The They Live episode of Wtf Happened to This Adaptation? was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian. Here is the text of Hatfield’s script:
I bet you thought when we started covering adaptations that we would be going to the Stephen King well more than a few times and believe me, we will. Today though, we are covering our second John Carpenter helmed adaptation after we discussed The Thing in the inaugural episode. While that one was pretty well known for being a more faithful adaptation of the book his hero Howard Hawks had adapted, not a lot of people may realize that They Live was sparked from a very short comic that adapted a very short story.
We came here to chew bubble gum and find out what the f*ck happened to this adaptation,...
I bet you thought when we started covering adaptations that we would be going to the Stephen King well more than a few times and believe me, we will. Today though, we are covering our second John Carpenter helmed adaptation after we discussed The Thing in the inaugural episode. While that one was pretty well known for being a more faithful adaptation of the book his hero Howard Hawks had adapted, not a lot of people may realize that They Live was sparked from a very short comic that adapted a very short story.
We came here to chew bubble gum and find out what the f*ck happened to this adaptation,...
- 3/27/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Peter S. Davis, the producer of the popular cult Highlander franchise, died in his sleep February 21 at home in Calabasas, CA, his son, Epic magazine co-founder Joshua Davis, told Deadline. He was 79.
Davis began his career as a Wall Street lawyer and launched his own firm in his 20s before heading to Hollywood in 1977. He produced more than 20 films during his career, including the early Brad Pitt starrer Cutting Class (1988), Joe Pesci’s Family Enforcer aka Death Collector (1976), and Sam Peckinpah’s last film The Osterman Weekend (1983). He worked with Bob Shaye and Bill Panzer to produce New Line Cinema’s first film, Stunts starring Robert Forster.
Above all, Davis is known for Highlander (1986), which began as an overlooked script written by UCLA undergrad Gregory Widen. Davis convinced Fox and Thorn/Emi to back the film in the early 1980s and recruited Sean Connery for the role of Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez.
Davis began his career as a Wall Street lawyer and launched his own firm in his 20s before heading to Hollywood in 1977. He produced more than 20 films during his career, including the early Brad Pitt starrer Cutting Class (1988), Joe Pesci’s Family Enforcer aka Death Collector (1976), and Sam Peckinpah’s last film The Osterman Weekend (1983). He worked with Bob Shaye and Bill Panzer to produce New Line Cinema’s first film, Stunts starring Robert Forster.
Above all, Davis is known for Highlander (1986), which began as an overlooked script written by UCLA undergrad Gregory Widen. Davis convinced Fox and Thorn/Emi to back the film in the early 1980s and recruited Sean Connery for the role of Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez.
- 2/23/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Peter S. Davis, the producer behind the cult film “Highlander,” died this past weekend at his home in Calabasas, California, at the age of 79.
Davis was key to the creation of the hit 1986 film, having discovered the initial screenplay written by Gregory Widen while he was a student at UCLA. Davis gathered the team behind the film, including financing from studio Thorn Emi. But the biggest get for Davis was the casting of the late Sean Connery as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, the immortal warrior who welcomes Christopher Lambert’s Connor MacLeod into the battle among immortals to gain an unknown but powerful prize.
“The Highlander” struggled when it was first released, but began to gain a cult following in Europe and later in the U.S. when it was released on VHS. Soon, the mantra “there can be only one” became a part of pop culture, with MacLeod becoming a star-making role for Lambert.
Davis was key to the creation of the hit 1986 film, having discovered the initial screenplay written by Gregory Widen while he was a student at UCLA. Davis gathered the team behind the film, including financing from studio Thorn Emi. But the biggest get for Davis was the casting of the late Sean Connery as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, the immortal warrior who welcomes Christopher Lambert’s Connor MacLeod into the battle among immortals to gain an unknown but powerful prize.
“The Highlander” struggled when it was first released, but began to gain a cult following in Europe and later in the U.S. when it was released on VHS. Soon, the mantra “there can be only one” became a part of pop culture, with MacLeod becoming a star-making role for Lambert.
- 2/23/2021
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Peter S. Davis, the colorful producer on the Christopher Lambert-starring 1986 film Highlander that launched a bevy of sequels, television offshoots and video games, has died. He was 79.
Davis died Sunday in his sleep at his home in Calabasas, his son, Joshua Davis, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Davis produced other features including The Death Collector (1976), starring Joe Pesci in his first credited role; Stunts (1977), starring Robert Forster in an early New Line Cinema film; The Osterman Weekend (1983), director Sam Peckinpah’s final feature; and Cutting Class (1989), featuring a young Brad Pitt.
Highlander began as an overlooked script about immortals written by UCLA undergrad Gregory ...
Davis died Sunday in his sleep at his home in Calabasas, his son, Joshua Davis, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Davis produced other features including The Death Collector (1976), starring Joe Pesci in his first credited role; Stunts (1977), starring Robert Forster in an early New Line Cinema film; The Osterman Weekend (1983), director Sam Peckinpah’s final feature; and Cutting Class (1989), featuring a young Brad Pitt.
Highlander began as an overlooked script about immortals written by UCLA undergrad Gregory ...
- 2/23/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Peter S. Davis, the colorful producer on the Christopher Lambert-starring 1986 film Highlander that launched a bevy of sequels, television offshoots and video games, has died. He was 79.
Davis died Sunday in his sleep at his home in Calabasas, his son, Joshua Davis, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Davis produced other features including The Death Collector (1976), starring Joe Pesci in his first credited role; Stunts (1977), starring Robert Forster in an early New Line Cinema film; The Osterman Weekend (1983), director Sam Peckinpah’s final feature; and Cutting Class (1989), featuring a young Brad Pitt.
Highlander began as an overlooked script about immortals written by UCLA undergrad Gregory ...
Davis died Sunday in his sleep at his home in Calabasas, his son, Joshua Davis, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Davis produced other features including The Death Collector (1976), starring Joe Pesci in his first credited role; Stunts (1977), starring Robert Forster in an early New Line Cinema film; The Osterman Weekend (1983), director Sam Peckinpah’s final feature; and Cutting Class (1989), featuring a young Brad Pitt.
Highlander began as an overlooked script about immortals written by UCLA undergrad Gregory ...
- 2/23/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Harry Clein, 82, co-founder of Hollywood PR agencies Clein + Feldman and Clein + White, died June 18 in Atlanta. He suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.
I first met Clein in Manhattan in 1978 when I worked in the United Artists publicity bullpen at 729 Seventh Ave. He represented Alan J. Pakula on the western “Comes a Horseman,” starring James Caan and Jane Fonda. He admired my Annie Hall vests and fedoras; we bonded over his encyclopedic knowledge of film and Broadway musicals, and remained friends as he founded bicoastal press agency Clein + Feldman in 1981 with Bruce Feldman. Their first client, Pakula’s “Sophie’s Choice,” won Meryl Streep her second acting Oscar.
When I first moved to Los Angeles as the West Coast Editor of Film Comment, Clein + Feldman hired me to be the unit publicist on what would turn out to be Sam Peckinpah’s last movie, “The Osterman Weekend” (1983), starring Rutger Hauer, Dennis Hopper,...
