Category Archives: Movie Adaptations

Fox Searchlight Plans J.R.R. Tolkien Biopic

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The film adaptations of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is immensely popular and with that Fox Searchlight is tentatively planning a new biopic about the novels author, J.R.R. Tolkien, According to a report from The LA Times, David Gleeson will be providing the screenplay. Peter Chernin will produce Tolkien through his Chernin Entertainment.

The biopic is very originally titled, “Tolkien,” and is said to focus largely on the author’s young life, including his time at Pembroke College and his military service during the first World War. The film will tie his experiences as a young man to those depicted in his iconic fantasy novels. In 2008, The Times ranked him sixth on a list of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945.” Forbes ranked him the 5th top-earning “dead celebrity” in 2009.

Currently, there is word on whether Tolkien’s estate will be involved in the biopic’s production in any capacity. Christopher Tolkien, J.R.R.’s son, is infamously not a fan of Peter Jackson’s big screen adaptations. The latest adaptation hits theaters on December 13 entitled The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. It is the second film of a trilogy based on the novel of the same name. 

There is no confirmed anticipated release date for the biopic.

 

Gavin O’Connor to Helm Tell No One Adaptation

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“Tell No One,” the 2006 novel written by Harlan Coben, has found its director. Gavin O’Connor has signed on to helm the project from Universal and Warner Bros. The film is a remake of both the recent French thriller and the original novel. The new film version, which features a script by Chris Terrio.

“Tell No One” is a story of loss and redemption. It begins innocently enough. Dr. David Beck and his beloved wife, Elizabeth, are celebrating the anniversary of their first kiss in the quiet of Lake Charmaine. They grew up together, first kissed at age twelve, and now, twenty-five years old and married less than a year, they return for an idyllic weekend away.

Tragedy shatters their solitude. Elizabeth is abducted and murdered, her body found in a ditch. Her killer is caught and brought to justice. But for David Beck, there can be no closure. Eight years pass. He never gets over Elizabeth’s murder. He loses himself in his work as an inner city pediatrician.

But everything changes on the eighth anniversary of Elizabeth’s death. Two unidentified bodies are found at Lake Charmaine, unearthed years after their deaths. But even more disturbing, Beck gets a bizarre email that mentions a specific phrase – a phrase known only to him and Elizabeth. The email also tells him to click a hyperlink the next day at a specific hour – “kiss time” – 6:15PM.

There is no word yet on any actors being eyed for the lead roles or an anticipated production or release date.

John Krokidas Signs Up for Standard Happiness Package

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krok__131125224922According to Deadline, John Krokidas, the writer and director behind the critically praised film, Kill Your Darlings, has taken on a new project at Fox Searchlight entitled, Standard Happiness Package. The film is based on the short story from Charles Yu called “Standard Loneliness Package.” The story was the opening short story to his 2012 anthology “Sorry Please Thank You.”

The tale is set in the near future, where a recent college graduate gets an entry-level job at a tech company where he’s paid to experience painful events in other people’s lives. He falls desperately in love with his boss, and tries to build a genuine relationship in a society that’s becoming entirely virtual and where he essentially serves as a human pain cushion.You can read “Standard Loneliness Package” in its entirety at Lightspeed Magazine.

Standard Happiness Package was scripted by Keith Bunin. Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey will produce the film through Temple Hill Entertainment. The outlet also reports that Krokidas is set to rewrite Fox 2000’s modern thriller Highrise with his writing partner Austin Bunn. The original screenplay hails from Flightplan scribe Peter Dowling.

There is no word yet on an anticipated release date for the feature film. The studio has also not announced who they are eyeing for the cast.

Terry Gilliam Is Attempting The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (Again)

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It feels like Terry Gilliam has been attempting to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote for years now. Is now finally the time? During a recent interview following the festival-opening screening of the director’s latest release, The Zero Theorem, Gilliam spoke about his plans to begin work on his long-awaited Miguel de Cervantes adaptation.

Gilliam first began the project in 2000 with Jean Rochefort as Quixote and Johnny Depp in the role of Sancho Panza. Unfortunately, the shoot met with dilemma after dilemma and was never finished, although the behind-the-scenes of the troubled production did end up becoming a feature-length documentary, Lost in La Mancha, in 2002. Other attempts at bringing the project to the big screen have involved Robert Duvall as Quixote and Ewan McGregor as the Sancho Panza.

