Category Archives: Movie Adaptations

“Divergent” Director Neil Burger Drops Out of Sequel

Leave a reply

divergent

Neil Burger has announced that he will not be directing the second film in Lionsgate’s “Divergent” film franchise. The sequel is scheduled for release on March 20th, 2015. Burger is currently in post-production for “Divergent,” starring Shailene Woodley, for a March 21, 2014, release and Lionsgate has revealed they are currently seeking another director for “Insurgent.” The films are based on the novels of the same name written by Veronica Roth.

The “Divergent” franchise — released via its Summit brand — is viewed as a key to Lionsgate’s strategy to lead in the young-adult genre. Summit’s five “Twilight” films have topped $3.3 billion in worldwide grosses and Lionsgate’s  first two “Hunger Games” have pulled in over $1.4 billion.

The March, 2015, release date of “Insurgent” requires that production start this spring. Lionsgate also announced Monday that the third film, “Allegiant,” will be released a year later on March 18, 2016.

“Divergent” also stars Theo James, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller and Kate Winslet. Set in a dystopian Chicago, the  story centers on a society divided into five factions, each dedicated to a particular virtue — Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity and Erudite — with all 16-year-olds required on a particular day to select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives.

Summit has issued a statement in response to Burger leaving the project, saying that scheduling issues have precluded him from directing “Insurgent”:

“Neil Burger is a rock star and he is doing a fantastic job on Divergent.  We can’t wait for you to see the film.  But as amazing as Neil is he still cannot be in two places at once and thus needs to finish post production on Divergent while we gear up to start production on Insurgent.  So, although Neil will continue on as part of our Divergent family as an executive producer, we sadly have to find another director for the next chapter in Veronica Roth’s fantastic series.”

Christian Ditter in Talks to Direct Drew Barrymore’s How To Be Single

Leave a reply

 

art3507widea

Drew Barrymore, who I heard has never been kissed, is set to co-produce the film adaptation of “How To Be Single.” The novel was written by Liz Tuccillo and was set up at New Line back in 2008. However, according to Variety, the project is finally moving forward as the studio is in talks with director Christian Ditter to helm the movie.

Ditter is no stranger to romantic comedies. He recently directed the unreleased romantic comedy Love, Rosie, starring Sam Claflin and Lily Collins, which will be distributed by Lionsgate in the UK sometime next year. It was this work that attracted New Line to Ditter.

The adaptation of Tuccillo’s novel about a 38-year-old woman searching for love in New York City. The screenplay was written by Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn with Dana Fox doing the most recent rewrites.

There is no word on whether Barrymore will act in the project or just remain on as a producer. Barrymore previously worked with Tuccillo in the film adaptation of He’s Just Not That Into You, again at New Line. Barrymore starred in the project which was a commercial success in the box office.

Plans are to start casting the film and shoot it next year for a 2015 release.

Sofia Coppola and Andrew Durham to Co-Write Fairyland

Leave a reply

 

16241141

Alysia Abbott’s critically acclaimed memoir, “Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father” has been officially optioned for film by American Zoetrope. The company has added Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, The Bling Ring) and Roman Coppola (The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom) as producers of the film.

“Fairyland” is described as coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s vibrant cultural scene in the 1970s and ’80s, both before and after the AIDS epidemic, a crisis that would later claim the life of Abbott’s father, Steve Abbott, a widowed poet and gay activist.

Sofia Coppola said,

“I love the book Fairyland; it’s a sweet and unique love story of a girl and her dad, both growing up together in 1970’s San Francisco. I think it will make an engaging and touching movie on a subject I’ve never seen before.”

The book’s author, Abbott, said,

“I’m delighted that Sofia Coppola and Zoetrope are going to create the film version of Fairyland. Sofia’s understanding of the feminine perspective and the artistic vision that she shares with Andrew Durham make them ideal partners to make this movie. I could not be happier.”

Paul Rudd Cast In Lead Role In Ant-Man

Leave a reply

Paul Rudd-Photos

Paul Rudd, my secret BFF, has officially been cast in the leading role for the upcoming Marvel Studios project, Ant-Man. Rudd has been rumored to be the top choice for the titular role since earlier this year but last night, The Wrap reported that Rudd will be playing Hank Pym in the July 31, 2015 release.

