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Psychotic Reactions
-- John Shea
23 May, 2003
See? I told you it was going to take time to get up to doing this column daily. Every other day is probably more likely until I get the hang of this. Anyway, let's get a shameless plug out of the way. Check out our coverage of the 29th Saturn Awards from the previous weekend. Our LA writers Rafael Pujals and Tim Ritenour did a great job talking to any important person within arm's reach.
So let's take a look at the box office this weekend. There are two major releases in Bruce Almighty and The In-Laws. I don't think I'm going out on much of a limb to suggest that Jim Carrey's comedy will smack the Albert Brooks comedy around pretty hard. Bruce will probably open strong in the $40-50 million range but still end up second to The Matrix Reloaded. After that I suspect Bruce will tumble hard. Early word on the film has been tepid so word of mouth isn't likely to be strong, cutting its legs in a tight summer market. In-Laws will be lucky to crack the top five. X2 should hold third with Daddy Day Care fourth.
Elsewhere, Tim Burton is apparently in the lead to get the director's chair on an adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Anybody surprised? Certainly I'm not. Burton's quirky style is a perfect fit for Dahl's story. Apparently Dahl's estate has the final say on director and they want Burton. A bigger question is, do we really need this film? The book has been filmed once before as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder starring. Dahl himself wrote the screenplay although apparently didn't care for the finished flm. Despite that, the film is a cult classic. It's really hard to imagine improving on the look and feel of the original film so there would really need to be something really new or different about the script to justify a remake in my eyes. So is Warner Bros. happy with the script? Sure. So happy in fact that they have called in Gwyn Lurie to rewrite it.
Would you believe that a sequel is being considered to Dungeons & Dragons? Dark Horizons is reporting that it would have something to do with an evil wizard and some magical orb. That shows real growth for the budding fantasy franchise. The first film was about an evil wizard and magical rod.
Random observation
Some people really have too much time on their hands and far too little sense. Apparently anti-smoking groups are up in arms because a televised press conference at Cannes showed Nicole Kidman (gasp) smoking. Are they serious? Surely there are more important things in this world to get that angry over. For the record, I don't smoke and I would advise other people from smoking. That said, it's their choice to rot their lungs if they want. People who want to hide every incident of smoking from the public eye for fear that it might inspire someone else to take up the habit need to take a deep breath and relax. I'm sure I'll get tons of hate mail for this but what these people want to do is censorship. And that is as wrong headed and evil a practice as I can think of.
News
Fantastic Four: Mark Frost has been given the task of over hauling the script for this comic book adaptation with little fanfare. He took on the rewrite this week for director Peyton Reed. So far his work has been largely confined to TV but with an impressive resume that includes Twin Peaks, Hill Street Blues and The Six Million Dollar Man. Rumors have indicated the studios might want a more tongue in cheek approach for this film but with Frost's varied background, it's a little hard to say what he might do with it. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Dogville: Lions Gate has grabbed the North American rights to distribute Lars von Triers' latest film. Despite the presence of Nicole Kidman in the cast, this will not be a big box office film. It's minimalist style and three hour running time will severely curtail its appeal outside of the arthouse crowd. If it's as irritating as Dancer in the Dark, that can only be a good thing. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Casting Couch
The Manchurian Candidate: Meryl Streep has been cast in the role of Mrs. Iselin. That's the role played spectacularly by Angela Lansbury in the original. I'm still not convinced there is a need for this remake but at least they're getting top notch people for the cast.
New Projects
The Woods: M. Night Shyamalan has settled on his next project and it will be called The Woods. Shyamalan signed a new two picture deal with Disney with this being the first film. Ashton Kutcher, Joaquin Phoenix and Kirsten Dunst have all signed up to star. Shooting begins in October in (where else) Philadelphia. The aim is for a summer 2004 release. The story centers on a close knit community in 1897. The woods around the town is filled with a race of supernatural creatures. Shyamalan wrote Phoenix's role specifically for him, calling him "The leader of the pack from his generation of actors." The lead role was written with Dunst in mind, who Shyamalan wanted to work with. As for Kutcher, who would seem out of place here, Shyamalan says "I had a gut feeling about using him in a serious role, much the way I did with Donnie Wahlberg in The Sixth Sense. We'll see. I have to say that bit of casting sets off alarms in my head for a project that otherwise sounds solid. (Variety)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Darren Aronofsky seems to be having some trouble getting out of the gate. Batman: Year One is in limbo. The Fountain lost its star and its financing. So now he turns to an adaptation of the manga comic Lone Wolf and Cub, the story of a disgraced samurai traveling the land with his baby. Not exactly a concept that excites me but if it gets him directing again, I'm a happy camper. The guy who gave us Pi and Requiem for a Dream simply needs to keep giving us great films. (Variety)
Soul Plane: Tom Arnold will return to acting with the comedy Soul Plane for MGM. He will co-star with Kevin Hart with Jessy Terrerro directing. The movie is described as a modern urban version of Airplane. Hart plays a young man who turned a frivolous lawsuit into his own airline. Arnold plays the father of a family that accidently ends up on the first flight of this airline and its all black passenger list. I suppose this could have possibilities but the presence of Arnold pretty much anihilates any interest I might have. True Lies was a fluke. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Three Way Split: Joy Bryant, Gina Gershon, Desmond Harrington, Ali Larter and Dominic Purcell are all on board for the black comedy Three Way Split. Scott Ziehl is directing Russell Marleau's script adapting Gil Brewer's novel Wild to Possess. Shooting starts June 8. I can't really get any feel for this but I'll say that Gershon is still in my doghouse after Driven. (The Hollywood Reporter)
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