DAN’S MOVIE DIGEST 66

FANTASTIC FOURThe movie is stalling, but a design has been released for lead villainDr Doom, which is certainly very faithful to the comic-book series. (seeright) THE DARKDirector Neil Marshall and producer Keith Bell (Dog Soldiers) held atalk to a Media Production course at a North-Eastern University recentlyand mentioned their next project: The Dark.

Marshall described it as a throwback to 70’s horror movies (almostDeliverance-meets-Alien) about a group of five women trapped in anetwork of caves.

The pair are also considering making a zombie film and a historical epicset in Arthurian times.

EXORCIST – THE BEGINNING’Morgan Creek Productions’ have secured director Renny Harlin (Deep BlueSea) to film six weeks of re-shoots on their Exorcist prequel -following the sacking of director Paul Schrader. Schrader will stillretain his director’s credit, however. THE GOONIES 2Director Richard Donner revealed at a preview for Timeline that he willmake a sequel to The Goonies with the original cast (now adults), evenif ‘Warner Brothers’ don’t want to. INDIANA JONES 4’Fox News’ spoke with Indiana Jones franchise actors John Rhys-Daviesand Kate Capshaw about Indiana Jones 4.

John Rhys-Davies, who played Indie’s friend Sallah in Raiders Of TheLost Ark and The Last Crusade, said he’d love to reprise his role: “Noneof these guys [Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford or George Lucas] are init for the money, anymore.”

“If they’re doing it at all, it’s got to be better and more remarkablethan any one of the Indiana Jones films before. And that’s a pretty tallorder.”

Spielberg’s wife, Kate Capshaw, was herself coy about the future duringa Q & A to promote the trilogy’s DVD release, saying: “There is a lot ofdemand for a 4 – and no doubt a 5, 6, 7 and 8. I think George would justmake as many as [Harrison and Spielberg] would like. As long as you havethose two guys interested, there will be another Indiana Jones.”

ALIEN VS PREDATORActress Sanaa Lathan (Out Of Time, right) has been cast as explorer/adventuressLex Kline in Alien Vs Predator. Her character will lead an expedition toAntarctica to uncover warring alien races. JINXHalle Berry won’t reprise her Die Another Day character Jinx after all.To the dismay of Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson at’Eon’, ‘MGM’ instead wants Bond 21 put into production for 2005. THE MASK OF ZORRO IIDirector Martin Campbell told the ‘Calgary Sun’ that a Zorro sequel islooking likely now. “We’re in the final stages of negotiations withAntonio and Catherine Zeta-Jones. If they are both available andeverything goes as planned, we could begin shooting in Mexico in Aprilor May for a 2005 release.”

“We’ve rejected several scripts over the past four years, but have agreat one now, which is why the project has been green-lit. It’s a greatrole for Catherine. Her character will definitely be on a par withAntonio’s this time. [And it’s] much more than your typical sequel. It’sa full-out new film that uses the same two central characters.”

THE PHANTOM’Crusader Entertainment’ and ‘Hyde Park’ have secured the services ofOlympic gold medallist (turned screenwriter) Mel Stewart to write aproject based on The Phantom comics.

Stewart: “While I like the comic book franchises of the 1990’s, I alwayswanted to be able to identify with my hero more. Take all of thetechnology of 2004, where science fiction is no longer that – it’sscience fact. If you had all that technology at your fingerprints, youwould be a superhero.”

SUCCUBUSDirector Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil) has successfully pitched horrormovie Succubus to ‘MGM’. Johnson will direct the movie after completingGhost Rider with Nicholas Cage.

Succubus centres on a cult of female demons who use their supermodellooks to seduce and steal the souls of men. The movie will revolvearound two friends – one of which is propositioned by a beautiful womanbefore going missing.

BOND 21’The Toronto Sun’ talked to actor Clive Owen (right) about all the rumours thathe’s set to takeover as James Bond after Pierce Brosnan.

Owen: “That’s exactly what they are – rumours! There has never beenanything substantial underneath them. It’s reared up so many times now.I’ll deal with it, I’ll think about it, if it ever becomes a fact.

