Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You Man) has joined the cast of The Adventurer’s Handbook. In February, Jonah Hill and his friend/writing partner Max Winkler (yes, Henry Winkler’s son) sold a spec screenplay, originally titled Adventurer’s Club, for a seven figure deal to Universal, with Lonely Island/SNL Digital Shorts/Hot Rod director Akiva Schaffer attached to direct. The story “centers on four 20-something guys who, inspired by a book [Mick Conefrey's non fiction handbook], set out overseas in search of a mysterious location described in the book.” It has been described as “an edgy, broad comedy” likely to be R-rated.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Segel will play one of the four friends, “a talented musician who never got his act together, becoming a backup piano player and an alcoholic.” Hill plays an “engineer, isolated from his family,” and Jason Schwartzman will play “a spoiled and cowardly three-time Grammy winner.” You can start to see how this dynamic will work, and Schwartzman and Segel seem to be specifically cast to take advantage of their musical backgrounds (which almost guarantees a hilarious musical sequence).
Unless Winkler plans on making his acting debut (actually, he did have a cameo in Cop and 1/2), then a fourth actor has not yet been announced. Universal hopes to have the film in production by early next year, which means we’ll likely learn who the fourth member of the group is pretty soon.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Larry Fessenden Directing US Remake of The Orphanage
The long threatened promised US remake of The Orphanage has found its director and, frankly, I couldn’t be happier. Larry Fessenden is the man, and as well as signing on to helm this picture through production, he’s already co-written the remake script with the original’s producer, Guillermo del Toro.
This is very possibly not going to be a fashionable opinion but I see no reason why they won’t make a better film than J.A. Bayona’s original. I did like the 2007 version but definitely not to the extent of drop-down fainting witnessed in many of peers. And anyway, even if I had found it the best film of the year I’d still passionately support del Toro and Fessenden’s right to rework it. This isn’t Spielberg having a grasp at Harvey.
Fessenden’s most famous prior pictures would be The Last Winter and Wendigo, each of them ecological horror films about forces of nature pushing makind into some rather sticky situations - so, revenge films, essentially, and each of them amongst my favourite films of their release years. Less well seen were his earlier works No Telling, a Frankenstein story, and Habit, which dealt with vampires. You can see how the monster-loving del Toro found a suitable collaborator here very easily.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the casting of the female lead for the new Orphanage is currently underway. I’ve got an eerie premonition they’ll be nodding towards Tilda Swinton (who acted alongside Fessenden in Broken Flowers), though only time will tell. Watch this space for my victory lap or crow-pie dinner.
In associated news, it seems that Fessenden’s own indie production company, Glass Eye Pix, have completed production on a feature film shot entirely on a DSLR camera. Joe Maggio’s Bitter Feast was shot in 15 days on a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. I should point out that this was using the video facility, not pixelated from an incredibly long and tricky series of still frames.
There’s more on Bitter Feast at Indie Wire, while the film’s official site currently loops back to the page for Scareflix, Glass Eye’s slate of horror fare. The other two 2010 pictures being touted are Stake Land and Hypothermia, both of which have interesting promo artwork.
It’s a good time to get to know Larry Fessenden if you didn’t already.
This is very possibly not going to be a fashionable opinion but I see no reason why they won’t make a better film than J.A. Bayona’s original. I did like the 2007 version but definitely not to the extent of drop-down fainting witnessed in many of peers. And anyway, even if I had found it the best film of the year I’d still passionately support del Toro and Fessenden’s right to rework it. This isn’t Spielberg having a grasp at Harvey.
Fessenden’s most famous prior pictures would be The Last Winter and Wendigo, each of them ecological horror films about forces of nature pushing makind into some rather sticky situations - so, revenge films, essentially, and each of them amongst my favourite films of their release years. Less well seen were his earlier works No Telling, a Frankenstein story, and Habit, which dealt with vampires. You can see how the monster-loving del Toro found a suitable collaborator here very easily.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the casting of the female lead for the new Orphanage is currently underway. I’ve got an eerie premonition they’ll be nodding towards Tilda Swinton (who acted alongside Fessenden in Broken Flowers), though only time will tell. Watch this space for my victory lap or crow-pie dinner.
