Changeling (Clint Eastwood, 2008)

[flyonthewall2983]

Changeling

Anything in the trades on this?

[Antoine Doinel]

They might want to consider changing the name.

[flyonthewall2983]

This presents an interesting challenge for Eastwood, since he's never done a film where the sole central character is a female. And yes, I'm counting Million Dollar Baby.

[Antoine Doinel]

Play Misty For Me doesn't count?

[Highway 61]

Eastwood is a great actors' director, but even with his track record I'm not happy about Angelina Jolie in the lead.

[flyonthewall2983]

Play Misty For Me doesn't count?

I shut the computer off, went to bed and had one of those Homer moments when I realized I forgot Bridges of Madison County, then I realized this would be the first crime film he has done with a female lead.

[Jeff]

Anything in the trades on this?

Yes. This article is actually from March. The film started shooting a couple of weeks ago. Here is a pic of a rather demure looking Angelina Jolie in costume.

Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment are fast-tracking "The Changeling," with Clint Eastwood looking to direct and Angelina Jolie in talks to star.

Scripted by J. Michael Straczynski, the film will become a co-production of Imagine and Eastwood's Malpaso. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard will produce with Malpaso's Rob Lorenz.

Plan is to start production later this year.

Jolie would play a woman whose son is abducted but retrieved; she suspects, however, that the returned child is not her kid. The woman must then confront corruption in the LAPD. Story is based on true events in 1920s Los Angeles.

U and Imagine have been high on the project since acquiring it last summer and placing it on a shortlist of films that Imagine partner Howard intended to direct next. When Howard instead committed to adapt the Peter Morgan play "Frost/Nixon," he and Grazer began thinking of other filmmakers. Since they expect to follow up "The Da Vinci Code" with a pic based on the Dan Brown novel "Angels & Demons," it was clear Howard wouldn't get to "The Changeling" for two years.

[malcolm1980]

Did anyone first think, "What the hell is Clint Eastwood doing remaking a horror movie"?

[domino harvey]

Actually, yes

[flyonthewall2983]

Whether or not you like his films, one has to admire Clint's readiness to go to whatever is next, especially at his advanced age. I am looking forward to this, because it will be interesting to see his 20's vintage L.A.

[Dylan]

Did anyone first think, "What the hell is Clint Eastwood doing remaking a horror movie"?

Yeah, and I think they should go with a different title.

[MichaelB]

Did anyone first think, "What the hell is Clint Eastwood doing remaking a horror movie"?

A bit like Eastwood's regular screenwriter Paul Haggis remaking a David Cronenberg film about sex and car crashes?

[Darth Lavender]

Did anyone first think, "What the hell is Clint Eastwood doing remaking a horror movie"?

Actually, I thought it seemed an ok choice for Eastwood. While the original was excellent, and George C. Scott was perfectly cast... if that film were to be remade, it would certainly give Eastwood a chance to flex his acting chops and I wouldn't put it past someone of Eastwood's ability to create a legitimately good remake (just look at what Scorsese did with the already excellent 'Infernal Affairs')

[Antoine Doinel]

On set with Clint Eastwood.

[Noir of the Night]

I got a ride once from a guy who was an extra in this.

[a.khan]

I got a ride once from a guy who was an extra in this.

Good for you!

[Antoine Doinel]

This will premiere at Cannes.

[Antoine Doinel]

Here's a clip.

[lacritfan]

They might want to consider changing the name.

Did anyone first think, "What the hell is Clint Eastwood doing remaking a horror movie"?

Yeah, and I think they should go with a different title.

But NOT "The Exchange"

It's still unclear whether the title will remain "Changeling" or be changed to "The Exchange." Jolie confessed affection for the French translation "l'Echange," which appeared on the print shown here.

[Jeff]

I've updated the thread title and the initial post to indicate that the film title does not include the definite article. I prefer "Changeling" to either "The Changeling" or "The Exchange," so here's hoping they stick with it.

Though not Palme d'Or fodder, it did get very respectful reviews from the mainstream press. Glenn Kenny, Richard Corliss, Kenneth Turan, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter all liked it. Did any of our own Cannes correspondents check it out?

[Antoine Doinel]

The film opens wide on Halloween.

[Gator]

At first I thought Uni were trying to put some distance between themselves & December's release of Gran Torino, but maybe they've figured the dark, intense nature of Changeling needs the help provided by strong critical/audience buzz in limited release before going wide, just as 2003's Mystic River did.

[Matt]

This is based on the case of the Wineville Chicken Murders/Walter Collins/Arthur Hutchins, Jr., a fact I gleaned from an amazing article in the New Yorker about a similar case.

[Cash Flagg]

Trailer

[karmajuice]

When the title appeared at the end and the letters began to fade, for a moment I seriously thought that it was going to change from "Changeling" to "angelina".