Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: November 23, 2008

Niall Browne — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:09:35 +0000

This Week:

Timothy Olyphant is Crazy; an Arrested Development film is in development; Jason Bourne appears to just keep coming; Brian Grazer has stupid ideas for Magnum P.I and Mila Kunis reads The Book of Eli.

Box Office

It was predicted and it came to pass. Teen vampire film Twilight took a huge bite out of the box office this weekend with a massive gross of $73 million. The sequel(s) have already been given the green and it looks like this $37 million flick is going to be hugely profitable for fledgling studio Summit. Writer Stephanie Meyer, director Catherine Hardwicke and stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart should be pretty happy this weekend. I wonder if they’ve ever heard of type-casting?

Daniel Craig’s second James Bond outing should shoot up another $30 million over the weekend giving the 007 adventure a total gross of $110 million. By Monday morning Quantum of Solace should have grossed a fantastic $415 million worldwide. Expect James Bond to return.

Animated film Bolt is fighting for the runner-up spot with Bond. Expect the John Travolta – Miley Cyrus doggie film to bark up about $30 million. Animated sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa should bank another $14-15 million over the weekend while sleeper hit Role Models should make another $6-7 million. Clint Eastwood’s Changeling seems to be coming to a close with another $3 million this weekend. If awards don’t hit this thing then it will be seen as a major disappointment. It shouldn’t really harm Eastwood’s or Angelina Joile’s careers though.

Movie News

1. Hitman star Timothy Olyphant has signed on to star in a remake of George Romero’s The Crazies. According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“The story revolves around the inhabitants of a small Kansas town who are beset by death and insanity after a plane crash lets loose a secret biological weapon into the water supply. Olyphant is playing the town’s sheriff.”

Just what we need – another horror remake. However, having said that Olyphant has a certain charisma, so he might bring something to this.

Sahara director Breck Eisner (son of Michael) will direct the film.

When movie executives are taking meetings with the actor – do think that they don’t want to talk about the Olyphant in the room?

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

2. For fans of Arrested Development there have long been rumblings that a feature film would find its way to the big screen. Many thought that the film had been arrested in development hell, but this week producer (and narrator) of the original show Ron Howard and creator Mitch Hurwitz have apparently signed deals for the film.

Personally I’ve never seen the show, but it has a lot of hardcore fans so, if they’re happy – then I guess that I am too.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

3. Hollywood loves a franchise, we all know that. The public love a franchise too – there’s nothing like going to see characters return like old friends every few years. Well, it looks like we are going to be seeing a lot more of Jason Bourne.

Earlier in the year Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass signed on to make a fourth adventure in the spy series, but now it looks like Universal want to go all Bond on Bourne and keep making films.

The studio has bought exclusive rights to the character of Jason Bourne and a first look option on other Robert Ludlum novels.

Source: Variety

4. Brian Grazer has shot down the rumor that Matthew McConaughey will star in a big screen version of Magnum P.I.

Speaking to MTV the producer said:

“I think the idea for Magnum P.I. is to find a counterpoint, to not try and find the new Tom Selleck but to find someone that is just so different that you go, oh my God! That guy is Magnum?!?

It’s so much about casting. You have to find the actor that adds through his own personality something to the title.”

Brian -I think that is completely stupid. It’s just a stupid idea. IF Tom Selleck isn’t going to be Magnum then McConaughey is perfect casting. Finding a bizarre choice – just for the sake of stunt casting reeks of stupidity.

You can quote me on that!

Source: MTV

5. Mila Kunis will be joining Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman in The Book of Eli.

In the film:

“A lone hero named Eli (Washington) who must fight his way across the wasteland of a near-future America to protect a sacred book that might hold the key to saving the future of humanity.”

According to the Hollywood Reporter:

“Kunis plays a woman named Solara, at first enlisted to betray Eli, she ultimately joins him in his quest”

The film starts shooting in February.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

That’s it for now. See you at the movies.

McConaughey P.I. ?

Niall Browne — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:05:42 +0000

I’m a fan of Magnum P.I..

As one of the most iconic television shows of the 1980’s, I’m glad that I was there to see it first time around. Tom Selleck was the definitive Thomas Magnum, He was Magnum! To show how much of a fan I am… I have a Tom Selleck section in my DVD collection!

For the past decade or so Universal Pictures have been trying to bring Magnum P.I. to the big screen, as usual names such as George Clooney and Ben Affleck had been mooted for the part, but now Entertainment Weekly state that the script for the Magnum film has been passed to the world’s most famous bongo player Matthew McConaughey.

My thoughts on this as a Magnum fan?

Frickin’ awesome!!!

Why?

Read on.

There was once a time when I hated Matthew McConaughey. The guy was seen as the next big thing, and there is nothing that I hate more than being told that you should like somebody because the press tells you to. It makes me want to turn and run in the opposite direction.

A few years and a couple of bombs later, McConaughey was almost Hollywood’s next has-been. Then he was arrested for playing the bongos too loud in his own home. Not only was he arrested for playing bongos too loud, but when they arrived at his house he was prancing around his living room. Check the photograph with this article for his mugshot.

I play like to play the bongos, I will be honest… I’ve never conducted any naked dancing that was bongo related, but one can get carried away with the rhythm!

Anyway, before I get side tracked, that was the moment that I thought that McConaughey might be cool. He followed this arrest up with Ed TV, U571, Frailty and Reign of Fire (the best ever post-apocalyptic dragon film). I also really like Sahara, and I’m furious that it never made enough money to warrant a sequel. Shame on you movie goers!!

As much as I like Clooney and Affleck (I think that my admiration for them has been mentioned once or twice here on the pages of Screen Rant) I feel that McConaughey is the best fit for the role.

In fact a couple of years ago I once said that he was my dream casting for Magnum. So I’m over the moon with this news. It’s pure McConaughey material. He’s a man of action, laid back, he hangs on the beach and the chicks love him. If it wasn’t based on a television show I’d swear that it was McConaughey’s autobiography.

There is no word yet on whether or not “Bongos” McConaughey will accept the role, or even if he will grow Tom Selleck’s trademark mustache. I just hope that he does both.

The script has been written by Dodgeball writer/director Rawson Thurber.

I will keep you posted on any future developments. However, in the meantime I think I’ll just watch some of my Magnum series box sets.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: November 23, 2008

McConaughey P.I. ?