Category Archives: Movie Adaptations

Alcon, Icons

Alcon Plans Margaret Stohl Adaptation, ‘Icons’

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Alcon, Icons

Icons will be developed into a major motion picture thanks to Alcon Entertainment. And just what is Icons? It’s the forthcoming novel from author Margaret Stohl. If her name looks familiar, that’s because she’s part of the New York Times bestselling duo, consisted of herself and co-author Kami Garcia. Together they wrote the Young Adult paranormal hit, Beautiful Creatures, but Icons is Stohl’s solo debut.

If you enjoyed Stephenie Meyer’s The Host, which is also soon to become a film, starring Saoirse Ronan, then the plot of Icons may also be of interest to you. The story takes place is dystopian future Earth, where aliens reign supreme.

Over at Goodreads, I discovered a great little synopsis of the novel, which read this way:

Your heart beats only with their permission.

Everything changed on The Day. The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol’s family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn’t know it was fighting.

Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside — safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can’t avoid.

She’s different. She survived. Why?

When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador’s privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn’t a coincidence. It’s a conspiracy.

Within the Icon’s reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions — which they’ve always thought to be their greatest weaknesses — may actually be their greatest strengths.

Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts — in order to save the future.

I must say I kind of dig the idea that emotions, especially as wielded by angst-riddled teens, is an advantage in the science fiction flavored world, not a disadvantage. Icons sounds like a pretty wonderful thriller.

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers won’t release the book until May 7th 2013, but Alcon has already purchases film rights, which is a good sign the material is really good stuff.

Alcon also owns film rights to the adaptation of Beautiful Creatures. The first book in the Caster Chronicles series, Beautiful Creatures is modern-day, young adult, fantasy, which takes place in the south. The other books in the series are Beautiful Darkness, Beautiful Chaos, and Beautiful Redemption. There’s also a short story, considered 2.5 in the chronology, called Dream Dark.

In a statement, Alcon said:

We are thrilled with our involvement in Beautiful Creatures and the franchise it promises. “Once we learned of Margaret’s new venture, we jumped at the chance to continue our partnership with her and this amazing series of books.

Lawless Is A Film To See Again and Again – Review

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Director: John Hillcoat

Based on The Wettest County in the World (2008) by Matt Bondurant.

Why are you interested in this adaptation?

Elena-

I want to see this movie because John Hillcoat is directing it.  I cannot overstate how profoundly I love The Proposition.  I will probably watch every movie the man ever directs just to see if he can match that one, even if the brilliance of his Western was an accident.  Lightning can strike twice in the same place, right?  But I feel like The Proposition was not accidentally brilliant; I feel like The Road, his other directorial effort, will more likely turn out to be the anomaly in his catalogue of films. That movie was controlled by a studio who did not want to risk a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel’s adaptation on a film with “atmosphere.”  R rating or not, they weren’t going to allow any barbecued babies or long, lingering (what they thought the pleb’s would consider “boring”) shots of a burned out world, and that lack of those shots and details were what caused The Road to fail as a film.  So I would be interested in seeing it only because of the director.

However.  Other reasons:  Tom Hardy. Gary Oldman. Guy Pearce. Shia Labeouf. It’s pretty much a man-doberge cake.  Yum.

Rachel-

I’m actually not into gangster movies unless they’re directed by Guy Richie. They tend to be a little too much “reality” for me. The “reality” of just how horribly and creatively violent people can be. I also don’t like war movies. (Hyperbolic violence is my flavor. Tarantino. I like it when it is highly choreographed.)

HOWEVER, I’m a sucker for Piedmont movies about hillbillies because it’s where I’m from (ish). I enjoy parsing the accents. This is why I suffered through the bleakness of Winter’s Bone and gained a whole lot of respect for Jennifer Lawrence before the atrocity that was The Hunger Games put her on everyone’s map. Plus Gary Oldman. I’m also willing to let Tom Hardy mumble his way through another movie in my presence and to watch him and Shia mumble at each other while sweating. They’re basically both the same guy, right?

