Not long ago we heard that a sequel to Hancock, the goofy, sometime fun, sometimes just dumb superhero flick starring Will Smith, was almost certainly a go. Questions lingered, however, primarily with respect to the cast. Would Will Smith return? What about Charlize Theron? According to director Peter Berg, the answer to both questions is yes.
Speaking to MTV, Berg recently said “everybody’s going to come back for a sequel.” Not a surprise for Theron, since she’s already said she’d return if everyone else came back for another go-round. (”With those guys? If everybody’s on board? Yeah!” Theron told MTV last year. “Riding the Will Smith train is a really nice train to ride.”) Will Smith’s involvement isn’t exactly a surprise, but if he’s really locked in then expect to hear about this going forward quickly. As one of the only true global superstars, nothing gets a big movie greenlit faster than a thumbs-up from Smith.
Not that we know what the movie might be about. Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara are writing, but that’s all we’ve got. Berg once said that there might be another god out there somewhere, which means another high-profile talent to add to the cast.
Spoiler time, if you haven’t seen the first film: we learned that Smith and Theron’s characters were really ages-old gods who become weaker when they’re near each other. Improbably they both ended up in LA, connected by Jason Bateman’s character. So now a third god? The resolution to the original film was a huge, ridiculous cop-out (the notion of Hancock really being an alcoholic human superhero was a lot more interesting) so this angle doesn’t sound appealing at all.
What does this do to Berg’s adaptation of Dune? At this point, who knows? But since the last time we heard anything about the film a script still had yet to be written, Dune doesn’t seem like a project that was going anywhere quickly. Berg also has that Battleship project in the works about which, improbably, I’ve heard some very good things.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Ellen DeGeneres To Judge On American Idol
Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres will replace Paula Abdul on "American Idol," she and the network announced on Wednesday (Sept. 9).
DeGeneres made the announcement on her syndicated talk show; the video was then posted on her web site. Fox made the announcement via Twitter.
"This is so exciting for me," DeGeneres told her audience. "We've been dealing with this for the last couple of weeks, and I've been dying to tell everyone...it's going to be so much fun."
"I don't know how it happened myself, but you know, i have not missed one episode of that show," said DeGeneres. "I love everything about it, and I love music, as you know. And hopefully I'm the people's point of view, because I'm just like you...I'm not looking at that in a critical way from the music producer's mind. I'm looking at it as a person who's going to buy the music...so I'm hopefully going to be the voice of what you're all doing at home."
DeGeneres is known for incorporating music programming as a regular feature on her talk show, with recurring segments featuring guests dancing on stage and singing with her in the studio's bathroom. Several of these - including DeGeneres singing with Jennifer Hudson and Christmas caroling with Britney Spears - have made a viral impact online.
Audition rounds for "American Idol's" eighth season are already underway, and guest judges ranging from Victoria Beckham to Avril Lavigne have filled in for Abdul in various audition cities.
"American Idol" returns to TV in January.
DeGeneres made the announcement on her syndicated talk show; the video was then posted on her web site. Fox made the announcement via Twitter.
"This is so exciting for me," DeGeneres told her audience. "We've been dealing with this for the last couple of weeks, and I've been dying to tell everyone...it's going to be so much fun."
"I don't know how it happened myself, but you know, i have not missed one episode of that show," said DeGeneres. "I love everything about it, and I love music, as you know. And hopefully I'm the people's point of view, because I'm just like you...I'm not looking at that in a critical way from the music producer's mind. I'm looking at it as a person who's going to buy the music...so I'm hopefully going to be the voice of what you're all doing at home."
DeGeneres is known for incorporating music programming as a regular feature on her talk show, with recurring segments featuring guests dancing on stage and singing with her in the studio's bathroom. Several of these - including DeGeneres singing with Jennifer Hudson and Christmas caroling with Britney Spears - have made a viral impact online.
Audition rounds for "American Idol's" eighth season are already underway, and guest judges ranging from Victoria Beckham to Avril Lavigne have filled in for Abdul in various audition cities.
"American Idol" returns to TV in January.
Wolves send Songaila, Brown to Hornets for Daniels
The New Orleans Hornets agreed to trade reserve point guard Antonio Daniels and a 2014 second-round draft pick to Minnesota on Wednesday in exchange for forward Darius Songaila and guard Bobby Brown.
