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Dan Owen reviews
I s s u e # 3 22 8 F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 3
FANTASTIC FOUR’E! Online’ states that new screenwriter Tristan Patterson will writethe Fantastic Four script, which will be directed by Peyton Reed (DownWith Love) for a 2004 release. BAKER STREET IRREGULARSMalcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange) has signed to play Sherlock Holmesin Baker Street Irregulars, with Christopher Lee (Lord Of The Rings) ashis nemesis Professor Moriarty! DAREDEVIL 2’Comics Continuum’ talked with producer Gary Foster who indicated thatplans for a sequel and an Elektra spin-off film will continue thanks tothe film’s opening weekend box-office success: “We’re very happy withthings. DD2 moves ahead, as does Elektra. Too early to know what goesfirst, but we are certainly going to get scripts going. All the cast,except Colin (Farrell, who played Bullseye), are signed up for sequel.”
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MANAlfred Molina has officially signed to play Doctor Octopus in theSpider-Man sequel.
British character actor Alfred Molina, who last took on Salma Hayek asher husband in ”Frida,” has a new sparring partner: Spider-Man. In the2004 sequel to last summer’s web-crawling smash, Molina will take onTobey Maguire as Dr. Octopus, a deranged scientist who attaches fourgiant metal arms to himself, according to Columbia Pictures. ”AlfredMolina has a remarkable facility for everything from classic drama tomainstream comedy, and he is the ideal choice for Doc Ock,” Columbiachairperson Amy Pascal said in a statement. “He’s thrilled – whowouldn’t be?”, said Molina’s manager, Joan Hyler.
In relates news, the production may now be known as Spider-Man II, notSpider-Man 2 or The Amazing Spider-Man as previously know. Of course,these working titles change all the time!
DIE HARD 4Bruce Willis has been quoted as saying “I’m sure that Fox wants to seeDie Hard 4 made because the first three films were so successful,financially, which is the business of studios.”
“It’s so difficult in the world that we live in right now to make amovie about terrorists. I think they’ve kind of hit a wall with thatstoryline. I said that I would at some point do Die Hard 4 if they cameup with a script that was interesting and wasn’t another version of howcould the same thing happen to the same guy four times, which is adifficult job I think for Fox to try to find that script.”
“I could do Die Hard 9. I could Die Hard 200 and just keep doing thatfilm over and over. I try and keep myself interested as an actor. I tryto look for films that challenge me, to do new things, to try toentertain people in a different way than I did last time. I’ve gone onrecord as saying that I had gotten to a point in my career where I wastired of running down the street with two guns in my hand, screaming,’Nooooo!’ I don’t know, I guess I just try to keep challenging myself.”
DISNEYWant to know what Disney have in store for us this decade? Well, in 2005we have Don Quixote, then Fantasia 2006, Rapunzel in 2007, The SnowQueen in 2008, Chicken Little in 2009, The Search for Mickey (thestudio’s 50th Film) and Silly Stories in 2010 and Puss In Boots for2011. The next decade will include Expedition, Rescuers 3, Silkies, TheLady of the Lake and The Three Musketeers. Phew!
DOG SOLDIERS 2Star Sean Pertwee has spoken about the potential for a sequel to theBrit werewolf cult hit, saying: “There is a lot of talk about a sequel.It was originally written as a trilogy. Neil (Marshall,writer/director/editor) told me the whole story, but as there are otherproducers involved and things like that, I don’t know what’s happening.But all I can say to you is: D.N.A… there’s a reason they’re calledDog Soldiers, and its pretty fucking cool.” GOONIES II’Ain’t It Cool’ reports that director Richard Donner isn’t interested indoing a sequel to his cult 80’s adventure hit The Goonies. But thesequel may go ahead anyway, with a story involving a new gang of kidswith the original film’s actors now adults. Goonies II will be an”ancient indian adventure in the Rocky Mountains” with locations alreadybeing scouted in Oregon, Utah, and Colorado. KILL BILL IIContrary to circulating internet rumours, Quentin Tarantino is notplanning to cut Kill Bill in half and effectively make his script intotwo 90-minute movies. Kill Bill will be one complete film.
GARFIELDThe movie will no longer feature CGI incarnations of Garfield andfriends, but will instead feature talking animals akin to the work donein Eddie Murphy’s Dr Doolittle remake. KING ARTHURClive Owen (Croupier) could be lending his voice to a Disney adaptationof King Arthur, as the titular royal himself. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3Joe Carnahan (Narc) looks to have taken over Mission Impossible 3 frompotential helmer David Fincher (Fight Club). SCARY MOVIE 3Denise Richards (Starship Troopers) will star opposite her real-lifehusband Charlie Sheen in the upcoming Scary Movie 3.