I first met Clein in Manhattan in 1978 when I worked in the United Artists publicity bullpen at 729 Seventh Ave. He represented Alan J. Pakula on the western “Comes a Horseman,” starring James Caan and Jane Fonda. He admired my Annie Hall vests and fedoras; we bonded over his encyclopedic knowledge of film and Broadway musicals, and remained friends as he founded bicoastal press agency Clein + Feldman in 1981 with Bruce Feldman. Their first client, Pakula’s “Sophie’s Choice,” won Meryl Streep her second acting Oscar.
When I first moved to Los Angeles as the West Coast Editor of Film Comment, Clein + Feldman hired me to be the unit publicist on what would turn out to be Sam Peckinpah’s last movie, “The Osterman Weekend” (1983), starring Rutger Hauer, Dennis Hopper,...
- 7/24/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Harry Clein, 82, co-founder of Hollywood PR agencies Clein + Feldman and Clein + White, died June 18 in Atlanta. He suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.
I first met Clein in Manhattan in 1978 when I worked in the United Artists publicity bullpen at 729 Seventh Ave. He represented Alan J. Pakula on the western “Comes a Horseman,” starring James Caan and Jane Fonda. He admired my Annie Hall vests and fedoras; we bonded over his encyclopedic knowledge of film and Broadway musicals, and remained friends as he founded bicoastal press agency Clein + Feldman in 1981 with Bruce Feldman. Their first client, Pakula’s “Sophie’s Choice,” won Meryl Streep her second Best Actress Oscar.
When I first moved to Los Angeles as the West Coast Editor of Film Comment, Clein + Feldman hired me to be the unit publicist on what would turn out to be Sam Peckinpah’s last movie, “The Osterman Weekend” (1983), starring Rutger Hauer,...
I first met Clein in Manhattan in 1978 when I worked in the United Artists publicity bullpen at 729 Seventh Ave. He represented Alan J. Pakula on the western “Comes a Horseman,” starring James Caan and Jane Fonda. He admired my Annie Hall vests and fedoras; we bonded over his encyclopedic knowledge of film and Broadway musicals, and remained friends as he founded bicoastal press agency Clein + Feldman in 1981 with Bruce Feldman. Their first client, Pakula’s “Sophie’s Choice,” won Meryl Streep her second Best Actress Oscar.
When I first moved to Los Angeles as the West Coast Editor of Film Comment, Clein + Feldman hired me to be the unit publicist on what would turn out to be Sam Peckinpah’s last movie, “The Osterman Weekend” (1983), starring Rutger Hauer,...
- 7/24/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Stuck together in close quarters, usually at a remote house somewhere, a small group of people tell truths, play mind games, and watch their relationships (and lives) gradually unravel. It’s a genre as classic and variable as Polanski’s “Cul-de-Sac,” Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” Peckinpah’s “The Osterman Weekend,” or Aronofsky’s “Mother!” And it almost always comes in one of two flavors: high-end psychodrama or low-end thriller.
The hooky thing about “The Rental,” the first feature directed by Dave Franco, is that in just 88 minutes the film exploits, and exhausts, more or less every possibility of the late-night-domestic-bull-session-in-hell pressure-cooker genre. It starts off as a shrewdly arresting four-hander about two couples spending a weekend getaway at a fabulous cliffside cottage along the Pacific Ocean — a kind of dark-and-stormy indie soap-opera noir on ecstasy. Then it evolves into a suspense drama of sex, lies, and (secret) videotape.
The hooky thing about “The Rental,” the first feature directed by Dave Franco, is that in just 88 minutes the film exploits, and exhausts, more or less every possibility of the late-night-domestic-bull-session-in-hell pressure-cooker genre. It starts off as a shrewdly arresting four-hander about two couples spending a weekend getaway at a fabulous cliffside cottage along the Pacific Ocean — a kind of dark-and-stormy indie soap-opera noir on ecstasy. Then it evolves into a suspense drama of sex, lies, and (secret) videotape.
- 7/20/2020
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Acclaimed stuntman and action director extraordinaire Jesse V. Johnson joins us to discuss the U.S. based action films and filmmakers that have influenced him the most.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
On The Waterfront (1954)
Fultah Fisher’s Boarding House (1922)
Undisputed (2002)
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
Undisputed III: Redemption (2010)
Boyka: Undisputed (2016)
The Killer Elite (1975)
Convoy (1978)
The Osterman Weekend (1983)
Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Birdcage (1996)
Cross of Iron (1977)
Electra Glide in Blue (1973)
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974)
Easy Rider (1969)
Fail Safe (1964)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Ride The High Country (1962)
Major Dundee (1965)
Jinxed! (1982)
Beowulf (2007)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
The Girl Hunters (1963)
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)
Point Blank (1967)
Falling Down (1993)
M (1951)
M (1931)
The Black Vampire (1953)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Scum (1979)
Elephant (1989)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), possibly Joe’s favorite John Ford...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
On The Waterfront (1954)
Fultah Fisher’s Boarding House (1922)
Undisputed (2002)
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
Undisputed III: Redemption (2010)
Boyka: Undisputed (2016)
The Killer Elite (1975)
Convoy (1978)
The Osterman Weekend (1983)
Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Birdcage (1996)
Cross of Iron (1977)
Electra Glide in Blue (1973)
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974)
Easy Rider (1969)
Fail Safe (1964)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Ride The High Country (1962)
Major Dundee (1965)
Jinxed! (1982)
Beowulf (2007)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
The Girl Hunters (1963)
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)
Point Blank (1967)
Falling Down (1993)
M (1951)
M (1931)
The Black Vampire (1953)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Scum (1979)
Elephant (1989)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), possibly Joe’s favorite John Ford...
- 3/24/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Sound Mixer Richard Bryce Goodman Reflects on His Career, From ‘Death Race 2000’ to ‘Ford v Ferrari’
When Richard Bryce Goodman was a young man, his wide-ranging interests included photography, music and philosophy, but it was a present he received while growing up in Baltimore that seems to have had the biggest influence on his career arc.
“I had a darkroom from age 12 where friends and I used to make our own R&b mixes off Wwin radio with a fancy tape recorder that was given to me by a rich uncle,” says Goodman, an Academy Award-nominated sound mixer.
Goodman’s early training was eclectic. In the late ’60s, he attended London’s Slade School of Fine Art, gaining insight into moviemaking from the institution’s in-house film legend, Thorold Dickinson. Returning stateside, he earned a degree in fine art and philosophy from Bucknell University in 1970. He began shooting documentaries around the college’s art classes using a Bolex camera stocked with film short ends from the psych department.
“I had a darkroom from age 12 where friends and I used to make our own R&b mixes off Wwin radio with a fancy tape recorder that was given to me by a rich uncle,” says Goodman, an Academy Award-nominated sound mixer.
Goodman’s early training was eclectic. In the late ’60s, he attended London’s Slade School of Fine Art, gaining insight into moviemaking from the institution’s in-house film legend, Thorold Dickinson. Returning stateside, he earned a degree in fine art and philosophy from Bucknell University in 1970. He began shooting documentaries around the college’s art classes using a Bolex camera stocked with film short ends from the psych department.
