Vin Diesel is a Wheelman

I like Vin Diesel, sure he's not a great actor but he has a true screen presence and is ambitious, perhaps too ambitious. After the huge success of the original 'The Fast and The Furious' he wanted to branch out and expand, I think he made that move too quickly, he should have gotten a couple more action hits under his belt first. So now with the recent success of the 4th installment of the Furious franchise he's back in demand, lining up a role in the adaption of a videogame he starred in according to variety.

Paramount Pictures has set John Singleton to direct and Lorenzo di Bonaventura to produce The Wheelman, a live-action adaptation of the Ubisoft video game "Wheelman." The game launched last month, with Diesel as its main character and the game's producer.

Diesel will play an expert driver who comes out of retirement to protect a woman from his past.
Rich Wilkes wrote the script; the writing team of Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell did a rewrite.

I like Paramount as a studio and Singleton is a solid director. this isn't going to be great but it could be a decent action flick and a hit for Diesel as it stays pretty much in the same territory as his most popular role. If he can get a few of these action hits under his belt we may finally get his long planned Hannibal biopic (The Conqueror not the leader of The A Team).

Dr. Keanu and Mr. Reeves ? Whoa!

Poor old Keanu, Ive got a soft spot for the dude, he was in two of my favourite movies growing up (Speed, The Matrix) and he does try hard, but most still see him as a block of wood with a mouth. Now news comes from The Hollywood Reporter that he is set to star in a new version of the classic 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde' for Universal.

Universal is developing a modern retelling of the classic novella "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," with Keanu Reeves attached to star and Justin Haythe, writer of "Revolutionary Road," penning the script.

Nicolas Winding Refn is in negotiations to direct the project, titled "Jekyll." It is being produced by Erwin Stoff and Red Wagon Entertainment's Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher.

Robert Louis Stevenson's tale about a doctor who scientifically develops an evil self has become so pervasive in popular culture that the phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" conjures the idea of a split personality. The story has been translated to the screen and stage dozens of times, with several deviations including comedy, kids ("Jekyll and Heidi") and gender (1995's "Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde"). The story has seen modern iterations as recently as 2007, when the BBC aired a miniseries with the story set in the present as Hyde ran amok in London.

Plot details for this "Jekyll" are being kept locked in the laboratory.

The jokes are going start pouring in I am sure, "Is the new version going to be about a bad actor turning into a good actor with someone else playing the good actor ?" but I am willing to at least see how this fresh take on a classic develops.

From Kissing Rogue to Yielding the Power Ring?

It's been a busy week for Green Lantern, folks.

First, Drew "Moriarty" McWeeny reported on The Hangover star Bradley Cooper being a top candidate for the title role and just this morning, the news broke that Warner Brothers has moved its release date from December 2010 to June 2011. And now yet another scoop on the Emerald Knight.

The good folks over at Latino Review has received word that yet another actor has surfaced in the sea of potential Hal Jordans. With a filmography including X-Men, Diary of the Dead and I Love You, Beth Cooper, Shawn Roberts is said to be a favorite of director Martin Campbell - who interestingly enough just finished working with the young actor in his forthcoming film Edge of Darkness.

If you don't remember him from X-Men, he's the poor schmuck who kisses Rogue and ends up in a coma. Roberts certainly looks the part and has the "lesser known actor" factor in his favor (i.e. easy to nail down to a multi-picture commitment) as well as his previous working relationship with Campbell.

Green Lantern Moved To Summer 2011

Fresh of the heels of the news that Bradly Cooper is in serious contention for the role of Green Lantern, Box Office Mojo is reporting that WB is pushing the "Green Lantern" release date back. Instead of cleaning the snow off your car to see the film on December 17th, 2010 you'll be able to strap on a pair of sandals and hit the front row of your local theater on June 17th, 2011.

This move could have been made for a number of reasons. WB might have wanted to lock in another Summer film and the move could mean they have faith in the script. Casting could be another reason for the delay, it seems that WB and friends still haven't decided on their Green Lantern, nevermind the rest of the cast. The move also gives Martin Campbell and his team more time for pre-production, filming, and ultimately post. Interesting move by Warner Bros.

Where there's 'Smoke' there's Matthew Fox and a 'Traitor'

Almost a year ago it was announced that 'LOST' star Matthew Fox had signed on to star in an adaption of the still yet to be released Oni Press graphic novel 'Billy Smoke'. The Hollywood reporter has revealed that 'Traitor' director Jeffrey Nachmanoff has signed on to direct.

Jeffrey Nachmanoff, the writer-director behind "Traitor," is puffing "Billy Smoke," signing up to direct the adaptation of the Oni Press comic book for Warner Bros.