What would make it awesome?

Elena-

It will be awesome if it lives up to my expectations as a proper follow-up to Hillcoat’s debut.  The reviews I’ve seen give me hope.  “Atmospheric” has been tossed about—a good sign.

So, for those of you who have not seen The Proposition, what I am looking for from this film is a beautifully framed, visually expansive movie with unapologetic brutality and thoughtfully gray morals.  No heroes, but no all-black villains, either.  And gloriously violent.  That combination of elements, well-constructed and well-executed, would catapult it to the top of my best films of the year so far list.

Rachel-

Aw hell, I don’t know! I saw the trailer, and it looks like it’s going to be hillbillies shooting gangsters and drinking moonshine. Sounds great! I take special joy in “period” movies that have really accurate sets and costumes. So, it will be awesome if everyone looks especially smelly.

What would make it suck?

Elena-

It will suck if the movie is all action.  What makes any really epic revenge tale (which this one looks like it will be) great is the slow burn.  I am patient with films which take the time to breathe but bored by movies that should take the time for character/setting development and don’t. I mean, it’s one thing to give me a movie like The Raid: Redemption which sets up a plot inside of two minutes and proceeds to be nothing but action for the next 90—I’m fine with that.  What I’m not fine with is a movie that is more than gimmicky action but doesn’t take the time to develop anything; Public Enemies comes to mind as a recent disappointment in that style.

Rachel-

If all these non-Southerners (and non-American, sheesh!) really SUCK at their regional accents. That shit will send me right over the edge if I have to listen to True Blood style accent mangling. I’m talking Ewan McGregor (whom I love and adore, forever!) in pretty much any movie in which he was required to have an American or American Southern accent. WTF?

Additional thoughts on casting/production?

Elena-

I’m really curious to see how Tom Hardy does playing an American, and if this role is a bit more nuanced for him than most of his recent ones have been…more of a character and less of a smart-ass action hero.  He sold me on his acting skills with Bronson and has not done much that required a stretch since.  I’m curious as well to see how Shia LaBeouf handles a grown-up part in a film made for grown-ups.  I will forgive him any number of Transformers sequels if they enable him to make artistic movies, and he turns out to have a knack for character work.

Nick Cave wrote the screenplay again (he also wrote the screenplay for The Proposition) and will no doubt have a hand in the scoring.  That makes me happy. Nick Cave is a weird dude of many talents and perversions, and his involvement ups the odds of my getting what I want from this movie.  Also I expect the music will be extra-fab with him arranging it.

Rachel-

Tom Hardy yada yada snore. I’m interested in seeing that kid from Holes do his best to pretend he was never in Indy 4 or Transformers 11. Gary Oldman is always a huge draw; it’s a pleasure to watch an actor like him transform himself. From the trailers I gather he’s going to be rather despicable, that’ll be fun!

Mostly I am seeing this movie because Elena wanted to, and I’m making her watch Dredd later this month so she’s making me see this one. Full disclosure, folks. You like it.

Reaction to film:

Elena-

LOVE.

This movie was what I wanted it to be.  It was full of characters, it was richly set with beautiful, lingering shots of the back-hills scenery, it was shockingly violent, it was funny in ways a movie with this storyline has no business being funny…I just enjoyed every second of it and want to see it again already.

Lawless felt like the less awkward, more commercially viable cousin of The Proposition.  It had the film-making elements that made me love Hillcoat’s first movie so much, but it was less bleak, and less ambiguous as to who was hero and who villain.  And it was set in America in a time that is currently in vogue rather than making a Western out of the Australian outback.  So the gorgeous cinematography, the patient pace, the spot-on musical selections, and the unexpectedly quotable script were all there, but in a packaging that the average moviegoer will respond to.

I was surprised to see Rachel call this a gangster movie, because it seemed to me like more of a back-woods resistance fighter movie—if nothing else because the obvious heroes were not gangsters themselves.  This instinct turned out to be correct, as the Bounderant brothers were certainly not gangsters.  They made charming anti-heroes, of three local boys making good in what was theoretically an illegal operation but which the local law bought into, until they got bought by some townies.

