Hancock is a Ssssmash (or is it?): So What Did You Think?
Since Tuesday, Hancock has grossed over $40 million domestically and is on track to stack $100 million plus by wke’s end. While early word from critics and geeks is decidedly mixed, that’s a lot of moolah for Will Smith, director Peter Berg (his first major hit), and Sony. Or is it? How puzzling that Nikke Finke says there are serious doubts circling inside the studio regarding Hancock’s franchise potential—she even compares the film’s buzz to Wild Wild West. Jab, Hook, Jab. With a reported budget of $150 million, Jeff Wells cries Feh if the film grosses $90 mill or less by Sunday. Diddy swooned and probably received a nice paycheck.
My take: the stampede of flip-flops after the holiday will remain steady, less steady than I Am Legend, which received similar “third act was wack” laments, but so what? Will Smith’s “coasting” will outperform the equally pricey The Incredible Hulk. And judging from early viewer comments below, “light fun” beats out-and-out hate.
Discuss: So, what did you think? In a summer of superlative superhero outings, where does Will Smith’s gravity-defying, comic-less street gruff fall? What did you make of the twisteroo that’s drawing steely comparisons to the guy who made The Happening? Would the film have been cooler if it was freed up by an R-rating as originally envisioned and marked by the MPAA—click here to read Vincent Ngo’s leaked screenplay forTonight, He Comes. Was the 92-minute running time too short? Was the editing botched? Is a sequel warranted? What of the performances of Smith and Charlize Theron? Does the Hancock storyline/concept cancel out “Demon in a Bottle” for Iron Man 2 as some have prematurely suggested in the preceding weeks? Worth seeing in a theater?
Simon Cowell producing Paramount’s One Chance - VIDEO
Simon Cowell is producing One Chance at Paramount. The film will be about Paul Potts, the opera singer who competed on Britain’s Got Talent. The performance on the show was his last effort at a music career. Potts, a cell phone salesman, had hit a streak of bad luck and only auditioned on BGT in 2007 on a whim. He ended up blowing away the judges, Cowell one of them. Potts won the show, went on an international music tour, and released an album.
Justin Zackman, the scribe from The Bucket List, will write the screenplay. Zackman is also working on Planetwalker, an environmental drama for Universal.
This is the American Idol judge’s studio debut. Cowell is also working on a project about a musical reality show called Star Struck. I wonder if that will be anything like American Dreamz which starred Mandy Moore and Hugh Grant.
The video of Paul’s audition for Britain’s Got Talent is after the jump.
Haas and Brandt Hired to Write Wanted Sequel
reader Editor E has passed along word that screenwriters Derek Haas and Michael Brandt have already been hired by Universal to pen a sequel to Wanted. Derek Haas revealed that
“We’re just finishing up a book adaptation for Universal of the James Siegel novel Deceit. We’ve been hired to write the sequel to Wanted by the same studio,” Derek Haas revealed to Pajiba. “And we’ve got a few more things in the hopper that it’s a little premature to talk about.”
I always assumed that Wanted was going to be in and out of movie theaters when it is released in June. The online response to the project has been minimal. But it seems like Universal believes they might have a franchise on their hands. Brandt and Haas, who also worked on the screenplay for the original film, are also credited with 3:10 to Yuma, Catch that Kid, and the upcoming big screen adaptations of Spy Hunter and The A-Team.
banner credit: badtaste.it
Spider-Man 4 in May 2011
Spider-Man producer Laura Ziskin told theater owners on Thursday that Spider-Man 4 is tentatively being scheduled for a May 2011 release. She also confirmed that screenwriter James Vanderbilt has yet to turn in a final screenplay, but she insisted that Sony Pictures is very hopeful that they will be on track for 2011.
Director Sam Raimi has yet to commit to the project, and told press earlier this month that he is “excited to read” the screenplay, and is “hoping it’s as great as our discussions were about it and hoping it feels right”. No stars are signed on to the project, however Sony has publicly insisted that they want to bring Tobey Maguire back for the fourth film. I still wonder if the script and money will be enough to bring the original team back to the fold. JK Simmons has said that the studio has recently checked in with his agents to say they want him back for a sequel, and he’s ready to return if Raimi is still involved.
source: LATimes