"This move gives us added depth at the guard position and the power forward position," Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said. "Darius brings toughness and experience to bolster our frontcourt. We know Bobby pretty well from when he played on our summer league team and are excited to add his speed and scoring ability."
The move will cut the Hornets' payroll by $1.3 million this season, but Songaila has two years left on his contract, while Daniels' contract expires after next season.
The Timberwolves take on a little more salary this season, but get out from under Songaila's player option for next year, which will cost about $4.8 million.
"Antonio has the ability to play both guard positions and will provide a veteran presence and added flexibility to our backcourt," said David Kahn, the Timberwolves' president of basketball operations. "This trade also provides increased flexibility for personnel moves beginning next summer."
Songaila, who is 6-foot-9, has been in the NBA for six seasons, averaging 7 points. He spent the past three seasons in Washington and was acquired by Minnesota in June. He averaged 7.4 points in 77 games for the Wizards last season. He was drafted 50th overall by Boston in 2002.
Like Hornets star point guard Chris Paul, Songaila also played at Wake Forest. Songaila, Paul, and fellow Hornets David West and James Posey all were coached by the late Skip Prosser in college.
Brown, who was on the Hornets' summer league team in 2008, played 68 games with Sacramento and Minnesota last season, his first in the NBA. He will have to compete with Hornets 2009 first-round draft pick Darren Collison for playing time.
Daniels, 34, is a 12-year veteran. He was acquired by the Hornets last season from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Mike James. Daniels played in 61 games for New Orleans last season, averaging 3.8 points and 2.1 assists. He has one season left on his current contract, worth about $6.5 million next season.
Drafted by the Grizzlies when the franchise was still in Vancouver, Daniels also has played for San Antonio, Portland and Seattle. He has averaged 7.6 points and 3.4 assists during his career.
"This move gives us added depth at the guard position and the power forward position," Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said. "Darius brings toughness and experience to bolster our frontcourt. We know Bobby pretty well from when he played on our summer league team and are excited to add his speed and scoring ability."
The move will cut the Hornets' payroll by $1.3 million this season, but Songaila has two years left on his contract, while Daniels' contract expires after next season.
The Timberwolves take on a little more salary this season, but get out from under Songaila's player option for next year, which will cost about $4.8 million.
"Antonio has the ability to play both guard positions and will provide a veteran presence and added flexibility to our backcourt," said David Kahn, the Timberwolves' president of basketball operations. "This trade also provides increased flexibility for personnel moves beginning next summer."
Songaila, who is 6-foot-9, has been in the NBA for six seasons, averaging 7 points. He spent the past three seasons in Washington and was acquired by Minnesota in June. He averaged 7.4 points in 77 games for the Wizards last season. He was drafted 50th overall by Boston in 2002.
Like Hornets star point guard Chris Paul, Songaila also played at Wake Forest. Songaila, Paul, and fellow Hornets David West and James Posey all were coached by the late Skip Prosser in college.
Brown, who was on the Hornets' summer league team in 2008, played 68 games with Sacramento and Minnesota last season, his first in the NBA. He will have to compete with Hornets 2009 first-round draft pick Darren Collison for playing time.
Daniels, 34, is a 12-year veteran. He was acquired by the Hornets last season from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Mike James. Daniels played in 61 games for New Orleans last season, averaging 3.8 points and 2.1 assists. He has one season left on his current contract, worth about $6.5 million next season.
Drafted by the Grizzlies when the franchise was still in Vancouver, Daniels also has played for San Antonio, Portland and Seattle. He has averaged 7.6 points and 3.4 assists during his career.
Iverson to sign one-year deal with Grizzlies
Allen Iverson will sign a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Memphis Grizzlies in the next 24 to 48 hours, ending a summer-long pursuit of a team that wanted the 34-year-old's game and cache and would provide him an opportunity for the playing time he still desperately covets.
The contract will have incentives that could make the deal larger, but the Grizzlies will not renounce their rights to guard Juan Carlos Navarro, which would have freed up another $900,000 in salary cap room.