- 2/28/2020
- by James C. Udel
- Variety Film + TV
Jake Speed (1986) will available on Blu-ray December 3rd from Arrow Video
More Than A Myth, Less Than A Legend… And A Bit Too Big For His Boots.
When her sister is taken by a gang of white slavers, Margaret knows she needs a hero with a difference to bring her home. Enter Jake Speed, leaping from the pages of pulp thriller novels and into the real world. With Margaret and his trusty sidekick Desmond Floyd, Jake arrives hot on the heels of the kidnappers in a southern African country gripped by civil war. But it soon turns out Jake got more than he bargained for when he discovers that the ringleader of the slavers is none other than his own arch-nemesis: the wicked, criminally insane Sid…
A ripe slice of 80s action cheese in the tradition of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Romancing the Stone, Jake Speed has it all: romance,...
More Than A Myth, Less Than A Legend… And A Bit Too Big For His Boots.
When her sister is taken by a gang of white slavers, Margaret knows she needs a hero with a difference to bring her home. Enter Jake Speed, leaping from the pages of pulp thriller novels and into the real world. With Margaret and his trusty sidekick Desmond Floyd, Jake arrives hot on the heels of the kidnappers in a southern African country gripped by civil war. But it soon turns out Jake got more than he bargained for when he discovers that the ringleader of the slavers is none other than his own arch-nemesis: the wicked, criminally insane Sid…
A ripe slice of 80s action cheese in the tradition of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Romancing the Stone, Jake Speed has it all: romance,...
- 11/19/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Chicago – Cult character actor Rutger Hauer passed away late last month, but the mark he made with his array of performances carried through two generation of admirers, even receiving the honor of Best Dutch Actor of the (20th) Century in 1999. He died on July 19th, 2019, in his native Netherlands. He was 75.
He was born in Breukelen, the Netherlands, to actor parents. After a couple stints in the military, he graduated from the Academy for Theater and Dance in Amsterdam in 1967, and made his TV debut two years later when director Paul Verhoeven cast him in the Dutch medieval action drama “Floris.” His film debut came in 1973 with “Turkish Delight,” and he performed mostly in Dutch films during the 1970s, including work with Verhoeven again on “Solider of Orange” (1977) and “Spetters” (1980).
Although Hauer made one international English language film previously, his American debut came in 1981 with “Nighthawks.” His was unforgettable one...
He was born in Breukelen, the Netherlands, to actor parents. After a couple stints in the military, he graduated from the Academy for Theater and Dance in Amsterdam in 1967, and made his TV debut two years later when director Paul Verhoeven cast him in the Dutch medieval action drama “Floris.” His film debut came in 1973 with “Turkish Delight,” and he performed mostly in Dutch films during the 1970s, including work with Verhoeven again on “Solider of Orange” (1977) and “Spetters” (1980).
Although Hauer made one international English language film previously, his American debut came in 1981 with “Nighthawks.” His was unforgettable one...
- 8/7/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
It is with sadness that we hear the news that last Friday, actor Rutger Hauer died after a brief illness, at the untimely age of 75. His breakthrough as an actor in the Netherlands was in Paul Verhoeven's television series Floris, in which he played a knight, but films soon followed. Verhoeven's Turkish Delight got nominated in 1974 for the best foreign-language Oscar, and introduced Rutger to the international arthouse audiences. But of course he Really shot to fame in the eighties when he played Roy Batty in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, in which he improvised the character's famous final speech. Many memorable roles followed, including the lead in Sam Pakinpah's Ludlum adaptation The Osterman Weekend, the titular hitcher from The Hitcher, and Navarre in...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/25/2019
- Screen Anarchy
Prolific actor Rutger Hauer has died at the age of 75.
Hauer had a long and successful career, often playing the bad guys despite his handsome looks.
Hauer is best known for his role as Roy Batty in Ridley' Scott's 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner.
Hauer died in his Netherlands home on Friday, July 19 of undisclosed causes.
His family did not want the news to be revealed until the completion of his funeral, which was on Wednesday.
His agent, Steve Kanis, told The Hollywood Reporter, "He was a wonderful man and a terrific actor."
The Dutch actor got his start on television with a Dutch TV show called Floris in 1969 and returned to the role of the titular character in 1975.
In 1981, Hauer starred in the thriller Nighthawks with Sylvester Stallone.
After 1982's Blade Runner, Hauer had a lot of movie roles starring in films such as The Osterman Weekend (1983), The Hitcher (1986), and...
Hauer had a long and successful career, often playing the bad guys despite his handsome looks.
Hauer is best known for his role as Roy Batty in Ridley' Scott's 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner.
Hauer died in his Netherlands home on Friday, July 19 of undisclosed causes.
His family did not want the news to be revealed until the completion of his funeral, which was on Wednesday.
His agent, Steve Kanis, told The Hollywood Reporter, "He was a wonderful man and a terrific actor."
The Dutch actor got his start on television with a Dutch TV show called Floris in 1969 and returned to the role of the titular character in 1975.
In 1981, Hauer starred in the thriller Nighthawks with Sylvester Stallone.
After 1982's Blade Runner, Hauer had a lot of movie roles starring in films such as The Osterman Weekend (1983), The Hitcher (1986), and...
- 7/24/2019
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Update: Tributes hit social media Friday night and Saturday morning European time for John Hurt, the prolific two-time Oscar nominee who played so many memorable characters in so many memorable films. Along with Academy Awards noms for The Elephant Man and Midnight Express, he appeared in Best Picture winner A Man for All Seasons, the first and last two Harry Potter films and such popular pics as Alien, V for Vendetta, Rob Roy, 1984, The Osterman Weekend and Mel Brooks’ Hi…...
- 1/28/2017
- Deadline
Update: Tributes hit social media Friday night and Saturday morning European time for John Hurt, the prolific two-time Oscar nominee who played so many memorable characters in so many memorable films. Along with Academy Awards noms for The Elephant Man and Midnight Express, he appeared in Best Picture winner A Man for All Seasons, the first and last two Harry Potter films and such popular pics as Alien, V for Vendetta, Rob Roy, 1984, The Osterman Weekend and Mel Brooks’ Hi…...
- 1/28/2017
- Deadline TV
John Hurt, the Oscar-nominated British actor who starred in films like The Elephant Man, Midnight Express, Alien and the Harry Potter series over a career that spanned more than 50 years, died Friday at the age of 77. Hurt's agent confirmed the actor's death to the BBC.
No cause of death was immediately known, but Hurt revealed in 2015 that he was battling pancreatic cancer. "I can’t say I worry about mortality, but it’s impossible to get to my age and not have a little contemplation of it,” Hurt told the Radio Times after the diagnosis.
No cause of death was immediately known, but Hurt revealed in 2015 that he was battling pancreatic cancer. "I can’t say I worry about mortality, but it’s impossible to get to my age and not have a little contemplation of it,” Hurt told the Radio Times after the diagnosis.
- 1/28/2017
- Rollingstone.com
To celebrate the release of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia – out 23rd January on Blu-ray – we are giving away a copy courtesy of Arrow Video!
Sam Peckinpah’s most personal movie, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is often regarded as his last great masterpiece, concluding the period in which he also made The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs.
