With all the publicity surrounding Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I thought we would certainly have some definitive Tintin news. Confirmation that Thomas Sangster was taking the lead? Cast members that would join Andy Serkis? Any indication, at all, that the film was going to start shooting next month? Nope.
But a tiny update comes courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, although it's more like a baby controversy. Herge Studios, holders of Tintin's rights, claimed today that Peter Jackson was moving into the director's chair for the first film, replacing Steven Spielberg. Both Spielberg and Jackson have denied that this is the case, and that Spielberg is still attached to direct the first Tintin installment, Jackson the second. Not even Abraham Lincoln will get in the way, it is the next film on his agenda. No start date has been announced, though. THR is also reporting that Thomas Sangster is starring as the motion captured Tintin, so at least that's official now.
Perhaps the most interesting news in all of this official spokesperson stuff is the blurb about which books are being adapted for the big screen. The first film (scripted by Doctor Who'sSteven Moffat) will be based on The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure. Now that's worthy of discussion! What do you Tintin fans think about that -- and which books ought to be adapted for film two and three?
Today will be partly cloudy with a chance of kick ass!
The Hobbit: Not long ago Guillermo Del Toro told fans that his next move was to begin work on The Hobbit script very soon. Well guess what? To our complete shock and surprise, the dude actually followed through on all this "writing script nonsense" and -- wait for it -- started working on the script (along with LOTR partners Frank Walsh and Philippa Boyens). YES! And this is, like, the BIGGEST news online today. "NEWSFLASH: Del Toro is on page 12 and he's already introduced 750 new creatures!" I give up ... call me in 12 years when the film is finally complete and ready to hit theaters.
The Dark Knight: You've watched the movie countless times, followed hundreds of viral sites, read thousands of stories on Heath Ledger and why he deserves to square off against Jesus up in heaven for a chance to be God's new (and much more well-liked) son -- so, what's left? Well, if you still haven't overdosed on The Dark Knight and/or are in desperate need of another Batman fix, feel free to feast your eyes on the film's script. Yes, JoBlo managed to snag a copy of the entire thing (read it here) for you to save, print out and do whatever it is you freaks do with stuff like that. Personally, I enjoyed reading it to see where they trimmed and cut and called Wonder Woman a whore. Kidding! Just wanna make sure you're paying attention.
Poltergeist remake: Because in this one she's watching a reality show, gets pulled into the television and subsequently bores herself to death. [Writes down notes for Poltergeist 2 pitch ...] Anyway, THR tells us that Boogeyman writers Juliet Snowden and Stiles "I wonder how many Teen Wolf jokes he got growing up" White will pen the script for the remake of this classic spooky flick. "Too soon!" yelled a nobody movie blogger, but alas it was too late.
Speaking with Cinematical in Los Angeles, director and writer Guillermo del Toro was enthused and excited to talk about the challenges and triumphs of his latest film.
"The biggest challenge (for Hellboy II: The Golden Army) was to say "Let's remain loose and interested and happy and crazier and more free in the second movie. ... And the second-biggest challenge was to make a 200-million dollar movie with 85 (million). ..." Del Toro also spoke about the film's mix of slapstick and the supernatural, the pleasures and pitfalls of practical effects and what he'd say to someone concerned that his upcoming task of directing The Hobbit would mean too much time spent away from him crafting his own unique visions for the big screen. (Warning: Brief snippets of foul language included within.)
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At yesterday's press day for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the eloquent, elegant Guillermo del Toro had plenty to say about crafting the sequel to 2004's Hellboy, which we'll have at Cinematical closer to the film's opening; he also dropped a few facts and thoughts about his upcoming job helmingThe Hobbit. On the 'facts' front, del Toro mentioned that The Hobbit (which may be two films, one adapting the original novel and the other bridging The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with new material) will have a very different look than some of his other films: "The Hobbit will be (presented) in 2.35-to-1. ..." Translating cinematographer to English, that means that The Hobbit will be presented in widescreen, all the better to capture the hills and dales of the Shire.
Del Toro also spoke about the potentially tricky task of making his two Hobbit films in the wake of Peter Jackson's wildly successful trilogy, as well as what kind of material he might bring to a second movie -- and the tricky question of what Tolkien-created material Peter Jackson has the rights to (and can be used to create the two Hobbit films) and what material Jackson does not own the rights to (and can't use in a film). Del Toro's answers may have been short on detail, but they were long on vision. "What we're talking (about) is, obviously, utilizing the materials that are available to us, and the discipline has been to try and know, for my part, everything else -- not to know it and use it, but to know it and not step on those things.
