I’m going to throw out the name of a movie that most of our readers have never heard of, much less seen -- Captain Blood. It isn’t some indie flick or a PETA documentary on the killing of whales. No, the reason you probably haven’t heard of it is because unless you were a teenager in the 1930’s (which would put you in the late 80’s or early 90’s age range), went to film school or just really love old black and white movies, in all likelihood you’ve never come across the Warner Bros. classic film.
It looks like all that might change soon though as Warner Bros. studios have chosen brothers Michael and Peter Spierig to direct a remake of Captain Blood based on a John Brownlow script. After producer Bill Gerber (Gran Torino) and Warner Bros hired Brownlow to do a first draft of Captain Blood, they started interviewing directors to bring his script to life. What won the job for the Spierig brothers was their bold idea to move the entire story into space.
Read through to the end for a special treat!
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Gerber said this of the meeting where the idea was pitched to him:
“At first, I felt like I was in that scene in ‘The Player,’ where Buck Henry pitches the sequel to ‘The Graduate’; but when I took a look at their animatic depiction of a pirate battle in space, it had such a distinctive visual look to it that I said, ‘Great, I get it.’”
At this point the only movie I’ve seen from the Spierig brothers is the ridiculously cool 2003 film, Undead. They also have a vampire action flick hitting theaters January 2010 called Daybreakers which looks to be quite interesting. I’m having good feelings about this particular remake. I’m not familiar with John Lobrown’s work as a writer but Gerber says the script is a faithful adaptation regardless of the obvious time shift and setting.
The original Captain Blood was a pirate movie in the classic high seas swashbuckling adventure genre. It followed a British doctor (Errol Flynn) who is wrongly imprisoned, escapes and becomes a pirate in the Caribbean. The movie also stars the incredible Basil Rathbone (who just may have the coolest sounding name ever) as Blood’s partner, the treacherous Captain Levasseur.
Said Gerber of the story line:
“There are some things you don’t mess with, and that is as classic a movie storyline as you will ever find.”
I’m happy to hear that coming from a big studio producer. I’ve been saying it for awhile now: If they want to remake something, make it something old. Something hardly anyone has heard of. Leave the story alone and just modify how you tell it. I’m a little disappointed to hear the new Captain Blood won’t be at sea like the original, but after the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and the announcement of Pirates of the Caribbean 4 -- add to that the possibility of Master and Commander sequel and (ugh!) a movie based on the board game Battleship -- maybe moving Captain Blood to space is the right way to go. Warner Bros. and Gerber seem to think so anyways.
Now for the goodies I promised:
I’ve got two videos for you to watch. The first is the original trailer for Captain Blood set to the score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. If you like the trailer, then check out the entire film for free in the second video. You’ll have to install the proprietary video software to watch it, but the entire 1935 classic Captain Blood can be watched on Veoh. Don’t worry, it’s completely legal: the site works just like Hulu and is sponsored by ads so there’s no fear of watching it on a haxz0r type site. You can even download the entire film to your computer to watch at a later time.
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‘Captain Blood’ Original Trailer
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So, who can you see playing the three main roles of Captain Blood, Captain Levasseur and the love interest Arabella Bishop? I know I’m a Nathan Fillion fan and maybe it’s because I loved Firefly but I can totally see him as Captain Blood in space. Tim Roth could make a great Captain Levasseur but I’m unsure of who I’d like to see play the love interest, Arabella Bishop.
What are your thoughts on remaking the classic film Captain Blood? Do you like that the new version is being set in space and if so who would you recommend in the three leading roles?
Captain Blood is tentatively slated for a 2011 release.
Source: Variety
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9 Comments
Looks like fun. I can’t disagree with the casting decisions either. Fillion and Roth would make a good two shot.
How about Naomi Watts for the female lead?
OK, I have seen Captain Blood, not on this website and I’m no where near 90!
. I love that movie. Of course I love Errol Flynn. And I never went to film school either.
Anyway, I get a little nervous when they try to remake the classics. They are usually very disappointing. Look at Love Affair, Sabrina, The Women… I need not go on.
