After months and months of people not in the know asking me “Is Keanu Reeves in Watchmen?”, Fox Searchlight Pictures has finally realized their upcoming film The Night Watchman posed a marketing challenge which was sure to create confusion in consumers, especially with buzz growing for the Warner Bros/Zack Snyder adaptation of Alan Moore’s epic superhero tale Watchmen. So Searchlight have decided to do the right thing and rename the film “Street Kings”. Besides, I’m pretty sure that the script for The Night Watchman was penned way after the Moore graphic novel was available in book stores. Although it should be noted that the film is based on a story by James Ellroy. I do remember this film floating around the development ponds for a few years now, once attached to Spike Lee, than Oliver Stone in 2005.
Street Kings stars Keanu Reeves as Tom Ludlow, a veteran LAPD cop who finds life difficult to navigate after the death of his wife. When evidence implicates him in the execution of a fellow officer, he is forced to go up against the cop culture he’s been a part of his entire career, ultimately leading him to question the loyalties of everyone around him. The film also stars Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, Chris Evans, Naomie Harris, Jay Mohr, John Corbett, Cedric the Entertainer, Amaury Nolasco, Terry Crews, Common and The Game. Street Kings will hit theaters on Friday, April 11th 2008.
February 4th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I think this is based on a James Ellroy novel. The new name is better than the old one, which was way confusing, especially considering the early Keanu is Dr. Manhattan rumors.
typical conversation:
“Wait are you saying Keanu is Dr. Manhattan in the movie?”
“No, he’s in the other one. He’s a cop.”
“Dr. Manhattan is a cop now? I knew Snyder would mess it up!”
February 4th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
The James Ellroy script is an original but it went through a few rewrites.
I don’t know about “Street Kings”. The title reminds me of cheap skates with the metal wheels that have off sparks whenI was a kid.
February 4th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Street Kings just sounds pretty generic and tacked on for lack of a better title.
February 4th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
What were they thinking? Were they thinking at all?
This title is beyond awful. It’s not that they had months and months to come up with something. I thought the movie deserved better than this but now my hopes are way down, for both movie and marketing campaign.
February 4th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
The new title is better and define well the plot of the movie. The Night Watchman had nothing to do with “corrupt cops” IMO. Now they must hurry in promoting it, early reviews of a test screening are really positive. It seems they have a winner in their hands.
February 5th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
“Street Kings” sounds like the name of a latin gang documentary.
February 5th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
In fact, here are some better titles, IMO:
“Unwritten Honor”
“Code Blue”
“Wall of Silence”
“Thin Blue Line”
“Code of Silence”
“Uniform Betrayal”
I realize many of these are bad but sheesh, “Street Kings?” All that comes to mind when I hear that is “Latin Kings of Comedy”
February 5th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Peter Greenaway also made Nightwatching.
The year 1642 marks the turning point in the life of the famous Dutch painter, Rembrandt, turning him from a wealthy respected celebrity into a discredited pauper. At the insistence of his pregnant wife Saskia, Rembrandt has reluctantly agreed to paint the Amsterdam Musketeer Militia in a group portrait that will later become to be known as The Nightwatch. He soon discovers that there is a conspiracy afoot with the Amsterdam merchants playing at soldiers maneuvering for financial advantage and personal power in, that time, the richest city in the Western World. Rembrandt stumbles on a foul murder.