Shia LaBeouf had the traditional coming of age arc, from trembling youth to suave and unrepentant outlaw.  He was fine in the role, though it didn’t seem like it held many challenges (nor was it meant to).  He shone in the comic moments, but probably the best scene was the climactic ending, perhaps because he was so effective in the more light-hearted moments.  Tom Hardy stole the show for me, though, as the taciturn Forest.  He said as much with grunts and “hm” as other characters did with monologues and soliloquies.  I thought the whole production was well-cast.  I didn’t notice anyone’s accent at all, so that tells me they were competently to well-handled, though I confess I don’t know enough about Virginia hill accents to tell you how nuanced the linguistic performances were.  I could have used more Gary Oldman just for the sake of more Gary Oldman in pinstripes and bowler hats, but he wasn’t really called for in the story.

As I hoped, the movie runs a slow burn to an epic conflagration, though it does have moments of conflict and action in the run-up that keep layering the tension and upping the ante.  Happily, the ending delivers on the promise of those scenes.  The violence never feels gratuitously gory, but it is shocking and visceral.  You don’t always see it coming, and even when you did the scene plays out in a way that wasn’t how you expected.  Hillcoat pulls no punches in those moments, and he excels in making you feel what is happening on-screen.  Can’t lie; I squirmed more than once.

Also the music was awesome. Not as weird as I expected, though the score is full of Cave’s consonant sounds to ratchet up the tension, but most of the music was traditional or intentional replicas.

All in all, Lawless succeeded for me on pretty much every level, and it has enough commercially friendly elements for me to give it an unqualified recommendation.

Rachel-

Hot damn, y’all! I liked it!

It’s beautifully filmed in what looks like North Carolina? It’s got old timey cars, rattletrap huts, sweaty hats, hypnotic hymnals, and A MAGICAL CARDIGAN. Yes, folks, this is not a film about bootlegger hillbillies in Virginia as you were promised. IT’S BETTER. It’s a film about a magical cardigan that renders its wearer immortal!

Yup! Mystery Solved! Frodo’s almost forgotten mithril armor has been forged anew! It is now The Cardigan of Immortality!!! Capable of keeping its wearer alive through all manner of plausibly red-neck near death experiences! Never knew a cardigan was standard issue during WWI, did ya?

Why, it is SO impressive that had Joey the War Horse been given a standard issue US Cardigan (oh, England!), the damn horse would have FLOWN around Europe in his search for the boy Albert, and we wouldn’t have had to sit through tedious friend-making in France or tank-vaulting in…Germany?

What was I talking about?

Oh Yea, Lawless. It was good. The accents weren’t half bad. Sometimes they got a little yeehaw, but for the most part I was OK with them. They weren’t exactly Piedmont accents, but they weren’t twangy bullshit noises, either! Huzzah!

Art direction was stellar. Acting was top-notch, though there was very little Gary Oldman (saaadness), and Tom Hardy didn’t have that many LINES, though his physical acting was great…except for when he tromp-walked around like Bane. Is that just how he walks? Shia played the same earnest kid he always does, but with a southern accent. Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska’s characters seemed tacked on for plot development, but their scenes were generally welcome respites from the grimy, sweaty gun-toting scenes.

Surprisingly this film has some genuinely funny moments. Tom Hardy’s character “Forest” is a man of sometimes comically few words. Enjoyable and well-made. It IS a little slow…but not tedious. The tension builds and builds and builds some more, and you squirm a little in your seat in horror of what is to come. I checked my watch exactly once at the hour and a half point just to see if I could make it until the end of the film without having to leave my seat. I have a hard time watching movies that keep you in that extended state of tension. Masterfully done.

If westerns and “gritty” anti-heroes with limited vocabularies isn’t your thing, then you can skip it. Gary Oldman makes only one gangster appearance, tommy-gun in tow. Guy Pearce’s villain is tragically forced in a cast of much more nuanced characters, but it has a satisfying ending (a surprise ending for me! I was sure it was going to be bleak) and a lovely romanticizing of 1920s hill country living. Less gangster and more Piedmont Western.