In associated news, it seems that Fessenden’s own indie production company, Glass Eye Pix, have completed production on a feature film shot entirely on a DSLR camera. Joe Maggio’s Bitter Feast was shot in 15 days on a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. I should point out that this was using the video facility, not pixelated from an incredibly long and tricky series of still frames.
There’s more on Bitter Feast at Indie Wire, while the film’s official site currently loops back to the page for Scareflix, Glass Eye’s slate of horror fare. The other two 2010 pictures being touted are Stake Land and Hypothermia, both of which have interesting promo artwork.
It’s a good time to get to know Larry Fessenden if you didn’t already.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Hugh Jackman is The Greatest Showman on Earth
Variety reports that 20th Century Fox has attached Hugh Jackman to play American showman P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman on Earth, an original contemporary musical to be written by Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City).
The film will be produced by Laurence Mark (Dreamgirls), Jackman and his Seed partner John Palermo.
Jackman will play the showman with a penchant for hoaxing a gullible public as he creates the three-ring circus that made him famous. The musical also focuses on his infatuation with singer Jenny Lind -- the so-called Swedish Nightingale.
The film will have a contemporary musical score, and the studio is in talks with British singer-songwriter Mika to write music and lyrics.
The Lind role is being scripted for Anne Hathaway, who teamed with Jackman in his opening Oscars number.
The film will be produced by Laurence Mark (Dreamgirls), Jackman and his Seed partner John Palermo.
Jackman will play the showman with a penchant for hoaxing a gullible public as he creates the three-ring circus that made him famous. The musical also focuses on his infatuation with singer Jenny Lind -- the so-called Swedish Nightingale.
The film will have a contemporary musical score, and the studio is in talks with British singer-songwriter Mika to write music and lyrics.
The Lind role is being scripted for Anne Hathaway, who teamed with Jackman in his opening Oscars number.
Steve Zahn Boards Wimpy Kid
Steve Zahn will star in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Fox 2000's adaptation of Jeff Kinney's novels, with Thor Freudenthal directing.
Based on the best-selling illustrated novel by Jeff Kinney, the film chronicles the adventures of wisecracking middle school student Greg Heffley over the course of an academic year, as told through the young man's diary and hand-drawn cartoons.
Jeff Filgo & Jackie Filgo and Jeff Judah & Gabe Sachs wrote the screenplay.
Zachary Gordon, who was tapped after a nine-month search, will play the title role, with Zahn and Rachael Harris portraying his parents. Robert Capron will portray his best friend, and Devon Bostick will play his brother.
Based on the best-selling illustrated novel by Jeff Kinney, the film chronicles the adventures of wisecracking middle school student Greg Heffley over the course of an academic year, as told through the young man's diary and hand-drawn cartoons.
Jeff Filgo & Jackie Filgo and Jeff Judah & Gabe Sachs wrote the screenplay.
Zachary Gordon, who was tapped after a nine-month search, will play the title role, with Zahn and Rachael Harris portraying his parents. Robert Capron will portray his best friend, and Devon Bostick will play his brother.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Panic! At The Disco's Spencer Smith Wants New Music To Do The Talking
'These songs are just Brendon and I having fun, because that's what we want to do,' drummer tells MTV News.
For nearly a month now, ever since Panic! at the Disco announced that guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker were leaving to start a new band called the Young Veins, there has been speculation that any number of "Behind the Music"-type maladies (drugs, money, jealousy ... you name it) had led to the split.
Despite both sides denying that there was any drama involved — both said "creative differences" were to blame — that speculation didn't show any sides of letting up.