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is a beautiful and heartbreaking film with astonishing performances from its two leads, Warren Oates and Isela Vega. Their love story plays out against Peckinpah’s trademark violence as they embark on a manhunt in order to make their fortune. Their commitment to their roles never wavers and they bring their characters to life extraordinarily, giving us a glimpse of the underbelly of humanity.
This gripping film is released with a brand new 4K restoration created exclusively for this limited edition Blu-ray,...
Sam Peckinpah’s most personal movie, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is often regarded as his last great masterpiece, concluding the period in which he also made The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs.
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is a beautiful and heartbreaking film with astonishing performances from its two leads, Warren Oates and Isela Vega. Their love story plays out against Peckinpah’s trademark violence as they embark on a manhunt in order to make their fortune. Their commitment to their roles never wavers and they bring their characters to life extraordinarily, giving us a glimpse of the underbelly of humanity.
This gripping film is released with a brand new 4K restoration created exclusively for this limited edition Blu-ray,...
- 1/11/2017
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Universal Pictures, Mythology Entertainment, Captivate Entertainment and screenwriter James Vanderbilt are all teaming up for a series of films based on the works of "The Bourne Identity" author Robert Ludlum.
Universal was previously working with Captivate on adaptations of not just 'Janson' but Ludlum's "The Parsifal Mosaic," "The Sigma Protocol" and "Covert One". The new deal brings them all under one umbrella and gives them crossover elements.
The first film in this initiative will be an adaptation of "The Janson Directive" starring Dwayne Johnson. Vanderbilt ("The Rundown") will adapt from a story co-written by Akiva Goldsman. Vanderbilt will also co-author two more treatments based on the Ludlum books which have not been named. The treatments will then be adapted into screenplays by scribes yet to be hired.
In the first film he'll play Paul Janson, a former operative who is now the world's best private security consultant. Framed for the...
Universal was previously working with Captivate on adaptations of not just 'Janson' but Ludlum's "The Parsifal Mosaic," "The Sigma Protocol" and "Covert One". The new deal brings them all under one umbrella and gives them crossover elements.
The first film in this initiative will be an adaptation of "The Janson Directive" starring Dwayne Johnson. Vanderbilt ("The Rundown") will adapt from a story co-written by Akiva Goldsman. Vanderbilt will also co-author two more treatments based on the Ludlum books which have not been named. The treatments will then be adapted into screenplays by scribes yet to be hired.
In the first film he'll play Paul Janson, a former operative who is now the world's best private security consultant. Framed for the...
- 5/18/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Jesse Wigutow has been tapped to pen the film adaptation of Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen's sci-fi comic "Descender" at Sony Pictures.
A space opera, the story is set in a time where anything android, robotic or with artificial intelligence is hunted down by bounty hunters and destroyed.
On a distant mining colony, one self-aware and extremely lifelike robot called Tim-21 becomes the target of a galaxy-wide pursuit when it's believed he may hold the key to the destruction of the galaxy.
Tim-21 joins a rag-tag group running from one exotic planet to the next. Lemire and Josh Bratman will produce the film.
Wigutow has become a much in demand scribe whose work really hasn't hit screens yet. In recent times he re-wrote the currently in production "Bad Santa 2," just finished adapting Brian Michael Bendis' graphic novel "Fire," and previously did script work on the proposed "Tron: Legacy" sequel,...
A space opera, the story is set in a time where anything android, robotic or with artificial intelligence is hunted down by bounty hunters and destroyed.
On a distant mining colony, one self-aware and extremely lifelike robot called Tim-21 becomes the target of a galaxy-wide pursuit when it's believed he may hold the key to the destruction of the galaxy.
Tim-21 joins a rag-tag group running from one exotic planet to the next. Lemire and Josh Bratman will produce the film.
Wigutow has become a much in demand scribe whose work really hasn't hit screens yet. In recent times he re-wrote the currently in production "Bad Santa 2," just finished adapting Brian Michael Bendis' graphic novel "Fire," and previously did script work on the proposed "Tron: Legacy" sequel,...
- 2/3/2016
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
How would you program this year's newest, most interesting films into double features with movies of the past you saw in 2015?Looking back over the year at what films moved and impressed us, it is clear that watching old films is a crucial part of making new films meaningful. Thus, the annual tradition of our end of year poll, which calls upon our writers to pick both a new and an old film: they were challenged to choose a new film they saw in 2015—in theatres or at a festival—and creatively pair it with an old film they also saw in 2015 to create a unique double feature.All the contributors were given the option to write some text explaining their 2015 fantasy double feature. What's more, each writer was given the option to list more pairings, with or without explanation, as further imaginative film programming we'd be lucky to catch...
- 1/4/2016
- by Notebook
- MUBI
In 1988, Dennis Hopper directed the controversial cop drama Colors, now reissued on Blu-ray. Ryan takes a look back at a gripping film...
By the spring of 1988, several high-profile cases had brought the gang violence in Los Angeles to national attention. The fatal shootings of an 18-year-old college student and her 12-year-old neighbour were, according to a newspaper report, the 113th and 114th gang-related murders to have occurred in La County since the start of the beginning of 1988. The previous year saw 387 people killed in gang-related incidents.
Against this backdrop came Colors, Dennis Hopper’s unflinching and disturbingly authentic crime drama starring Robert Duvall and Sean Penn. Some of the film’s harshest critics called it exploitative and voyeuristic - a calculated attempt to cash in on the real violence that was regularly making headlines. Colors’ detractors were given further fuel when reports began to circulate of violent incidents occurring in...
By the spring of 1988, several high-profile cases had brought the gang violence in Los Angeles to national attention. The fatal shootings of an 18-year-old college student and her 12-year-old neighbour were, according to a newspaper report, the 113th and 114th gang-related murders to have occurred in La County since the start of the beginning of 1988. The previous year saw 387 people killed in gang-related incidents.
Against this backdrop came Colors, Dennis Hopper’s unflinching and disturbingly authentic crime drama starring Robert Duvall and Sean Penn. Some of the film’s harshest critics called it exploitative and voyeuristic - a calculated attempt to cash in on the real violence that was regularly making headlines. Colors’ detractors were given further fuel when reports began to circulate of violent incidents occurring in...
- 8/24/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
This article by Fernando Ganzo is an excerpt from Capricci's monograph Sam Peckinpah, edited by Ganzo, which accompanies this year's retrospective at the Locarno Film Festival.Warren Oates in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. © Park Circus / MGM“Don’t ever ruin your career as a loser with a shitty success.”—Jorge OteizaThere is only one thing that can be said about a person as erratic, contradictory, mythomaniac, complex and profound as Sam Peckinpah: here is a director who was made in the image of his characters, those men who belong to a different era, born too late, in a world that opposed all freedom and eccentricity. We like to describe Peckinpah as one of the fathers of New Hollywood, of the baroque aesthetic of the 1970s, as someone who had a primordial and often regrettable influence on that particular style. This is not completely false. However, this...
