DAN’S MOVIE DIGEST 104

INDIANA JONES 4

John Rhys-Davies (right), who played Sallah in two of the Indiana Jones movies,talked to ‘The Daily Telegraph’ about the much-delayed Indiana Jones 4.

Rhys-Davies: “I was talking to Steven Spielberg the other day… wediscussed a fourth one. We’re in with the chance of making somethingabsolutely extraordinary.”

“George Lucas had reservations about the script and he said, ‘The only way Ican express my reservations is making another pass at the script myself’, soit’s gone back at least a year.”

“It is the intention of these three great filmmakers [Lucas, Spielberg andFord] to make another one.”

AREA 51’Paramount Pictures’ has acquired worldwide film rights to ‘Midway Games’upcoming sci-fi video-game Area 51.

Christine Peters (How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days) will produce the live-actionthriller in collaboration with ‘Midway’. The game is scheduled for releasein March 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

BOND 21Simon Thompson on ‘Capital FM’ spoke to Sir Ben Kingsley recently and therenowned British actor said he’d told the producers of the next James Bondmovie that he’d like to play the villain…

Kingsley: “I would like to make it known, on this program, loud and clear,that I would absolutely embrace with all five of my arms being a Bondvillain.”

There’s still no word who is going to be the next James Bond, followingPierce Brosnan’s admission he’s finished with the franchise. ‘MGM’ have thenext movie pencilled in for a November 2005 release, although many suspectthe producers will hold off until the “Bond-centric” year 2007 to launchtheir new Secret Agent. 007, geddit?

BLOODRAYNE’Dread Central’ has landed a first look at Kristanna Loken as half-human,half-vampire, supernatural huntress BloodRayne (see right)

Uwe Boll is directing the Terminator 3 star in this movie adaptation of thepopular video-game, which concerns a crossbreed vampire/human trained bysecret agency The Brimstone Society, which hunts down and eliminatessupernatural threats around the globe. In the movie, BloodRayne isconfronted by the powerful and evil Kagan, King of the Vampires (BenKingsley).

KILL BILL – DOUBLE VOLUME’USA Today’ talked to Quentin Tarantino about the success of themartial-arts action movie Hero in the cinema, which is “presented by QuentinTarantino”, and took an impressive $18 million in its opening weekend.

Tarantino also talked about the strong sales of Kill Bill Volume II on DVD,which could mean Tarantino will release a full-length Kill Bill movie,combining both films, as early as next year!

Tarantino: “It’s not just like slapping the two together. There are slightchanges, and it has an intermission, like a 60’s movie. It won’t make thesetwo [current DVD’s] obsolete. We have put everything we could on volumes Iand II, but I have all this cool stuff we have from over the course of ayear and a half making [the films].”

THE PASSION OF THE CLERKSWriter-director Kevin Smith has decided to revisit his first hit movieClerks, with a belated sequel.

Smith: “It’s about what happens when that lazy, 20-something malaise lastsinto your 30s. Those dudes are kind of still mired, not in that same exactsituation, but in a place where it’s time to actually grow up and dosomething more than just sit around and dissect pop culture and talk aboutsex. It’s: what happened to these dudes?”

The sequel – The Passion Of The Clerks – begins filming in January. ‘MiramaxFilms’, which turned the original into a cult-hit after buying it at the’Sundance Film Festival’, plans to distribute the sequel.

Smith: “It’s funny, it’s very raw, insanely foul-mouthed. In many ways it’sthe antithesis of Jersey Girl.”

Smith said he called Jeff Anderson, who played the combative video-storeworker Randal, and Brian O’Halloran, who was the besieged-by-strangenessconvenience store employee Dante, to run the idea by them first.

“Jeff was actually very protective of Clerks. Jeff was like, ‘Are you sureyou want to do this? That movie means a lot to people and do you want to goback?’ I thought about it honestly, and it would seem chicken to not give ita shot just because I’m afraid of [messing] with the first film.”

