off, which many men would say is an apt correlation). As would every other main character save for one. And so on.
Continue reading Pitch of the Day: How to Continue the ‘Valentine’s Day’ Franchise
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New Line, Celebrities and Controversy, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
As of 2007, it was believed that the much criticized and dreaded remake of Escape From New York was dead and buried once Gerard Butler dropped out. There was much rejoicing at the news. There may have even been quite the party at Kurt Russell’s house. But this remake is like Snake Plissken — it can’t be killed that easily, and believing it’s dead is just a big mistake. According to the Vulture Blog, Escape From New York is moving ahead once more at New Line and it’s no longer some hodgepodge prequel. (If it ever was.) It’s a straight-up remake.
This is due to the magic pen of screenwriter Allan Loeb, who also revived another stagnated ’80s property with Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. The studio is thrilled because Loeb “nailed the humor in Plissken without slipping into camp, and he changed Snake’s rescue-mission target from a president to a female senator, thereby upping the banter quotient.” (Hey, couldn’t it have been a female president? Or is that too outlandish even in the future?) New Line is also thrilled because Loeb and his writing predecessor, David Kajganich, “cracked” the special effects / story problem of turning New York City into a prison. As in the original, Manhattan is a walled off prison, but now it’s because “a crude radioactive dirty bomb” was detonated on the outskirts. It’s also being privately run by a “KBR-like security company” instead of the government. These minor changes make it “an expose of an ecosystem” rather than “a disaster movie.” I’m confused, too.
New Line is now on the hunt for a director and a Snake Plissken. Will Gerard Butler still be interested in donning the eyepatch, or did Russell’s criticism scare him off? Will they hit up Sam Worthington instead? Or just skip the older gentlemen in favor of Taylor Lautner?
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, New Line, Family Films, Remakes and Sequels
Fans seem to be disappointed with HomeAway’s Vacation-themed Super Bowl spot (the TV version or 14-minute version), for which Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo returned as Clark and Ellen Griswold. But will this disappointment affect their interest in the next film installment of the Vacation franchise, announced as a semi-reboot divorced from the National Lampoon name last fall? Variety has an update on the torch-passing sequel, and so far it sounds like it could be a worthwhile resurrection of the series.
What we previously learned was that this still-untitled film will focus on Clark and Ellen’s son, Rusty, who is now all grown-up and vacationing with his own family. Specifically, he’ll be taking the kids across America to show them Wally World before the amusement park closes forever. Ten bucks says they get there too late and repeat the original film’s climax of hijacking the place. Hey, as long as it’s written well, I don’t mind a recycled plot. It’s still better than a complete remake.
Continue reading ‘Vacation’ Reboot Heading Back to Wally World
Filed under: Classics, Comedy, New Line, Family Films, Remakes and Sequels
Fans seem to be disappointed with HomeAway’s Vacation-themed Super Bowl spot (the TV version or 14-minute version), for which Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo returned as Clark and Ellen Griswold. But will this disappointment affect their interest in the next film installment of the Vacation franchise, announced as a semi-reboot divorced from the National Lampoon name last fall? Variety has an update on the torch-passing sequel, and so far it sounds like it could be a worthwhile resurrection of the series.
What we previously learned was that this still-untitled film will focus on Clark and Ellen’s son, Rusty, who is now all grown-up and vacationing with his own family. Specifically, he’ll be taking the kids across America to show them Wally World before the amusement park closes forever. Ten bucks says they get there too late and repeat the original film’s climax of hijacking the place. Hey, as long as it’s written well, I don’t mind a recycled plot. It’s still better than a complete remake.
Continue reading ‘Vacation’ Reboot Heading Back to Wally World
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New Line, Celebrities and Controversy, Scripts, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
As of 2007, it was believed that the much criticized and dreaded remake of Escape From New York was dead and buried once Gerard Butler dropped out. There was much rejoicing at the news. There may have even been quite the party at Kurt Russell’s house. But this remake is like Snake Plissken — it can’t be killed that easily, and believing it’s dead is just a big mistake. According to the Vulture Blog, Escape From New York is moving ahead once more at New Line and it’s no longer some hodgepodge prequel. (If it ever was.) It’s a straight-up remake.