I’m midly interested, but mostly trepidatious.
as a kid in the 70’s we used to have a wide variety of recycled television on saturday morning.
once the cartoons were over we had Tarzan, Abbott & Costello, Creature Features (various 1950’s and 60’s SciFi) like “Ceolecanth” or “antz” or “the day of the triffids” ocassionally we’d get some 60’s action movies like “the Italian job” and there would always be a slot in just before lunch for pirate movies.. “monte cristo”, “crimson pirate”, “Captain Blood”, and “the adventures of robin hood”. for once I would like to see a pirate movie that isnt a comedy or all “disney-ed” up.
At least its an original take instead of the same old shot by shot remake spin.
I would go see it.
NO NO NO!!!
if they want to re-make it they should make it as the origianl on sean, not in space,
This is not Star wars or Space Invaders crap… Werner should reconsider it and before they put it in production.
No one will go to see, there to many out there Space moviues.
Why can’t we see a prper pirate action adventure in holywood?
Waht the hell has gone into them.
Ther ruen ever remeake they do…
They have to stop it complitly, not to play with classics.
Like i said we need to see a proper pirate advnture not mith monster, undead and fantasy crap.
If they insisting of making Captain Blood in space i wish he flops.
So waht there other seafering movies in the pipeline,, beacuse of disney going for pirates4, they are afraid that might loose the buck.
they have to relise and been happy that swashbuckling pirate adventure a popular nowdays, the more they make the better for the public and their poket.
Why change the setings, and make it as something crap.
Are they afraid of competitoons withother studios..Big deal.
Why does have to Disney stand up in everyone way and not give other studios make their own pirate movie,
Why they so greedy on their mony while they can let other studios, get a tip on the hony.
I wish it won’t happen.
Like so many movies from development they didn’t move into production, like capatain Kidd that was i development satge untill got brushed away in favour for othe rmovie.
NO NO NO!!!
If they want to re-make it they should make it as the original on sea not in space,
this is not Star wars or Space Invaders crap… Werner should reconsider it and before they put it in production.
No one will go to see, there to many out there Space movies.
Why can’t we see a proper pirate action adventure in Hollywood?
What the hell has gone into them?
Their ruin ever remake they do…
They have to stop it completely, not to play with classics.
Like I said we need to see a proper pirate adventure not with monster, unread and fantasy crap.
If they insisting of making Captain Blood in space I wish he flops.
So what there other seafaring movies in the pipeline, because of Disney going for pirates4, they are afraid that might lose the buck.
They have to realise and been happy that swashbuckling pirate adventure a popular nowadays, the more they make the better for the public and their pocket.
Why change the settings, and make it as something crap.
Are they afraid of competitions with other studios…Big deal?
Why does have to Disney stand up in everyone way and not give other studios make their own pirate movie,
Why they so greedy on their money while they can let other studios, get a tip on the honey.
I wish it won’t happen.
Like so many movies from development they didn’t move into production, like Captain Kidd that was I development stage until got brushed away in favour for other movie.
A classic pirate story moved into space? Sounds a little bit like Treasure Planet to me….
Not exactly an original idea any more, but hey, if it works.
I am totally game for this one! Undead was fun, and Daybreakers looks very cool. If these guys can pull that off, I’ll give them the chance to see what they do with this.
For an un-disney pirate movie… hehehe… try Roman Polanski’s “Pirates”. Hehehehe.
People don’t want pirates without the filter. Really they don’t. Real pirates were (and are) not nice people that were quirky rebels against a domineering regime; they were murderers and rapists, amongst other things. Colorblind in some cases, yes. Democratic, yes. But nice and quirky funny and somewhat roguish and heroic? Not a chance.
They’re remaking this? IN SPACE? I’m shocked and amazed. And very uneasy. I adore this film, (and no, neither 80 or a film student) it’s the first Errol Flynn/Olivia de Havilland movies I saw as a teen. I own it on both VHS and DVD. Classic!
And while I can see Tim Roth as Levasseur, I think Nathan Fillion doesn’t have the dramatic chops for the roll as Peter Blood. He’s too comedic…cheesy comedy. Not that he wasn’t decent in Firefly, but for this movie? NO.
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