Let’s hope Elena can enjoy Dredd as much as I enjoyed Lawless!

Y: The Last Man

New Line Cinema makes ‘Y: The Last Man’ a First Priority

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Y: The Last Man

Y: The Last Man has been a very popular comic book series. Even though publication for the series has ended, fans are still eager to see the story become a feature film. We’ve been teased and teased, but this week, New Line Cinema is saying the adaptation is fueled up and ready to drive.

Yes, we’ve been hearing that the movie would happen for years now, which makes it very difficult to break into song and dance over this latest update, but perhaps the details will warm the cockles of your comic book movie loving heart. The good word is that former Jericho writers Matthew Federman and Stephen Scaia are narrowing down their choices for director as we speak.

If I had to nominate a director off the top of my head, I’d choose someone like Jason Reitman, of Juno and Thank You For Smoking, or Doug Liman of The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Jumper.

Y: The Last Man tells the quirky tale of Yorick Brown, the last human male on Earth. That’s right. In fact, he and his pet monkey, called Ampersand, seem to be the lone survivors of he only survivors of a mysterious phenomenon which suddenly kills every male mammal on the planet. The near future plague relentlessly attacks the Y chromosome. The thriller has humor, as well as political, scientific and action fueled drama.

At one time Disturbia director DJ Caruso was attached to the adaptation, but that has since changed.

Other characters in the series include Agent 355, a female character who becomes Yorick’s bodyguard; Doctor Allison Mann, a key geneticist; Beth Deville, Yorick’s girlfriend; Hero Brown, Yorick’s older sister; Rose Copen, an Australian spy; and Alter Tse’elon, a central villain.

Y: The Last Man writer Brian K. Vaughan won the Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series for the comic. Y was a Vertigo comic and New Line Cinema is a sister company to Vertigo. Pencillers for the comic series include Pia Guerra, Goran Sudžuka and Paul Chadwick, while primary inking duties were on Jose Marzan Jr.

I, for one, can’t wait until this picture becomes a reality. I think it’ll be a lot of fun for fans and newbies alike. This scenario is one, which will keep audiences really in suspense as to how Yorkick’s situation all pans out. I imagine being the last man on earth has its perks.

Rumor has is it, actor Shia Labeouf is uninterested in acting the part of Yorik and that Zachary Levi, also known as TV’s Chuck, has said he’d be interested in the role. I think Levi would be a nice choice, but more star power may be required. Then again, even if a relative unknown lands the lead, he could be insulated by a supporting cast of better known stars and probably still draw audiences.

Brian K. Vaughan has also worked on Marvel Comics, including Wolverine, Ultimate X-Men and Runaways. On the DC Comics side of the fence he has written for Batman, Young Justice and Green Lantern. for Veritgo he wrote for Swamp Thing.

He’s also the author of the wonderful graphic novel, Pride of Baghdad, a read which I highly recommend.

Joan Allen

Joan Allen Set to Star in Stephen King Adaptation ‘A Good Marriage’

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Joan Allen

Watch out, Jason Bourne fans. Joan Allen is coming back to the big screen in a hot upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King’s novella, called A Good Marriage.

The story was originally released in the Stephen King book, titled Full Dark, No Stars, which is a recent collection of four King novellas, published in 2010. The specific story, A Good Marriage, revolves around Darcy, the woman Joan Allen would be portraying. Darcy stumbles upon the life-altering discovery that her husband isn’t quite who she has believed him to be for the past twenty-something years. Much will be required of her, in fact, if she decides to stay married.

Like the majority of King works, A Good Marriage takes place in Maine.

Peter Askin will likely direct the adaptation, as well as produce alongside his Reno Productions partner Will Battersby. Askin was the director for the documentary, titled Trumbo, which revealed facts about McCarthyism and Hollywood.

King fans will be thrilled to know that the horror writer wrote the screenplay for the film. Apparently King and Askin are pals. Askin also directed a production of the musical, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County. King wrote the play and music was provided by John Mellencamp. Who knew?

