Green Lantern 2 To Be A Darker, Edgier Film
August 2, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
Green Lantern had a reasonable (not great) opening weekend but was otherwise a creative and financial dud. It is an example of that strange studio phenomenon: a film that manages to feel both over-written, with villains and set pieces seemingly cobbled together from different script drafts, and under-scripted, thanks to the total lack of sense behind most of the character actions. And audiences didn’t respond, once the marketing gave way to word of mouth? Shocker.
Because that opening weekend was north of $50m, Warner Bros. is still planning a sequel. What will the studio’s approach be this time? A solid script that establishes a story with logical and emotional drive and then embellishes it with action? Pfft. Why bother, when it can just be darker and edgier? (Or Dark Knight-ier, as the case may be.)
Warner Bros. film group president Jeff Robinov told the LA Times,
We had a decent opening so we learned there is an audience. To go forward we need to make it a little edgier and darker with more emphasis on action… And we have to find a way to balance the time the movie spends in space versus on Earth.
There is already a script outline put together by Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim, all of whom worked on the first film. But the LAT reports anonymous sources saying that the outline could be changed or scrapped altogether.
And as for Martin Campbell, who directed the first? He has an option to direct the sequel, but WB reportedly doesn’t want him to be in the big chair. So there might be some backstage dealmaking to be done, but expect to see another name on the film in 2013 or so. (As we expected, really.)
Ryan Reynolds Discusses His Very Busy Schedule Including ‘Deadpool’
September 15, 2010 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
In the last couple of months, Ryan Reynolds has been attached to a huge series of films as both actor and producer. The effect of all that is two-fold: his management and reps are obviously determined to make him huge, for one. And, more important to some fans, we’ve wondered if all the other work meant that his Deadpool film at Fox was going to fall between the cracks.
Now Reynolds is talking about Deadpool, and making it seem very much alive and well, if still working its way through the development process.
Over the past year or so I’ve heard a lot about Deadpool; enough that despite the relationship to the execrable Wolverine film and general tentpole mindset at Fox, I’ve been pretty intrigued.
By way of describing the film as quite different from most superhero movies, Reynolds nicely articulates some of the stuff that has been floating around about the movie in an interview with the LA Times:
Will Ryan Reynolds’ Busy Schedule Kill ‘Deadpool’?
September 9, 2010 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago, we got word that Red director Robert Schwentke was first in line to direct Ryan Reynolds in the supernatural action film R.I.P.D., based on the Dark Horse comic of the same name. Now there’s confirmation that Schwentke will in fact direct. The question is: does this, along with the rest of Reynolds’ schedule, kill Deadpool?
Deadline says that Reynolds will shoot The Change-Up, then the Denzel Washington film Safe House, then likely R.I.P.D., which will go late next summer. Notice a couple of things there. That leaves little time for Deadpool, and depending upon how the full schedule goes, Warner Bros. would have to work to fit a Green Lantern sequel into his calendar before the end of next year. If all these projects come together, and Green Lantern hits with audiences, Reynolds could be quite the superstar by 2012.
From our previous report, producer Neal Moritz recently described the film to Collider:
It’s about two cops, one recently dead and a gunslinger who’s been dead for hundreds of years who work on the Rest in Peace department – which is the police department of the dead. And they basically… it takes place on a normal day and it’s about trying to keep the dead quiet.
And here’s the official synopsis of the comic:
Welcome to the Rest In Peace Department — the devoted, yet dead, officers of divine law enforcement “patrolling the deadbeat…reporting to one boss.” Yep — THAT boss. Nick Cruz was murdered by an unknown assailent, at the height of his personal and professional life. Now he’s traded a hundred years of service to the R.I.P.D. in exchange for a shot at finding who killed him. Unfortunately his search will take him to Hell and back — literally!
Ryan Reynolds Signed As ‘The Green Lantern’
Ryan Reynolds has landed the coveted role of “Green Lantern,” getting the starring role in Warner Bros.’ live-action film based on the DC Comics hero.
