Yes folks it’s that time of the week! Once again we troll through the overlooked movie news to give you a fully comprehensive overview of what’s been happening in Hollywood.
This week:
Nicolas Cage decides to Kick Ass, every-one’s favorite Journeyman Kevin McKidd may be a Highlander, Ben Affleck Extract’s something for Mike Judge, Samuel L. Jackson eyes Red Tails for George Lucas and The Sweeney gets shafted by the British Film Industry.
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1. Nicolas Cage, Aaron Johnson and Lyndsy Fonseca have signed on to Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of the Mark Millar comic book Kick Ass. According to The Hollywood Reporter the plot:
“…centers on a high school dweeb named Dave Lizewski who decides to become a superhero even though he has no athletic ability or coordination. Things change when he eventually runs into real bad guys with real weapons.Johnson plays title character, while Fonseca plays the object of the teen’s infatuation who believes Dave is gay. Cage is a former cop who wants to bring down a druglord and has trained his daughter (Chloe Moretz) to be a lethal weapon.“
It sounds like an interesting enough premise, but it also appears that there might be a bit too much going on to make for a focused film. At least Cage appears to be scratching his comic book itch these days, which should keep him away from Superman!
The crazy haired Elvis loving actor will next be seen in Bangkok Dangerous on September 5.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
2. It looks like Journeyman star Kevin McKidd may be the new Highlander. According to Joblo the actor was talking on Dublin radio and he stated that he’d been approached to star in the reboot of the series which originally starred Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert.
Is there truth in this? Who knows – but he is from Scotland and he has been known to wield a sword (see Rome) so there is a chance that there may be something to this.
Source: Joblo.com
3. Ben Affleck is in negotiations to star in Mike Judge’s new film Extract. According to Variety Affleck would play a lawyer who is the best friend of Jason Bateman’s lead in the new film.
“The Arrested Development actor stars as ‘a flower extract factory owner dealing with workplace problems and a streak of bad luck, including his wife’s affair with a gigolo.’”
It sounds quirky, but I don’t think that it’s going to break Affleck’s losing streak at the box office.
Source: Variety
4. It would appear that Samuel L. Jackson has been approached by George Lucas to direct the long gestating Red Tails.
Jackson told IGN :
“I just read it like two weeks ago. It’s a pretty good script. At one point (Lucas) was asking me if I’d ever want to direct anything. I said, ‘I don’t know, man. I’m trying to find things.’ He said, ‘Well, let me send you this thing. Maybe you might want to direct it.’ Well, I guess if I was gonna direct something George would be a great guy to kind of mentor me through that, especially a big ass special effects flying picture. The script’s good. I like it.”
However, Jackson isn’t too certain that he wants to direct:
“I don’t know. I don’t have a year and a half of my life where I wanna stop acting.”
Not earth shattering news, but it is interesting. Will Red Tails ever get made? Probably, but hasn’t the story already been told in the 1995 TV movie Tuskegee Airmen starring new CSI star Laurence Fishburne?
Source: IGN
5. The film version of the iconic British cop show The Sweeney has been put on hold. The film was due to star Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’s Ray Winstone as Jack Regan, but producers were worried that without a major star the film wouldn’t recoup its $16 million budget.
It’s a shame – the show is hugely influential in the UK and the British Film industry could be doing with a good home grown franchise. Harry Potter and James Bond films are not included as they are made with American money. The 1970’s detective show helped inspire the recent quirky sci-fi cop series Life on Mars. Even with something as small as a budget of $16 million British producers are still afraid to roll the dice on a film.
The British Film industry really needs a good kick in the ass to get motivated and start producing more commercial material for the rest of the world. Romantic comedy aside the UK isn’t really known for producing commercial cinema, and when they do make a good movie it hardly gets a release (if at all).
Every few years we do get a good British film that has commercial and critical success. In the last fifteen or so years we have had films like Trainspotting, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Dog Soldiers and The Full Monty which have been very successful around the world. However, what followed the release of these movies was a series of cheap imitations that ran the respective genres into the ground.
The UK really must get it sorted if it wants to have a selt sustaining film industry that can survive on it’s own.
Source: Variety
That’s it for another week.
See you at the movies!
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16 Comments
Highlander remake sounds good,
I think they will need another huge star in that flick though to make it marketable.