There has been a lot of heated debate about that second Hobbit film. Many Lord of the Rings fans will take anything Middle-Earth, even if it's two hours cobbled out of appendices. Others see it as a betrayal of the Tolkien canon, and a blatant money grab by all involved. I readily admit I fall into the first category -- but I certainly don't want to see a bad film just to get a visual Middle Earth fix.
No matter what camp you fall into, however, Guillermo del Toro just made a statement that should please everyone. According to Defamer, he promises they are looking at adapting The Hobbit first and foremost -- and that a second film may not even happen. "We believe there is a second movie," del Toro said. "If there isn't, there will not be. If we find it, we will shoot it, but by God, if we do not find it, we will not shoot it. I am anxious to shoot the book, and I'm willing and able to dedicate myself to shooting the [second film]. In the four books that are in the domain of the copyright, there are appendices and ideas and things that can be traced without risk. But I have to be careful not to overstep. We believe there is a way to create this film and make it interesting, but it's too early."
It's official: more actors need to die. Debra Winger figuratively kicking the bucket in Terms of Endearment, or Jimmy Durante literally kicking the bucket in It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World ... Harold Sakata reaching for his unfortunately uninsulated derby in Goldfinger, Bugs Bunny grabbing for Oscar gold after being mortally wounded by Elmer Fudd in Tex Avery's short "The Wild Hare" ("It's gettin' dark, Doc ... gasp, choke"). One of my favorites: James Mason making it until daybreak during an entire movie-long death scene in Odd Man Out, or the death by, eh, inspiration in Hot Fuzz.
The list goes on at Gawker.com, where a poll got a lot of people talking. Male posters aired out plenty of excuses for crying in movie theaters like whipped little girls. One correspondent has a likely explanation for shedding his unmanly tears at the end of Armageddon: "a piece of meteorite got in my eye." I know how he felt. Ambient radiation made my eyes run when Spock got broiled at the end of The Wrath of Khan. And allthat Middle Earth pollen played hell with my sinuses right when Boromir keeled over, begging apology with his last breath. What's your own favorite demise? Cinematical's Monika Bartyzel lists her 7 best here, from an '07 column, mentioning one time Steven Seagal didn't pull through. Incidentally an outfit called movie deaths.com insists on that the one 100 percent rating is the demise of the pugnacious black knight (above) in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Get out the kleenex and weigh in ...
But they aren't going to tell us who it is! Guillermo Del Toro spoke to Empire and revealed a few more Hobbit details. We can all breathe a bit easier because according to the director, it will be "at least a year before we announce any casting." So, this may be the last story you read on The Hobbit for quite awhile.
That doesn't mean they aren't hard at work trying to find the main hobbit himself. Says Del Toro: "We are writing based on [Ian Holm's performance], but other than that, we have ideas [of who could play him]. I can tell you that it's down to a few names that we all agree upon. And that our first choice ...completely, magically, we said the same name. All of us!"
Somewhere, there is an actor who has no idea he's in the running. And it is obviously not an unknown if the entire team came up with the same individual. Who are you, future Bilbo? My old pick was Martin Freeman, who I always thought resembled Ian Holm a bit, and could do befuddled really really well. Jamie Bell always ruled the day with my geek friends, but I think he's become a bit too chiseled for a hobbit. Let's hear your own picks. And toss out some impossible, mind-reading guesses as to who the LOTR team could have landed on. Remember, it will be the last Hobbit story you have for awhile -- especially if Christopher Tolkien wins his court case.
Just when you thought it was safe to get excited, a possible wrench has been thrown into The Hobbit works. According to London'sSunday Times, Christopher Tolkien, the son of J.R.R., is attempting to stop the movie from being made altogether, calling for "one last crusade" in the long running court battle.
Regrettably, the issue at large is still money. Tolkien asserts that the family is still owed £80 million from New Line Cinema, under the 1978 sale of the rights that promised them 7.5% of the profits. Of course, that studio is now defunct, and Warner Bros has no comment on the financial problems.
On June 6th, Tolkien plans to petition a California judge to back his claim to terminate the film rights.
First things first: "From Page to Screen" is a new column I'm trying here at Cinematical. Each week I'll discuss in detail a book that serves as the source material for either an upcoming or a past film adaptation. In the case of forthcoming films, I'll talk about the prospects for the adaptation: the challenges of bringing the particular book to the screen, the casting, the plot, the literary intangibles that so often wind up missing from the resulting movies. In the case of past films, I'll discuss the adaptation's approach to its source: what changed, what stayed the same, what worked and what didn't. Oh, and I'll actually have read the books.
