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JJ Abrams and Tom Cruise To Co-Produce Mission: Impossible 4 for 2011 Release
Posted on Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Update: The Hollywood trades have confirmed that a fourth Mission Impossible film is being co-produced by JJ Abrams and Tom Cruise at Paramount (which if you know the Abrams history, is a mission: impossible in itself). Paramount is hoping to have the film ready for theaters for 2011 (most likely May, considering the first three films were released during that month). No word on if this will be a reboot or sequel, and no writer has been officially hired for the project. Our original story from June 10th follows.
John Carter of Mars Begins Shooting This November in Utah
Posted on Thursday, June 11th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
After many years in development, it appears that John Carter of Mars is gearing up to begin production. As you know by now, Finding Nemo and WALL-E director Andrew Stanton will be making his live action feature debut with an adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1917 sci-fi fantasy novel A Princess of Mars. KLS is reporting that Disney has signed a deal to shoot part of the film in Utah. After the jump I also have exclusive info that Tom Cruise was circling the project for a short period of time.
What Movie Will Tom Cruise Do Next? James Mangold’s Wichita
Posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Update: Tom Cruise was being courted for at least six different big Hollywood projects. Out of all the possible projects, the star has chosen the least interesting one. Cruise is in talks to join Cameron Diaz in the 20th Century Fox action-comedy Wichita. Cruise will play an undercover agent who pops in and out of the life of a woman (Diaz) who has man trouble. Cruise and Diaz have approved the script, which most recently was worked on by Scott Frank (The Lookout) and Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island). Directed by Walk the Line/3:10 to Yuma helmer James Mangold, Fox hopes to have the film in theaters for a Summer 2010 release.
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Variety have published a very exciting list of every film that could, potentially, become the next film for Tom Cruise - as well as a list of the various writers and directors working on them. The focus is on the writers, as the umbrella notion here is that Cruise is calling for lotsa costly rewrites from script doctors. Curiously enough, it is later made clear in the piece that some of these writers aren’t doctoring as much as coming on to the projects as full-on writers.
The full list follows, but sadly it doesn’t contain two interesting prospects: Susanne Bier’s Lost For Words and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s The 28th Amendment. Hopefully they’ll still go ahead with a different lead, or be resurrected once Cruise has cleared his plate a little.
UK Tabloid Rumor: Tom Cruise Wants To Remake Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Posted on Sunday, April 5th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
I’m never sure if I should report any of the showbiz rumors that come out the UK-based newspapers. So much of it is bullshit gossip that never comes to pass. Tonight /Film reader Emmett D sent over a link to an article on The Daily Express website that claims that Tom Cruise hopes to produce a remake of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid for United Artists, and is already interviewing potential screenwriters for the project.
According to the unnamed sources (because, if the sources were named, it could no longer be a rumor…), Cruise would play Sundance, the role made famous by Robert Redford in the original 1969 western. John Travolta would play Cassidy, a role originally played by Paul Newman. The article also claims that Cruise has been wanting to make this film for years now, and even got Paul Newman’s blessing before he passed.
I’m actually one of the few people who still enjoys watching Cruise on the big screen, but I can’t even imagine Travolta in a Sundance Kid remake. I’m willing to give almost anything the benefit of the doubt, but even I can’t imagine any good coming out of this. But for now, just mark this as another UK newspaper rumor which will probably turn out to be completely bunk.
Cronenberg Reveals His Plans For The Matarese Circle
Posted on Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 by Brendon Connelly
Today’s the day that David Cronenberg will receive the highest award in the gift of the French government when he is ordained into the Légion d’Honneur. This is an honour that dates back to Napoleonic times but in more recent history has been awarded to an impressive roster of filmmakers including Satyajit Ray, David Lynch and Akira Kurosawa. A sign of the times, perhaps, that this latest honoree’s day job right now is preparing a muti-million dollar action thriller with two huge Hollywood stars.
That film is The Matarese Circle and the stars are Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington. Cronenberg has been telling the Toronto Star about his plans for the film, which are rather exciting, and I’ve got a break down and key quotes after the break.
Aint It Cool News have run a story from one of their readers, reporting that Tom Cruise has appeared on Japanese television and revealed plans for the 4th Mission: Impossible film. See above, images from said show.
As I learned from ’supastring’, the AICN scooper, Cruise was a guest on SMAPxSMAP. According to Wikipedia, the show is hosted by the Idol group SMAP - presumably an aging Idol group as the show has apparently been on air for around 13 years (take that Take That). I’d guess that Cruise would have appeared in the first part of the show, Bistro Smap, in which a celebrity guest is served food and interviewed. So, basically, a boy band gave Cruise a snack and he chatted a while, spilled some beans on his big spy franchise.
What is the 28th Amendment? It’s a project conceived by the screenwriting team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the guys who wrote Transformers, Star Trek, Mission: Impossible II and The Island. Described as The Firm set in the White House, the story follows the new President of the United States who discovers the for a good part of the 20th century, a secret cabal has been running the government. Anyone who defies the secret gang’s wishes will end up murdered (apparently JFK’s assassination is connected to the group). It’s an interesting premise which has been done in different variations in comic books (100 Bullets), video games (Metal Gear Solid) and Dan Brown novels.
The project has gotten passed from director to director — Neil Jordan and Philip Noyce had both been in talks to helm the project at some point. But now Warner Bros is in talks with The Lives of Others helmer Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck to direct the project, with both Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington as potential stars. Cruise has at least eight projects on his plate, and is trying to decide which one will be next. So it’s very likely that the cast could change.
source: Variety
Ludlum Bonanza - Jason Bourne, David Cronenberg and The Parsifal Mosaic
Posted on Friday, February 13th, 2009 by Brendon Connelly
It’s been a busy time for Robert Ludlum watchers these last few days. Not one, not two, not three, not four but five upcoming films to be based, one way or another, on his books have had some fresh light shed upon them. (John Grisham watchers should just pack up their tents; Tom Clancy watchers will probably see some action before long)
Film one. Michael Brandt and Derek Haas have scripted an adaptation of The Matarese Circle. Tom Cruise and Denzel Washington have been tapped to star and David Cronenberg is lining up a nice long sit in the canvas seat. We knew about Michael, Derek, David and Denzel, but the fresh addition of the smiling one seems to suggest big progress is being made. Variety tell us that the sequel novel The Matarese Countdown was snapped up in the same rights swoop - let’s skip to the end and call that film five.
News of films two, three and four below the break.
Rumor Killer: Tom Cruise’s Hudson Plane Crash Film
Posted on Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 by Brendon Connelly
One of the hazards of writing online about film is that you receive a lot of fraudulent leads by e-mail. On my own blogs, I’m okay with running those I can’t actually disprove myself - but always making sure they are labeled clearly as rumour. We all like a good rumour, I think, as long as we know that’s all it is. At /Film, however, the policy is to only cover stories we can link to, where the evidence is tangible - the exceptions being the stories we generate ourselves in interview, or in a few rare cases, information from well tested sources who just wouldn’t be leading us up the garden path.
One new false rumor has come to my attention, right at the point of denial. Representatives of Tom Cruise are speaking out and making it clear that, no, there are plans for a movie based on last week’s Hudson River plane landing.
United Artists has made the first six minutes of Valkyrie available online to promote the film. Check it out embedded after the jump or head on to Apple.com for the High Definition version.
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Some people argue that any movie would be better with lightsabers. Someone replace a pool stick in this scene from The Color of Money with the infamous Jedi weapon. The same thing was done using clips from The Last Samurai. Looks like someone wants to see Tom Cruise in a Star Wars movie. Thanks to /Film reader Chris H for the tip.
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