Wednesday, November 11

• Sgt. Rock Adaptation Set on Fast Forward

  Producer Akiva Goldsman is already involved in the production of four comic book movie adaptations, including Jonah Hex, The Losers, Lobo, and Swamp Thing, and now he's attached to a fifth. Goldsman is joining Joel Silver in his decades-long quest to bring DC Comics' WWII hero, Sgt. Rock, to the big screen.

  Only, Rock and his "Easy Company" are not going to be slogging through the trenches fighting Nazis in war-torn Europe. According to THR, the Sgt. Rock movie will be set in the future. Previously envisioned as a Dirty Dozen-esque "authentic" war film, the change of time period and locale is said to be reflective of the lack of interest by moviegoers in period war films.

  Silver had previously enlisted Guy Ritchie to script and direct Sgt. Rock, but Ritchie has moved on to direct Lobo with Silver so Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend) has been brought in to front the film. Chad St. John (The Days Before) will write the script.

  
  

  Posted 11/11/2009 by BrentJS

  Related: Akiva Goldsman | Joel Silver | Guy Ritchie | Francis Lawrence | Lobo | Jonah Hex | The Losers

Friday, April 24

• Update on Constantine 2

  When Constantine opened in 2005 to a worldwide box office of $230 million, it seemed like the start of a franchise for the comic book adaptation. In 2006, producer Lauren Shuler Donner spoke positively about a sequel, saying she and a "team of writers" were "really going to go for it" on a sequel that would feature a "hard" R-rating, Keanu Reeves, and a story "outside of America." Then things went quiet.

  In 2007, director Francis Lawrence suggested the sequel might actually be a prequel. "I like origin stories," he told ShockTilYouDrop. Then, once again, news of a sequel ceased.

  Now it looks like a sequel may be on its way. Last year, Reeves told MoviesOnline he "wouldn't mind doing another Constantine" and he may get his wish. Recently, Shuler Donner told SciFiWire that a sequel "looks very good," and that she is "looking for a writer."

  Wait, what happened to the "team?" Let's hope they haven't taken those sequel ideas with them. Fans of the comic would likely prefer a return to Constantine's English roots. Even if Reeves can't pull off the accent.

  
  

  Posted 04/24/2009 by Ryan

  Related: Keanu Reeves | Lauren Shuler Donner | Francis Lawrence | Constantine

Monday, November 24

• I Am Legend, Again?

  When it comes to blockbuster tentpole flicks, Hollywood's modus operandi is to greenlight sequels almost immediately after the first receipts come in. But what happens when the highly-recognizable, virtually indispensable hero of said blockbuster eats it at the end of the movie? Such is the dilemma facing the producers of last year's unexpected megahit, I Am Legend. In an uncharacteristically brave move, they opted to kill off star Will Smith, a guy who just happens to be the most popular actor on the planet, in spectacular -- and thoroughly conclusive -- fashion at the end of Francis Lawrence's post-apocalyptic epic. (We'd put a "Spoiler Alert" here, but if you're one of the seven people in the country who hasn't seen I Am Legend, chances are you probably don't have internet access, either.)

  Initial reports indicated that Warner Bros. intended to make an I Am Legend prequel -- seemingly the only realistic option available that would allow the studio to continue milking the franchise and not appear utterly shameless -- but now AICN is reporting (via an untested source, they caution) that they've changed course and that a sequel is indeed in the works.

  If AICN's report is true, I Am Legend sequel producers have three explanations for bringing Smith back, according to standard Hollywood procedure: 1) Explain that it was all just one big, crazy dream; 2) Reveal that Smith's character, Robert Neville, has a previously unmentioned twin or clone; or 3) Have Smith only appear in flashbacks, Saw-style. Either way, we smell a hit.

  What do you think the sequel should be called? Our suggestion: Live Free or I Am Legend.

  
  

  Posted 11/24/2008 by reelz

  Related: Will Smith | Francis Lawrence | I Am Legend