Carell Clocks In for More Office
Michael Scott can look forward to putting in more long, hard, late nights at Dunder-Mifflin Scranton.
At least, that’s what he said.
The “he” in this case being cocreator, executive producer and star of the original British version of The Office, Ricky Gervais, who revealed in a posting on his official website that Steve Carell has renewed his contract for the NBC hit.
“Had some great news today about the American version of The Office,” Gervais wrote. “Steve Carell (now one of the most bankable film stars in the world) has just signed up for another three years with us.
“He is the hardest working man in Hollywood and the harder he works the better it is for me. I mean…well done Steve you are wonderful…He is a very nice man and deserves all his success. I am just as dedicated to my art without compromise but only between the hours of 9 and 3 p.m.”
In addition to revealing the contract coup, Gervais also confirmed another of NBC’s badly kept and somewhat fan-derided scoops: that a satellite Office is already in the works.
Earlier this month, word spread that Rashida Jones, who played Jim’s pre-Pam hookup, Karen, on the show and who currently has a talent holding deal with the network, would be heading up the new cast, though Gervais kept mum on any casting or potential story points.
“We are also working on a spinoff series of the American Office,” he wrote, “but I can’t tell you anything about that yet.”
Jam it anyway.
Guillermo Del Toro to Never Direct Sleepless in Seattle Sequel?
We can all rest easy. Turns out all of those Internet rumors were true: Hellboy 2 director Guillermo del Toro is not a fan of weepy rom-coms and will never ever direct a movie starring Meg Ryan or rabid Manhattan cougars. Page Six got the scoop of scoops by way of an interview in Complex magazine…
“No way. Sleepless in Seattle can go fuck itself,” Guillermo Del Toro said. “Monsters are the most beautiful creatures in the universe. I have no interest in everyday life, except through a twisted mirror.”
Slashfilm tracked down Everyday Life in its mundane cubicle on Friday for a comment and this is what it had to say…
“Listen, I know I’m lame. If Guillermo has a problem with me, it’s understandable. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s only one Almond Joy left in the office snack machine, and I want snag it for later. Congratulations on the superlative mention in Vanity Fair by the way. [incoherent mumbling]“
So, we guess that settles it. Shocked? Wouldn’t it be cool to see the director of Pan’s Labyrinth redo You’ve Got Mail as a deranged horror fantasy?
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?
Cloverfield/1-18-08: Sources Say The Monster(s) are NOT Raptor-like
Last week DreadCentral reported a rumor from an e-mail spy that claimed to know the identity of the Cloverfield / 1-18-08 / Overnight monster(s).
According to “Mr. Slusho”, much of the movie will revolve around the characters fleeing for their lives, not from the big one stomping the city, but from the “raptor-like” smaller versions hunting them down.
We didn’t publish the report because our sources told us not to run with it. We have now verified with a second source that the report is completely untrue. We love DreadCentral. They have had some good scoops in the past, but this appears to not be one of them. Both of my trusted sources have assured me that raptor like creatures are meant to be in dinosaur movies, and not 1-18-08. So fear not, Cloverfield will not be a repeat of the often mocked American Godzilla film.