Sources say a real life serial killer inspired King to write the novella. He’s been in the news about the much debated possibility of Dark Tower adaptations. Will one ever come to fruition?

Other characters which need casting are, of course, the big screen husband, as well as a detective type.

Work on A Good Marriage is scheduled to being in New York in the middle of October.

The other stories in Full Dark, No Stars are titled 1922, Big Driver, and Fair Extension. An exert of Big Driver was published in Entertainment Weekly and it was a gripping, suspenseful read.

Apart from the Bourne franchise, Joan Allen is known for her work in The Contender, one of my favorite political films. She was also the warden in Death Race. She’s a great choice for carrying this picture on her very capable shoulders.

4 Things Fans Want to See From the TMNT Reboot

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Are you ready for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to return to the big screen? Based on what they’ve seen from an early draft of the script, some diehard fans aren’t too crazy about the whole idea.

A leaked draft of the script for “Ninja Turtles” alters the origin story for iconic comic book heroes in a half shell that are stirring controversy. Reported changes include making Casey Jones and April O’ Neil into a teenage couple and turning the turtles from mutants raised in the sewers into aliens from another planet.

Director Michael Bay is spearheading “Ninja Turtles” through Platinum Dunes, his production company. The franchise reboot was green lit by Paramount and is slated for a 2014 release. Bay has built his career on producing and directing action and science fiction films characterized by explosive action scenes and larger-than-life special effects. Paramount turned to Bay to revive the franchise after his success with “The Transformers” trilogy.

Michael Bay was quick to distance himself from the controversial script, saying neither he nor Platinum Dunes had anything to do with it. If Michael Bay wants to satisfy longtime fans of the franchise, these are four things that must be included in “Ninja Turtles” when it finally hits theaters in 2014:

1.) Turtles must be from Earth

Making the ninja turtles come from another planet doesn’t make sense and isn’t necessary. Their origin story has the turtles come forth as a result of chemical enhancements from toxic waste. The same is true with Master Splinter, the rat who becomes their shepherd. They reside in the sewers and use it as their base while they fight villains in relative anonymity. Bringing the turtles in on a spaceship kind of defeats the purpose of working as ninjas. Why not just blast the bad guys with ray guns?

2.) Shredder needs to be the central villain

No Ninja Turtles movie is complete without Shredder as the primary antagonist. He is a villainous ninja master who leads the Foot Clan and battles the turtles while trying to establish world domination. Turning Shredder into an American general in charge of a secret military division called “The Foot” introduces a foreign concept into the franchise. There has never really been an issue with military or government forces.

3.) April O’ Neil and Casey Jones need to be adults

Changing April and Casey into a teenage couple undermines what their characters are all about. One reason they work as adults is that they can do things for the Ninja Turtles in the outside world while they remain in the shadows. April and Casey are valuable allies in fighting villains. It’s hard for them to fill their roles in a realistic manner if they’re teenagers.

4.) The movie needs a “Dark Knight” style approach

If the new reboot is true to the original comics, it needs to have a dark edge to it. No campy plots or dopey humor will cut it. Movie fans proved with the Dark Knight trilogy that they like gritty realism to guide the plot and define the characters. It will give the movie added layers of depth.

This guest post was authored by Miranda Perez. When Miranda isn’t blogging about the latest restaurants and trends, she is traveling to discover new and delicious creations. Her frequent flier miles are her most prized possession.

Rocket Racoon, guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel Adviser Joss Whedon Believes In “Guardians Of The Galaxy” Director

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Rocket Racoon, guardians of the Galaxy

Even the most fervent fan of Marvel Comics may be scratching his head, asking, “What in the world is Guardians of the Galaxy?” Thankfully, you’ve got us to get you up to speed on what may become a very hot new comic book movie.

With a big name like Joss Whedon putting his official stamp of approval on the project, you can bet heads will be turning. According to the headlines, even Whedon, who is a creative adviser to the comic book giant, had reservations about making the unusual Marvel Comics team into a feature film. That was until he heard the name of the man who would be responsible for directing. That man is James Gunn.