And Spencer Smith was getting tired of it. So last week, when both Panic! and the Veins released singles on the same day (Panic! had announced the date in advance; the Veins, well, didn't), Smith wasn't annoyed at his former bandmates for attempting to steal his thunder.
"No, I wasn't shocked or mad at all. We had about three weeks of people not knowing what was going on with the bands, and it's kind of nice that the music was released at the same time," Smith told MTV News. "Because I think that after fans are able to hear me and [Panic! frontman] Brendon [Urie]'s song and Ryan and Jon's song, it's kind of apparent that there's a difference in musical styles, and so it kind of puts to rest some of the rumors about what happened out there."
So with both tunes available for a side-by-side comparison, Smith is prepared to let his band's song, "New Perspective," do the talking for him and Urie. He says they'll both remain good friends with Ross and Walker, as well as fans of their band, but really, it's time to move on. The music Smith and Urie are working on as Panic! will go a long way to accomplishing that goal. The only problem now is whittling down the batch of tunes they have at their disposal.
"Brendon is always sort of writing his own little songs. He'll write these weird little show-tune-sounding things — he's always kind of had his own little collection of songs, some of which we've been drawing from or using little sections of for the new stuff," Smith said. "And a few months ago, [it] was right around the time I moved in with Brendon, and we kind of started working on stuff together — and Jon and Ryan had been doing the same thing, kind of towards the end of touring, they had been working on some songs together — and that was kind of right around the time that maybe where we wanted to go wasn't particularly matching up, and so, it just kind of went from there."
Smith said he and Urie haven't decided who will produce their album. So far, they've been recording demos with Goldfinger frontman John Feldmann, but there's still plenty of other names to consider for the project, including Pretty. Odd. producer Rob Mathers (who just so happens to be producing the Young Veins' debut) and some dude named Mark Hoppus.
"We haven't decided yet, you know? We've met a couple of other producers, but we haven't really decided who we want to do the record with," Smith said. "When we get done with the [Blink-182] tour in August, hopefully in the fall is when we'll be recording. ... We've actually talked to Rob, and hopefully he'll do some string arrangements or maybe produce a track for us. And, of course, Mark Hoppus. We've met with him, and we'll be touring, too, so hopefully we can work it out on the road."
Whoever they get to produce the album, Smith is ready to get it out there. After all, he's over talking about the past, and he's looking very much forward to the future.
"We're just going to have fun. These songs are just Brendon and I having fun, because that's what we want to do," Smith said. "I know that, on some level, we'll always be linked to Jon and Ryan, but we're just looking forward to doing Panic! at the Disco ... and I think our fans are too."
For nearly a month now, ever since Panic! at the Disco announced that guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker were leaving to start a new band called the Young Veins, there has been speculation that any number of "Behind the Music"-type maladies (drugs, money, jealousy ... you name it) had led to the split.
Despite both sides denying that there was any drama involved — both said "creative differences" were to blame — that speculation didn't show any sides of letting up.
And Spencer Smith was getting tired of it. So last week, when both Panic! and the Veins released singles on the same day (Panic! had announced the date in advance; the Veins, well, didn't), Smith wasn't annoyed at his former bandmates for attempting to steal his thunder.
"No, I wasn't shocked or mad at all. We had about three weeks of people not knowing what was going on with the bands, and it's kind of nice that the music was released at the same time," Smith told MTV News. "Because I think that after fans are able to hear me and [Panic! frontman] Brendon [Urie]'s song and Ryan and Jon's song, it's kind of apparent that there's a difference in musical styles, and so it kind of puts to rest some of the rumors about what happened out there."
So with both tunes available for a side-by-side comparison, Smith is prepared to let his band's song, "New Perspective," do the talking for him and Urie. He says they'll both remain good friends with Ross and Walker, as well as fans of their band, but really, it's time to move on. The music Smith and Urie are working on as Panic! will go a long way to accomplishing that goal. The only problem now is whittling down the batch of tunes they have at their disposal.