- 8/4/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Hong Sang-soo's Right Now, Wrong Then.The lineup for the 2015 festival has been revealed, including new films by Hong Sang-soo, Andrzej Zulawski, Chantal Akerman, Athina Rachel Tsangari, and others, alongside retrospectives and tributes dedicated to Sam Peckinpah, Michael Cimino, Bulle Ogier, and much more.Piazza GRANDERicki and the Flash (Jonathan Demme, USA)La belle saison (Catherine Corsini, France)Le dernier passage (Pascal Magontier, France)Der staat gegen Fritz Bauer (Lars Kraume, Germany)Southpaw (Antoine Fuqua, USA)Trainwreck (Judd Apatow, USA)Jack (Elisabeth Scharang, Austria)Floride (Philippe Le Guay, France)The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino, UK/USA)Erlkönig (Georges Schwizgebel, Switzerland)Guibord s'en va-t-en guerre (Philippe Falardeau, Canada)Bombay Velvet (Anurag Kashyap, India)Pastorale cilentana (Mario Martone, Italy)La vanite (Lionel Baier, Switzerland/France)The Laundryman (Lee Chung, Taiwan)Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, USA) I pugni ni tasca (Marco Bellocchio, Italy)Heliopolis (Sérgio Machado, Brazil)Amnesia (Barbet Schroeder,...
- 7/20/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce that we are now the North American home for Locarno Film Festival Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian's blog. Chatrian has been writing thoughtful blog entries in Italian on Locarno's website since he took over as Director in late 2012, and now you can find the English translations here on Notebook as they're published. To kick things off, we're posting his piece on Sam Peckinpah, who was recently announced to be the subject of the festival's epic retrospective this year. The Locarno Film Festival will be taking place August 5th to 15th. ***The life of Sam Peckinpah sits like a splendid diamond set between two glorious eras for American cinema, one already on the decline and the other still to come. Retracing his career means looking as much at the great classical tradition that preceded him as at the new directors currently leaving their mark on the imagination.
- 3/22/2015
- by Carlo Chatrian
- MUBI
Dwayne Johnson is in early talks to star in and produce a film adaptation of "The Bourne Identity" author Robert Ludlum's "The Janson Directive" at Universal Pictures.
Published in 2002, the story follows Paul Janson, an ex-Navy Seal whose sadistic C.O. in Vietnam turned him over to the enemy. He escaped and returned with evidence of war crimes that caused his Co's execution.
Years late, Janson is now a private security consultant whose latest job is rescuing an important man. When the job is botched, he is targeted for termination and his investigations lead him to uncover a massive scandal.
The studio reportedly sees this as another potential 'Bourne' style franchise but with Johnson in the lead. Writers are currently being sought to pen the script as a previous draft by John Hlavin has been scrapped.
The project is one of several film adaptations of Ludlum books in development.
Published in 2002, the story follows Paul Janson, an ex-Navy Seal whose sadistic C.O. in Vietnam turned him over to the enemy. He escaped and returned with evidence of war crimes that caused his Co's execution.
Years late, Janson is now a private security consultant whose latest job is rescuing an important man. When the job is botched, he is targeted for termination and his investigations lead him to uncover a massive scandal.
The studio reportedly sees this as another potential 'Bourne' style franchise but with Johnson in the lead. Writers are currently being sought to pen the script as a previous draft by John Hlavin has been scrapped.
The project is one of several film adaptations of Ludlum books in development.
- 7/8/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
So many names have been tossed around over the years for The Crow reboot, but news started to pick up over the last few weeks. You may have heard rumors of Tom Hiddleston and Alexander Skarsgard, but someone else is going to be playing Eric Draven. According to Deadline, Luke Evans is currently in negotiations to start in Relativity’s remake of The Crow.
Evans was previously seen in The Raven and Immortals, and recently signed on for Universal’s new Dracula movie. Before he appears in Dracula, we’ll see him as the villain in Fast & Furious 6 this summer. Apparently, Evans has been the first choice for the role, but his busy schedule was causing conflicts. In order to accommodate his schedule, the movie will not begin filming until next year.
Back in January, 2012, Relativity Media announced that F. Javier Gutiérre would direct the movie and Jesse Wigutow would write the script.
Evans was previously seen in The Raven and Immortals, and recently signed on for Universal’s new Dracula movie. Before he appears in Dracula, we’ll see him as the villain in Fast & Furious 6 this summer. Apparently, Evans has been the first choice for the role, but his busy schedule was causing conflicts. In order to accommodate his schedule, the movie will not begin filming until next year.
Back in January, 2012, Relativity Media announced that F. Javier Gutiérre would direct the movie and Jesse Wigutow would write the script.
- 5/4/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Swashbuckling screenwriter behind Rob Roy, Ulzana's Raid and Night Moves
Alan Sharp, who has died of brain cancer aged 79, once claimed that as a screenwriter he was most interested in "moral ambiguity, mixed motives and irony", all of which are applicable to two of his best movies, the western Ulzana's Raid (1972), directed by Robert Aldrich, and the thriller Night Moves (1975), directed by Arthur Penn. Most of his screenplays were written in the 1970s and reflect the era in which America was suffering the effects of the Vietnam war and post-Watergate paranoia. This goes some way to explaining the bleakness and cynical sense of destiny in Sharp's films, which he called "existential melodramas".
He was born in Alyth, near Dundee. Although the majority of his scripts were set in the Us, where he lived for many years, Scotland remained pre-eminent in his character and culture. His script for Rob Roy (1995), a...
Alan Sharp, who has died of brain cancer aged 79, once claimed that as a screenwriter he was most interested in "moral ambiguity, mixed motives and irony", all of which are applicable to two of his best movies, the western Ulzana's Raid (1972), directed by Robert Aldrich, and the thriller Night Moves (1975), directed by Arthur Penn. Most of his screenplays were written in the 1970s and reflect the era in which America was suffering the effects of the Vietnam war and post-Watergate paranoia. This goes some way to explaining the bleakness and cynical sense of destiny in Sharp's films, which he called "existential melodramas".
He was born in Alyth, near Dundee. Although the majority of his scripts were set in the Us, where he lived for many years, Scotland remained pre-eminent in his character and culture. His script for Rob Roy (1995), a...
- 2/14/2013
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
I had the pleasure of meeting novelist/screenwriter Alan Sharp while preparing the production notes for the 1983 Sam Peckinpah movie "The Osterman Weekend," which was to be the director's last. While that film did not mark either man's finest hour, Sharp was one of Hollywood's most respected screenwriters; he specialized in muscular western noir. He died last weekend at the age of 78 after a long illness. Born in Scotland, after writing a series of novels, Sharp wrote the screenplays for Peter Fonda's 1971 follow-up to "Easy Rider," "The Hired Hand," co-starring Fonda and Warren Oates; Robert Aldrich western "Ulzana's Raid" (1972), starring Burt Lancaster; Arthur Penn's iconic private eye thriller "Night Moves" (1975), starring Gene Hackman and Melanie Griffith; and Michael Caton-Jones' 1995 Highland outlaw epic "Rob Roy," starring Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange. Sharp also directed the...