Now, nearly 14 years later, he is trying it again.

“I’m going to try to do ‘Don Quixote’ again. I think this is the seventh time. Lucky seven, maybe. We’ll see if it happens. This is kind of my default position, going back to that. I actually just want to make it and get rid of it. Get it out of my life,” said Gilliam.

There is currently no word as to which cast members might be involved this time around, but Gilliam seems cautiously optimistic that he might finally bring his impossible dream to life.

Cary Elwes to Write a “Princess Bride” Memoir

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The Dread Pirate Roberts (my first bad boy crush), also known as Cary Elwes, is writing a new memoir about his time filming one of the greatest movies ever, The Princess Bride. The memoir will be entitled, “As You Wish: Tales From the Princess Bride,” named for his character’s memorable line to Princess Buttercup, and will be published by Simon & Schuster imprint Touchstone in fall 2014.

Elwes explained that he was inspired to write about that time in his life during a cast reunion at the 2012 New York Film Festival, when the film was recognized on its 25th anniversary.

“It was a joy to work on such a magical film with an amazing cast of talented actors and friends,” Elwes said in a statement. “It will be great fun to revisit The Princess Bride and to share my fond memories of the unforgettable experience we all had.”

The memoir will include behind-the-scenes memories of the making of the hit through interviews with cast members, including Billy Crystal, Robin Wright, Carol Kane, Christopher Guest, Chris Sarandon and writer William Goldman. Director Rob Reiner is contributing the book’s foreword.

The Princess Bride was based on the 1973 fantasy/romance novel written by William Goldman. It is presented as an abridgment of The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern (though no such book exists), and Goldman’s “commentary” asides are constant throughout. The film adaptation sits on the American Film Institute’s “100 Greatest Love Stories” and the Writers Guild of America’s “101 Greatest Screenplays.”

Christopher McQuarrie Plans Three to Kill with Colin Firth

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According to a report from Deadline, Christopher McQuarrie is planning to adapt the novel, “Three to Kill” written by Jean-Patrick Machette. It also appeared the Colin Firth is attached to headline the project. Andrew Lauren Productions is financing the adaptation of Three to Kill with Lauren himself producing alongside Laura Bickford. Howard Rodman will provide the screenplay.

“Three to Kill” is a french novel that was published in the United States by City Lights Noir with a translation by Donald Nicholson Smith. It is officially described as follows:

Businessman Georges Gerfaut witnesses a murder-and is pursued by the killers. His conventional life knocked off the rails, Gerfaut turns the tables and sets out to track down his pursuers. Along the way, he learns a thing or two about himself…. Manchette-masterful stylist, ironist, and social critic-limns the cramped lives of professionals in a neo-conservative world.

McQuarrie is most known as  the screenwriter-turned-director behind The Way of the Gun, Jack Reacher and the upcoming Mission: Impossible 5. 

This is not the first novel from Machette that is getting a film adaptation. His novel, “The Prone Gunman” was adapted by Pierre Morel and stars Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, Idris Elba and Ray Winstone.

There is no word yet on an anticipated release date.

Director Scott Cooper Drops Out of The Stand

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The ongoing saga of the film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand continues as director Scott Cooper has officially departed from the project. The Wrap has reported that the break up occurred (as most do) over creative differences between the studio and Cooper regarding how to properly adapt the source material.

“The Stand” is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author King. It tells the story of a full-scale apocalypse, driven by the accidental release of a biological weapon and the ensuing struggle of good versus evil carried out by the world’s final survivors.

The novel expands upon the scenario of his earlier short story, “Night Surf”. The novel was originally published in 1978 and was later re-released in 1990 as The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition; King restored some text originally cut for brevity, added and revised sections, changed the setting of the story from 1980 (which in turn was changed to 1985 for the original paperback release in 1980) to 1990, and updated a few pop culture references accordingly. The Stand was nominated for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1979. “The Stand” was previously adapted into a television miniseries in 1994 as well as a graphic novel.

A replacement for Cooper has not yet been announced.

Warner Bros. Registers Possible Titles for Batman vs. Superman Movie

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Warner Bros. is finally looking to title the upcoming “Batman vs. Superman” film from Zach Snyder. For the last few months the collective internet has stuck with calling the feature merely “Batman vs. Superman” since no official title had been confirmed. Now, according to Fusible, an official title is on the way.