"Brendon is always sort of writing his own little songs. He'll write these weird little show-tune-sounding things — he's always kind of had his own little collection of songs, some of which we've been drawing from or using little sections of for the new stuff," Smith said. "And a few months ago, [it] was right around the time I moved in with Brendon, and we kind of started working on stuff together — and Jon and Ryan had been doing the same thing, kind of towards the end of touring, they had been working on some songs together — and that was kind of right around the time that maybe where we wanted to go wasn't particularly matching up, and so, it just kind of went from there."
Smith said he and Urie haven't decided who will produce their album. So far, they've been recording demos with Goldfinger frontman John Feldmann, but there's still plenty of other names to consider for the project, including Pretty. Odd. producer Rob Mathers (who just so happens to be producing the Young Veins' debut) and some dude named Mark Hoppus.
"We haven't decided yet, you know? We've met a couple of other producers, but we haven't really decided who we want to do the record with," Smith said. "When we get done with the [Blink-182] tour in August, hopefully in the fall is when we'll be recording. ... We've actually talked to Rob, and hopefully he'll do some string arrangements or maybe produce a track for us. And, of course, Mark Hoppus. We've met with him, and we'll be touring, too, so hopefully we can work it out on the road."
Whoever they get to produce the album, Smith is ready to get it out there. After all, he's over talking about the past, and he's looking very much forward to the future.
"We're just going to have fun. These songs are just Brendon and I having fun, because that's what we want to do," Smith said. "I know that, on some level, we'll always be linked to Jon and Ryan, but we're just looking forward to doing Panic! at the Disco ... and I think our fans are too."
Tom Arnold Still Says Next Cameron Film To Star Schwarzenegger and Tom Arnold
The New York Times has a big profile piece on Tom Arnold in which he’s defended by no less than Judd Apatow, but the piece is getting attention for a little quote from Arnold that appears right at the end. Talking about a movie that the NYT admits has no plot or script, the actor says: “All I know is Jim Cameron’s making it and Arnold [Schwarzenegger] and I are going to be in it, and it starts shooting in 14 months, the day after Arnold stops being governor of California. It’s not going to be called True Lies II, but it might as well be. I can live with that.” That’s certainly a good way to get some attention.
This isn’t the first time Tom Arnold has said this. Back in January he made almost exactly the same statement to StarPulse. (”If all goes as planned, the day Arnold (Schwarzenegger) leaves office we will again team with Jim Cameron and do a comedy. Jim says it might not be called “True Lies II,” but it will be fun.”) A sequel had been planned in the early part of this decade, with Eliza Dushku talking up her own involvement years ago, but was derailed by the September 11 attack in New York. Now, with Cameron fully on the Avatar train, talking sequels and spin-off projects, going back to True Lies, or a film quite a bit like it, seems like an improbable move.
The best part about all this is that the entire thrust of the New York Times piece is that Tom Arnold is a bit crazy and will say just about anything that comes to his mind. Take the point of the thing literally, then, and view his Cameron quote as entertainment and not news. At least for the time being.
This isn’t the first time Tom Arnold has said this. Back in January he made almost exactly the same statement to StarPulse. (”If all goes as planned, the day Arnold (Schwarzenegger) leaves office we will again team with Jim Cameron and do a comedy. Jim says it might not be called “True Lies II,” but it will be fun.”) A sequel had been planned in the early part of this decade, with Eliza Dushku talking up her own involvement years ago, but was derailed by the September 11 attack in New York. Now, with Cameron fully on the Avatar train, talking sequels and spin-off projects, going back to True Lies, or a film quite a bit like it, seems like an improbable move.
The best part about all this is that the entire thrust of the New York Times piece is that Tom Arnold is a bit crazy and will say just about anything that comes to his mind. Take the point of the thing literally, then, and view his Cameron quote as entertainment and not news. At least for the time being.
Carter wants to fit into supporting role in Orlando
Vince Carter isn't looking to replace Dwight Howard as the face of the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic.