The Grizzlies' braintrust, including owner Michael Heisley, general manager Chris Wallace and head coach Lionel Hollins, flew to Atlanta on Labor Day to make its offer to Iverson, who has a home there and has been training there this summer with NBA TV analyst and former teammate Eric Snow. The meeting went well and after looking over the remaining options, Iverson took the deal.
Iverson confirmed his decision on his Twitter feed Wednesday morning.
"God Chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career," he wrote. In a post a few minutes later, he said, "I feel that they are committed to developing a winner and I know that I can help them to accomplish that. I feel that I can trust them."
Reached by telephone Wednesday, Heisley said that Iverson verbally committed to the Grizzlies late Tuesday evening.
"He told us he was very interested in playing with the young team we've assembled," Heisley said. "He thought he could help us win and he was looking forward to helping the young players, and helping them to develop. Frankly, I'm ecstatic to have him."
Iverson didn't have a lot of suitors this offseason. Memphis, Miami and Charlotte were most aggressive in their pursuits, but the combination of a cut in next season's cap, down to $57.7 million, along with the prospect of even lower cap and luxury tax numbers for the 2010-11 season, dried up most of the potential marketplace for veterans. Portland, one of the few teams with room this summer, had no interest in Iverson, and the contending teams with mid-level exceptions went in different directions.
Signing a one-year deal will make Iverson an unrestricted free agent next summer, joining a strong free agent class. But Iverson would likely have to wait again next summer like he did this one, as teams line up to woo younger stars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
"We know it's going to be difficult for us to keep him past next year," Heisley said. "But he told us we shouldn't think he's going to just jump at the next opportunity. We have to win."
The 10-time All-Star will be looking to resurrect his career in Memphis, after failing to boost the Nuggets and Pistons into contention the last two seasons. Iverson's teams have not gotten past the first round of the playoffs since 2003, when the 76ers lost to Detroit in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Since then, Iverson has only been in the playoffs three times, not including last season, when he was not on the Pistons' postseason roster.
Iverson said a back injury made it impossible for him to play, and the Pistons concurred, though it also coincided with then-coach Michael Curry's decision to bring Iverson off the bench in favor of starter Richard Hamilton. Iverson chafed at the role and said he would rather retire than come off the bench in the future.
Heisley said that he was giving Iverson a clean slate.
"I don't buy into all of the stuff that's gone on," he said. "I'm not saying none of it happened. Some of it did...but I know Allen is an excellent player. He's going to the Hall of Fame. Pau [Gasol, the former Grizzlies star forward and current Laker] might someday. The city of Memphis is going to be ecstatic to have him. We've never had a Hall of Famer, a guy of Allen's stature playing in Memphis. I feel Allen is going to be outstanding for us."
However, Iverson will expect to start in the backcourt for the Grizzlies, and that would mean benching either bench third-year point guard Mike Conley, Jr., who came on toward the end of last season with Hollins backing him, or second-year shooting guard O.J. Mayo. Both guards need all the reps they can get as they continue their development. After trading Gasol to the Lakers early in 2008, the Grizzlies went back to the drawing board, looking to build a new core group around Conley, Mayo, forward Rudy Gay and center Marc Gasol, Pau's younger brother, who came from Los Angeles in the trade for his older brother.
Memphis added center Hasheem Thabeet and forwards Sam Young and DeMarre Carroll in this year's excellent draft, and acquired forward Zach Randolph from the Clippers in the summer for guard Quentin Richardson. But Randolph, like Iverson, needs a lot of touches to be most effective.
"Your whole team changes when Allen is on it," said an Eastern Conference executive. "And he's not that kind of player anymore."
Of course, Iverson feels differently. He said his jumper was "still very wet" in a Twitter post this past weekend, and has said previously he would "lead by example" on his next team.
Iverson should also positively impact the Grizzlies' business side. Memphis was next to last in the league in average attendance this past season, drawing just more than 12,700 a game to the 18,000-seat FedEx Forum, filling around 70 percent of the available seats, the worst percentage in the league.
But Heisley said that was not his motivation in signing Iverson.
"He said, 'you're not bringing me here to sell tickets, are you? 'Cause I'm not interested,'" Heisley said. "I said no, we want to win ... we want to really be a contending team."
