The Bottom Line: What’s Old Is 'Fast,' 'Super' and New Again
By Robert Sims, Special to Hollywood.com
|
Monday, June 12, 2006
Lucas Black |
Sometimes all you need is a new face to inject fresh life into a franchise, aging or otherwise. Think the Batman, Jack Ryan and James Bond.
And sometimes all you need is a fresh face to bury a franchise, aging or otherwise. Think Home Alone, The Karate Kid and RoboCop.
Hollywood obviously feels that the risk is worth taking, as evidenced by these five sequels or prequels featuring new characters or different leads:
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (June 16)
Predecessor: 2 Fast 2 Furious ($50.4 million opening; $127.1 million total)
New Face: Lucas Black
The Bottom Line: 2 Fast 2 Furiousdidn’t need Vin Diesel. But what about Paul Walker? With the Friday Night Lights QB at the driving wheel, we’ll finally discover whether it’s just about the tricked-out cars and dolled-up gals. If no one misses Diesel and Walker, Black’s going to live life in the fast (and furious) lane. Otherwise, Tokyo Drift will crash and burn, just as XXX: State of the Union did without Diesel. And Black—who’s still trying to live up to the potential he showed as a brooding youngster in Sling Blade—won’t walk away unscathed from such a wreck. The franchise also will go up in smoke—unless, of course, Diesel and/or Walker suddenly rediscover their need for speed.
Superman Returns (June 28)
Predecessor: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace ($5.6 million opening; $15.6 million total)
New Face: Brandon Routh
The Bottom Line: Everyone wants to be Batman, but no one wants to be Superman. Maybe it’s because the Man of Steel’s so square. But as Superman’s a cultural icon, director Bryan Singer doesn’t need Ashton Kutcher, Josh Hartnett or Jude Law fighting for truth, justice and the American way. Hence his decision to go with this former soap stud. But surely Routh must be worry that his big break could also be his downfall. Remember how Superman cast a long shadow over Christopher Reeve’s otherwise unimpressive career? Luckily for Routh, he’s got Singer in his corner. He turned X-Men’s Hugh Jackman into a star. He could do the same for Routh if Superman’s return receives a warm welcome.
Casino Royale (Nov. 17)
Predecessor: Die Another Day ($47 million opening; $160.9 million total)
New Face: Daniel Craig
The Bottom Line: Craig’s got more enemies than James Bond. Everyone wants the sixth 007 taken down—for the silliest reasons. He’s blond. He’s more rugged than playboy handsome. He’s probably going to be a Bond more like the moody and unpopular Timothy Dalton than debonair predecessor, Pierce Brosnan. So what? Based on the teaser trailer, Craig deserves a shot at proving himself with this supposedly down-and-dirty prequel. But if Craig fails, don’t fret: Bond’s ultraconservative producers will quickly give him the boot. If Bond can survive George Lazenby, it can survive Craig. And Craig—who’s quietly making a name for himself as an art-house darling—can survive Bond.
Young Hannibal (Feb. 9, 2007)
Predecessor: Red Dragon ($36.5 million opening; $93.1 million total)
New Face: Gaspard Ulliel
The Bottom Line: Maybe we are curious about how and why a youthful Hannibal Lector acquired a taste for human flesh. But the thought of anyone other than Anthony Hopkins feasting on census takers and fava beans isn’t too appetizing (with all apologizes to Manhunter’s Brian Cox). So this second The Silence of the Lambs prequel dangerously relies on Lector, whose appeal could be on the wane after Red Dragon failed to crack $100 million. Ulliel’s all but unknown to just the few people who saw A Very Long Engagement. And it will remain that way if the French hunk merely cannibalizes—rather than augments—the refined, intelligent and terrifying performance that earned Hopkins an Oscar.
Evan Almighty (June 22, 2007)
Predecessor: Bruce Almighty ($67.9 million opening; $242.8 million total)
New Lead: Steve Carell
The Bottom Line: Admittedly, Carell was a target of Jim Carrey’s heavenly hi-jinks in Bruce Almighty. But that was when he was just another Daily Show correspondent, not the poster boy for fortysomething virgins. With Carrey uninterested in playing God again, Carell’s the divine choice to assume the task of constructing an ark before a flood wipes out humanity. With Carell's star on the rise, Evan Almighty certainly won’t suffer the same disastrous fate that awaited the Carrey-less Dumb and Dumberer and Son of the Mask. Not unless, of course, the man upstairs decides to intervene.
Photo(s) by Adriana M. Barraza- © 2005- Hollywood Media Corp.- All Rights Reserved