“I’m sure there will be naysayers who say, ‘Oh my God, it’s an opportunisticgrab at a buck,’ but it’s not. We’re doing it for nothing. We’re going to doit insanely inexpensively. The budget will be somewhere between 250 grandand $5 million.”

“This time around we’ll afford ourselves the luxury of nice 12-hour days.And people can get paid.”

Smith was previously offered the chance to direct Green Hornet, but declinedthe offer, although he will likely write the script.

KING KONGPrincipal photography is set to begin this month on Peter Jackson‘s (right) remakeof King Kong. Jackson is also producing and co-screenwriting the movie withLord Of The Rings collaborators Frank Walsh and Philippa Boyens.

The screenplay is based on the original story by Merian C. Cooper and EdgarWallace, which became the classic 1933 ‘RKO Radio Pictures’ film, directedby Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack.

Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Fran Walsh and Jackson will produce thefilm under their ‘WingNut Films’ banner, with ‘Universal Pictures’ releasingKing Kong worldwide on 14 December 2005.

As with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jackson will shoot King Kong onlocation in his native New Zealand.

Naomi Watts (The Ring) has been cast as heroine Ann Darrow, an actress fromthe world of vaudeville who finds herself out of a job in Depression-era NewYork. Her luck changes when she meets Carl Denham, played by Jack Black(School Of Rock) – an entrepreneur, raconteur, adventurer and filmmaker whois struggling to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry.Bold, ebullient and charismatic, Denham has a natural sense of showmanshipand an appetite for greatness, which ultimately leads to catastrophe.

Adrien Brody (The Piano) steps into the role of Jack Driscoll, a New Yorkplaywright, who becomes an unlikely hero in a romantic adventure story whichwill test his physical courage and his heart.

Jackson: “I’m thrilled to be working with Naomi – not many actresses couldstep into Fay Wray’s shoes and I have no doubt she will be equally asstunning in the role of Ann Darrow.”

“Adrien is one of the most gifted actors working today – he is smart andcharming and incredibly versatile and I think he’s going to be fantastic inthis role, which is unlike any he has played before.”

“Jack [Black] adds a wonderful dimension to the role of Carl Denham. He’splaying a maverick visionary who is undone by the monstrousness of his ownambition.”

Other cast members also include Andy Serkis (Lord Of The Rings), ThomasKretschmann (U-571), Colin Hanks (Orange County) and Kyle Chandler (TV’sEarly Edition).

Jackson: “The fun part of my job is getting to work with talented actorslike Colin, Thomas, Kyle and Andy because they bring so much more to a rolethan what is written on the page. Colin Hanks is the perfect guy to playDenham’s assistant, Preston. He is so good – you forget that you’re watchingan actor – which can be a little disconcerting.”

“Thomas brings a quiet authority to the role of Captain Englehorn. His drollsense of irony is the perfect counterpoint to Denham.”

Kyle Chandler is playing the role of Bruce Baxter – a 1930’s “movie star”who appears in the film Denham is shooting. “It’s a film within a film; Kylebrings enormous charm and style to this role, managing to capture thequality of some of the great legends of the era, such as Cary Grant andClark Gable.”

“I’m really looking forward to seeing what Andy Serkis does with thecharacter of Lumpy, the cook. This will be the first time we will actuallyget to shoot extended drama sequences together, in the full knowledge thatAndy will not be ‘painted out’ after the fact – as he was with Gollum.”

“But Andy hasn’t escaped that fate entirely. He will also provide valuableon-set reference for the character of Kong and he has spent weeks in theLondon Zoo and in the highlands of Rwanda researching various aspects ofgorilla behaviour.”

“It is not our intention to soften Kong in an attempt to humanize him. Thepower of the story lies in the fact that this is a savage beast from ahostile environment and we will not compromise that.”

