Movies I'd Like to See: Part II

A week or so ago I posted a piece about the feature projects in development that I'd most like to see. These are my personal picks and the movies that I also feel will do the best at the box office. The trend towards comedy, action, sci-fi and fantasy continues - which does not come as a surprise. You could say, it's what the world needs now.

But there's also strong evidence of even more Gothic Horror in a modern setting going into development and production thanks to the wild success of The Twilight Saga, the True Blood episodic franchise on HBO, the coming Tim Burton adaptation of gothic 70s soap Dark Shadows and the literary classics turned comedy/horror mashups (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) by the upcoming film's writer Seth Grahame-Smith and too many more to mention. It helps to look at projects in terms of their trending topics/genres, don't you think? And also a lot of fun.

Tink

Disney has put a live-action romantic comedy into development based on the mischievous pixie, Tinkerbell, from that studio's animated feature Peter Pan. If you recall, Tinkerbell had thing for Peter but had a funny way of showing it. Now Elizabeth Banks will star as that meddling romantic in a script by Elizabeth Wright Shapiro. This should be a lot of fun and you can be sure that Disney (who is SO careful about their characters) will shepherd it in the right direction. Adam Shankman, Jenifer Gibgot and McG are set as the producing team.

At The Mountains of Madness

Universal has set up this adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft novel with Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins writing the script. Here's the story. A science expedition to the South Pole goes haywire when they stumble on (and awaken) the elder gods from another planet who came here to change the trajectory of mankind. Complications ensue. To date, no-one has found the key to adapting Lovecraft's clthonic creatures to the screen with success but with Guillermo del Toro involved, that's about to change - especially now that James Cameron has also signed on as the 3D producer.

Del Toro has a busy slate. Since exiting The Hobbit(due to MGM financial issues) after writing both films, he's signed up to produce for Disney's "Double Dare You" label. Just this week he announced at Comic Con that he's co-writing and producing three more movies I'd like to see: Haunted Mansion (the story behind the Disney theme park ride) Frankenstein(I'm not sure if this is a remake of the classic film based on the book by Mary Shelley or what) and Slaughterhouse Five (an adaptation of the Kurt Vonnegut classic).

The Exes

CBS Studio Films has optioned the rights to The Ex Files - a best-selling novel by Jane Moore. Though not a feature, I love the idea of brides and grooms confronting or coming into contact with their former loves before they tie the marriage knot. Long ago, when I first graduated college and went to work for Len Hill Films, we made a movie for television called The Last Fling. The premise is very similar - a beautiful bride-to-be has one last fling and feels more than she's supposed to with the new guy. I think I actually have screen credit on that for being assistant to the producers. Pre-nuptial romps (like My Best Friend's Wedding, Enchanted, The Proposal and 27 Dresses, to name a few) have proven very popular with audiences of all ages, but resonnate especially well with the female audience - as you'd expect.

Trixie

Dean Koontz' beloved golden retriever Trixie may have passed away but she'll be coming to life on a screen near you in a new family comedy, being developed at 1019 Entertainment. Trixie is the star of Koontz' memoir A Big Little Life, she "wrote" Bliss to You and is featured in a series of children's picture books, which became the banner for last summer's PetSmart campaign. Stephanie Fitch Groff is writing the screenplay. For anyone who loves animals (and there's an old saw that says you can't compete with a dog), this is a sure fire hit for general audiences with a worldwide appeal. If you watch this short story about how Trixie inspired the writer, you'll want to see the movie too.



Dean Koontz has his own Frankenstein in the works as a possible feature franchise. He and a pair of writing partners have written two books and he has written two more by himself in a series of best-sellers about a modern day doctor/businessman, living in New Orleans with his creature Deucalion. The doctor moonlights as the creator of "engineered" humans, who (apparently) are something of an abomination, as the title of book 4, Lost Souls, suggests. 1019 CEO Terry Botwick and producer Ralph Winter are behind this one too.