- 2/13/2013
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Novelist and film and television writer Alan Sharp has died. Sharp passed away on February 8 in Los Angeles after a long illness, CAA said in a statement. He was 79. Sharp, a Scotland native, launched his writing career in 1965 with A Green Tree In Gedde. The acclaimed novel, initially banned in Scotland for its sexual content, won the 1967 Scottish Arts Council Award and was the first of a proposed trilogy. The second novel in the trilogy, The Wind Shifts, was published in 1968. The third, Don’t Cry, It’s Only A Picture Show, was left incomplete when Sharp relocated to Hollywood to focus on screenwriting for film and television. Sharp went on to pen screenplays for as many as 20 feature films, including Rob Roy, Night Moves, The Osterman Weekend, Little Treasure, and Dean Spanley. Sharp also wrote the screenplay for the mini-series Ben-Hur, which aired on CBC in Canada and ABC in the U.
- 2/11/2013
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Even though a sequel arrived 28 years after the first innovative sci-fi Tron film, Disney head honcho Alan Horn has put the next Tron project on the fast track.
Therefore, writer Jesse Tigutow has been hired to write a new draft for the project that still has Joseph Kosinski attached to direct. In the summer of 2011 David Digilio wrote an earlier draft of the Tron 3 script.
Wigutow previously wrote 2003s It Runs In The Family, the screenplay that is a very different one to Tron, and has been at work on Parallels and Peter And The Starcatchers for Disney as well as a remake of The Crow, and a do-over of The Osterman Weekend.
It’s not clear is Wigutow taking a stab at re-writing a draft penned by Digilio or if he’s starting over, planning something less costly than Tron: Legacy.
Director Kosinski, who is currently finishing post-production on Oblivion with Tom Cruise,...
Therefore, writer Jesse Tigutow has been hired to write a new draft for the project that still has Joseph Kosinski attached to direct. In the summer of 2011 David Digilio wrote an earlier draft of the Tron 3 script.
Wigutow previously wrote 2003s It Runs In The Family, the screenplay that is a very different one to Tron, and has been at work on Parallels and Peter And The Starcatchers for Disney as well as a remake of The Crow, and a do-over of The Osterman Weekend.
It’s not clear is Wigutow taking a stab at re-writing a draft penned by Digilio or if he’s starting over, planning something less costly than Tron: Legacy.
Director Kosinski, who is currently finishing post-production on Oblivion with Tom Cruise,...
- 12/7/2012
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
Having helmed key episodes of such heralded TV dramas as Dexter, Luther, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones, Brian Kirk is a hotly sought director in both television and film. Within the past year he's been a contender for the director's chair on Thor 2 and then for a fresh adaptation of Robert Ludlum's The Osterman Weekend as well as a possible Tom Cruise vehicle titled Paper Wings. Talk on the latter two has subsided, and Thor: The Dark World ultimately went to another Game of Thrones director, Alan Taylor, but Kirk is poised to finally make a follow-up to his film debut, 2006's Middleton, with Universal's English-language remake of the Icelandic crime drama Jar City. The La Times calls Jar City a "cold-case-in-a-cold-place tale" in the vein of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Based on Arnaldur Indriðason's best-selling novel, the film focused on a detective who...
- 9/24/2012
- cinemablend.com
New photos from Looper, Lawless, Wreck-It Ralph, Pacific Rim, Oz: The Great and Powerful, Beautiful Creatures, End of Watch, Frozen Ground, and The Last Days on Mars.
Posters for Lawless, Life of Pi, Wuthering Heights, The Master, Bachelorette, The Dinosaur Project, The Ambassador, Fun Size, Total Recall, The Last Stand, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, Gangster Squad, Detropia, Lawless, A Common Man, Resident Evil: Retribution, The Oranges, The Impossible, Item 47, General Education, The Possession, and The Expendables 2.
"Producer Ben Smith says that casting begins next week on the new adaptation of Robert Ludlum's 'The Osterman Weekend' from Lionsgate-Summit…" (full details)
"Canadian screenwriter Arne Olsen ("Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie") is to adapt Richard Comely's iconic masked crusader "Captain Canuck" into a live-action feature for Mind's Eye Entertainment…" (full details)
"A scene from Zack Snyder's 'Man of Steel' has Superman 'breaking apart a...
Posters for Lawless, Life of Pi, Wuthering Heights, The Master, Bachelorette, The Dinosaur Project, The Ambassador, Fun Size, Total Recall, The Last Stand, Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, Gangster Squad, Detropia, Lawless, A Common Man, Resident Evil: Retribution, The Oranges, The Impossible, Item 47, General Education, The Possession, and The Expendables 2.
"Producer Ben Smith says that casting begins next week on the new adaptation of Robert Ludlum's 'The Osterman Weekend' from Lionsgate-Summit…" (full details)
"Canadian screenwriter Arne Olsen ("Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie") is to adapt Richard Comely's iconic masked crusader "Captain Canuck" into a live-action feature for Mind's Eye Entertainment…" (full details)
"A scene from Zack Snyder's 'Man of Steel' has Superman 'breaking apart a...
- 7/23/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Although Robert Ludlum fans likely have their immediate focus on August 10th's release of The Bourne Legacy , they should be pleased to hear that another of the author's popular works is still underway at Lionsgate. Speaking with ComingSoon.net at a press conference this afternoon for the Tony Gilroy film, producer Ben Smith offered an update on The Osterman Weekend . "We are beginning to cast that in the next week," he said, indicating the project is a go at the studio. Set prior to the Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate merge, the film was drafted by Jesse Wigutow ( It Runs in the Family ), based on Ludlum's espionage thriller. The novel was previously adapted into a film by Sam Peckinpah (his final work) in 1983. Check back for casting details on the project as...
- 7/20/2012
- Comingsoon.net
The Broadway play Peter and the Starcatchers , based on Dave Barry and Ridley Pierson's bestselling children's book, is already a huge hit, having received nine Tony Award nominations earlier this month, and now Walt Disney Pictures (whose publishing division Hyperion released the original book) have hired writer Jesse Wigutow to adapt the book into a movie with likely franchise potential. The book tells the backstory of the iconic Peter Pan character with Barry and Pierson already working on a series of books set in the same word. Wigutow is fairly hot right now with his adaptation of Robert Ludlum's thriller The Osterman Weekend in development at Summit with director Brian Kirk ("Game of Thrones") and a reboot of The Crow at Relativity Media with F. Javier...
- 5/17/2012
- Comingsoon.net
Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire director Brian Kirk is currently in talks to direct the feature film adaptation of Robert Ludlum's novel The Osterman Weekend.
The script for the film was written by Simon Kinberg and Jesse Wigutow, and the story sounds pretty awesome. I've read a few of Ludlum's novels over the years, but not this one. According to Deadline, the story is a conspiracy murder mystery that follows the man on the run. "On the eve of an annual weekend getaway with friends, John Tanner is visited by a reporter who tells him his friends aren’t who he thinks they are. When the reporter turns up dead, Tanner gets caught in downward spiral of doubt and paranoia and, ultimately, a desperate fight to stay alive long enough to figure out who he can trust and who’s out to kill him."
This would be the...
