Caffeinated Clint
We had such a great turnaround for the second screening of “Radio America” here, can’t wait to fill you in on the release plans and reveal a little more about what the next step is (though I know some have already heard I’m getting myself in deep with a new horror franchise – sorta true). On my travels, and in my inbox, I’ve got here – not unusual – word on a few film and series attachments that have only just happened. Either due to laziness or the fact some of these don’t warrant their own page, here’s a summary of some bits I’ve received in-ear, under the new title ‘PSST!’.
I know there’s not much out there in terms of what this new Brin Hill directed- Joss Whedon produced movie “In Your Eyes” is about. Yeah, we’ve heard it’s a supernatural romance. It might also have been mentioned that it’s about people who are strangely connected. And all that is indeed true, but there’s something crafty simmering away in Whedon’s screenplay – something ‘best episodes of Buffy’ brilliant about it.
Flick is a love story, not unlike the classic “Somewhere in Time”, where two people – played by Zoe Kazan and Michael Stahl-David – from different worlds and different GPS marks find themselves magically linked.
The flick opens in 2005 where a teenager, Rebecca, anxiously awaits to ride down the snowy incline on her luge. As she’s prepping for her ride, Dylan, of a similar age, walks into school with his friends, talking about last night’s lesson in mischievousness (they apparently swiped some beer from Dylan’s father – not that Dylan remembers, he passed out after barely a sip). We cut back-and-forward towards Rebecca, riding down the icy slope on a now out-of-control sled, and Dylan, about to be confronted with his ghastly test scores by a teacher.
She slams into an oak tree. Motionless. He’s thrown forwards, out of his chair, and onto the floor. Seems her sled accident, caused him some injury too – despite being nowhere near her or the accident.
We flash-forward years later. Both Rebecca and Dylan are alive. Rebecca’s married to a real mean son-of-a-gun named Phillip – constantly putting her down, and ignoring her ‘mental’ issues (later on, he’ll toss her to the docs, like Batman does Mr Freeze). Dylan is working at a Car Wash. And once again, just like in the opening, anytime something traumatic or physically major occurs to either of them – the other feels it. They’re connected.. so much so, that later, even without the aid of a cell, they can simply put their fingers to their ears and communicate with each other…. regardless of how far apart they are.
The two ultimately fall in love – and this is where it gets really interesting. You’ve got Dylan looking at his woman, Donna, confessing his feelings and making love to her… while all the time he’s speaking to the unforseen Rebecca, and making love to her. Weird. But bloody creative. And Rebecca’s friends start sensing something too, they’ve never seen her with another man, but she’s acting strange and frighteningly happy – leading ’em all to think she’s indeed having an affair.
How to make something like that work?
And I’ll leave it there, if only because it has the possibility of turning out to be a heart-robbing, welcomingly original sci-fi romance.
“Rome” alum Ciaran Hinds is onboard the independent pic “The Piper”. This is a Terry Loane directed drama about a journalist who heads to Ireland for a ‘Seachange’, if you will, and ends up falling in love. Needless to say, it encompasses a libretto along the lines of “Under the Tuscan Sun”.
“Twilight” spunk Ashley Greene – apparently terrific in my buddy Todd Lincoln’s film “The Apparition”, which is finally on track for a release later this year – is a heavily sought-after face this pilot season.
I’m told of the many shows she’s been offered, one is “Americana” in which she’s being courted to play Ken Olin’s daughter. ABC’s “Americana” has Anthony LaPaglia, Emilie de Ravin and Natalie Mendoza onboard. On the show, the character of Olin’s daughter is, like her uncle (LaPaglia), a fashion designer – but she’s just graduating from Parsons into the real world. (Update! Received more info on Greene’s prospective role in “Americana” overnight. possible SPOILER : Her character thinks she’s Ken Olins daughter, but as the audience learns,her father is really uber fashion designer Robert Soulter, played by Anthony La Paglia).
Speaking of pilots, there’s a promising one being cast this week called “Coached”, a “Waiting for Guffman”-esque offering about a group of Milwaukee actors who have to carry out the last wishes of their late acting coach. Josh Zuckerman (“Sex Drive”), Amanda Fuller (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Di Quon (“Grown Ups”) and Tyler James Williams (Chris from “Everybody Hates Chris”) are onboard.
While Morgan Creek continue to mull over his “Major League 4” script (They’re still not convinced it’s viable, sadly – ‘cmon, ‘Starring Charlie Sheen!’), Oscar Winning writer David S.Ward (“The Sting”, “Major League”) is adapting a terrific book called “A Very Public Offering” by Stephan Paternot. ‘Public’ chronicles the true story of a couple of young internet entrepreneurs who, at the dawn of the net’s beginnings, saw their site TheGlobe.com rise to the top of the Wall Street Stock Exchange’s IPO listing. Great “Social Network”-like flick possibilities. Producers are currently in talks with various directors.
One for the ‘Not surprising’ files, Warner Bros are toying with a reboot of the surprise action hit of 1992, “Under Siege” – still regarded as the highpoint of Steven Seagal’s career. Though specs for a second sequel to the original Andrew Davis directed film – following the adventures of Steven Seagal’s incarnation of Casey Ryback – have been doing the rounds the last couple of years (in one Ryback was now a security guard who thwarts the plan of some jewel thieves), there’s been no interest on the studio’s end in reuniting with Seagal. I’m told, “Seagal’s relationship with the studio and Hollywood’s infatuation with remakes meant a reboot was the best way to go”. Project is out to writers. I’d almost put money on WB going to Will Beale, he’s the up-and-comer who is penning WB’s “Lethal Weapon” remake.
Bianca Bree can thank her famous father for her latest role. Pretty young twenty-something has been cast in “Welcome to the Jungle”, in which her pop Jean-Claude Van Damme plays an ex-marine turned hard-ass workplace coach leading a group into the jungle. JC’s son Kristopher is also onboard the flick. I hear the script is pretty funny – – Adam Brody’s character gets the lion’s share of the laughs (if only because JC’s part doesn’t extend through the length of the picture).
All sorts of funny speak coming from the corridors of Universal yesterday. The studio brought in a slew of Russian actors, all vying to play one of the roles in “Despicable Me 2”. Considering sentences like “Stop or I’ll shoot!” and “Run for Your Life” were uttered, the character’s either a cop, mobster or a street artist reenacting scenes from that beloved holiday hit “The Darkest Hour”.
And with that, до свидания.