The Woman in Black

Hammer Films has purchased the rights to this gothic thriller to be shot in 3D. Based on the classic novel by Susan Hill, The Woman in Black was adapted as a TV movie in 1989 and stage play, which continues its run in London's West End. It's a ghost story, about young solicitor Arthur Kipps, who goes to investigate the estate of the recently deceased widow, Mrs. Drablow, and after a series of hauntings (and much to his own peril), uncovers an old family secret involving the death of a woman and her illegitimate son. The setting itself is enough to get your imagination going - Eel Marsh House is one of those quaint coastal properties on a causeway that's completely cut off from the mainland at high tide. The American version is being adapted to the screen by Jane Goldman with the former Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe in the title role. James Watkins will direct the film. Production starts later this year.

Before I Fall

Fox 2000 has optioned the rights to the best-selling teen novel, Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver. It's an original story but uses the Groundhog Day hook of a character reliving the same day over and over again. In this case, the character is a teenaged student who is involved in a fatal accident and relives the day of the tragedy seven times to learn what happened. Jon Shestack and Ginny Pennekamp are producing with Maria Maggenti adapting the novel to the big screen.

Hawkwood

Fox Features is developing this swashbuckling action-comedy (based on a real, though morally challenged Sir John Hawkwood)a rakish swordsman who worked as a mercenary during the Renaissance Wars and had a habit of switching sides. In the midst of one papal campaign, Hawkwood sided with the people he was sent to decimate and topped things off by marrying the Duke of Milan's illegitimate daughter. Hah! A true buccaneer.

That's all I have on the story but John Hawkwood was a real "character", which makes the project pretty appealing, especially coming on the heels of the delightfully naughty Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Jared Stern is writing the script for sexy comedy star Russell Brand (who will also be producing) along with Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark and Nicky Weinstock of Chernin Entertainment.

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Because all but one of these new movie projects are based on books, I've included a clip from a NY Times interview with John Irving, one of the master novelists of our time, on how he writes backwards and about how long it takes him to write a book. He also said in a different interview that "when I want to direct a movie, I write a novel" - great advice for screenwriters! This was recorded last summer, in anticipation of Irving's latest book Last Night, in Twisted River (which came out in November 2009 and is said to be somewhat autobiographical in details).

Magic Kingdom Acquires Playdom

UPDATE: Not to take away from my own brilliant insight;) that Disney's purchase signals a major media trend or anything, but CNET journalist Caroline McCarthy picked up the scent the day after I posted this with a bit more history and detail. Check it out here.

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Disney announced it is acquiring social gaming company Playdom today. This is one of the biggest studio deals to go down since Disney acquired Marvel. Although the numbers are around three-quarters of a billion instead of 7 billion, Disney's acquisition of Playdom will most likely lead the way to other studios buying up gaming companies. They're getting the jump on the worldwide consumer movement to mobile. Playdom's games are perfect for mobile devices but even if they weren't analysts at InStat believe that by the year 2013, two and a half times as many households will be streaming video content to their TV sets as they currently do.

Playdom is an online social gaming company that has only been in existence for two and a half years but is extremely popular on MySpace and Facebook. This isn't evidence of the demise of feature film, or movies for TV or episodics, it's just one more way we're going to be enjoying "content" on the go. But I do believe that writers of every stripe need to embrace the type of things that are being created for new media. AND if you're into dramatic writing, pay attention to the length.

I'm personally very interested in a revival of "the short" film. This is an excellent way to enter the market, when almost none of the big writer/directors are looking. Neil Gaiman has already got a couple under his belt (Statuesque and A Short Film about John Bolton - which actually came out 6 years ago). Gaiman has a whole series of silent shorts he's doing for Sky. Luv this idea. We're sure to see more of it.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of Playdom's tutorials.