Iverson posted career lows both in scoring average (17.5) and minutes (26.7) last season, mostly with the Pistons, who acquired him from Denver in November in a trade that sent Chauncey Billups to the Nuggets. That Billups and the Nuggets, who had lost in the first round four straight seasons, then went on to the Western Conference finals before falling to the eventual champion Lakers was an even more bitter tonic for the Pistons, who were quickly swept in the first round by Cleveland.
But Iverson remains one of the league's most popular and iconic players. His Pistons jersey was the fifth-highest seller among individual jerseys at the NBA Store in New York last season, trailing only Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett. And Heisley believes that Iverson will fit right in with Memphians and not overwhelm them with his outsized personality.
"I think Allen will get the kind of attention in Memphis that he did in Philadelphia," Heisley said. "I think he will be a major, major figure in the city. I think Allen will do the right things. I think people will be very surprised around the league."
The contract will have incentives that could make the deal larger, but the Grizzlies will not renounce their rights to guard Juan Carlos Navarro, which would have freed up another $900,000 in salary cap room.
The Grizzlies' braintrust, including owner Michael Heisley, general manager Chris Wallace and head coach Lionel Hollins, flew to Atlanta on Labor Day to make its offer to Iverson, who has a home there and has been training there this summer with NBA TV analyst and former teammate Eric Snow. The meeting went well and after looking over the remaining options, Iverson took the deal.
Iverson confirmed his decision on his Twitter feed Wednesday morning.
"God Chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career," he wrote. In a post a few minutes later, he said, "I feel that they are committed to developing a winner and I know that I can help them to accomplish that. I feel that I can trust them."
Reached by telephone Wednesday, Heisley said that Iverson verbally committed to the Grizzlies late Tuesday evening.
"He told us he was very interested in playing with the young team we've assembled," Heisley said. "He thought he could help us win and he was looking forward to helping the young players, and helping them to develop. Frankly, I'm ecstatic to have him."
Iverson didn't have a lot of suitors this offseason. Memphis, Miami and Charlotte were most aggressive in their pursuits, but the combination of a cut in next season's cap, down to $57.7 million, along with the prospect of even lower cap and luxury tax numbers for the 2010-11 season, dried up most of the potential marketplace for veterans. Portland, one of the few teams with room this summer, had no interest in Iverson, and the contending teams with mid-level exceptions went in different directions.
Signing a one-year deal will make Iverson an unrestricted free agent next summer, joining a strong free agent class. But Iverson would likely have to wait again next summer like he did this one, as teams line up to woo younger stars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
"We know it's going to be difficult for us to keep him past next year," Heisley said. "But he told us we shouldn't think he's going to just jump at the next opportunity. We have to win."
The 10-time All-Star will be looking to resurrect his career in Memphis, after failing to boost the Nuggets and Pistons into contention the last two seasons. Iverson's teams have not gotten past the first round of the playoffs since 2003, when the 76ers lost to Detroit in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Since then, Iverson has only been in the playoffs three times, not including last season, when he was not on the Pistons' postseason roster.
Iverson said a back injury made it impossible for him to play, and the Pistons concurred, though it also coincided with then-coach Michael Curry's decision to bring Iverson off the bench in favor of starter Richard Hamilton. Iverson chafed at the role and said he would rather retire than come off the bench in the future.
Heisley said that he was giving Iverson a clean slate.
"I don't buy into all of the stuff that's gone on," he said. "I'm not saying none of it happened. Some of it did...but I know Allen is an excellent player. He's going to the Hall of Fame. Pau [Gasol, the former Grizzlies star forward and current Laker] might someday. The city of Memphis is going to be ecstatic to have him. We've never had a Hall of Famer, a guy of Allen's stature playing in Memphis. I feel Allen is going to be outstanding for us."
However, Iverson will expect to start in the backcourt for the Grizzlies, and that would mean benching either bench third-year point guard Mike Conley, Jr., who came on toward the end of last season with Hollins backing him, or second-year shooting guard O.J. Mayo. Both guards need all the reps they can get as they continue their development. After trading Gasol to the Lakers early in 2008, the Grizzlies went back to the drawing board, looking to build a new core group around Conley, Mayo, forward Rudy Gay and center Marc Gasol, Pau's younger brother, who came from Los Angeles in the trade for his older brother.
