Film Junk » Rumours

Harrison Ford to Return for Blade Runner Sequel? (UPDATED)

Sean — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:46:38 +0000

Update: Alcon Entertainment has since denied the rumour: "The casting of the movie could not be further from our minds at this moment." When it was first announced last year that some sort of Blade Runner sequel or prequel was in development at Alcon Entertainment, it seemed like a pretty questionable idea. Without anyone from the original creative team involved, the project lacked legitimacy... that is, until Ridley Scott signed on to direct. Many of the naysayers started to change their tune once they heard that he would be involved, but it was still unclear what kind of story he wanted to tell. The only thing we knew was that Harrison Ford would not be involved, and that it would be a "total reinvention" of the original film. Well, actually you can scratch that, because we have recently received word that Harrison Ford may be involved in this new Blade Runner project after all. Of course, just how extensive that involvement will be remains to be seen. According to Twitch, Harrison Ford has "entered into early talks to join the new Blade Runner." They didn't have any other details to offer at this time, but they hinted that this would mean the film was a direct sequel to Blade Runner as opposed to a reboot or spin-off. If it is true, this is very intriguing news indeed. Assuming that the plan is to once again focus on Rick Deckard as the protagonist, this brings up a few questions. If Deckard is actually a replicant (which Scott has insinuated in the past), there would be a lot of make-up or CG required to make Ford look like he did in the original film. Also, at 69 years old, Harrison Ford is not really up for much in the way of action scenes anymore (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull might dispute that a little bit, I suppose). On the other hand, maybe they're planning a completely computer-generated Deckard like Arnold Schwarzenegger's appearance in Terminator: Salvation. What do you think? Could Harrison Ford's involvement be a good thing or is this a sign that we're about to get yet another regrettable sequel to an iconic film?

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Brad Bird to Go Swimming with Sea Monsters?

Sean — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:48:54 +0000

Now that Brad Bird has proven that he can handle a live action film just as well as an animated one, everyone is on the edge of their seat waiting to find out what he will choose for his next project. We've been hearing for years about 1906, a disaster movie he's been wanting to direct about the massive earthquake that hit the city of San Francisco, but as of last year he was still rewriting the script and trying to reduce the scope of the film. However, now this week we are hearing reports that he may be circling another project that was once supposed to be a Robert Zemeckis gig. The movie is called Here There Be Monsters, and it is a historic epic about John Paul Jones, a naval commander during the American Revolutionary War. There is a twist, however... the story also involves giant sea monsters! According to Vulture, Brad Bird has recently been holding meetings with Legendary Pictures, who are producing the film. They seem to have a thing for monster movies lately, what with Pacific Rim and the Godzilla reboot also in development. Brian Helgeland (Robin Hood, Mystic River) wrote the script for Here There Be Monsters based on an original idea by Legendary founder Thomas Tull, and it involves Jones being hired to investigate the disappearance of merchant ships in the North Atlantic, only to find that a giant sea monster is responsible. So... Master and Commander meets Clash of the Titans? I'm game. While this could be just another mash-up of historical fact and genre fiction, the thought of Bird bringing his action set pieces to a naval battle definitely has me intrigued. Still, I can't help but wonder what other tantalizing projects he might be getting offered right now. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is definitely opening even more doors for Brad Bird, I just hope he doesn't give up on writing his own material as well. What do you think of this premise? Would you like to see him direct more live action stuff or would you prefer to see him stick to animation?

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Star Wars Live Action TV Show to Introduce Time Travel?

