Has Martin Scorsese gone mad? The legendary director has apparently offered Sylvester Stallone the part of Chuck Aule in the big screen adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island!? Stallone hasn’t signed on the dotted line as of yet (but why wouldn’t he? It’s Scorsese?), but if he does come on board, he’ll be starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
Dennis Lehane is an author known for his Boston-based mystery novels, two of which have been adapted to the big screen. Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River was underrated, and Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone is one of the best movies of 2008 (go see this gem now). I haven’t read the book, so It’s not for me to say if Sly could play this role or not. Judging by some of the characters in Lehane’s other novels/movie adaptation, Stallone might even be a perfect fit. And there has to be some level of trust in Scorsese, who is certainly not interested in Sly for his name value.
Official Plot Description: It’s Summer, 1954. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels has come to a small island in Massachusetts’ Outer Harbor, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Along with his partner, Chuck Aule, he sets out to find an escaped patient, a murderess named Rachel Solando, as a hurricane bears down upon them. But nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is what it seems. And neither is Teddy Daniels. Is he there to find a missing patient? Or has he been sent to look into rumors of Ashecliffe’s radical approach to psychiatry? The closer Teddy and Chuck get to the truth, the more elusive it becomes, and the more they begin to believe that they may never leave Shutter Island. Because someone is trying to drive them insane. . .
The script is written by Laeta Kalogridis (Alexander, Pathfinder, James Cameron’s Battle Angel). The project is being fast tracked ahead of Marty’s numerous other projects in development. Paramount hopes to start production in March in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Nova Scotia.
source: AintitCool
November 10th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Sly was about as solid as you can get in Rocky Balboa. That’s on top of the fact that he wrote and directed the thing. I for one am excited as hell if he teams up with Scorsese. Stallone + Scorsese = Awesome.
November 11th, 2007 at 12:07 am
I agree with freddie 100%. Did you see Cop Land? I was just reading the comments on IMDB about the movie and they all echo the same confidence we have for Stallone. I suggest all of the haters go read them here (especially the first one, that one hit’s it on the head):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118887/usercomments
and then I suggest they go check out the movie to get a glimpse of Sly will most likely bring to the table.
The bottom line is this: Dude can act yall… Deal with it!
-JC
November 11th, 2007 at 1:03 am
Heh
Bottom line: Sly fucking sucks.
November 11th, 2007 at 2:55 am
Fabulous!!!!!!
November 11th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Why is Scorses’s going mad? He’s legendary, but so is Stallone… in a very different way, but still. It could be good. He needs more roles then Rocky and Rambo. Come home Pete, East coast is who you are, not this west coast comic book store guy from the simpsons version of you……………
November 11th, 2007 at 10:42 am
How is Mystic River underrated didn’t it win/get nominated for some oscars? Something which IS underrated though is Stallone’s acting ability.
November 11th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Stallone has made a lot of popcorn junk, but like people have said above, anyone who has seen Copland knows that he can be an incredible actor.
After the first Rocky, Roger Ebert said that Stallone could become the next Marlon Brando.
November 11th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Peter, I don’t grasp your intro to this post. Has he gone mad? Hardly. Obviously, Stallone is back in good graces with Hollywood’s elite after years spent in an ego-fueled and creatively-bankrupt spiral. Scorsese is striking first before Tarantino gets a hold of Sly, and I think this is a smart move (Sly better sign that contract!) for a number of reasons.
It will bring an audience to the film that might otherwise have passed. Leo brings them in, but just like with Nicholson in The Departed, the film will now attract an older audience and, forgive the phrase, a low-brow audience to this picture.
Also, Sly is an actor that everyone (at least on the net) wants to see make a comeback - he’s just a likeable guy and seriously “Rocky Balboa” was the most candidly autobiographical film about Sly’s mistakes, lessons learned and his take on life that he could ever make.
“Copland” was okay, and it was sad to see the backlash against Sly pile on after it flopped, but I for one, have always felt that Sly should work with better directors and not rely on himself as much. “Copland” was Sly playing too hard against type as an insecure neverdowell. Same thing with Bruce Willis. These guys have pigeonholed themselves with their muscles and the ’80s heyday for far too long.
