The Saint is coming back to TV
Hello! The Saint is rising again. The venerable character, who was created by writer Leslie Chareris in novels in the 1920’s, will be back on television in a contemporary setting, and actor James Purefoy (Rome) has been in talks to play Simon Templar, the suave, British “good guy” thief. Aside from Purefoy, the Hollywood Reporter writes that the production team includes first class talent: Homicide’s Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana (Oz), writer Jorge Zamacona, Bill Macdonald, and the original TV Saint himself, Roger Moore, and his son Geoffrey Moore.
Mr. Levinson will direct the two-hour TV movie, which will be the pilot for a proposed series. TNT had been interested, but has since backed off from the deal. Now, the film will be produced independently and then shopped to the networks. Producer Macdonald had previously worked on a Saint project in 1991, when acquired the rights to the books for producer Robert Evans. In 1997, they created a big-screen version of The Saint starring Val Kilmer. It was not deemed a hit and failed to produce a sequel.
The man with the previous, successful connection to The Saint in this new version is Roger Moore. Before becoming James Bond in the 1970s, Moore starred as Simon Templar for seven years on TV. His imprint on the role is more famous that any of the actors who’ve played in on screen, including George Sanders, Louis Hayward and Hugh Sinclair, who all were Simon Templar at one time or the other. It’s hoped that Moore’s involvement — along with his son — will bring some of the charm from his Saint to this new one.
Simon Templar (ST - the Saint) is a character who’s been described as a Robin Hood type, stealing from the rich and doing good deeds along the way, all the while being dogged by Inspector Claud Eustace Teal, the Interpol agent determined to catch Templar red-handed. For this new incarnation, they’re also casting Patricia Holm, a romantic interest/assistant, Patricia Holm, and an enemy-turned-partner in crime, Baldwin Aleppo.
At one point, Macdonald, Zamacona and the Moores interested TNT in The Saint as conceived, but they passed. Zamacona, who had his first writing job in the business on Homicide: Life on the Street, which Levinson and Fontana created, turned to them and they became attached to the project, too.
“One of the things we lost a little bit of in the movie but want to bring to the TV series is that Simon Templar is very funny character with great lines and situation humor, and I don’t think there is anybody better than Levinson to tackle that,” Macdonald said.
Robert Redford Finally Taking a Walk In the Woods
After mentioning it in various interviews over the years, Robert Redford has announced that his adaptation of Bill Bryson’s nonfiction bestseller A Walk in the Woods will be his next project, with director Barry Levinson said to be on board as well. The meaning of the film’s title is literal, and the plot follows Bryson and his crass, fat ex-alcoholic friend as they attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgie to Maine. Only 10-25 percent of those who attempt the hike in its entirety are said to succeed; after much deliberation, Bryson and co. did not.
“It’ll be fun. I don’t know when I’ve read a book that I laughed so loud,” Redford said to the AP. “Also it’s a chance to take a look at the country. …The backdrop is pretty terrific, if you stop to think of all the visuals that are possible as they go along that trail.”
At one point, Redford was trying coax his friend and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid co-star, Paul Newman, to play the friend, but no word if that remains the case. Personally, I doubt it. After Woods, Redford said he will hop on the gestating Untitled Jackie Robinson Project to star as influential Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey for director Thomas Carter. Redford described the film as an “inside, down to the mats story.”
While a bigger audience probably awaits A Bloody Run in the Woods, I’m a sucker for growing-old-is-cool wilderness films like Redford’s A River Runs Through It from 1992. To bad he’s not directing this one, as he has a killer eye for such imagery, much more-so than on war polemics like Lions for Lambs, but he’s clearly hands-on here.
New Bee Movie Movie Poster
Dreamworks has sent us the new poster for Jerry Seinfeld’s Bee Movie. The poster features the Seinfeld-voiced character Barry B. Benson flying through the air, attached to a tennis ball. This is from one of the scenes we screened at a special yellow carpet preview last month. However, if you don’t know the context of this moment, I don’t think it comes off as “funny”. And the tagline “Honey just got funny” is, well, pretty lame. But I still have hope for this film having screened 20 minutes. (Read our report from that screening). Check out the new poster.
Cast: Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Patrick Warburton, Barry Levinson, Megan Mullally, Larry Miller and Rip Torn.
Official Plot Synopsis: From creator Jerry Seinfeld comes “Bee Movie,” a comedy that will change everything you thought you knew about bees. Take a closer look at their world through the eyes of one bee in particular — Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld). A recent college graduate, Barry wants more out of life than the inevitable career that awaits him and every other worker in New Hive City — a job at Honex…making honey. Barry jumps at the chance to venture out of the hive, and soon encounters a world beyond his wildest dreams. When Barry inadvertently meets a quirky florist named Vanessa (Renée Zellweger), he breaks one of the cardinal rules of beedom — he talks to her. A friendship soon develops, and Barry gets a guided crash course in the ways of the human race. When he shockingly discovers that anyone can purchase honey right off the grocery store shelf, he realizes that his true calling is to stop this injustice and set the world right by suing the human race for stealing the bees’ precious honey.
Bee Movie hits theaters on November 2nd 2007.
Bee Movie Trailer #2 Revealed
Yes, that’s Steven Spielberg talking to Jerry Seinfeld dressed in a Bee suit.
Last year the first teaser trailer was released for Jerry Seinfeld’s computer animated film The Bee Movie. Many people were angry that the teaser was false advertising, as it was done in live action. A second trailer has finally been released, and it also contains live action footage, but cleverly transitions into the actual computer animation. See that after the jump.
First up is the old teaser trailer with Bees on a car windshield.
And now for the video you’ve been looking for, The Bee Movie Trailer 2 starring Jerry Seinfeld and Steven Spielberg. Yes, you read that right - the great director himself makes a well done cameo. Check it out below.
I’m actually interested in seeing this movie now. Dreamworks Animation has had a pretty bad track record. And I’m not talking hit’s, I’m talking good movies. But I really Really enjoyed Over The Hedge.
This new trailer made it’s debut in front of Music and Lyrics on February 14th 2007. The voice cast for the project includes: Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Briderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Rip Torn, Eddie Izzard, Alan Arkin, Oprah Winfrey, Kathy Bates, Larry King, Larry Miller, Barry Levinson, Colin Quinn and more. Bee Movie hits theaters on November 2, 2007.