Crank 2 Spoilers Hit the Web
A slew of spoilerific and amazing character descriptions for Crank 2 just hit the web over at Spoiler TV. We’ve pasted them all. Judging from the run down, directors and Slashfilm party mates Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor seem to really love the word “sociopath,” and their Ritalin milkshake of a sequel should be all the better for it. I mean, a villain that is 100-years-old? Holy shit, that is awesome. What is this, Double Dragon? Sorry Scott Wolf, it’s not. It’s Crank, one of the best action flicks/franchises in years that arguably has its own subcategory: post-Shane Black.
And how Hollywood is it to list a character named “Pepper,” to be played by a 20something actress, and conclude in all CAPS, “Must Be Okay with Nudity”? Furthermore, seems there will be more cheeky media commentary in the sequel, and while I know I mention this character in every other post, I would give anything to see Robert Downey Jr.’s nutzoid reporter Wayne Gale from Natural Born Killers make a cameo. If Jason Statham’s Chev Chelios can survive a black market heart transplant (not to mention a helicopter fall), Gale can be resurrected!
Details…
Title: CRANK 2
CAST: Jason Statham, Amy Smart
EXEC PROD: David Rubin; PROD, Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Skip Williamson, Richard Wright; DIR/SCR, Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor. Contract: SAG. Shoot Dates: April 28, 2008 (in Los Angeles, CA).
STORY: In spite of having fallen a mile from a helicopter at the end of CRANK, Chev Chelios faces a Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.
Little Chev: 6-10, Caucasian, Male. A tough fowl mouthed British kid with a cockney accent. He is Chev (Jason Statham) seen in 1988, a bored, restless, troublemaker whose mother fears he is a sociopath. Seen on a Jerry Springer-ish UK talk show, he relives some of the incidents in his crowded young life — all of which seem to involve crime, violence and running.
ACTORS SUBMITTED MUST RESEMBLE JASON STATHAM
Talk Show Host: 30s-40s, Male. British. Cool but campy. The host of a trashy UK talk show, he’s an aspiring Jerry Springer
wannabe who interviews Karen Chelios and her “troubled” son Chev. Blissfully unaware that Little Chev’s life is remarkably similiar to an ultra-violent videogame, Talk Host chats earnestly with Chev, probing for the psychological source of his hyperactivity
Female Psychiatrist: 40s, an attractive female psychiatrist. She is Dr. Ankleson’s blunt, somewhat irritable therapist. Clearly bored with his cringing yellow streak, she orders him off her couch and back to reality, a piece of bad, bad advice
Hu Dong: Chinese Male, 100 years old, this aged gangster is the leader of the Triad gang in Southern California. Rejuvenated after getting Chev’s high-powered heart transplanted into his sunken chest, and horny as a 16 year old, he is lured into Doc Miles’ clutches by the seductive Vanilla
Karen Chelios: Female. British accent. She is seen in flashbacks, this English woman with dark hair, and dark circles under her eyes is Little Chev’s trashily dressed mother. Appearing on a tabloid talk show in the UK, she frets that her little demon of a son may in fact be a sociopath
Pepper: 20s, any ethnicity. This stripper is in the back seat of a patrol car when Chev and Eve steal the car. She’s aroused by Eve’s presence and gives Chev a tip about Johnny Vang’s probable whereabouts. MUST BE OKAY WITH NUDITY
Fish Halman: This veteran anchorman is seen on television, reporting on yet another explosive day in Los Angeles
Chinese Doctors #1 & Chinese Doctors #2: A pair of Chinese doctors, they perform a heart transplant operation on Chev, replacing his own beating ticker with an artificial heart. Wrongly convinced that Chev is too doped up to cause any trouble, they’re ready to harvest his testicles when Chev comes to and chokes them out. MUST SPEAK CHINESE
Glenda Lansing: 65 plus, an old lady. The older the better. We first see her at the racetrack, she is assaulted by Chev, who rubs himself against her to get some static electricity into his system. She later, delightedly and profanely,relives the moment on live TV
Detective: Older Male. Would love a notable actor here in a cameo. This baffled police detective tries to find out the bond that links Eve to Chev, and summarizes Chev’s remarkable criminal career
John Singleton wants Woody Harrelson to Join The A-Team
While waiting online for the valet, Collider bumped into director John Singleton and ended up with some nice scoops regarding his upcoming take on The A-Team. Before we go any farther, I just want to say that Singleton is one of the most personable and persuasive directors I’ve ever interviewed. During production for 2 Fast 2 Furious, his ideas sounded just as badass, weirdly agreeable and uncompromising as they do here. But either way, he clearly digs the script and material…and might he be dismissing Ice Cube’s recent self-casting as B.A. Baracus?