Movies I'd Like to See

Here they are, the MOST RECENT movies in script development/pre-production that I'd buy a ticket to see. I'm leaving all the other stuff out because, quite frankly, they don't interest me except from a purely academic stand point. And who needs that? Since posting this, of course, I've come across about 7 more films that fall into this category. It's a neverending story. They're going on my next "Movies I'd like to see list" which is forthcoming:}

We Bought A Zoo

20th Century Fox is developing a biopic about a family who spends their life savings to refurbish a dilapidated zoo. Cameron Crowe is attached to direct. That’s all I know about this one but it's enough to capture my imagination. There’s something instantly endearing about a family who risks all to provide a happy home for the caged creatures/orphans in a strange land. Call me corny but it's all heart and I’ll bet it’s big on metaphor.

Field Trip

Paramount and The Montecito Picture company is making this time travel comedy about a high school teacher who takes his students on a rather unexpected field trip. Ivan Reitman producing. Script by Jordan Cahan. Pure family entertainment with the added fun of a time warp. I wonder how they time travel. By magic bus? Sure to be inventive and probably in ways I haven't thought of yet.

Lightspeed

Walt Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films producing this sci-fi actioner about a pilot who makes the Interstellar Earth Team and must race his space ship across the galaxy, to interfere with some dastardly thingy that will trigger a war. Could this be Top-Gun in outer space? Scripted by Terry Rossio and Bill Marsilii – two of the best screenwriters in the business. I’m ready to buy tickets to whatever they write, especially in concert with Jerry Bruckheimer.

Now You See Me

Summit Entertainment has aligned with Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci to develop and produce this intriguing crime story about a troupe of magicians who rob banks during their performances and elude the FBI agents tracking them. Spec script was written by rising scribe stars Edward Ricourt and Boaz Yakin. Sounds ike an edgy take on Neil Burger’s Academy Award nominated period mystery The Illusionist (2006), only it takes place in the NOW.

Anonymous

Roland Emmerich directed this scaled down period thriller about the Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere (a dramatist for Queen Elizabeth 1 and a ward of the state until he came of age to claim his title and his fortune), who has a soul chilling revelation during the Essex Rebellion and why that (allegedly) led him to hide behind the pen name William Shakespeare. Whether you buy the premise or not (and this remains hotly debated)Anonymous promises to be a smart piece of work. Already in post production and scheduled for release next year. Definite prestige film. Wonder who wrote it?

Margin Call

Thriller about 2008 Wall Street collapse and the risky business of derivatives and buying on the margin (making “down payments” on stock). Takes place over a 24-hour period between the key players at large N.Y. investment bank (hmm, I wonder which one?). Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore and Stanley Tucci star. Written and directed by J.C. Chandor. Looks like a fast track. This one’s already filming and due out 2011.

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Complex thriller about a journalist who tries to nail the murderous kingpin of a powerful family and finds himself disgraced and imprisoned until someone (who knows what really happened) hires him to track down the missing pieces. Based on the best-selling novels by the late journalist Stieg Larsson. The Swedish film adaptation screened in the U.S. in March. Sony acquired the rights and is developing a script by Steve Zallian. It will be directed by David Fincher. Daniel Craig and Carey Mulligan are attached to star.

Wind in the Willows

Bill Marsilii is adapting the children’s classic The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Weta (Peter Jackson’s co-owned creature workshop in New Zealand) is designing the animatronics with Ray Griggs directing. It’s reportedly a low budget piece ($30 million) but should be fantastic. Wind in the Willows inspired Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland, a Broadway play and was last adapted as a film by Terry Gilliam. There has been a TV series and a few other incarnations as well. I’m hoping for something more whimsically wonderful (and true to the original voice) under Marsilii’s pen. A favorite children's book.

Here's the teaser trailer for a sneak peek - looks wonderful.

Puppy Love

My sister recently rescued a chubby miniature dachsund and a few weeks later she had a litter of four adorable pups. Here's momma with one of her babies.

