Jesse Bradford As Dubya’s Frat Buddy?
Jesse Bradford (anyone remember him?!) has been cast as Thatcher in Oliver Stone’s Bush bio-disaster pic W.… Thatcher was Bush’s fraternity president in college.
I really don’t understand… why do people continue to sign up for this project? Is it for the controversy? Their belief in the man? Or the money? (My bet’s on the latter!) How many people does Oliver think are going to see this movie? No major production company would even touch the movie; it’s being produced by Lions Gate Films, who have brought us such amazing yarns as Bratz, The Condemned and Happily N’Ever After. I guess that actually sounds like some great company for W..
*sigh* Whatever.
Production is apparently well underway in Shreveport, Louisiana. Bradford is joined by Josh Brolin (W himself!), Elizabeth Banks (Mrs. W), and Ioan Gruffudd (Tony Blair). Pic is currently set for release in October.
Josh Brolin as George W? See It, Believe It
Director/madman Oliver Stone has started production on the strangestand possibly coolestmovie of the year, a big-time biopic of President George W. Bush, set for release (maybe) before the November election.
It's called W, it stars Josh Brolin as The Decider, and Entertainment Weekly snagged the low-down by visiting the director of JFK and Nixon on his new flick's Louisiana set.
"Bush may turn out to be the worst president in history," Stone tells EW. "But that doesn't mean he isn't a great story…The fact that he had to overcome the shadow of his father and the weight of his family nameyou have to admire his tenacity."
Brolin, hot off No Country for Old Men, is joined by Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush andthis is awesomeRob Corddry as Ari Fleisher. Rumored to be in talks are Paul Giamatti as Dick Cheney and Thandie Newton as Condoleezza Rice. EW peeked at the script, too, and describes scenes jumping between Bush's reckless youthdrunken driving, yelling at H.W.and his reckless presidency.
So what do you think, will W be greeted with flowers and chocolates, or is it a disaster waiting to happen?
Oliver Stone’s W. to Be Released on October 17th, 2008 By Lionsgate
Yesterday, we posted the first, rather ace photos of Josh Brolin as the worst U.S. president of all time for Oliver Stone’s W., and today brings word that the flick has picked up a distributor, Lionsgate, and is set for release nationwide on October 17th, 2008. Keep in mind that even though the film graces the cover of the latest EW, production kicks into gear next week and the role of Dick Cheney remains unfilled, so Stone is clearly on a mission. And what about a possible SAG strike this summer?
There are rumors going around that the film will be high on comedy, no sarcasm from me. And there is also a lot of “too soon!” going around and “Why, he doesn’t deserve a film?” But to me, W. will serve as a giant nail of closure for Dubbya’s past two terms and the trillion nightmarish Drudge headlines that resulted and will keep coming. It has nothing to do with the current tiring, sensational election process. Even if the film sucks, which I doubt, it’s a huge pie to the face, and that’s a reason to smile.
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?