Ant-Man will be begin production early next year and is set to be directed by Edgar Wright, who co-wrote the script with Joe Cornish.

It is also rumored that Wright’s original plans for the film called for both Pym and the later Ant-Man of the comics, Scott Lang, to appear in the feature.

“The idea that we have for the adaptation is to actually involve both… Henry Pym and Scott Lang,” Wright told SuperHeroHype some years ago. “So you actually do a prologue where you see Pym as Ant-Man in action in the 60’s, in sort of ‘Tales to Astonish’ mode basically, and then the contemporary, sort of flash-forward, is Scott Lang’s story, and how he comes to acquire the suit, how he crosses paths with Henry Pym, and then, in an interesting sort of Machiavellian way, teams up with him.”

Ant-Man will be the first film in the “Phase Three” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will follow Avengers: Age of Ultron‘s May 1, 2015 release.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt to Direct and Star in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman

Leave a reply

jgl-sandman

Um, YES.

The overwhelmingly dapper man, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has reportedly signed on with Warner Bros. to not only to star in a big screen adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, but direct as well. Levitt’s involvement in the project was rumored last month but yesterday he confirmed the news via his Twitter account.

He posted,

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m incredibly honored to be working with David Goyer, Warner Bros, and @neilhimself on SANDMAN. #Prelude”

Sandman, which launched DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint, ran for 75 issues beginning in 1989. Gaiman’s worlds-within-worlds weaved an episodic anthology, focusing on the allegorical character of Dream and his brothers and sisters, known as the Endless (Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, Destruction and Destiny).

The use of the “Prelude” hashtag is of some interest as it suggests that Goyer’s script might focus on the series’ first collection, “Preludes and Nocturnes,” which detail the earthly imprisonment of Dream, his escape and his reclamation of various objects of power.

David Goyer will provide the screenplay.

 

Diary of Anne Frank To Become Animated Film (for some reason?)

Leave a reply

 

519HKX9M69L

Nothing conveys the immense tragedy of the Holocaust like an animated version of characters. Right? According to the Hollywood Reporter, the famous memoir, “The Diary of Anne Frank,” is about to become an animated film by writer/director Ari Folman, the man behind 2008’s Oscar-nominated animated documentary Waltz With Bashir and this year’s live-action/animation hybrid The Congress.

In order to make the film, Folman and his co-producer, Diane Elbaum, have been granted unlimited access to all the archives of the Anne Frank Foundation in Basel, Switzerland, and its branches around the world.

Folman defends the project saying,

“Bringing the Anne Frank Diary to all screens is a fantastic opportunity and challenge. There is a real need for new artistic material to keep the memory alive for younger generations.”

We can at least count on one thing. The animated feature will look gorgeous. Based on his previous works such as “The Book Thief” and “Grave of the Fireflies” we know that his work has always been stunning and resonating with emotional responses.

“The Diary of a Young Girl” (also known as “The Diary of Anne Frank”) is a book of the writings from the Dutch language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The family was apprehended in 1944 and Anne Frank ultimately died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. The diary was retrieved by Miep Gies, who gave it to Anne’s father, Otto Frank, the only known survivor of the family. The diary has now been published in more than 60 different languages.

20th Century Fox Eyes Mark Millar’s Starlight

Leave a reply

1135549_orig

“Starlight” the newest title announced by Image Comics is heading to the big screen. The comic was created by Mark Millar and Goran Parlov. Currently, it is rumored that Simon Kinberg is attached to write the screenplay. There is  no other talented attached to the project at the moment.

The first issue of “Starlight” will hit stands in March with the following official description:

So much for retirement! Meet Duke McQueen, a man who has long since settled down and left his days of saving the Universe and operating as the space hero everyone depended on—at least that’s what he thought. His wife long passed and his kids off embarking on their own adventures, Duke lives a quiet, solitary life until he receives an unexpected call from a distant world, calling him to action one last time.

Kinberg previously worked on scripts for other popular comic adaptations such as X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: First Class and his upcoming credits include X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Fantastic Four.