Memphis added center Hasheem Thabeet and forwards Sam Young and DeMarre Carroll in this year's excellent draft, and acquired forward Zach Randolph from the Clippers in the summer for guard Quentin Richardson. But Randolph, like Iverson, needs a lot of touches to be most effective.
"Your whole team changes when Allen is on it," said an Eastern Conference executive. "And he's not that kind of player anymore."
Of course, Iverson feels differently. He said his jumper was "still very wet" in a Twitter post this past weekend, and has said previously he would "lead by example" on his next team.
Iverson should also positively impact the Grizzlies' business side. Memphis was next to last in the league in average attendance this past season, drawing just more than 12,700 a game to the 18,000-seat FedEx Forum, filling around 70 percent of the available seats, the worst percentage in the league.
But Heisley said that was not his motivation in signing Iverson.
"He said, 'you're not bringing me here to sell tickets, are you? 'Cause I'm not interested,'" Heisley said. "I said no, we want to win ... we want to really be a contending team."
Iverson posted career lows both in scoring average (17.5) and minutes (26.7) last season, mostly with the Pistons, who acquired him from Denver in November in a trade that sent Chauncey Billups to the Nuggets. That Billups and the Nuggets, who had lost in the first round four straight seasons, then went on to the Western Conference finals before falling to the eventual champion Lakers was an even more bitter tonic for the Pistons, who were quickly swept in the first round by Cleveland.
But Iverson remains one of the league's most popular and iconic players. His Pistons jersey was the fifth-highest seller among individual jerseys at the NBA Store in New York last season, trailing only Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett. And Heisley believes that Iverson will fit right in with Memphians and not overwhelm them with his outsized personality.
"I think Allen will get the kind of attention in Memphis that he did in Philadelphia," Heisley said. "I think he will be a major, major figure in the city. I think Allen will do the right things. I think people will be very surprised around the league."
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Resident Evil Series Getting a Semi-Reboot
Bloody Disgusting has confirmed that the Resident Evil franchise will be getting a slight reboot after the next film, Resident Evil 4: Afterlife. Tentatively titled Resident Evil Begins, the new project will take us away from the increasingly convoluted adventures of Milla Jovovich’s Alice, and will potentially retread the events of the first film by focusing on a military unit tasked with taking down a rampaging supercomputer, while also fighting off former-scientist zombies.
I’m honestly surprised that they were able to keep Jovovich in the series for so long, but I suppose being married to original Resident Evil director (and now writer/producer) Paul W.S. Anderson helped—not to mention that the series ended up being a great vanity franchise for Jovovich. As a fan of her ass-kicking since The Fifth Element, I’m glad to hear that the RE series will be moving on without Jovovich—if only because it will allow her to take on new projects that I’ll actually care about (even if they’re ultimately failures like Ultraviolet). It’s a win for the studio as well, because this reboot will surely be cheaper to produce than another Jovovich vehicle.
I’m not a total Resident Evil hater. I count the first film as one of the better video game film adaptations we’ve gotten, and I think it’s proof that Anderson may not deserve all the flack he gets. The series lost me when it moved further away from the game mythology, and turned Alice into a super-soldier that seemingly belonged in a different franchise. Hopefully, this quasi-reboot will tie the film series back into the games. While the game mythology is completely ridiculous and makes very little sense at times, it’s at least far more compelling than what we got with the Alice storyline.
I’m honestly surprised that they were able to keep Jovovich in the series for so long, but I suppose being married to original Resident Evil director (and now writer/producer) Paul W.S. Anderson helped—not to mention that the series ended up being a great vanity franchise for Jovovich. As a fan of her ass-kicking since The Fifth Element, I’m glad to hear that the RE series will be moving on without Jovovich—if only because it will allow her to take on new projects that I’ll actually care about (even if they’re ultimately failures like Ultraviolet). It’s a win for the studio as well, because this reboot will surely be cheaper to produce than another Jovovich vehicle.
