Film School Rejects » Uncasting Couch

And Then Stephen Chow Was Off ‘Green Hornet’ Again

Dr. Cole Abaius — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:55:41 +0000

First he was in as director, then he was out, then he was in as Kato, then the movie wasn’t going to be made, then the movie was back on with a fortnight release date change, then Cameron Diaz was rumored to be on board, and now…now Stephen Chow is officially done with The Green Hornet completely.

According to Variety, Chow left the production due to scheduling conflicts (and not over, say, creative differences with director Michel Gondry), for several other projects that he was interested in making. That may or may not be the real story, but it’s a seriously inconvenient time considering that the production is supposed to begin in September, trying to make its Summer 2010 release date.

And that’s a serious role to fill.

Chow would have made a fantastic Kato since he’s one of the few actors out there able to blend martial arts and comedy really effectively. Don’t get me wrong, Jackie Chan is great, but he’s far too old for the part. My suggestion? Teach Morgan Freeman drunken boxing. That guy was awesome in Driving Miss Daisy. And before you call me out for suggesting someone older right after making that claim about Chan, remember that most of what I say makes little to no sense.

I am at a loss as to who could fill the now-vacant shoes. Bruce Lee is an icon that really made the role great, and Chow was the strongest choice possible. Now it seems like the production, no matter what, will have to settle for second best.

Unless Seth Rogen can play both roles through the use of CGI.

I suppose just stand by for news later in the week when Stephen Chow is back on as Kato and as Costume Designer.

Which is possible. What do you think?

‘Three Stooges’ Loses a Larry, Penn Takes Time Off

Dr. Cole Abaius — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:36:32 +0000

I was all ready to end it all this morning by shoving two fingers into my eyeballs (what I like to call Larry-Kari), but then something stopped me. It was Neil, shoving his hand onto the bridge of my nose and telling me to stop threatening to kill myself. There was work to be done, and he didn’t want to have to “clean up a body when [he] could be searching for Natalie Portman pics.”

While that’s not a direct quote, he was right about there being some news hilariously topical to my method of offing myself. Apparently Sean Penn, most famous for signing on as Larry in the Farrelly Brothers’ Three Stooges movie that makes everyone throw up in their mouths and marginally famous for winning a couple of Oscars, has decided to take a year off. That means he actually won’t be in the Three Stooges movie, and we’ll need to figure out something else for him to be famous for.

According to HitFix, the production will not be ultimately affected as it will either stall for a brief period until Penn returns or simply recast his part. So anyone out there dying to throw a pie in the face of Benecio del Toro or Jim Carrey should go to the MGM lot immediately. Wait, make that the Sony lot. The Culver location stopped being the MGM lot in 1991.

The site is also reporting that the status of Cartel, a thriller that starred Penn at Universal, is unknown at this time.

What do you think? Who could replace Penn for the Farrelly Brothers?

Butler Out, Bettany Puts On the Collar for ‘Priest’

Dr. Cole Abaius — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:14:10 +0000

In a move that would make Executive Editor Neil Miller’s mother upset, Gerard Butler is apparently no longer involved with the Screen Gems production of Priest – the adaptation of the comic of the same name. Now, Ms. Miller – who is a saint – won’t be able to ogle Mr. Butler on screen in Priestly vestments – the sexiest of all religious outfits.

According to Rope of Silicon, Paul Bettany is stepping in to take the lead role as a Priest who must go on a quest to battle vampires that have stolen his niece. And, yes, it’s set in the west. Vampires. Religion. Old West. Basically, it’s a comic and a story that was tailor-made for my taste, and the inclusion of Bettany only bolsters that.

The flick is being directed by Scott Stewart who worked with Bettany on the forthcoming Legion – a film about the archangel Michael who has to stop the Apocalypse after God loses faith in humanity.

Personally, this is some of the best news I’ve read in a while. The films have a shot at being the same middling crap that other comic adaptations are, but the epic nature of the religious story mixed with a lot of sci-fi is such a satisfying combination. It also gives me a reason to make hilariously inappropriate puns which I promise are on the way the further along this project gets.

Just to let it sink in: A priest battling vampires in the old west.

Awesome.

What do you think? Is Paul Bettany the right man for the job? Are you sad to see Gerard Butler off the project?

Samuel L. Jackson No Longer Bringing Fury for ‘Iron Man 2′

Adam Sweeney — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:23:04 +0000

Iron Man fans were in a frenzy when they heard the film sequel wouldn’t feature Terrence Howard. How will they react now that Samuel L. Jackson appears to be getting short-changed also?

In an interview with IGN, everyone’s favorite BAMF discussed the possibility of him making a return as Nick Fury in Iron Man. It doesn’t look good, and this time the blame may be on Marvel Studios.

“I would love to do it. I’m not sure that they would love for me to do it. It seems as though they’re having money problems,” Jackson said with a grin. He continued by saying, “they’re caught up in the economic crisis also. Iron Man 1 didn’t make much money, so they can’t afford to pay the rest of us anymore.”

Jackson is likely aware that Iron Man made over $582 million worldwide at the box office. Even with a $140 million budget, there is no way that Marvel didn’t bank off of it. Newsflash to Marvel; Samuel L. played Shaft, he doesn’t like getting the shaft. You can watch the clip here. It would have been great to know how much Jackson wanted in relation to what Marvel was offering.

