Robert Downey Jr. as a Superhero?
Hmmm. I don’t see it. But apparently Downey is willing to take that chance. He’s set to play Iron Man, a superhero movie based on the Marvel Comics character, with Jon Favreau directing. Downey will portray Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Using his intelligence and ingenuity, Stark instead builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. Upon his return to the U.S., he uncovers a plot with global implications and must don his armor and protect the world. Downey lobbied hard for the part, getting in shape and even growing a goatee like the one Stark sports in the comic books. Marvel president of production Kevin Feige told the Hollywood Reporter the filmmakers looked for the best actor to embody the character. “The Marvel characters are not just about how high they jump or how fast they fly, they’re about their character flaws,” Feige said. “They’re about their inner demons. They’re about the struggles that they go through between being a man and being a hero.” It’s true Downey does know a thing or two about inner demons, and he IS a consummate actor. But the whole superhero part, well…They’re gonna have to work hard to convince me.
Another Carrey Movie Down the Drain
Remember a few weeks ago I talked about the much-ballyhooed movie reunion of Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz in the dramedy A Little Game Without Consequences, a film that revolves around a picture-perfect couple who fake a breakup, only to discover that their friends never thought their union was a good idea in the first place? It’s now a no-go. Due to “amicable but substantive creative differences,” the two stars walked off the project, according to the Hollywood Reporter, right before director Gabriele Muccino walked away. This is the third false start for Carrey, following the dissolution of movies Used Cars and Ripley’s Believe It or Not!. Firing his agent seems to be really helping Carrey’s career, eh? Here’s my theory: Carrey is too expensive, and studios, who are looking to cut down on their huge deals with mega-stars (Hello? Tom Cruise anyone?), aren’t going to pay anymore. So either Carrey is going to come down in price and look for something he can really sink his teeth into (do something else with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’s writer Charlie Kaufman!) or, well, he won’t be working much. I’m just sayin’…
Fantastic Four Sequel Gets Some New Faces
Beau Garrett and Andre Braugher have been cast in Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, a sequel to the 2005 box office hit, along with the four themselves–Ioan Gruffudd (Mr. Fantastic), Jessica Alba (Invisible Girl), Chris Evans (Human Torch) and Michael Chiklis (The Thing). Garrett (Entourage) will play Frankie Raye, a scientist and love interest to Evans’ character. In the comic she eventually gains super powers. Braugher (FX’s Thief) will play a general with the responsibility to capture the Silver Surfer, which will be a computer-generated creation. That’ll be fun.
Bernal Might Be Bourne Again
The Bourne Ultimatum, the third installment of the hit action series, began shooting this week in Tangier, but it is still without a worthy nemesis for its amnesiac spy hero, Jason Bourne, played once again by a steely Matt Damon. But all may not be lost! An offer has gone out to Gael Garcia Bernal, the oh-so-talented Mexican actor, known for such films as Y Tu Mama Tambien and The Motorcycle Diaries and will be in the upcoming Oscar hopeful Babel. The Ultimatum story centers on Bourne uncovering mysteries of his past, which puts him in the cross-hairs of a super killer. Bernal would make an excellent addition.
Schneider Takes His Medicine; Caviezel Plays Outlander
Rob Schneider has signed to star in Juliana and the Medicine Fish, an independent children’s fantasy. The funnyman will play a father who is trying to save his troubled fishing lodge as well as his relationship with his 12-year-old daughter, who uncovered an ancient secret in the waters near the lodge. Appropriate behavior. Meanwhile, The Passion of the Christ’s Jim Caviezel has signed on to star in the science fiction adventure movie Outlander. The project centers on a man from another galaxy who crash-lands on Earth during the time of the Vikings. By accident, he brings with him an alien predator that he must destroy with the help of a Viking tribe. Ohh, kinda like Alien with Vikings. Cool!
Parker, Nolte Read Spiderwick
Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Martin Short and Joan Plowright are in negotiations to join the cast of The Spiderwick Chronicles, a big-budget adaptation of the best-selling fantasy books. The project, which mixed live action with visual effects, centers on twin brothers Jared and Simon who, along with their sister Mallory uncover a world of fairies and other creatures. Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland) already has been cast as the twins, and Sarah Bolger (In America) will play the sister. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Parker would play the kids’ mother, worn out by her recent separation from her husband (Andrew McCarthy). Nolte and Short will lend their voices for a couple of otherworldly characters: Mulgrath, a shape-shifting evil lord trying to get his hands on the kids, and Thimbletack/Bogart, a small being that can either protect a household or mischievously throw it in disarray, respectively. Plowright will play the kids’ aunt who is deemed crazy because she can see the creatures and is put into an asylum. Sounds a whole lot like Harry Potter but I’ve always been a sucker for good fantasy flicks.
Tired…So Tired
Of what, you ask? Football movies. I’m over it. Done. The reason for my rant is because director Tom Brady has been tagged to helm sports comedy The Comebacks. It stars David Koechner (Anchorman) as the losing-est football coach in the history of the sport, who goes for a shot at redemption with a ragtag college team. Stop it. Just stop it right now.
Until next week…