The script for the film was written by Simon Kinberg and Jesse Wigutow, and the story sounds pretty awesome. I've read a few of Ludlum's novels over the years, but not this one. According to Deadline, the story is a conspiracy murder mystery that follows the man on the run. "On the eve of an annual weekend getaway with friends, John Tanner is visited by a reporter who tells him his friends aren’t who he thinks they are. When the reporter turns up dead, Tanner gets caught in downward spiral of doubt and paranoia and, ultimately, a desperate fight to stay alive long enough to figure out who he can trust and who’s out to kill him."
This would be the...
- 2/29/2012
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
In the last few years director Brian Kirk has been making the rounds on some of the most acclaimed television fhosws on either side of the pond right now, from Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones over here to Great Expectations and the Idris Elba-led Luther over the UK. It was only a matter of time before that kind of classy work led to bigger things for Kirk, and now it looks like he may move on to something much, much bigger. According to Deadline Kirk is now in talks to direct The Osterman Weekend, the Robert Ludlum adaptation set up at Lionsgate/Summit that's their brazen attempt to get in on some of that Bourne series cash. The fact that it's clearly Bourne inspired shouldn't take away from the potential of the project. Osterman Weekend was already adapted once into a 1983 film directed by the great Sam Peckinpah,...
- 2/29/2012
- cinemablend.com
He may have missed out on helming the "Thor" sequel, but that hasn't stopped demand for the skill of Brian Kirk who has entered talks to direct the long-gestating adaptation of "The Osterman Weekend" at Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment and Captivate Entertainment reports Deadline.
The second and shortest novel of 'Bourne' series author Robert Ludlum, the story has the host of an investigative news show becoming convinced by a CIA agent that the friends he has invited to a weekend getaway in the country are engaged in a Kgb conspiracy that threatens national security.
The book was adapted once before in 1983 and marked the final film of trend-setting helmer Sam Peckinpah's career. John Hurt, Craig T. Nelson, Rutger Hauer, Dennis Hopper, Meg Foster, Burt Lancaster and Chris Sarandon all starred.
Simon Kinberg and Jesse Wigutow penned the reboot which ditches the Cold War and spy elements and will switch around some of the occupations.
The second and shortest novel of 'Bourne' series author Robert Ludlum, the story has the host of an investigative news show becoming convinced by a CIA agent that the friends he has invited to a weekend getaway in the country are engaged in a Kgb conspiracy that threatens national security.
The book was adapted once before in 1983 and marked the final film of trend-setting helmer Sam Peckinpah's career. John Hurt, Craig T. Nelson, Rutger Hauer, Dennis Hopper, Meg Foster, Burt Lancaster and Chris Sarandon all starred.
Simon Kinberg and Jesse Wigutow penned the reboot which ditches the Cold War and spy elements and will switch around some of the occupations.
- 2/29/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Bourne author Robert Ludlum‘s Hollywood tour continues, as we’ve just learned another one of his novels is making its way to the big screen. According to Deadline, Irish director Brian Kirk is in talks to helm The Osterman Weekend, a Lionsgate/Summit project based on Ludlum‘s 1972 novel of the same name.
The adaptation will be scripted by Simon Kinberg and Jesse Wigutow, telling a story that mixes, in true Ludlum fashion, “conspiracy, murder and a man on the run.” The novel follows John Tanner, who, on the eve of an annual weekend getaway with his friends, “is visited by a reporter who tells him his friends aren’t who he thinks they are. When the reporter turns up dead, Tanner gets caught in downward spiral of doubt and paranoia and, ultimately, a desperate fight to stay alive long enough to figure out who he can trust and...
The adaptation will be scripted by Simon Kinberg and Jesse Wigutow, telling a story that mixes, in true Ludlum fashion, “conspiracy, murder and a man on the run.” The novel follows John Tanner, who, on the eve of an annual weekend getaway with his friends, “is visited by a reporter who tells him his friends aren’t who he thinks they are. When the reporter turns up dead, Tanner gets caught in downward spiral of doubt and paranoia and, ultimately, a desperate fight to stay alive long enough to figure out who he can trust and...
- 2/29/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
The new adaptation of Robert Ludlum’s thriller novel The Osterman Weekend has been through the hands of one or two directors already, with Doug Liman and Robert Schwentke both attached at different times. Now it looks like Game Of Thrones director Brian Kirk is the next in line to take a crack.Kirk, who has also worked on the most recent stab at Great Expectations for the Beeb and other TV including Luther, Boardwalk Empire and HBO’s latest, Luck, has one film credit – Middletown – under his belt. He hit the radar last year when he was in the running to direct Thor 2, but ended up losing the gig to fellow Thrones man Alan Taylor. If he does handle Osterman, Kirk will bring a story full of paranoia to the screen. The plot finds a man named John Tanner about to enjoy his annual weekend getaway with friends.
- 2/28/2012
- EmpireOnline
You would think with the massive success of the 'Bourne' franchise, studios would be falling over themselves to develop anything by Robert Ludlum to the big screen but it has been slow going. Outside that series, the last Ludlum property to get produced was the TV mini series "Covert One: The Hades Factor" in 2006. But the wheels have been turning on "The Osterman Weekend" for a long time now and a new director has taken the film.
TV veteran Brian Kirk ("Game Of Thrones," "Luther") who was tapped to direct "Thor 2" early on before leaving the gig, has now added "The Osterman Weekend" to his growing plate of projects. Penned by Jesse Wigutow ("It Runs In The Family") and Simon Kinberg ("Sherlock Holmes," "Mr. and Mrs. Smith") the thriller centers on John Tanner, who is told by a reporter that his friends aren't who they say they are. The reporter then turns up dead,...
TV veteran Brian Kirk ("Game Of Thrones," "Luther") who was tapped to direct "Thor 2" early on before leaving the gig, has now added "The Osterman Weekend" to his growing plate of projects. Penned by Jesse Wigutow ("It Runs In The Family") and Simon Kinberg ("Sherlock Holmes," "Mr. and Mrs. Smith") the thriller centers on John Tanner, who is told by a reporter that his friends aren't who they say they are. The reporter then turns up dead,...
- 2/28/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Though plans to have the "Game of Thrones" and "Boardwalk Empire" director take on the sequel to Thor fell through, Brian Kirk has found another film project instead. Deadline has word that Kirk is in talks to direct The Osterman Weekend, based on Robert Ludlum's conspiracy thriller novel of the same name. Robert Schwentke (Red) was circling the project before, but now Kirk will adapt the book for Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment. However, this won't be the first time the book has seen big screen action as Sam Peckinpah previously turned the book into a film back in 1983 with Rutger Hauer and John Hurt. Read on! The story follows a man name John Tanner who, whilst enjoying a getaway with some friends, learns from a reporter that his buddies aren't who they seem. But it's not until the reporter turns up dead that Tanner finds himself paranoid, on the...
- 2/28/2012
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Brian Kirk is in talks to direct The Osterman Weekend, the adaptation of the Robert Ludlum novel for Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment and Captivate Entertainment. The Irish helmer is also developing Paper Wings at Sony as a potential Tom Cruise vehicle, as well as the Guillermo Del Toro-produced Midnight Delivery at Universal. He most recently directed the BBC miniseries Great Expectations and helmed several episodes of the Idris Elba series Luther. Scripted by Simon Kinberg and Jesse Wigutow, The Osterman Weekend is classic Ludlum, mixing conspiracy, murder and a man on the run. On the eve of an annual weekend getaway with friends, John Tanner is visited by a reporter who tells him his friends aren’t who he thinks they are. When the reporter turns up dead, Tanner gets caught in downward spiral of doubt and paranoia and, ultimately, a desperate fight to stay alive long enough to...