I’d still love to see Stallone pop up in “Inglorious Bastards,” and as long as he doesn’t make that ridiculous bid at remaking “Death Wish,” he has a huge second wind to reinvent himself. But the key here is that he shouldn’t play slower, darker action parts like “Death Wish” - he needs to cut down his price tag and work with Scorsese no matter what. The new “Rambo” is cool and will make some bank and keep his auteur status alive, but after that, he needs to surprise us with strong material. What better way? And Scorsese realizes that he can help reinvent Sly. “Rocky” is ranked as one of the best film ever made by the AFI. People forget this.
That said, I hope he never makes his “Poe” dream project. That’s a stretch, there Sly.
November 11th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Stallone is only a good actor when he is put in the right role. He has a very small niche that he can play incredibly well. Outside of the small range, Sly is comparable to Arnold.
November 11th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
I have to disagree about the “niche.” I don’t feel Stallone has ever been granted the chance to work outside the box. “Copland” was his only serious attempt and a worthwhile one at that, while films like “Get Carter” and “Daylight” were poorly executed films and concepts in general. Comparisons to Arnold are moot because Arnold never made a film like “Rocky” or “Rocky Balboa” and never showed the incentive towards serious acting. Sly also has an Oscar, made one of AFI’s Top 100 (unlike Cruise or Willis), and he’s also a director and writer, so he understands dramatic film far more so than Arnold.
I doubt Scorsese would consider Sly for his upcoming thriller if he felt the guy was limited to “a very small niche.” In the ’80s, Sly became a franchise machine, thus limiting his opportuntiies for fame and financial gain. I don’t think we’ve seen the real Sly, and I think Scorsese will bring that out, as could Tarantino.
November 11th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
TheDohDoh,
If we have yet to see “the real Sly” after he’s done 45 feature films, I’m pretty sure we’ll never see “the Real Sly”. And again, you’ve glossed over what I just said. Sly was incredible in Rocky, because that fit into the little niche of characters that he is able to nail home. He can play the sympathetic tough guy who lacks intelligence better than anyone else. I think his extensive past history has proved my point. He’s been working for 40 years and you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The best you can do is offer an old dog a role that would perfectly suit his old tricks. And I think that is what Scorsese may have done.
November 11th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Hey Peter,
Good points, and I grasp the old dog argument. However, many people used the same typecast arguments about John Travolta pre-Pulp Fiction for a good number of years - especially after “Look Who’s Talking.” Stallone made the decision to become an American action icon rather than a serious actor. I feel like he could have gone in the latter direction and that it was conscious choice he made. Again, Ebert compared him to Brando back then - Arnold never received such comparisons.
I feel like now, with the success of “Rocky Balboa” - a film that is far & away from its predecessors in tone and maturity and carries the dramatic weight (as a film and a character) of the original - Sly knows he has to shed his former self after the upcoming “Rambo.” He can do this by pairing with serious directors from here on.
I’m not sure about the “old dogs” saying in regards to Hollywood. Hollywood is one of the toughest and nuttiest businesses around, with plenty of comeback stories (Travolta, Josh Brolin, Jackie Earl) and tragic stories like Orson Welles to boot. Stallone’s career until now has been based on money, sex appeal and macho appeal. Age has given him a window to be taken seriously. That may be strange, but that’s Hollywood. I think he can play outside the “dumb, likeable toughy” and surprise us all. I wouldn’t rule out a late-career Oscar nomination either. He just needs to manage his career and renewed good standing accordingly.
November 11th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Hey everyone,
Based upon the book by Dennis Lehane, this should turn out to be pretty great casting. The character is sort of described as a dumpy aging cop. When reading it I always pictured either Sly’s character from “Copland” or Joe Pantalioni, but only when he’s got a mustache like in “Memento” or something. I think it’s kinda inspired casting…
November 11th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
In contrary to his movies, Sly is an amazing actor. Heck, he was once mentioned in the same breath as Pacino and De Niro.
November 12th, 2007 at 1:52 am
“In contrary to his movies, Sly is an amazing actor. Heck, he was once mentioned in the same breath as Pacino and De Niro.”
Probably for a brief period of time long ago, because now everybody knows that he’s picked mostly bad movies his entire career and acted poorly in nearly all of them.
November 12th, 2007 at 2:01 am
Sean, Sly will rise to the occasion should he be casted in SI.
November 12th, 2007 at 2:06 am
Ha, well I’ll believe it when I see it.
November 12th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
I don’t think Stallone’s problem is his acting ability or his reputation. I think the problem is that thanks to his steady diet of growth hormone, he no longer looks like a normal human.
November 12th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Still no word from Stallone’s camp about this…wonder if it’s true.