I never tire of repeating my simple philosophy when it comes to adaptations: books are not movies. What works on the page won't always work on the screen. To demand total faithfulness to the book is folly, and will usually lead to a crappy movie. (This is also the case, by the way, for "true stories" and biopics -- people's lives, no matter how interesting, don't always, or even often, make for good films.) But that, I think, makes my task here more interesting rather than less. What does it take for an adaptation to work -- as a film in its own right, or as a translation of the source material?
The idea for this came from a number of discussions I've had here on the site. People are passionate about the books they love, and protective of them. The adaptation process is fun to talk about -- and even more fun when you've read the book and can have an informed conversation. I hope you'll join me, and I plan to be active in the comment threads.
No matter how many times Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson mention bringing back every Lord of the Rings cast member they possibly can, it causes a flurry of excitement. Even if it remains unconfirmed, everyone is just so excited that it might as well be signed into contract.
And this time is no exception. Del Toro casually mentioned to Variety that talks have begun with Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis and Ian McKellen -- or, at least, preliminary contact has been made. There's not much talk of recasting, either, should someone be unavailable. "I am all for keeping the actors who originated the parts, as much as availability and their willingness will allow."
Pre-production is about to begin on The Hobbit, with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens tackling the screenplay under the direction of Jackson and del Toro. "We will all be involved in the script in some fashion but the exact definition is about a week away." So, there might be some very cool announcements made during that Hobbit chat. (Have you sent your questions, yet?)
I feel like I'm calling a golf tournament with Hobbit news sometimes, like I should be whispering "preliminary contact has been made." But please don't mistake that for careless sarcasm. The thought of Viggo Mortensen returning as Aragorn, son of Arathorn, is enough to keep me awake at night. I love that character. Tolkien could have devoted ten books to him, and I would have never gotten sick of him.
We've known for a while that Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg were collaborating on the forthcoming Tintin trilogy, with Spielberg to direct the first film (which is in preproduction and starts shooting in September) and Jackson the second. There had previously been no word on who would helm the third film, and there's still no official word, but Spielberg recently suggested that he and Jackson might co-direct it.
"We are going to make three Tintin movies back-to-back," Spielberg said "I'll direct the first one, Peter will direct the second one. We'll probably co-direct the third one."
It's hard to come up with something to say about this kind of news, other than "that's awesome." Obviously this would be a monumental collaboration, teaming together two of the most prodigiously skilled filmmakers working in the mainstream. The Tintin franchise is Spielberg's first foray into large-scale motion capture (I think he made some use of the technique in A.I. Artificial Intelligence) and Jackson, of course, is an expert after Lord of the Rings and King Kong. And if there's one thing Spielberg knows it's how to finesse a successful family film. The whole thing is perfect, I tell you.
What this news does to the long-awaited Lincoln biopic (see here for a recent update) is anybody's guess. If the thing can get off the ground, I guess Spielberg might have some time between the Tintins.
Say it ain't so! I want this to be nothing more than hyperbole and ugly rumor mongering. But let's look at it anyway: According to Flicks.Co.NZ, there are troubling stories surrounding the set of Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones.
The first is a bit of a yawner. Reportedly, Jackson is having creative differences with his art director over the best way to portray Heaven -- a pretty key location in the book, if you remember. Things even reached a point where the production had to take a break as the disagreement was sorted out, according to reports.
But then came word (today) from The Bad and Ugly that the film has now been delayed, and instead of a March 13, 2009 release date, it's been pushed to Fall, 2009. No word on whether this was due to production issues or if they'd rather hold the film for a potential Oscar push.
Additionally, Susan Sarandon seemed like she was pretty iffy on the film and especially her performance while speaking to press at the London premiere of Speed Racer: "I play the comic relief, an alcoholic grandmother – my first grandma – but she doesn't really seem like a real grandmother because she has a lot of hair and jewelery and nails and liquor. I don't think I ever talk without a cigarette and a drink in my hand. Peter Jackson is really a nice guy and very interesting. It was really a very different way of working. We had a good time, I'm really curious to see what it's like because he kept pushing me to be more and more extreme and sometimes that's when you make your big mistakes so I'm not sure how it will come off -- it will be interesting to see it from the point of view of the audience."