Matthew Fox is attached to star in the assassin thriller, with Basil Iwanyk's Thunder Road producing along with Oni's Eric Gitter, who is producing through the company's film arm, Closed on Mondays Entertainment.

The story centers on an elite hit man who is nearly killed during a botched job. He realizes that his only way to find redemption is to rid the world of all assassins.

The comic book series, written by B. Clay Moore and illustrated by Eric Kim, will be published by Oni this year.

 The plot is a solid set up for a cool action film, but at this point with very little known of the actual source material it is hard to judge if it will offer anything fresh to the hitman genre.

First Pictures From 'Dead of Night' Hit the Internet

The first images of Brandon Routh, Taye Diggs and Sam Huntington from the forthcoming movie "Dead of Night" have hit the Internet.

As a reminder, my exclusive interview with Dan Forcey, VP of Development at Platinum Studios, about "Dead of Night" is available here. 

 

Is Bradley Cooper Going To Wear Green Lantern's Ring?

Among up-and-coming actors, Bradley Cooper is certainly one with a bullet attached to his name.

His most high profile role as yet might be as Owen Wilson's rival in "Wedding Crashers," but he is building a nice resume and if Drew McWeeny at HitFix is to be believed, Cooper is the odds-on choice to play Hal Jordan in next winter's "Green Lantern."

Says McWeeny: "I've just spent the last hour or so on the phones, tracking down a rumor I heard, and HitFix can exclusively report that Bradley Cooper is now one of the guys most likely to don the suit and slip on the power ring as The Green Lantern for director Martin Campbell. Let's be clear: they have not hired him yet. But the process is far enough along that this is more than just a meeting or some spot on a wish list. Keep in mind that Campbell likes to see a lot of people when he's casting... and even when he's screen-testing, he seems willing to explore as many options as possible... but with the film set to shoot later this summer, they've got to start making their choices, and now's the time to put people in front of the camera and see who really works in the suit. I'm not a betting man, but if I were, I would bet that Cooper's going to be the guy."

Cooper, 34, has shown in his roles that he can play both cocky and charming, essential qualities for bringing Hal Jordan to life. It will be interesting to see if Cooper does indeed slip on Green Lantern's ring.

Update on Wed, May 6, 2009 by Sean Gerski

Entertainment Weekly has weighed in on the possibility of Cooper taking the role with the following:

Earlier today a report surfaced on Hitflix.com that Bradley Cooper may be suiting up for Warner Bros.' upcoming Green Lantern movie, causing an explosion of excitement in the film blogosphere. But according to a source involved with the production, it's no done deal. "He came in and met [director] Martin Campbell. He's definitely in contention, everyone's very interested in him, but it's far from being decided," the source says. "He's one of the people that's in serious consideration, but he's not in a negotiation."
Warner Bros. is certainly high on Cooper right now, having already greenlit a sequel to his upcoming bachelor-party comedy The Hangover, which is getting great pre-release buzz. And with Star Trek bound to also spawn sequels, rumored Green Lantern contender Chris Pine may now already have a franchise of his own.

Update on Thu, May 21, 2009 by Sean Gerski

From El Mayimbe (from Latino Review) posted the following on Twitter today:

According to Variety, Bradley Cooper dropped out of summer stock due to "personal reasons". BS! Personal reasons = Green Lantern or A-Team.

Movie Moan - Beware...Wolverine Discussion!

On this week's delayed edition, Phil and Jamie let out all of their bottled up frustration and angry towards X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Everything from its inevitable box-office plummet next weekend to the (many) inconsistencies (and Jamie hates on Halle Berry somewhere in between) are discussed.

And since they don't want to spend an entire hour bitching and moaning about the film (even though this podcast series is called Movie Moan), the trailers for G.I. Joe and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen are talked up and Phil gives his prediction of what will be the next 80s toyline turned into a $200+ million summer blockbuster franchise.

All that, and a deep philosophical chat about James Bond Junior and the (presumably many) bastard offspring of 007 and Captain Kirk on this week's Movie Moan!

Movie Moan: Beware...Wolverine Discussion!

Terminator Sequel to Involve Time-Travel?!? Kill Me.

As I said awhile back in my piece detailing the status of several "In Development" sequels to Summer 2009 tentpoles (along with the audio article I did with Peter), I can't see McG returning to direct Terminator 5 - especially considering the time-table with him directing Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo for Christmas 2010.

Nonetheless, McG maintains he will return to the director's chair and is already discussing what we might see in said Terminator follow-up. He revealed recently to Film Journal that time-travel will play a factor in the forthcoming fifth installment which will be conveniently set in a "pre-Judgment Day" 2011 - the year that Warner Brothers plans on releasing said film.