Sean — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:16:03 +0000

I want to make it clear right up front that this next story is nothing more than a big fat rumour, but since Star Wars fans are willing to argue over just about anything, I figured it might be worth mentioning. We all know that George Lucas has been working on a live action Star Wars TV series for quite some time now, but back in 2010 he announced that the series was being put on hold for a few years because it was not yet economically feasible. With a proposed title of Star Wars: Underworld, the series is expected to fill in the gap between the prequels and original trilogy by focusing on the seedy underbelly of the Star Wars universe. Now this week there is a rumour floating around the web stating that the show might introduce a sci-fi element that has been completely absent from Star Wars up until now: time travel. Is George Lucas getting ready to go back to the future? The good folks over at Ain't It Cool News recently received information from an "untested source" about the plot of one of the first episodes of Star Wars: Underworld. The story in question revolves around "a group of bandits acquiring the capability of time travel, and using it to travel back in time to stop Darth Vader from ever existing." This would potentially involve revisiting the prequels and stopping Anakin before he turns to the dark side. If this is true, it could be a pretty dangerous idea to bring to the mix. It's very easy to get carried away with time travel and to start altering continuity (yet again) or to use it as a band-aid solution for every problem. On the other hand, I can't say that I'm not intrigued by the possibilities. Once again, we have no idea if this rumour is reliable in any way, but it doesn't seem all that far-fetched either. Would you like to see time travel introduced to the Star Wars universe? Do you have faith in Star Wars: Underworld or have you completely given up on George Lucas at this point?

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Ridley Scott Could Make Cormac McCarthy’s The Counselor His Next Film

Aaron — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:31:18 +0000

Whether you're a fan or not, you have to admit that Ridley Scott consistently stays busy, especially for a guy in his 70s. While he's wrapping up work on Prometheus, Scott has been sorting through options for his next film and he may have found what he wants with The Counselor, a script written by celebrated novelist Cormac McCarthy. The story follows a respected lawyer who dabbles in the drug business only to get sucked in and then struggles to find a way out. The Counselor represents McCarthy's first spec screenplay, which was quickly optioned by the producers of The Road, Nick Wechsler, Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz, back in December. If he does direct, Ridley's production banner, Scott Free Entertainment, would join the project as well. Though The Counselor is described as "reminiscent of the rough and tumble world depicted in No Country For Old Men," the story differs somewhat from McCarthy's typically masculine-oriented material by placing two female characters in leading roles. We also know that the script is contemporary and set in the Southwest, again recalling images of the Coen Brothers film. While there have been several film adaptations of McCarthy's work over the years, this will be the first time we will experience his prose directly, which sounds like a good deal to me. If Scott comes to this film with his creative juices still flowing from Prometheus, then I'm definitely in. What are your thoughts on Ridley Scott tackling a Cormac McCarthy script?

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Ferris Bueller 2 Trailer or Super Bowl Ad?

Josh — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:45:22 +0000

I can remember hearing rumors about a sequel to the classic John Hughes film Ferris Bueller's Day Off since the late '90s. Back in 2007, Sean reported that there was actually a script called Ferris Bueller 2: Another Day Off penned by Rick Rapier with the hope of Hughes to direct. Matthew Broderick denied a sequel in an interview with Variety back in '07. "Ferris Bueller is about the week before you leave school, it's about the end of school. It doesn't have a sequel," Broderick said. "It's a little moment and it's a lightning flash in your life." Now, five years later, with John Hughes gone and Broderick grey-haired and bloated (he turns 50 this year), we get the following teaser (mysteriously posted on YouTube this morning as "Coming Soon" with little description) that most are saying is an ad for... another ad. A Super Bowl ad. That would be a first, as far as I know, but it is almost more believable than a sequel at this point. There are no clues on the IMDb Pro pages for either Broderick or Rapier. Still, I have hope. Maybe Alan Ruck finally sat Broderick down for an intervention after Tower Heist because rumors about a film based on Rapier's script began circulating again last year. The teaser features Broderick recreating a piece of the opening scene from the esteemed original film, by pulling open his curtains and delivering into the camera, "How can I handle work on a day like today?" (a twist on the original line "How can I possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this?"). Check out the video after the jump. So, whether we have a teaser for an ad or a teaser for a movie, it seems we'll find out on Sunday, February 5th. Cruel to make us watch the Super Bowl to find out. But, I think it would be even more cruel if this were just a commercial for Expedia or Marriott Hotels as some have suggested. Am I alone in wanting to see this? Broderick hasn't given us much to be hopeful about lately, but Election was enough for me to think he could pull off this big a role as an adult. I will say that, if it is a movie, the photography looks a little more "Glamor Shots by Deb" than I'd hope. Maybe that is a point in favor of it being an ad. What do you think? Super Bowl ad or movie? And if it is a movie, is it a good idea?