- 2/28/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Brian Kirk is eyeing the director's chair on the upcoming Summit Entertainment re-adaptation of Robert Ludlum's The Osterman Weekend , Deadline reports. Best known for directing three episodes in the first season of HBO's "Game of Thrones," Kirk has also helmed episodes of "Dexter," "Luther" and "Boardwalk Empire." Jesse Wigutow ( It Runs in the Family ) wrote the screenplay, based on Ludlum's espionage thriller. The novel was previously adapted into a film by Sam Peckinpah (his final work) in 1983.
- 2/28/2012
- Comingsoon.net
Much like its undead protagonist, The Crow reboot refuses to die. After going through a number of directors and potential stars including Stephen Norrington, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and Bradley Cooper, Relativity Media's remake was slapped with a lawsuit from The Weinstein Company, who claimed that they owned the screen rights to James O'Barr's cult comic book. It was starting to look like a new Crow movie just wasn't meant to be, and I think a lot of people were okay with that. Well, this week that lawsuit has finally been settled, and although the terms were not made public, The Weinsteins and Relativity have confirmed that they will partner up for the film. More importantly, they've announced that they already have a new creative team in place with F. Javier Gutiérrez (Before The Fall) lined up to direct the film from a script by Jesse Wigutow. Before the...
- 1/25/2012
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
With The Crow legal dispute between The Weinstein Co. and Relativity Media resolved, the two movie studios can move forward with its production. Today the two studios announced that F. Javier Gutierrez will direct the movie and use a script that will be penned by Jesse Wigutow.
The Crow will be based on James O’Barr’s 1989 comic book of the same name, and Stephen Norrington will pen its script. The film will continue to focus on a musician who dies while unsuccessfully trying to save his fiancée’s life from an attack. One year later, he is resurrected from the dead and is bent on revenge on those who took his and his fiancée’s life.
[comingsoon]
Relativity, Edward R. Pressman and Dimension Films Attach F. Javier Gutiérrez to Direct
The Crow
Writer Jesse Wigutow Signs on to Pen Script
(Beverly Hills, Calif.) January 24, 2012 – Relativity Media’s Co-President, Tucker Tooley,...
The Crow will be based on James O’Barr’s 1989 comic book of the same name, and Stephen Norrington will pen its script. The film will continue to focus on a musician who dies while unsuccessfully trying to save his fiancée’s life from an attack. One year later, he is resurrected from the dead and is bent on revenge on those who took his and his fiancée’s life.
[comingsoon]
Relativity, Edward R. Pressman and Dimension Films Attach F. Javier Gutiérrez to Direct
The Crow
Writer Jesse Wigutow Signs on to Pen Script
(Beverly Hills, Calif.) January 24, 2012 – Relativity Media’s Co-President, Tucker Tooley,...
- 1/25/2012
- by Mike Lee
- FusedFilm
F. Javier Gutierrez ("Before the Fall") has closed a deal to direct the long-gestating remake of "The Crow" at Relativity says Heat Vision.
Gutierrez had been in talks for a while until the legal dispute of the last nine months between Relativity and The Weinstein Company grounded the whole project. Said dispute has since been settled and Relativity is proceeding with the project.
Jesse Wigatow ("Eragon," "The Ruins") has also signed on to pen the script, the scribe recently penning another kind of reboot - a new adaptation of the Robert Ludlum thriller "The Osterman Weekend".
The 1993 original 'Crow' starred Brandon Lee as musician who is murdered while trying to save his fiancée from thugs. He is brought back from the dead by supernatural forces and seeks revenge.
Edward R. Pressman, Jeff Most and Ryan Kavanaugh are producing.
Gutierrez had been in talks for a while until the legal dispute of the last nine months between Relativity and The Weinstein Company grounded the whole project. Said dispute has since been settled and Relativity is proceeding with the project.
Jesse Wigatow ("Eragon," "The Ruins") has also signed on to pen the script, the scribe recently penning another kind of reboot - a new adaptation of the Robert Ludlum thriller "The Osterman Weekend".
The 1993 original 'Crow' starred Brandon Lee as musician who is murdered while trying to save his fiancée from thugs. He is brought back from the dead by supernatural forces and seeks revenge.
Edward R. Pressman, Jeff Most and Ryan Kavanaugh are producing.
- 1/25/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
When yesterday brought news of a revival for that Crow reboot we all forgot about, there was considerable doubt on my own part as to the project’s chances of moving forward all too soon. I mean, you don’t have to be an expert to know that no director, no star, and possibly no script means no movie.
Relativity and The Weinstein Company probably read my words and decided to take action, as Variety brings the news that F. Javier Gutierrez has been hired to direct, while Deadline informs us that Jesse Wigutow will come on board to pen the screenplay. Smaller names than some of the talent attached at prior points, but if you have to get it made, any talented fellows will do the job.
If you, like me, weren’t aware, you’d be best-off knowing that Gutierrez made a name for himself by directing 2009′s...
Relativity and The Weinstein Company probably read my words and decided to take action, as Variety brings the news that F. Javier Gutierrez has been hired to direct, while Deadline informs us that Jesse Wigutow will come on board to pen the screenplay. Smaller names than some of the talent attached at prior points, but if you have to get it made, any talented fellows will do the job.
If you, like me, weren’t aware, you’d be best-off knowing that Gutierrez made a name for himself by directing 2009′s...
- 1/25/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Yesterday we reported that The Crow reboot was moving forward. Relativity Media decided to play nice and dropped it's lawsuit against The Weinstein Company. Comingsoon is reporting that it has found a director in F. Javier Gutiérrez (Before the Fall) and a writer in Jesse Wigutow. The original film was not even that great, and does not warrant a reboot in my opinion. This seems like a waste of time to me. What are your thoughts? Here is the press release with all the details: Relativity Media’s Co-President, Tucker Tooley, Edward R. Pressman, producer behind the cult-classic The Crow franchise, and The Weinstein Company’s Dimension Films, announced today they have closed a deal with F. Javier Gutiérrez (Before The Fall) to direct a reinvention of The Crow, the 1994 smash hit film based on the comic book series and comic strip by James O’Barr. Writer Jesse Wigutow has...
- 1/25/2012
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
A day after the Weinstein Co. and Relativity Media settled their lawsuit over the movie "The Crow," Relativity on Tuesday said that it has attached a director and writer to the remake. F. Javier Gutierrez (right), director of the Spanish-language apocalyptic thriller "Before the Fall," will direct. He is now filming "The Monkey's Paw" in Spain. Jesse Wigutow, who recently rewrote "The Osterman Weekend," based on the Robert Ludlum novel, for Summit. Also read: 'The Crow' Lawsuit Settlement: Weinstein Co. and Relativity to Partner on Remake Relativity says its adaptation of Alex Proyas' 1994 cult...
- 1/25/2012
- by Joshua L. Weinstein
- The Wrap
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