Martin Campbell will direct. The studio is still working on the picture’s budget, but production is expected to begin in January.
The news caps off a memorable summer for Reynolds, who played Deadpool in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” a performance that prompted Fox to begin development on a spinoff film. Reynolds followed that by starring opposite Sandra Bullock in the romantic comedy “The Proposal,” which crossed the $100 million mark this week.
Warners and Campbell chose Reynolds, who vied for the superhero role along with “The Hangover” star Bradley Cooper and Jared Leto. The momentum built for Reynolds in the last week, as he was the only actor whose option was extended.
Greg Berlanti wrote the script with Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green. Donald DeLine will produce with Berlanti. Reynolds’ reps at UTA are working out his deal.
The actor will next star in “Buried,” a dark indie drama that will begin filming shortly in Barcelona with Spanish director Rodrigo Cortes. Reynolds will play a civilian contractor who is kidnapped in Iraq and awakes in a coffin, struggling against time to coordinate a rescue even though he doesn’t know where he’s buried in the desert.
Ryan Reynolds Talks ‘Deadpool’ And ‘Buried’
There are a couple interesting developments on the Ryan Reynolds front. Having appeared in two number one movies this summer has and will continue to lead to bigger and hopefully better things. Wolverine begat Deadpool, which we’re now hearing will feature Reynolds breaking the fourth wall as The Merc with the Mouth and addressing the audience directly. Weird.
In the comic, Deadpool does the same thing, but it can hit and miss in the movies. The one element that’s great in this instance is you’ve got the right guy talking to the audience. Reynolds has a great screen presence and personality, so while we haven’t really seen this in a superhero movie, it’s fitting that it’s Deadpool and perhaps all the more fitting that Reynolds is the guy to pull it off.
More compelling, though, is his recently announced Buried. Via The Playlist, Reynolds told an Australian TV show that the movie will be all him. A one-man show.
Ryan Reynolds Will Be ‘Buried’ In His Next Film
June 25, 2009 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
Ryan Reynolds has built a sturdy, marketable reputation on being a hunky wisecracker. He is so determined to shake up that image that he’s going underground… six feet under, to be precise. Reynolds is taking the lead in “Buried,” an independent thriller directed by Rodrigo Cortes (”The Contestant”), according to a report in Variety.
The actor will play a civilian contractor who is living and working in Iraq. After being kidnapped by forces unknown, he awakens in a coffin buried in the desert, armed with only a cell phone, a candle and a knife. It’s not the first “buried alive” story and it won’t be the last, but I bet you still feel claustrophobic just reading that!
The tight premise (no pun intended) is precisely why Reynolds took the part. An underground struggle for survival will allow the actor to stretch his chops beyond his witty “Proposal” persona or his scandalous “Van Wilder” wiseass. He’ll also be the only man onscreen for most of the film, which brings its own set of challenges. What better way to earn some indie and acting cred than to carry a movie all by your lonesome?
The script was written by relative newcomer Chris Sparling, and will begin filming next month in Cortes’ native Barcelona. As a Marvel fangirl, I hope he uses some of that alone-in-a-coffin time to think of script and villain ideas for his eventual “Deadpool” spin-off. And maybe to slap himself on the wrist a couple times for his previous stint as Deadpool.
Do you think Ryan Reynolds has what it takes for dramatic, independent territory? Are you eager to see him buried alive? Do you want him to stick to funnier fare? Or do you not care so long as he eventually makes “Deadpool”?
Ryan Reynolds Confirms New Facts About ‘Deadpool’ Movie Spin-Off!
June 12, 2009 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
From costumes to scars, Reynolds has exclusively told MTV that Deadpool will indeed be the Merc with the Mouth that we all know and love…
This from an exclusive story on MTV’s Splash Page:-
“I love it, because I get to be involved,” Reynolds said of his role in the spin-off film. “And I’m such a huge fan of the character. I get to be the authentication police, in a weird way,” said Reynolds “To their credit — the studio’s credit — they want to make an authentic ‘Deadpool’ movie; they want to make it as close to the source material as possible.”