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Spielberg Close to Signing on for Moses Movie

Sean — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:36:25 +0000

As Mel Gibson will tell you, moviegoers seem to love it when you mix the Bible with some good old fashioned violence, and if Warner Brothers has their way, Steven Spielberg could soon be directing a gritty biblical epic of his own. They've been trying to set up a movie with the working title of Gods And Kings that tells the story of Moses from a somewhat new perspective. Sure, we all know that he freed the Jews from slavery and received The Ten Commandments from God himself, but according to some interpretations he was also a fierce warrior and may have been a commander in the Egyptian army that once led them to victory against the Ethiopians. It's not entirely clear what version of events will be portrayed in the film, but this is intended to be a "Braveheart-ish version of the Moses story" and they are hoping that Spielberg can "direct it with the gritty reality of Saving Private Ryan." Sounds like a guaranteed blockbuster if you ask me. According to Deadline, Warner Brothers has been hounding Spielberg to direct this project since September, but for a while it was unclear if he would be available (he just finished Lincoln and is now currently working on Robopocalypse). Fortunately for them, he seems to be into the idea and has continued to negotiate with them. If all goes well, a deal is expected to be finalized by the end of the month. The script was written by Stuart Hazeldine (Paradise Lost) and Michael Green (Green Lantern), and the project is being produced by Dan Lin (Terminator Salvation) and Matti Lesham (Paula Abdul: Cardio Cheer). It's unclear if this is related to another Moses biopic that was being set up at Fox a couple of years ago. They are aiming to start production sometime in March or April of next year, so if Spielberg does sign on, it would definitely be his next project after Robopocalypse. What do you think, are you interested in seeing Steven Spielberg direct a bloodier and grittier version of The Ten Commandments? Could this be even bigger than The Passion of the Christ?

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NBC Planning an Office Spin-Off Starring Rainn Wilson

Sean — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:58:23 +0000

I have to admit, I haven't really been watching much of The Office this season; although there are still plenty of funny people working on the show, it just hasn't been the same without Michael Scott. I'm not sure what the ratings have been like, but if you ask me, this next bit of news seems like a surefire sign that it is the beginning of the end for the show. According to Deadline, NBC is officially developing a spin-off series from The Office that it is planning for 2013. The show would be headlined by Rainn Wilson and would focus on the Schrute Family beet farm and Bed & Breakfast. The plan would be for Wilson to do one more season of The Office before transitioning to the new series. Although NBC claims that they have no plans to end The Office, John Krasinksi is also talking about leaving to focus on movies, and I'm wondering how much longer it can continue with so many key players leaving. The Schrute farm has been featured on several episodes of The Office, and it is inhabited by Dwight's many bizarre relatives and neighbours. Apparently the idea of giving them their own show is one that Wilson and showrunner Paul Lieberstein (who also plays Toby Flenderson) had been kicking around for a while, but recently they started to think it could actually work and decided to pitch it to NBC. The network agreed. My first reaction is that it's a terrible idea. I think Dwight is better as a supporting player than a main character, but I do like Rainn Wilson. It's interesting to note, however, that Parks and Recreation also started life as a spin-off from The Office and has since proven itself to be a pretty solid show. What do you think, could this idea actually work? Do you want to see The Office continue indefinitely or should they end it sooner rather than later?