STAR WARS – CLONE WARS’Cartoon Network’ and ‘Lucasfilm Ltd’ announced today a partnership tocreate Star Wars: Clone Wars (a series of 20 animated shorts to be shownon ‘Cartoon Network’ in 2003-2004 between other programming.)
Star Wars: Clone Wars continues the saga where the live-action film StarWars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones left off – at the beginning ofthe Clone Wars, an epic civil war that pits the old Republic against avast separatist movement led by the forces of evil.
Each episodic short will be 2-3 minutes in length and will airexclusively on ‘Cartoon Network’ at regularly scheduled times during thenetwork’s regular programming beginning later this year.
As Clone Wars unfolds the valiant Jedi Knights lead the Republic’s CloneArmy against many new and ruthless adversaries across the galaxy. Thesenew characters, epic battles and intricate stories will add an excitingnew dimension to the Star Wars saga.
Sam Register, senior Vice-President of development for ‘Cartoon Network’said “we are incredibly excited to be working with Lucasfilm in creatingan animated story that extends one of the world’s most belovedentertainment properties. ‘Cartoon Network”s creative team will workhand-in-hand with ‘Lucasfilm’ to make sure that our common vision forClone Wars thrills Star Wars fans around the world.”
STUCK ON YOUJack Nicholson and Al Pacino may be joining this conjoined twin badtaste comedy from the Farrelly Brothers, which already has Matt Damon,Greg Kinnear, Cher and Eva Mendes in its cast.
In the film Cher’s character will apparently take them trick-or-treatingin one sequence – with Nicholson and Pacino also being conjoined at thehead, so they dress as an octopus!
THUNDERBIRDS’The Hollywood Reporter’ says that former E.R. star Anthony Edwards (TopGun) has signed to star in the live-action film version of Thunderbirdsas Brains! UNDERWORLDSome images have been released from the ‘werewolf versus vampires’romance action movie due out later this year starring Kate Beckinsale.(see below)
US TOP 10 (CINEMA) 
- a) Heath Ledger (A Knight’s Tale) and Catherine Zeta Jones were firstconsidered for the lead roles in Moulin Rouge!
- b) Alfred Hitchcock was forced to build replicas of the UN and MountRushmore on sound-stages after he was refused to film at the reallocations for North By Northwest.
- c) Comedian Chris Farley (Tommy Boy) was cast as the voice of Shrek inDreamworks’ CGI animation. He even recorded some dialogue, but wasreplaced my Mike Myers following his premature death.
- d) If you watch serial-killer movie Seven closely you may notice a briefflash of Gwyneth Paltrow’s face just before Brad Pitt shoots KevinSpacey! Director David Fincher would later reuse this near-subliminaltactic in his rather excellent Fight Club.
- e) Director John Boorman (Excalibur) turned down the change to directThe Exorcist because he thought it was “cruel towards children.” Heseemed to have had a change of heart once the film became a worldwidesensation – and agreed to film the dire sequel Exorcist II: The Heretic!
** TRAILERS ** X-Men 2Oh, not another sequel…
Yes, 2003 is certainly packed with them: Matrix 2 and 3, Lord Of TheRings 3, Tomb Raider 2, Charlie’s Angels 2, Terminator 3…
Will X2 (as I know they call it) beat the curse of “sequelitus”?
I expect so. The original X-Men film was an enjoyable movie but justfelt like a basic introduction to the characters and their prejudicedworld. This time, with the comic-book premise established, directorBryan Singer can finally unleash the action mostly missing from hisfirst effort.
Okay, but in simple terms, why will this be better?
There’s a bigger budget – hence more mutants (The Beast, Nightcrawler,Lady Deathstrike, etc.) and the plot sounds more interesting (a lethalvirus that could cause the extinction of mutants, the villainous Magnetoteaming-up with the X-Men, plus some revelations about Wolverine’sshadowy origins) and it probably has a decent musical score, too!
Sounds better, yes… but will Halle Berry still wear the same hideous wig?
Oh no. She has a brand new hideous wig.
Ah. Okay. Any other reasons to be excited?
Rebecca Romijin-Stamos returns as the seductive femme fatale Mystique.
I’m sold!
X-Men 2 is released this Summer. See you in the queue!
Note that these are US release dates.
Email Dan Owen
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.