The actor also told MTV that he and the studio have already agreed to some key terms. “He’s going to be the Merc with the Mouth, we’re going to give all those answers that everyone wants,” Reynolds explained. “He’s going to have the scarred-up face, he’s going to be in the suit — and, it’s going to be incredible. Right now, it’s just a question of trying to figure out what is the spine of the story,”.
Ryan said of their current discussions. “Who is the villain? What does Wade and/or Deadpool want? And how do you tell that story? Are we going to see flashbacks to his old life, flash-forwards, present-day?We’re just trying to figure that stuff out.”
Ryan Reynolds Updates ‘Deadpool’ Status
June 2, 2009 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
I know Gregory Ellwood from HitFix through Twitter, where we occasionally discuss box office numbers and not much else. So because he’s a pretty good dude – and appealing to my rarely seen sympathetic side, a Clippers fan – I’m happy to give him all the credit in the world and then some for dredging an answer about Deapool out of Ryan Reynolds…
Speaking during an interview with HitFix today for “The Proposal,” Reynolds shed more light on the project saying, “Well, I’m intimately involved with it. We’re just trying to break a story right now and figure out who the villain is going to be and all that stuff. But, it’s going to be just like the comic books. I’m gonna have a messed up face and you may see some flashbacks of Wade earlier in his life, but primarily what you see is what you get in the comics and that’s the goal. And there is no better place to draw material from then the comics which are incredible.”
For me, the real problem with X-Men Origins: Wolverine is that it only sets up the first X-Men movie, as far as Wolverine is concerned. I’m sure you can wring two gawdawful action movies out in between this and that, but you don’t really need to; the stage is set. Instead of a real origin story about Wolverine worth a damn, Fox used it as a the first domino to fall, kicking off a possible slew of spin-offs, which would begin with Deadpool.
The only problems with doing a Deadpool movie are A) He was barely in the damn Wolverine flick, and B) Ryan Reynolds is not a bankable star. Because Deadpool is not a very well-known character outside the real inner circle of comic book fans, those two factors really come into play. It would be like spinning off fairly regular bar patron Paul from Cheers instead of Frasier, or that other guy from Wham! releasing a solo album. The last one happened, by the way, so see what I mean?
Fox Announces ‘Deadpool’ Spin-Off Movie
May 6, 2009 by tcgames · Leave a Comment
20th Century Fox has officially announced that they are ramping up production on a Deadpool spin-off. Ryan Reynolds is attached to reprise the character, in a deal that was obviously part of his X-Men Origins: Wolverine contract. Lauren Shuler Donner will produce with Marvel Entertainment. No screenwriter has yet been hired.
Wolverine viewers are likely skeptical of how this character might be handled in a film of his own especially considering some of the twists and turns the character has taken in the Hugh Jackman spin-off. A bit of a warning, if you haven’t seen Wolverine, I’m about to enter into spoiler territory after the jump.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine left Deadpool laying in the rubble, disfigured, and his mouth sewn shut. The film also deviated from the comic books, with Stryker transforming him into Weapon XI, complete with an amalgamation of other mutants superpowers. One of the easter egg endings included after the credits hinted that the character was not dead, with Deadpool reaching for his own decapitated talking head.
Some have speculated that a Deadpool spin-off could be a prequel to Wolverine, in an effort to forgo the issues created in that film. A sequel is probably more likely. The comic book version of the character wears a costume that covers his whole body, including his head, so it is possible for the character to appear without showing the face underneath the mask. Also, the character has healing powers, so it’s possible that he might look completely normal when we revisit him.
Reynolds has described the character as “a cross between Commando and Phantom of the Opera, by way of Caddyshack,” a wise-cracking mercenary with a tendency to break the fourth wall. Reynolds recently told MTV that a Deadpool movie would need to be a closer adaptation of the comic book, so that sets up the expectations.