Not even close. The recently acquired Carter just wants to fit with his new team and get the prize that has eluded him for a decade in the NBA -- a championship ring.
"I think we have a wonderful team," Carter said of the Magic during a break at his basketball camp. "On paper it's pretty darn good. It's the preparation and work we put in, and not becoming complacent."
Carter admitted on Wednesday that he was surprised by the June trade that sent him and forward Ryan Anderson from the New Jersey Nets to the Magic for center Tony Battie and guards Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston.
However, the thought of playing near his home and sharing the court with Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson has rekindled the championship hopes that disappeared in New Jersey over the past two years with the trades that shipped Jason Kidd to Dallas and Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee.
The acquisition of Carter gives the Magic a proven go-to player who has averaged 23.5 points in his 10 NBA seasons. He is also a versatile scorer who can prevent opponents from focusing all their defensive efforts on stopping Howard's inside game.
The trade also gives Orlando, which lost to the Lakers in the NBA Finals in five games, an immediate replacement for Hedo Turkoglu, who was shipped to Toronto in a sign-and-trade deal.
The one thing Carter isn't looking to do is to be the focal point of the Magic, something that he has been throughout his career in Toronto and New Jersey.
"If you think about it, I never really said 'This is my team,"' Carter said of his four-plus seasons in New Jersey. "I said, 'I'm going to help this team win.' When I first got here, it was Jason's team. I just want to help make (Orlando) better. He (Howard) can be the face all he wants. My concern is more so just getting wins. I kind of leave that for people to say or debate on. I think for me, it's 'Can Vince come in and do his part for the Orlando Magic?' That's more so my goal."
Carter conducted his camp at the Nets' training facility on Wednesday. He had committed to the youth camp before the trade and the Nets allowed him to hold it.
But Carter enjoyed being back and seeing old friends. He talked to coach Lawrence Frank, Nets president Rod Thorn and a couple of former teammates.
The only regret he had was not finishing the job he started, which was to get the Nets a title.
"I mean, I worked my butt off to gain the trust of each and every player here and every staff member and really to instill the mentality and belief that we could win," Carter said. "I don't think we were expected to win as many games as we did. It was just creating a mentality and making it a habit."
Carter was the player the Nets counted on for scoring and leadership in recent years, and he said now it will probably fall to All-Star guard Devin Harris to fulfill the role.
"I mean, Devin can do it," Carter said. "He has seen it done and he's been around. It's just if he wants it. He has definitely established himself in the NBA as a player and that's the next level for him."
Carter spoke highly of the players the Nets acquired from Orlando, saying Lee was unbelievable, Battie was a proven veteran who has been to the championship round and that Alston is a great leader.
For the Nets to be successful next season, he said it will take a team effort in a year where not much is expected.
Carter did not know how the Nets would fare in the 2010 free agency market when LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade might all be available.
"It will be a great opportunity for somebody, maybe a guy who wants an opportunity to build a team around him and play with Devin," Carter said. "You give them another guy or another stud, anything can happen. I think it's possible. I really do."
For now, all Carter is thinking about is the Magic, admitting he still feels weird.
"It's hard to say Vince Carter, Orlando Magic right now," he said. "It won't be once we start doing things as a team."
Not even close. The recently acquired Carter just wants to fit with his new team and get the prize that has eluded him for a decade in the NBA -- a championship ring.
"I think we have a wonderful team," Carter said of the Magic during a break at his basketball camp. "On paper it's pretty darn good. It's the preparation and work we put in, and not becoming complacent."
Carter admitted on Wednesday that he was surprised by the June trade that sent him and forward Ryan Anderson from the New Jersey Nets to the Magic for center Tony Battie and guards Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston.
However, the thought of playing near his home and sharing the court with Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson has rekindled the championship hopes that disappeared in New Jersey over the past two years with the trades that shipped Jason Kidd to Dallas and Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee.