Millar is also familiar with the world of comic book adaptations. Several of his original comic book properties are in various stages of stop-and-start development as well, including The Secret Service, Nemesis, and Superior.

Luke Evans Talks About The Crow Remake

Leave a reply

 

TheCrowCover

While fans of the original series await news, Luke Evans recently spoke about the upcoming reboot of The Crow from Relativity Media and Dimension Films. So far the little that we know is that the film is supposedly a “re-imagining” and that it is “gritty.”

Evans, who joined the film in the lead role, spoke about the tragedy around the original film (lead actor Brandon Lee was killed accidentally on set) as well the reboot being very close to the source material. Evans will star in the lead role of Eric, who will become The Crow after meeting an untimely demise.

“It is incredibly sad that Brandon died making the movie. He was a very talented actor. It is a very beautiful story, The Crow. It is a very tragic story with huge emotional themes. We plan to tell the story differently and with a lot of integrity to the original comic book.”

Bradley Cooper was originally eyed for the lead role but then backed out due to conflicting schedules.

Set to be directed by F. Javier Gutierrez, the film features a script by Cliff Dorfman. The comic series creator James O’Barr will also work as a creative consultant on the film, which is said to begin production in 2014.

No release date is currently set.

The Children of Disney’s Animated Characters Assemble for Descendants

Leave a reply

descendants-bar

The Disney Channel is always looking for news ways to monetize their brand with as little effort as possible as evident by their upcoming new live-action telefilm, The Descendants. The project takes the descendants of popular animated and storybook characters for a look at the “next generation.”

The official description of the project is as follows:

In a present day idyllic kingdom, the benevolent teenaged son of the King and Queen (Beast and Belle from Disney’s iconic Beauty and the Beast) is poised to take the throne. His first proclamation: offer a chance at redemption to the trouble-making offspring of Cruella De Vil, Maleficent, the Evil Queen and Jafar who have been imprisoned on a forbidden island with all the other villains, sidekicks, evil step-mothers and step-sisters. These villainous descendants (Carlos, Mal, Evvie and Jay, respectively) are allowed into the kingdom to attend prep school alongside the offspring of iconic Disney heroes including Fairy Godmother, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and Mulan. However, the evil teens face a dilemma. Should they follow in their nefarious parents’ footsteps and help all the villains regain power or embrace their innate goodness and save the kingdom?

Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Channels Worldwide, admits the easy project saying,

“We mined Disney’s treasure trove of stories and developed a new, comedic approach to the fabled characters everyone knows and loves. The result is a modern and unexpected re-interpretation of classic heritage characters utilizing contemporary, relatable settings and themes.”

The Descendants is written by “The Starter Wife” creators Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott with High School Musical’s Mark Hofeling tackling the production design and Karen Saun (“Project Runway”) providing the wardrobe design. Casting is now underway for  the project with production slated to begin next spring for a 2015 premiere on Disney Channel.

20th Century Fox Plans Murder on the Orient Express Adaptation

Leave a reply

Murder_on_the_Orient_Express_First_Edition_Cover_1934

Agatha Christie’s iconic mystery novel, “Murder on the Orient Express” has been picked up by 20th Century Fox for a new big screen adaptation. The novel was previously famously adapted for film by Sidney Lumet in 1974 with Albert Finney in the Poirot role.

“Murder on the Orient Express” was originally published in 1934 and is the tenth Christie story to follow her iconic French detective Hercule Poirot. On her official site, the book is described as follows:

A group of passengers trapped on the Orient Express in a snow storm with a murdered body and a Belgian detective to keep them company: Murder on the Orient Express is one of Agatha Christie’s most famous stories. It’s an intricate mystery revolving around a group of characters cut off from the world and Poirot exhibits not only the power of his little grey cells but his concern and compassion for humanity.

A modernized take on the story was developed for television in 2001 with Alfred Molina playing the part. Most recently (in 2010), a second small screen version saw David Suchet reprising his ongoing performance as Poirot.

The project is moving forward with Simon Kinberg, Mark Gordon and Ridley Scott producing. No writer or director is currently attached and it is noted by the trade that Scott is looking to serve only as producer.