The first issue of Guardians of the Galaxy hit newsstands in 2008. Created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, it follows the exploits of a team known as The Guardians. It is space opera style material and members of the team are pretty out there. One is called Rocket Racoon, who is actually an anthropomorphic, biped, raccoon, who wears clothes and has a face full of fur. Another team member is Groot, a sentient tree, not completely unlike something out of Lord of the Rings. There’s even a telepathic dog called Cosmo.

“James is what makes me think it will work,” Whedon told MTV News at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he debuted his Shakespeare adaptation, Much Ado About Nothing.

“I myself was sort of like, ‘Well, I liked Rocket Raccoon as a kid, but I’m not sure how that plays [to a wider audience].’ And then they said, ‘Well, we’re thinking about using James Gunn.’ And I said, ‘Oh, then no, you’re fine.’ He is so off the wall, and so crazy, but so smart, such a craftsman and he builds from his heart. He loves the raccoon. Needs the raccoon,” Whedon said.

Why is Whedon such a James Gunn fan?

“This is the guy who wrote ‘The Specials.’ People don’t understand how influential that movie was about heroes, about taking heroes and making them mundane,” Whedon added. “And [he directed] ‘Super.'”

Super is the film where Rainn Wilson is The Crimson Bolt and Ellen Page is Boltie.

“[Gunn]has a very twisted take on it, but it all comes from a real love for the material. It’s going to be hard for the humans to keep up,” said Whedon.

You don’t have to tell me twice. I’ll be on the look out for more Guardians of the Galaxy news. Just don’t confuse all this with the animated fantasy picture about a bunch of high flying owls.

Whedon fans, by the way, will be excited about Much Ado About Nothing. Many of Whedon’s most popular collaborators are in the film. These include Amy Acker as Beatrice. She’s one of my favs. Nathan Fillion and Clark Gregg also star.

2012 also saw Whedon releasing The Cabin in the Woods and The Avengers, of course. Don’t forget to read up on his plan to bring Marvel Comics’ S.H.I.E.L.D. to television via the ABC network.

Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis in talks for “American Assassin”

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Bruce Willis

An American king of action cinema has his sights on a new film. The role would put star, Bruce Willis, in the role of a mentor CIA agent. When you consider how much fun 2010’s RED was, where Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren portrayed aging spooks, the new picture, titled American Assassin, should catch your attention.

What we know thus far is that American Assassin is a thriller, slated for delivery via CBS Films. Mike Finch wrote the script and Jeffrey Nachmanoff will take directing duties. Nachmanoff has directed a handful of episodes of the critically acclaimed television drama, Homeland, starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis. Remember the director’s name also because he wrote 2013’s upcoming Arnold Schwarzenegger starrer, called The Last Stand. Hey, the former governator always promised he’d be back.

Another important name behind American Assassin is Lorenzo di Bonaventura. He is producing the upcoming picture along with Nick Wechsler through di Bonaventura Pictures. Di Bonaventura has been behind a slew of pictures, to include Derailed, Man on a Ledge, Shooter, Salt, and, yes, even RED. It’s safe to say that he knows his way around a thriller.

The plot for American Assassin centers upon a young CIA operative named Mitch Rapp. He’s a graduate of Syracuse, a former grad student there, in fact, which means he’s a sharp cookie. After his girlfriend is killed in a terrorist attack, he turns his energies toward joining the CIA. Terrorists beware. Once he’s with the agency, Willis’ character mentors the younger agent.

Sources say Willis has had this script in his hands for a while, but is closing in upon a decision. Filming is scheduled for 2013. Once Willis signs on, the studio would need to cast the role of Mitch Rapp. I’m a Jeremy Renner fan, but here’s to hoping this is one film he won’t be considered for. He can’t be in everything, am I right? Who would you pair with Bruce Willis?

One exciting Hollywood pairing is Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who are sure to rock the box office with the upcoming September 28 release of the science fiction thriller, Looper. The mere mention of the film makes me drool.