The acquisition of Carter gives the Magic a proven go-to player who has averaged 23.5 points in his 10 NBA seasons. He is also a versatile scorer who can prevent opponents from focusing all their defensive efforts on stopping Howard's inside game.
The trade also gives Orlando, which lost to the Lakers in the NBA Finals in five games, an immediate replacement for Hedo Turkoglu, who was shipped to Toronto in a sign-and-trade deal.
The one thing Carter isn't looking to do is to be the focal point of the Magic, something that he has been throughout his career in Toronto and New Jersey.
"If you think about it, I never really said 'This is my team,"' Carter said of his four-plus seasons in New Jersey. "I said, 'I'm going to help this team win.' When I first got here, it was Jason's team. I just want to help make (Orlando) better. He (Howard) can be the face all he wants. My concern is more so just getting wins. I kind of leave that for people to say or debate on. I think for me, it's 'Can Vince come in and do his part for the Orlando Magic?' That's more so my goal."
Carter conducted his camp at the Nets' training facility on Wednesday. He had committed to the youth camp before the trade and the Nets allowed him to hold it.
But Carter enjoyed being back and seeing old friends. He talked to coach Lawrence Frank, Nets president Rod Thorn and a couple of former teammates.
The only regret he had was not finishing the job he started, which was to get the Nets a title.
"I mean, I worked my butt off to gain the trust of each and every player here and every staff member and really to instill the mentality and belief that we could win," Carter said. "I don't think we were expected to win as many games as we did. It was just creating a mentality and making it a habit."
Carter was the player the Nets counted on for scoring and leadership in recent years, and he said now it will probably fall to All-Star guard Devin Harris to fulfill the role.
"I mean, Devin can do it," Carter said. "He has seen it done and he's been around. It's just if he wants it. He has definitely established himself in the NBA as a player and that's the next level for him."
Carter spoke highly of the players the Nets acquired from Orlando, saying Lee was unbelievable, Battie was a proven veteran who has been to the championship round and that Alston is a great leader.
For the Nets to be successful next season, he said it will take a team effort in a year where not much is expected.
Carter did not know how the Nets would fare in the 2010 free agency market when LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade might all be available.
"It will be a great opportunity for somebody, maybe a guy who wants an opportunity to build a team around him and play with Devin," Carter said. "You give them another guy or another stud, anything can happen. I think it's possible. I really do."
For now, all Carter is thinking about is the Magic, admitting he still feels weird.
"It's hard to say Vince Carter, Orlando Magic right now," he said. "It won't be once we start doing things as a team."
Mavs sign big man Drew Gooden
The Dallas Mavericks have signed big man Drew Gooden, expecting him to back up Dirk Nowitzki at power forward and play alongside him at center.
The deal, agreed to late last week, was announced Thursday.
Gooden is joining his seventh team, having also played for Memphis, Orlando, Cleveland, Chicago, Sacramento and San Antonio. Over his career, he averages 12.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
"We are very pleased to add Drew to our front line for the upcoming season," team president Donnie Nelson said. "Drew is a veteran player with NBA finals experience that is entering the prime of his career at 27 years old. He will provide valuable minutes at both the center and power forward positions with his tenacity in the paint, rebounding and ability to knock down shots."
The deal, agreed to late last week, was announced Thursday.
Gooden is joining his seventh team, having also played for Memphis, Orlando, Cleveland, Chicago, Sacramento and San Antonio. Over his career, he averages 12.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
"We are very pleased to add Drew to our front line for the upcoming season," team president Donnie Nelson said. "Drew is a veteran player with NBA finals experience that is entering the prime of his career at 27 years old. He will provide valuable minutes at both the center and power forward positions with his tenacity in the paint, rebounding and ability to knock down shots."
