Mel Gibson Plans Acting Return
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Adaptation, Drama, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Upcoming Releases,
After spending some time under the radar, Mel Gibson is apparently ready to make a return to acting.
Although Gibson has definitely been busy over the last several years, his primary focus has been on directorial work (Apocalypto, The Passion of the Christ). It’s actually been some time since Mel has placed himself in front of the camera. His last major motion pictures hit theaters back in 2002 (Signs, We Were Soldiers).
I’m sure the calculated time off also had something to do with the actor’s brush with the law. If he could manage to keep out of the limelight, people would eventually forget those anti-Semitic remarks. Right?
Click to continue reading Mel Gibson Plans Acting Return
Variety
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Is Where the Wild Things Are Scaring Children?
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Warner Bros, Adaptation, Adventure, Family, Rumors, Upcoming Releases,
Scores of parents have used Where the Wild Things Are to help put their children to sleep. Unfortunately, a viewing of Spike Jonze‘s film adaptation could reportedly leave those same children with a few nightmares.
Jonze, the Oscar-nominated director behind Being John Malkovich, has been in the process of bringing Maurice Sendak’s children’s book to the big screen. Unfortunately, poor test screenings may have forced Warner Bros. to push the film’s release date to 2009.
According to internet reports, children were so frightened by the scary images, they left the theater crying. (Well that’s no good.) One tester supposedly said, “The things are not cute. Max comes off a bit weird and off-putting. He slaps his mom! And he seems confused and not charming at all.”
Well, if it makes Spike feel any better, I thought Tim Burton would do great things with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - and that movie creeped me out as well. So if nothing else, at least he’ll be keeping good company.
(To see a clip of some leaked screen test footage, click here.)
Defamer
Akira to Get Live-Action Spin
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Period, Upcoming Releases,
Anime fans are in luck. Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, will be the next graphic novel to get a live-action treatment.
Warner Bros. has plans to turn the classic manga - which had been released in six volumes - into two films. The first of which is scheduled to be released in 2009. Leonardo DiCaprio will serve as one of the series’ producers.
Although the original storyline was based in a post-nuclear “New Tokyo”, this updated version will be set in “New Manhattan”. The city was rebuilt with Japanese money after being destroyed decades earlier.
Otomo, the man who also directed the 1988 animated adaptation, will be on board as executive producer for the two installments.
Casting has not been announced for the projects.
Variety
Palahniuk’s Film Choke Finally Set to Release in August
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Classics, Independent, Political, Romance, Comedy, Awards, Celeb News, Distribution, Filmmaking, Scripts, Upcoming Releases,
Both film and book nerds alike have been watching cult author Chuck Palahniuk‘s every move since Fight Club was released in theaters. While all of his novels are fully capable of becoming both marketable and move theater-friendly, his fourth novel, Choke, has finally seen the light of day past the production floor. With Fox Searchlight having bought the film for $5 million and it winning a Best Ensemble Cast jury award at Sundance, the Choke crew and Palahniuk fans everywhere cannot be more ecstatic about the film’s release date of August 1, 2008.
Although the film is Clark Gregg’s directorial debut, he has certainly been no stranger to the industry nor the project, having gone through numerous obstacles to get his adaptation onto the big screen. His script is so good that even Palahniuk himself has done nothing but award it praise. With Palahniuk’s seal of approval and a lead cast including Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, and Kelly Macdonald, nothing can go wrong, right?
Click to continue reading Palahniuk’s Film Choke Finally Set to Release in August
Chuck Palahniuk’s Official Site
Los Angeles Film Critics Favor ‘There Will Be Blood’
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories:
An adaptation of the Upton Sinclair novel, Oil!, was just selected Best Picture of the Year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. There Will Be Blood, which opens in theaters December 26, stars Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York) as an oil tycoon in the early 1900’s. Blood won four honors overall including Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Actor (Lewis) and Best Production Design. Just earlier this week, the National Board of Review gave its top prize to No Country for Old Men.
The New York Film Critics Circle is expected to announce its picks later today while the Golden Globe nominations come out this Thursday.
Click to continue reading Los Angeles Film Critics Favor ‘There Will Be Blood’
Los Angeles Film Critics Assocation
R-Rated ‘Hitman’ to be Sanitized
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Action, Adaptation, Religious, Thrillers, New Releases, Rumors, Upcoming Releases,
CHUD is reporting that the Hitman movie, based on the popular videogame series and starring Timothy Olyphant as divinely inspired assassin Agent 47, will be recut to achieve a PG-13 rating. Allegedly, Twentieth Century-Fox believe the film to be too violent and have removed director Xavier Gens and brought in Nicholas De Toth to oversee the new cut.
In an emerging pattern, De Toth also stepped in to censor the recent Live Free or Die Hard, which, as you may know, was the first of the franchise to obtain the lower rating (note to self: go back and watch anything edited by Nicholas De Toth and consider what it could have been).
With little over a month before its release, a rushed Hitman could—if in fact it was kick-ass—become another videogame adaptation that just isn’t as kick-ass as its source material (see Mortal Combat and Street Fighter).
UPDATE: New information has surfaced regarding this issue.
Read More 
| CHUD
‘Thank You for Smoking’ Now A TV Series
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Adaptation, Drama, Books,
The 2006 film, Thank You For Smoking, will now see itself repackaged as a USA Network series. A television version of the Christopher Buckley novel version had been swirling around for some time (it was once considered by NBC) and has now found a home on cable.
The film adaptation starred Aaron Eckhart as Nick Naylor, a spokesperson for tobacco industry. His M.O.D. squad (‘Merchants of Death’) friends included Maria Bello and David Koechner (lobbyists for the alcohol and gun industries, respectively). Naylor did a great job doing what he was paid for, yet had a slight change of attitude by the movie’s end. The Eckhart-free series would see Naylor supporting those ‘more deserving’ while continuing to ride the moral fine line.
My love for anything Aaron Eckhart has biased me against any remakes—though Dirty Sexy Money’s Peter Krause might have been a good option here. What do you think? Do you think this could be pulled off?
Read More | Variety
UPDATE: ‘The Kite Runner’ Delayed Due to Controversial Scene
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Paramount, Adaptation, Drama, Upcoming Releases,
As reported earlier, controversy surrounding a violent scene threatened the big-screen premiere of The Kite Runner. The adaptation of the popular Khaled Hosseini novel will now be delayed six weeks.
The family of the young Afghan actor raped in the film wanted the segment removed because it would be considered culturally offensive. They feared they would become victims of retaliation in their own country once the movie premiered. The family claims 12-year-old Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada would never have participated in the production had they been given a script and/or advance warning of the scene.
Although director Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland) and the producers all insist Ahmad’s father was briefed on the situation, they have expressed concern for those involved. In hopes of retaining the crucial scene—and because of increased violence in Kabul—Paramount Vantage is finalizing plans to temporarily move Ahmad and two other actors out of the country. The movie, originally slated for a Nov. 2nd release, will now be released on Dec. 14th…. several days after the boys finish school. It’s believed they may return sometime in March—after their summer vacation ends and the movie dust clears. This decision appears to be something Ahmad’s father is comfortable with.
The movie’s new premiere date will now pit it against another highly-anticipated film, Will Smith’s I Am Legend.
Read More | USA Today
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