Tuesday, October 27

• Is Matt Damon Bourne Again in Green Zone?

  The first trailer has surfaced for Green Zone, an action-adventure adaptation of Imperial Life in the Emerald City. No, nothing to do with The Wizard of Oz. This Emerald City is an award-winning non-fiction account of America's misadventures in Iraq's American-controlled international zone. A darkly comic, often absurdist tale reminiscent of Catch 22, it would seem to lend itself to an interpretation heavy on the irony, perhaps along the lines of The Men Who Stare at Goats.

  Not so much, from the look of this trailer for Green Zone, which seems headed off more in the direction of The Bourne Identity and its progeny. With Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass at the helm and Matt Damon headlining, I suppose this should come as no big surprise. What we know about the plot so far is that Damon plays a U.S. agent sifting though lies and deception in search of weapons of mass destruction. (I guess we all know how that turns out.) But this first glimpse promises plenty of Bourne-style action and intrigue along the way.

  
  

  Posted 10/27/2009 by Bill

  Related: Matt Damon | Paul Greengrass | Green Zone

Wednesday, September 24

• New Blackbeard Movie to Feature Actual Raping, Pillaging

  Hollywood studio execs are legendary copycats, so it's a bit surprising that the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy's massive profits didn't immediately spawn a slew of buccaneer-themed projects. One notable exception is Dreamworks' upcoming biopic of the notorious English privateer who terrorized travelers of the high seas in the early 18th century.

  In contrast to the family-friendly romp that was Pirates of the Caribbean, Blackbeard will present a "serious" take on its subject "based on historical fact," producer Barry Josephson promised MTV News in a recent interview. That means lots of violence, debauchery, and (hopefully) no poncy Orlando Bloom types. Cool.

  In other Blackbeard news, IGN reported earlier this week that acclaimed Bourne helmer Paul "cinema verite" Greengrass is apparently at the top of the list to direct the film -- a dicey proposition, indeed, for moviegoers with weak stomachs. The prospect of placing Greengrass and his army of hand-held cameras atop an 18th-century frigate is enough to send even the hardiest souls reaching for a bottle of Dramamine.

  
  
  Next Showing: Blackbeard is currently scheduled to open in 2010.

  Posted 09/24/2008 by reelz

  Related: Paul Greengrass | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Blackbeard

Monday, February 25

• Bourne returning for a fourth go-round; Damon on board

  It seems that nothing in the world can stop amnesiac superspy Jason Bourne -- not even the death of his creator, author Robert Ludlum, who passed away in 2001 after penning the three novels upon which the blockbuster trilogy is based.

  Variety reports that star Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass have signed on for a fourth chapter of the Bourne franchise, much to the surprise of those of us who assumed that the series would end with 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum. No word on when the flick starts shooting or what it will be called. Our suggestion: The Bourne Addendum.

  Source: Variety

  
  

  Posted 02/25/2008 by reelz

  Related: Matt Damon | Paul Greengrass | The Bourne Ultimatum | The Bourne Supremacy

Thursday, January 10

• Movie news: Greengrass, Arkin

  Mr. Shaky-hands himself, director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum) will be reteaming with his Boston-born muse, Matt Damon, for an Iraq war thriller based on the novel Imperial Life n the Emerald City. Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine) and Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone) will co-star.

  Also from Little Miss Sunshine, Alan Arkin has joined the cast of Marley & Me, which will co-star Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. It will be Wilson's first project since his hosptialization and suicide attempt last summer.

  Source: Variety.

  
  

  Posted 01/10/2008 by reelz

  Related: Alan Arkin | Paul Greengrass | Marley & Me | Imperial Life in the Emerald City

Monday, July 23

• What's next for Matt Damon?

  On the heels of Bourne Ultimatum's August 3rd release, the question is what's next for Matt Damon. With a strike looming over Hollywood once again, the actor may have difficultly fitting everything he wants to do into his schedule before the strike date.

  ReelzChannel.com spoke to Damon at a press conference for Bourne Ultimatum this weekend. The actor openly discussed his pre-strike hopes:

  "I'm hoping to do the Green Zone movie (Paul Greengrass' Imperial Life in the Emerald City)... I'm doing The Informant with Steven Soderbergh, which we've been trying to do for years, starting April 15th. We have a strike coming, and Steven knows I want to do Paul's movie, so he moved it all the way up so he'd basically go April 15th to June 30th, and the strike starts the next day. If Paul can get me in before April 15th...then I can do it."

  Damon has also been linked to Darren Aronofsky's boxing picture, tentatively titled The Fighter along with Departed co-star Mark Wahlberg. "The full script isn't in yet," Damon says. "It's another thing that's out there."

  
  

  Posted 07/23/2007 by reelz

  Related: Matt Damon | Paul Greengrass | The Bourne Ultimatum