Sunday, August 2, 2009
EXCL: David Twohy on Continuing the Riddick Saga
Earlier today, ShockTillYouDrop.com had a chance to sit down with director David Twohy to talk about his upcoming psychological thriller A Perfect Getaway and during our interview, we got around to talking about Twohy's dark sci-fi franchise, which seemingly petered out with 2005's The Chronicles of Riddick, but in fact, Twohy has been in regular communication with the movie's star, Vin Diesel, on how to continue the series.
"I've sketched out two ideas for the next installment," he told us during the exclusive interview. "Vin and I have decided on one approach of those two, and there's some interest at the studio level but it would be as a PG-13 film, and we don't want to do that anymore. That's one of the concessions we thought we made with 'Riddick' that we shouldn't have made. We also spent too much money and we were too ambitions, so yes, if we do go back to a third one, it will be focused again, hopefully again the same way that 'Pitch Black' was, and we'll spend less money doing it. We're just trying to figure out how much less we can do it for, because I don't think Vin is going to work for scale again."
"The third movie would be more modestly-scaled and it would probably feel more like 'Pitch Black' then 'Chronicles'," he continued. "It will always be Riddick-centric. If the question is whether it will be more like the first one than the second one, the difference is that yeah, you can sell it on its creatures and say 'This is a creature fest and we're going to go out as us vs. the creatures' but that's like a lot of different movies. However, the hallmark of a good movie, and I think 'Pitch Black' is a good movie, is that even if you took the creatures out of the picture, you'd still have some pretty interesting character dynamics going on within that group, and it's almost like you can tell the same story without the creature or substitute some other external pressure on the group, because there were internal pressures as well that were interesting. So was it really a creature feature? It had the hallmarks of it, the trappings of a creature movie, but it also had pretty good characters."
Even though Twohy and Diesel may be seriously talking about the way to move forward with the Riddick franchise, that's not the only thing on Twohy's plate, as he admits to always having a few original scripts in some stage of development to tackle after he finishes whatever movie he's working on. The one he seems most interested in doing is something called Crying Havoc, which will be produced by Ridley Scott. Twohy filled us in on the premise: "It is about an FBI Agent who uses technology to track a spy around the world, only to learn that the spy is more demon than human, and that demon leads him into the lower circles of Hell, psychologically speaking. That's a cool one, and it hopefully has the same visual prowess of a movie like 'Constantine' but a hopefully more coherent script. That's in the works and that may be next."
Look for our full interview with Mr. Twohy sometime next week before A Perfect Getaway opens on August 7.
"I've sketched out two ideas for the next installment," he told us during the exclusive interview. "Vin and I have decided on one approach of those two, and there's some interest at the studio level but it would be as a PG-13 film, and we don't want to do that anymore. That's one of the concessions we thought we made with 'Riddick' that we shouldn't have made. We also spent too much money and we were too ambitions, so yes, if we do go back to a third one, it will be focused again, hopefully again the same way that 'Pitch Black' was, and we'll spend less money doing it. We're just trying to figure out how much less we can do it for, because I don't think Vin is going to work for scale again."
"The third movie would be more modestly-scaled and it would probably feel more like 'Pitch Black' then 'Chronicles'," he continued. "It will always be Riddick-centric. If the question is whether it will be more like the first one than the second one, the difference is that yeah, you can sell it on its creatures and say 'This is a creature fest and we're going to go out as us vs. the creatures' but that's like a lot of different movies. However, the hallmark of a good movie, and I think 'Pitch Black' is a good movie, is that even if you took the creatures out of the picture, you'd still have some pretty interesting character dynamics going on within that group, and it's almost like you can tell the same story without the creature or substitute some other external pressure on the group, because there were internal pressures as well that were interesting. So was it really a creature feature? It had the hallmarks of it, the trappings of a creature movie, but it also had pretty good characters."