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Dexter Movie is a Distinct Possibility

Sean — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:36:08 +0000

I was originally expecting (and kind of hoping) that this season of Dexter would be the last one, but alas the show has since been renewed for (at least) two more seasons. I guess that's to be expected when the show is still setting new records for number of viewers (this season averaged 5.12 million per week), it's just too bad that they are running out of ideas. I watched a couple of episodes from season 6 and couldn't really get into the storyline, although I've heard a lot of people raving about this season's crazy twist ending. Either way, if the show's popularity continues to climb, it seems that Showtime might even take things to the next level, setting up an open-ended series finale that indulges the possibility of a feature film continuation. In a recent interview with TV Guide (warning: contains spoilers), Dexter executive producer Manny Coto (aka Greg's favourite director of all time) said that they still don't have an end game in sight and that they are kind of taking each season as it comes. However, he does mention the movie scenario, and it's clear that it has at least been discussed behind closed doors:

"We're not really looking at an end game right now. In a way, it's almost like every season is a form of an end game. This season could've been an end to Dexter, setting it up for the movies, for example. So every season kind of comes to it's own conclusion and can be a sort of end game... I'm actually just projecting from my own experience on 24, where at the end we weren't going to kill Jack Bauer. We were going to leave him open because down the road there might be a movie. And sure enough, there's a movie coming."

Obviously it's still just speculation at this point, but it seems to be something that every popular TV series eventually must consider nowadays. Personally I'm not convinced that it is always a good idea, but as more and more TV properties make the jump to the big screen we'll get a better idea of how people can make it work. Are you a fan of Dexter? Would you like to see it become a movie franchise or would you prefer to have a definitive series end in the near future?

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Is The Expendables 2 Aiming for a PG-13 Rating? (UPDATED)

Sean — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:11:58 +0000

Update: The rumour has been confirmed by Stallone himself over at Ain't It Cool News. The Expendables 2 will indeed be PG-13, but he says, "Fear not, this Barbeque of Grand scale Ass Bashing will not leave anyone hungry." Whatever that means. Here we go again. Months before one of the summer's big action movies is scheduled to hit theatres, the speculation about whether it will be rated R or PG-13 has already begun. Movies like Terminator: Salvation and Live Free or Die Hard caught plenty of flack from fans for toning down the violence and language from previous installments, but it's pretty clear that the PG-13 rating helped them deliver big box office numbers. On the other hand, Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables embraced a hard R rating because it was mainly a nostalgic throwback aimed at an older audience and it did much better than expected, taking in $274 million worldwide. Unfortunately, now the sequel has bigger expectations on it, and there are rumours that it might be skewing toward a PG-13 rating... thanks in large part to one of its new stars, Mr. Chuck Norris. In a recent interview with Chuck Norris on Polish news site Gazeta, the actor supposedly told them that he would only agree to do The Expendables 2 if they toned down the vulgar language found in the first film. Here is a rough transcription of what he said:

"With The Expendables 2, you have a lot of hard language in there that means that means that young people won’t be able to see it. I said, I don’t do movies like that. I didn’t do them in the past, I didn’t do them on my TV series. I said, you have to cut out all the language, hardcore language or I can’t do it. So they did, and Expendables is now a PG-13 film so kids can see it."

Cutting out F-bombs is one thing, but The Expendables also received its R rating for "strong action and bloody violence throughout." Does this mean that the sequel is going to be neutered solely to accommodate Chuck Norris? I find it hard to believe that Stallone would stand for that, although on the other hand, he isn't directing this one himself so it's possible that he has given up a lot of creative control. I've argued in the past that you can still make a solid action movie with a PG-13 rating, but this is one case where I definitely would not accept a softball substitute. Do you think there is any truth to this rumour? Would you still watch a PG-13 cut of The Expendables 2?

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Schwarzenegger and Stallone Now Looking to Join Forces on The Tomb?