Like we doubted it for a second! But I always love hearing from Sir Ian McKellen, he's just so gracious and charming. Empire caught him at the Speed Racer premiere, and made him speak the words to quicken the hearts of all Middle Earth fans. "Yes, it's true," he said. "I spoke to Guillermo in the very room that Peter Jackson offered me the part and he confirmed that I would be reprising the role. Obviously, it's not a part that you turn down, I loved playing Gandalf."
And Gandalf loves being onscreen. "We talk occasionally and he's looking forward to coming out of retirement, yes. Guillermo will be getting around to starting the script in about six weeks when he's finished filming Hellboy 2."
As to how they will finagle two movies out of one book, even Gandalf isn't privy to the inside information, but he's not at all worried. "Well I've read The Hobbit so I've got a good idea of what the story would be. But as to how it's going to work over two films and what's going to happen on screen, well Guillermo has not got down to working out the major details yet – I can tell you it's going to be amazing though."
Erik Davis just called in from the floor of NYCC, where Guillermo del Toro held a panel on Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. According to Del Toro, he will know in about 4 to 5 days whether or not he's doing The Hobbit. He hopes that he gets to, but every day brings new battles, but he (and the world will) will know within a week whether he's on board. (I'm paraphrasing Del Toro by way of Davis!)
If he doesn't do The Hobbit, he'll be doing another smaller film which he can control completely. It's called Planet Saturn: End of Days, and he just started writing it. It will be a smaller film that follows a boy named Saturn, who goes out to the grocery store and watches the apocalypse happen. Fire raining from the sky, doom and destruction, you name it. Del Toro considers it his third "childhood" film -- sounds as good and dark as his earlier work.
So, more "wait and see" but we have a time frame now. Things are definitely moving forward with The Hobbit!
Additionally, Davis says the stage set up for Hellboy 2 is "really cool" and there are real monsters flanking Del Toro and the stage panel. Too cool! I wish I was there to see it, with all my Cinematical friends.
Everyone else is talking about the latest remarks from Guillermo del Toro -- and even though it's not all that different from what he told Entertainment Weekly, we'll write about it too.
Over on the official message boards for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, del Toro posted the following message about The Hobbit:
Whew -- Not yet. BUT there has been a lot of movement. And for the last few weeks there has been a lot of creative / cast / crew / visual talks and agreements and we have witnessed great progress in areas that I cannot disclose or that have already leaked from other sources.
I am dying to share news but I have to be patient and wait until the papers are done and my attachment is real. Nevertheless- a LOT of progress in defining the films, their cast and crew. And, may I add, we are all happily in synch about all creative aspects so far and all willing and eager to move forth.
I cannot say more but if all's well the time will come To talk of many things: Of shoes -- and ships -- and sealing wax -- Of cabbages -- and kings --
With all the publicity surrounding Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I thought we would certainly have some definitive Tintin news. Confirmation that Thomas Sangster was taking the lead? Cast members that would join Andy Serkis? Any indication, at all, that the film was going to start shooting next month? Nope..gif)
At yesterday's press day for 
There has been a lot of heated debate about that second Hobbit film. Many Lord of the Rings fans will take anything Middle-Earth, even if it's two hours cobbled out of appendices. Others see it as a betrayal of the Tolkien canon, and a blatant money grab by all involved. I readily admit I fall into the first category -- but I certainly don't want to see a bad film just to get a visual Middle Earth fix. 
It's official: more actors need to die. 
But they aren't going to tell us who it is! 
Just when you thought it was safe to get excited, a possible wrench has been thrown into The Hobbit works. According to London's 
No matter how many times Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson mention bringing back every Lord of the Rings cast member they possibly can, it causes a flurry of excitement. Even if it remains unconfirmed, everyone is just so excited that it might as well be signed into contract.
We've known for a while that Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg were collaborating on the forthcoming Tintin trilogy, with Spielberg to direct the first film (which is in preproduction and starts shooting in September) and Jackson the second. There had previously been no word on who would helm the third film, and there's still no official word, but Spielberg recently 
Say it ain't so! I want this to be nothing more than hyperbole and ugly rumor mongering. But let's look at it anyway: According to 
Like we doubted it for a second! But I always love hearing from 
Erik Davis just called in from the floor of NYCC, where Guillermo del Toro held a panel on Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. According to Del Toro, he will know in about 4 to 5 days whether or not he's doing The Hobbit. He hopes that he gets to, but every day brings new battles, but he (and the world will) will know within a week whether he's on board. (I'm paraphrasing Del Toro by way of Davis!)