I’m not a total Resident Evil hater. I count the first film as one of the better video game film adaptations we’ve gotten, and I think it’s proof that Anderson may not deserve all the flack he gets. The series lost me when it moved further away from the game mythology, and turned Alice into a super-soldier that seemingly belonged in a different franchise. Hopefully, this quasi-reboot will tie the film series back into the games. While the game mythology is completely ridiculous and makes very little sense at times, it’s at least far more compelling than what we got with the Alice storyline.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Source: Iverson meets with Grizz, but does not sign deal
Free agent Allen Iverson met with Memphis Grizzlies officials on Monday in Atlanta, but has not yet agreed to accept the team's one-year, $3.5 million offer after speaking with owner Michael Heisley, general manager Chris Wallace and coach Lionel Hollins, according to a league source.
Iverson and the Grizzlies have been dancing around each other for a few weeks, and it still appears likely that the 34-year-old guard will wind up there after trying all summer to find a new home. Memphis can give him the playing time he craves, and he can help generate interest in a young, rebuilding team that has increased its talent dramatically this offseason and could benefit from Iverson's veteran leadership -- as well as his ability draw fans to FedEx Forum.
"Our meeting went well," Wallace said via text message Monday evening, "and now we will see what comes next."
Iverson has been working out in Atlanta this summer with former 76ers teammate and current NBA TV analyst Eric Snow after he and the Detroit PIstons agreed to part company just before the Playoffs. Iverson said he had a back injury that wasn't getting better, but that coincided with his expressed displeasure at coming off the Pistons' bench behind starter Richard Hamilton.
Detroit had no interest in re-signing Iverson, and got far enough under the cap after renouncing his rights to be able to sign free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.
Miami and Charlotte have also looked at Iverson, but the Heat seem to have gone in another direction. Charlotte's interest may be stunted both by negotiations by owner Bob Johnson to sell his controlling interest in the team (a new owner certainly would not want to accept a hefty pricetag for a player like Iverson) and the team's ongoing discussions with restricted free agent guard Raymond Felton. Felton and the Bobcats are far apart on a new contract, and the team can't go forward on Iverson until it knows one way or another what will happen with Felton.
Iverson and the Grizzlies have been dancing around each other for a few weeks, and it still appears likely that the 34-year-old guard will wind up there after trying all summer to find a new home. Memphis can give him the playing time he craves, and he can help generate interest in a young, rebuilding team that has increased its talent dramatically this offseason and could benefit from Iverson's veteran leadership -- as well as his ability draw fans to FedEx Forum.
"Our meeting went well," Wallace said via text message Monday evening, "and now we will see what comes next."
Iverson has been working out in Atlanta this summer with former 76ers teammate and current NBA TV analyst Eric Snow after he and the Detroit PIstons agreed to part company just before the Playoffs. Iverson said he had a back injury that wasn't getting better, but that coincided with his expressed displeasure at coming off the Pistons' bench behind starter Richard Hamilton.
Detroit had no interest in re-signing Iverson, and got far enough under the cap after renouncing his rights to be able to sign free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.
Miami and Charlotte have also looked at Iverson, but the Heat seem to have gone in another direction. Charlotte's interest may be stunted both by negotiations by owner Bob Johnson to sell his controlling interest in the team (a new owner certainly would not want to accept a hefty pricetag for a player like Iverson) and the team's ongoing discussions with restricted free agent guard Raymond Felton. Felton and the Bobcats are far apart on a new contract, and the team can't go forward on Iverson until it knows one way or another what will happen with Felton.
Monday, September 7, 2009
More Details on Rambo 5: The Savage Hunt. Creature Feature Based on the Sci-Fi Book Hunter
The recent announcement that Rambo V: The Savage Hunt would venture into sci-fi received a surprisingly large and middling response from readers last Friday. More than a year ago, I speculated that the film might take on a similar vein to Predator, and based on a new, official plot synopsis over at AICN, that seems on the money. In fact, the project is a loose adaptation of a sci-fi action book called Hunter by James Byron Huggins (Leviathan). Sylvester Stallone bought the rights to Hunter a while ago, which sees “the world’s greatest tracker and “his giant black wolf Ghost” in a showdown set in Alaska with a massive, intelligent creature, the result of a shadowy DNA-experiment. Rambo V’s plot is clearly based on the material…
A beast is loose somewhere north of the Arctic Circle…And the raging creature is headed south toward civilization, ready to wreak bloody devastation…It’s a job that Rambo and his 22-year-old hunting partner, Beau Brady, can’t turn down, but they and a team of highly skilled Special Forces Kill Team [sic] discover that the prey is beyond their wildest imagination, a half-human abomination created by a renegade agency through a series of outlawed genetic experiments…they’ll still have to confront the grim reality that it may have grown immortal.