Meanwhle, I'm working on my picks of the projects that have recently gone into feature development. Will post that juicy report later:)

Here's the rest of the dachsund family.

Pirates 4 Filming In Hawaii

Production started a few weeks ago but I can't help feeling an almost childlike kind of excitement. Jerry Bruckheimer producing. Rob Marshall (I thought Nine was fantastic) directing a script by two of my favorite writers, Terry Rossio & Ted Elliot (they've written all the Pirates movies), Johhny Depp, Penelope Cruz (who was wonderful in Nine), Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, crystal clear blue water and the gorgeous white sand beaches and canyons of what looks like (and is) Kaui.

Here's a blurb from Business Wire that summarizes the plot of the latest adventure on the high seas:

In this action-packed tale of truth, betrayal, youth and demise, Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with a woman from his past (Penelope Cruz), and he’s not sure if it’s love–or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past.

The power of the Internet and the social networks is truly amazing. Even though I'm totally aware of the fact that these pics were uploaded onto Jerry Bruckheimer's Twitter account just so they'd be circulated and go viral, they still got to me.

Here's the teaser trailer from the 2010 ComicCon in San Diego.

In-Work: A Happy Place

So I was sitting on the sofa this evening, reviewing my day and feeling great about making major progress on the second edition of my book, SCRIPT: A Writer's Guide. It will be ready for download/purchase in two or three weeks, pending releases on the images I'm including in the second edition. There's nothing as satisfying as having an idea and bringing it to life on the page.

But even more exciting than that is the fact that taking up work on an old project and making it fresh and alive again, has inspired me to start work on a new romantic comedy with a slightly dark, supernatural twist. The story actually occured to me about a year ago but, silly me, I made the dumb mistake of sharing the concept with someone who put it down. That was enough to make ME put it down. Words to the wise. Don't share your fledgling story stuff with anyone because chances are they won't "see" it the way you do in your head.

I'm happy to report that being in-work on this new project simultaneously with updating the old one is such fun I wanted to share it. Here's the moral to the story. Just do it! Yesterday I committed the new premise to paper and today I roughed out an outline. Yes, it's rough and will probably change umpteen times but that's okay. That's all a part of the process. Nothing worthwhile happens overnight.

P.S. Watched a great episode of Charlie Rose last night that included a recent interview with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Well worth catching. Click here to see.

Mi Familia

Well, not all of them. We got together for my father's 90th birthday last weekend. Yikes! That's pretty "mature" but he's an amazing man and as sharp as a tack. I'm proud of him. My oldest brother Ted (the one in the back, standing up) took a million pictures. These are the preview shots of us siblings, my niece and two nephews. That's me in the purple with the newest addition to the clan.

World's First Flying Car

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, that Disney classic about a guy who invents a flying car, now has a counterpart in reality. It's called The Transition and is made by Terrafugia, a company based in Massachusetts. The Transition has just received clearance from the F.A.A. for extra weight to accommodate safety regulations for its function as a car. It gets 30 mpg, takes high grade unleaded gas and has a range of about 400 miles (depending on weight) with a top speed of 115 miles per hour.

This flying car is classified as a light sport aircraft but due to it's special modifications, it is one of the safest in its class. Transition is now taking orders from customers with an expected delivery date of "late 2011". The Transition is described as a "roadable aircraft" and as such, requires a light sport pilot's license to operate one. Oh, and bring your driver's license. You'll need that for the road and for night driving because you can't fly your Transition at night unless you've got a higher grade of pilot's license. I'm just sayin'...


You can fly where you want to go, touch down and drive home. And the Transition is small. At 6'9" tall and 80" wide, you can fold the wings up and park it in your garage. Pretty cool. Now your neighbors won't think you're weird and eccentric. They'll just envy you and all for an estimated cost of $194,000. Ready to order one? Click here to get started.

Don't you love it? The question remains, will it float? Chitty was amphibious too so maybe science hasn't quite caught up with Ian Fleming's magical car after all. But hey, it's a start.