You see, director Rian Johnson worked with Gordon-Levitt in 2005 on the extraordinarily unique picture, Brick. In that one, a young Gordon-Levitt pays homage to hard boiled film noir detectives, yet is acting as a modern day high school student. The sophisticated language Rian Johnson utilizes in the film is nothing short of incredible. Looper re-teams Jonhson and Gordon-Levitt in a science fiction picture tailor-made for the young star of Inception, Dark Knight Rises, and Premium Rush.

No one anticipated Bruce Willis coming on board. As sweet as that is, it presented challenges, as Willis and Gordon-Levitt look nothing alike, yet are acting as younger and older versions of the same man. The result for Gordon-Levitt was hours in the make up chair and blue contacts, all to make him look more like Willis. You can even hear him talking like Willis in the trailer.

Looper also seems to me to have a few similarities with a classic Willis film, 12 Monkeys. I find that, too, pretty exciting.

Bruce Willis is also said to be working on a new Die Hard picture.

Tobey Maguire Options Cardboard

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What is the worst present you could ever give to a child on his birthday? How about a cardboard box? That’s pretty lame under normal circumstances, but in the graphic novel called Cardboard, the extraordinary happens. What’s even more interesting is the fact that this piece, written by Doug TenNapel, is about to get the big screen treatment, thanks to Fox Animation, WedgeWorks, and star, Tobey Maguire.

You see, Maguire owns Material Pictures, the company all set to executive produce the film adaptation of the graphic novel. Cardboard will be an animated feature.

After the down on his luck dad, a widower, to boot, offers the box to his son in the story, they decide to fold it up into the figure of a boxer named Bill. To their surprise, Bill comes to life. But the local bully, Marcus, has his own wicked plans for Bill. If the film follows the novel closely, other cardboard creatures will come to life as well, threatening everyone in town.

The graphic novel is published by Scholastic Graphix. WedgeWorks’ own, Chris Wedge whose credits include Ice Age, may choose to direct the upcoming film adaptation.

If handled right, this project could get pretty epic. Sounds like a rip-roaring good time to me. I can already picture my nephew begging for Cardboard action figures.

Since Maguire is already affiliated with the film, we may expect him to lend his voice to one of the main characters. This wouldn’t be the first time. His pipes were featured in the WB’s Cats & Dogs. He was Lou the Beagle, for your information.

It’s good to see Tobey Maguire in the news. I haven’t really seen his face since the drama Brothers, where he acted a prickly part opposite Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal. If you haven’t seen it yet, the acting is well worth a watch, but there are scenes that will make you squirm, thus earning it’s R-rating.

Maguire has a few other projects on the burner. I simply cannot wait for the 2013 debut of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gastsby. The best known film adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic novel, starred Robert Redford as Gatsby; Mia Farrow as his wealthy love interest, Daisy; Sam Waterston as the narrator, Nick Carrway; and Bruce Dern as Tom, Daisy’s husband. In the 2013 version; however, it is Tobey Maguire who plays Nick; Leonardo DiCaprio will be Gatsby; Carey Mulligan is Daisy; and Joel Edgerton is Tom.

If you know Baz Lurhman’s work, you know the film will be epic and larger than life. He’s actually going to present the film in 3D.

Maguire is also slated to act as real life persona, Bobby Fisher in the upcoming biographical picture titled Pawn Sacrifice. Maguire’s own Material Pictures will produce this project as well.

As for author, TenNapel, he has a whole slew of other titles to his name and best of all a few others are scheduled for big screen adaptations, too! His Ghostopolis is currently in the hands of Disney, and his Monster Zoo was snatched by Paramount.

Jeffrey Wright confirmed as Beetee in Catching Fire

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The Hunger Games was one of the biggest films of 2012 and you can bet the sequel, Catching Fire, will likewise set fans a-flame. As we are counting down to the November 22nd, 2013 release date, final casting decisions continue to pour in. The character of the hour is Beetee, a tribute from District 3. Actor Jeffrey Wright has won the role.