It’s of note that this synopsis is a bit different from the earlier leaked details, which had Rambo hunting down (as opposed to being hunted by): “brilliantly instinctual killer soldiers that have no qualms about taking life. And when things go wrong, Rambo is brought in with a Black Ops squad to hunt, capture and kill these chemically engineered creations.” The rather un-pro poster that was released for the project (above) seems to point towards Rambo having a wolf, like in the book, rather than (or in addition to?) battling a lycanthrope-type terror as some have speculated.
The addition of a sidekick doesn’t sit well on paper. The appeal of Rambo is that he’s a loner, and the end to Rambo IV (Rambo) made that crystal clear, hinting that Rambo would be returning to battle in the U.S. a la the first film. It also digs up bad memories of Die Hard IV, which had John McClane trading stale wisecracks with a bright-eyed Justin Long. Of course, DH4 categorically sucked ass mostly due to the franchise-detour that was a PG-13 rating; the rating for Rambo V hasn’t been announced, but Stallone previously flirted with making The Expendables PG-13, which is cause for mild worry imo.
Again, I think some of the negative reaction thus far—besides canon loyalty—can be chalked off to that straight-to-DVD-esque poster. It looks like something Stallone would make if he hadn’t pulled a pretty stellar pop-culture comeback with Rambo and Rocky Balboa. Last year, I was intrigued with the “different genre” idea and, as a fan of the series, I remain so. In fact, I think it sounds pretty ambitious for Stallone compared to a “Mexican drug trafficker” fiesta as previously rumored. Stallone’s last foray into sci-fi was the failed and pricey launch of a Judge Dread franchise, but I’ve always found it interesting that he didn’t make more sci-fi flicks like California’s governor. Never say never. But what say you?
A beast is loose somewhere north of the Arctic Circle…And the raging creature is headed south toward civilization, ready to wreak bloody devastation…It’s a job that Rambo and his 22-year-old hunting partner, Beau Brady, can’t turn down, but they and a team of highly skilled Special Forces Kill Team [sic] discover that the prey is beyond their wildest imagination, a half-human abomination created by a renegade agency through a series of outlawed genetic experiments…they’ll still have to confront the grim reality that it may have grown immortal.
It’s of note that this synopsis is a bit different from the earlier leaked details, which had Rambo hunting down (as opposed to being hunted by): “brilliantly instinctual killer soldiers that have no qualms about taking life. And when things go wrong, Rambo is brought in with a Black Ops squad to hunt, capture and kill these chemically engineered creations.” The rather un-pro poster that was released for the project (above) seems to point towards Rambo having a wolf, like in the book, rather than (or in addition to?) battling a lycanthrope-type terror as some have speculated.
The addition of a sidekick doesn’t sit well on paper. The appeal of Rambo is that he’s a loner, and the end to Rambo IV (Rambo) made that crystal clear, hinting that Rambo would be returning to battle in the U.S. a la the first film. It also digs up bad memories of Die Hard IV, which had John McClane trading stale wisecracks with a bright-eyed Justin Long. Of course, DH4 categorically sucked ass mostly due to the franchise-detour that was a PG-13 rating; the rating for Rambo V hasn’t been announced, but Stallone previously flirted with making The Expendables PG-13, which is cause for mild worry imo.
Again, I think some of the negative reaction thus far—besides canon loyalty—can be chalked off to that straight-to-DVD-esque poster. It looks like something Stallone would make if he hadn’t pulled a pretty stellar pop-culture comeback with Rambo and Rocky Balboa. Last year, I was intrigued with the “different genre” idea and, as a fan of the series, I remain so. In fact, I think it sounds pretty ambitious for Stallone compared to a “Mexican drug trafficker” fiesta as previously rumored. Stallone’s last foray into sci-fi was the failed and pricey launch of a Judge Dread franchise, but I’ve always found it interesting that he didn’t make more sci-fi flicks like California’s governor. Never say never. But what say you?
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