New Films in Production

[swo17]

Why draw attention to the film though if it doesn't interest you in the slightest?

Also, good to have you back, jayz9786.

[mfunk9786]

I bet he secretly really wants to see it. Bad.

[oldsheperd]

I think Biography ran an episode on "The Monster of Florence". It's a pretty intriguing true tale.

[ianungstad]

Story posted on Deadline.

Neil LaBute's Seconds of Pleasure films in the UK in March. It's an adaptation of his short story collection and currently has Brendan Fraser and Kristen Scott Thomas attached and Colin Firth and Ed Harris eying roles.

His output these last few years has been pretty horrible but I still have hopes that he'll eventually direct something on par with In the Company of Men again. If he's attracting actors of this caliber (not including Brendan Fraser) , it can't be that bad can it?

[MoonlitKnight]

George Clooney to star in serial killer film

Written by the guys who did Valkyrie with Tom Cruise and likely to be a movie with Italians speaking English... I'll pass.

You don't honestly think that I have any desire let-alone intention of seeing that film either do you? When I posted that production information I did so in an entirely neutral fashion!

I dunno - Clooney is one of the few actual Hollywood 'Movie Stars' who consistently chooses interesting material. I wouldn't count my chickens before they hatch with this one.

[flyonthewall2983]

And Christopher McQuarrie wrote The Usual Suspects, which gets him a lifetime pass in my book.

[Markson]

Story posted on Deadline.

Neil LaBute's Seconds of Pleasure films in the UK in March. It's an adaptation of his short story collection and currently has Brendan Fraser and Kristen Scott Thomas attached and Colin Firth and Ed Harris eying roles.

His output these last few years has been pretty horrible but I still have hopes that he'll eventually direct something on par with In the Company of Men again. If he's attracting actors of this caliber (not including Brendan Fraser) , it can't be that bad can it?

Finally. I can't believe it's taken LaBute so long (to raise the funds?) to direct another original script. I'm not a huge fan, but a decade ago he struck me as one of the most interesting emerging filmmakers and he's since done seemingly all in his power to spoil his promise in shit project after shit project. I know theater largely remains his focus and he's been as active there as ever, but we don't all live in Manhattan so access to those productions is limited. I read Seconds of Pleasure upon its release and remember almost nothing about it save it being fueled (less successfully, IIRC) by his mainstay themes of sexual warfare and manipulation. Hopefully, the perennially bland Fraser is being cast against type––an intriguing choice, if so. Incidentally, am I the only one who fondly remembers Your Friends & Neighbors? Perhaps I'd revise my opinion upon revisiting it, but I recall it feeling like a gleefully evil Woody Allen film. And all of Stiller's irritating acting quirks worked wonderfully, as he was supposed to be a pathetic, weaselly-type.

[swo17]

Incidentally, am I the only one who fondly remembers Your Friends & Neighbors? Perhaps I'd revise my opinion upon revisiting it, but I recall it feeling like a gleefully evil Woody Allen film. And all of Stiller's irritating acting quirks worked wonderfully, as he was supposed to be a pathetic, weaselly-type.

I love it, but when I tried to force everyone here to watch it during the 1990s lists project, you would have thought I'd Jason Patricked them all in the bookstore.

[Markson]

Heh. I mean, I recall the film being a little ridiculous, but I'm not sure there's anything inherently wrong with that. One-dimensional characters (one-and-a-half, maybe) all looking for sexual satisfaction/validation in all the wrong places can be fun to watch. It's not necessarily an incisive meditation on relationships, but it's nicely structured and has glorious discomfort to spare.

[mfunk9786]

James Mills' most anticipated new film is in the early stages of production.

Oh, and my favorite LaBute has always been The Shape of Things. The ending is nauseatingly devastating.

[oldsheperd]

I thought Lakeview Terrace was a pretty decent LaBute film. It looks pretty shallow on it's face but it actually has a few interesting ideas underneath, not the least being how women are valued in our current society.

[mfunk9786]

Especially black women. I agree, I thought it was insightful, suspenseful, and skillfully rewritten by LaBute.

And am I the only person here to find the Death at a Funeral remake to be a riot? I wouldn't be surprised if I was, but

[oldsheperd]

Especially black women. I agree, I thought it was insightful, suspenseful, and skillfully rewritten by LaBute.

And am I the only person to find the Death at a Funeral remake to be a riot?

I haven't seen it. I'm a big fan of the original though.

[Zumpano]

WTF

[flyonthewall2983]

Alien Prequel Dead, Prometheus Rises

[James Mills]

Alien Prequel Dead, Prometheus Rises

Lame, I was excited about the idea of an Alien prequel. I haven't liked anything by Ridley in a while and figured it gave him a good opportunity to find his magic again. "Prometheus" doesn't sound as promising from that article.

[ambrose]

Alien Prequel Dead, Prometheus Rises

Lame, I was excited about the idea of an Alien prequel. I haven't liked anything by Ridley in a while and figured it gave him a good opportunity to find his magic again. "Prometheus" doesn't sound as promising from that article.

Really!The details provided by that linked article are too vague to form any kind of preemptive judgement!

“While Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place,” said Scott in a statement. “The keen fan will recognize strands of Alien's DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn't be more pleased to have found the singular tale I'd been searching for, and finally return to this genre that's so close to my heart.”

[James Mills]

Yeah, you're right. I was just pretty stoked about an Alien redux

[Finch]

I'm actually more interested in the film now that they seem to have thankfully moved away from the horrid idea of what the space jockey was all about.

[ianungstad]

According to Variety, Neil Jordan will write and direct a $60 million indie that will shoot this spring based off Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. According to the article they are currently in the midst of casting.

Film sounds like it could be interesting. Gaiman's adaptations have been pretty mixed. I didn't like Stardust or Neverwhere but Coraline was great.

[Roger Ryan]

Alien Prequel Dead, Prometheus Rises

Interesting that the new ALIEN ANTHOLOGY Blu-ray set features a prominent quote from Scott regarding the surprises he has in store for an ALIEN prequel. Apparently one of the surprises is it won't be a prequel after all! Since the move to doing something more original is such a bad business decision, it suggests that Scott is actually artistically, not financially, inspired to helm it. The ALIEN prequel seemed like Scott resigned to giving everybody (the studio, the fans) what they want and I wasn't convinced he had a real interest in it.

[flyonthewall2983]

Me too. Plus, he has such a high reputation in the sci-fi field only after two films, the idea that his first in nearly 30 years would be in anyway related to the first one seemed a bit off. I have higher hopes for this new film, especially if it's not even a horror movie now.

[perkizitore]

Call me cynical, but after the success of Avatar and the declining audiences for films like Predators, that urged the industry to create new sci-fi franchises. Why have a talented director like Ridley Scott direct a prequel, when you can have a hack like Michael Bay to do it?
If Scott creates a successful film, then they will have a new franchise to exploit for the next 30 years.

[flyonthewall2983]

I was about to say that it's likely Fox wasn't as crazy about doing another Alien as Ridley, for the reasons you've just cited. But if that's true, the upside is that Fox is willing to do something new as opposed to flogging the old horses to death.

[MoonlitKnight]

I was about to say that it's likely Fox wasn't as crazy about doing another Alien as Ridley, for the reasons you've just cited. But if that's true, the upside is that Fox is willing to do something new as opposed to flogging the old horses to death.

Indeed, why continue to flog a horse that dropped dead back in its third lap? :-k