You heard the exciting news right here when the much-anticipated and highly coveted role of literary hottie Finnick Odair, finally went to actor Sam Claflin. In my opinion, the choice of Claflin has been the most controversial. Do you think the actor, who many have said they barely noticed opposite Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth in Snow White and the Huntsman, can pull of playing the charismatic and complex role of Finnick?

As for Jeffrey Wright, film fanatics should recognize the actor’s face. He has appeared in Source Code and Syriana and has played the character of Felix, James Bond’s American pal, in both Casino Royale and in Quantum Of Solace. Unfortunately, I haven’t noticed Wright’s name mentioned in conjunction with the new Bond film, Skyfall. That’s too bad.

In 2008 he brought to life the musician, Muddy Waters, in Cadillac Records and even has a Tony Award thanks to his work in Angels in America.

I particularly enjoyed Wright’s work in The Ides of March, where he had the chance to play a quite unlikable senator. Sometimes it’s those flawed characters that allow actors to flex even more theatrical muscle.

If you have yet to read the Suzanne Collins penned sequel to The Hunger Games, you are probably thinking Wright seems a wee bit older than your average Tribute. You’re correct. Without giving too much away, I can tell you one of the prominent features of the second installment of the Games is an event called the Quarter Quell. It occurs every 25 years and is an excuse for the Gamemakers from the Capital to be extra nasty.

Their cruelty allows Katniss and Peeta to meet former champions from the other Districts. Among these are a pair nicknamed Nuts and Volts. The real names of Nuts and Volts are Wiress and Beetee. District 3, their home, is famous for the production of electronics. Beetee is a very intelligent man whose importance continues on through the rest of the series. I think this was really stellar casting. I can picture Wright sinking his teeth into this role and disappearing into character.

Of course, most of the casting thus far has been particularly wonderful. This is what happens when a book adaptation is fortunate enough to get a team of filmmakers who genuinely care about getting things right.

What I also is love is the onslaught of “serious” actors being attached to the film. Case in point is critically acclaimed thespian, Phillip Seymour Hoffman joining the cast as Plutarch Heavensbee. Hey, how do you like that? Hoffman was also a part of the political thriller The Ides of March, opposite Wright, Ryan Gosling and George Clooney. Plutarch becomes the new Head Gamemaker after Seneca Crane, Gamemaker from the first film, is executed for being such a royal screw up. Crane was, of course, acted by actor Wes Bentley.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be directed by Francis Lawrence. His previous films include I am Legend, starring Will Smith, and Water for Elephants, starring Robert Pattinson.

Nicolas Cage to Star in David Gordon Green’s “Joe”

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It was announced last week that actor Nicolas Cage is set to star in the upcoming project from David Gordon Green called Joe based on the novel by Larry Brown.

Worldview Entertainment, a financing and production company, has made quite a name for themselves at this year’s Toronto Film Festival and has announced that they will take over the southern drama. Gary Hawkins is set to adapt the novel for film.

London-based WestEnd Films is handling international sales and shopping the project to foreign buyers gathered in Toronto for the festival. CAA, which packaged and arranged financing for Joe, is handling domestic rights.

Joe follows the life of an ex-con who becomes an unlikely role model to a 15-year-old child named Gary Jones, who is the oldest child of a homeless family complete with a drunk and worthless father. Together they attempt to find a path to redemption in the small, rugged town of Mississippi.

Gordon Green spoke about the project saying:

“When Larry Brown wrote the novel Joe, he instantly created an iconic character of contemporary Southern literature,” Gordon Green said. “It is with great excitement that I’ve been able to work with Nicolas Cage to design an absolute and unexpected performance piece that is woven from the darkness, beauty, humor and environment of this material.”

Christopher Woodrow, Worldview CEO, stated regarding the project:

“Joe is an elevated and unapologetic drama that has great potential creatively and commercially. David and Nic are the perfect team to put this on the big screen, and we look forward to sharing in their success.”

There is no word yet on when the project is expected to begin filming or any other talent that is attached to the cast.