Another odd project for J.J. Abrams
Apparently the new Trek movie, Fringe, and whatever it is he does over at Lost these days, isn’t enough to fill up J.J. Abrams’ day. That’s a good thing. He’ll be too busy to notice that you are downloading the leaked Fringe pilot. Through Bad Robot, Abrams is set to produce a new project, turning an article from the New York Times into a feature film. J.J.’s overlords at Paramount have purchased the rights to a recent article titled “Mystery On Fifth Avenue.”
That article, written by Penelope Green, tells the story of a luxury apartment on Fifth Avenue that has some unique architecture. After dropping $8.5 million on the place, the new owners brought in an architectural designer to liven the place up for the kids. The remodel included hidden compartments, puzzles, poems, and messages. There is even a book and a soundtrack that goes with it. How that translates into a movie remains to be seen, but Abrams has some help from a couple television veterans as he tries to figure that out. Maya Forbes (The Larry Sanders Show) and Wally Wolodarsky (The Simpsons) are on board to write the feature. I’m thinking Panic Room meets Jumanji, with time traveling aliens.
Platinum Dunes Explains Rosemary’s Baby Remake. Fails. Makes Us Laugh.
“Listen, we’re going to have this remake, okay? And it’s going to be great, babe.”
With their stint at Crystal Lake going swimmingly, Platinum Dunes slithered out of the devil’s bedroom to talk about their upcoming remake of Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby a.k.a Why Not? Michael Bay Made Transformers. Producer Brad Fuller more or less explained my alternative title for their remake to STYD…
“If we don’t do Rosemary’s Baby someone else is,” says Fuller. “They’re not going to pass on that. …All the shit we get for doing these things, it really just comes from being huge fans and wanting to take a shot.”
Fuller’s is the greatest justification, not just for remaking classic films, but for everything in life. What Fuller is trying to say is, “we just want to do hood rat things for our friends.” And I’m curious to know who the “they’re” he’s referring to is. Hahah. Did he get a phone call from a smoking man who said, “A Rosemary’s Baby remake has been discussed by another studio, and the actresses mentioned for Rosemary simply aren’t hot enough. And it might be PG-13.”?
“Platinum Dunes, saving moviegoers from unknown disappointment since 2008.” - thankful moviegoer
Not really sure I follow what this next quote is trying to convey…
“You would say Rosemary’s Baby supernatural story, so one of our takes is supernatural, the other is not supernatural. It takes that story and roots it in reality and that’s going to be a decision that we’re going to have to make soon as we wrap Friday the 13th …and start sitting down with Paramount as to what kind of story do they want us to tell for them and what’s the smartest way to tell that story.”
Does this mean that the original film’s spawn of Satan storyline and the coven would be excluded? I don’t know, but it’s pretty funny. Platinum Dunes is not really based in reality in my opinion, but that’s not a bad thing.
Samuel L. Jackson joins CBS Paramount
Yes, your grandfather’s network just got considerably cooler. Unfortunately, whether or not this is going to put Jackson on our small screens with any regularity remains to be seen. The deal isn’t to join a specific series. Rather, Jackson has signed a first-look deal that will have him develop and produce projects for the studio over the next two years.
We’ll have to wait to see what, if anything, comes of the new partnership, but there is an encouraging bit in the announcement. Jackson says he’s open to the idea of limited appearances on something he produces, referencing Salma Hayek’s run on Ugly Betty. I’m of the mind that the more Samuel L. Jackson on the TV the better, but I’ll take what we can get. His only previous credit producing television is Spike’s Afro Samurai, which is set to return this fall.
Beverly Hills Cop Summoned for Duty
The heat is back on for Axel Foley.
More than a year after signing Eddie Murphy for another go-round as the wisecracking Detroit detective who prefers getting his hands dirty in SoCal, Paramount is now eyeing a summer 2010 release date for the fourth installment in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise.
Variety reports Brett Ratner, who added his frenetic touch to the Rush Hour trilogy and X-Men: The Last Stand, among others, is in talks to direct.
Beverly Hills Cop III may have tanked 14 years ago and been a laugher for all the wrong reasons, but the first two action comedies were blockbuster hits, grossing $234.7 million and $153.6 million, respectively, in the U.S.
The studio is hoping to get cameras rolling on the sequel next year, just as soon as they have a workable script. No writer has yet been assigned the grueling task of making a hopefully R-rated Axel funny again.