Hmmm, a Sweeney movie in this day and age? Can’t really see it happening, not without all the bigotry and put downs cut out.
Also, British recent hits – Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
But totally agree, the film industry here needs sorting out, and help from the government, not hindering.
Even something like Dog Soldiers was filmed in Europe.
Steven,
I feel that Shaun of the Dead was given the green-light due to it having the same horror/comedy combo of Dog Soldiers.
Hot Fuzz though was an original idea and therefore it should be given due mention on the list!
Niall
It sounds like Sam Jackson was just trying to be nice, like he didn’t want to say anything negative even if he thought the script wasn’t very good at all.
So ok,let me get this strait,,,,
Nick Cage is making another craptastic film. (There’s no stopping him)
Like the title Character, The Highlander won’t die as a franchise, now we get the (cursed)reboot. (Give it up Highlander)
Ben Affleck is still threatening to act in movies. (Thanks for the warning)
Sam Jackson is going to direct the next Lucas film. (That about figures)
And the UK has pissed away the timing on a Red Dwarf and Doc Who film and were getting “Sweeney” film that’s looking for a star. (Wow what a misguided bunch of idiots over at BBC)
Ok I’m going back to bed.
Haha, was going to say 790 will ask about a Doctor Who movie, but thought leave it up to the man himself.
True though, the BBC alone has better shows to turn into movies. Would love to see one from The Thick of It. That show is spot on about today’s politics, in both UK and USA. Funny as hell too.
I thought Shaun came from Dogs, but checked and you’re right, Niall. Original breakthrough movies don’t happen here often. Even the successes can be pretty tame, like the Full Monty and Bend it Like Beckham.
The (BBC) is blowing it.
^
A Doctor Who movie could be huge.
BO results this weekend,,,
“Death Race” tanked this weekend. Tropic Thunder wins again.
Clone Wars almost broke 27 mil. Lol.
“Like the title Character, The Highlander won’t die as a franchise, now we get the (cursed)reboot. (Give it up Highlander)”
At the very least, take a break. The series was running out of steam by the end of the fifth season, Raven was better but had too many problems of its own, and only two of the movies are considered to be any good.
Given that the only recent Highlander story to really be any good was the animated “Search for Vengeance,” I’d say Highlander should take a break for a few more years and then find someone new who can guide things in a new direction.
With Bill Panzer dead, and David Abramowitz seemingly running out of ideas before the series ended, they need to find someone new to take control of the franchise, and that will probably require a few more years.
still too much money for the clone was flick, 790
clone wars*
I saw Death Race this weekend and I thought it was pretty entertaining; it even had the character “Frankenstein” in it (that actually sounded like David Carradine). Sure, it wasn’t as good as Tropic Thunder but I thought it would at least come in 2nd.
Yeah, I wanted to see Death Race but I was out of town last week and when I came home I got sick…
BTW, “Mirrors” was terrible.
Vic
i just read kick-ass the other day (first 3 issues), and while it’s a good read, i don’t think it would make a good movie, it’s about the boy, as far as I can tell, and our modern western society’s reaction to a superhero (more like a low level vigilante). What interesting angle could they use to make this so big screen worthy? I know little has been said so far, but nothing really great, it would be like a wanted part 2. Sorry I didn’t think wanted was a good movie (ok popcorn flick ). And I know that’s why Hollywood wants it, because Wanted made money.
Besides the story is already been told before. Realistic takes on superheroes, isn’t necessarily groundbreaking in movies after x men, dark knight, Hancock. It isn’t even new to comics either, you have Watchmen, Ultimates vol.1-2, and The Authority.
While I think the subject matter is still fun to read about, when well written, not to mention I love the artists Romita jr. a movie staring nick cage, when it should be about the Dave Lizewski character? It just sounds like another whatever movie for the Wal-Mart 5dlls bin. But one never knows it could be great. But I’m not holding my breath for this one.
Yeah, I unfortunately saw Mirrors. But I saw it for free, so it wasn’t a total loss.
almanza, you’re probably right.
But nowadays, all the studios are going crazy for rights and licenses for comics, even going so far as to purchasing said right before the comics even debut, just based on the writers and premise. I think they realize the big box office earners are comic-based things alot of the time recently, and that anything with a sci-fi action appeal to it could be a big sell with any big actor in it.
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