Sean — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:07:10 +0000

Whether or not you dug his work as a director on Rambo or The Expendables, you have to admit that it has been great to see Sylvester Stallone restore a little bit of '80s machismo to the big screen over the past few years. Now that Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in the game as well, they both seem intent on reliving their glory days for as long as they are physically capable. They will be appearing in The Expendables 2 together later this year, obviously, and individually Schwarzenegger is also starring in Kim Ji-Woon's The Last Stand while Stallone is starring in Walter Hill's Bullet to the Head (formerly known as Headshot). That's not all, however. If this next rumour is to be believed, it looks like the two action movie icons could be teaming up for another project together: a prison break thriller called The Tomb. We first started hearing about The Tomb a couple of years ago when it was announced that Antoine Fuqua would direct and Bruce Willis would star. Both eventually dropped out, but then the project started to pick up steam again this past October when Sylvester Stallone signed on instead. Now Deadline is reporting that Mikael Hafstrom (1408, The Rite) is in talks to direct, and Ain't It Cool News is claiming that Arnold is looking to co-star. The script was written by Miles Chapman (Road House 2: Last Call) and centers on "an expert prison designer who has to escape from the very structure that he helped create." With Stallone set to play that expert prison designer, it's unclear what Schwarzenegger's role might be. Some have hinted that he could actually be the villain of the piece, which would be pretty awesome. Either way, it sounds like this will be more than just a cameo for Schwarzenegger, potentially making it the first true team-up between the two on the big screen. Are you excited to see Sly and Arnold go head-to-head in The Tomb?

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Party Down Movie Confirmed

Sean — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:05:21 +0000

Lately it seems that whenever a TV show with a cult following gets cancelled, that cult following tries to rally fan support in order to get it revived as a feature film. What the hardcore fans fail to realize, however, is that most TV shows only end up becoming movie franchises because they have grown too popular for TV and the actors want to move on to bigger things. Cancellation indicates that there are not enough people watching it on the small screen... so why would they pay to see it on the big screen? Still, there have been a few exceptions to this rule (Star Trek is probably the biggest), and lately we've seen both Arrested Development and 24 start down the path to getting their own movies. Now it's looking like there is a very good chance that Rob Thomas' criminally underappreciated comedy series Party Down will be getting a feature film as well. I don't think anyone was all that surprised when Starz decided to cancel Party Down at the end of its second season back in 2010, but almost immediately afterward the former cast members were actively dropping hints about a possible Party Down movie in interviews. The idea picked up steam and then was partially confirmed by Rob Thomas at a Party Down marathon that happened at the Alamo Drafthouse last year. Now this week we've got confirmation that Megan Mullally is officially on board, that investors have approved it and that the project is moving forward. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mullally told reporters at the Television Critics Association winter press tour that the entire cast will return (with the possible exception of Jane Lynch) and that the script is currently being written by John Enbom. They are aiming to shoot it in late spring or early summer. It may seem a bit hard to believe, but at this point I think we can finally say it's no longer just a silly rumour. What do you think? Are you a fan of Party Down and do you think the show can work as a feature film?

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Mark Wahlberg Planning The Fighter Sequel Without David O. Russell?

Sean — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:02:00 +0000

David O. Russell's The Fighter came up in discussion on the last few episodes of the Film Junk Podcast, specifically in comparison to Warrior. The movie netted Oscars for both Christian Bale and Melissa Leo and also earned Mark Wahlberg a nomination as a producer (although not as an actor). This seems to be one of the main reasons why Wahlberg is continuing to push the idea of sequel to The Fighter -- well, that and the fact that there is still a decent story left to tell with Micky Ward's three epic fights against Arturo Gatti. Recently while doing press for Contraband, Wahlberg revealed that he wants to do the proposed sequel sometime in the next year to year and a half and that they'll be seeking out a new director in place of Russell. Apparently the two had a falling out last year and they don't plan on mending that relationship anytime soon. Word on the street is that Mark Wahlberg felt betrayed when David O. Russell decided to cast Bradley Cooper in his upcoming film The Silver Linings Playbook. Wahlberg had previously been attached to star, but Cooper ended up being the cheaper option so Russell went with him instead. It's worth noting that Wahlberg has been a big supporter of David O. Russell over the years and was one of the main reasons he got The Fighter gig in the first place. The Fighter 2 is currently still at the script stage, with Scott Silver (8 Mile) returning to pen the follow-up. It sounds like it's definitely happening one way or another, but it will be interesting to see if it will receive as much critical acclaim without Russell at the helm. It's also unclear if Christian Bale would reprise his role as Micky's brother Dicky. Are you interested in The Fighter 2 and can it still succeed without David O. Russell on board as director?

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