As the We Are Marshall director elaborates:

"John Connor is going to travel back in time and he's going to have to galvanize the militaries of the world for an impending Skynet invasion. They've figured out time travel to the degree where they can send more than one naked entity."

Eh, can't say I'm nuts about revisiting time-travel for the fourth time now (!?!) in this franchise. Not to mention, Warner Brothers has done a damn-fine job at selling Salvation as the "Terminator film we've all been waiting to see" - i.e. set entirely in a post-Judgement Day world. Don't know if it'd be the best idea to go "back to the tried and true formula" - especially if Salvation clicks with audiences the way many believe.

To be fair, I don't know what McG and Jonah Nolan have specifically cooked up and maybe it'll be something worthwhile. But just from the sounds of things, wouldn't surprise me if this was covering ground already treaded upon by J.J. Abrams' Star Trek - i.e. new continuity established because of time-travel tinkering. Meh.

And a special shout-out to TMT poster (and our pal) dark_b for doctoring up the quiet-awesome picture for this article.

Superman Limbo IV: We’re All Part Of The Same Team

Superman is an American icon but he is beloved all over the world. The \S/ on Superman’s chest is recognized as a symbol of truth and justice, and the truth is WB seems to be having a hard time finding the right team to do the character justice. As fans we are hoping that we get to see the cape fluttering in the breeze again sooner rather than later, but in the back of our minds we’re all fearing the worst. We will never forget giant spiders, suit-in-a-can, and Kryptonian Lex. Some of us are still cringing.

Some might say that it could be worse, at least we were witness to “Superman Returns” and not some of the absurd ideas bounding around while Superman was in years of “Development Hell”. That’s like eating leftover minute steak and somebody saying, “At least it isn’t rotten minute steak.” I don’t know about you, but I want a big thick piece of tender filet mignon or some well marbled Kobe beef.

Sure “Superman Returns” wasn’t a critical or financial flop, but whether or not Bryan Singer was coming back, there was always room for improvement going forward. Why does the “World’s Greatest Hero” have to settle while characters like Batman, Spider Man, and Iron Man enjoy all the limelight? Some believe there just isn’t room for the “Big Blue Boyscout” in such a jaded world, but Superman isn’t a relic, if anything he is an inspiration. Any director or writer(s) that are lucky enough to be given the chance to bring Superman back to the big screen has a rich history of Superman adventures to browse through and should have paper cuts scarred in their hands when it is all said and done.

Wanted:

A writer or writing team to bring the “Man of Steel” to the big screen. Writers must be willing to travel and remain in shooting location for the duration of filming. Experience writing Summer tentpoles in the action adventure genre is a must. You must be a name, unsolicited or unknown screenwriters need not apply. Please be prepared to write multiple drafts while working with DC Comics and Warner Bros Pictures executives.

Writers that fit this description include:

Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman

Jonah Nolan

Ehren Krueger

Justin Marks

Steve Kloves

Tom J. Astle & Matt Ember

Mark Protosevich

David Koepp

Paul Haggis

Who’s on your list?

Wanted:

A director to bring the “Man of Steel” to the big screen. Must not be afraid of flying or have any adoration for the “Donnerverse”. Said director will be the face and spokesperson for the franchise. You must be able to take constructive criticism and apply all notes given by DC Comics and Warner Bros. Pictures. We are looking for a “studio guy” that will be able to please the fans, please execs, and keep the budget at or below what is dictated.

Directors that fit this description include:

Francis Lawrence

Chris Columbus

Kevin Munroe

Peter Segal

David Dobkin

Brad Silberling

Recently Gore Verbinski’s schedule has become a little thin with the “delay” of “Bioshock”. Verbinski has met or spoken with WB in the past about helming a Superman film. Mike Dougherty’s name has also recently come bubbling to the surface, could the writer of “Superman Returns” be up for helming a future Superman film?

Who’s on your list?

Some "fanboys" are standing behind Brandon Routh to continue the role of Superman which he started with "Superman Returns". Others are hanging on to the hope that Tom Welling will make the leap from "Smallville" to strap on the red boots. There is also a growing number of fans who have latched on to Henry Cavill for Superman. Whomever you may want in the role; whichever director you want behind the lens, whether it be Gore Verbinksi or Francis Lawrence, there is one thing all Superman fans need to remember..."We're all part of the same team."

Superman Limbo: Where Has He Gone?

Superman Limbo II: Why The World Needs Superman

Superman Limbo III: I'm Still Superman