Actors Evan Parke (Planet Of The Apes), Lobo Chan and Jamie Bell (BillyElliot) are also starring in King Kong as crew of the Venture, with Parke asHayes, the first mate, a hardened ex-infantryman from WWI; Bell as theship’s lookout, Jimmy, a delinquent with a habit for getting into trouble;and Chan rounding out the crew as Choy, the ever-optimistic deckhand.

Jackson will again collaborate with Director Of Photography Andrew Lesnie(Lord Of The Rings); editor Jamie Selkirk (TLOTR: The Return of the King);production designer Grant Major (The Lord Of The Rings); costumer Terry Ryan(The Hard Word); and unit production manager Anne Bruning (The LastSamurai).

The visual effects will be handled by New Zealand-based companies ‘WetaDigital’ and ‘Weta Workshop’, supplementing practical locations in creatingprimordial jungles and 30’s-period America.

Stacey Snider, chairman of ‘Universal Pictures’ said: “We are thrilled to bejoining Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh on the heels of the landmarkachievement of The Lord Of The Rings.”

“Peter and his team will bring their superior filmmaking, unequalled visionand the latest in film effects to this treasured classic. With thehigh-voltage casting of Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody, Peter’sbrought on some of the most talented young actors in Hollywood.”

“There is something unbelievably exciting about working with a filmmaker onhis dream project, as King Kong is for Peter. I really look forward to ourcollaboration.”

Jackson: “I very much want to respect the iconography of the original film,because I don’t believe we should try to change what worked. Our version ofKing Kong will reflect the same sort of dramatic sensibility we employed onThe Lord Of The Rings – placing real characters, with real dilemmas, in thecontext of a truly fantastical world.”

“I’m determined to give the film a gritty reality and to play the dramaticelements of the story for all they’re worth. Our movie is set in 1933, andthis is important because it means we can invest the story with the mysteryand romance of a bygone era. The Thirties was a time of discovery, when wedid not know the full parameters of the world and literally, anything waspossible.”

THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLESBrent Forrester has been hired to adapt The Spiderwick Chronicles for’Nickelodeon Movies’, ‘Atmosphere Entertainment MM’ and the ‘Gotham Group’,says ‘The Hollywood Reporter’.

The best-selling children’s book series details the adventures of the Gracechildren – a 13-year-old girl and 9-year-old twin brothers – who move into adilapidated estate with their mother. They quickly find themselves suckedinto a world of goblins, griffins, fairies, trolls and other magicalcreatures.

The five-part series is written by Holly Black and illustrated by TonyDiTerlizzi. Mark Waters is attached to direct the film.

RED EYERachel McAdams (Mean Girls) and Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later) have beencast as the leads in thriller Red Eye, directed by Wes Craven (Scream),reports ‘Variety’.

The film, written by Carl Ellsworth, is about a woman (McAdams) who findsherself held captive on an airplane by a stranger (Murphy) who threatens tokill her father unless she helps him arrange the assassination of a wealthybusinessman…

Shooting starts on 8 November in Los Angeles, with a tentative late-springrelease date planned for next year.

All figures are weekend box-office gross.

• 1. Hero ($11.5m) (right)
• 2. Without a Paddle ($9.01m)
• 3. Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid ($8.01m)
• 4. Paparazzi ($7.86m)
• 5. Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement ($7.54m)
• 6. Wicker Park ($6.82m)
• 7. Collateral ($6.48m) (total to date: $88.9m)
• 8. Vanity Fair ($6.27m)
• 9. The Cookout ($6.22m)
• 10. The Bourne Supremacy ($5.31m) (total to date: $165m)

UK TOP 10 (CINEMA)

• 1. The Terminal (£1.45m)
• 2. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (£1.14m)
• 3. Hellboy (£1.05m)
• 4. The Village (£0.69m)
• 5. The Bourne Supremacy (£0.54m)
• 6. The Chronicles of Riddick (£0.44m)
• 7. I Robot (£0.35m)
• 8. A Cinderella Story (£0.27m)
• 9. The Motorcycle Diaries (£0.22m)
• 10. Garfield (£0.19m)

All dates are U.K release dates, and are subject to change.