“I learned a long time ago in this game that there is a lot of bullshitand, if you worry about things that are not factual, you end up wastinga lot of time.”

“If ever there is an official approach, or somebody talks properly to myrepresentatives, I’ll think about it. But, until then, I read what youread. No, no, no, no… I honestly do not think about it.”

Anyway, ‘MI6’ reports that Aussie actor Hugh Jackman (X-Men 2) is now afront-runner to take over as 007. A report in ‘NW Magazine’ claims thatJackman is “what the producers are looking for: dark good looks, sexappeal, a sense of humour and box-office clout. He’s also the right age.[Clive] Owen lacks the necessary lightness of touch to make Bond abox-office success.”

“British actors Ioan Gruffudd, Jeremy Northam and Paul Bettany have allbeen put in the frame – but they have now reportedly been eliminated”.

Director Lewis Gilbert (The Spy Who Loved Me) also added his comments onthe issue: “You can’t have someone too young playing Bond because theywould never be believable in the part. And the chances of getting asuperstar like Russell Crowe are slim because he’ll be too expensive;he’ll have all sorts of projects lined up and is unlikely to want tocommit to making a series of films. Hugh Jackman clearly fits the bill.”

STAR WARS EPISODE III’Teletext’ spoke with Ian McDiarmid, who plays Chancellor Palpatine inStar Wars: Episode III, who said his character will feature in theaction sequences of the movie for the first time.

“You’d imagine that my character has been rather deskbound in the pastbut this time he will get to take part in the action. I can’t give thestory away as George Lucas would kill me but I have been engaged in farmore physical activities than any of the other films.”

“I have found myself sliding down chutes at speed and landing on heapsof rubber, it’s been a completely new experience for me. I haven’t hadto go down the gym to get fit for the scenes but I did need a fewrehearsals to get up to speed.”

“Most of my scenes have been with Anakin Skywalker [Hayden Christensen]who eventually becomes Darth Vader. There’s a lot of anticipation aboutthe movie and I think it will be worth the wait.”

THE TRANSPORTER 2A sequel to The Transporter is in development, says star Jason Statham(The Italian Job remake): “I’m doing another movie with Luc Besson. I’mdoing another Transporter movie and that’s late spring. They’re writingit now. I’m very thrilled about the prospect of what we’re going to getup to.” WATCHMEN’Aint-It-Cool News’ reports that John Cusack (Identity) is attached toplay Nite-Owl in ‘Revolution Studios’ new comic adaptation of AlanMoore’s Watchmen.

Channel 4’s recent ‘Top 100 Scariest Screen Moments’ was a goodweekend’s viewing for horror fans, and the eventual Top 10 waspredictable but still satisfying.

But, for anyone who cares, here is my own personal Top 10 – which I willno doubt amend countless times in the future… perhaps adding SpiceWorld in there somewhere…

Click on each image for more info.

All figures are weekend box-office gross.

• 1. Scary Movie 3 ($48.1m)
• 2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) ($14.4m)
• 3. Radio ($13.3m)
• 4. Runaway Jury ($8.4m)
• 5. Mystic River ($7.7m)
• 6. School of Rock ($6.5m)
• 7. Kill Bill: Vol.1 ($6.3m)
• 8. Good Boy ($5.0m)
• 9. Intolerable Cruelty ($3.6m)
• 10. Under the Tuscan Sun ($2.2m)

UK TOP 10 (CINEMA)

• 1. Finding Nemo (£3.88m)
• 2. Kill Bill: Vol.1 (£1.78m)
• 3. Intolerable Cruelty (£1.55m)
• 4. The League of Extraodinary Gentlemen (£1.21m)
• 5. Calendar Girls (£0.46m)
• 6. Bad Boys II (£0.36m)
• 7. Mystic River (£0.27m)
• 8. Cabin Fever (£0.257m)
• 9. Holes (£0.253m)
• 10. Secondhand Lions (£0.20m)

Note that these are UK release dates.