The comments are contrasting from previous thoughts laid out by the Academy Award nominee, which is a shame. Jackson spoke with MTV in July about his much hyped cameo at the end of the Iron Man credits, explaining that he was, “looking forward to going to work soon” as Fury, likely appearing in myriad Marvel comic films including Iron Man 2, Captain America, Thor and The Avengers. That all changed once negotiations started.

Marvel is trying to steer clear of high salaries for actors, a notion given weight after they replaced Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle. They also have reportedly only offered Mickey Rourke $250,000 to take a role as a villain, and are expecting Jackson to take a pay cut as well. We’re all excited to see an Iron Man sequel, but could Marvel be killing the momentum of the first film by undercutting their talent? We sure hope not. They’ve done a great job of taking ownership of the Iron Man and Hulk franchises in 2008. It’d be a shame to watch them throw it all away. Maybe Marvel execs should start wearing WWTSD bracelets, as in “What would Tony Stark do?”

Should Samuel L. Jackson take a pay cut? Who’s in the wrong here; the actors or Marvel Studios?

Rogen’s Green Hornet Might Lose The Green Light

Robin Ruinsky — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:40:26 +0000

It appears that Seth Rogen’s pet project, The Green Hornet, may be an undone deal. In other words the hornet isn’t taking flight. While word is that the film isn’t completely dead it isn’t looking too promising and certainly won’t make the original 2010 release date.

I doubt there will be any big sigh of disappointment arising at the news of the demise of The Green Hornet film. The masked crime fighter who made his debut in a 1930’s radio show doesn’t appear to have that big a contemporary following or potential audience.

The Green Hornet is likely best remembered as a television show that featured the late Bruce Lee as Kato, the Hornet’s sidekick and martial arts expert. No one remembers who played The Green Hornet. I looked it up. He was played by Van Williams. Do you know who that is?

In case you’re interested The Green Hornet made a move into comic books in 1940 and was featured in movie serials.

This film would have been the Green Hornet’s big screen debut as a full length movie. The film also featured Stephen Chow as Kato.

It looks like The Green Hornet will have to rest in peace, at least for now.

So, is anyone out there bereft at the news that The Green Hornet was swatted?

Sienna Miller Channeling Antonio Banderas: TOO SEXY (for Nottingham)!

Josh Radde — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:19:06 +0000

For one of the more bizarre news items for today, I submit what’s going on over on the set for Ridley Scott’s Nottingham. The film, starring Russell Crowe as both Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham, has seen its fair share of troubling signs: script-related debacles, delays in shooting, squabbles between director and star, and the fact that Russell Crowe is starring in a movie. Cinematical is now reporting that lead actress Sienna Miller has been let go by the producers…

Why? She’s too attractive!

Allegedly Crowe, who still has the pounds left over from shooting Body of Lies and State of Play, looks awkward during love scenes with Miller, who was supposed to play Maid Marian. According to a source:

…the love scenes between him and Sienna would have been laughable. He’s so old and fat and she’s so young and gorgeous. It’s just . . . gross.”

Cinematical reports that the “producers were going to look for a new co-star that was a little closer in size, and age to Crowe.”

This whole story makes me giggle. Miller must not have impressed with her acting chops (which were pretty limited [let's be honest] to begin with). So they’re gonna can her and opt for some heavier, older leading lady? Also, Crowe is playing a fat Robin Hood? That could be interesting…bear in mind that Robin Hood wears tights. Crowe is 44, so to find an actress that is close in age and weight to Crowe, I would recommend “3rd Rock from the Sun” actress Kristen Johnston, but even she looks like she’s lost too much weight to be considered viable for what has become Hollywood’s newest black hole for happy set stories, taking over the mantle left empty by last year’s Four Christmases.

Let’s give it up for Ridley Scott for being able to work with Russell Crowe for 4 films before everything absolutely fell to shit.

Sam Jackson Might Not be Nick Fury

Dr. Cole Abaius — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:23:23 +0000

Here at the FSR offices we love playing a game that involves everyone guessing who will eventually end up in roles after the rumor dust clears. Usually, it involves combing through speculation and having a keen insight into how the business of Hollywood works. Also usually, Robert Fure wins because he’s sleeping with every casting director in town. Even the female ones.

Now, we’re baffled to be playing the game in reverse since word is coming out (via the L.A. Times) that Samuel Sure Thing Jackson might not play Nick Fury after all if the contract talks between the actor and Marvel continue on the same path.

There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down. I don’t know. Maybe I won’t be Nick Fury. Maybe somebody else will be Nick Fury or maybe Nick Fury won’t be in it. There seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world,” Jackson said.

Apparently, contract talks have completely fallen apart over money. The good news is that Jackson is giving us stock tips by alerting us to a very troubling fiscal environment over at Marvel. Either that, or he’s posturing as loudly as possible to earn leverage at the negotiating table.

Maybe the thought of six different intertwining cross-over films was too good to be true after all. Or maybe it’ll just have to work with different actors in different roles.

If I can offer one small suggestion to Marvel if Jackson walks definitely – replace him with Terrance Howard. I hear he’s looking for work.

Film School Rejects » Uncasting Couch

And Then Stephen Chow Was Off ‘Green Hornet’ Again

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