A-Team is going. It’s not a comic movie farce like Starsky and Hutch, it’s kind of in the tradition of the 80’s action pictures, the man’s movies like Die Hard, Predator, Commando, or even Lethal Weapon more so than anything else. The action is very serious, but there is humor. That’s what we are going for. I don’t know who is in the cast yet, so all this bullshit of who is saying who is this person and who is…nobody is playing Mr. T, the character’s name is B.A. Baracus, he will have a Mohawk and there is a moment in the movie where he actually gets the Mohawk cause he’s going crazy. And I don’t know who is in the cast yet, but I do know that the only person I want right now is, that I really, really want is Woody Harrelson to play Murdock, the guy who is crazy but he’s kind of real smart, a jack of all trades.
Casting Woody Harrelson as Murdock would set a great tone and message for the film. The guy’s great with comedy (White Men Can’t Jump, Kingpin, the upcoming Semi-Pro) and I’ve always thought it odd that he’s stayed away from straight-up action flicks with the exception of the disappointing Money Train. Harrelson has a certain athleticism, slacker brawn and twinkle in the eye that’s perfect for the genre. And with Oliver Stone’s Pinkville recently falling apart due to the strike, Harrelson’s schedule might free him up to consider the film. Singleton didn’t specify the film’s rating, but you’ll notice that the ‘80s films he references above are all, famously, R-rated “movies for guys who like movies” staples. I’d be surprised if the studio (Fox) lets him take it there, but if they do my outlook on the flick improves greatly. I might be the only person who’s still in shock and shambles over Live Free of Die Hard, as well as the tameness and unneeded high concepts of ‘00s action efforts.
Another interesting detail Singleton revealed is that the cast members will have a stipulation to sign on for additional A-Team flicks. This wasn’t the case with drivel like The Dukes of Hazzard, and while Singleton says the film’s budget isn’t locked down, the detail hints at a long term investment rather than a nostalgic stand alone cash-and-grab. Singleton also plays up the script by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas (3:10 to Yuma and…2 Fast 2 Furious) in his chat, saying it’s the primary reason he’s onboard. And while he’s at it, why not randomly compare it to the Bourne films?
Yeah, and the people who are now just going to the movies and don’t know anything about that, will go to it just cause it’s a hot movie. It’s kind of like what they did with the Bourne movies, no nonsense but with a humor, with action. You know what I mean, wall to wall kicking ass and talking shit [laughs].
If John Singleton’s A-Team was rated-R, would that impact your anticipation for the film?
Thomas Jane Cast In John McTiernan’s Run
Former Punisher Thomas Jane is set to headline Die Hard director John McTiernan’s car-chase actioner Run. The film is budgeted at $35 million and will shoot in Argentina, where the plot takes place as well. Jane will play an Interpol agent who happens on a large conspiracy while pursuing a murder suspect.
In the past, classic automobile-porn action flicks like The Bourne Ultimatum and Ronin have gloriously used-and-abused Audis, but BMW will provide the vehicles here, with a Super Mustang also set to make an appearance. Producer Michael Pierce adds that the automobiles will “chase each other at over 120 mph.” Well, now.
This marks McTiernan’s first film since he was ordered to serve four months in prison for lying to federal agents about his involvement in the Anthony Pellicano wiretapping fiasco. Obviously, the plot to Run is purposely lean and mean and it’d be great to see him return to form after a series of middling efforts, including the peak that was The Thomas Crown Affair and the depressing valley that was LL Cool J’s Rollerball. Jane, a very likable actor, evidently takes Karl Urban’s expired spot in the lead here, and after the flop that was The Mist and his unfortunate, abrupt run with The Punisher, Jane needs to center himself quickly in the public eye. If that’s as a Jason Statham-level action star, so be it, but my favorite role of his was in Boogie Nights, which was impossibly chameleonic, akin to Eric Bana’s in Chopper. This is a project that would sound absolutely ho-hum, but with the talent involved and a lot on the line, sparks could fly.
Source Link: Variety
Jumper Movie Trailer #2
The second trailer for Fox’s sci-fi adaptation of Jumper is now online. I’m a sucker for sci-fi action flicks, so I’m looking forward to this one despite some of the bad buzz coming out of the post production. What do you guys think?
Jumper is an epic sci-fi action film about a race of people called Jumpers who have the ability to teleport, and another ancient race who are out to kill them all (Want to know more about the film? ). The movie stars Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson and Samuel L. Jackson.
Watch the trailer in High Definition on Apple.com. Jumper hits theaters on February 14th 2007.