Fusible told ComingSoon.net,

There’s been a lot of debate over the official title of the upcoming Batman vs. Superman film scheduled to be released in 2015. This week, Warner Bros. secretly registered a host of possible titles through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor. Now, it’s likely the debate is going to get more opinions. According to the latest domain registrations, possible titles include “Man of Steel Battle the Knight”, “Man of Steel Beyond Darkness”, “Man of Steel Black of Knight”, “Man of Steel Darkness Falls”, “Man of Steel Knight Falls”, “Man of Steel Shadow of the Night”, “Man of Steel The Blackest Hour”, and “Man of Steel The Darkness Within”.

The Man of Steel sequel is scheduled to hit theaters on July 17, 2015. It stars Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Diane Lane and Laurence Fishburne.

Maybe Warner Bros. will take the easy way out and just keep the name we have been using for months.

CheapOair Offering Travel Deals For “The Hunger Games” Hotspots

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If you are a fan of The Hunger Games then you may dream of visiting all the different locations from the films. Walking in the shoes of Katniss and Peeta and even President Snow. Now, you are in luck. Atlanta, Georgia is now offering Capitol Tours  and Hunger Games tours. And in light of the movie hitting theaters this week, leading online travel agency, CheapOair, is offering travel deals to Atlanta where travelers can gain the full experience of the movie by visiting locations throughout the city where scenes from the Hunger Games: Catching Fire were shot.

Locations of the tours include:

The Swan House

When visiting Atlanta, start your Hunger Games Journey at the Swan House. This beautiful Atlanta landmark is the location of President Snow’s palace and appears in several party scenes throughout the movie. The Swan House is now offering Capitol Tours through the house showcasing the rooms that were used during filming. Visitors will have exclusive admittance to a behind-the-scenes exhibit displaying photos from the production and select props from the film.

The Beach

“The Beach” at Clayton County International Park, was transformed into a post-apocalyptic setting used for arena scenes during the 75th Annual Hunger Games. After touring the iconic sights, get active like the tributes did by visiting the park’s indoor and outdoor playgrounds, fitness center, fishing lakes, walking and biking trails and group picnic area under the trees.

Goat Farm Arts Center

Lastly, Atlanta’s Goat Farm Arts Center which is not only home to artsy galleries and galas, but also serves as District 12, home to Hunger Games’ very own Katniss Everdeen.

If you want to take part in the tours, CheapOair is offering the following deals:

  •  Orlando to Atlanta, Georgia for $245 per person with a 6 night/7 day stay at the Wyndham Atlanta Galleria for $89 per night.
  •  Boston to Atlanta, Georgia for $274 per person with a 6 night/7 day stay at the Hotel Indigo Atlanta Midtown for $139 per night.
  • New York to Atlanta, Georgia for $278 per person with a 4 night/5 day stay at the Holiday Inn Atlanta Capitol Conference Centre for $90 per night.
  • Washington to Atlanta, Georgia for $282 per person with a 6 night/7 day stay at The Westin Atlanta Airportfor $146 per night.
  • Los Angeles to Atlanta, Georgia for $345 per person with a 5 night/6 day stay at the Doubletree By Hilton Atlanta – Emory Area for $127 per night.

Adam Driver Denies Nightwing Rumors

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Last week rumors were swirling that “Girls” star, Adam Driver, was being looked at for the role of Dick Grayson in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel, tentatively titled, Batman vs. Superman. However, during a recent interview with Collider, Driver denies the rumors saying that he hadn’t heard anything in regards to the role.

When asked if there was any truth to the rumors, Driver said,

“No. Not that I know of, no. If you find out, let me know, then I’ll know.”

Driver also added how nice it was that people were thinking he deserved the part.

“That’s like intensely flattering as you can imagine. I mean, it’s Batman and Superman, who doesn’t want to be involved in something not only of that scale but of who those characters are. That’s an incredible world to be able to be in for a bit. Like who wouldn’t want to do that?”

The original story, which was posted on TheWrap, mentioned that two other actors might be in the mix for the role as well. I hope that this is true because it allows me to pretend that Joseph Gordon Levitt might still be considered for the role. (I know that isn’t the case, but I keep dreaming.)

Batman vs. Superman will feature the return of Henry Cavill as Superman, facing off against Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Also starring Amy Adams, Diane Lane and Laurence Fishburne, the Zack Snyder-directed film will hit theaters on July 17, 2015.