This is due to the magic pen of screenwriter Allan Loeb, who also revived another stagnated ’80s property with Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. The studio is thrilled because Loeb “nailed the humor in Plissken without slipping into camp, and he changed Snake’s rescue-mission target from a president to a female senator, thereby upping the banter quotient.” (Hey, couldn’t it have been a female president? Or is that too outlandish even in the future?) New Line is also thrilled because Loeb and his writing predecessor, David Kajganich, “cracked” the special effects / story problem of turning New York City into a prison. As in the original, Manhattan is a walled off prison, but now it’s because “a crude radioactive dirty bomb” was detonated on the outskirts. It’s also being privately run by a “KBR-like security company” instead of the government. These minor changes make it “an expose of an ecosystem” rather than “a disaster movie.” I’m confused, too.
New Line is now on the hunt for a director and a Snake Plissken. Will Gerard Butler still be interested in donning the eyepatch, or did Russell’s criticism scare him off? Will they hit up Sam Worthington instead? Or just skip the older gentlemen in favor of Taylor Lautner?
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New Line, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, Peter Jackson, Remakes and Sequels
We’ve been enjoying rumors about The Hobbit for about two years now with no signs of letting up. We’ve heard it all — from who is or isn’t cast as Bilbo Baggins or Smaug, to whether it’ll be in 3D, and if it’ll be two films of purely Hobbit-drawn material or if it’ll delve into the Tolkien appendices, it goes on and and on. And that’s not even counting the year or so that Peter Jackson was out of favor with New Line. It’s enough to make you climb into a hobbit hole and have your second breakfast.
Now Variety reports that despite the assurances of Guillermo Del Toro and Jackson, The Hobbit release may actually be delayed from December 2011 to late 2012, as previously reported. While discussing Warner Bros’ plans for New Line, WB studio leader Alan Horn is predicting that The Hobbit will be released in “the fourth quarter of 2012,” though he declined to give any further details.
While Jackson assures everyone the project is on track, I find it hard to believe they can make that 2011 release date, even if they are holding open casting calls. As of last month, MGM still hadn’t officially green-lit the film, and they were still on the second draft of the script. I’m not going to lose faith that we’ll have an 2011 trip to Middle Earth — but I’m not going to hold my breath, either. Remember, it was originally given a release date of 2010!
Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Casting, New Line, 20th Century Fox, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand
Once upon a time, Bobby and Peter Farrelly Bros were the kings of gross out comedy. They were blamed for the death of modern cinema, then hailed as geniuses after everyone took Grandma to see There’s Something About Mary. And then they grew up and made things like Fever Pitch, and others stepped up to take their peeing-on-a-moped place. (I have to say, I’ll always have a soft spot for Dumb and Dumber, if only because every foreigner I meet says “Colorado? Like Aspen in Dumb and Dumber? That’s so cool!”)
As they work on getting The Three Stooges off the ground, the Farrellys have decided they can’t sit idle, and have rescued Hall Pass from Fox and remade it at New Line. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they’ve also lured Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis to the project. Sadly, Hall Pass doesn’t sound particularly enticing. The story centers on a married couple who are bored in their relationship. Rather than do the obvious thing and either take a vacation or get a divorce, they decide to take a page from HBO’s Big Love and open things up. The wife gives her husband a “free pass” to have an affair. Sudeikis will play the carded manslut’s best friend, who also wrangles a pass from his own wife. Presumably, while the men are out spreading their seed, the women will stay home and embroider. Who says chivalry is dead?
Other than Sudeikis (who I genuinely like), this sounds like your standard Owen Wilson sex comedy but without Vince Vaughn or Ben Stiller. You can guess the ending from where you’re sitting right now. So, they should do the obvious and cast Jennifer Aniston so they can play out that evergreen Friends episode “We were on a break!” At least then it’ll go meta.
