Caffeinated Clint
The Tony Scott news hit me like a pogo-stick to the nuts. A real loss. But alas, we carry on… we appreciate what he’s left us, and we share a few of our brain-evoked thoughts with his family. Still, I can’t see myself watching anything but Scott classics for the next couple of weeks – question is, do I begin with “Beverly Hills Cop II”, “Top Gun” or later effort, “Last Boy Scout”!?
While Paramount umm and aah over his “Brazilian Job” (sequel to the Mark Wahlberg starring “Italian Job” remake) script, scribe Andrew Wagner is making plans to shoot one of his other scripts.
Wagner’s “The Park”, which is already attracting interest amongst Hollywood’s elite acting community, marks the third stint behind the camera for the Brown graduate- following 2004’s “The Talent Given Us” and the acclaimed Frank Langella vehicle “Started Out in the Evening” (2007).
David Duchovny and Cuba Gooding Jr are being courted for starring roles in “The Park”, which would tell of Dan Pink, a history teacher who risks his life and career to protect one of his students, a punk who has been targeted by a dangerous gang.
Meanwhile Paramount haven’t reportedly given up on Wagner and F.Gary Gray’s plans to sequelize “Italian Job”. At this stage, it’s all down to cast availability – and with Mark Wahberg, Charlize Theron and pretty much solid-booked for the next year or so, we’re guessing it won’t be kicking off anytime soon.
A project that Mel Gibson briefly flirted with, writer-director Brad Mirman’s ensemble crime caper “Sleight of Hand” is firming up its cast for a final quarter 2012 start.
Based on a script by Mirman, “Hand” is set in New Orleans and tells of a group of crooks who have six days to recover some rare gold belonging to a gangster, that they’ve misplaced.
Are currently out to a slew of action-movie vets including Ving Rhames, Christian Slater, Ray Liotta, Peter Stormare, and Thomas Jane for roles. I believe Liotta is being courted for the role Gibson was originally eyeballing.
Script is apparently quite a bit of fun.
“The Last Full Measure”. That one sound familiar?
It’s a long-gestating sequel war drama about a man who, years after his death, is finally awarded a glowing sticker for his service. Despite the interest of several major A-list actors over the years, the film has struggled to find financing.
Thanks to deep-pocketed producer David Ellison (“Mission : Impossible – Ghost Protocol”), the film might finally be inching towards the cameras.
Most of the cast that were previously attached to the film – including Morgan Freeman , Laurence Fishburne, Charlie Hunnam, and Randy Quaid (no loss) – have fallen off, but with Ellison’s ties top Hollywood’s elite (particularly Tom Cruise, with whom he has no less than four of five movies in the works with), it shouldn’t be too hard for the young producer to reignite interest on the star side. Robert Duvall and Andy Garcia remained committed to the project, the latter trumpeting the film since he was first anointed a part.
Todd Robinson (“Phantom”) has long been attached to direct the film, based on his own script, but no word if that’s still the case. Ellison may shoot higher.
Speaking of, Ellison’s busy rethinking the “Top Gun 2” situation now that director Tony Scott has sadly passed on. Scott was due to shoot the film sometime early next year, with both Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer expected to reprise their roles from the 1986 film, but his tragic departure has left a noticeable vacancy that needs to be filled. It’s been speculated that Ellison-fave and “Top Gun 2” scribe Christopher McQuarrie (he wrote a draft of the pic, anyway) might take over directing duties. I’d say it’ll still happen, there’s a lot of work already done on the picture..
It’s not the most profitable or famous title amongst Arnold Schwarzenegger’s back catalogue, nevertheless we might see “Red Heat” joining the list of sequels the big guy plans on doing over the next two or three years.
With his good bud and “Expendables II” co-star Sylvester Stallone gloating about the good time he and Walter Hill had doing the reportedly-fun “Bullet to the Head” (due out early next year), Schwarzenegger has reportedly raised an eyebrow to having Hill direct him in another ‘Danko’ adventure. It might make for a beaut reunion.
Of course, Schwarzenegger’s got a pretty full dance card right now – he has a “Twins” sequel to shoot, David Ayer’s “Breacher”, a flick called “Captive”, another called “Unknown Soldier”, plus the postponed Animated series “The Governator” – but it’s interesting that he’d even consider doing a sequel to a film that barely scraped the $35m mark (add a few bucks for inflation) at the box office.
The first film’s set-up (Schwarzenegger’s Russian cop was teamed with James Belushi’s Yankee cop) and Hill’s fondness for two-handers, suggests Schwarzenegger would likely be sharing the screen with another name if “Red Heat II” comes to pass. Suggestions? How about Stallone, again? Maybe Jean-Claude Van Damme? Or, does Hill go back to original co-star James Belushi?
Speaking of Schwarzenegger, you read my fairly lengthy, mostly cheesy review of “The Expendables II” here.
See me in the club, ask me to dance. I give good mambo.