Even though Twohy and Diesel may be seriously talking about the way to move forward with the Riddick franchise, that's not the only thing on Twohy's plate, as he admits to always having a few original scripts in some stage of development to tackle after he finishes whatever movie he's working on. The one he seems most interested in doing is something called Crying Havoc, which will be produced by Ridley Scott. Twohy filled us in on the premise: "It is about an FBI Agent who uses technology to track a spy around the world, only to learn that the spy is more demon than human, and that demon leads him into the lower circles of Hell, psychologically speaking. That's a cool one, and it hopefully has the same visual prowess of a movie like 'Constantine' but a hopefully more coherent script. That's in the works and that may be next."
Look for our full interview with Mr. Twohy sometime next week before A Perfect Getaway opens on August 7.
Exclusive: Might Tim Olyphant Be Back for Hitman 2?
There's been talk lately of 20th Century Fox doing a sequel to their hit action movie Hitman, but as they work on figuring out a script, ComingSoon.net caught up with the movie's lead actor Tim Olyphant at the junket for David Twohy's A Perfect Getaway and asked whether we might see him returning as Agent 47 in the proposed Hitman 2.
"It's not on my schedule," he said diplomatically. "If they want me to do another one, I supposed they could have me, yes," he suggested when asked whether he signed on to do more than one movie. "The things that I've got in front of me right now I'm really excited about the television show. What I can tell you about ‘Hitman' is that I'm thrilled that it was as successful as it was and it was a really nice opportunity and I appreciate that opportunity."
That television show Olyphant refers to his next big project, the new FX series "Lawman" based on Elmore Leonard's U.S. Marshall character Raylan Givens, who appeared in the novels "Pronto" and "Riding the Rap," the pilot being based on the short story "Fire in the Hole." It will air in the spring of next year. "We shot the pilot and it's been picked up. I start shooting in October or November." Olyphant hasn't met Leonard yet but being that the novelist is an executive producer on the show, he's expecting to have a chance and he's looking forward to it.
In the meantime, Olyphant has A Perfect Getaway coming out next week and then early next year, he's starring in the Overture Films remake of George Romero's 1973 thriller The Crazies.
We asked him how much of Romero's anti-military sentiment from that era of his career was being carried over to the remake. "Participant is behind it and Participant doesn't do anything that doesn't have a real message to it, so it's kind of an unusual film for them. Participant does like ‘Syriana' and ‘Inconvenient Truth'—it's a nice marriage and a nice twist to the kind of movies they do. I think that if there's anything worth keeping from the original, it's that intelligent metaphor where it was a horror film, but it was really a commentary on the Vietnam War. Oddly enough, that metaphor is still relevant in a very contemporary point of view."
"It's not on my schedule," he said diplomatically. "If they want me to do another one, I supposed they could have me, yes," he suggested when asked whether he signed on to do more than one movie. "The things that I've got in front of me right now I'm really excited about the television show. What I can tell you about ‘Hitman' is that I'm thrilled that it was as successful as it was and it was a really nice opportunity and I appreciate that opportunity."
That television show Olyphant refers to his next big project, the new FX series "Lawman" based on Elmore Leonard's U.S. Marshall character Raylan Givens, who appeared in the novels "Pronto" and "Riding the Rap," the pilot being based on the short story "Fire in the Hole." It will air in the spring of next year. "We shot the pilot and it's been picked up. I start shooting in October or November." Olyphant hasn't met Leonard yet but being that the novelist is an executive producer on the show, he's expecting to have a chance and he's looking forward to it.
In the meantime, Olyphant has A Perfect Getaway coming out next week and then early next year, he's starring in the Overture Films remake of George Romero's 1973 thriller The Crazies.
We asked him how much of Romero's anti-military sentiment from that era of his career was being carried over to the remake. "Participant is behind it and Participant doesn't do anything that doesn't have a real message to it, so it's kind of an unusual film for them. Participant does like ‘Syriana' and ‘Inconvenient Truth'—it's a nice marriage and a nice twist to the kind of movies they do. I think that if there's anything worth keeping from the original, it's that intelligent metaphor where it was a horror film, but it was really a commentary on the Vietnam War. Oddly enough, that metaphor is still relevant in a very contemporary point of view."
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